LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

AT  URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 


H62 


111.    Hist.    Surv 


Lt68.2j 


HISTORY      ^ 


Madison    County, 


i^m  ^ 


Bitli  ^io0ra|iliifa!  ^\^\i\\n  of  mniiu  proiiiiiiciit  l|{cii  \\\\A  pioiiccro 


PUBLISHED     BY 

"w.    K..    bi^hstk:    &c   go 

EDWARDSVILLE     ILL. 


^^^i882^^J-*- 


PREFACE, 


^ 
^ 


HE  picblishcrs  desire  to  rcticni  their 
sincere  thanks  to  all  who  have 
aided  in  tnaking  (his  work  thorough 
and  complete.  For  some  of  the  inci- 
dents relative  to  the  early  settlement 
of  the  county  we  a7'e  indebted  to  a 
feT-o  of  the  older  inhabitants. 

In   localizing    events,   and    cor- 
recting dates,  we   acknowledge   our 
obligations     to     the      writings    of    ex- Governor 
Reynolds,    Rev.    fohn   M.    Peck,  Henry  Tanner, 
yudge  Hall,  Gov.  Ford,  Washbuni  s  Life  of  Gov. 
Coles,  the  Atnerican  State  papers,  and  the  zvrit- 
ings   of  the    fesuit    Fathers.       Many  old  and 
valuable  manuscripts,  both  in  the  French  atid  En- 
glish languages,    have    been    examined.       These 
rare  papers   have  -made   ititelligible   some  of  the 
earliest   incidents    pertaining   to    this   region    of 
the  State.     For  other  facts  we  are  indebted  to  a 
class  of  intelligent  men   and  women,  who,  amid 
the   ordinary  pursuits  of  life   have   taken  pains 
.  to  inform  themselves  as  to  the  passing  events  of  the 
county.     Among  those  who  have  specially  contri- 
buted to  the  completeness  of  this  history  are,  Joseph 
Gillespie,  Abraham  Breath,  E.  M.    West,  I.   B. 
Randall,  John  A.  Prickett,  J.  R.  Newman,  Jesse 
Renfro,    Thomas  0.  Springer,  Amos  Atkins,  Lu- 
ther W.   Lyon,   Don  Alonzo   Spaulding,    B.    F. 
Long,  Hon.  Wm.  F.  De  Wolf,  of  Chicago, aitd  offi- 
cers   of  the   Chicago  Historical  Society,    G.    C 
Lusk,  Nelson  Montgomery,  Wm.  A.    Lantermaji, 
M.  G  Dale,  Abrahatn  Preuitt,  Wm.  E.  Wheeler, 
E  K.  Preuitt,    Wm.    W.  Pearce,  J.  A.  Bruner, 
lA.  J .  Parkinson,  John  W.    Coventry,  Henry  C. 
[Gerke,  V.  P.  Richmond,  Alajor  Franklin  Moore, 


Susan  Paddock,  Mrs.  John  Mason,  Mrs.  fane 
R.  Holliday,  Mrs.  Nancy  Eberhardt,  D.  B.  Gill- 
ham,  Joseph  Cliapman,  Samuel  Squires,  Wm.  C. 
McAlilly,  Mrs.  Nancy  S.  Barnsback,  Mrs.  Nan- 
j  cy  J.  Barnsback,  Bennet  Posey,  Dr.  T.  J.  Irish, 
Alonzo  Foster,  George  Howard,  and  many  others. 
I  We  were  also  permitted  by  Mrs.  Flagg,  to  ex- 
I  amine  the  writings  and  manuscripts  of  the  late 
Hon.  Willard  C.  Flagg.  And  particularly  are 
we  indebted  to  W.  T.  Norton,  editor  of  the  Altoft 
Telegraph,for  the  opportunity  of  examining  many 
of  the  old  files  of  that  paper.  We  also  de- 
sire to  return  our  thanks  to  the  county  officials  for 
the  many  cotcrtesies  extended.  The  editors  of  the 
several  newspapers  have  also  rendered  assistance 
in  that  prompt  and  cheerful  manner  so  character- 
istic of  the  journalistic  profession. 

To  the  Clergymen  of  the  various  denominations, 
whose  articles  appear  in  this  work,  we  express  our 
thanks  for  information  fwnished  relative  to  the 
history  of  their  churches.  Among  the  chapters 
most  fruitful  in  interest  to  a  gredt  number  of  our 
readers,  will  be  found  those  which  treat  of  the  early 
history  of  the  churches. 

We  have  endeavored,  with  all  diligence  and  care- 
fulness, to  make  the  best  use  of  the  material  at  our 
command.  We  have  confined  ourselves,  as  nearly 
as  possible,  to  the  original  data  furnished.  The 
subject  matter  has  been  carefully  classified,  and 
will  be  a  great  help  to  the  public  as  a  book  of  ref- 
erence concerning  the  past  of  the  county.  We  ex- 
pect criticism.  All  we  ask  is  that  it  be  fnade  in 
the  spirit  of  charity.  We  hope  our  patrons  will 
take  into  account  all  the  difficulties  to  be  overcome, 
the  car'e  Jiecessary  in   harmonizinsr  various  mem- 


41815 


PBEFA  CE. 


ories,  and  of  reconciling  diverse  dates,  and  localiz- 
ing evetits.  The  fads  are  gathered  from  a  him- 
dred  different  sources,  and  depend  largely,  not  on 
exact  zvritten  records,  but  on  the  recollections  of  in- 
dividuals. We  have  tried  to  preserve  the  inci- 
dents of  pioneer  histoiy,  to  accurately  present  the 
natural  features  and  material  resources  of  the 
cotinty,  and  to  gather  the  facts  likely  to  be  of  most 
interest  to  our  present  readers,  and  of  greatest  im- 


portance to  coming  generations.     If  our  ? 
xvill  take  into  consideration  the  difficulties  of  the 
task,  luefeel  sure  of  a  favorable  verdict  on  our  un- 
dertaking. 

We  present  the  work  to  the  public,  trusting  that 
they  will  approve  our  labors,  attd  give  the  volume 
a  generous  reception. 

The  Publishers. 


TABLE    OF   CONTENTS, 


COUNTY  HISTORY. 

PAGE. 

CHAPTER  I. 
A  Brief  Sketch  of  the  Nokth-West 
Territoey. 
Geographical     Position— Early    Explora- 
tions— Discovery  of  the   Ohio — Eng- 
lish Explorations  and  Settlements — 
American    Settlements — Division    of 
the    North-West    Territory — Present 
Condition  of  the  North-West.     .    .    .9  25 


CHAPTER  II. 
Brief  Histokical  Sketch  of  Illinois. 
French  Possessions— The  first  Settlements  in 
Illinois — Founding  of  Kaskaskia — As 
a  part  of  Louisiana — Fort  Chartres — 
Under  French  rule — Character  of  the 
Early  French  Settlers— A  Possession 
of  Great  Britain — Conquest  by  Clark 
—The  "  Compact  of  1787  "—Land 
Tenures — Physical  Features  of  the 
State — Progress  of  Development — 
Material  Resources  of  the  State — An- 
nual Products— The  War  Record — 
Civil  Government — Territorial  and 
State  Officers — Miscellaneous  Informa- 
tion   25-43 


page. 
St.  Louis,  Vandalia  and  Terre  Haute  ; 
Toledo,  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis  ;  St. 
Louis  Bridge 44-54 


CHAPTER  IV. 
Geology. 
Loess,  Drift,  Carboniferous,  Chester  Lime- 
stone, St.   Louis   Limestone,  Artesian 
Wells,  etc ' 54-57 


CHAPTER   V. 

ANTIQ.UITIES. 

Cahokia,  or  Monk's  Mound,  the  Mounds  of 
the  American  Bottom,  The  Mound 
Builders  ;  The  Indians  ;  Antique  Pot- 
tery ;  Images,  Copper  Implements,  etc., 
and  Description  of  Plates,  represent- 
ing them,  etc 58-64 


CHAPTER  VI. 
Flora. 
List  of  Native   Woody  Plants,     Grasses, 


etc.,  etc. 


64 


CHAPTER  III. 

Geography,  Agricultural  Besoubces  and 
Railroad   Facilities. 

Geography —  Pojuilation  —  Topography — 
Timber  —  Hydrography —  Mounds — 
Soil  —  Agriculture  —  Census —  Trans- 
portation —  Railroads,  Chicago  and 
Alton ;  Wabash,  St.  Louis  and  Pa- 
cific ;  Indianapolis  and  St.  Louie ; 
Bock  Island  Division  of  C.  B.  and  Q. , 


Fauna. 
Rodentia,  or   Gnawers,  Reptiles,   Class  of 
Birds ;  Raptores,  Scansores,  Rasores, 
Grallatores,  Natatores,  Insessores,  etc.   .  65 


C'lLVrTER  VII. 
Pioneers  .vnd  Early  Settlements. 
Early  French  Settlers — Old  Land  Claims — 
Pioneer  Americans — Capture  of  the 
Gillham  Children  by  the  Indians — 
Monks  of  the  La  Trappe— Settlers 
During  the  War  of  1812-14 — Indian 
Troubles — Wood    River     Mas.'sacre — 


PAGE. 

Citizens  of  the  County  in  1815 — Subse- 
quent Settlements — The  McMahan 
family  massacre — Early  Marriages — 
Marriage  Certificates — Character  of 
the  Early  Settlers — Pioneer  Customs 
and  Modes  of  life — Early  Financial 
Condition  of  the  County — Articles  of 
Household  Use — Prairie  fires— Pioneer 
Schools  and  Churches — Early  Mills — 
Early  Agriculture — The  first  Orchards 
— Birds  and  Animals — Prairie  Flies — 
Indian  Treaty  at  Edwardsville — Items 
Concerning  Slavery — Remarkable  sea- 
sons and  changes  of  Weather — Earth- 
quake of  ISU — Navigation  of  the 
Mississippi,  etc.,  etc 67-103 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
European  Immigration. 
Early  French  Families — German  Settlers 
— The  Bohemians,  The  Irish,  Swiss, 
English,  Scotch,  etc 103-113. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
Civil  History. 
Territorial  Times  1812  to  1819— Slaves 
and  Indentured  Blacks— Slaves  in 
the  County — First  Efforts  of  County 
Government — First  will  on  Record 
— The  Circuit  Courts  in  Territorial 
Times — The  County  at  the  close  of 
1818 — Letter  by  a  Citizen  of  Ridge 
Prairie — George  Churchill  and  Mica- 
jah  Cox'  Addresses — County  Boards 
from  1813  to  1849  -  Statistics,  Official 
Accounts,  Tables,  etc. — The  Courts 
from  1819  to  1849— Trial  and  Execu- 
tion of  Eliphalet  Green— 1824,March 
3 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 

Term — Justices  of  the  Peace  from  1827 
to  1849 — Probate  Courts — Retrospec- 
tion 1849  to  1882— Sketch  of  Edwards- 
ville,  by  H.  C.  Gerke  (1831-'32)— 
Government  of  the  County — County 
Courts  from  1849 — Board  of  County 
Commissioners,  January  24,  1847  to 
April  1876 — Addenda— Circuit  Court 
Notes,  1849  to  1855—1855  to  1857— 
1861  to  1873— Circuit  Court,  May 
Term,  1865—1873  to  1879— Probate 
Court,  1S49  to  1882— Conclusion.  113-181 


CHAPTER  X. 
The  Besch  and  Bak. 
First   Lawyers,  Judges,  and  Early  Courts 
—The    Bench— The   Bar— Non-Resi- 
dent  Lawyers — Former  Resident  Law- 
yers—Present  Members  of  the  Bar.  181-197 


CHAPTER  XL 
The  Peess. 
The  Discovery  and  Invention  of  the  Art  of 
Printing — Early  History  of  the  Press 
— First  Newspaper  in  Illinois  and  in 
Madison  County — The  Slavery  Ques- 
tion, etc — The  Alton  Riots  and  Mur- 
der of  Elijah  Parrish  Lovejoy — A 
brief  History  of  all  the  Newspapers 
published  in  the  county 197-216 


CHAPTER  XII. 
Patkiotism. 
War  of  1812- The  Black  Hawk  War  1831- 
1832— War  with  Mexico— The  War  of 
the  Rebellion.  A  Roster  of  the  Men 
who  Participated  in  each  of  the  Wars, 
with  a  short  sketch  of  the  Regiments 
to  which  they  belonged 217-265 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
The  Common  Schools. 
Early  Schools  iu  the  County — The  Schools 

by  Townships,  etc 26^-272 

Shurtleff  College 272 

Monticello  Ladies'  Seminary 275 

Wyman  Institute 276 


PAGE. 

Baptist  Church 301 

Christian  Church 323 

Church  of  the  Redeemer 328 

Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church 324 

French  Congregation  in  Helvetia 331 

German  M.  E.  Church 291 

Lutheran  Church 329 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church 277 

Presbyterian  Church 294 

Protestant  Episcopal  Church 321 

Roman  Catholic  Church 319 

United  Denomination 324 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
Ecclesiastical   Histokv. 

A.  M.  E.  Church 293 

Allgemeine  Christliche  Kirche,  Highland.    331 


BIOGRAPHIES. 

Ambrosius,  Conrad  A 463 

Anderson,  John 462 

Randle,  Josias 359 

Barnsback,  Thos.  J 449 

Bartlett,  Jesse 451 

Becker,  John 463 

Boals,  M.  H 411 

Boeschenstein,  Jr.  Charles 436 

Bosom  worth,  Robert 359 

Brown,  James  R 371 

Brown,  Ansel  L 365 

Bruuer,  Capt.  Jno.  A 403 

Brunner,  Rudolph 499 

Eulkley,  Justus 406 

Castagnetta,  John 515 

Chipron,  C.  P 436 

Cole,  HermonC 412 

Coles,  Gov.  Edwai-d 350 

Cotter,  W.  H 367 

Grossman,  S.  V 355 

Daech,  William „372 

Dale,  Judge  M.  G 360 

Estabrook,  John 482 

Fahnestock,  Capt.  Jno.  T 368 

Faires,  William  H 469 

Fangenroth,  Charles  W 366 

Forman,  Wm.  C 492 

Gillespie,  Judge  Joseph      351 

Gillespie,  Judge  David 358 

Gillespie,  Judge  Matthew 362 

Gonterman,  Caleb  B 450 

Gruaz,  Timothy ■ 436 

Hardy,  Dr.  I.  E 404 

Hauskins,  Elias 452 

Herb,  C.  A 408 

Hite,  B.  R 461 

Hill,  William  E. 526 

Hoerner,  John  S 437 

Hotz,  George 548 


Ingham,  Roland  J 

Irish,  T.  J 

Jeffress,  A.  W 

Joesting,  F.  W 

Judd,  M.  D.,  Henry  L 

Judy,  Thomas 

Kleinwort,  Hermann 

Lanterman,  Wm.  A 4S;_i 

Lindley,  William 520 

Mason,  John 516 

May,  William 452 

Mclnerney,  J.  J 412 

McPike,  Henry  G 412 

Merriman,  Charles 517 

Miller,  Capt.  John  A 424 

Mills,  B.  H 422 

Mitchell,  James 518 

Montgomery,  Nelson 364 

Moore,  Maj.  Franklin 425 

Nelson,  Abra 405 

Newsham,  Maj.Thos.  J 373 

Newman,  Zadock 486 

Newman,  J.  R 4.S7 

Norton,  Wilbur  T 411 

Pearce,  W.  W 554 

Perrin,  Thomas  H 411 

Prickett,  John  A 353 

Pyle,  Abner 470 

Searcy,  George  W 468 

Semple,  Gen.  James 401 

Smart,  Alsey  S 452 

Smith,  John  H 450 

Smith,  W.  A 488 

Spies,  Jacob 498 

Springer,  Thos.  0.  ' 484 

Springer,  Wm.  M.  T 370 

Squire,  James 519 

Tonsor,  John  M 410 

Tontz,  Jones 549 

West,  Hon.  E.  M 356 

Worden,  John  C 542 


CITY  &  TOWNSHIP  HISTORIES. 

Alhambra 55^^ 

Alton 374 

Chouteau 471 

CoUinsville 453 

Edwardsville 333 

Fort  Russell 475 

Fosterburg 526 

Godfrey 505 

Hamel 531 

Helvetia 42bb 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 

Jarvis 438 

Leef 536 

Marine 493 

Moro 490 

Nameoki 500 

New  Douglas 529 

North  Alton 400 

Olive 523 

Omph-Ghent 538 

Pin  Oak 444 

Saline 545 

St.  Jacobs 463 

Upper  Alton 396 

Venice 520 

Wood  River 414 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Brown,  C.  C, Facing  528 

Brown,  Z. Facing  512 

Brunner,  Rudolph Facing  496 

Buescher,  William Facing  552 

Cahokia  Mounds, Facing    60 

Castagnetta,  J., Facing  412 

Clark,  James  W., Facing  424 

County  Map Facing      9 

Gulp,  J.  C Facing  424 

Custom  and  Merchant  Mills,  .    .    .  Facing  424 

Ewan,  J.  T. Facing  424 

Flick,  C.  H. Facing  416 

Forman,  William  0. Facing  420 

Gait,  William Facing  480 

Gay,  Hon.  Newton  S Facing  492 

Graaz,  Timothy, Facing  436 

Harmist  and  Cook's  Drug  Store, .  .  Facing  348 

Harris,  T.  N. Facing  520 

Hickin,  Edward Facing  524 

Jeffress,  A.  W., Facing  509 

Kaufmann,  Gustav, Facing  552 

Kellermann,  Simon Facing  348 

Klinke,  Fritz Facing  524 

Laengle,  Henry, Facing  436 


PAGE. 

Marsh,  William  W Facing  472 

May,  William Facing  452 

Monk's  Mound 58 

Moore,  Maj.  Frank Facing  388 

Mound  Antiquities Facing    62 

Neisler  &  Randall Facing  412 

Old  Log  School  House 267 

Places  of  Public  Interest,  Edwardsville,  Fac.344 
Alton,  .    .  Facing  396 

Prange,  Charles  W Facing  464 

President  Park  Mills,  Between    .   .    .  420-421 

Public  Buildings, Facing  179 

Puncheon  Bench 268 

Ramsey,  William Facing  428 

Smart,  Alsey  S., Facing  495 

Smith,  W.  A. Facing  488 

Smith,  John  IL, Facing  448 

Starner,  G.  J., Facing  482 

Stenzel,  Frank Facing  372 

The  Building  where  Lovejoy  was  murdered  388 

Walter,  Louis Facing  512 

Watson,  Henry Facing  472 

Wiedmer,  John Facing  424 

Wood  River  Fort,  1812-1814 415 

Worden,  John  C. Facing  542 

Wyman  Institute 276 


PORTRAITS. 

Anderson,  John 462 

Barnsback,  Thos.  J.  self  and  wife   ....  449 

Bartlett,  Jesse 451 

Brown,  James  R 371 

Bruner,  Capt.  Jno.  A 403 

Bulkley,  Justus 406 

Cotter.  W.  H 3G7 

Grossman,  S.  V 355 

Daech,  William 372 

Dale,  JudgpM.  G 360 

Estabrook,  John,  self  and  wife 482 

Fahnestock,  Capt.  Jno.  T 368 

Faires,  Wm.  H 469 


Fangenroth,  Charles  W.  . 
Gillespie,  Judge  Joseph  . 
Gillespie,  Judge  David.  .  . 
Gillespie,  Judge  Matthew 

Hardy,  Dr.  I.  E 

Herb,  C.  A •.   . 

Hite,  B.  B 


I'AQE. 

.366 
.  351 
.  358 
.  362 
.  404 
.  408 
,   .461 


Hotz,  George 548 

Irish,  T.  J 504 

Joesting,  F.  W 409 

Judy,  Thomas,  self  and  wife 5.35 

Kinder,  Mrs.  Isabella 364 

Lanterman,  Wm.  A 489 

Mason,  John,  self  and  wife 516 

Merriman,  Charles 517 

Mills,  B.  H 422 

Mitchell,  James 51S 

Montgomery,  Nelson,  self  and  wife  .    .    .    .364 

Moore,  Maj.  Franklin 425 

Nelson,  Arba 405 

Newman,  J.  R.  self  and  wife 487 

Pearce,  W.  W 554 

Preuitt,  Solomon Facing  480 

Prickett,  John  A 353 

Pyle,  Abner 470 

Semple,  Gen.  Tames 101 

Smith,  W.  A.  self  and  wife 4SS 

Springer,  Wm.  M.  T 370 

Spies,  Jacob 498 

Springer,  Thos.  0 484 

Squire,  James 519 

Tonsor,  John  M 410 

Tontz,  Jones        405 

West.  Hon.  E.  M 356 

Worden,  John  C Facing  542 


AmendraontB  to  the  Constitution  of  the  Uni- 
ted States 602 

Constitution  of  Illinois 5S6 

Constitution  of  United  States 599 

Declaration  of  Independence 59S 

Partial  List  of  Patrons 555 


JERSEY  CO 


CLINTON  H     CO 


INTRODUCTION". 


I  HERE  are  few  stiulies  more  interesting  and 
profitable  to  mankind  than  that  of 
the  past  experiences,  deeds,  thoughts 
and  trials  of  the  human  race. 
The  civilized  man  and  the  untutored  sav- 
age alike  desire  to  know  the  deeds  and  lives 
of  their  ancestors,  and  strive  to  perpetuate 
their  story.  National  patriotism  and  liter- 
ary pride  have  prompted  many,  in  all  times, 
to  write  and  preserve  the  annals  of  particular 
peoples.  But  narrow  prejudice  and  selfish 
interests  too  often  have  availed  to  suppress 
the  truth  or  to  distort  facts. 
It  is  the  aim  of  this  work  to  coUe-taad  preserve,  in  enduring 
and  popular  form,  .some  of  the  facts  of  the  early  settlement,  and 
sub-sequent  growth  of  a  great  county  of  a  grand  State.  The  fam- 
ilies whose  ancestors  were  early  on  the  ground,  and  whose  mem- 
bers have  made  the  county  what  it  is,  are  worthy  of  remem- 
brance ;  and  their  difficulties  and  sorrows,  customs,  labors  and 
patriotism,  should  not  be  allowed  to  fall  into  oblivion.  By  a 
knowledge  of  these  the  present  generation  will  be  instructed,  and 
the  future  will  be  guided. 

All  history,  if  projjerly  written,  is  interesting ;  and  there  is 
not  a  town,  city  or  hamlet, — nay,  we  might  say,  not  a  family  or 
an  individual  on  the  globe, — whose  history  might  not  be  more 
or  less  valuable  to  posterity. 

From  the  ancient  days,  away  back  in  the  dim  aud  shadowy 
past,  when  the  human  race  first  arrived  at  a  state  of  intelligence 
sufficient  to  enable  them  to  transmit  a  traditionary  or  written 
account  of  themselves,  all  along  down  the  teeming  ages,  cue  pro- 
genitors have  left  in  various  ways,  and  by  different  means,  infor- 
m  ition,  more  or  less  mythical,  of  the  age  and  generation  in  which 
they  played  their  ephemeral  part  on  the  world's  ever-changing 
theatre  of  action.  It  is  graven  in  bronze  on  tha  wjnierful  wjrks 
of  the  central  nations  of  Africa,  around  those  "  dim  fountains  of 
the  Nile  ;"  the  gray  old  pyramids  in  the  valley  of  "  tweiiti/  thou- 
sand cities  "  are  coverei  with  the  hieroglyphical  language  of  the 
"  shadowy  past."  The  vast  and  mighty  "  palaces  and  piles  stu- 
pendous," hoary  with  the  dust  of  unknown  centuries,  that  be- 
wilder the  traveler  'mid  Egypt's  drifting  sands,  upon  the  plains 
of  the  E.iphrates,  and  hidden  away  in  the  tiger-hunted  jungles 
of  the  "  farthest  Ind  ;"  the  gigantic  ruins  of  Southern  and  Cen- 


tral America,  under  the  snow-capped  Cordilleras  and  among  the 
wondrous  forests  of  Yucatan  ;  the  seamed  and  wrinkled  pyramids 
of  the  Aztecs,  in  Mexico  and  California,  and  the  ten  thousand 
crumbling  evidences  of  a  powerful  civilization  scattered  through- 
out the  great  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  all  bear  testimony  of 
countless  attempts  to  transmit  knowledge  to  posterity. 

The  written  historj'  of  the  American  Continent  dates  back 
scarcely  four  centuries,  yet  within  that  comparatively  short  pe- 
riod its  pages  have  garnered  from  her  hills  and  mountains,  from 
her  grand  rivers  and  mighty  inland  seas,  valuable  additions  to 
the  world's  stock  of  knowledge. 

Like  the  Eastern  Continent,  our  own  has  its  historic  points, 
— its  nuclei  around  which  cluster  the  memories  of  heroic  deeds, 
the  story  of  martyrs,  and  the  legends  of  a  barbarous  past.  St. 
Augustine,  Jamestown,  Plymouth  Rock,  Quebec,  Montreal,  Bos- 
ton, New  York,  Philadelphia,  Detroit,  Chicago,  St.  Louis  and 
Kaskaskia  are  localities  about  which  gather  volumes  of  history. 

The  advance  of  civilization  on  the  North  American  Conti- 
nent has  been  more  rapid  than  in  any  other  portion  of  the  globe  ; 
and,  within  the  memory  of  living  men,  the  fairest  and  richest 
portions  have  been  wrested  from  the  dominion  of  the  wilderness 
and  the  savage,  and  changed  into  a  highly-cultivated  region, 
filled  with  a  race  of  industrious  and  thriving  people.  Prominent 
among  the  localities  rich  in  historic  lore  is  the  region  of  the 
Mississippi  river.  It  early  claimed  the  attention  of  two  of  the 
most  powerful  nations  of  Europe,  whose  pioneers  and  avant  cour- 
iers were  boldly  pushing  into  the  then  unknown  countries  lying 
towards  the  "  Great  South  Sea,"  eagerly  looking  for  gold  and 
precious  stones,  for  fabled  Eldorados,  and  fertile  lands. 

Dim  traditions,  fragmentary  legends,  stories  of  bloody  war- 
fare, of  disaster  and  defeat ;  essays,  letters,  and  public  documents, 
all  bearing,  more  or  less,  upon  the  history  of  the  county,  have 
been  carefully  examined. 

To  collect  and  arrange  in  one  volume  these  various  frag- 
ments, this  abundant  material,  and  to  give  the  cream  of  all  the 
best  authors  who  have  treated  the  subject,  together  with  all  addi- 
tional information  it  was  possible  to  obtain,  and  present  it  in 
readable  form,  has  been  the  object  of  the  publishers  of  the  pres- 
ent work. 

We  know,  full  well,  the  task  was  not  a  light  one  ;  the  con- 
templated work  was  by  no  means  a  holiday  frolic.  Hard,  steady 
application  aud  untiring  energy  were  necessary  to  accomplisli  it. 


IXTRODUCTION. 


The  utmost  pains  have  been  taken  to  read  thoroughly  and 
compare  carefully  the  various  writers,  and  to  sift  out  and  recon- 
cile discrepancies,  for  historians  not  unfrequently  disagree  upon 
minor  points.  The  work  of  reading  and  comparing  was  no  ordi- 
nary one,  and  the  difficulty  has  not  been  so  much  in  collecting 
as  in  nuiking  a  judicious  and  truthful  use  of  the  abundant  ma- 
terial at  hand. 

The  traditions  of  the  Indians,  as  given  by  Heckewelder  and 
others,  have  been  quoted,  as  an  important  factor  in  the  sum 
total  of  knowledge  concerning  this  region  ;  and  the  early  discov- 
eries of  Marquette,  La  Salle,  Hennepin,  and  other  French  adven- 
turers in  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  and  the  basin  of  the  great 
lakes  of  the  Northwest,  with  a  brief  sketch  of  the  title  to  the  fee 
of  the  millions  of  acres  of  prolific  soil  within  its  splendid  domain 
have  also  demanded  a  large  share  of  attention,  as  preliminary  to 
tiie  troubles  which  grew  out  of  the  conflicting  claims  of  the 
French  and  English  crowns,  resulting  in  a  contest  for  supremacy, 
md  in  which  not  only  all  the  contiguous  region,  but  the  entire 
French  and  English  possessions  in  America,  a  large  share  of  Eu- 
rope, and  immense  regions  in  Asia  and  the  islands  of  the  sea, 
ivere  interested  and  involved. 

Another  object  to  be  gained  by  this  work,  is  to  bring  to  the 
.ijtice  of  the  people,  the  immense  resources  which  a  bountiful 
Providence  has  bestowed  upon  them,  and  which  it  becomes,  not 
merely  a  privilege  to  use,  but  a  duty  to  improve.  How  little  is 
now  known  of  these  treasures,  and  how  greatly  profitable  such 
information  may  be,  needs  only  a  thought  to  comprehend.  Our 
fortile  soils,  our  noble  timber  trees,  our  genial  climate,  our  inex- 
iaustible  mineral  treasures,  and  our  easy  facilities  for  commerce, 
iro,  in  a  great  degree,  unknown  even  to  our  own  population. 
This  volume  seeks  to  develop  an  appreciation  of  them,  and  to 
itimulate  a  desire  to  improve  and  extend  them. 

Tlien,  local  customs,  old  family  traits  and  anecdotes  are  so 
•icli  in  interest  and  so  full  of  instruction  to  the  young,  that  they 
)Ught  never  to  be  forgotten.  These,  sa  many  as  time  and  dili- 
;t'n(!e  could  gather,  are  hare  recorded  and  will  be  found  to  form 
I )  unimportant  or  uninstructive  portion  of  this  volume. 

Amoug  ihe  most  influential  agencies  in  building  a  nation, 


and  in  establishing  a  character  for  its  people,  are  the  efforts  of 
its  citizens  to  educate  their  children  and  to  provide  for  social  re- 
ligious worship.  These  two  interests  will,  therefore,  show  most 
accurately  the  tastes,  the  habits  and  aspirations  of  a  community. 
Hence  they  have  been  made  prominent  in  the  ensuing  nar- 
rative, and  it  is  confidently  hoped  that  they  will  not  only  interea 
our  readers,  but  will  be  studied  and  appreciated. 

The  work  will  be  found  embellished  with  views  of  public 
and  private  property,  in  various  parts  of  the  county,  and  with 
portraits  and  biographies  of  many  of  the  prominent  men  of  the 
past  and  present. 

The  chapters  on  the  North- West  Territory,  and  on  the  early 
history  of  the  State,  will  be  found  interesting  and  instructive. 

The  Constitution  of  the  United  States  and  of  this  State,  and 
a  roster  of  the  soldiers  of  the  War  of  1812,  Black-Hawk,  Mexican 
War,  and  of  the  late  Rebellion,  have  been  inserted  with  a  view  to 
make  the  work  more  creditable,  alike  to  the  publishers  and  people 
of  the  county. 

The  work  may  be  incomplete  in  some  particulars.  Nor  in- 
deed is  it  possible  for  it  to  be  otherwise ;  but  we  hope,  so  far  as 
it  goes,  it  is  truthful  and  accurate. 

We  trust,  however,  that  it  will  be  the  means  of  preserving 
from  the  empire  of  decay  a  host  of  incidents,  recollections,  and 
anecdotes,  relating  to  the  hardy  pioneers  and  first  settlers  of  the 
county,  which,  in  the  estimation  of  the  historian  and  student  of 
history,  are  of  priceless  value,  but  which  otherwise  would  soon 
fade  from  the  memories  of  the  living. 

Whether  this  has  been  well  done,  is  not  for  us  to  say.  A 
generous  and  intelligent  public  must  decide.  It  is  not  permitted 
any  man  to  attain  perfection.  Its  regions  lie  beyond  our  reach. 
We  feel,  however,  in  submitting  this  work  to  the  inspection  of 
the  patrons,  whose  public  spirit  made  possible  its  preparation, 
that  satisfaction  which  results  from  a  consciousness  of  faithful 
endeavor  and  an  earnest  desire  to  fulfil  the  expectations  of  all. 

Our  work  is  accomplished,  and  its  result  is  submitted,  with 
tranquility,  to  your  inspection. 


HISTORY 


MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


CHAPTER    r. 


A  BRIEF  SKETCH  GF  THE  NORTH-WEST  TERRITORY. 


GEOGRAPHICAL    POSITION. 

,N  1784  the  North  Western  Territory  was 
ceded  to  the  United  States  by  Virginia. 
It  embraced  only  the  territory  lying  be- 
tween the  Ohio  and  Mississipjii  rivers; 
and  north,  to  the  northern  limits  of  the 
United  States.  It  coincided  with  the  area 
now  embraced  in  the  states  of  Wisconsin, 
Illinois,  Michigan,  Indiana,  Ohio,  and 
that  portion  of  JMinncsota  lying  on  the 
east  side  of  the  Mississippi  river.  On  the  first  day  of  March, 
I7S4,  Thomas  Jefferson,  Samuel  Hardy,  Arthur  Lee,  and 
James  Monroe,  delegates  in  Congress  on  the  part  of  Vir- 
ginia, executed  a  deed  of  cession,  by  which  they  transferred 
to  the  United  States,  on  certain  conditions,  all  right,  title 
and  claim  of  Virginia  to  the  country  known  as  the  North- 
western Territory.  But  by  the  purchase  of  Louisiana  in 
1803,  the  western  boundary  of  the  United  States  was  ex- 
tended to  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the  Northern  Pacific 
Ocean.  It  includes  an  area  of  1,887,850  square  miles, 
being  greater  than  the  united  areas  of  the  Middle  and 
Southern  states,  including  Texas.  Out  of  this  magnificent 
territory  have  been  erected  eleven  sovereign  states  and  eight 
territories,  with  an  aggregate  population  at  the  present  time 
of  13,000,000  inhabitants,  or  nearly  one-third  of  the  entire 
population  of  the  LTnited  States. 

Its  rivers  are  the  largest  on  the  continent,  flowing  thous- 
ands of  miles  through  its  rich  alluvial  valleys  and  broad, 
fertile  prairies. 

Its  lakes  are  fresh-water  seas,  upon  whose  bosom  floats 
the  commerce  of  many  states.  Its  far-stretching  prairies 
have  more  acres  that  are  arable  and^sroductive  than  any 
other  area  of  like  extent  on  the  globe. 

For  the  last  quarter  of  a  century  the  increase  of  popula- 


tion and  wealth  in  the  north-west  has  been  about  as  three  to 
one  in  any  other  portion  of  the  United  States. 

EAKLY   EXPLORATIONS. 

In  the  year  1512,  on  Easter  Sunday,  the  Spanish  name 
for  which  is  Pascua  Florida,*  Juan  Ponce  de  Leon,  an  old 
comrade  of  Columbus,  discovered  the  coast  of  the  American 
continent,  near  St.  Augustine,  and  in  honor  of  the  day  and 
of  the  blossoms  which  covered  the  trees  along  the  shore, 
named  the  new-found  country  Florida.  Juan  had  been  led 
to  undertake  the  discovery  of  strange  lands  partly  by  the 
hope  of  finding  endless  stores  of  gold,  and  partly  by  the 
wish  to  reach  a  fountain  that  was  said  to  exist  deep  within 
the  forests  of  North  America,  which  possessed  the  power  of 
renovating  the  life  of  those  who  drank  of  or  bathed  in  its 
waters.  He  was  made  governor  of  the  region  he  had  visited 
but  circumstances  prevented  his  return  thither  until  1521 ; 
and  then  he  went  only  to  meet  death  at  the  hands  of  the 
Indians. 

In  the  meantime,  in  1516,  a  Spanish  sea-captain,  Diego 
Miruelo,  had  visited  the  coast  first  reached  by  Ponce  de 
Leon,  and  in  his  barters  with  the  natives  had  received  con- 
siderable quantities  of  gold,  with  which  he  returned  home 
and  spread  abroad  new  stories  of  the  wealth  hidden  in  the 
interior. 

Ten  years,  however,  passed  before  Pamphilo  de  Narvaes 
undertook  to  jsroseoute  the  examination  of  the  lands  north 
of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Narvaez  was  excited  to  action  by 
the  late  astonishing  success  of  the  conqueror  of  Montezuma, 
but  he  found  the  gold  for  which  he  sought  constantly  flying 
before  him ;  each  tribe  of  Indians  referred  him  to  those 
living  farther  in  the  interior.  And  from  tribe  to  tribe  he 
and  his  companions  wandered.  They  suScred  untold  priva- 
tions in  the  swamps  and  forests  ;  and  out  of  three  hundred 
followers  only  four  or  five  at  length  reached  Mexico.  And 
still  these  disappointed  wanderers  persisted  in  their  original 
fancy,  that  Florida  was  as  wealthy  as  Mexico  or  Peru. 

*Pascum,  the  old  English  "Pash"  or  Passover;  "  Pasciia  Florida" 
is  the  "  Holyday  of  Flowers." 


10 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


Among  those  who  had  faith  in  that  report  was  Ferdinand 
de  Soto,  who  had  been  with  Pizarro  in  the  conquests  of  Peru. 
He  asked  and  obtained  leave  of  the  King  of  Spain  to  con- 
quer Florida  at  his  own  cost.  It  was  given  in  tlie  year  13o8. 
With  a  brilliant  and  noble  baud  of  followers  he  left  Europe 
and  in  May,  1538,  after  a  stay  in  Cuba,  anchored  his  vessels 
near  the  coast  of  the  Peninsula  of  Florida,  in  the  bay  of 
Sl)iritu  Santa,  or  Tampa  bay. 

De  Suto  entered  upon  his  march  into  the  interior  with  a 
determination  to  succeed.      From  June  till  November  of 

1539,  the  Spaniards  toiled  along  until  they  reached  the 
neighborhood  of  Appalachee  bay.     During  the  next  season, 

1540,  they  followed  the  course  suggested  by  the  Florida 
Indians,  who  wished  them  out  of  their  country,  and  going 
to  the  north-east,  crossed  the  rivers  and  climbed  the  moun- 
tains of  Georgia.  De  Soto  was  a  stern,  severe  man,  and 
none  dared  to  murmur.  De  Soto  passed  the  winter  with  his 
little  baud  near  the  Yazoo.  la  April,  1541,  the  resolute 
Spaniard  set  forward,  and  upon'  the  first  of  May  reached 
tlie  banks  of  the  great  river  of  the  West,  not  far  from  the 
35tli  parallel  of  latitude.* 

A  month  was  spent  in  preparing  barges  to  convey  the 
horses,  many  of  which  still  lived,  across  the  rapid  stream. 
Having  successfully  passed  it,  the  explorers  pursued  their 
way  northward,  into  the  neighborhood  of  New  Madrid  ; 
then  turning  w'estward  again,  marched  more  than  two  hun- 
dred miles  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  highlands  of  White 
river ;  and  still  no  gold,  no  gems,  no  cities — only  bare  prai- 
ries, and  tangled  forests,  and  deep  morasses  To  the  south 
again  they  toiled  on,  and  passed  their  third  winter  of  wander- 
ing upon  the  Washita.  In  the  following  spring  (1542),  De 
Soto,  weary  with  hope  long  deferred,  descended  the  Washita 
to  its  junction  with  the  Mississippi.  He  heard,  when  he 
rf  ached  the  mighty  stream  of  the  west,  that  its  lower  portion 
flowed  through  endless  and  uninhabitable  swamps. 

The  news  sank  deep  into  the  stout  heart  of  the  disap- 
pointed warrior.  His  health  yielded  to  the  contests  of  his 
mind  and  the  influence  of  the  climate.  He  appointed  a 
successor,  and  on  the  21st  of  May  died.  His  body  was  sunk 
in  the  stream  of  the  Mississippi.  Deprived  of  their  ener- 
getic leader,  the  Spaniards  determined  to  try  to  reach  Mexico 
by  land.  After  some  time  spent  in  wandering  through  the 
forests,  despairing  of  success  in  the  attempt  to  rescue  them- 
selves by  land,  they  proceeded  to  prepare  such  vessels  as 
they  could  to  take  them  to  sea.  From  January  to  July 
1543,  the  weak,  sickly  band  of  gold-seekers  labored  at  the 
doleful  task,  and  in  July  reached,  in  the  vessels  thus  built, 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  by  September  entered  the  river 
Pauuco.  Oue-half  of  the  six  huadred  f  who  had  disem- 
barked with  De  Soto,  so  gay  in  steel  and  silk,  left  their  bones 
among  the  mountains  and  in  the  morasses  of  the  South,  from 
Georgia  to  Arkansas. 

De  Soto  founded  no  settlements,  produced  no  results,  and 
left  no  traces,  unless  it  were  that  he  awakened  the  hostility 
of  the  red  man  against  the  white  man,  and  disheartened 

■«  DeSoto  probably  was  at  the  lower  Chickasaw  bluffs.  The  Spaniards 
called  the  Mississippi  Rio  Grande,  Great  River,  which  is  the  literal 
meaning  of  the  aboriginal  nauie. 

t  De  Biedna  says  tliere  landed  lijii  ni™. 


such  as  might  desire  to  follow  up  the  career  of  discovery  for 
better  purposes.  The  French  nation  were  eager  and  ready 
to  seize  upon  any  news  from  this  extensive  domain,  and 
were  the  first  to  profit  by  De  Soto's  defeat.  As  it  was,  for 
more  than  a  century  after  the  expedition,  the  west  remained 
utterly  unknown  to  the  whites. 

The  French  were  the  first  Europeans  to  make  settlements 
on  the  St.  Lawrence  river  and  along  the  great  lakes.  Quebec 
was  founded  by  Sir  Samuel  Champlaiu  in  1608,*  and  in  1G09 
when  Sir  Henry  Hudson  was  exploring  the  noble  river 
which  bears  his  name,  Champlain  ascended  the  Sorrelle 
river,  and  discovered,  embosomed  between  the  Green  moun- 
tains, or  "  Verdmont,"  as  the  chivalrous  and  poetic  French- 
man called  them,  and  the  Adirondacks,  the  beautiful  sheet 
of  water  to  which  his  name  is  indissolubly  attached.  lu 
1613  he  founded  Montreal. 

During  the  period  elapsing  between  the  years  1607  and 
1664,  the  English,  Dutch,  and  sSwedes  alternately  held  pos- 
session of  portions  of  the  Atlantic  coast,  jealously  watching 
one  another,  and  often  involved  in  bitter  controversy,  and 
not  seldom  in  open  battle,  until,  in  the  latter  year,  the 
English  became  the  sole  rulers,  and  maintained  their  rights 
until  the  era  of  the  Revolution,  when  they  in  turn  were 
compelled  to  yield  to  the  growing  power  of  their  colonies, 
and  retire  from  the  field. 

The  French  movements,  from  the  first  settlement  at 
Quebec,  and  thence  westward,  were  led  by  the  Catholic 
missionaries.  Le  Caron,  a  Franciscan  friar,  who  had  been 
the  companion  and  friend  of  Champlain,  was  the  first  to 
penetrate  the  western  wilds,  which  he  did  in  1616*  in  a 
birch  canoe,  exploring  lake  Huron  and  its  tributaries. 
This  was  four  years  before  the  Pilgrims 

"  Moored  their  bark  on  the  wild  New  England  shore." 

Under  the  patronage  of  Louis  XIII,  the  Jesuits  took  the 
advance,  and  began  vigorously  the  work  of  Christianizing 
the  savages  in  1632. 

In  1634,  three  Jesuit  missionaries,  Brebeuf,  Daniel,  and 
Lallemand,  planted  a  mission  on  the  shores  of  the  lake  of 
the  Iroquois,  (probably  the  modern  Lake  Simcoe),  and  also 
established  others  along  the  eastern  border  of  Lake  Huron. 

From  a  map  published  in  1660,  it  would  appear  that  the 
French  had  at  that  date,  become  quite  familiar  with  the 
region  from  Niagara  to  the  head  of  Lake  Superior,  includ- 
ing considerable  portions  of  Lake  Michigan. 

In  1641,  Fathers  Jogues  and  Raymbault  embarked  on 
the  Peuetanguishine  Bay  for  the  Sault  St.  Marie,  where 
they  arrived  after  a  passage  of  seventeen  days.  A  crowd 
of  two  thousand  natives  met  them,  and  a  great  council  was 
held.  At  this  meeting  the  French  first  heard  of  many 
nations  dwelling  beyond  the   great  lakes. 

Father  Raymbault  ditd  in  the  wilderness  in  1642,  while 
enthusiastically  pursuing  his  discoveries.  The  same  year, 
Jogues  and  Bressani  were  captured  by  the  Indians  and 
tortured,  and  in  1648  the  mission  which  had  been  founded 
at  St.  Joseph  was  taken  and  destroyed,  and  Father  Daniel 
slain.     In   1640,  the  mis.sions  St    Louis   and    St.  Ignatius 

«  Western  .\iiu.ils. 


HISTORY  OF  MADISOX  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


11 


were  also  destroj'cd,  and  Fathers  Brebeuf  and  Lallemaud 
barbarously  tortuivd  by  the  same  terrible  and  unrelenting 
enemy.  Literally  did  those  zealous  missionaries  of  the 
Romish  Church  "take  their  lives  in  their  hands,"  and  lay 
them  a  willing  sacrifice  on  the  altar  of  their  faith. 

It  is  stated  by  some  writer  that,  in  1G54,  two  fur  traders 
accompanied  a  band  of  Ottaivas  on  a  journey  of  five  hun- 
dred leagues  to  the  west.  They  were  absent  two  years,  and 
on  their  return  brought  with  them  fifty  canoes  and  two 
hundred  and  fifty  Indians  to  the  French  trading  posts. 

They  related  wonderful  talcs  of  the  countries  they  had 
seen,  and  the  various  red  nations  they  had  visited,  and 
described  the  lofty  mountains  and  mighty  rivers  in  glowing 
terms.  A  new  impulse  was  given  to  the  spirit  of  adventure, 
and  scouts  and  traders  swarmed  the  frontiers  and  explored 
the  great  lakes  and  adjacent  country,  and  a  party  wintered 
in  lGo9-00  on  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Superior. 

In  IGGO  Father  Mesnard  was  sent  out  by  the  Bishop  of 
Quebec,  and  visited  Lake  Superior  in  October  of  that  year. 
While  crossing  the  Keeweenaw  Point  he  was  lost  in  the  wilder- 
ness and  never  afterwards  heard  from,  though  his  cassock 
and  breviary  wore  found  long  afterwards  among  the  Sioux. 

A  change  was  made  in  the  government  of  Xew  France  in 
IGGo.  The  Company  of  the  Hundred  Associates,  who  had 
ruled  it  since  1G3'2,  resigned  its  charter.  Tracy  was  made 
Viceroy,  Courcclles  Governor,  and  Talon  Intendent.*  This 
was  called  the  Government  of  the  West  Indies. 

The  Jesuit  missions  were  taken  under  the  care  of  the  new 
goYcnment,  and  thenceforward  became  the  leaders  in  the 
movement  to  Christianize  the  savages. 

In  the  same  year  (_lG6o)  Pierre  Claude  Alloiiez  was  sent 
out  by  way  of  the  Ottawa  river  to  the  far  west,  via  the  Sault 
St.  Marie  and  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  where  he 
landed  at  the  bay  of  Chegoimegon.  Here  he  found  the 
chief  village  of  the  Chippcicag,  and  established  a  mission. 
He  also  made  an  alliance  with  them  and  the  Sacs,  Foxes  and 
Illinois,'f  against  the  formidable  Iroquois.  Alloiiez,  the  nest 
year  (IGGG)  visited  the  western  end  of  the  great  lake,  where 
he  met  the  Sioux,  and  from  them  first  learned  of  the  Missis- 
sippi river  which  they  called  "Mcssipi."  From  thence  ho 
returned  to  Quebec. 

In  1GG8  Claude  Dablon  and  Jacques  Marquette  estab- 
lished the  mission  at  the  Sault  called  St.  ^larie,  and  during 
the  next  five  years  Alloiiez,  Dablon  and  Marquette  explored 
the  region  of  Lake  .Superior  on  the  south  shore,  and  ex- 
tending to  Lake  jMichigan.  They  also  established  the  mis- 
sions of  Chegoimegon,  St.  Marie,  Mackinaw  and  Green  Bay. 

The  plan  of  exploring  the  ^lississippi  probably  origijaated 
with  ^larquette.  It  was  at  once  sanctioned  by  the  Inten- 
dent, Talon,  who  was  ambitious  to  extend  the  dominion  of 
France  over  the  whole  West. 

la  1 G70  Nicholas  Perot  was  sent  to  the  West  to  propose  a 
congress  of  all  the  nations  .and  tribes  living  in  the  vicinitv 
of  the  lakes;  and,  in  1G71,  a  great  council  was  held  at  Sault 
St.  INIarie,  at  which  the  Cross  was  set  up,  and  the  nations  of 

*  The  duties  of  Intendent  included  a  supervision  of  t'.ie  poliey,  justice 
and  finance  of  the  province. 

t  The  m:;an!n3  of  this  word  i.i  said  to  be  "  Men." 


the  great  North-west  were  taken  into  an  alliance,  with  much 
pomp  and  ceremony. 

On  the  loth  of  May,  1673,  Marquette,  Joliet,  and  five 
voyageurs,  embarked  in  two  birch  canoes  at  Mackinaw  and 
entered  Lake  Jlichigan.  The  first  nation  they  visited  was 
the  "  FoUes-Avoines,"  or  nation  of  Wild  Oats,  since  known 
as  the  Menomonie3,  living  around  the  "  Baie  des  Puans,"  or 
Green  Bay.  These  people,  with  whom  Marquette  was  some- 
what acquainted,  endeavored  to  persuade  the  adventurers 
from  visiting  the  Mississippi.  They  represented  the  Indians 
on  the  great  river,  as  being  blood-thirsfy  and  savage  in  the 
extreme,  and  the  river  itself  as  being  inhabited  by  monsters 
which  would  devour  them  and  their  canoes  together.* 

Marquette  thanked  them  for  their  advice,  but  declined  to 
be  guided  by  it.  Passing  through  Green  Bay,  they  ascended 
the  Fox  River,  dragging  their  canoes  over  the  strong  rapids 
and  visited  the  village,  where  they  found  living  in  harmony 
together  tribes  oi  X\\&  Miamis,  i[ascoiLtens-\  ami  Kikabeauz 
or  Kicl-ajioos.  Leaving  this  point  on  the  10th  of  June,  they 
made  the  portage  to  the  "  Odisconsin,"  and  descended  that 
stream  to  the  Mississippi,  which  they  entered  on  the  17th 
with  a  joy,  as  Marquette  saj-s,  which  he  could  not  express.''^ 

Sailing  down  the  Mississippi,  the  party  reached  the  Des 
Moines  River,  and,  according  to  some,  visited  an  Indian 
village  some  two  leagues  up  the  stream.  Here  the  people 
again  tried  to  persuade  them  from  prosecuting  their  voyage 
down  the  river.  After  a  great  feast  and  a  dance,  and  a 
night  passed  with  this  hospitable  people,  they  proceeded  on 
their  way,  escorted  by  six  hundred  persons  to  their  canoes. 
These  people  called  themselves  Illinois,  or  Illinl  The  name 
of  their  tribe  was  Periiaca,  and  their  language  a  dialect  of 
the  Alfjonquin. 

Leaving  these  savages,  they  proceeded  down  the  river. 
Passing  the  wonderful  rocks,  which  still  excite  the  admira- 
tion of  the  traveller,  they  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  another 
great  river,  the  Fclcitan^.ni,  or  Missouri  of  the  present  day. 
They  noticed  the  condition  of  its  waters,  which  they  described 
as  "  muddy,  rushing  and  noisy." 

Passing  a  great  ruck,  §  they  came  to  the  Ouabouskigon,  or 
Ohio.  Marquette  shows  this  river  very  small, even  as  com- 
pared with  the  Illinois.  From  the  Ohio  they  passed  as  far 
down  as  the  Alamsca,  or  Arkansas,  where  they  came  very 
near  being  destroyed  by  the  natives;  but  they  finally  paci- 
fied them,  and,  on  the  17th  of  July,  they  commenced  their 
return  voyage. 

The  party  reached  Green  Bay  in  September  without  loss 
or  injury,  and  reported  their  discoveries,  which  were  among, 
the  most  important  of  that  age.  Maniuette  afterwards 
returned  to  Illinois,  and  preached  to  the  natives  until  1075. 

On  the  18th  of  May  of  that  year,  while  cruising  up  the 
eastern  coast  of  Lake  Jlichigan  with  a  party  of  boatmen, 
he  landed  at  the  mouth  of  a  stream  putting  into  the  lake 
from  the  east,  since  known  as  the  river  Marquette.  He 
performed  ma.s.s,  and  went  a  little  apart  to  pray,  and  being 

•  Sec  legend  of  the  great  bird,  the  terrible  "  Piam,"  that  devoured  men 
and  was  only  overcome  by  the  sacrifice  of  a  brave  young  chief.  The 
rocks  above  jVlton,  Illmois,  have  some  rude  representations  of  tliis 
monster. 

t  Prairie  Indians.  ;  ^I^ifl'^-'t'e's  journal.         J  The  grand  (jw>:-. 


12 


If  IS  TOE  Y  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


gone  longer  than  his  companions  deemed  necessary,  they 
went  in  search  of  him,  and  found  him  dead  where  he  had 
knelt.     They  buried  him  in  the  sand. 

While  this  distinguished  adventurer  was  pursuing  his 
labors,  two  other  men  were  preparing  to  follow  in  his  foot- 
step, and  make  still  further  explorations,  and,  if  possible, 
more  important  discoveries.  These  were  the  Chevalier 
Robert  de  la  Salle  and  Louis  Hennepin. 

La  Salle  was  a  native  of  Rouen,  in  Normandy.  He  was 
educated  at  a  seminary  of  the  Jesuits,  and  designed  for  the 
ministry,  but,  for  reasons  unknown,  he  left  the  seminary  and 
came  to  Canada,  in  1GG7,  where  he  engaged  in  the  fur  trade. 

Like  nearly  every  intelligent  man,  he  became  intensely 
interested  in  the  new  discoveries  of  the  West,  and  conceived 
the  idea  of  exploring  the  passage  to  the  great  South  Sea, 
which  by  many  was  believed  to  exist.  He  made  known  his 
ideas  to  the  Governor-General,  Count  Frontenac,  and  de- 
sired his  co-operation.  The  Governor  at  once  fell  iu  with 
his  views,  which  were  strengthened  by  the  reports  brought 
back  by  Marquette  and  Joliet,  and  advised  La  Salle  to 
apply  to  the  King  of  France  in  person,  and  gave  him  letters 
of  introduction  to  the  great  Colbert,  then  Minister  of 
Finance  and  Marine.  Accordingly,  in  1675,  he  returned 
to  France,  where  he  was  warmly  received  by  the  King  and 
nobility,  and  his  ideas  were  at  once  listened  to,  and  every 
possible  favor  shown  to  him. 

He  was  made  a  Chevalier,  and  invested  with  the  seigniory 
of  Fort  Catarocouy,  or  Frontenac  (now  known  as  Kingston) 
upon  condition  that  he  would  rebuild  it,  as  he  proposed,  of 
stone. 

Returning  to  Canada,  he  wrought  diligently  upon  the  fort 
until  1677,  when  he  again  visited  France  to  report  progress. 
He  was  received,  as  before,  with  favor,  and,  at  the  instance 
of  Colbert  and  his  son,  the  King  granted  him  new  letters 
patent  and  new  privileges.  On  the  14th  of  July,  1678,  he 
sailed  from  Rochelle,  accompanied  by  thirty  men,  and  with 
Tonti,  an  Italian,  for  his  lieutenant.  They  arrived  at 
Quebec  on  the  13th  of  Septeaiber,  and  after  a  few  days' 
delay,  proceeded  to  Frontenac.  Father  Lewis  Hennepin,  a 
Franciscan  friar,  of  the  Recollet  sect,  was'  quietly  working 
in  Canada  on  La  Salle's  arrival.  He  was  a  man  of  great 
ambition,  and  much  interested  in  the  discoveries  of  the  day. 
He  was  appointed  by  his  religious  superiors  to  accompany 
the  expedition  fitting  out  for  La  Salle. 

Sending  agents  forward  to  prepare  the  Indians  for  his 
coming,  and  to  open  trade  with  them,  La  Salle  himself  em- 
barked, on  the  18th  of  November,  in  a  little  brigantine  of 
ten  tons,  to  cross  Lake  Ontario.  This  was  the  first  shij)  of 
European  build  that  ever  sailed  upon  this  fresh-water  sea. 
Contrary  winds  made  the  voyage  long  and  troublesome,  and 
a  month  was  consumed  in  beating  uji  the  lake  to  the  Niagara 
River.  Near  the  mouth  of  this  river  the  Iroquois  had  a 
village,  and  here  La  Salle  constructed  the  first  fortification, 
which  afterwards  grew  into  the  famous  Fort  Niagara.  On 
the  26th  of  January,  1679,  the  keel  of  the  first  vessel  built 
on  Lake  Erie  was  laid  at  the  mouth  of  the  Cayuga  Creek, 
on  the  American  side,  about  six  miles  above  the  falls. 

In  the  meantime  La  Salle  had  returned  to  Fort  Frontenac 


to  forward  supplies  for  his  forthcoming  vessel.  The  little 
barque  on  Lake  Ontario  was  wrecked  by  carelessness,  and  a 
large  amount  of  the  supplies  she  carried  was  lost.  On  the 
7th  of  August,  the  new  vessel  was  launched,  and  made  ready 
to  sail.     She  wa?  about  seven  tons'  burden. 

La  Salle  christened  his  vessel  the  "Griffin,"  in  honor  of 
the  arms  of  Count  Frontenac.  Passing  across  Lake  Erie, 
and  into  the  small  lake,  which  they  named  St.  Clair,  they 
entered  the  broad  waters  of  Lake  Huron.  Here  they  en- 
countered heavy  storms,  as  dreadful  as  those  upon  the  ocean 
and  after  a  most  tempestuous  passage  they  took  refuge  in 
the  roadstead  of  Michillimackinac  (Mackinaw),  on  the  27tli 
of  August  La  Salle  remained  at  this  point  until  the  middle 
of  September,  busy  in  founding  a  fort  and  constructing  a 
trading-house,  when  he  went  forward  upon  the  deep  waters 
of  Lake  Michigan,  and  soon  after  cast  anchor  in  Green  Bay. 
Finding  here  a  large  quantity  of  furs  and  peltries,  he  deter- 
mined to  load  his  vessel  and  send  her  back  to  Niagara.  On 
the  18th  of  September,  she  was  sent  under  charge  of  a  pilot 
while  La  Salle  himself,  with  fourteen  men,*  proceeded  up 
Lake  Michigan,  leisurely  examining  its  shores  and  noting 
everything  of  interest.  Tonti,  who  had  been  sent  to  look 
after  stragglers,  was  to  join  him  at  the  head  of  the  lake. 
From  the  19ih  of  September  to  the  1st  of  November,  the 
time  was  occupied  in  the  voyage  up  this  inland  sea.  On  the 
last-named  day,  La  Salle  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  river 
Mlainis,  uow  St.  Joseph.  Here  he  constructed  a  fort,  and 
remained  nearly  a  month  waiting  for  tidings  of  his  vessel  ; 
but,  hearing  nothing,  he  determined  to  push  on  before  the 
winter  should  prevent  him.  Oa  the  3d  of  December,  leaving 
ten  men  to  garrison  the  fort,  he  started  overland  towards  the 
head-waters  of  the  Illinois,  accompanied  by  three  monks 
and  twenty  men.  Ascending  the  St.  Joseph  River,  he 
crossed  a  short  portage  and  reached  the  The-a-M-ki,  since 
corrupted  into  Kankakee.  Embarking  on  this  sluggish 
stream,  they  came  shortly  to  the  Illinois,  and  soon  after 
found  a  village  of  the  Illinois  Indians,  probably  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  rocky  blufis,  a  few  miles  above  the  present 
city  of  La  Salle,  Illinois.  They  found  it  deserted,  but  the 
Indians  had  quite  a  quantity  of  maize  stored  here,  and  La 
Salle,  being  short  of  provisions,  helped  himself  to  what  he 
required.  Passing  down  the  stream,  the  party,  on  the  4th  of 
January,  came  to  a  lake,  probably  the  Lake  Peoria,  as  there 
is  no  other  upon  this  stream.  Here  they  found  a  great 
number  of  natives,  who  were  gentle  and  kind,  and  La  Salle 
determined  to  construct  a  fort.  It  stood  on  a  rise  of  ground 
near  the  river,  and  was  named  Creve-  Coeur  -f  (^brokeu-heart), 
most  probably  on  account  of  the  low  spirits  of  the  com- 
mander, from  anxiety  for  his  vessel  and  the  uncertainty  of 
the  future.  Possibly  he  had  heard  of  the  loss  of  the  "  Griffin," 
which  occurred  on  her  downward  trij)  from  Green  Bay ; 
most  probably  on  Lake  Huron.  He  remained  at  the  Lake 
Peoria  through  the  winter,  but  no  good  tidings  came,  and 
no  supplies.  His  men  were  discontented,  but  the  brave 
adventurer  never  gave  up  hope.  He  resolved  to  send  a 
party  on  a  voyage  of  exploration  up  the  Mississippi,  under 

®  Annals  of  the  West, 
t  The  site  of  the  work  is  at  present  unknowa. 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


13 


the  lead  of  Father  Hennepin,  and  he  himself  would  proceed 
on  foot  to  Niagara  and  Frontenac,  to  raise  more  means  and 
enlist  new  men ;  while  Tonti,  his  lieutenant,  should  stay  at 
the  fort,  which  they  were  to  strengthen  in  the  meantime,  and 
extend  their  intercourse  with  the  Indians. 

Hennepm  started  on  his  voyage  on  the  last  day  of  Febru- 
ary, 1680,  and  La  Salle  soon  after,  with  a  few  attendants, 
started  on  his  perilous  journey  of  twelve  hundred  miles  by 
the  way  of  the  Illinois  Kiver,  the  Miami,  and  Lakes  Erie 
j.nd  Ontario,  to  Frontenac,  which  he  finally  reached  in 
safety.  He  found  his  worst  fears  realized.  The  "Griffin" 
was  lost,  his  agents  had  taken  advantage  of  his  absence,  and 
his  creditors  had  seized  his  goods.  But  he  knew  no  such 
word  as  fail,  and  by  the  middle  of  summer  he  was  again  on 
his  way  with  men  and  supplies  for  his  band  in  Illinois.  A 
sad  disappointment  awaited  hira.  He  found  his  fort  deserted 
and  no  tidings  of  Tonti  and  his  men.  During  La  Salle's 
absence  the  Indians  had  become  jealous  of  the  French,  and 
they  had  been  attacked  and  harassed  even  by  the  Iroquois, 
who  came  the  long  distance  between  the  shores  of  Lake 
Ontario  and  the  Illinois -River  to  make  war  upon  the  more 
peaceable  tribes  dwelling  on  the  prairies.  Uncertain  of  any 
assistance  from  La  Salle,  and  apprehensive  of  a  general 
war  with  the  savages,  Tonti,  in  September,  1080,  abandoned 
his  position  and  returned  to  the  shores  of  the  lakes.  La 
Salle  reached  the  post  on  the  Illinois  in  December,  1G80,  or 
January,  1681.  Again  bitterly  disappointed.  La  Salle  did 
not  succumb,  but  resolved  to  return  to  Canada  and  start 
anew.  This  he  did,  and  in  June  met  his  lieutenant,  Tonti, 
at  Mackinaw. 

Hennepin  in  the  meanwhile  had  met  with  strange  adven- 
tures. After  leaving  Creve-Coeur,  ho  reached  the  ilis^is- 
sippi  in  seven  days ;  but  his  way  was  so  obstructed  by  ice 
that  he  was  until  the  11th  of  April  reaching  the  Wisconsin 
line.  Here  he  was  taken  prisoner  by  some  northern  Indians, 
who,  however,  treated  him  kindly  and  took  him"  and  his 
companions  to  the  falls  of  St.  Anthony,  which  they  reached 
on  the  first  of  May.  These  falls  Hennepin  named  in  honor 
of  his  patron  saint.  Hennepin  and  his  companions  remained 
here  for  three  months,  treated  very  kindly  by  their  captors. 
At  the  end  of  this  time  they  met  with  a  band  of  French, 
led  by  one  Sieur  de  Luth,*  who,  in  pursuit  of  game  and 
trade,  had  penetrated  to  this  country  by  way  of  Lake  Su- 
perior. "Willi  his  band  Hennepin  and  his  companions  re- 
turned to  the  borders  of  civilized  life  in  November,  1680, 
just  after  La  Salle  had  gone  back  to  the  wilderness.  Hen- 
nepin returned  to  France,  where,  in  1684,  he  published  a 
narrative  of  his  wonderful  adventures. 

Robert  Dc  La  Salle,  whose  name  is  more  closely  connected 
with  the  explorations  of  the  Mississippi  than  that  of  any 
other,  was  the  next  to  descend  the  river  in  the  year  1682. 
Formal  possession  was  taken  of  the  great  river  and  all  the 
countries  bordering  upon  it  or  its  tributaries  in  the  name  of 
the  King. 

La  Salle  and  his  party  now  retraced  their  steps  towards 
the  north.  They  met  with  no  serious  trouble  until  they 
reached  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  where  they  had  erected  a  fort 

*  From  tliio  m:m  undoubtedly  comes  the  name  cf  Duluth. 


on"  their  downward  vo3'agc,  and  named  it  Prudhomme. 
Here  La  Salle  was  taken  violently  sick.  Unable  to  proceed, 
he  sent  forward  Tonti  to  communicate  with  Count  Fronte- 
nac. La  Salle  himself  reached  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph 
the  latter  part  of  September.  From  that  point  he  sent 
Father  Zenobe  with  his  di.-patches  to  represent  hira  at  court, 
while  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  fur  trade  and  to  tha 
project  of  com])leting  a  fort,  which  he  named  St.  Louis, 
upon  the  Illinois  Kiver.  The  precise  location  of  this  work 
is  not  known.  It  was  said  to  be  upon  a  rocky  bluff  two 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  hi^h,  and  only  acces-ible  upon  one 
side.  There  are  no  bluffs  of  such  a  height  on  the  Illinois 
River  answering  the  description.  It  may  have  been  on 
the  rocky  bluff  above  La  Salle,  where  the  rocks  are  perhaps 
one  hundred  feet  in  height. 

Upon  the  comj^letiou  of  this  work  La  Salle  again  sailed 
for  France,  which  he  reached  on  the  13th  of  December, 
1683.  A  new  man.  La  Barre,  had  now  succeeded  Fronte- 
nac as  Governor  of  Canada.  This  man  was  unfriendly 
towards  La  Salle,  and  this,  with  other  untoward  eircum- 
stances,  no  doubt  led  him  to  attempt  the  colonization  of  the 
^lississippi  country  by  way  of  the  mouth  of  the  river.  Not- 
withstanding many  obstacles  were  in  his  path,  he  succeeded 
in  obtaining  the  grai.t  of  a  fleet  from  the  King,  and  on  the 
24th  of  July,  1684,  a  fleet  of  twenty-four  vessels  sailed  from 
Rochclle  to  America,  four  of  which  were  destined  for  Lou- 
isiana, ar.d  carried  a  body  of  two  hundred  and  eighty 
people,  including  the  crews.  There  were  soldiers,  artificers, 
and  volunteers,  and  also  "  some  young  women."  Discord 
soon  broke  out  between  M,  de  Beaujeu  and  La  Salle,  and 
grew  from  bad  to  worse.  On  the  20th  of  December  they 
reached  the  island  of  St.  Domingo. 

Joutel*  was  sent  out  with  this  party,  which  left  on  the 
5;h  of  February,  and  traveled  eastward  three  days,  when 
they  came  to  a  great  stream  which  they  could  not  cross. 
Here  thoy  made  signals  by  building  great  fires,  and  on  the 
13th  two  of  the  vessels  came  in  sight.  The  stream  was 
sounded  and  the  vessels  were  anchored  under  shelter.  But 
again  misfortume  overtook  La  Salle,  and  the  vessel  was 
wrecked,  and  the  bulk  of  supplies  was  lost.  At  this  junc- 
ture M.  de  Beaujeu,  his  second  in  command,  set  sail  and 
returned  to  France.  La  Salle  now  constructed  a  rude 
shelter  from  the  timbers  of  his  wrecked  vessel,  placed  his 
people  inside  of  it,  and  set  out  to  explore  the  surrounding 
country  in  hope  of  finding  the  Mississippi.  He  was,  of 
course,  disappointed  :  but  found  on  a  stream,  which  is 
named  the  Yaches,  a  good  site  fir  a  fort.  He  at  once  re- 
moved his  camp,  and,  after  incredible  exertions,  constructed 
a  fortification  sufficient  to  protect  them  from  the  Indians. 
This  fort  was  situated  on  Matagorda  Bay,  within  the  present 
limits  of  Texas,  and  was  called  by  La  Salle  Fort  St.  Louis. 

Leaving  Joutel  to  complete  the  work  with  one  hundred 
men.  La  Salle  took  the  remainder  of  the  company  and  era- 
barked  on  the  river,  with  the  intention  of  proceeding  as  far 
up  as  he  could.     The  savages  foon  became  troublesome,  and 

«.Toutol,  histiirian  of  tlio  voyage,  accompanied  La  Salle,  and  subse- 
quently wrote  his  "  Journal  Uijtori.iue,"  wliicli  w;u  |)ubli:'hcd  in  Pari.s, 
1713. 


u 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


on  the  14tli  of  July  La  Salle  ordered  Joutel  to  join  him 
with  his  whole  force.  They  had  already  lost  several  of  their 
best  men,  aud  dangers  threatened  them  on  every  side.  It 
would  seem  from  the  historian's  account  of  the  expedition 
that  La  Salle  began  to  erect  another  fort,  and  also  that  he 
became  morose  and  severe  in  his  discipline,  so  much  so  as  to 
get  the  ill  will  of  many  of  his  people.  He  finally  resolved 
to  advance  into  the  country,  but  whether  with  the  view  of 
returning  to  Canada  by  way  of  Illinois,  or  only  for  the  pur- 
pose of  making  further  discoveries,  Joutel  leives  in  doubt. 
Giving  his  last  instructions,  he  left  the  fort  on  the  12th  day 
of  January,  1687,  with  a  company  of  about  a  dozen  men, 
including  his  brother,  two  nephews.  Father  Anastasius,  a 
Franciscan  friar,  Joutel,  and  others,  and  moved  north-east- 
ward, as  is  supposed,  until  the  17th  of  March,  when  some 
of  his  men,  who  had  been  cherishing  revengeful  feelings  for 
some  time,  waylaid  the  Chevalier  and  shot  him  dead. 
They  also  slew  one  of  his  nephews  and  two  of  his  servants. 

This  deed  occurred  on  the  20th  of  March,  on  a  stream 
called  Cenis. 

In  1687,  France  was  involved  in  a  long  and  bloody  war. 
The  League  of  Augsburg  was  formed  by  the  Princes  of  the 
Empire  against  Louis  XIV.,  and  England,  Spain,  Holland, 
Denmark,  Sweden,  and  Savoy  took  up  arms,  and  Louis 
found  himself  battling  with  nearly  the  whole  of  Europe,  and 
only  Turkey  for  an  ally.  This  war  ended  with  the  peace  of 
Eyswick  in  1697. 

No  material  change  took  place  in  America,  but  the  colo- 
nists were  harassed  and  many  of  their  people  killed  or  car- 
ried captives  to  the  Canadas.  In  1688,  the  French  posses- 
sions in  North  America  included  nearly  the  whole  of  the 
continent  north  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  the  entire  valley 
of  the  Mississippi ;  and  they  had  begun  to  establish  a  line 
of  fortifications  extending  from  Quebec  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Mississippi,  between  which  points  they  had  three  great.lines 
of  communication,  to  wit :  by  way  of  Mackinaw,  Green 
Bay,  and  the  Wisconsin  River;  by  way  of  Lake  Michigan, 
the  Kankakee  and  Illinois  Rivers ;  and  by  way  of  Lake 
Erie,  the  Maumee  and  Wabash  Rivers,  and  were  preparing 
to  explore  the  Ohio  as  a  fourth  route. 

In  1699,  D'Iberville,  under  the  authority  of  the  crown, 
discovered,  on  the  second  c  f  March,  by  way  of  the  sea,  the 
mouth  of  the  "  Hidden  River."  This  majestic  stream  was 
called  by  the  natives  "  Malbouchia,"  and  by  the  Spaniards, 
'■  La  Palissadc,"  from  the  great  number  of  trees  about  its 
mouth.  After  traversing  the  several  outlets,  aud  sati.sfying 
himself  a-s  to  its  certainty,  he  erected  a  fort  near  its  western 
outlet,  and  returned  to  Franco.  An  avenue  of  trade  was 
now  opened  out,  which  was  fully  improved. 

At  this  time  a  census  of  New  France  showed  a  total 
population  of  eleven  thousand  two  hundred  and  forty-nine 
Europeans.  War  again  broke  out  in  1701,  and  extended 
over  a  period  of  twelve  years,  ending  with  the  treaty  of 
Utrecht,  in  1713.  This  also  extended  to  the  American  Colo- 
nies, and  its  close  left  everything  as  before,  with  the  excep- 
tion that  Nova  Scotia  was  captured  in  1710. 

In  1718,  New  Orleans  was  laid  out  and  settled  by  some 
European  colonists.     In  1762,  the  colony  was  made  over  to 


Spain,  to  be  regained  by  France,  under  the  consulate  of 
Napoleon. 

In  1803,  it  was  purchased  by  the  United  States,  for  the 
sura  of  fifteen  million  dollars,  and  the  territory  of  Louisiana 
and  the  commerce  of  the  Mi.ssissij)pi  river,  came  under  the 
charge  of  the  United  States.  Although  La  Salle's  labors 
ended  in  defeat  and  death,  he  had  not  worked  and  suffered 
in  vain.  He  had  thrown  open  to  France  and  the  world  an 
immense  and  most  valuable  country.  Had  established 
several  ports,  and  laid  the  foundation  of  more  than  one 
settlement  there.  "  Peoria,  Kaskaskia  and  Cahokia  are  to 
this  day  monuments  of  La  Salle's  labors;  for,  though  he 
had  founded  neither  of  them  (unless  Peoria,  which  was  built 
nearly  upon  the  site  of  Fort  Crevecoeur),  it  was  by  those  he 
led  into  the  west  that  these  places  were  peopled  and  civil- 
ized. He  was,  if  not  the  discoverer,  the  first  settler  of  the 
Mississippi  Valley,  and  as  such  deserves  to  be  known  and 
honored."* 

The  French  early  improved  the  opening  made  for  them, 
and  before  1693,  the  Reverend  Father  Gravier  began  a 
mission  among  the  Illinois,  and  became  the  founder  of  Kas- 
kaskia. For  some  time  it  was  merely  a  missionary  station, 
and  the  inhabitants  of  the  village  consisted  entirely  of 
natives ;  it  being  one  of  three  such  villages,  the  other  two 
being  Cahokia  and  Peoria.  This  we  learn  from  a  letter 
written  by  Father  Gabriel  Marest,  dated  "  Aux  Cascaskias, 
Autrement  dit  de  I'lmmaculee  concepcion  de  la  Sainte 
Vierge,  le  9  Novembre,  1712."  In  this  letter,  the  writer 
tells  us  that  Gravier  must  be  regarded  as  the  founder  of  the 
Illinois  mi  sions.  Soon  after  the  founding  of  Kaskaskia,  the 
missionary,  Pinet,  gathered  a  flock  at  Cahokia,!  while 
Peoria  arose  near  the  remains  of  Fort  Crevecoeur  | 

An  unsuccessful  attempt  was  also  made  to  found  a  colony 
on  the  Ohio.     It  failed  in  consequence  of  sickness.§ 

In  the  north,  De  La  Motte  Cadillac,  in  June,  1701,  laid 
the  foundation  of  Fort  Poutchartrain,  on  the  strait,  (le  De- 
troit), ||  while  in  the  southwest  efforts  were  making  to  realize 
the  dreams  of  La  Salle.  The  leader  in  the  last  named  en- 
terprise was  Leraoine  D'Iberville,  a  Canadian  officer,  who 
from  1694  to  1697  distinguished  himself  not  a  little  by 
battles  and  conquests  among  the  icebergs  of  the  "  Baye 
D'Udson  or  Hudson  Bay." 

The  post  at  Vincennes,  on  the  Oubache  river,  (pronounced 
Wii-ba,  meaning  summer  cloud  moving  swiftly),  was  estab- 
lished in  1702.  It  is  quite  probable  that  on  La  Salle's  last 
trip  he  established  the  stations  at  Kaskaskia  and  Cahokia. 
Until  the  year  1750,  but  little  is  known  of  the  settlements 
in  the  northwest,  as  it  was  not  until  this  time  that  the  atten- 

'>The  autliorities  in  relation  to  La  Salle  are  Hennepin :  a  narrative  pub- 
lished in  the  name  of  Tonti,  in  1697,  but  disclaimed  by  him  (Charlevoix 
III,  365.     Lettres  Edifiantes. 

t  Bancroft,  iii.     196. 
t  There  was  an  Old  Peoria  on  the  northwest  shore  of  the  lake  of  that 
name,  a  mile  and  a  half  above  the  outlet.    From  1778  to  1796  the  inhabi- 
tants left  this  for  New  Peoria,  (Fort  Clark)  at  the  outlet.    American 
State  Papers,  .wiii.    476. 

I  Western  Annals. 

II  Charlevoix,  ii.  284.  Le  Detroit  was  the  whole  strait  from  Erie  to 
Huron.  The  first  grants  of  land  at  Detroit,  ).  e.,  Fort  Pontchartrain, 
were  made  in  1707. 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


15 


tion  of  tne  English  was  called  to  the  occupation  of  this  por- 
tion of  the  new  world,  which  they  then  supposed  they 
owned.  Vivier,  a  missionary  among  the  Illinois,  writing 
"  Aux  Illinois,"  six  leagues  from  Fort  Chartres,  June  8th, 
1750,  says  :  "  We  have  here  whites,  negroes,  and  Indians,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  crossbreeds.  There  are  five  French 
villages,  and  three  villages  of  the  natives  within  a  space  of 
twenty-one  leagues,  tituated  between  the  Mississippi  and 
another  river,  called  the  Karkadiad,  (Kaskaskia).  In  the 
five  French  villages  arc,  perhaps,  eleven  hundred  whites, 
three  hundred  blacks,  and  some  fcixty  red  slaves  or  savages. 
The  three  Illinois  towns  do  not  contain  more  than  eight 
liundred  souls  all  told*  Most  of  the  French  till  the  soil. 
They  raise  wheat,  cattle,  pigs  and  horses,  and  live  like 
princes.  Three  times  as  much  is  produced  as  can  be  con- 
sumed, and  great  quantities  of  grain  and  flour  are  sent  to 
New  Orleans.  ' 

Again,  in  an  epistle  dated  November  17th,  1750,  Vivier 
says  :  "  For  fifteen  leagues  above  the  mouth  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, one  sees  no  dwellings  ^=  *  *  *  New  Orleans  contains 
black,  white  and  red,  not  more,  I  think,  than  twelve  hun- 
dred persons.  To  this  point  come  all  kinds  of  lumber, 
bricks,  salt-beef,  tallow,  tar,  skins,  and  bear's  grease ;  and 
above  all  pork  and  flour  from  the  Illinois.  These  things 
create  some  commerce,  as  forty  vessels  and  more  have  come 
hither  this  year.  Above  New  Orleans  plantations  are  again 
met  with  ;  the  most  considerable  is  a  colony  of  Germans, 
some  ten  leagues  up  the  river.  At  point  Coupee,  thirty-five 
leagues  above  the  German  settlement,  is  a  fort.  Along  here, 
within  five  or  six  leagues,  are  not  less  than  sixty  habitations. 
Fifty  leagues  farther  up  is  the  Natchez  pest,  where  we  have 
a  garrison." 

Father  Marest,  witing  from  the  post  at  Vincennes,  makes 
the  same  observation.  Vivier  also  says,  "  Some  individuals 
dig  lead  near  the  surface,  and  supply  the  Indians  and  Can- 
ada. Two  Spaniards,  now  here,  who  claim  to  be  adepts, 
say  that  our  mines  are  like  those  of  ^lexico,  and  that  if  we 
would  dig  deeper  we  would  find  silver  under  the  lead;  at 
any  rate  the  lead  is  excellent.  There  are  also  in  this  coun- 
trv,  beyond  doubt,  copper  mines,  as  from  time  to  time,  large 
pieces  have  been  found  in  the  streams. "f 

At  the  close  of  the  year  1750,  the  French  occupied  in  ad- 
dition to  the  lower  Mississippi  posts  and  those  in  Illinois, 
one  at  Du  Quesne,  one  at  the  Maumee,  in  the  country  of  the 
IViiamis,  and  one  at  Sandusky,  in  what  may  be  termed  the 
Ohio  Valley.  In  the  northern  part  of  the  north-west,  they 
liad  stations  at  St.  Joseph's  on  the  St.  Joseph's  of  Lake 
Michigan,  at  Fort  Poatchartraia  (Detroit),  at  Michilli- 
mackinac  or  Massillimaciuac,  Fox  Kiver  of  Green  Baj',  and 
at  Sault  Ste.  Marie.  The  fondest  dreams  of  La  Salle  were 
now  fully  realized.  The  French  alone  were  possessors  of 
this  vast  realm,  basing  their  claim  ou  discovery  and  settle- 
ment. Another  nation,  however,  was  now  turning  its 
attention  to  this  extensive  country,  and  learning  of  its 
wealth  began  to  lay  plans  for  occupying  it  and  for  securing 
the  great  profits  arising  therefrom. 

"Lettres  Kdiffanto3  (Parin,  17S1),  vii.  97-100. 
f  Wostoni  Annul  i. 


The  French,  however,  had  another  claim  to  this  country, 
namely,  the 

DISCOVERY    OF   THE    OHIO. 

The  largest  branch  of  the  Mississippi  river  from  the  east, 
known  to  the  early  French  settlers  as  la  belle  riviere,  called 
"beautiful"  river,  was  discovered  by  Robert  Cavalier  de 
La  Salle,  in  1669.  While  La  Salle  was  at  his  trading-post 
on  the  St.  Lawrence,  he  found  leisure  to  study  nine  Indian 
dialects,  the  chief  of  which  was  the  Iroquois.  While  con- 
versing with  some  Senecas,  he  learned  of  a  river  called  the 
Ohio,  which  rose  in  their  country  and  flowed  to  the  sea. 

In  this  statement  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries  were 
considered  as  one  stream.  La  Salle,  believing  as  most  of 
the  French  at  that  period  did,  that  the  great  rivers  flowing 
west  emptied  into  the  Sea  of  California,  was  anxious  to  em- 
bark in  the  enterprise  of  discovering  a  route  across  the 
continent.  He  repaired  at  once  to  Quebec  to  obtain  the 
approval  of  the  Governor  and  the  Intendent,  Talon.  They 
issued  letters  patent,  authorizing  the  enterprise,  but  made 
no  provisions  to  defray  the  expenses. 

At  this  juncture  the  seminary  St.  Sulpice  decided  to  send 
out  missionaries  in  connection  with  the  expedition,  and  La 
Salle  ofiering  to  sell  his  improvements  at  La  Chive  to  raise 
the  money,  the  ofi'er  was  accepted  by  the  Superior,  and  two 
thousand  eight  hundred  dollars  were  raised,  with  which  La 
Salle  purchased  four  canoes  and  the  necessary  supplies  for 
the  outfit. 

On  the  6th  of  July,  1669,  the  party,  numbering  twenty- 
four  persons,  embarked  in  seven  canoes  on  the  St.  Lawrence. 
Two  additional  canoes  carried  the  Indian  guides. 

In  three  days  they  were  gliding  over  the  bosom  of  Lake 
Ontario.  Their  guides  conducted  them  directly  to  the 
Seneca  village  on  the  bank  of  the  Genesee,  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  present  city  of  Rochester,  New  York.  Here  they 
exjDected  to  procure  guides  to  conduct  them  to  the  Ohio,  but 
in  this  they  were  disappointed.  After  waiting  a  month  in 
the  hope  of  gaining  their  object,  they  met  an  Indian  from  the 
Iroquois  colony,  at  the  head  of  Lake  Ontario,  who  assured 
them  they  could  find  guides,  and  oflered  to  conduct  them 
thence.  On  their  way  they  passed  the  mouth  of  Niagara 
river,  when  they  heard  for  the  finst  time  the  distant  thunder 
of  the  cataract.  Arriving  among  the  Iroquois  they  met 
with  a  friendly  reception,  and  learned  from  a  Shawnee 
prisoner  that  they  could  reach  the  Ohio  in  six  weeks.  -■  De- 
lighted with  the  unexpected  good  fortune,  they  made  ready 
to  resume  their  journey,  and  as  they  were  about  to  start  they 
heard  of  the  arrival  of  two  Frenchmen  in  a  neighboring 
village.  One  of  them  proved  to  be  Louis  Juliet,  afterwards 
famous  as  an  explorer  in  the  west.  He  had  been  sent  by 
the  Canadian  government  to  explore  the  copper  mines  on 
Lake  Superior,  but  had  failed  and  was  on  his  way  back  to 
Quebec. 

On  arriving  at  Lake  Superior,  they  found,  as  La  Salle 
had  predicted,  the  Jesuit  fathers,  Marquette  and  Dablon, 
occupying  the  field.  After  parting  with  the  priests.  La 
Salle  went  to  the  chief  Iroquois  village  at  Onondago,  where 
he  obtained  guides  and  passing  thence  to  a  tributary  of  the 
Ohio  south  of  Lake  Erie,  he  descended  the  latter  as  far  as 


16 


HI8T0RY  OF  IIADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


the  falls  of  Louisville.  Thus  was  the  Ohio  discovered  by 
La  Salle,  the  persevering  and  successful  French  explorer  of 
the  west  in  1669. 

When  Washington  was  sent  out  by  the  colony  of  Virginia 
in  1753,  to  demand  of  Gordeur  de  St.  Pierre  why  the  French 
had  built  a  fort  on  the  Monongahela,  the  haughty  com- 
mandant at  Quebec  replied  :  "We  claim  the  country  on  the 
Ohio  by  virtue  of  the  discoveries  of  La  Salle,  and  will  not 
give  it  up  to  the  English.  Our  orders  are  to  make  prisoners 
of  every  Englishman  found  trading  iu  the  Ohio  valley." 

ENGLISH  EXPLORATIONS   AND   SETTLEMENTS. 

We  have  sketched  the  progress  of  French  discovery  in 
the  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  The  first  travelers  reached 
tha-  river  iu  1673,  and  when  the  year  1750  broke  in  upon 
the  father  of  waters  and  the  great  north-west,  all  was  still 
except  those  little  spots  upon  the  prairies  of  Illinois  and 
among  the  marshes  of  Louisiana. 

Yolney,  by  conjecture,  fixes  the  settlement  of  Vincennes 
about  1735.*  Bishop  Brute,  of  Indiana,  speaks  of  a  mis- 
sionary station  there  in  1700,  aud  adds :  "  The  friendly 
tribes  and  traders  called  to  Canada  for  protection,  and  then 
M.  De  Vincennes  came  with  a  detachment,  I  think,  of 
Carignan,  and  was  killed  in  1735. ''f  Bancroft  says  a  mili- 
tary establishment  was  formed  there  in  1716,  aud  in  1742  a 
settlement  of  herdsmen  took  place. J  In  a  petition  of  the 
old  inhabitants  at  Vincennes,  dated  in  November,  1793,  we 
find  the  settlement  spoken  of  as  having  been  made  before 
1742.§  And  such  is  the  general  voice  of  tradition.  On  the 
other  hand,  Charlevoix,  who  records  the  death  of  Vincennes, 
which  took  place  among  the  Chickasaws,  iu  1736,  makes  no 
mention  of  any  post  on  the  Wabash,  or  any  missionary 
station  there.  Neither  does  he  mark  any  upon  his  map, 
although  he  gives  even  the  British  forts  upon  the  Tennessee 
and  elsewhere.  Such  is  the  character  of  the  proof  relative 
to  the  settlement  of  Vincennes. 

Hennepin,  in  1G63-4,  had  heard  of  the  "  Hohio."  The 
route  from  the  lakes  to  the  Mississippi,  by  the  Wabash,  was 
explored  1676,||  and  in  Hennepin's  volume  of  1698,  is  a 
journal,  said  to  be  that  sent  by  La  Salle  to  Count  Froutenac 
iu  1682  or  '83,  which  mentions  the  route  by  the  Maumee^ 
and  Wabash  as  the  most  direct  to  the  great  western  river. 

In  1749,  when  the  English  first  began  to  think  seriously 
of  sending  men  into  the  west,  the  greater  portions  of  the 
states  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  and 
Minnesota  were  yet  under  the  dominion  of  the  red  men. 
The  English  knew,  however,  of  the  nature  of  the  vast 
wealth  of  these  wilds. 

In  the  year  1710,  Governor  Spotswood,  of  Virginia,  had 
matured  a  plan  and  commenced  movements,  the  o'ljcct  of 
which  was  to  secure  the  country  beyond  the  Allegheniis  to 
the  English  crown.  In  Pennsylvania,  also,  Governor  Keith 
and  James  Logan,  Secretary  of  the  Province  from  1719  to 

*  Volncy's  View,  p.  33G. 
t  Butler's  Kentucky. 
J  History  U.  S.  iii.  346. 

I  American  State  Papers,  xvi.  32. 

II  Histoirc  Generul  Dcs  Voyages  .\iv.,  738. 
1[Now  called  Miami. 


1731,  represented  to  the  powers  of  England  the  necessity  of 
taking  steps  to  secure  the  western  lands.  Nothing,  however, 
was  done  by  the  mother  country,  except  to  take  certain 
diplomatic  steps  to  secure  the  claim  of  Britain  to  this  unex- 
plored wilderness.  England  nad  from  the  outset  claimed 
from  the  Atlantic  to  thj  Pacific,  on  the  ground  that  the  dis- 
covery and  possession  of  the  sea  coast  was  a  discovery  and 
possession  of  the  country  ;  and  as  is  well  known,  her  grants 
to  Virginia,  Connecticut,  and  other  colonies,  were  through 
from  "  sea  to  sea."  This  was  not  all  her  claims ;  she  had 
purchased  from  the  Indian  tribes  large  tracts  of  land.  This 
was  also  a  strong  argument. 

In  the  year  1684,  Lord  Howard,  Governor  of  Virginia, 
held  a  treaty  with  the  five  nations  at  Albany.  These  were 
the  great  Northern  Confederacy,  and  comprised  at  first  the 
Mohawks,  Oneidas,  Onondagas,  Cayugas,  and  Senecas. 
Afterward  the  Tuscaroras  were  taken  into  the  confederacy, 
and  it  became  known  as  the  six  nations.  They  came  under 
the  protection  of  the  mother  country,  and  again  in  1701  they 
repeated  the  agreement.  Another  formal  deed  was  drawn 
up  and  signed  by  the  chiefs  of  the  National  Confederacy  in 
1726,  by  which  their  lands  were  conveyed  in  trust  to  Eng- 
land, "  to  be  protected  and  defended  by  his  majesty,  to  and 
for  the  use  of  the  grantors  and  their  heirs."  The  validity 
of  this  claim  has  often  been  disputed,  but  never  successfully. 
In  1774,  a  purchase  was  made  at  Lancaster  of  certain  lauds 
within  the  "  colony  of  Virginia,"  for  which  the  Indians 
received  £200  in  gold  and  a  like  sum  in  goods,  with  a 
promise  that  as  settlements  increased,  more  should  be  paid. 
The  commissioners  from  Virginia  at  the  treaty  were  Col. 
Thomas  Lee  aud  Col.  William  Beverly. 

As  settlements  extended,  and  the  Indians  -.egan  to  com- 
plain, the  promise  of  further  pay  was  called  to  mind,  and 
Mr.  Conrad  Weiser  was  sent  across  the  Alleghenies  to  Logs- 
town.  In  1784,*  Col.  Lee  and  some  Virginians  accom- 
ptinied  him,  with  the  intention  of  ascertaining  the  feelings 
of  the  Indians  with  regard  to  further  settlements  in  the  west, 
which  Col.  Lee  and  others  were  contemplating.  The  object 
of  these  proposed  settlements  was  not  the  cultivation  of  the 
soil,  but  the  monopoly  of  the  Indian  trade.  Accordingly 
after  Weiser's  conference  with  the  Indians  at  Logstown, 
which  was  favorable  to  their  views,  Thomas  Lee,  with 
twelve  other  Virginians,  among  whom  were  Lawrence  aud 
Augustine,  brothers  of  George  Washington,  aud  also  Mr. 
Hanbury,  of  London,  formed  an  association  whi.h  they 
called  the  "Ohio  Company,"  and  in  1748  petitioned  the 
king  for  a  grant  beyond  the  mountains.  This  petition  was 
approved  by  the  Engli-sh  government,  and  the  government 
of  Virginia  was  ordered  to  grant  to  the  petitioners  half  a 
million  of  acres  within  the  bounds  of  that  colony  beyond 
the  Alleghenies,  two  hundred  thousand  of  which  were  to  be 
located  at  once.  This  portion  was  to  be  held  for  ten  years 
free  of  quit-rent,  provided  the  company  would  put  there  one 
hundred  families  within  seven  years,  and  build  a  fort  suffi- 
cient to  protect  the  settlement.  The  company  accepted  the 
proposition,  and  sent  to  London  for  a  cargo  suited  to  the 
Indian   trade,  which  should   arrive   in   November,    1749. 

»  Plain  Faet^,  pp.40,  1^3. 


HISTORY  OF  MAD  IS  OX  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


17 


Other  compauiea  were  also  formed  about  this  time  in  Vir- 
ginia to  colonize  the  west.  On  the  12th  of  June,  1749,  a 
grant  of  800,000  acres  from  the  line  of  Canada,  on  the 
north  and  west,  was  made  to  the  Loyal  Company,  and  on 
the  29th  of  October,  1751,  another  of  100,000  acres  to  the 
Greenbriar  Company.  * 

The  French  were  not  blind  all  this  time.  They  saw  that 
if  the  British  once  obtained  a  stronghold  upon  the  Ohio, 
they  might  not  only  prevent  their  settlements  upon  it,  but 
in  time  would  come  to  the  lower  posts,  and  so  gain  posses- 
sion of  the  whole  country.  Upon  the  10th  of  May,  1744, 
Vandreuil,  the  French  governor,  well  knowing  the  conse- 
quences that  must  arise  from  allowing  the  English  to  build 
trading  posts  in  the  north- ivest,  seized  some  of  their  frontier 
posts,  to  further  secure  the  claims  of  the  French  to  the 
west.  Having  these  fears,  and  seeing  the  danger  of  the 
late  movements  of  the  British,  Gallisoniere,  then  Governor 
of  Canada,  determined  to  place  along  the  Ohio  evidences  of 
the  French  claim  to,  and  possession  of,  the  country.  For 
that  purpose  he  sent,  in  the  summer  of  1749,  Louis  Celeron, 
with  a  party  of  soldiers,  to  place  plates  of  lead,  on  which 
were  written  out  the  claims  of  the  French,  in  the  mounds 
and  at  the  mouths  of  the  rivers.  These  were  heard  of  by 
Willliam  Trent,  an  Indian  commissioner,  sent  out  by  Vir- 
ginia in  1752,  to  treat  with  and  conciliate  the  Indians, 
while  upon  the  Ohio,  and  mentioned  in  his  journal.  One  of 
these  plates  was  found  with  the  inscription  partly  defaced. 
It  bears  date  August  lOth,  1749,  and  a  copy  of  the  inscrip- 
tion, with  particular  account,  was  sent  by  De  Witt  Clinton 
to  the  American  Anti<|uariau  Society,  among  whose  journals 
it  may  now  be  found.  These  measures  did  not,  however, 
deter  the  English  from  going  on  with  their  explorations. 

In  February,  1751,  Christopher  Gist  was  sent  by  the 
Ohio  Company  to  examine  its  lands.  He  went  to  a  village 
of  the  Twigtwees,  on  the  Miami,  about  150  miles  above  its 
mouth.  From  there  he  went  down  the  Ohio  Elver  nearly 
to  the  falls,  at  the  present  city  of  Louisville,  and  in  Novem- 
ber he  commenced  a  survey  of  the  company's  lands.  In 
1751,  General  Andrew  liCwis  commenced  some  surveys  in 
the  Greenbrier  country,  on  behalf  of  the -company  already 
mentioned.  Meanwhile  the  French  were  busy  in  preparing 
their  forts  for  defence,  and  in  opening  roads.  In  1752 
having  heard  of  the  trading  houses  on  the  Miami  River, 
they,  assisted  by  the  Ottawas  and  Chippewas,  attacked  it, 
and,  after  a  severe  battle,  in  which  fourteen  of  the  natives 
were  killed  and  others  wounded,  captured  the  garrison. 
The  traders  were  carried  away  to  Canada,  and  one  account 
says  several  were  burned.  This  fort,  or  trading  house  was 
called  by  the  English  writers  Pickawillany.  A  memorial 
of  the  king's  ministers  refers  to  it  as  "  Pickawellanes,  in  the 
centre  of  the  territory  between  Ohio  and  the  Wabash." 
This  was  the  first  blood  shed  between  the  French  and 
English,  and  occurred  near  the  present  city  of  Piqua,  Ohio. 
The  English  were  determined  on  their  part  to  purchase  a 
title  from  the  Indians  of  lands  which  they  wished  to  occup)', 
and  in  the  spring  of  1752,  Messrs.  Fry,f  Lomax  and  Pat  on 

•'  Revised  Statutes  of  Virginia. 

t  Afterwards  CommanJer-in-cliief  over  Washington,  at  the  commence- 
meut  of  the  French  War  of  1773. 


were  sent  from  Virginia  to  hold  a  conference  with  the 
natives  aft  Logstown,  to  learn  what  they  objected  to  in  the 
treaty  at  Lancaster,  and  to  settle  all  difficulties.  On  the 
9th  of  June,  the  commissioners  met  the  red  men  at  Log.s- 
town.  This  was  a  village  seventeen  miles  below  Pittsburgh, 
upon  the  north  side  of  the  Ohio.  Here  had  been  a  trading 
post  for  many  years,  but  it  was  abandoned  by  the  Indians 
in  1750.  At  first  the  Indians  declined  to  recognize  the 
treaty  of  Lancaster,  but  the  commissioners  taking  aside 
Jlontour,  the  interpreter,  who  was  a  son  of  the  famous 
Catherine  Montour,  and  a  chief  among  the  six  nations, 
being  three-fourths  of  Indian  blood,  through  his  influence 
an  agreement  was  efK'cted,  and  upon  the  13th  of  June  they 
all  united  in  signing  a  deed,  confirming  the  Lancaster  treaty 
in  its  fullest  extent.  Meanwhllethe  powers  beyond  the  seas 
were  trying  to  out-manmuver  each  other,  and  were  professing 
to  be  at  peace.  The  Eoglish  generally  outwitted  the  Indians, 
and  secured  themselves,  as  they  thought,  by  their  polite 
conduct.  But  the  French,  in  this  as  in  all  cases,  proved  that 
they  knew  best  how  to  manage  the  n.atives.  While  these 
measures  were  taken,  another  treaty  with  the  wild  men  of 
the  debatable  land  was  also  in  contemplation.  And  in  Sep- 
tember, 175;\  William  Fairfax  met  their  deputies  at  Win- 
chester, Virginia,  where  he  concluded  a  treaty.  In  the 
month  following,  however,  a  more  satisfactory  interview  took 
place  at  Carlisle,  between  the  representatives  of  the  Iroquois, 
Delawares,  Shawuees,  Twigtwees,  and  Wyandots,  and  the 
commissioners  of  Penu.sylvania,  Richard  Peters,  Isaac  Norris, 
and  Benjamin  Franklin.  Soon  after  this,  no  satisfaction 
being  obtained  from  the  Ohio,  either  as  to  the  force,  position, 
or  purposes  of  the  French,  Robert  Dinwiddle,  then  Governor 
of  Virginia,  determined  to  send  to  them  another  messenger, 
and  learn  if  possible  their  intentions.  For  this  purpose  he 
selected  a  young  surveyor,  who,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  had 
attained  the  rank  of  major,  and  whose  previous  life  had 
inured  him  to  hardships  and  woodland  ways ;  while  his 
courage,  cool  judgment,  and  firm  will,  all  fitted  him  fur  such 
a  mission.  This  personage  was  no  other  than  the  illustrious 
George  Washington,  who  then  hold  considerable  interest  in 
western  lands.  He  was  twenty-one  years  old  at  the  time  of 
the  appointment.*  Taking  Gist  as  a  guide,  the  two,  accom- 
panied by  four  servitors,  set  out  on  their  perilous  march. 
They  Icfc  Will's  Creek,  where  Cumberland  now  is,  on  the 
15th  of  November,  and  on  the  22d  reached  the  Monongahcla, 
about  ten  miles  above  the  fork.  From  there  they  went  to 
Logstown,  where  Washington  had  a  long  conference  with 
the  chiefs  of  the  six  nations.  Here  he  learned  the  position 
of  the  French,  and  also  that  they  had  determined  not  to  come 
down  the  river  until  the  fjllowing  spring.  The  Indians  were 
non-committal,  they  deeming  a  neutral  position  the  safest. 
Washington,  finding  nothing  could  be  done,  went  on  to  Ve 
nango,  an  old  Indian  town  at  the  mouth  of  the  French 
Creek.  Here  the  French  had  a  fort  called  Fort  J\Iachault. 
On  the  11th  of  December  he  reached  the  fort  at  the  head  of 
French  Creek.  Here  he  delivered  Governor  Dinwiddle's 
letter,  received  his  answer,  and  upon  the  16th  set  out  upon 
his  return  journey  with  no  one  but  Gist,  his  guide,  and  a  few 

*  Sparks'  Washington,  Vol.  ii.,  pp.  42S-447. 


18 


fflSTOBT  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


Indians,  who  still  remained  true  to  him.  They  reached  home 
in  safety  on  the  6th  of  January,  1754.  From  the  letter  of 
St.  Pierre,  Commander  of  the  French  fort,  sent  by  Washing- 
ton to  Governor  DiuwidJie,  it  was  perfectly  clear  that  the 
French  would  not  yield  the  West  without  a  struggle.  Active 
preparations  were  at  once  made  in  all  the  English  colonies 
for  the  coming  conflict,  while  the  French  finished  their  fort 
at  Venango  and  strengthened  their  lines  of  fortifications  to 
be  in  readiness.  The  Old  Dominion  was  alive.  Virginia 
was  the  center  of  great  activities.  Volunteers  were  called 
for,  and  from  neighboring  colonies  men  rallied  to  the  conflict, 
and  everywhere  along  the  Potomac  men  were  enlisting  under 
Governor's  proclamation, — which  promised  two  hundred 
thousand  acres  on  the  Ohio.  Along  th's  river  they  were 
gathering  as  far  as  Will's  Creek,  and  far  beyond  this  j^oint, 
whither  Trent  had  come  for  aisistance,  for  his  little  band  of 
forty-one  men,  who  were  working  away  in  hunger  and  want, 
to  fortify  that  point  at  the  fork  of  the  Ohio,  to  which  both 
parties  were  looking  with  deep  interest.  The  first  birds  cf 
spring  filled  the  f  jrest  with  their  songs.  The  swift  river 
rolled  by  the  Allegheny  hillsides,  swollen  by  the  melting 
snows  of  spring  and  April  showers.  The  leaves  were  appear- 
ing, a  few  Indian  Scouts  were  seen,  but  no  enemy  seemed 
near  at  hand,  and  all  was  so  quiet  that  Frazier,  an  old  In- 
dian trader,  who  had  been  left  by  Trent  in  command  of  the 
new  fort,  ventured  to  his  home  at  the  mouth  of  Turtle  Creek, 
ten  miles  up  the  M  jnongahela.  Bat  though  all  was  so  quiet 
in  that  wilderness,  keen  eyes  had  seen  the  low  entrenchment 
that  was  rising  at  the  fork,  and  swift  feet  had  borne  the  news 
of  it  up  the  valley,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  17th  of  April, 
Ensign  Ward,  who  then  had  charge  of  it,  saw  upon  the 
Allegheny  a  sight  that  made  his  heart  sink ; — sixty  batteaux 
and  three  hundred  canoes,  filled  with  men,  and  laden  deep 
with  cannon  and  stores.  The  fort  was  called  on  to  surren- 
der: by  the  advice  of  the  Half-King,  Ward  tried  to  evade 
the  act,  but  it  would  not  do.  Contrecoeur,  with  a  thousand 
men  about  him,  said  'Evacuate,'  and  the  ensign  dared  not 
refuse.  That  evening  he  supped  with  his  captor,  and  the 
next  day  was  bowed  off"  by  the  Frenchman,  and,  with  his 
men  and  tools,  marched  up  the  Monongahela."  The  French 
and  Indian  war  had  begun.  The  treaty  of  Aix  la  Chapelle, 
in  1748,  had  left  the  boundaries  between  the  French  and 
English  possessions  unsettled,  and  the  events  already  narra- 
ted show  that  the  French  were  determined  to  hold  the  coun- 
try watered  by  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries :  while  the 
English  laid  claim  to  thecouatr/  by  virtue  of  the  discoveries 
by  the  Cabots,  and  claimed  all  the  country  from  New  Found- 
land  to  Florida,  and  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific.  The 
first  decisive  blow  had  been  struck,  and  the  first  attempt  of 
the  English,  through  the  Ohio  Company,  to  occupy  these 
lands  had  resulted  disastrously  to  them.  The  French  and 
Indians  immediately  completed  the  fortifications  begun  at 
the  fork,  which  they  had  so  easily  captured,  and  when  com- 
pleted gave  to  the  fort  the  name  of  Du  Quesne.  Washing- 
ton was  at  Will's  Creek,  when  the  news  of  the  capture  of  the 
fort  arrived.  He  at  once  departed  to  recapture  it.  On  his 
way  he  entrenched  himself  at  a  place  called  the  "  Meadows," 
where  he  erected  a  fort  called  by  him  Fort  Necessity.    From 


there  he  surprised  and  captured  a  force  of  French  and  Indi- 
ans marching  against  him,  but  was  soon  after  attacked  by  a 
much  superior  force,  and  was  obliged  to  yield  on  the  morn- 
ing of  July  4th.     He  was  allowed  to  return  to  Virginia. 

The  English  Government  immediately  planned  for  cam- 
paigns, one  against  Fort  Du  Quesne,  one  against  Nova  Sco- 
tia, one  against  Fort  Niagara,  and  one  against  Crown  Point. 
These  occurred  during  1755-6,  and  were  not  successful  in 
driving  the  French  from  their  possessions.  The  expedition 
against  Fort  Du  Quesne  was  led  by  the  famous  Braddock, 
who,  refusing  to  listen  to  the  advice  of  Washington  and  those 
acquainted  with  Indian  warfare,  suflTered  an  inglorious  de- 
feat. This  occurred  on  the  morning  of  July  9th,  and  is  gen- 
erally known  as  the  battle  of  Monongahela  or  "  Braddock's 
defeat."  The  war  continued  through  various  vicissitudes 
through  the  years  1756-7,  when,  at  the  commencement  of 
1758,  in  accordance  with  the  plans  of  William  Pitt,  then 
secretary  of  state,  afterwards  Lord  Chatham,  active  prepa- 
rations were  made  to  carry  on  the  war.  Three  expeditions 
were  planned  for  this  year :  one  under  General  Amherst, 
against  Louisburg;  another  under  Abercrombie,  against 
Fort  Ticonderoga ;  and  a  third  under  General  Forbes,  against 
Fort  Du  Quesne.  On  the  2Gth  of  July,  Louisburg  surren- 
dered after  a  desperate  resistance  of  more  than  forty  days, 
and  the  eastern  part  of  the  Canadian  possessions  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  British.  Abercrombie  captu  red  Fort  Fronte- 
nac,  and  when  the  expedition  against  Fort  Du  Quesne,  of 
which  Washington  had  the  active  command,  arrived  there, 
it  was  found  in  flames  and  deserted.  The  English  at  once 
took  possession,  rebuilt  the  fort,  and  in  honor  of  their  illus- 
trious statesman,  changed  the  name  to  Fort  Pitt. 

The  great  object  of  the  campaign  of  1759,  was  the  reduc- 
tion of  Canada.  General  Wolfe  was  to  lay  siege  to  Quebec  ; 
Amherst  was  to  reduce  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point;  and 
General  Prideaux  was  to  capture  Niagara.  This  latter  place 
was  taken  in  July,  but  the  gallant  Prideaux  lost  his  life. 
Amherst  captured  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point,  without  a 
blow  ;  and  Wolfe,  af:er  making  the  memorable  ascent  to  the 
plains  o{  Abraham,  on  September  13th,  defeated  Montcalm. 
and  on  the  18Lh  the  city  capitulated.  In  this  engagement, 
Montcalm  and  Wolfe  bjth  lost  their  lives.  De  Levi,  Mont- 
calm's successor,  marched  to  Sillery,  three  miles  above  the 
city,  with  the  purpose  of  defeating  the  Euglish,  and  there, 
on  the  28th  of  the  following  April,  was  fought  one  of  the 
bloodiest  battles  of  the  French  and  Indian  war.  It  resulted 
iu  the  defeat  of  the  French,  and  the  fall  of  the  city  of  Mon- 
treal. The  Governor  signed  a  capitulation  by  which  the 
whole  of  Canada  was  surrendered  to  the  Euglish.  This 
practically  concluded  the  war,  but  it  was  not  until  1763 
that  the  treaties  of  peace  between  France  and  England 
were  signed.  This  was  done  on  the  10th  of  February  of  that 
year,  and  under  its  provisions  all  the  country  east  of  the 
Mississippi  and  north  of  the  Ibervill  river  in  Louisiana,  were 
ceded  to  Eugland.  At  the  same  time,  Spain  ceded  Florida 
to  Great  Britain. 

On  the  13th  September,  1760,  Major  Robert  Rogers  was 
sent  from  Montreal  to  take  charge  of  Detroit,  the  only  re- 
maining French  post  iu  the  territory.     He  arrived  there  on 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  III  IN  0  IS. 


19 


the  9th  of  November,  and  summoned  the  place  to  surrender. 
At  first  the  commander  of  the  post,  Beletre,  refused,  but  on 
the  29th,  hearing  of  the  continued  defeat  of  the  French  army, 
surrendered.  The  North-west  Territory  was  now  entirely 
under  the  English  rule.  In  1762,  France,  by  a  secret  treaty, 
ceded  Louisiana  to  Spain,  to  prevent  it  falling  into  the  hands 
of  the  English,  who  were  becoming  masters  of  the  entire 
West.  The  next  year  the  treaty  of  Paris,  signed  at  Fon- 
tainbleau,  gave  to  the  English  the  dominion  in  question. 
Twenty  years  after,  by  the  treaty  of  peace  between  the  United 
States  and  England,  that  part  of  Canada  lying  south  and 
west  of  the  great  lakes,  comprising  a  large  territory,  was 
acknowledged  to  be  a  portion  of  the  United  States.  In 
1803  Louisiana  was  ceded  by  Spain  back  to  France,  and  by 
France  sold  to  the  United  States.  By  the  treaty  of  Paris, 
the  regions  east  of  the  Mississippi,  including  all  these  and 
other  towns  of  the  north-west,  were  given,  over  to  England  ; 
but  they  do  not  appear  to  have  been  taken  possession  of  until 
1765,  when  Captain  Stirling,  in  the  name  of  the  Majesty  in 
England,  established  himself  at  Fort  Chartres,  bearing  with 
him  the  proclamation  of  General  Gage,  dated  December 
30th,  1764,  which  promised  religious  freedom  to  all  Catho- 
lics who  worshiped  here  and  the  right  to  leave  the  country 
with  their  effects  if  they  wished,  or  to  remain  with  the  priv- 
ileges of  Englishmen.  During  the  years  1775  s-nd  1776,  by 
the  operations  of  land  companies  and  the  perseverance  of 
individuals,  several  settlements  were  firmly  established  be- 
tween the  Alleghenies  and  the  Ohio  river,  and  western  land 
speculators  were  busy  in  Illinois  and  on  the  Wabash.  At  a 
council  held  in  Kaskaskia,  on  July  5th,  1773,  an  association 
of  English  traders,  calling  themselves  the  "  Illinois  Land 
Company,"  obtained  from  the  chiefs  of  the  Kaskaskia,  Ca- 
hokia,  and  Peoria  tribes  two  large  tracts  of  land  lying  on  the 
east  side  of  the  Mississippi  river  south  of  the  Illinois.  In 
1775  a  merchant  from  the  Illinois  country,  named  Yiviat, 
came  to  Post  Vincennes  as  the  agent  of  the  association  called 
(he  "Wabash  Land  Company."  On  the  8th  of  October  he 
obtained  from  eleven  Piankeshaw  chiefs  a  deed  for  37,497, 
600  acres  of  land.  This  deed  was  signed  by  the  grantors, 
attested  by  a  number  of  the  inhabitants  of  Vincennes,  and 
afterward  recorded  in  the  office  of  a  Notary  Public  at  Kas- 
kaskia. This  and  other  land  companies  had  extensive 
schemes  for  the  colonization  of  the  West ;  but  all  were  frus- 
trated by  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  On 
the  20th  of  April,  1780,  the  two  companies  named  consoli- 
dated under  the  name  of  the  "  United  Illinois  and  Wabash 
Land  Company  ;  "  they  afterwards  made  strenuous  efforts  to 
have  these  grants  sanctioned  by  Congress,  but  all  signally 
failed.  When  the  war  of  the  Revolution  commenced,  Ken- 
tucky was  an  unorganized  country,  though  there  were  several 
settlements  within  her  borders. 

In  Ilutchins'  Topography  of  Virginia,  it  is  stated  that  at 
that  time  Kaskaskia  contained  80  houses,  and  nearly  1,00!) 
white  and  black  inhabitants,  the  whites  being  a  little  the 
more  numerous.  Cahokia  contained  fifty  houses,  300  white 
inhabitants,  and  80  negroes.  There  were  east  of  the  Missis- 
sippi river,  about  the  year  1771 — when  these  observations 
were  made — "  300  white  men  capable  of  bearing  arms,  and 


238  negroes."  From  1775  until  the  expedition  of  Clark, 
nothing  is  recorded  and  nothing  known  of  these  settlements, 
save  what  is  contained  in  a  report  made  by  a  committee  to 
Congress  in  June,  1778.  From  it  the  following  extract  is 
made :  "  Near  the  mouth  of  the  river  Kaskaskia,  there  is  a 
village  which  appears  to  have  contained  nearly  eighty  fam- 
ilies from  the  beginning  of  the  late  Revolution  ;  there  are 
twelve  families  at  a  small  village  at  La  Prairie  Du  Rochers, 
and  nearly  fifty  families  at  the  Cahokia  village.  There  are 
also  four  or  five  families  at  Fort  Chartres  and  St.  Philip's, 
which  is  five  miles  further  up  the  river."  St.  Louis  had  been 
settled  in  February,  1764,  and  at  this  time  contained,  inclu- 
ding its  neighboring  towns,  over  six  hundred  white  and  one 
hundred  and  fifty  negroes.  It  must  be  remembered  that  all 
the  country  west  of  the  Mississippi  was  under  French  rule, 
and  remained  so  until  ceded  back  to  Spain,  its  original  owner, 
who  afterwards  sold  it  and  the  country  including  New  Or- 
leans to  the  Uaited  States.  At  De'roit,  there  were,  accord- 
ing to  Captain  Carver,  who  was  in  the  north-west  from  1768 
to  1776,  more  than  one  hundred  houses,  and  the  river  was 
settled  for  more  than  twenty  miles,  although  poorly  cultiva- 
ted, the  people  being  engaged  in  the  Indian  trade. 

On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Ravolution,  the  British  held 
every  post  of  importance  in  the  West.  Kentucky  was 
formed  as  a  comfjonent  part  of  Virginia,  and  the  sturdy 
pioneers  of  the  West,  alive  to  their  interests,  and  recog- 
nizing the  great  benefits  of  obtaining  the  control  of  the 
trade  in  this  part  of  the  New  World,  held  steadily  to  tht-ir 
purposes,  and  those  within  the  commonwealth  of  Ken- 
tucky proceeded  to  exercise  their  civil  privileges  of  electing 
John  Todd  and  Richard  Gallaway  burgesses,  to  represent 
them  in  the  assembly  of  the  present  state.  The  chief  sjiirit 
in  this  far-out  colony,  who  had  represented  her  the  year 
previous  east  of  the  mountains,  was  now  meditating  a  move 
of  unequalled  boldness.  He  had  been  watching  the  move- 
ments of  the  British  throughout  the  north-west,  and  under- 
stood their  whole  plan.  He  saw  it  was  through  their 
possession  of  the  post  at  Detroit,  Vincennes,  Kaskaskia,  and 
other  places,  which  would  give  them  easy  access  to  the  vari- 
ous Indian  tribes  in  the  north-west,  that  the  British  intended 
to  penetrate  the  country  from  the  north  and  south,  and 
annihilate  the  frontier  fortresses.  This  moving,  energetic 
man  was  Colonel,  afterwards  General  George  Rodgers  Clark. 
He  knew  that  the  Indians  were  not  unanimously  in  accord 
with  the  English,  and  he  was  convinced  that,  could  the 
British  be  defeated  and  expelled  from  the  north-west,  the 
natives  might  be  easily  awed  into  neutrality ;  by  spies  sent  for 
the  purpose,  he  satisfied  himself  that  the  enterprise  against 
the  Illinois  settlements  might  easily  succeed.  Patrick  Henry 
was  Governor  of  Virginia,  and  at  once  entered  heartily  info 
Clark's  plans.  The  same  plan  had  before  been  agitated  in 
the  Colonial  Assemblies ;  but  there  was  no  one  until  Clark 
came  who  was  sufficiently  acquainted  with  the  condition  of 
affairs  at  the  scene  of  action  to  be  able  to  guide  them. 

Clark,  having  satisfied  the  Virginia  leaders  of  the  feasibility 
of  his  plan,  received  on  the  second  of  January  two  sets  of 
instructions :  one  secret,  the  other  open.  The  latter  authoriz- 
ed him  to  proceed  to  enlist  seven   companies  to  go  to   Ken- 


20 


HI8T0RY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


tucky,  subject  to  his  orders,  and  to  serve  three  months  from 
their  arrival  in  the  west.  The  secret  order  authorized  him 
to  arm  the  troops,  to  procure  his  powder  and  lead  of  General 
Hand,  at  Pittsburg,  and  to  proceed  at  once  to  subjugate  the 
country. 

With  these  instructions  Clark  repaired  to  Pittsburg,  choos- 
ing rather  to  raise  his  men  west  of  the  mountains.  Here  he 
raised  three  companies  and  several  private  volunteers. 
Clark  at  length  commenced  his  descent  of  the  Ohio,  which 
he  navigated  as  far  as  the  falls,  where  he  took  possession  of 
and  fortified  Corn  Island,  between  the  present  sites  of  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky,  and  New  Albany,  Indiana.  Remains  of 
this  fortification  may  yet  be  found.  At  this  place  he  ap- 
pointed Col.  Bowman  to  meet  him  with  such  recruits  as  had 
reached  Kentucky  by  the  southern  route.  Here  he  an- 
nounced to  the  men  their  real  destination.  On  the  24th  of 
June  he  embarked  on  the  river,  his  destination  being  Fort 
Massac  or  :\Iassacre,  and  then  marched  direct  to  Kaskaskia. 
The  march  was  accomplished  and  the  town  reached  on  the 
eyeniug  of  July  4.  He  captured  the  fort  near  the  village, 
and  soon  after  the  village  itself,  by  surprise,  without  the 
loss  of  a  single  man  or  killing  any  of  the  enemy.  Clark 
told  the  natives  that  they  were  at  perfect  liberty  to  worship 
as  they  pleased,  and  to  take  whichever  side  of  the  conflict 
they  would,  and  he  would  protect  them  from  any  barbarity 
from  British  or  Indian  foes.  This  had  the  desired  effect- 
and  the  inhabitants  at  once  swore  allegiance  to  the  Ameri- 
can arms,  and  when  Clark  desired  to  go  to  Cahokia  on  the 
6:h  of  July,  they  accompanied  him,  and  through  their  in- 
fluence the  inhabitants  of  the  place  surrendered.  Thus  two 
important  posts  in  Illinois  passed  from  the  hands  of  the  Eng- 
lish into  the  possession  of  Virginia.  During  the  year 
(1779)  the  famous  "  Land  Laws  "  of  Virginia  were  passed- 
The  passage  of  these  laws  was  of  more  consequence  to  the 
pioneers  of  Kentucky  and  the  north-west  than  the  gaining 
of  a  few  Indian  conflicts.  These  grants  confirmed  in  the 
main  all  grants  made,  and  guaranteed  to  actual  settlers  their 
rights  and  privileges. 

After  providing  for  the  settlers,  the  laws  provided  for  sell- 
ing the  balance  of  the  public  lands  at  forty  cents  per  acre. 
To  carry  the  Land  Laws  into  effect,  the  Legislature  sent 
four  Virginians  westward  to  attend  to  the  various  claims 
over  many  of  which  great  confusion  prevailed  concerning 
their  validity  vote.*  These  gentlemen  opened  their  court  on 
October,  13,  1779,  at  St.  Asaphs,  and  continued  until  April 
26,  1780,  when  they  adjourned,  having  decided  three  thou- 
sand claims.  They  were  succeeded  by  the  surveyor, — George 
May,  who  assumed  the  duties  on  the  10th  day  of  the  month 
whose  name  he  bore.  With  the  opening  of  the  next  year 
(1781)  the  troubles  concerning  the  navigation  of  the  Missis- 
sippi commenced.  The  Government  of  Spain  exacted  such 
measures  in  relation  to  its  trade  as  to  cause  the  overtures 
made  to  the  United  States  to  be  rejected.  The  American 
Government  considered  they  had  a  right  to  navigate  its 
channel.  To  enforce  their  claims,  a  fort  was  erected  below 
the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  on  the  Kentucky  side  of  the  river,  f 

*  Butler's  Kentucky. 

t  American  Stat*  Papers. 


The  settlements  in  Kentucky  were  being  rapidly  filled  by 
emigrants.  It  was  during  this  year  that  the  first  seminary 
of  learning  was  established  in  the  West  in  this  j-oung  and 
enterprising  commonwealth. 

The  settlers  did  not  look  upon  the  building  of  the  fort  in 
a  friendly  manner  as  it  arou.sed  the  ho.stility  of  the  Indians. 
Spain  had  been  friendly  to  the  colonies  during  their  struggle 
for  independence,  and  though  for  a  while  this  friendship  ap- 
peared in  danger  from  the  refusal  of  the  free  navigation  of 
the  river,  yet  it  was  finally  settled  to  the  satisfaction  of  both 
nations.     The  winter  of  1779-80  was  one  of  the  most  unusu- 
ally severe  ones  ever  experienced  in  the  West.     The  Indians 
always  refered  to  it  as  the  "  Great  Cold."     Numbers  of  wild 
animals  perished,  and  not  a  few  pioneers  lost  their  lives. 
The  following  summer  a  party  of  Canadians  and  Indians, 
attacked  St.  Louis,  and  attempted  to  take  possesion  of  it  in 
consequence  of  the  friendly  disposition  of  Spain  to  the  revolt- 
ing colonies.     They  met  with  such  a  determined  resistance 
on  the  part  of  the  inhabitants,  even  the  women  taking  part 
in  the  battle,  that  they  were  compelled  to  abandon  the  con- 
test.    They  also  made  an  attack  on  the  settlements  in  Ken- 
tuckv,  but,  becoming  alarmed  in  some  unaccountable  man- 
ner, they  fled  the  country  in  great  haste.     About  this  time 
arose  the  question  in  the  Colonial  Congress  concerning  the 
western   lauds  claimed  by  Virginia,  New  York,  Massachu- 
setts and  Connecticut.     The  agitation  concerning  this  sub- 
ject finally  led  New  York,  on  the  19th  of  February,  17S0,  to 
pass  a  law  giving  to  the  delegates  of  that  State  in  Congress 
the  power  to  cede  her  western  lands  for  the  benefit  of  the 
United  States.     This  law  was  laid  before  Congress  during 
the  next  month,  but  no  steps  were  taken  concerning  it  until 
September  6th,  when  a  resolution  passed  that  body  calling 
upon  the  states  claiming  western  lands  to  release  their  claims 
in  favor  of  the  whole  body.     This  basis  formed  the  Union, 
and  was  the  first  after  all  of  those  legislative  measures, 
which  resulted  in  the  creation  of  the  States  of  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Illinois,Michigan,Wiscousin  and  Jlinnesota.    In  December  of 
thesameyear,  the  plan  of  conquering  Detroit  again  arose.  The 
conquest  might  easily  have  been  effected  by  Clark,  had  the 
necessary  aid  been  furnished  him.     Nothing  decisive  was 
done,  yet  the  heads  of  the  Government  knew  that  the  safety 
of  the  North-West  from  British  invasion  lay  in  the  capture 
and  retention  of  that  important  post,  the  only  unconquered 
one  in  the  territory. 

Before  the  close  of  the  year,  Kentucky  was  divided  into 
the  counties  of  Lincoln,  Fayette,  and  Jefferson,  and  the  act 
establishing  the  town  of  Louisville  was  passed.  Virginia  in 
accordance  with  the  resolution  of  Congress,  on  the  2d  day 
of  January,  1781,  agreed  to  yield  her  western  lands  to  the 
United  States  upon  certain  conditions,  which  Congress  would 
not  accede  to,*  and  the  Act  of  Cession,  on  the  part  of  the  Old 
Dominion,  failed,  nor  was  anything  farther  done  until  1783. 
During  all  that  time  the  colonies  were  busily  engaged  in  the 
struggle  with  the  mother  country,  and  in  consequence  thereof 
but  little  heed  was  given  to  the  western  settlements.  Upon 
the  16th  of  April,  1781,  the  first  birth  north  of  the  Ohio 
River  of  American  parentage  occurred,  being  that  of  Mary 
»  American  State  Papers. 


HI8T0RY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


21 


Heckewelder,  daughter  of  the  widely  known  Moravian  Mis- 
sionary, whose  baud  of  Christian  Indians  suffered  in  after 
years  a  horrible  massacre  by  the  hands  of  the  frontier  settlers, 
who  had  been  exasperated  by  the  murder  of  several  of  their 
neighbors,  and  in  their  rage  committed,  without  regard  to 
humanity,  a  deed  which  forever  afterwards  cast  a  shade  of 
shame  upon  their  lives.  For  this  and  kindred  outrages  on 
the  part  of  the  whites,  the  Indians  committed  many  deeds  of 
cruelty  which  darken  the  years  of  1781  and  17S2  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  North- west.  During  the  year  1782  a  number  of 
battles  among  the  Indians  and  frontiersmen  occurred,  and 
between  the  Moravian  Indians  and  the  Wyaudota.  In  these, 
horrible  acts  of  cruelty  were  practiced  on  the  captives,  many 
of  such  dark  deeds  transpiring  under  the  leadership  of  fron- 
tier outlaws.  These  occurred  diiefly  in  the  Ohio  Valleys. 
Contemporary  with  them  were  several  engagements  in  Ken- 
tucky, in  which  the  famous  Daniel  Boone  engaged,  and  who, 
often  by  his  skill  and  knowledge  of  Indian  warfare,  saved 
the  outposts  from  cruel  destruction.  By  the  close  of  the 
year  victory  had  perched  upon  the  American  banner, 
and  on  the  30th  of  JS^ovember,  provisional  articles  of 
peace  had  been  arranged  between  the  Commissioners  of 
England  and  her  unconquerable  colonies;  Cornwallis  had 
been  defeated  on  the  19th  of  October  preceding,  and  the  lib- 
erty of  America  was  assured.  On  the  19th  of  April  follow- 
ing, the  anniversary  of  the  battle  of  Lexington,  peace  was 
proclaimed  to  the  Army  of  the  United  States,  and  on  the  3d 
of  the  next  September,  the  definite  treaty  which  ended  our 
revolutionary  struggle  was  concluded.  By  the  terms  of  that 
treaty,  the  boundaries  of  the  West  were  as  follows  :  On  the 
north  the  line  was  to  extend  along  the  centre  of  the  Great 
Lakes ;  from  the  western  point  of  Lake  Superior  to  Long 
Lake,  thence  to  the  Lake  of  the  Woods  ;  thence  to  the  head  of 
the  Mississippi  River  ;  down  its  center  to  the  3 1st  parallel  of 
latitude,  then  on  that  line  east  to  the  head  of  the  Appalach- 
icola  River;  down  its  center  to  its  junction  with  the  Flint ; 
thence  straight  to  the  head  of  St.  Mary's  River,  and  thencj 
down  along  its  center  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean. 

Following  the  ce.3sationof  hostilities  with  England,  several 
posts  were  still  occupied  by  the  British  in  the  North  and 
West.  Among  these  was  Detroit,  still  in  the  hands  of  the 
enemy.  Numerous  engagements  with  the  Indians  through- 
out Ohio  and  Indiana  occurred,  upon  whcse  lands  adventur- 
ous whites  would  settle  ere  the  title  had  been  acquired  by  the 
proper  treaty.  To  remedy  this  evil.  Congress  appointed 
Commissioners  to  treat  with  the  natives  and  purchase  their 
lands,  and  prohibited  the  settlement  of  the  territory  until 
this  could  be  done.  Before  the  close  of  the  year  another 
attempt  was  made  to  capture  Detroit,  which  was,  however, 
not  pushed,  and  Virginia,  no  longer  feeling  the  interest  in 
the  North-west  she  had  formerly  done,  withdrew  her  troops, 
having  on  the  20th  of  December  preceding,  authorized  the 
whole  of  her  possessions  to  be  deeded  to  the  United  States. 
This  was  done  on  the  1st  of  March  following,  and  the  North- 
west Territory  passed  from  the  control  of  the  Old  Dominion. 
To  General  Clark  and  his  soldiers,  however,  she  gave  a  tract 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  acres  of  land,  to  be  situ- 
ated anywhere  north  of  the  Ohio  wherever  they  chose  to 


locate  them.  They  selected  the  region  opposite  the  falls  of 
the  Ohio,  where  is  now  the  village  of  Clarksville,  about  mid- 
way between  the  cities  of  New  Albany  and  Jeffersonville, 
Indiana. 

While  the  frontier  remained  thus,  and  General  Ilahli- 
mand  at  Detroit  refused  to  evacuate,  alleging  that  he  had  no 
orderj  from  his  king  to  do  so,  settlers  were  rapidly  gather- 
ing about  the  inland  forts.  In  the  spring  of  17S4,  Pittsburg 
was  regularly  laid  out,  and  from  the  journal  of  Arthur  Lee, 
who  passed  through  the  town  soon  after  on  his  way  to  the 
Indian  council  at  Fort  Mcintosh,  we  suppose  it  was  not  very 
prepossessing  in  appearance.  He  says,  "  Pittsburg  is  in- 
habited almost  entirely  by  Scots  and  Irish,  who  live  in  paltry 
log  houses,  and  are  as  dirty  as  if  in  the  North  of  Ireland,  or 
even  Scotland  There  is  a  great  deal  of  trade  carried  on, 
the  goods  being  brought  at  the  vast  expense  of  forty-five 
shillings  per  hundred  lbs.  from  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore. 
They  take  in  the  shops  flour,  wheat,  skins  and  money.  There 
are  in  the  town,  four  attorneys,  two  doctors,  and  not  a  priest 
of  any  persaasion,  nor  church  nor  chapel." 

Kentucky  at  this  time  contained  thirty  thousand  inhabi- 
tants, and  was  beginning  to  discuss  measures  for  a  separation 
from  Virginia.  A  land  office  was  opened  at  Louisville,  and 
measures  were  adopted  to  take  defensive  precaution  against 
the  Indians,  who  were  yet,  in  some  instances,  incited  to  deeds 
of  violence  by  the  British.  Before  the  close  of  this  year, 
1784,  the  military  claimants  of  land  began  to  occupy  them, 
although  no  entries  were  recorded  until  1787.  The  Indian 
title  to  the  Northwest  was  not  yet  extinguished,  they  held 
large  tracts  of  lands,  and  in  order  to  prevent  bloodshed  Con- 
gress adopted  means  for  treaties  with  the  original  owners 
and  provided  for  the  surveys  of  the  lands  gained  thereby,  as 
well  as  for  those  north  of  the  Ohio,  now  in  its  possession. 
On  January  31,  1786,  a  treaty  was  made  with  the  Wabash 
Indians.  The  treaty  of  Fort  Stanwix  had  been  made  in 
1781,  that  at  Fort  Mcintosh  in  178.5,  and  through  these 
vast  tracts  of  land  were  gained.  The  Wabash  Indians,  how- 
ever, afterwards  r-'fused  to  comply  with  the  provisions  of 
the  treaty  made  with  them,  and  in  order  to  compel  their 
adherence  to  its  provisions,  force  was  used. 

During  the  year  1786,  the  free  navigation  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi came  up  in  Congress,  and  caused  various  discussions, 
which  resulted  in  no  definite  action,  only  serving  to  excite 
speculation  in  regard  to  the  Western  lands.  Congress  had 
promised  bounties  of  land  to  the  soldiers  of  the  Revolution, 
but  owing  to  the  unsettled  condition  of  aflairs  along  the 
Mississippi  respecting  its  navigation,  and  the  trade  of  the 
Northwest,  that  body,  had  in  1783  declared  its  inability  to 
fulfill  these  promises  until  a  treaty  could  be  concluded  be- 
tween the  two  governments.  Before  the  close  of  the  year, 
17S6,  however,  it  was  able,  through  the  treaties  with  the 
Indians,  to  allow  some  grants  and  settlements  thereon,  and 
on  the  14th  of  September  Connecticut  ceded  to  the  general 
government  the  tract  of  land  known  as  the  ''  Connecticut 
Reserve,"  and  before  the  close  of  the  year  a  large  tract  of 
land  was  sold  to  a  company,  who  at  once  took  measures  to 
settle  it.  By  the  provisions  of  this  grant,  the  company  were  to 
pay  the  United  States  one  dollar  per  acre,  subject  to  a  de- 


HISTORY  OF  2IADIS0N  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


ducticjii  of  one-third  for  bad  lands  and  other  contingencies,    [ 
they  received   750,000  acres  bounded  on  the  south  bj  the 
Oliio,  on  the  east  by  the  Seventh  range  of  townships,  on  the    , 
west  by  the  Sixteenth  range,  and  on  the  north  by  a  line  so 
drawn  as  to  make  the  grant  complete  without  the  reservatioa. 
In  addition  to  this  Congress  afterward  granted  100,000  acres    [ 
to  actual  settlers,  and  214,285  acres  as  army  bounties  under 
the  resolutions  of  1789  and  1790.     While  Dr.  Cutler,  one  of 
the  agents  of  the  company,  was  pressing  its  claims  before 
Congress,  that  body  was  bringing  into  form  an  ordinance 
for  the  political  and  social  organization  of  this  Territory. 
When  the  cession  was  made  by  Virginia,  1784,  a  plan  wag 
offered,  but  rejected.    A  motion  had  been  made  to  strike  from 
the  proposed  plan  the  prohibition  of  slavery,  which  prevail- 
ed.    The  plan  was  then   discussed  and   altered,  and  finally 
passed  unanimously,  with  the  exception  of  South  Carolina. 
By  this  proposition  the  Territory  was  to  have  been  divided 
into  ten  States  by  parallels  and  meridian  lines.    There  were, 
however,  serious  objections  to  this  plan  ;  the  root  of  the  diffi- 
culty was  in  the  resolution  of  Congress  passed  in   October, 
17tO,  which  fixed  the   boundaries  of  the  ceded  lands  to  be 
from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  square. 
These  resolutions  being  presented  to  the  Legislatures  of  Vir- 
ginia and    Massachusetts  they  desired  a  change,  and  in  July 
1786,  the  subjeet  was  taken  up  in  Congress  and  changed  to 
favor  a  division  into  not  more  than  five  States,  and  not  less 
than  three ;  this  was  approved  by  the  Legislature  of  Virginia. 
The  subject  was  again  taken  up  by  Congress  in  17S6,  and 
discussed  throughout  that  year,  and  until  July  1787   when 
the  famous  "  compact  of  1787  "  was  passed,  and  the  founda- 
ti.jn  of  the  government  of  the  Northwest  laid.    This  compact 
is  fully  discussed  and  explained  in  the  sketch  on  Illinois  in 
this  book,  and  to  it  the  reader  is  referred.    The  passage  of  this 
act  and  the  grant  to  the  Kew  England  Company  was  soon 
followed  by  an  application  to  the  Government  by  John  Cleves 
Symmes,  of  New  Jersey,  for  a  grant  of  land  between  the 
Miamis.     This  gentleman  had  visited  these  lands  soon  after 
the  treaty   of  1786,  and  being  greatly  pleased  with  them, 
ofilTed   similar  terms  to  those  given  to  the  New   England 
Company.     The  petition  was  referred  to  the  Treasury  Board 
with  power  to  act,  and  a  contract  was  concluded  the  follow- 
ing year.     During  the   autumn  the  directors  of  the   New 
England  Company  were  preparing  to  occupy  their   grant 
the  following  spring,  and  upon  the  23d  of  November  made 
arrangements  for   a  party  of  forty-seven  men,  under   the 
superlntendt  ncy  of  General  Rufus  Putnam,  to  set  forward. 
Six  boat-builders  were  to  leave  at  once,  and  on  the  first  of 
January  the  surveyors  and  their  assistant^,  twenty-six  in 
number,  were   to  meet  at  Hartford  and  proceed   on  their 
journey  westward,  the  remainder  to  follow  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble.    Congress  in   the  meantime,  upon   the  3d  of  October, 
had  ordered  seven  hundred  troops  for  defense  of  the  western 
settlers,  and   to  prevent  unauthorized   iutrusions,  and  two 
days  later  appointed  Arthur  St.  Clair  Governor  of  the  Ter- 
ritory of  the  Northwest. 

AMERICAN     SETTLEMENTS. 

The  civil  organization  of  the  Northwest  Territory  was 
now  complete,  and  notwithstanding  the  uncertainty  of  In- 


dian affairs,  settlers  from  the  east  began  to  come  into  the 
country  rapidly.  The  New  England  Company  sent  their 
men  djring  the  winter  of  1787-8,  pressing  on  over  the  Alle- 
ghenics  by  the  old  Indian  path  which  had  been  opened  into 
Braddock's  road,  and  which  has  since  been  made  a  national 
turnpike  from  Cumberland,  westward.  Through  the  weary 
winter  days  they  toiled  on,  and  by  April  were  all  gathered 
on  the  Ycmghiogheny,  where  boats  had  been  built,  and  a 
once  started  for  the  Muskingum.  Here  they  arrived  on  the 
7th  of  that  mouth,  and  unless  the  Moravian  missionaries  be 
regarded  as  the  pioneers  of  Ohio,  this  little  band  can  justly 
claim  that  honor. 

General  St.  Clair,  the  appointed  Governor  of  the  North 
west  not  having  yet  arrived,  a  set  of  laws  were  passed,  writ- 
tea  out,  and  published  by  being  nailed  to  a  tree  in  the 
embryo  town,  and  Jonathan  Meigs  appointed  to  administer 
them.  Washington  in  writing  of  this,  the  first  American 
settlement  in  the  Northwest  said  :  "  No  colony  in  America 
was  ever  settled  under  such  favorable  auspices  as  that  which 
has  just  commenced  at  Muskingum.  I  know  many  of  its  set- 
tlers personally,  and  there  were  never  men  better  calculated 
to  promote  the  welfare  of  such  a  community."  On  the  2,1 
of  July  a  meeting  of  the  directors  and  agents  was  held  on 
the  banks  of  the  Muskingum,  "  for  the  purpore  of  naming 
the  new  born  city  and  its  squares."  As  yet  the  settlement 
was  known  as  the  "  Muskingum,"  but  was  afterwards  changed 
to  the  name.  Marietta,  in  honor  of  Marie  Antoinette. 
Two  days  after,  an  oration  was  delivered  by  James  M.  Var- 
num,  who  with  S.  H.  Parsons  and  John  Armstrong  had  been 
appointed  to  the  judicial  bench  of  the  territory  on  the  IGth 
of  October  1787.  On  July  9,  Governor  St.  Clair  arrived^ 
and  the  colony  began  to  assume  form.  The  act  of  1787  pro- 
vided two  distinct  grades  of  government  for  the  Northwest, 
under  the  first  of  which  the  whole  power  was  invested  in  the 
hands  of  a  governor  and  three  district  judges.  This  was 
immediately  formed  on  the  governor's  arrival,  and  the  first 
laws  of  the  colony  passed  on  the  25th  of  July:  these  provid- 
ed for  the  organization  of  the  miiitia,  and  on  the  next  day 
appeared  the  Governor's  proclamation,  erecting  all  that 
country  that  had  been  ceded  by  the  Indians  east  of  the 
Scioto  River  into  the  county  of  Washington.  From  that 
time  forward,  notwithstanding  the  doubts  yet  existing  as  to 
the  Indians,  all  Marietta  prospered,  and  on  the  second  of 
September  the  first  court  was  held  with  imposing  ceremonies. 
The  emigration  westward  at  this  time  was  very  great. 
The  commander  at  Fort  Harmer,  at  the  mouth  of  the  ]\Iusk- 
ingum  reported  four  thousand  five  hundred  persons  as  having 
passed  that  post  between  February  and  June  17S8,  many  of 
whom  would  have  purchased  of  the  "  Associates,"  as  the 
New  England  Company  was  called,  had  they  been  ready  to 
receive  them.  On  the  2Glh  of  November  1787  Symmes 
issued  a  pamphlet  stating  the  terms  of  his  contract  and  the 
plan  of  sale  he  intended  to  adopt.  In  January  1788,  Mat- 
thias Denman,  of  New  Jersey,  took  an  active  interest  in 
Svmmes'  purchase,  and  located  among  other  tracts  the  sec- 
tions upon  which  Cincinnati  has  been  built.  Retaining  one- 
third  of  this  locality,  he  sold  ihe  other  two-thirds  to  Robert 
Patterson   and  John  Filson,  and  the  three  about  August 


HISTORY  OF  MADISOX  COUNTY,  ILLIXOIS. 


23 


commenced  to  lay  out  a  town  ou  the  spot,  which  was  desig- 
nated as  being  Licking  River,  to  the  mouth  of  which  they 
proposed  to  have  a  road  cut  from  Lexington  ;  these  settle- 
ments prospered  but  suffered  greatly  from  the  flood  of  1T&9. 
Ou  the  4th  of  March  1789,  the  Ci.nflitution  of  the  United 
States    went   into    operation,  and   on  April    oOih,  George 
Washington  was  inaugurated  President,  and  during  the  next 
summer  an  Indian  war  was  commenced  by  the  tribes  north 
of  the  Ohio.     The  President  at  first  used  pacific  means,  but 
these   failing,  he  sent  General  Harmer  against  the   hostile 
tribes.     He  destroyed  several  villages,  but  was  defeated  in 
two  battles,  near  the  present  city  of  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana 
From  this  time  till  the  close  of  1795,  the  principal  events 
were   the  wars  with  the  various  Indian  tribes.     In    1790, 
General  St.  Clair  was  appointed  in  couimand,  and  marched 
against  the  Indians  ;  but  while  he  was  encamped  on  a  stream, 
the  St  Mary,  a  branch  of  the  Maumee,  he  was  attacked  and 
defeated  with  a  loss  of  six  hundred  men.     General  Wayne 
was  then  sent  against  the  savages.     In  August,  1794,  he  met 
them  near  the  rapids  of  the  Maumee,  and  gained  a  complete 
victory.     This  success,  followed  by  vigorous  measures,  com- 
pelled the  Indians  to  sue  for  peace,  and  on  the  oOth  of  July, 
the  following  year,  the  treaty  of  Greenville  was  signed  by 
the  principal  chiefs,  by  which  a  large  tract  of  country  was 
ceded  to  the  United  States.     Before  proceeding  in  our  uar- 
ra.ive,  we  will  cause  to  notice  Fort  Washington,  erected  in 
the  early  part  of  this  war  on  the  site  of  Cincinnati.     Nearly 
all  the  great  cities  of  the  North-west,  and  indeed  of  the  whole 
country,  have  had  their  nuclei  in  those  rude  pioneer  struc- 
tures, known  as  forts  or  stockades.     Thus  Forts  Dearborn, 
Washington,  Ponchartrain,  mark   the  original  sites  of  the 
now  proud  cities  of  Chicago,  Cincinnati  and  Detroit.     So  of 
most  of  the  flourishing  cities  ea  t  and  west  of  the  Mississippi. 
Fort  Washington,  erected  by  Doughty  in  1790,  was  a  rude 
but  highly  interesting  structure.     It  was  composed  of  a  num- 
ber of  strong'y-built  hewed  log  cabins.     Those  designed  for 
soldiers'  barracks  were  a  story  and  a  half  high,  while  those 
composing  the  oiBeers'  quarters  were  more  imposing  and  more 
conveniently  arranged  and  furnished.     The  whole  was  so 
placed  as  to  form  a  hollow  square,  enclosing  about  an  acre 
of  ground,  with  a  block  house  at  each  of  the  four  angles. 
Fort  Washington  was  for  some  time  the  headquarters  of  both 
the  Civil  and  Military  governments  of  the  North-western 
Territory.     Following  the  consummation  of  the  treaty  vari- 
ous gigantic  land  speculations  were  entered  into  by  difierent 
persons,  who  hoped  to  obtain  from  the  Indians  in  Jlichigan 
and  northern  Indiana,  large  tracts  of  lands.     These  were 
generally  discovered  in  time  to  prevent  the  schemes  from 
being  carried  out,  and  from  involving  the  settlers  in  war. 
On  October  'II,  1795,  the  treaty  between  the  United  States 
and  Spain  was  signed,  whereby  the  free  navigation  of  the 
Mississippi  was  secured.     No  sooner  had  the  treaty  of  1795 
been  ratified  than  settlers  began  to  pour  rapidly  into   the 
west     The  great  event  of  the  year  179G,  was  the  occupa'ion 
of  that  part  of  the  North-west  including  Michigan,  which 
was  this  year,  under  the  provisions  of  the  treaty,  evacuated 
by  the  British  forces.     The  L'nited  States  owing  to  certain 
conditions,  did  not  feel  justified  in  addressing  the  authorities 


in  Canada  in  relation  to  Detroit  and  other  frontier  posts. 
When  at  last  the  British  authorities  were  called  upon  to  give 
them  up,  they  at  once  complied,  and  General  Wayne  who 
had  done  so  much  to  preserve  the  frontier  settlements,  and 
who  before  the  year's  close,  sickened  and  died  near  Erie, 
transferred  his  headquarters  to  the  neighborhood  of  the  lakes, 
where  a  county  named  after  him  was  f  jrmed,  which  included 
the  north-west  of  Ohio,  all  of  Michigan,  and  the  north-east 
of  Indiana.  During  this  same  year  settlements  were  formed 
at  the  present  city  of  Chillicolhe,  along  the  Miami  from 
Middletowu  to  Piqua,  while  in  the  more  distant  West,  settlers 
and  speculators  began  to  appear  in  great  numbers.  In  Sep- 
tember the  city  of  Cleveland  was  laid  out,  and  during  the 
summer  and  autumn,  Samuel  Jackson  and  Jonathan  Sharp- 
less,  erected  the  first  manufactory  of  paper — the  "  Kedstone 
Paper  Mills" — in  the  West.  St.  Louis  contained  some 
seventy  houses,  and  Detroit  over  three  hundred,  and  along 
the  river,  contiguous  to  it,  were  more  than  three  thousand 
inhabitants,  mostly  French  Canadians,  Indians  and  half- 
breeds,  scarcely  any  Americans  venturing  yet  into  that  part 
of  the  North-west.  The  election  of  re[)resentative3  for  the 
territory  had  taken  place,  and  on  the  4th  of  February,  1799, 
they  convened  at  Losantiville— now  known  as  Cincinnati, 
having  been  named  so  by  Gov.  St.  Clair,  and  considered  the 
capital  of  the  territory, — to  nominate  persons  from  whom  the 
members  of  the  Legislature  were  to  be  chosen  in  accordance 
with  a  previous  ordinance.  This  nomination  being  made, 
the  Assembly  adjourned  until  the  16. h  of  the  following  Sep- 
tember. From  those  named  the  President  selected  as  mem- 
bers of  the  council,  Henry  Yandenburg,  of  Yincennes,  Robert 
Oliver,  of  Marietta,  James  Findley,  and  Jacob  Burnett,  of 
Cincinnati,  and  David  Yauce,  of  Yanceville.  Ou  the  IGth 
of  September,  the  Territorial  Legislature  met,  and  on  the 
24:h,  the  two  houses  were  duly  organized,  Henry  Yanden- 
burg being  elected  Prejident  of  the  Council.  The  message 
of  Gov.  St.  Clair,  was  addressed  to  the  Legislature  Septem- 
ber 20th,  and  on  October  l-'Jth,  that  body  elected  as  a  dele- 
gate to  Congress,  General  Wra.  Henry  Harrison,  who  re- 
ceived eleven  of  the  votes  cast,  being  a  majority  of  one  over 
his  opponent,  Arthur  St.  Clair,  son  of  General  St.  Clair. 
The  whole  number  of  acts  passed  at  this  session  and  approved 
by  the  Governor,  were  thirty-seven — eleven  others  were 
passed  but  received  his  veto.  The  most  important  of  those 
l)assed  related  to  the  militia,  to  the  administration,  and  to 
taxation.  On  the  19th  of  December  this  protracted  session 
of  the  first  Legislature  in  the  West  closed,  and  ou  the  SOlh 
of  December  the  President  nominated  Charles  Willing  Byid, 
to  the  office  of  secretary  of  the  Territory,  vice  Wm.  Henry 
Harrison,  elected  to  Congress.  The  Senate  confirmed  his 
nomination  the  next  day. 

DIVISION    OF   THE    NORTH-WEST   TEEKITOEY. 

The  increased  emigration  to  the  north-west,  and  extent  of 
the  domain,  made  it  very  difficult  to  conduct  the  ordinary 
operations  of  government,  and  rendered  the  efficient  action 
of  courts  almost  impossible  ;  to  remedy  this  it  was  deemed 
advisable  to  divide  the  territory  for  civil  purposes.     Con- 


24 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILIINOIS. 


gress,  iu  1800,  appointed  a  committee  to  examine  the  ques- 
tion and  report  some  means  for  its  solution. 

Tliis  committee  on  the  3d  of  March  reported  :  "  In  the 
western  countries  there  had  been  but  one  court  luiviug  cog- 
nizance of  crimes,  iu  five  years,  and  the  immunity  which 
offenders  experience  attracts,  as  to  an  asylum,  the  most  vile 
and  abandoned  criminals,  and  at  the  same  time  deters  useful 
citizens  from  making  settlements  iu  such  society.  The 
extreme  necessity  of  judiciary  attention  and  assistance  is 
experienced  in  civil  as  well  as  in  criminal  cases.  *  *  *  * 
To  remedy  this  evil  it  is  expedient  to  the  committee  that  a 
division  of  said  territory  into  two  distinct  and  separate 
governments  should  be  made,  and  that  such  division  be 
made  by  beginning  at  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Miami  river, 
running  directly  north  until  it  intersects  the  boundary 
between  the  United  States  and  Canada." 

The  report  was  accepted  by  Congress,  and,  in  accordance 
with  its  suggestions,  that  body  passed  an  act  extinguishing 
the  north-west  territory,  which  act  was  approved  May  7th. 
Among  its  provisions  were  these : 

"  That  from  and  after  July  4  next  all  that  part  of  the 
territory  of  the  United  States  north-west  of  the  Ohio  river, 
which  lies  to  the  westward  of  a  line  beginning  at  a  point 
opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Kentucky  river,  and  running 
thence  to  Fort  Recovery,  and  thence  North  until  it  shall 
intersect  the  territorial  line  between  the  United  States  and 
Canada,  shall  for  the  purpose  of  temporary  government, 
constitute  a  separate  territory  and  be  called  the  Indian 
Territory." 

Gen.  Harrison  (afterwards  President),  was  appointed 
governor  of  the  Indiana  Territory,  and  during  his  residence 
at  Vincennes,  he  made  several  important  treaties  with  the 
Indians,  thereby  gaining  large  tracts  of  land.  The  next 
year  is  memorable  iu  the  history  of  (he  west  for  the  purchase 
of  Louisiana  from  France  by  the  United  States  for  $15,000,- 
000.  Thus  by  a  peaceful  manner  the  domain  of  the  United 
States  was  extended  over  a  large  tract  of  country  west  of 
the  Mississippi,  and  was  for  a  time  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  north-western  government.  The  next  year  Gen.  Harri- 
son obtained  additi  )nal  grants  of  land  from  the  various 
Indian  nations  in  Indiana  and  the  present  limits  of  Illinois, 
and  on  the  18th  of  August,  1804,  completed  a  treaty  at  St. 
Louis,  whereby  over  51,000,000  acres  of  land  were  obtained. 

During  this  year.  Congress  granted  a  township  of  land 
for  the  support  of  a  college  and  began  to  offer  inducements 
for  settlers  in  these  wilds,  and  the  country  now  comprising 
the  state  of  Michigan  began  to  fill  rapidly  with  settlers 
along  its  southern  borders.  This  same  year  a  law  was 
passed  organizing  the  south-west  territory,  dividing  it  into 
two  portions, — the  territory  of  New  Orleans,  which  city  was 
made  the  seat  of  government,  and  the  district  of  Louisiana^ 
which  was  annexed  to  the  domain  by  General  Harrison. 

On  the  11th  of  January,  1805,  the  territory  of  Michigan 
was  formed,  and  Wm.  Hull  appointed  governor,  with  head- 
quarters at  Detroit,  the  change  to  take  effect  June  30th. 
On  the  11th  of  that  month,  a  fire  occurred  at  Detroit,  which 
destroyed  most  every  building  in  the  place.  When  the 
officers  of  the  new  territory  reached  the  post,  they  found  it 


in  ruins,  and  the  inhabitants  scattered  throughout  the  coun- 
try. Rebuilding,  however,  was  commenced  at  once.  While 
this  was  being  done,  Indiana  passed  to  the  second  grade  of 
government.  In  1809,  Indiana  territory  was  divided,  and 
the  territory  of  Illinois  was  formed,  the  seat  of  government 
being  fixed  at  Kaskaskia,  and  through  her  General  Assem- 
bly had  obtained  large  tracts  of  land  from  the  Indian  tribes. 
To  all  this  the  celebrated  Indian  Tecumthe,  or  Tecumseh, 
vigorously  protested,*  and  it  was  the  main  cause  of  his 
attempts  to  unite  the  various  Indian  tribes  in  a  conflict  with 
the  settlers.  He  visited  the  principal  tribes,  and  succeeded 
in  forming  an  alliance  with  most  of  the  tribes,  and  then 
joined  the  cause  of  the  British  in  the  memorable  war  of  1812. 
Tecumseh  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  the  Thames.  Tecum- 
seh wa.s,  iu  many  respects,  a  noble  character, — frank  and 
honest  in  his  intercourse  with  General  Harrison  and  the 
settlers ;  in  war,  brave  and  chivalrous.  His  treatment  of 
prisoners  was  humane.  In  the  summer  of  1S12,  Perry's  vic- 
tory on  Lake  Erie  occurred,  and  shortly  after,  active  pre- 
parations were  made  to  capture  Fort  Maiden.  On  the  27th 
of  September,  the  American  army  under  command  of 
General  Harrison,  set  sail  for  the  shores  of  Canada,  and,  in 
a  few  hours,  stood  around  the  ruins  of  Malilen,  from  which 
the  British  army  under  Proctor  had  retreated  to  Sandwich, 
intending  to  make  its  way  to  the  heart  of  Canada  by  the 
valley  of  the  Thames.  On  the  20th,  General  Harrison  was 
at  Sandwich,  and  General  McArthur  took  possession  of 
Detroit  and  the  territory  of  Michigan.  On  the  2d  of  Octo- 
ber following,  the  American  army  began  their  pursuit  of 
Proctor,  whom  they  overtook  on  the  5th,  and  the  battle  of 
the  Thames  followed.  The  victory  was  decisive,  and  practi- 
cally closed  the  war  in  the  north-west.  In  1806,  occurred 
Burr's  insurrection.  He  took  possession  of  an  island  in  the 
Ohio,  and  was  charged  with  treasonable  intentions  against 
the  Federal  government.  His  cajsture  was  effected  by 
General  AVilkinson,  acting  under  instruction  of  President 
Jefferson.  Burr  was  brought  to  trial  on  a  charge  of  treason, 
and,  after  a  prolonged  trial,  during  which  he  defended  him- 
self with  great  ability,  he  was  acquitted  of  the  charge  of 
treason.  His  subsequent,  career  was  obscure,  and  he  died 
in  1836.  Had  his  scheme  succeeded,  it  would  be  interesting 
to  know  what  effect  it  would  have  had  on  the  north-we  teim 
territory.  The  battle  of  tiie  Thames  was  fought  October 
6th,  1813.  It  effectually  closed  hostilities  in  the  north-west, 
although  peace  was  not  restored  until  July  22J,  1814,  when 
a  treaty  was  made  at  Greenville,  by  General  Ilarri.son,  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  the  Indian  tribes.  On  the  24th 
of  December,  the  treaty  of  Ghent  was  signed  by  the  repre- 
sentatives of  England  and  the  United  States.  This  treaty 
was  followed  the  next  year  by  treaties  with  various  Indian 
tribes  throughout  t!ic  north-west,  and  quiet  was  again 
restored. 

PRESENT   CONDITIOX    OF   THE   NORTH-WEST. 

In  former  chapters  we  have  traced  briefly  the  disoveries, 
settlements,  wars,  and  most  important  events  which  have 
occurred   in  the  large   area   of  country   denominated   the 

*  American  State  Papers 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


25 


north-west,  and  we  now  turn  to  the  contemplation  of  its 
growth  and  prosperity.  Its  people  are  among  the  most 
intelligent  and  enterprising  in  the  Union.  The  population 
is  steadily  increasing,  the  arts  and  sciences  are  gaining  a 
stronger  foothold,  the  trade  area  of  the  region  is  becoming 
daily  more  extended,  and  we  have  been  largely  exempt  from 
the  financial  calamities  which  have  nearly  wrecked  com 
nmnifSes  on  the  seaboard,  dependent  wholly  on  foreign  com- 
merce or  domestic  manufocture.  Agriculture  is  the  leading 
feature  in  our  industries.  This  vast  domain  has  a  sort  of 
natural  geographical  border,  save  where  it  melts  away  to 
the  southward  in  the  cattle-raising  districts  of  the  south- 
west. The  leading  interests  will  be  the  growth  of  the  food 
of  the  world,  in  which  branch  it  has  already  outstripped  all 
competitors,  and  our  great  rival  will  be  the  fertile  fields  cf 
Kansas,  Nebraska,  Colorado,  Texas  and  New  Mexico. 

To  attempt  to  give  statistics  of  grain  productions  for  1880 
would  require  more  space  than  our  work  would  permit  of. 
Manufacturing  has  now  attained  in  the  chief  cities  a  foot- 
hold that  bids  fair  to  render  the  north-west  independent  of 
the  outside  world.  Nearly  our  whole  region  has  a  distribu- 
tion of  coal  measure  which  will  in  time  support  the  manu- 
factures necessary  to  our  comfort  and  prosperity.  As  to 
transportation,  the  chief  factor  in  the  production  of  all  articles 
except  food,  no  section  is  so  magnificently  endowed,  and 
our  facilities  are  yearly  increasing  beyond  those  of  any 
other  region. 

The  principal  tradeand  manufacturing  centres  of  the  great 
north-west  are  Chicago,  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati,  Indianapolis, 
Detroit,  Cle\'€land  and  Toledo,  with  any  number  of  minor 
cities  and  towns  doing  a  large  and  growing  business.  The 
intelligence  and  enterprise  of  its  people  ;  the  great  wealth  of 
its  soil  and  minerals ;  its  vast  inland  seas  and  navigable 
rivers  ;  its  magnificent  railroad  system  ;  its  patriotism  and 
Jove  of  country  will  render  it  ever  loyal  in  the  future  as  in 
the  past.  The  people  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  are  the  key- 
stone of  the  national  union  and  national  prosperity. 


CHAPTER    H. 


BRIEF  HISTOmCAL  SKETCU  OF  ILLIXOIS. 


EGINNING  the  history  of  this  great  State 
we  direct  attention  briefly  to  the  discovery 
and  exploration  of  the  MUaksipjn.  Hernando 
De  Soto,  cutting  his  way  through  the  wilder- 
ness from  Florida,  had  discovered  the  Missis- 
sippi in  the  year  1542.  Wasted  with  disease 
and  privation,  he  only  reached  the  stream 
to  die  upon  its  banks,  and  the  remains  of 
the  ambitious  and  iron-willed  Spaniard  found 
a  fitting  resting-place  beneath  the  waters  of  the  great  river. 
The  chief  incitement  to  Spanish  discoveries  in  America  was 
a  thirst  for  gold  and  troa?ure.  The  discovery  and  settle- 
ment of  the  Missicsippi  Valley  on  the  part  of  the  French 


must,  on  the  other  hand,  be  ascribed  to  religious  zeal. 
Jesuit  missionaries,  from  the  French  settlements  on  the  St. 
Lawrence,  early  penetrated  to  the  region  of  Lake  Huron. 
It  was  from  the  tribes  of  Indians  living  in  the  West,  that 
intelligence  came  of  a  noble  river  flowing  south.  Marquette, 
who  had  visited  the  Chippewas  in  1GG8,  and  established 
the  mission  of  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  now  the  oldest  settlement 
within  the  present  commonwealth  of  ilichigan,  formed  the 
purpose  of  its  exploration. 

The  following  year  he  moved  to  La  Pointe,  in  Lake 
Superior,  where  he  instructed  a  branch  of  the  Hurons  till 
IGrO,  when  he  removed  south  and  founded  the  mission  at 
St.  Ignace,  on  the  Straits  of  Mackinaw.  In  company  with 
Joliet,  a  fur-trader  of  Quebec,  who  had  been  designated  by 
M.  Talon,  Intendent  of  Canada,  as  chieftain  of  the  explor- 
ing party,  and  five  French  voyagcurs,  Marquette,  ou  the 
10th  of  June,  1G73,  sot  out  on  the  expedition.  Crossing 
the  water-shed  dividing  the  Fox  from  the  Wisconsin  rivers, 
their  two  canoes  were  soon  launched  ou  the  waters  of  the 
latter.  Seven  days  after,  on  the  17tli  of  June,  they  joy- 
fully entered  the  broad  current  of  the  Mississippi.  Stopping 
six  days  on  the  western  bank,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Des 
Moines  River,  to  enjoy  the  hospitalities  of  the  Illinois 
Indians,  the  voyage  was  resumed,  and  after  passing  the 
jierpendicular  rocks  above  Alton,  on  whose  lofty  limestone 
front  were  painted  frightful  representations  of  monsters, 
they  suddenly  came  upon  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  known 
by  its  Algonquin  name  of  Pekitanoni,  whose  swift  and 
turbid  current  threatened  to  engulf  their  frail  canoes.  The 
site  of  St.  Louis  was  an  unbroken  forest,  and  further  down 
the  fertile  plain  bordering  the  river  rejjosed  in  peaceful 
solitude,  as,  early  in  July,  the  adventurers  glided  past  it. 
They  continued  their  voyage  to  a  jioiut  some  distauee  below 
the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas,  and  then  retraced  their  course 
up  the  river,  arriving  at  their  Jesuit  Mission  at  the  head  of 
Greeii  Bay,  late  in  September. 

Robert  Cavalier  de  La  Salle,  whose  illustrious  name  is 
more  intimately  connected  with  the  exploration  of  the 
Mississippi  than  that  of  any  other,  was  the  next  to  descend 
the  river,  in  the  early  part  of  the  year  1682.  La  Salle  was  a 
man  of  remarkable  genius,  possessing  the  power  of  originating 
the  vastest  schemes,  and  endowed  with  a  will  and  a  judgment 
capable  of  carrying  them  to  successful  results.  Had  ample 
facilities  been  placed  by  the  king  of  France  at  his  disposal, 
the  result  of  the  colonization  of  this  continent  might  have 
been  far  different  from  what  we  now  behold.  He  was  born 
in  Rouen,  France,  in  1C43,  of  wealthy  parentage,  but  ho 
renounced  his  patrimony  on  entering  a  college  of  the  Jesuits 
from  which  he  separated  and  came  to  Canada  a  poor  man 
in  1666.  The  priests  of  St.  Sulpice,  among  whom  he  had  a 
brother,  were  then  the  proprietors  of  j\[ontreal,  the  nucleud 
of  which  was  a  seminary  or  convent  founded  by  that  order. 
The  Superior  granted  to  La  Salle  a  large  tract  of  land  at 
La  Chine,  where  he  established  himself  in  the  fur  trade. 
He  was  a  man  of  daring  genius,  and  outstripped  all  his 
competitors  in  exploits  of  travel  and  commerce  with  the 
Indians.  In  16G9  he  visited  the  hea'lquarters  of  the  groat 
Iroquois  Confederacy,  at   Onondaga,  i:i  the  heart  of  New 


2(3 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


York,  and  obtaining  guides,  exjjlorcd  the  Ohio  River  to  the 
falls  at  Louisville. 

In  order  to  understand  the  intrepid  genius  of  La  Salle, 
it  must  be  remembered  that  for  many  years  prior  to  his 
time  the  missionaries  and  traders  were  obliged  to  make  their 
way  to  the  North  west  by  the  Ottaway  River  (of  Canada), 
on  account  of  the  fierce  hostility  of  the  Iroquois  along  the 
lower  lakes  and  Niagara  River,  which  entirely  closed  this 
latter  route  to  the  Upper  Lakes.  They  carried  on  their 
commerce  chiefly  by  canvas,  paddling  them  through  the 
Ottaway  to  Lake  Nipissing,  carrying  them  across  the  port- 
age to  French  River,  and  descending  that  to  Lake  Huron. 
This  being  the  route  by  which  they  reached  the  North-west, 
accounts  for  the  fact  that  all  the  earliest  Jesuit  missions 
were  established  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Upper  Lakes. 
La  Salle  conceived  the  grand  idea  of  opening  the  route  by 
Niagara  River  and  the  Lo^er  Lakes  to  Canadian  commerce 
by  sail  vessels,  connecting  it  with  the  navigation  of  the 
Mississippi,  and  thus  opening  a  magnificent  water  communi- 
cation from  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
This  truly  grand  and  comprehensive  purpose  seems  to 
have  animated  him  in  all  his  wonderful  achievements  and 
the  matchless  difliculties  and  hardships  he  surmounted. 

As  the  first  step  in  the  accomplishment  of  this  object  he 
established  himself  on  Lake  Ontario,  and  built  and  gar- 
risoned Fort  Frontenac,  the  site  of  the  present  city  of 
Kingston,  Canada.  Here  he  obtained  a  grant  of  land  from 
the  French  crown  and  a  body  of  troops  by  which  he  beat 
back  the  invading  L-oquois  and  cleared  the  passage  to 
Niagara  Falls.  Having  by  this  masterly  stroke  made  it 
safe  to  attempt  a  hitherto  untried  expedition,  his  next  step 
as  we  have  seen,  was  to  advance  to  the  falls  with  all  his 
outfit  for  building  a  ship  with  which  to  sail  the  lakes.  He 
was  successful  in  this  undertaking,  though  his  ultimate  pur- 
pose was  defeated  by  a  strange  combination  of  untoward 
circumstances.  The  Jesuits  evidently  hated  La  Salle  and 
plotted  against  him,  because  he  had  abandoned  them  and 
co-operated  with  a  rival  order.  The  fur  traders  were  also 
jealous  of  his  superior  success  in  opening  new  channels  of 
commerce.  At  La  Chine  he  had  taken  the  trade  of  Lake 
Ontario,  which  but  for  his  presence  there  would  have  gone 
to  Quebec.  While  they  were  plodding  with  their  bark 
canoes  through  the  Ottaway  he  was  constructing  vessels  to 
command  the  trade  of  the  lakes  and  the  Mississippi.  These 
great  plans  excited  the  jealousy  and  envy  of  the  small 
traders,  introduced  treason  and  revolt  into  the  ranks  of  his 
own  companions,  and  finally  led  to  the  foul  assassination  by 
which  his  great  achievements  were  prematurely  ended.  In 
1082,  La  Salle,  having  completed  his  vessel  at  Peoria, 
descended  the  Mississippi  to  its  confluence  with  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico.  At  its  mouth  he  erected  a  column,  and  decorating 
it  with  the  arms  of  France,  placed  upon  it  the  following 
inscription  : 

LOUIS  LE  GBAND,  ROI  DE  FRANCE  ET  DE  NAVAKKE  KEGNE  ; 
LE  XEUVIEME  AVRIL,  1682. 

Thus  France,  by  right  of  discovery,  lay  claim  to  llio 
Mississippi    Valley,  the    fairest    portion    of  the    globe,    an 


empire  in  extent,  stretching  from  the  Gulf  to  the  Lakes, 
and  from  the  farthest  sources  of  the  Ohio  to  where  the  head 
waters  of  the  Missouri  are  lost  in  the  wild  solitudes  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  La  Salle  bestowed  upon  the  turritory 
the  name  of  Louisiana,  in  honor  of  the  King  of  France, 
Louis  XIV. 

The  assertion  has  been  made  that  on  La  Salle's  return  up 
the  river,  in  the  summer  of  1682,  a  portion  of  the  party 
were  left  behind,  who  founded  the  village  of  Kaskaskia  and 
Cahokia,  but  the  statement  rests  on  no  substantial  foun- 
dation. 

THE    FIRST   SETTLEMENTS    IN    ILLINOIS. 

The  gentle  and  pious  Marquette,  devoted  to  his  purpose 
of  carrying  the  gospel  to  the  Indians,  had  established  a 
mission  among  the  Illinois,  in  1^75,  at  their  principal  town 
on  the  river  which  still  bear  stheir  name.  This  was  at  the 
present  town  of  Utica,  in  La  Salle  County.  In  the  presence 
of  the  whole  tribe,  by  whom,  it  is  recorded,  he  was  received 
as  a  celestial  visitor,  he  displayed  the  sacred  pictures  of  the 
Virgin  Mary,  raised  an  altar,  and  said  mass.  On  Easter 
Sunday,  after  celebrating  the  mystery  of  the  Eucharist,  he 
took  possession  of  the  land  in  the  name  of  the  Saviour  of 
the  world,  and  founded  the  "Mission  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception."  The  town  was  called  Kaskaskia,  a  name 
afterwards  transferred  to  another  locality.  The  founding 
of  this  mission  was  the  last  act  of  Marquette's  life.  He 
died  in  Michigan,  on  his  way  back  to  Green  Bay,  May  18, 
1675. 

La  Salle,  while  making  preparations  to  descend  the 
Mississippi,  built  a  fort,  on  the  Illinois  River,  below  the 
Lake  of  Peoria,  in  February,  1680,  and  in  commemoration 
of  his  misfortunes,  bestowed  upon  it  the  name  of  Creveca:ur, 
"broken-hearted."  Traces  of  its  embankments  are  yet  dis- 
cernible. This  was  the  first  military  occupation  of  Illinois. 
There  is  no  evidence,  however,  that  settlement  was  begun 
there  at  that  early  date. 

On  La  Salle's  return  from  this  exploration  of  the  Missis- 
.=ippi,  in  1682,  he  fortified  "  Starved  Rock,"  whose  military 
advantages  had  previously  attracted  his  attention.  From 
its  summit,  which  rises  12.5  feet  above  the  waters  of  the 
river,  the  valley  of  the  Illinois  speeds  out  before  the  eye  in 
landscape  of  rarest  beauty.  From  three  sides  it  is  inacces- 
sible. This  stronghold  received  the  name  of  the  Fort  of 
St.  Louis.  Twenty  thousand  allied  Indians  gathered  round 
it  on  the  fertile  plains.  The  fort  seems  to  have  been  aban- 
doned soon  after  the  year  1700. 

Marquette's  mission  (1675),  Crevecosur  (1680),  and  the 
Fort  of  St.  Louis  (1G32),  embrace,  so  far,  all  the  attempts 
made  towards  efi'ecting  anything  like  a  permanent  settle- 
ment ia  the  Illinois  country.  Of  the  second  few  traces 
remain.  A  line  of  fortifications  may  be  faintly  traced,  and 
that  is  all.  The  seed  of  civilization  planted  by  the  Jesuit, 
Marquette,  among  the  Illinois  Indians,  was  destined  to  pro- 
duce more  enduring  fruit.  It  was  the  germ  of  Kaskaskia, 
during  the  succeeding  years  of  the  French  occupation — the 
metropolis  of  the  Mississippi  Valley.  The  southern  Kas- 
kaskia is  merely  the  northern  one  transplanted.  The 
Mii^ion  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  i.s  the  tame. 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  IIIINOIS 


27 


FOUNDING   OF   KASKASKIA. 

On  the  death  of  Marquette,  he  was  succeeded  by  Alloiif  z, 
and  he  by  Father  Gravier,  who  respectively  had  charge  of 
the  Mission  on  the  Illinois  River  Gravier  is  said  to  have 
been  the  first  to  reduce  the  principles  of  the  Illinois  lan- 
guage to  rules.  It  was  also  he  who  succeeded  in  trans- 
ferring Marquette's  Mission  from  the  banks  of  the  Illinois 
south  to  the  spot  where  stands  the  modern  town  of  Kas- 
kaskia,  and  where  it  was  destined  to  endure.  The  exact 
date  is  not  known,  but  the  removal  was  accomplished  some 
time  prior  to  the  year  1685,  though  probably  not  earlier 
than  1G82. 

Father  Gravier  was  subsequently  recalled  to  Mackinaw, 
and  his  place  was  supplied  by  Biueteau  and  Pinet.  Pinet 
proved  an  eloquent  and  successful  minister,  and  his  chapel 
was  often  insufficient  to  hold  the  crowds  of  savages  who 
gathered  to  hear  his  words.  Bineteau  met  with  a  fate 
similar  to  that  which  befell  many  another  devoted  priest  in 
his  heroic  labors  for  the  conversion  of  the  savages.  Ho 
accompanied  the  Kaskaskias  on  one  of  their  annual  hunts 
to  the  upper  Mississippi,  that  his  pastoral  relations  might 
not  suffer  intermission.  His  frame  was  poorly  fittfd  to 
stand  the  exposure.  Parched  by  day  on  the  burning 
prairie,  chilled  by  heavy  dews  at  night,  now  panting  with 
thirst  and  agiin  aching  with  cold,  he  at  length  fell  a 
victim  to  a  violent  fever,  and  "  left  his  bones  on  the  wilder- 
ness range  of  the  buffaloes."  Pinet  shortly  after  followed 
his  comrade. 

Father  Gabriel  Morrest  had  previously  arrived  at  Kas- 
kaskia.  He  was  a  Jesuit.  He  had  carried  the  emblem  of 
his  faith  to  the  frozen  regions  of  Hudson's  Bay,  and  had 
been  taken  prisoner  by  the  English,  and  npon  his  liberation 
returned  to  America,  and  joined  the  Kaskaskia  Mission. 
After  the  deaths  of  Bineteau  and  Pinet,  he  had  sole  charge 
until  joined  by  Father  Mermet  shortly  after  the  opening  of 
the  eighteenth  ceutur}*. 

The  devotion  and  piety  of  Mermet  fully  equalled  those  of 
his  compauion.  He  had  assisted  in  collecting  a  village  of 
Indians  and  Canadians,  and  had  thus  founded  the  first 
French  port  on  the  Ohio,  or,  as  the  lower  part  of  the  river 
was  then  called,  the  Wabash.  At  the  Kaskaskia  Mission 
his  gentle  virtues  and  fervid  eloquence  seem  not  to  have  been 
without  their  influence.  "  At  early  dawn  his  pupils  came 
to  church  dressed  neatly  and  modestly,  each  in  a  large  deer- 
skin, or  in  a  robe  stitched  together  from  several  skins. 
Afler  receiving  lessons  they  chanted  canticles ;  mass  was 
then  said  in  presence  of  all  the  Christians  in  the  place,  the 
French  and  the  converts — the  women  on  one  side  and  the 
men  on  the  other.  From  prayer  and  instruction  the  mis- 
sionaries proceeded  to  visit  the  sick  and  administer  medicine, 
and  their  skill  as  physicians  did  more  than  all  the  rest  to 
win  confidence.  In  the  afternoon  the  catechism  was  taught 
in  the  presence  of  the  young  and  the  old,  when  every  one, 
without  distinction  of  rank  or  ago,  answered  the  questions  of 
the  missionary.  At  evening  all  would  assemble  at  the 
chapel  for  instruction,  for  prayer,  and  to  chant  the  hymns 
of  the  church.  On  Sundays  and  festivals,  even  after  vespt  rs 
a  homily  was  pronouncsd  ;  at  the  close  of  the  day  parties 


would  meet  in  houses  to  recite  the  chaplet  in  alternate 
choirs,  and  sing  p=alms  until  late  at  night.  These  psalms 
were  often  homilies  with  words  set  to  familiar  tunes.  Satur- 
day and  Sunday  were  days  appointed  for  confession  and 
communion,  and  every  convert  confessed  once  in  a  fortnight. 
The  success  of  the  mission  was  such  that  marriages  of 
French  immigrauts  were  sometimes  solemnized  with  the 
daughters  of  the  Illinois  according  to  the  rites  of  the 
Catholic  Church.  The  occupation  of  the  country  was  a 
cantonment  of  Europeans  among  the  native  proprietors  of 
the  forests  and  the  prairies.*  A  court  of  law  was  unknown 
for  nearly  a  century,  and  up  to  the  time  of  Boisbriaut  there 
was  no  local  government.  The  priests  possessed  the  entire 
confidence  of  the  community,  and  their  authority  happily 
settled,  without  the  tardy  delays  and  vexations  of  the  courts, 
the  minor  difficulties  which  threatened  the  peace  of  the 
settlement.  Of  the  families  which  formed  part  of  the 
French  population  in  the  early  history  of  Kaskaskia,  there 
is  some  uncertainty.  There  is,  however,  authority  for 
believing  that  the  following  were  among  the  principal 
settlers:  Bazyl  La  Chapelle,  ■Michael  Derouse,  (called  St. 
Pierre),  Jean  Baptiste  St.  Gemme  Bcauvais,  Baptiste  JIoii- 
treal,  Boucher  de  Moutbrun,  Charles  Danie,  Francois 
Charlesville,  Antoine  Bienvenu,  Louis  Bruyat,  Alexis  D<iza, 
Joseph  Paget,  Prix  Pagi,  Michael  Antoyeu,  Lauglois  De 
Lisle,  La  Derrou  to  and  Nova!- 

AS   PAUT   OF   LOrrsiASA. 

The  settlements  of  Illinois  had  been  a  separate  depend- 
ency of  Canada.  In  1711,  together  with  the  settlements  on 
the  Lower  Mississippi,  which  had  been  founded  by  D'lher- 
ville  and  Bienville,  they  becama  united  in  a  single  province 
under  the  name  of  Louisiana,  with  the  capital  at  Mobile. 

The  exclusive  control  of  the  commerce  of  this  region, 
whose  boundless  resources,  it  was  believed,  were  to  enrich 
France,  was  granted  to  Anthony  Crozat,  a  merchant  of 
great  wealth.  "We  permit  him,"  says  the  king  in  his 
letters  patent,  "  to  search,  open,  and  dig  all  mines,  veins, 
minerals,  precious  stones  and  pearls,  and  to  transport  the 
proceeds  thereof  into  any  part  of  France  for  fifteen  years." 
La  Motte  Cadillac,  who  had  now  become  royal  Governor  of 
Louisiana,  was  his  partner.  Hopes  of  obtaining  great 
quantities  of  gold  and  silver  animated  the  proprietors,  as 
well  as  agitated  France.  Two  pieces  of  silver  ore,  left  at 
Kaskaskia  by  a  traveler  from  ]\Iexico,  were  exhibited  to 
Cadillac  as  the  produce  of  a  mine  in  Illinois.  Elated  by 
this  prospect  of  wealtli,  the  Governor  hurried  up  the  river 
to  find  his  anticipations  fiule  away  in  disappointment.  Iron 
ore  and  the  purest  lead  were  discovered  in  large  quantities 
in  Jlissouri,  but  of  gold,  and  silver,  and  precious  stones  not 
a  trace  was  found.  After  Crozat  had  expended  42.3,000 
livres,  and  realized  only  300,000,  he,  ia  1717,  petitioned  the 
king  for  the  revocation  of  his  charter.  The  white  popula- 
tion had  slowly  increased  ;  and  at  the  time  of  his  departure 
it  was  estimated  that  the  families  comprising  the  Illinoi.s 
settlements,  now  including  those  on  the  ^V abash,  numbered 
three  hundred  and  twenty  souls. 

*  riancroft. 


28 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS 


The  commerce  of  Louisiana  was  next  transferred  to  the 
Mississipjii  Company,  instituted  under  the  auspices  of  the 
notorious  John  Law.  The  wild  excitement  and  visionary 
schemes  which  agitated  France  during  Law's  connection 
with  the  Cjrapany  of  the  West,  and  while  at  the  head  of 
the  Bank  of  France,  form  the  ruost  curious  chapter  in  the 
annals  of  commercial  speculations.  These  delusive  dreams 
of  wealth  were  based  mainly  upon  the  reports  of  the  fabu- 
lous riches  of  the  Mississippi  Valley.  Attempts  to  colonize 
the  couutry  were  conducted  with  careless  prodigality. 
Three  ships  landed  eight  hundred  emigrants  in  August, 
1718,  near  Mjbile,  whence  they  were  to  make  their  way 
overland  to  the  Mississippi.  Bienville,  on  the  banks  of  that 
river,  had  already  SL'lected  the  spot  for  the  Capital  of  the 
new  Empire,  which,  after  the  Regent  of  France,  was  named 
New  Orleans.  From  among  the  emigrants,  eighty  convicts 
from  the  prisons  of  France  were  sent  to  clear  away  the 
coppices  which  thickly  studded  the  site.  Three  years  after 
in  1721,  the  place  was  yet  a  wilderness,  overgrown  with 
cauebrakes,  among  which  two  hundred  persons  Lad  en- 
camped. 

Phillip  Renault  was  created  Director-General  of  the 
mines  of  the  new  country,  and  an  expedition  was  organized 
to  work  them.  Renault  left  France,  in  1719,  with  two 
hundred  mechanics  and  laborers.  Touching  at  Ban  Domingo 
he  bought  five  hundred  negro  slaves  for  working  the  mines. 
On  reaching  the  Mi.ssissippi,  he  sailed  to  Illinois,  the  region 
in  which  gold  and  silver  were  supposed  to  abound.  A  few 
miles  from  Kaskaskia,  in  what  is  now  the  south-west  corner 
of  Monroe  Count}'^,  was  the  seat  of  his  colony.  The  village 
which  he  founded  received  the  name  of  St.  Phillip's.  From 
this  point  various  expeditions  were  sent  out  in  search  of  the 
precious  metals.  Drewry's  Creek,  in  Jackson  County,  was 
explored ;  St.  Mary's,  in  Randolph ;  Silver  Creek,  in 
Monroe;  and  various  parts  of  St.  Clair  County,  and  other 
districts  of  Illinois.  On  Silver  Creek,  tradition  has  it  that 
considerable  quantities  of  silver  were  discovered  and  sent  to 
France,  and  from  this  the  stream  has  its  name.  By  the 
retrocession  of  the  territory  to  the  crown,  Renault  was  left 
to  prosecute  the  business  of  mining  without  means.  His 
operations  proved  a  disastrous  failure. 

FORT   CHAETEES. 

Meanwhile  war  had  sprung  up  between  France  and  Spain 
and  to  protect  the  Illiuois  settlements  from  incursions  of 
Spanish  cavalry  across  the  Great  De.sert,  it  was  thouo-ht 
advisable  to  establish  a  fort  in  the  neighborhood  of  Kas- 
kaskia. A  Spanish  expedition  had,  indeed,  been  fitted  out 
at  Santa  Fe,  but  their  guides,  leading  it  by  mistake  to  the 
Missouri  Indians,  instead  of  the  Osages,  enemies  instead  of 
friends,  the  whole  party  was  massacred,  with  the  exception 
of  a  priest  who  escaped  to  relate  the  fate  of  his  unfortunate 
omrades.  Previous  to  this  La  Salle,  on  the  occasion  of  his 
visit  to  Paris,  had  shown  the  necessity  of  building  a  chain 
of  forts  from  Canada  to  the  Gulf,  in  order  to  secure  the 
territory  to  the  crown  of  France.  lu  171s,  Boisbriant  was 
despatched  to  Illinois.  He  began  the  building  of  Fort 
Cbartres,  long  the  strongest  fortress  on  the  Western  Conti- 


nent, and  of  wide  celebrity  in  the  subsequent  history   of 
Illinois. 

Fort  Chartres  stood  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi, 
seventeen  miles  north-west  of  Kaskaskia,  and  between  three 
and  four  miles  from  the  location  of  the  present  village  of 
Prairie  du  Rocher.  The  Company  of  the  West  finally  built 
their  warehouses  here.  In  1721,  on  the  divi.sion  of  Louisi- 
ana into  seven  districts,  it  became  the  headquarters  of  Bois- 
briant, the  first  local  Governor  of  Illinois.  Fort  Chartres 
was  the  seat  of  the  Government  of  Illinois,  not  only  while 
the  French  retained  possession  of  the  country,  but  after  it 
passed  under  English  control.  When  the  fort  was  built,  it 
st)od  about  one  mile  distant  from  the  river.  In  the  year  1724 
an  inundation  of  the  Mississijipi  washed  away  a  portion  of 
bank  iu  front  of  the  fort. 

Captain  Philip  Pitman  visited  Illinois  in  1766.  He  was 
an  engineer  in  the  British  army,  and  was  sent  to  Illinois  to 
make  a  survey  of  the  forts,  and  report  the  condition  of  the 
country,  which  had  recently  passed  under  British  control. 
He  published  in  London,  in  1770,  a  work  entitled,  "  The 
present  State  of  the  European  Settlements  on  the  Missis- 
sippi," in  which  he  gives  an  accurate  description  of  Fort 
Chartres : 

"  Fort  Chartres,  when  it  belonged  to  France,  was  the  seat 
of  the  governmeut  of  the  Illinois.  The  headquarters  of  the 
English  commanding  officer  is  now  here,  who,  in  fact,  is  the 
arbitrary  governor  of  the  couutry.  The  fort  is  an  irregular 
quadrangle.  The  sides  of  the  exterior  polygon  are  four  hun- 
dred and  ninety  feet.  It  is  built  of  stone,  and  plastered  over, 
and  is  only  designed  for  defence  agaiust  the  ludians.  The 
walls  are  two  feet  two  inches  thick,  and  are  pierced  with 
loopholes  at  regular  distances,  and  with  two  port  holes  for 
cannon  in  the  facies,  and  two  in  the  flaaks  of  each  b.astion. 
The  ditch  has  never  been  finished.  The  entrance  to  the  fort 
is  through  a  very  handsome  rustic  gate.  Within  the  walls 
is  a  banquette  raised  three  feet,  for  the  men  to  stand  on  when 
they  fire  through  the  loopholes.  The  buildings  within  th». 
fort  are,  a  commandant's  and  a  commissary's  house,  the 
magazine  of  stores,  corps  de  garde,  and  two  barracks.  ^  ,These 
occupy  the  square.  Within  the  gorges  of  the  bastion  are  a 
powder-magazine,  a  bake-house,  and  a  prison,  in  the  floor  of 
which  are  four  dungeons,  and  in  the  upper,  two  rooms  and 
an  out-house  belonging  to  the  commandant.  The  command- 
ant's house  is  thirty-two  yards  long  and  ten  broad,  and  con- 
tains a  kitchen,  a  dining-room,  a  bed-chamber,  one  small 
room,  five  closets  for  servants,  and  a  cellar.  The  commis- 
sary's house  is  built  on  the  same  line  as  this,  and  its  propor- 
tion and  the  distribution  of  its  apartments  are  the  same. 
Opposite  these  are  the  store-house,  and  the  guardhouse,  each 
thirty  yards  long  and  eight  broad.  The  former  consists  of 
two  large  store  rooms,  (under  which  is  a  large  vaulted  cellar), 
a  large  room,  a  bed-chamber,  and  a  closet  for  the  storekeeper. 
The  latter  of  a  soldiers'  and  officers'  guard-room,  a  chapel, 
a  bed-chamber,  a  closet  for  the  chaplaiu,  and  an  artillery 
store-room.  The  lines  of  barracks  have  never  been  finished. 
They  at  present  consist  of  two  rooms  each  for  officers,  and 
three  for  soldiers.  They  are  each  twenty-five  feet  square, 
and  have  betwixt  a  small  passage." 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  IIIINOIS. 


29 


Such  was  Fort  Chartres,  believed  at  the  time  to  be  the 
most  convenient  and  best  built  stronghold  in  Xorth  America ! 
Just  before  the  French  surrender,  forty  families  lived  in  the 
neighboring  village,  in  which  stood  a  parish  church,  under 
the  care  of  a  Franciscan  friar,  and  dedicated  to  St.  Anne. 
At  the  time  of  the  surrender  to  the  English,  all,  with  the 
exception  of  three  or  four  families,  abandoned  their  homes, 
and  removed  to  the  west  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  preferring 
the  government  of  La  Belle  France  to  the  hated  English 
rule,  ignorant  that  by  secret  treaty  the  territory  west 
of  the  Mississippi  had  been  ceded  to  Spain,  even  before 
the  transfer  of  the  region  eastward  was  made  to  the 
English. 

But  the  glory  of  the  old  fortress  soon  departed!  In  1756 
nearly  half  a  mile  intervened  between  Fort  Chartres  and  the 
bank  of  the  Mississippi.  A  sand  bar,  however,  was  forming 
opposite,  to  which  the  river  was  fordable.  Ten  years  later 
the  current  had  cut  the  bank  away  to  within  eighty  yards  of 
the  fort.  The  sand-bar  had  become  an  island,  covered  with 
a  thick  growth  of  cottonwoods.  The  channel  between  it 
and  the  eastern  bank  was  forty  feet  in  dep^h.  In  the  great 
freshet  six  years  afier,  in  1772,  in  which  the  American  Bot- 
tom was  inundated,  the  west  walls  and  two  of  the  bastions 
were  swept  away  in  the  flood.  It  was  abandoned  by  the 
British  garrison,  which  took  up  its  quarters  in  Fort  Gage, 
on  the  bluff  opposite  Kaskaskia,  which  then  became  the  seat 
of  government.  From  this  date  its  demolition  proceeded 
rapidly.  In  1820  the  south-east  angle  was  still  remaining. 
Only  vestiges  of  the  old  Fortress  can  now  hi  traced.  Much 
of  the  stone  was  carried  away,  and  used  for  building  pur- 
poses elsewhere.  Trees  of  stately  growth  cover  the  founda- 
tions. The  river  has  retreated  to  its  original  channel,  and 
is  now  a  mile  distant  from  the  ruins.  A  growth  of  timber 
covers  the  intervening  land,  where  less  than  a  century  ago 
swept  the  mighty  current  of  the  Father  of  Waters. 

UNDER   FRENCH    RULE. 

During  the  few  years  immediately  succeeding  the  comple- 
tion of  Fort  Chartres,  prosperity  prevailed  in  the  settlements 
between  the  Kaskaskia  and  the  Miss'ssip|)i  rivers.  Prairie 
du  Rocher,  founded  about  the  year  1722,  received  consider- 
able accessions  to  its  population.  Among  the  earliest  French 
settlers  to  make  their  homes  here  were  Etienne  Langlois, 
Jean  Baptiste  Blais,  Jean  Baptiste  Barbeaux,  Antoine 
Louvier,  and  the  La  Compte  and  other  families,  whose  de- 
scendants are  still  found  in  that  locality.  New  settlements 
sprang  up,  and  the  older  ones  increased  in  population.  At 
Kaskaskia,  the  Jesuits  established  a  monastery,  and  founded 
a  college.  In  1725  the  village  became  an  incorporated  town, 
and  the  king,  Louis  XV.,  granted  the  inhabitants  a  com- 
mons. The  Bottom  land,  extending  upward  along  the  Mis- 
sissippi, unsurpassed  for  the  richness  of  its  soil,  was  in  the 
process  of  being  rapidly  settled  by  the  larger  number  of  new 
arrivals  in  the  colony.  Fort  Chartres,  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment and  the  headquarters  of  the  commandment  of  Upper 
Louisiana,  attracted  a  wealthy,  and  for  Illinois,  a  fashionable 
population. 

After  having  been  fourteen  years  under  the  government 


of  the  Western  Company,  in  April,  1732,  the  king  issued  a 
proclamation  by  which  Louisiana  was  declared  free  to  all  his 
subjects,  and  all  restrictions  on  commerce  were  removed. 
At  this  time  many  flourishing  settlements  had  sprung  up  in 
Illinois,  centering  about  Kaskaskia, and  the  inhabitants  were 
said  to  be  more  exclusively  devoted  to  agriculture  than  in 
any  other  of  the  French  settlements  in  the  West. 

M.  D'Artaguette,  in  1732,  became  commandant  of  Fort 
Chartres,  and  Governor  of  Upper  Louisiana.  Between  New 
Orleans  and  Kaskaskia  the  country  was  yet  a  wilderness. 
Communication  by  way  of  the  Mississippi  w'as  interrupted 
by  the  Chickasaws,  allies  of  the  English  and  enemies  of 
France,  whose  cedar  barks  shooting  boldly  out  into  the  cur- 
rent of  the  Mississippi,  cut  off  the  connection  between  the 
two  colonies.  It  was  in  an  attempt  to  subdue  these  that 
M.  D'Artaguette,  the  commandant,  lost  h's  life.  An  officer 
arrived  at  Fort  Chartres  from  M.  Prerrier,  Governor-General 
at  New  Orleans,  in  the  year  1736,  summoning  M.  D'Arta- 
guette, with  his  French  soldiers,  and  all  the  Indians  whom 
he  could  induce  to  join  him,  to  unite  in  an  expedition  against 
the  enemy.  With  an  army  of  fifty  Frenchmen,  and  more 
than  one  thousand  Indians  accompanied  by  Father  Senat 
and  the  gallant  Vincennes,  commandant  of  the  post  on  the 
Wabash,  where  now  stands  the  city  bearing  his  name, 
D'Artaguette  stole  cautiously  in  the  Chickasaw  country. 
His  Indian  allies  were  impatient,  and  the  commander  con- 
sented, against  his  better  judgment,  to  an  immediate  attack. 
One  fort  was  carried — another — and  then  in  making  the  as- 
sault on  the  third,  the  j'oung  and  intrepid  D'Artaguette  fell 
at  the  head  of  his  forces,  pierced  with  wounds.  The  Indian 
allies  made  this  reverse  the  signal  for  their  flight.  The 
Jesuit  Senat  might  have  fled,  Vincennes  might  have  saved 
his  life,  but  both  preferred  to  share  the  flite  of  their  leader. 
The  captives  afterward  met  death  at  the  stake  under  the  slow 
torments  of  fire. 

La  Buissoniere  succeeded  as  commandant  at  Fort  Chartres. 
In  1739  a  second  expedition  was  undertaken  against  the 
C.iickasaw  country.  La  Buissoniere  joined  Bienville,  then 
Governor-General  of  Louisiana,  with  a  force  of  two  hundred 
Frenchmen  and  three  hundred  Indians.  The  whole  force 
under  Bienville  was  twelve  hundred  French  and  five  hun- 
dred Indians  and  negroes.  His  men  suffered  greatly  from 
malarial  fevers  and  famine,  and  returned  the  following 
spring  without  conquering  the  Chickasaws,  with  whom  after- 
ward, however,  amicable  relations  were  established. 

The  period  from  1740  to  1750  was  one  of  great  prosperity 
for  the  colonies.  Cotton  was  introduced  and  cultivated. 
Regular  cargoes  of  pork,  fljur,  baaon,  tallow,  hides  and 
leather,  were  floated  down  the  Mississippi,  and  exported 
thence  to  Frauoe.  French  emigrants  p)ured  rapidly  into 
the  settlements.  Canadians  exchanged  the  cold  rigors  of 
their  climate  for  the  sunny  atmosphere  and  rich  soil  of  the 
new  country.     Peace  and  plenty  blessed  the  settlements. 

La  Bui-ssoniere  was  followed,  in  1750,  by  Chevalier  Ma- 
carty  as  Governor  of  Upper  Louisiana,  and  Commandant  of 
Fort  Chartres.  Peace  was  soon  to  be  broken.  The  French 
and  English  war,  which  terminated  in  1759  with  the  defeat 
.jf  Montfalm  on  the  plains  of  Abraham,  and  the  capture  of 


30 


JimTORY  OFIfADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOM 


QuebeCj  began  with  a  struggle  for  tlio  territory  on  the  Upper 
Ohio.  Fort  Chartres  was  the  depot  of  supplies  and  the  place 
of  rendezvous  for  the  united  forces  of  Louisiana,  and  several 
expeditions  were  fitted  out  and  dispatched  to  the  scene  of  con- 
flict on  the  border  between  the  French  and  English  settle- 
ments. But  France  was  vanquished  in  the  struggle,  and  its 
result  deprived  her  of  her  princely  possessions  east  of  the 
Mississippi. 

CHARACTER  OF   TFE   EARLY    FRENCn   SETTLERS. 

The  early  French  inhabitants  were  well  adapted  by  their 
peculiar  traits  of  character  for  intercourse  with  their  savage 
neighbors  of  the  forest,  with  whom  they  lived  on  terms  of 
peace  and  friendship.  For  this  reason,  the  French  colonists 
almost  entirely  escaped  the  Indian  hostilities  by  which  the 
English  settlements  were  repressed  and  weakened.  The 
freest  communication  existed  between  the  two  races.  They 
stood  on  a  footing  of  equality.  The  Indian  was  cordially 
received  in  the  French  village,  and  the  Frenchman  found  a 
safe  resting-place  in  the  \r^dg^  of  the  savag3.  In  sce-ies  of 
social  pleasure,  in  expeditions  to  remote  rivers  and  distant 
forests,  in  the  ceremonies  and  exercises  of  the  church,  the 
red  men  were  treated  as  brothers,  and  the  accident  of  race 
and  color  was  made  as  little  a  mark  of  distinction  as  possi- 
ble. Frequent  intermarriages  of  the  French  with  the  In- 
dians strongly  cemented  this  union.  For  nearly  a  hundred 
years  the  French  colonis's  enjoyed  continual  peace,  while  the 
English  settlements  on  the  Atlantic  coast  were  in  a  state  of 
almost  constant  danger  from  savage  depredations. 

It  was  doubtless  greatly  owing  to  the  peculiar  facility  with 
which  the  French  temperament  adapted  itself  to  surround- 
ings, and  the  natural  address  with  which  Frenchmen  ingra- 
tiated themselves  in  the  favor  of  the  savages,  that  this  happy 
condition  of  afiliirs  existed.  But  something  must  be  ascribed 
to  the  differences  of  character  between  the  French  and  Eng- 
lish in  regard  to  their  aggressiveness.  The  English  colonists 
excited  the  jealousy  and  fear  of  the  Indians  by  their  rapid 
occupation  of  the  country.  New  settlements  were  constantly 
being  projected,  and  the  white  population  pushed  farther 
and  farther  into  the  wilderness.  When  the  Indians  saw 
tlieir  favorite  haunts  broken  up,  and  their  hunting  grounds 
invaded,  a  natural  feeling  of  distrust  and  jealousy  led  them 
to  warfare  against  the  English.  With  the  French  it  was 
different.  There  was  but  little  disposition  to  found  new 
settlements,  or  occupy  the  wilderness.  They  were  essentially 
a  social  people,  and  the  solitary  life  of  a  pioneer  in  the  forest 
was  repugnant  to  their  disposition.  They  lived  in  compact 
villages.  Their  houses  were  in  close  proximity.  With 
abundant  room  for  spacious  streets,  they  yet  made  them  so 
narrow  that  the  merry  villagers  could  converse  with  ease 
across  the  street,  each  from  his  own  cottage.  Hunting  was 
a  favorite  pursuit,  and  the  chief  means  of  support.  With 
this  mode  of  life  the  French  were  content.  Ambition  failed 
to  incite  them  to  conquer  the  wilderness,  and  push  their  set- 
tlements to  unknown  regions,  and  avarice  was  wanting  to 
lead  them  to  grasp  after  great  possessions.  The  development 
of  the  "  territorial  paradise,"  as  La  Salle  had  called  the  re- 
gion through  which  he  passed  on  his  first  voyage  down  the 
Mississippi,  was  to  be  accomplished  by  another  race. 


A    POSSESSION   OF   GREAT   BRITAIN. 

By  the  treaty  of  Fountainbleau,  1762,  the  vast  possessions 
of  France,  east  of  the  Mississippi,  with  the  exception  of  the 
island  of  New  Orleans,  passed  under  British  control.  Fort 
Chartres  and  the  other  Illinois  posts  were  surrounded  by  an 
impenetrable  barrier  of  hostile  savages,  friends  to  the  French 
and  enemies  to  the  English,  and  the  French  officers  were 
authorized  to  retain  command  until  it  was  found  possible  for 
the  English  to  take  possession.  M.  Neyon  de  Villiers  was 
commandant  of  Fort  Chartres,  and  upon  his  retiring  in  1764, 
St.  Ange  d'Ballerive  took  upon  himself  the  duties  of  that 
position.  It  was  the  time  of  Pontiac's  conspiracy,  when  the 
Indian  tribes,  inflamed  by  the  savage  spirit  of  that  warrior, 
were  precipitating  themselves  on  the  English  settlements 
from  Canada  to  Carolina.  The  French  commandant  of  Fort 
Chartres  was  besieged  for  arms  and  ammunition  to  be  used 
against  the  English.  The  French  flag  was  still  flying  over 
the  Fort,  and  the  fact  of  the  territory  having  been  ceded  to 
Great  Britain  was  not  generally  known  except  to  those  in 
authority.  The  commandant  was  visited  by  embassies  from 
the  Illinois,  the  Delawares,  Shawnees  and  Miamis,  and 
finally  Pontiac  himself,  at  the  head  of  four  hundred  warriors, 
entered  the  council  hall.  St.  Ange  d'Bellerive,  unable  to 
furnish  arms,  offered  instead  his  good  will.  The  reply  was 
received  with  dissatisfaction.  The  Indians  pitched  their 
lodges  about  the  Fort,  and  for  a  time  an  attack  was  seriously 
apprehended.  Finally  Pontiac  dispatched  a  chosen  band  of 
warriors  to  New  Orleans  to  obtain  from  the  Governor  there 
the  assistance  St.  Ange  refused  to  grant. 

Pontiac  was  killed  a  fdw  years  after.  Disappointed  by 
the  failure  of  his  plans  against  the  English,  he  retired  to  the 
solitude  of  the  forests.  In  the  year  1769,  he  suddenly  made 
his  appearance  in  the  neighborhood  of  St.  Louis.  Arrayed 
in  the  French  uniform  given  him  by  the  Marquis  Montcalm 
a  short  time  previous  to  the  latter's  death  on  the  Plains  of 
Abraham,  he  visited  St.  Ange  d'Bellerive,  who  at  that  time 
had  removed  from  Fort  Chartres  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  had 
become  one  of  the  principal  inhabitants  and  commandant  of 
the  Spanish  garrison.  While  at  St.  Louis,  he  crossed  the 
Mississippi  to  attend  a  social  gathering  of  Indians  at  Cahokia. 
Becoming  iutoxicated  he  started  to  the  neighboring  woods, 
when  an  Indian  of  the  Kaskaskia  tribe,  bribed  by  an  Eng- 
lish trader  with  a  barrel  of  whiskey,  stole  up  behind  him  and 
buried  a  tomahawk  in  the  brain  of  the  renowned  warrior. 
St.  Ange  procured  the  body,  and  buried  it  with  all  the  honors 
of  war  near  the  fort  under  his  command  in  St.  Louis.  The 
tramp  of  a  great  city  now  sweeps  over  his  grave. 

Two  attempts,  on  the  part  of  the  English,  to  take  posses- 
sion of  Illinois  and  Fort  Chartres,  had  been  made  by  way  of 
the  Mississippi,  but  hostile  Indians  on  the  banks  of  the  river 
had  driven  back  the  expeditions.  Meantime  a  hundred 
Highlanders  of  the  Forty-second  Regiment,  those  veterans 
"  whose  battle  cry  had  echoed  over  the  bloodiest  fields  of 
America,''  had  left  Fort  Pitt,  now  Pittsburg,  and  descending 
the  Ohio,  appeared  before  Fort  Chartres  while  the  forests 
were  yet  rich  with  the  varied  hues  of  autumn.  St.  Ange 
yielded  up  the  citadel.  It  was  on  the  tenth  day  of  October, 
1765,  that  the  ensign  of  France  on  the  ramparts  of  the  Fort 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS 


31 


gave  place  to  the  flag  of  Great  Britain.  Kaskaskia  had  now 
been  fouuded  nnre  than  three-fourths  of  a  century. 

On  the  surrender  of  Fort  Chartres,  St.  Ange  with  his  gar- 
rison of  twenty-one  soldiers  retired  from  the  country,  and 
became  commandant  at  St.  Louis,  an  infant  settlement  just 
founded.  A  large  number  of  the  French  residents  of  Kas- 
kaskia and  other  settlements  refused  to  live  under  English 
rule.  Many  of  the  wealthiest  families  left  the  country  ;  some 
removed  across  the  Mississippi,  to  the  small  village  of  Ste. 
Genevieve,  under  the  impression  that  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
Mississippi  they  would  still  find  a  home  under  the  govern- 
ment of  France,  while  in  truth  that  territory  had  been  ceded 
to  Spain  by  a  secret  treaty  in  1762.  Others  joined  in  found- 
ing the  city  of  St.  Louis.  The  French  settlements  in  Illinois, 
at  a  period  immediately  preceding  this  date,  were  at  the 
zenith  of  their  prosperity.  From  that  day  the  French  in- 
habitants have  declined  in  numbers  and  influence.  In  1705, 
the  population  of  the  Illinois  settlements  was  computed  as 
follows :  White  men  able  to  bear  arms,  seven  hundred  ;  white 
women,  five  hundred  ;  white  children,  eight  hundred  and 
fifty ;  negroes,  nine  hundred  ;  total,  two  thousand  nine  hun- 
dred and  fifty.  One-third  of  the  whites,  and  a  still  larger 
proportion  of  the  blacks,  removed  on  the  British  taking  pos- 
session. A  population  of  less  than  two  thousand  remained. 
Few  English,  or  Americans,  with  the  exception  of  the  British 
troops,  were  in  the  country. 

Captain  Stirling,  who  now  had  command  of  the  Fort,  issued 
a  proclamation  guaranteeing  the  inhabitants  the  liberty  of 
the  Catholic  faith,  permission  to  retire  from  the  country,  and 
enjoyment  of  their  full  rights  and  privileges,  only  requiring 
an  oath  of  fidelity  and  obedience  to  Ilis  IMajesty,  the  English 
King.  Captain  Stirling  died  .some  three  months  after  his 
arrival.  In  the  period  that  elapsed  before  the  coming  of  his 
successor,  St.  Ange  d'Bcllerive  returned  from  St.  Louis,  and 
discharged  the  duties  of  commandant.  Major  Frazier,  from 
Fort  Pitt,  exercised  for  a  time  an  arbitrary  power,  and  his 
successor,  Col.  Reed,  proved  still  worse.  He  held  the  office 
eighteen  months,  and  during  that  time  aroused  the  hatred  of 
the  settlements  by  his  oppressive  mea.sures.  Lieutenant  Colo- 
nel Wilkins  assumed  command  in  17G8. 

Captain  Pitman,  to  whose  book  on  "  The  Present  State  of 
the  European  Settlements  on  the  Mississippi "  reference  has 
already  been  made,  gives  the  following  description  of  Kas- 
kaskia, as  it  appeared  in  17GG. 

The  vilage  of  Notre  Dame  de  Cascasquias  is  by  far  the 
most  considerable  settlement  in  the  country  of  the  I  linois, 
as  well  from  its  number  of  inhabitants  as  from  its  advan- 
tageous situation. 

"  Mons.  Paget  was  the  first  who  introduced  water  mills  in 
this  country,  and  he  constructed  a  very  fine  one  on  the  river 
Cascasquias,  which  was  both  for  grinding  corn  and  sawing 
boards.  It  lies  about  one  mile  from  the  village.  The  mill 
proved  fatal  to  him,  being  killed  as  he  was  working 
it,  with  two  negroes,  by  a  party  of  Chcrokees,  in  the 
year  17G4. 

"  The  principal  buildings  arc  the  church  and  the  Jesuits' 
house,  which  has  a  small  chapel  adjoining  it;  these,  as  well 
as  Rome  of  the  other  hou.scs  in  the  village,  are  built  of  stone, 


and,  considering  this  part  of  the  world,  make  a  very  good 
appearance.  The  Jesuits'  plantation  consisted  of  240  arpents 
(an  arpent  is  85-100  of  au  acre)  of  cultivated  land,  a  very 
good  stock  of  cattle,  and  a  brewery  which  was  sold  by  the 
French  commandant,  after  the  country  was  ceded  to  the 
English,  for  the  crown,  in  consequeuce  of  the  suppression  of 
the  order. 

"  Mons.  Beaiivais  wa?  the  purchaser,  who  is  the  richest  of 
the  English  subjects  in  this  country;  he  keeps  eighty  slaves; 
he  furnishes  86,000  weight  of  flour  to  the  King's  magazine, 
which  was  only  part  of  the  harvest  he  reaped  in  one  year. 
Sixty-five  families  reside  in  this  village,  besides  merchants, 
other  casual  jjeople,  and  slaves.  The  fort  which  was  burnt 
down  in  October,  1766,  stood  on  the  summit  of  a  high  rock 
opposite  the  village  and  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 
It  was  an  oblong  quadrangle,  of  which  the  extreme  jwlygon 
measured  290  by  251  feet.  It  was  built  of  very  thick  square 
timber,  and  dove-tailed  at  the  angles.  An  officer  and  twenty 
soldiers  arc  quartered  in  the  village.  The  officer  governs 
the  inhabitants  under  the  direction  of  the  commandant  at 
Fort  Chartres.     Here  are  also  two  companies  of  militia." 

Of  Prairie  du  Rocher,  Pitman  writes  that  "  it  is  a  small 
village,  cousistiu^  of  twenty-two  dwelling-houses,  all  of  which 
are  inhabited  by  as  many  families.  Here  is  a  little  chapel, 
formerly  a  chapel  of  ease  to  the  church  at  Fort  Chartres. 
The  inhabitants  are  very  industrious,  and  raise  a  great  deal 
of  corn  and  every  kind  of  stock.  The  village  is  two  miles 
from  Fort  Chartres.  It  takes  its  name  from  its  situation, 
being  built  under  a  rock  that  runs  parallel  with  the  Jlissis- 
sippi  river  at  a  le.ague  distance,  fjr  forty  miles  up.  Here  is 
a  company  of  militia,  the  captain  of  which  regulates  the 
police  of  the  village." 

In  describing  the  distance  from  Fort  Chartres,  the  author, 
doubtless,  refers  to  Little  Village,  which  was  a  mile  or  more 
nearer  than  Prairie  du  Rocher.  The  writer  goes  on  to  de- 
scribe "Saint  Philippe"  as  a  "small  village  about  five  miles 
from  Fort  Chartres  on  the  road  to  Kaoquias.  There  are 
about  sixteen  houses  and  a  small  church  standing;  all  of  the 
inhabitants,  except  the  captain  of  the  militia,  deserted  in 
1765,  and  went  to  the  French  side  (Missouri  )  The  captain 
of  the  militia  has  about  twenty  slaves,  a  good  stock  of  cattle, 
and  a  water  mill  for  corn  and  planks.  The  village  stands 
on  a  very  fine  meadow  about  one  mile  from  the  Mis- 
sissippi. 

From  the  same  authority  we  learn  that  the  soil  of  the 
country  is  in  general  rich  and  luxuriant.  It  was  favorably 
adapted  to  the  production  of  all  kinds  of  European  grains 
which  grew  side  by  side  wit'i  hops,  hemp,  flax,  cotton  and 
tobacco.  European  fruits  arrived  to  great  perfection.  Of 
the  wild  grapes  a  wine  was  made,  very  inebriating,  and  in 
color  and  taste  much  like  the  red  wine  of  Provence.  In  the 
late  wars.  New  Orleans  and  the  lower  parts  of  Louisiana 
were  supplied  with  flour,  baef,  wines,  hams,  and  other  pro- 
visions, from  this  country.  At  present,  its  commerce  is 
mostly  confined  to  the  peltry  and  furs  which  are  got  in  traf- 
fic from  the  Indians ;  for  which  are  received  in  turn  such 
European  commodities  as  are  necessary  to  carry  on  that  cjia- 
racrcc  and  the  sujiport  of  its  inhabitants." 


32 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


CONQUEST   BY   CLARKE. 

On  the  breaking  out  of  tlie  War  of  the  Revolution,  it  is 
probable  that  the  British  garrison  (removed  in  1772  from 
Furt  Chartres  to  Fort  Gage,  opposite  Kaskaskia,)  had  been 
withdrawn.  Illinois  was  remote  from  the  theatre  of  action, 
and  the  colonists  were  little  disturbed  by  the  rumors  of  war 
which  came  from  the  Atlantic  coast.  The  French  inhabitants 
were  rather  in  sympa'hy  with  the  Americans  than  the  Eng- 
lish, but  probably  understood  little  of  the  nature  of  the 
struggle.  Illinois  belonged  to  the  jurisdiction  of  Virginia. 
George  Rogers  Clarke,  who  visited  Kentucky  in  1 775,  seems 
to  have  been  the  first  to  comprehend  the  advantages  which 
would  result  from  the  occupation  of  Illinois  by  the  Ameri- 
cans. He  visited  Virginia,  where  he  laid  his  plans  before 
Patrick  Henry,  the  Governor  of  the  State.  Clarke  received 
his  instructions,  January,  1778,  and  the  following  month  set 
out  for  Pittsburg  His  instructions  were  to  raise  seven  com- 
panies of  men,  but  he  could  only  succeed  in  enlisting  four 
commanded  by  Captains  Montgomery,  Bowman,  Helm,  and 
Harrod.  On  Corn  Island,  opposite  Louisville,  on  the  Ohio, 
Clarke  announced  his  destination  to  the  men.  At  the  mouth 
of  the  Tennessee,  a  man  named  John  Duff  was  encountered, 
with  a  party  of  hunters,  who  had  recently  visited  Kaskaskia, 
and  also  brought  the  intelligence  that  one  Rocheblave,  a 
French  Canadian,  was  in  command  at  that  point,  that  he 
kept  the  militia  well  drilled,  and  that  sentinels  were  posted 
to  watch  for  the  "  Long  Knives,"  as  the  Virginians  were 
called,  of  whom  the  inhabitants  were  in  terror.  Securing  his 
boats  near  Fort  Massacre  (or  Massac,)  Clarke  undertook  the 
journey  across  the  country,  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles, 
to  Kaskaskia.  It  was  accomplished  with  difficulty.  On  the 
afternoon  of  the  fourth  of  July,  1778,  the  exhausted  band  of 
invaders  came  to  the  vicinity  of  Kaskaskia,  and  concealed 
themselves  in  the  hills  to  the  east  of  the  town.  After  dark 
Clarke  proceeded  to  the  old  ferry-house,  three-fourths  of  a 
mile  above  the  village,  and  at  midnight  addressed  his  troops 
on  the  banks  of  the  river.  He  divided  his  force  into  three 
parties.  Two  were  to  cross  to  the  west  side  of  the  river,  and 
enter  the  town  from  different  quarters.  The  third,  under  the 
direction  of  Clarke  himself,  was  to  capture  the  fort  on  the 
east  side.  Kaskaskia  at  that  time  was  a  village  of  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty  houses.  The  British  commander  last  in 
charge  had  instilled  in  the  minds  of  the  people  the  impres- 
sion that  the  Virginians,  otherwise  the  "  Long  Knives,"  were 
a  ferocious  band  of  murderers,  plundering  houses,  slaughter- 
ing women  and  children,  and  committing  acts  of  great  atro- 
city. Clarke  determined  to  take  advantage  of  this,  and  so 
surprise  the  inhabitants  by  fear  as  to  induce  them  to  submit 
without  resistance.  Clarke  effected  an  entrance  to  the  fort 
without  difficulty.  The  other  parties  at  a  given  signal  en- 
tered Kaskaskia  at  the  opposite  extremities,  and  with  terri- 
ble outcries  and  hideous  noises,  aroused  the  terrified  inhabi- 
tants, who  shrieked  in  their  alarm,  "  The  Long  Knives ! ' 
"  The  Long  Knives  are  here !"  The  panic  stricken  towns- 
men delivered  up  their  arms,  and  the  victory  was  accom- 
plished without  the  shedding  of  a  drop  of  blood.  M.  Roche- 
blave, the  British  commandant,  was  unconscioui  of  the  pres- 
ence of  the  enemy,  till  an  officer  of  the  detachment  entered 


his  bed-chamber,  and  claimed  him  as  a  prisoner.  In  accord- 
ance with  his  original  plan  of  onquering  the  inhabitants  by 
terror,  and  then  afterward  winning  their  regard  and  grati- 
tude by  his  clemency,  Clarke,  the  next  day,  withdrew  his 
forces  from  the  town,  and  sternly  forbade  all  communication 
between  it  and  his  soldiers.  Somo  of  the  principal  militia 
officers,  citizens  of  the  town,  were  next  put  in  irons.  The 
terror  now  reached  its  height.  The  priest,  and  a  deputation 
of  five  or  six  elderly  men  of  tha  villigs,  called  on  Clarke, 
and  humbly  requested  permission  to  assemble  in  the  church, 
to  take  leave  of  each  other  and  commend  their  future  lives 
to  the  protection  of  a  merciful  G^d,  since  they  expected  to 
be  separated,  perhaps  never  to  meet  again.  Clarke  gruffly 
granted  the  privilege.  The  whole  population  convened  at 
the  church,  and  after  remaining  together  a  long  time,  the 
priest  and  a  few  others  again  waited  upon  the  commander  of 
the  American  forces,  presenting  thanks  for  the  privilege  they 
had  enjoyed,  and  desiring  to  know  what  fate  awaited 
them. 

Clarke  now  determined  to  lift  them  from  their  despair,  and 
win  their  gratiiuda  by  a  show  of  mercy.  "  What!"  said  he; 
"  do  you  take  us  for  savages  ?  Do  you  think  Americans  will 
strip  women  and  children,  and  take  bread  from  their  mouths? 
My  countrymen  disdain  to  make  war  on  helpless  innocents." 
He  further  reminded  them  that  the  King  of  France,  their 
former  ruler,  was  an  ally  of  the  Americans,  and  now  fighting 
their  cause.  He  told  them  to  embrace  the  side  thoy  deemed 
best,  and  they  should  be  respected  in  the  enjoyment  of  their 
liberty  and  the  rights  of  property. 

The  revulsi  )u  of  feeling  was  complete.  The  good  news 
spread  throughout  the  village.  The  church-bell  rang  a 
merry  peal,  and  the  delighted  inhabitants  gathered  at  the 
chapel,  where  thanks  were  offered  to  God  for  their  happy 
and  unexpected  deliverance.  The  loyalty  of  the  inhabitants 
was  assured,  and  ever  after  they  remained  faithful  to  the 
American  cause.  The  French  inhabitants  of  Kaskaskia 
were  readily  reconciled  to  a  change  of  government.  In 
October,  1778,  the  Virginia  Assembly  erected  the  conquered 
territory  into  the  County  of  Illinois.  This  County  embraced 
all  the  region  north-west  of  Ohio,  and  five  large  states  have 
since  been  formed  from  it.  Colonel  Clarke  was  appointed 
military  commander  of  all  the  western  territory  north  and 
south  cf  the  Ohio,  and  Colonel  John  Todd,  one  of  Clarke's 
soldiers,  who  next  to  Clarke  had  been  the  first  man  to  enter 
Fort  Gage,  was  appointed  lieutenant-commander  of  Illinois. 
la  the  spring  of  1779,  Colonel  Todd  visited  Kaskaskia,  and 
made  arrangements  for  the  organization  of  a  temporary 
government.  Many  of  the  French  inhabitants  of  Kaskaskia, 
Prairie  du  Rocher,  and  the  other  settlements,  readily  took 
the  oath  of  allegiance  to  Virginia.  Colonel  Todd  was  kilkd 
at  the  famous  battle  of  Blue  Licks,  in  Kentucky,  August, 
1782,  and  Timothy  deMontbrun,  a  Frenchman,  succeeded 
him  as  commandant  of  Illinois  County.  Of  his  administra- 
tion but  little  is  known. 

THE  "compact  of  1787." 

la  1G82  Illinois  became  a  pos.session  of  the  French  crown, 
a  dependency  of  Canada,  and  a  part  of  Louisiana.  In  1765 
the  English  flag  was  run  up  on  old    Fort   Chartres,   and 


HISTOEY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


33 


Illinois  was  counted  among  the  treasures  of  Great  Britain. 
In  1779  it  was  taken  from  the  English  by  Col.  George 
Rogers  Clark  :  this  man  was  resolute  in  nature,  wise  in  coun- 
cil, prudent  in  policy,  bold  in  action,  and  heroic  in  danger. 
Few  men  who  have  figured  in  the  early  history  of  America 
are  more  deserving  than  he.  Nothing  short  of  first-class 
ability  could  have  rescued  "  Vincins  "  and  all  Illinois  from 
the  English,  and  it  is  not  possible  to  over-estimate  the  in- 
fluence of  this  achievement  upon  the  republic.  In  1779, 
Illinois  became  a  part  of  Virginia.  It  was  soon  known  as 
Illinois  county.  In  1784  Virginia  ceded  all  this  territory 
to  the  general  government  to  be  cut  into  states,  to  be  republi- 
can in  form,  with  "the  same  right  of  sovereignty,  freedom 
and  independence  as  the  other  states." 

In  1787  it  was  the  object  of  the  wisest  and  ablest  legisla- 
tion found  in  any  merely  human  records.  No  man  can 
study  the  secret  history  of  The  Compact  of  \1%1  and  not 
feci  that  Providence  was  guiding  with  sleepless  eyes  these 
unborn  states.  ^  The  ordinance  that  on  July  13,  1787,  finally 
became  the  incorporating  act,  has  a  most  marvelous  history. 
Jefferson  had  vainly  tried  to  secure  a  system  of  government 
for  tho  north-western  territory.  He  was  an  emancipationist 
of  that  day,  and  favored  the  exclusion  of  slavery  from  the 
territory  Virginia  had  ceded  to  the  general  government, 
but  the  south  voted  him  down  as  often  as  it  came  up.  In 
1787,  as  late  as  July  10,  an  organizing  act  without  the 
anti-slavery  clause  was  pending.  This  concession  to  the  south 
was  expected  to  carry  it  Congress  was  in  session  in  New 
York  city.  0\  July  5,  Rev.  Dr.  Manasseh  Cutler,  of 
Massachusetts,  came  into  New  York  to  lobby  on  the  north- 
western territory.  Everything  seemed  to  fall  into  his  hands. 
Events  were  ripe :  the  state  of  the  public  credit,  the  growing  of 
southern  prejudice,  the  basis  of  his  mission,  his  personal 
character,  all  combined  to  complete  one  of  those  sudden  and 
marvelous  revolutions  of  public  sentiment  that  once  in  five 
or  ten  centuries  are  seen  to  sweep  over  a  country  like  the 
breath  of  the  Almighty.  Cutler  was  a  remarkable  man  ;  a 
graduate  of  Yale,  he  had  studied  and  taken  degrees  in  the 
three  learned  professions,  law,  divinity  and  medicine.  Har- 
vard had  given  him  his  A.  M.,  and  Yale  had  honored  herself 
by  adding  his  D.  D.  He  had  thus  America's  best  literary 
indorsement.  He  had  published  a  scientific  examination  of 
the  plants  of  New  England.  His  name  stood  second  only  to 
that  of  Franklin  as  a  scientist  in  America.  He  was  a  courtly 
gentleman  of  the  old  style,  a  man  of  commanding  presence, 
and  of  inviting  face.  The  southern  members  were  captivated 
by  his  genial  manners,  rare  and  profound  abilities.  He 
came  representing  a  company  that  desired  to  purchase  a 
tract  of  land  now  included  in  Ohio,  for  the  purpose  of  plant- 
ing a  colony.  Government  money  was  worth  eighteen  cents 
on  the  dollar.  This  Massachusetts  company  had  collected 
enough  to  purchase  1, .500, 000  acres  of  land.  Other  specu- 
lators in  New  York  made  Dr.  Cutler  their  agent ;  on  the 
12th  he  represented  a  demand  for  5,500,000  acres.  This 
would  reduce  the  national  debt.  Jefferson  and  Virginia 
were  regarded  as  authority  concerning  the  land  Virginia 
had  just  ceded.  Jefferson's  policy  wanted  to  provide  for  the 
public  credit,  and  this  was  a  good  opportunity  to  do  some- 


thing. Massachusetts  then  owned  the  territory  of  Maine, 
which  she  was  crowding  on  the  market.  She  was  opposed 
to  opening  the  north-western  region.  This  fired  the  zeal  of 
Virginia.  The  South  caught  the  inspii'ation,  and  all  exalted 
Dr.  Cutler.  The  English  Minister  invited  him  to  dine  with 
some  of  the  Southern  gentlemen.  He  was  the  centre  of  in- 
terest ;  the  entire  South  rallied  around  him.  Massachusetts 
could  not  vote  against  him,  because  many  of  the  constituents! 
of  her  members  were  interested  personally  in  the  western 
speculation  ;  thus  Cutler,  making  friends  with  the  south,  and 
doubtless  using  all  the  arts  of  the  lobby,  was  enabled  to 
command  the  situation.  True  to  deeper  conviction,  he 
dictated  one  of  the  most  compact  and  finished  documents  of 
wise  statesmanship  that  ever  adorned  any  human  law  book  ; 
he  borrowed  from  Jefferson  the  term  "  Articles  of  Compact," 
which  preceding  the  federal  constitution,  rose  into  the  most 
sacred  character.  He  then  followed  very  closely  the  constitu- 
tion of  Massachusetts,  adopted  three  years  before, — its  most 
marked  points  were  : 

1st.  The  exclusion  of  slavery  from  the   territory  forever. 

2d.  Provision  for  public  schools,  giving  one  township  for 
a  seminary,  and  every  section  numbered  IG  in  each  town- 
ship ;  that  is,  one  thirty-sixth  of  all  the  land  for  public 
schools. 

3d.  A  provision  prohibiting  the  adoption  of  any  consti- 
tution, or  the  enactment  of  any  law  that  should  nullify 
pre-existing  contracts. 

Be  it  forever  remembered  that  this  compact  declared 
that  "  Religion,  morality,  and  knowledge  being  necessary 
to  good  government  and  the  happiness  of  mankind,  schools 
and  means  of  education  shall  always  be  encouraged."  Dr. 
Cutler  planted  himself  on  this  platform  and  would  not  yield. 
Giving  his  unqualified  declaration  that  it  was  that  or  nothing 
— that  unless  they  could  make  the  land  desirable  they  did 
not  want  it — he  took  his  horse  and  gig  and  started  for  tho 
Constitutional  Convention  in  Philadelphia.  On  July  13, 
1787,  the  bill  was  put  upon  its  passage,  and  was  unanimously 
adopted,  every  Southern  member  voting  for  it,  and  only  one 
man,  Mr.  Yates  of  New  York,  voting  against  it,  but  as  the 
States  voted  as  States,  Yates  Jost  his  vote,  and  the  compact 
was  put  beyond  repeal.  Then  the  great  States  of  Ohio,  In- 
diana, Illinois,  Michigan,  and  Wisconsin — a  vast  empire, 
the  heart  of  the  great  valley — were  consecrated  to  freedom, 
intelligence,  and  honesty.  In  the  light  of  these  ninety-five 
years,  it  is  evident  to  all  that  this  act  was  the  salvation  of 
the  republic  and  the  destruction  of  slavery.  Soon  the  south 
saw  their  great  blunder,  and  tried  to  repeal  the  compact. 
In  1803  Congress  referred  it  to  a  committee,  of  which  John 
Randolph  was  chairman.  He  reported  that  this  ordinance 
was  a  compact,  and  opposed  repeal.  Thus  it  stood  a  rock 
in  the  way  of  the  on-rushing  sea  of  slavery.  With  all  this 
timely  aid  it  was,  after  all,  a  most  desperate  and  protracted 
struggle  to  keep  the  soil  of  Illinois  sacred  to  freedom.  It 
was  the  natural  battle  field  for  the  irrepressible  conflict.  In 
the  southern  end  of  the  State  slavery  preceded  the  compact. 
It  existed  among  the  old  French  settlers,  and  was  hard  to 
eradicate.  The  southern  part  of  the  State  was  settled  from 
the  slave  States;  and  this  population  brought   their  laws, 


:;4 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS 


customs,  and  institutions  with  them.     A  stream  of  popula- 
tion from  the  North  poured  into  the  northern  part  of  the 
State     These  sections  misunderstood  and  hated  each  other 
perfectly.  The  Southerners  regarded  the  Yankees  as  a  skin- 
ning, trick_y,  penurious  race  of  peddlers,  filling  the  country 
with  tinware,   brass   clocks,  and   wooden    nutmegs.    ,  The 
Northerner  thought  of  the  Southerner  as  a  lean,  lank,  lazy 
creature,  burrowing  in  a  hut,  and  rioting  in  whisky,  dirt 
and  ignorance.     These  causes  aided  in  making  the  struggle 
long  and  bitter.     So  strong  was  the  sympathy  with  slavery 
that  in  spite  of  the  ordinance  of  1787,  and  in  spite  of  the 
deed  of  cession,  it  was  determined  to  allow  the  old  French 
settlers  to   retain  their  slaves.     Planters   from   the   slave 
States  might  bring  their  slaves,  if  they  would   give  them  a 
chance  to  choose   freedom,  or  years  of  service  and  bondage 
for  their  children  till  they  should  become  thirty  years  of  age. 
If  they  chose  freedom  they  must  leave  the  State  in  sixty 
days  or  be  sold  as  fugitives.     Servants  were  whipped  for 
offences  for  which  white  men  are  fined ;  each  lash  paid  forty 
cents  of  the  fine.     A  negro  ten  miles  from  home  without  a 
pass  was  whipped.     These  famous  laws  were  imported  from 
the  slave  States,  just  as  they  imported  laws  for  the  inspec- 
tion of  flax  and  wool  when  there  was  neither  in  the  State. 
These  black  laws  are  now  wiped  out.     A  vigorous  efibrt  was 
made  to  protect  slavery  in  the  State  Constitution  of  1818  ;  it 
barely  failed.     It  was  renewed  in  1826,  when  a  convention 
was  asked  to  make  a  new  constitution.   After  a  hard  fight  the 
convention  was  defeated  ;  but  slaves  did  not  disappear  from 
the  census  of  the  State  until   1850.     There  were  mobs  and 
murders  in  the  interest  of  slavery.     Lovejoy  was  added  to 
the  list  of  martyrs — a  sort  of  first  fruits  of  that  long  line  of 
immortal  heroes  who  saw  freedom  a3  the  one  supreme  desire 
of  their  souls,  and  were  so  enimorcd  of  her  that  they  pre- 
ferred to  dis  rather  than  survive  her. 

LAND    TENURES. 

The  early  French  settlers  held  the  jjossession  of  their  land 
in  common.  A  tract  of  land  was  fixed  upon  for  a  Common 
Field,  in  which  all  the  inhabitants  were  interested. 

Besides  the  Common  Field,  another  tract  of  land  was  laid 
off  on  the  Commons.  All  the  villagers  had  free  access  to 
this  as  a  place  of  pasturage  for  their  stock.  From  this  they 
also  drew  their  supply  of  fuel. 

Individual  grants  were  likewise  made.  Under  the  French 
system,  the  lands  were  granted  without  any  equivalent  con- 
sideration in  the  way  of  money,  the  individuals  satisfying 
the  authorities  that  the  lands  were  wanted  for  actual  settle- 
ment, or  for  a  purj)ose  likely  to  benefit  the  community.  The 
first  grant  of  land,  which  is  preserved,  is  that  made  to  Charles 
Danie,  Maj'  10th,  1722.  The  French  grants  at  Kaskaskia 
extended  from  river  to  river,  and  at  other  places  in  the  Bot- 
tom they  commonly  extended  from  river  to  bluff".  Grants  of 
land  were  made  for  almost  all  the  American  Bottom,  from 
the  upper  limits  of  the  Common  Field  of  St.  Phillip's  to 
the  lower  line  of  the  Kaskaskia  Common  Field,  a  distance 
of  nearly  thirty  miles. 

The  British  commandants,  who  assumed  the  government 
on  the  cession  of  the  territory  hy  France,  exercised  the  pri- 


vilege of  making  grants,  subject  to  the  approval  of  his  Ma- 
jesty, the  King.  Colonel  Wilkins  granted  to  some  merchants 
of  Philadelphia  a  magnificent  domain  of  thirty  thousand 
acres  lying  between  the  village  of  Kaskaskia  and  Prairie  du 
Rocher,  much  of  it  already  covered  by  French  grants  pre- 
viously made.  For  the  better  carrying  out  their  plans,  the 
British  officers,  and  perhaps  their  grantees,  destroyed,  to 
some  extent,  the  records  of  the  ancient  French  grants  at 
Kaskaskia,  by  which  the  regular  claim  of  titles  and  convey- 
ances was  partly  broken.  This  British  grant  of  thirty 
thousand  acres,  which  had  been  assigned  to  John  Edgar, 
was  afterward  patented  by  Governor  St.  Clair  to  Edgar  and 
John  Murray  St.  Clair,  the  Governor's  son,  to  whom  Edgar 
had  previously  conveyed  a  moiety  by  deed.  Although  much 
fault  was  found  with  the  transaction,  a  confirmati(m  of  the 
grant  was  secured  from  the  United  States  government. 

When  Virginia  ceded  Illinois,  it  was  stipulated  that  the 
French  and  Canadian  inhabitants,  and  otlicr  settlei's,  who 
had  professed  allegiance  to  Virginia,  should  have  their 
titles  confirmed  to  them.  Congress  afterwards  authorized 
the  Governor  to  confirm  the  possessions  and  titles  of  the 
French  to  their  lands.  In  accordance  with  this  agreement. 
Governor  St.  Clair,  in  1790,  issued  a  proclamation  directing 
the  inhabitants  to  exhibit  their  titles  and  claims  of  the  lands 
which  they  held,  in  order  to  be  confirmed  in  their  possession. 
"Where  the  instruments  were  found  to  be  authentic,  orders  of 
survey  were  issued,  the  expense  of  which  was  borne  by  the 
parties  who  claimed  ownership.  The  French  inhabitants 
were  in  such  poverty  at  this  time  that  they  were  really  una- 
ble to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  Eurveys,  and  a  memorial 
signed  by  P.  Gibault,  the  priest  at  Kaskaskia,  and  eighty- 
seven  others,  was  presented  to  Governor  St.  Clair,  praying 
him  to  petition  Congress  for  relief  in  the  matter.  In  1791, 
Congress  directed  that  four  hundred  acres  of  land  should  be 
granted  to  the  head  of  every  family  which  had  made  improve- 
ments in  Illinois  prior  to  the  year  1788.  Congress  had  also 
directed  that  a  donation  be  given  ti  each  of  the  families  then 
living  at  either  of  the  villages  of  Kaskaskia,  Prairie  du 
Eocher,  Cahokia,  Fort  Chartres,  or  St.  Phillips.  These  were 
known  as  the  "  bead-right "  claims. 

At  an  early  date,  speculation  became  active  in  the  land 
claims  of  different  kinds;  bead-rights,  improvement  rights, 
militia  right-,  and  fraudulent  claims  were  produced  in  great 
numbers.  The  French  claims  were  partly  unconfirmed, 
owing  to  the  poverty  of  that  people,  and  these  were  forced 
on  the  market  with  the  others.  Trie  official  report  of  the 
commissioners  at  Kaskaskia,  made  in  1810,  shows  that  eight 
hundred  and  ninety  land  claims  were  rejected  as  being  ille- 
gal or  fraudulent.  Three  hundred  and  seventy  were 
reported  as  being  supported  by  perjury,  and  a  considerable 
number  were  forged.  There  are  fourteen  names  given  of 
persons,  both  English  and  French,  who  made  it  a  regular 
business  to  furnish  sworn  certificates,  professing  an  intimate 
knowledge,  in  every  case,  of  the  settlers  who  had  made  cer- 
tain improvements  upon  which  claims  were  predicated  and 
when  and  where  they  were  located.  A  Frenchman,  clerk 
of  the  parish  of  Prairie  du  Rocher,  "  without  property  and 
fjnd  uf  liquor,"  after  having  given  some  two  hundred  depo- 


HISTORY  OF  IIABISOy  COUNT T,  ILLINOIS. 


sitions  iu  favor  of  three  land  claimant  speculators,  "  was 
induced,'  in  thelduguage  of  the  report,  "either  by  compen- 
sation, fear,  or  the  impossibility  of  obtaining  absolution  on 
any  c-thcr  terms,  to  declare  on  oath  that  the  said  depositions 
were  false,  and  that  in  giving  them  he  hud  a  regard  for, 
something  beyond  the  truth." 

The  report  of  the  commissioners  raised  many  doubts  in 
regard  to  the  validity  and  propriety  of  a  number  of  confir- 
mations by  the  Governors,  and  much  dissatisfaction  among 
the  claimants  ;  and  in  consequence,  Congress  in  1812,  passed 
an  act  for  the  revision  of  these  land  claims  ia  the  Kaskiiskia 
district.  The  commissioners  under  this  law  were  Michael 
Jones,  John  Caldwell,  and  Thomas  Sloo.  Facts  damaging 
to  persons  who  occupied  positions  of  high  respectability  in 
the  community,  were  disclosed.  They  reported  that  the 
English  claim  of  thirty  thousand  acres  confirmed  by  Gover- 
nor St.  Clair  to  John  Edgar  and  the  Governor's  son,  John 
Murray  St.  Clair,  was  founded  in  neither  law  or  equity  ;  that 
the  patent  was  issued  after  the  Governor's  power  ceased  to 
exist,  and  the  claim  ought  not  to  be  confirmed.  Congress, 
however,  confirmed  it. 

For  a  period  of  several  years,  emigration  was  considerably 
retarded  by  the  delay  iu  adjusting  land  titles.  The  act  of 
Congress  passed  in  18L3,  granting  the  right  of  pre-emption 
to  settlers,  was  influential  in  bringing  the  public  lands  into 
juarket.  Emigrants  poured  into  the  country,  and  improve- 
ments were  rapidly  made. 

PHYSICAL    FEATURES    OF    THE   STATE. 

In  area  the  State  has  55,410  square  miles  of  territory.  It 
is  about  150  miles  wide  and  400  miles  long,  stretching  in 
latitude  from  Maine  to  North  Carolina.  It  embraces  wide 
variety  of  climate.  It  is  tempered  on  the  north  by  the  great 
iidand,  saltless,  tideless  sea,  which  helps  the  thermometer 
from  either  extreme.  Being  a  table-land,  from  690  to  1,600 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  one  is  prepared  to  find  on  the 
health  maps,  prepared  by  the  general  government,  an  almost 
clean  and  perfect  record.  In  freedom  from  fever  and  mala- 
rial diseases  and  consumptions,  the  three  deadly  enemies  of 
the  American  Saxon,  Illinois,  as  a  State,  stands  without  a 
superior,  She  furnishes  one  of  the  essential  conditions  of  a 
great  people — sound  bodies ;  we  suspect  that  this  fact  lies 
back  of  that  old  Delaware  word,  Illini,  superior  men.  The 
great  battles  ofhistory  have  been  determinative;  dynasties  and 
destinies  have  been  strategical  battles,  chiefly  the  question  of 
position  ;  Thermopyhc  has  been  the  war-cry  of  freemen  for 
twenty-four  centuries.  It  only  tells  how  much  there  may  be 
in  position.  All  this  advantage  belong  to  Illinois.  It  is  in 
the  heart  of  the  greatest  valley  in  the  world,  the  vast  region 
between  the  mountains — a  valley  that  could  feed  mankind 
for  a  thousand  years.  It  is  well  on  toward  the  centre  of  the 
continent.  It  is  in  the  great  temperate  belt,  in  which  have 
bcenf)und  nearly  all  the  aggressive  civilizations  of  history. 
It  has  sixty-five  miles  of  frontage  on  the  head  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan. With  the  Mississippi  forming  the  western  and  south- 
ern boundary,  with  the  Ohio  running  along  the  south-ea.stcrn 
line,  with  the  Illinois  river  and  Canal  dividing  the  State 
diagonally  from  the  lake  to  the  Lower  Mississippi,  and  with 
the  Rock  and  Wabash  rivers  furnishing  altogether  2,000 


miles  of  water-front,  connecting  with,  and  running  through, 
in  all  about  12,000  miles  of  navigable  water.  But  this  is 
not  all.  These  waters  are  made  most  available  by  the  fact 
that  the  lake  and  the  State  lie  on  the  I'idge  running  into  the 
great  valley  from  the  east.  Within  cannon-shot  of  the  lake 
the  water  runs  away  from  the  lake  to  the  gulf  The  lake 
now  empties  at  both  ends,  one  into  the  Atlantic  and  one  into 
tlie  Gulf  of  Mexico.  The  lake  thus  seems  to  hang  over  the 
land.  This  makes  the  dockage  most  serviceable;  there  are 
no  steep  banks  to  damage  it.  Both  lake  and  river  are  made 
for  use.  The  climate  varies  from  Portland  to  Richmond. 
It  favors  every  product  of  the  continent  including  the  tropics, 
with  less  than  half  a  dozen  exceptions.  It  produces  every 
great  nutriment  of  the  world  except  bananas  and  rice.  It 
is  hardly  too  much  to  say  that  it  is  the  most  productive  spot 
known  to  civilization.  With  the  soil  full  of  bread  and  the 
earth  full  of  minerals;  with  an  upper  surface  of  food  and  an 
under  layer  of  fuel;  with  perfect  natural  drainage,  and 
abundant  .springs  and  streams  and  navigable  rivers;  half 
way  between  the  forests  of  the  North  and  the  fruits  of  the 
South  ;  within  a  day's  ride  of  the  great  deposits  of  iron,  coal, 
copper,  lead  and  zinc:  containing  and  controlling  the  great 
grain,  cattle,  pork,  and  lumber  markets  of  the  world,  it  is 
not  strange  that  Illinois  has  the  advantage  of  position.  This 
advantage  has  been  supplemented  by  the  character  of  the 
population.  In  the  early  days  when  Illinois  was  first  admit- 
ted to  the  union,  her  population  were  chiefly  from  Kentucky 
and  Virginia.  But,  in  the  conflict  of  ideas  concerning  sla- 
very, a  strong  tide  of  immigration  came  in  fron  the  East,  and 
soon  changed  this  composition.  In  1880,  her  now  native 
population  were  from  colder  soils.  New  York  had  furnished 
143,290:  Ohio  gave  172,623:  Pennsylvania  108,352:  the 
entire  South  gave  us  only  216,734.  In  all  her  cities,  and  in 
all  her  German  and  Scandinavian  and  other  foreign  colonies, 
Illinois  has  only  about  one-fifth  of  her  people  of  foreign 
birth. 

PROGRESS    OF    DEVELOPMENT. 

One  of  the  greatest  divolopments  ia  the  early  history 
of  Illinois, is  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal,  connecting  the 
Illinois  aad  Mississippi  rivers  with  the  lakes.  It  was  of  the 
utmost  importance  to  the  State.  It  was  recommended  by 
Governor  Bond,  the  first  governor,  iu  his  first  message.  Two 
bright  young  engineers  surveyed  it,  and  estimated  the  cost 
at  $600,000  or  $700,000.  It  finally  cost  $8,000,000.  In 
1825,  a  law  was  passed  to  incorporate  the  canal  company, 
but  no  stock  was  sold.  In  1826,  upon  the  solicitation  of 
Daniel  P.  Cook,  congress  gave  800,000  acres  of  land  on  the 
line  of  the  work.  In  1828,  another  law-commissioner  was 
appointed,  and  work  commenced  with  new  survey  and  new 
estimates.  In  1834-35,  George  Farquar  made  an  able 
report  on  the  whole  matter.  This  was,  doubtless,  the 
ablest  report  ever  made  to  a  western  legislature,  and  it  be- 
came the  model  for  subsequent  reports  and  action.  From 
this  the  work  went  on  until  it  was  finished  in  1848.  It  cost 
the  State  a  large  amount  of  money  ;  but  it  gave  to  the  indus- 
tries of  the  State  an  impetus  that  pushed  it  up  into  the  first 
rank  of  greatness.  It  was  not  built  as  a  speculation.  But 
it  has  paid  into  the  Treasury  of  the  State  an  average  annual 


36 


HI8T0RY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINO... 


nett  sum  of  over  111,000.  Pending  the  construction  of  the 
canal,  the  land  and  town-lot  fever  broke  out  in  the  state,  in 
1834-35.  It  took  on  the  malignant  type  in  Chicago,  lifting 
the  town  up  into  a  city.  The  disease  spread  over  the  entire 
State  and  adjoining  States.  It  was  epidemic.  It  cut  up 
men's  farms  without  regard  to  locality,  and  cut  up  the  purses 
of  the  purchasers  without  regard  to  consequences.  There 
was  no  lack  of  buyers  ;  speculators  and  money  swarmed  into 
the  country.  This  distemper  seized  upon  the  Legislature  in 
1836-37,  and  left  not  one  to  tell  the  tale.  They  enacted  a 
system  of  internal  improvement  without  a  parallel  in  the 
grandeur  of  its  conception.  They  ordered  tha  construction 
of  1,300  miles  of  railroad,  crossing  the  State  in  all  directions. 
This  was  surpassed  by  the  river  and  canal  improvements. 
There  were  a  few  counties  not  touched  by  either  railroad  or 
river  or  canal,  and  those  were  to  be  comforted  and  compen- 
sated by  the  free  distribution  of  $200,000  among  them.  To 
inflats  this  balloon  beyond  credence  it  was  ordered  that  work 
should  be  commenced  on  both  ends  of  each  of  these  railroads 
and  rivers,  and  at  each  river-crossing,  all  at  the  same  time. 
The  appropriations  for  the  vast  improvements  were  over 
$12,000,000,  and  commissioners  were  appointed  to  borrow 
money  on  the  credit  of  the  State.  Remember  that  all  this  was 
in  the  early  days  of  railroading,  when  railroads  were  luxu- 
ries ;  that  the  State  had  whole  counties  with  scarcely  a 
cabin,  and  that  the  population  of  the  State  was  less  than 
400,000,  and  you  can  form  some  idea  of  the  vigor  with 
which  these  brave  men  undertook  the  work  of  making  a 
great  State.  In  the  light  of  history  it  appears  that  this  was 
only  a  premature  throb  of  the  power  that  actually  slumbered 
in  the  soil  of  the  State.  It  was  Hercules  in  the  cradle.  At 
this  juncture  the  State  bank  loaned  its  funds  largely  to 
Godfrey  Oilman  &  Co.,  and  other  leading  houses  for  the 
purpose  of  drawing  trade  from  St.  Louis  to  Alton.  Soon 
they  failed,  and  took  down  the  bank  with  them.  In  1840, 
all  hope  seemed  gone.  A  population  of  480,000  were  load- 
ed with  a  debt  of  $14,000,000.  It  had  only  six  small  cities, 
really  only  towns,  namely:  Chicago,  Alton,  Springfield, 
Qiiincy,  Galena  and  Nauvoo.  This  debt  was  to  be  cared 
for  when  there  was  not  a  dollar  in  the  treasury,  and  when 
the  State  had  borrowed  itself  out  of  all  credit,  and  when 
there  was  not  good  money  enough  in  the  hands  of  all  the 
people  to  pay  the  interest  of  the  debt  for  a  single  year.  Yet 
in  the  presence  of  all  these  difficulties  the  young  State 
steadily  refused  to  repudiate.  Gov.  Ford  took  hold  of  the 
problem  and  solved  it,  bringing  the  State  through  in  triumph. 
Having  touched  lightly  upon  some  of  the  most  distinctive 
points  in  the  history  of  Illinois,  let  us  next  briefly  consider 
the 

MATERIAL   RESOURCES   OF   THE   STATE. 

It  is  substantially  a  garden  four  hundred  miles  long  and 
one  hundred  and  fifty  wide.  Its  soil  is  chiefly  a  black  sandy 
loam,  varying  from  six  inches  to  six  feet  thick.  On  the 
American  Bottoms  it  has  been  cultivated  for  over  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  years  without  renewal.  About  the  old  French 
towns  it  has  yielded  corn  for  a  century  and  a  half  without 
rest  or  help.  It  produces  nearly  everything  green  in  the  tem- 
perate and  tropical  zones  ;  she  leads  any  of  the  other  States 


in  the  number  of  acres  actually  under  plow.  Her  products 
from  25,000,000  acresare  incalculable.  Her  mineral  wealth 
is  scarcely  second  to  her  agricultural  power.  She  has  coal, 
iron,  lead,  copper,  zinc,  many  varieties  of  building  stone, 
fire  clay,  cuma  clay,  common  brick  and  tile  clay,  sands  of 
all  kinds,  gravel,  mineral  paint,  everything  needed  for  a 
high  civilization.  Left  to  herself,  she  has  the  elements  of 
all  greatness.  The  single  item  of  coal  is  too  vast  for  an 
appreciative  handling  in  figures.  We  can  handle  it  in  gene- 
ral terms,  like  algebraical  signs,  but  long  before  we  get  up 
into  the  millions  and  billions,  the  human  mind  drops  down 
from  comprehension  to  mere  symbolic  apprehension.  Nearly 
four-fifths  of  the  entire  State  is  underlaid  with  a  deposit  of 
coal  more  than  forty  feet  thick  on  the  average,  including  all 
strata  (now  estimated  by  recent  surveys,  at  seventy  feet 
thick).  You  can  get  some  idea  of  its  amount,  as  you  do  of  the 
amount  of  the  national  debt.  There  it  is,  41,000  square 
miles,  one  vast  mine  into  which  you  could  bury  scores  of 
European  and  ancient  empires,  and  have  room  enough 
all  round  to  work  without  knowing  that  they  had  been 
sepulchered  there.  Put  this  vast  coal-bed  down  by  the 
other  great  coal  deposits  of  the  world,  and  its  importance 
becomes  manifest.  Great  Britain,  has  12,000  square  miles 
of  coal;  Spain  3,000;  France  1,719;  Belgium  578;  Illi- 
nois about  twice  as  many  square  miles  as  all  combined. 
Virginia  has  20,000  square  miles;  Pennsylvania,  16,000 ; 
Ohio,  12,000;  Illinois  has  31,000  square  miles  ;  one-seventh 
of  all  the  known  coal  on  this  continent  is  in  Illinois. 

Could  we  sell  the  coal  in  this  single  State  for  one-seventh 
of  one  cent  a  ton  it  would  pay  the  national  debt.  Great 
Britain  uses  enough  mechanical  power  to-day  to  give  each 
man,  woman  and  child  in  the  kingdom  the  help  and  service 
of  nineteen  untiring  servants.  No  wonder  she  has  leisure 
and  luxuries.  No  wonder  the  home  of  the  common  arlisan 
has  in  it  more  luxuries  than  could  be  found  in  the  palace  of 
good  old  King  Arthur.  Think,  if  you  can  conceive  of  it,  of 
the  vastarmy  of  servants  that  slumber  in  Illinois,  impatient- 
ly awaiting  the  call  of  genius  to  come  forth  to  minister  to 
our  comfort.  At  the  present  rate  of  consumption  England's 
coal  supply  will  be  exhausted  in  250  years.  At  the  same 
rate  of  consumption  (which  far  exceeds  our  own )  the  deposit; 
of  coal  in  Illinois  will  last  120,000  years.  Let  us  now  turn 
from  this  reserve  power  to  £ho 

ANNUAL   PRODUCTS 

of  the  State.  We  shall  not  bo  humiliated  in  this  field.  Here 
we  strike  the  secret  of  our  national  credit.  Nature  provides 
a  market  in  the  constant  appetite  of  the  race.  For  several 
years  past  the  annual  production  of  wheat  in  Illinois  has 
exceeded  30,000,000.  That  is  more  wheat  than  was  raised 
by  any  other  State  in  the  Union ;  with  corn,  she  comes  for- 
ward with  140,000,000  bushels,  twice  as  much  as  any  other 
State,  and  one-sixth  of  all  the  corn  raised  in  the  United 
States.  She  harvested  2,767,000  tons  of  hay,  nearly  one- 
tenth  of  all  the  hay  in  the  Republic.  It  is  not  generally 
appreciated,  but  it  is  true,  that  the  hay  crop  of  the  country 
is  worth  more  than  the  cotton  crop  ;  the  hay  of  Illinois  equals 
the  cotton  of  Louisiana. 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


37 


The  valuation  of  her  farm  implements  is  §230,000,000, 
and  the  value  of  her  live  stock,  is  only  second  to  the  great 
State  of  New  York.  She  raises  from  25,000,000  to  30,000,- 
000  hogs  annually,  and  according  to  the  last  census  packed 
about  one  half  of  all  that  were  packed  iu  the  United  States. 
This  is  no  insignificant  item.  Pork  is  a  growing  demand  of 
the  old  world.  Illinois  marked  $04,000,000  worth  of 
slaughtered  animals ;  more  than  any  other  State,  and  one- 
seventh  of  all  the  States. 

Illinois  is  a  grand  and  wonderful  State,  peerless  in  the  fer- 
tility of  her  soil,  and  inexhaustible  resources.  She  is  fast 
marching  on  towards  her  predestined  2ilace  as  first  among  the 
sisterhood. 

We  subjoin  a  list  of  the  things  in  which  Illinois  excels  all 
other  States. 

Depth  and  richness  of  soil ;  per  cent,  of  good  ground  ; 
acres  of  improved  land  ;  large  farms — number  of  farmers ; 
amount  of  wheat,  corn  oats,  and  honey  produced  ;  value  of 
animals  for  slaughter;  number  of  hogs;  amount  of  pork; 
and  number  of  horses. 

Illinois  excels  all  other  States  in  miles  of  railroads  and  in 
miles  of  postal  service,  and  in  money  orders  sold  per  annum, 
and  in  the  amount  of  lumber  sold  in  her  markets.  She  pays 
a  larger  amount  of  internal  revenue  to  the  general  govern- 
ment than  any  other  state. 

Illinois  is  only  second  in  many  important  matters.  This 
sample  list  comprises  a  few  of  the  more  important: 

Permanent  school  fund  (good  for  a  young  State) ;  total 
income  for  educational  purposes;  number  of  publishers  of 
books,  maps,  papers,  etc ;  value  of  farm  products  and  im- 
plements, and  of  live  stock  ;  in  tons  of  coal  mined. 

The  shipping  of  Illinois  is  only  second  to  New  York.  Out 
of  one  port  during  the  business  hours  of  the  season  of  navi- 
gation she  sends  forth  a  vessel  every  ten  minutes.  This  does 
not  include  canal  boats,  which  go  one  every  five  minutes. 
No  wonder  she  is  only  second  in  number  of  bankers  and 
brokers  or  in  physicians  and  surgeons. 

She  is  third  iu  colleges,  teachers  and  schools ;  cattle,  lead, 
hay,  flax,  sorghum,  and  beeswax. 

She  is  fourth  in  population  ;  in  children  enrolled  in  public 
schools,  in  law  schools,  iu  butter,  potatoes,  and  carriages. 

She  is  fifth  in  value  of  real  and  personal  property,  in  theo- 
logical seminaries  and  colleges  exclusively  for  women,  in 
milk  sold,  and  iu  boots  and  shoes  manufactured,  and  in  book- 
binding. 

She  is  only  seventh  in  the  production  of  wood,  while  she  is 
the  twelfth  in  area.  She  now  has  much  more  wood  and 
growing  timber  than  she  had  thirty  years  ago. 

A  few  leading  industries  will  justify  emphasis.  She  man- 
ufactures §210,000,000  worth  of  goods,  which  place  her 
nearly  equal  to  New  York  and  Pennsylvania. 

In  the  number  of  copies  of  commercial  and  financial  news- 
papers issued,  she  is  only  second  to  New  York,  and  in  her 
miles  of  railroads  she  leads  all  other  States.  More  than  two- 
thirds  of  her  land  is  within  five  miles  of  a  railroad  and  less 
than  two  per  cent,  is  more  than  fifteen  miles  away. 

The  Eeligion  and  Morals  of  the  State  keep  step  with  her 
productions  and  growth.     She  was  born  of  the  missionary 


spirit.  It  was  a  minister  who  secured  her  the  ordinance  of 
1787,  by  which  she  has  been  saved  from  slavery,  ignorance, 
and  dishonesty.  Rev.  Mr.  Wiley,  pastor  of  a  Scotch  congre- 
gation in  Randolph  County,  petitioned  the  Constitutional 
Convention  of  1818  to  recognize  Jesus  Christ  as  King,  and 
the  Scriptures  as  the  only  necessary  guide  and  book  of  law. 
The  Convention  did  not  act  in  the  case,  and  the  old  cove- 
nanters refused  to  accept  citizenship.  They  never  voted 
until  1824,  when  the  slavery  question  was  submitted  to  the 
people.  But  little  mob  violence  has  ever  been  felt  in  the 
State.  In  1817  the  regulators  disposed  of  a  band  of  horse 
thieves  that  infested  the  territory.  The  ^Mormon  indignities 
finally  awoke  the  same  spirit.  Alton  was  also  the  scene  of  a 
pro-slavery  mob,  in  which  Lovejoy  was  added  to  the  list  of 
martyrs.  The  moral  sense  of  the  people  makes  the  law 
supreme,  and  gives  the  State  unruffled  peace.  With  about 
$23,000,000  in  church  property,  and  4,321  church  organiza- 
tions, the  State  has  that  divine  police,  the  sleepless  patrol  of 
moral  ideas,  that  alone  is  able  to  secure  perfect  safety.  Con- 
science takes  the  knife  from  the  assassin's  hand  and  the  blud- 
geon from  the  grasp  of  the  highwayman.  We  sleep  in  safety 
not  because  we  are  behind  bolts  and  bars — these  only  de- 
fend the  innocent ;  not  because  a  lone  officer  sleeps  on  a 
distant  corner  of  the  street ;  not  because  a  sheriff  may  call 
his  posse  from  a  remote  part  of  the  couoty  ;  but  because  con- 
science guards  the  very  portals  of  the  air  and  stirs  in  the 
deepest  recesses  of  the  public  mind.  This  spirit  issues  within 
the  State  9,500,000  copies  of  religious  papers  annually,  and 
receives  still  more  from  without.  Thus  the  crime  of  the 
State  is  only  one-fourth  that  of  New  York  and  one-half  that 
of  Pennsylvania. 

Illinois  never  had  but  one  duel  between  her  own  citizens. 
In  Belleville,  in  1820,  Alphonso  Stewart  and  William  Ben- 
nett arranged  to  vindicate  injured  honor.  The  seconds 
agreed  to  make  it  a  sham,  and  make  them  shoot  blanks. 
Stewart  was  in  the  secret.  Bennett  mistrusted  something, 
and,  unobserved,  slipped  a  bullet  into  his  gun  and  killed 
Stewart.  He  then  fled  the  State.  After  two  years  he  was 
caught,  tried,  convicted,  and,  in  spite  of  friends  and  political 
aid,  was  hung.  This  fixed  the  code  of  honor  on  a  Christian 
basis,  and  terminated  its  use  in  Illinois.  The  early  preachers 
were  generally  ignorant  men,  who  were  accounted  eloquent 
according  to  the  strength  of  their  voices.  Gov.  Ford  says, 
"  Nevertheless  these  first  preachers  were  of  incalculable  ben- 
efit to  the  country.  They  inculcated  justice  and  morality- 
To  them  are  we  indebted  for  the  first  Christian  character  of 
the  Protestant  portion  of  the  people." 

In.  Education,  Illinois  surpasses  her  material  resources.  The 
ordinance  of  1787  consecrated  one  thirty-sixth  of  her  soil  to 
common  schools,  and  the  law  of  1818,  the  first  law  that  went 
upon  her  statutes,  gave  three  per  cent,  of  all  the  rest  to  Educa- 
tion. The  old  compact  secures  this  interest  forever,  and  by  its 
yoking  together  morality  and  intelligence  it  precludes  the 
legal  interference  with  the  Bible  in  the  public  schools.  With 
such  a  start  it  is  natural  that  we  should  have  about  11,500 
schools,  and  that  our  iliteracy  should  he  less  than  New  York 
or  Pennsylvania,  and  about  one-half  of  Massachu.sett.'^.  What 
a  grand  showing  for  so  young  a  State.     These  public  schools 


38 


HI8T0RY  OF  MADmON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


soon  made  colleges  inevitable.  The  first  college,  still  flour- 
itlilng,  was  started  in  Lebanon  in  1828,  br  he  M.  E.  Church, 
and  named  after  Bishop  McKendree.  Illinoia  college  at 
Jacksonville  followed  in  1830, supported  by  the  Presbyterians. 
In  1832  the  Baptists  built  ShurtlefF  college  at  Alton,  and 
Knox  college  at  Galesburg  followed  in  1838,  and  Jubilee 
college  at  Peoria  in  1847,  and  the  good  Catholic  missionaries 
long  prior  to  this  had  e.-tablished  in  various  parts  of  the  State, 
colleges,  seminaries  and  parochial  schools.  After  these  early 
years  colleges  have  rained  down.  A  settler  could  hardly 
eucarap  on  the  prairie  but  a  college  would  spring  up  by  his 
wagon.  The  State  now  has  one  very  well  endowed  and 
equipped  university,  namely  the  North-western  University, 
at  Evanston,  with  six  colleges,  ninety  instructors,  over  one 
thousand  students,  and  $1,.'jOO,000  endowment.  Eev.  J.  M. 
Peck  was  the  first  educated  Protestant  minister  in  the  State. 
He  settled  at  Rock  Spring,  St.  Clair  County,  about  1820,  and 
lias  left  his  impress  on  the  State.  He  was  a  large  contribu- 
tor to  the  literature  of  that  day  in  this  State  ;  about  1 837  he 
published  a  Gazetteer  of  Illinois.  Soon  after  John  Russell, 
of  Bluflllale,  published  essays  and  tales  showing  genius. 
Judge  James  Hall  published  the  Illinois  Monihly  Magazine 
with  great  ability,  and  an  annual  called  The  Western  Sou- 
venir, which  gave  him  an  enviable  fame  all  over  the  United 
States.  From  these  beginnings,  Illinois  has  gone  on  till  she 
has  more  volumes  in  public  libraries  even  than  Massachu- 
setts, and  of  the  44,500,000  volumes  in  all  the  public  libra- 
ries of  the  United  Spates,  she  ha?  one-thirteenth. 

In  18G0  she  had  eighteen  colleges  and  seminaries  ;  in  1870 
she  had  eighty. 

That  is  a  grand  advance  fur  the  war  decade.  Her  growth 
in  the  last  ten  years  has  been  equally  marvellous. 

This  brings  us  to  a  record  unsurpassed  in  any  age. 

THE   WAR    EECORD    OF    ILLINOIS. 

We  hardly  know  where  to  begin,  or  how  to  advance,  or 
what  to  say,  as  we  can  at  best  give  only  a  broken  synojisis 
of  her  gallant  deeds.  Her  sons  have  always  been  foremost 
on  fields  of  danger.  In  the  war  of  1812  she  aided  in  main- 
taining national  sovereignty.  In  1831-32,  at  the  call  of 
Gov.  Reynolds,  her  sous  drove  Blackhawk  over  the  Missis- 
sippi. 

When  the  Mexican  war  came,  in  May,  1846,  8,370  men 
offered  themselves  when  only  3,720  could  be  accepted.  The 
fields  of  Bueua  Vista,  Chapultepec  and  Vera  Cruz,  and  the 
storming  of  Cerro  Gordo,  will  perpetuate  the  bravery  and 
the  glory  of  the  Illinois  soldier.  But  it  was  reserved  till 
our  day  for  her  sons  to  find  a  field  and  a  cause  and  a  foe- 
man  that  could  fitly  illustrate  their  spirit  and  heroism. 
Illinois  put  into  her  own  regiments  for  the  United  States 
government  2.'JG,000  men,  and  into  the  army  through  other 
states  enough  to  swell  the  number  to  290,000.  This  far  ex- 
ceeds all  the  soldiers  of  the  federal  government  in  all  the 
war  of  the  revolution.  Her  total  years  of  service  were 
G00,000.  She  enrolled  men  from  eighteen  to  forty-five 
years  of  age  when  the  law  of  Congress  in  1864 — the  test 
time — only  asked  for  tho.se  from  twenty  to  forty-five.  Her 
enrollment  was  otherwise  excessive.     Her  people  wanted  to 


go  and  did  not  take  the  pains  to  correct  the  enrollment. 
Thus  the  basis  of  fixing  the  quota  was  too  great,  and  then 
the  quota  itself,  at  least  in  the  trying  time,  was  far  above 
any  other  State.  Thus  the  demand  on  some  counties,  as 
Monroe,  for  example,  took  every  able-bodied  man  iu  the 
county,  and  then  did  not  have  enough  to  fill  the  quota. 
Moreover,  Illinois  sent  20,844  men  for  ninety  or  one  hundred 
days,  for  whom  no  credit  was  asked.  When  Mr.  Lincoln's 
attention  was  called  to  the  inequality  of  the  quota  compared 
with  other  states,  he  replied,  "  The  country  needs  the  sacri- 
fice. We  must  put  the  whip  on  the  free  horse."  In  spite 
of  these  disadvantages  Illinois  gave  to  the  country  73,000 
years  of  service  above  all  calls.  With  one-thirteenth  of 
the  population  of  the  loyal  States,  she  sent  regularly  one- 
tenth  of  all  the  soldiers,  and  in  the  peril  of  the  closing 
calls,  when  patriots  were  few  and  weary,  she  then  sent  one- 
eighth  of  all  that  were  called  for  by  her  loved  and  honored 
son  in  the  White  House.  Her  mothers  and  daughters  went 
into  the  fields  to  raise  the  grain  and  keep  the  children  to- 
gether, while  the  fathers  and  older  sous  went  to  the  harvest 
fields  of  the  world.  What  a  glorious  record  there  is  treas- 
ured up  in  the  history  of  this  great  country  for  the  patriotic 
Illinois  soldier.  Her  military  record  during  the  Rebellion 
stands  peerless  among  the  other  States.  Ask  any  soldier 
with  a  good  record  of  his  own,  who  is  thus  able  to  judge, 
and  ho  will  tell  you  that  the  Illinois  men  went  in  to  win. 
It  is  common  history  that  the  greater  victories  were  won  in 
the  West.  When  everything  else  was  dark,  Illinois  was  gain- 
ing victories  all  down  the  river,  and  dividing  the  confederacy, 
Sherman  took  with  him  on  Lis  great  march  forty-five  regi 
ments  of  Illinois  infantry,  three  companies  of  artillery,  and 
one  company  of  calvary.  He  could  not  avoid  going  to  the 
sea.  Lincoln  answered  all  rumors  of  Sherman's  defeat  with 
"  It  is  impossible ;  there  is  a  mighty  sight  of  fight  in  100,- 
000  Western  men."  Illinois  soldiers  brought  home  300 
battle-flags.  The  first  United  States  flag  that  floated  over 
Richmond  was  an  Illinois  flag.  She  sent  messengers  and 
nurses  to  every  field  and  hospital,  to  care  for  her  sick  and 
wounded  sons.  When  individuals  had  given  all,  then  cities 
and  towns  came  forward  with  their  credit  to  the  extent  of 
many  millions,  to  aid  these  men  and  their  families.  Illinois 
gave  the  country  the  great  general  of  the  war — Ulysses  S. 
Grant — since  honored  with  two  terms  of  the  Presidency  of 
the  United  States. 

One  other  name  from  Illinois  comes  up  in  all  minds, 
embalmed  in  all  hearts,  that  must  have  the  supreme  place 
in  this  story  of  our  glory  and  of  our  nation's  honor :  that 
name  is  Abiaham  Lincoln,  of  Illinois.  The  analysis  of  Mr. 
Lincoln's  character  is  difficult  on  account  of  its  symmetry. 
In  this  age  we  look  with  admiration  at  his  uncompromising 
honesty.  And  well  we  may,  for  this  saved  us  thousands 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  our  country  who  knew 
him  only  as  "Honest  Old  Abe,"  and  voted  for  him  on  that 
account;  and  wisely  did  they  choose,  for  no  other  man  could 
have  carried  us  through  the  fearful  night  of  the  war. 
When  his  plans  were  too  vast  for  our  comprehension  and 
his  fivith  in  the  cause  too  sublime  for  our  participation, 
when  it  was  all  night  about  us,  and  all  dread   before  us. 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


39 


and  all  sad  and  desolate  behind  us  :  wlien  not  one  ray  shone 
upon  our  cause ;  when  traitors  were  haughty  and  exultant 
at  the  south,  and  fierce  and  blasphemous  at  the  Korth  ; 
■when  the  loyal  men  here  seemed  almost  in  the  minority ; 
■when  the  stoutest  heart  quailed,  when  generals  were  defeat- 
ing each  other  for  place,  and  contractors  were  leeching  out 
the  very  heart's  blood  of  the  prostrate  republic :  when 
everything  else  had  failed  us,  we  looked  at  this  calm,  patient 
man  standing  like  a  rock  in  the  storm  and  said,  "  Mr.  Lin- 
coln is  honest,  and  we  will  trust  him  still."  Holding  to  this 
single  point  with  the  energy  of  faith  and  despair  we  held 
together,  and,  under  God,  he  brought  us  through  to  victory. 
His  practical  wisdom  made  him  the  wonder  of  all  lands. 
With  such  certainty  did  Mr.  Lincoln  follow  causes  to  their 
ultimate  effects,  that  his  foresight  of  contingencies  seemed 
almost  prophetic.  He  is  radiant  with  all  the  great  virtues, 
and  his  memory  shall  shed  a  glory  upon  this  age  that  shall 
fill  the  eyes  of  men  as  they  look  into  history.  Other  men 
have  excelled  him  in  some  points,  but  taken  at  all  points,  all 
in  all,  he  stands  head  and  shoulders  above  every  other  man 
of  six  thousand  years.  An  administrator,  he  served  the 
nation  in  the  perils  of  unparalleled  civil  war.  A  statesman, 
he  justified  his  measures  by  their  success.  A  philanthropist, 
he  gave  liberty  to  one  race  and  salvation  to  another.  A 
moralist,  he  bowed  from  the  summit  of  human  power  to  the 
foot  of  the  Cross,  and  became  a  Christian.  A  mediator,  he 
exercised  mercy  under  the  most  absolute  obedience  to  law. 
A  leader,  he  was  no  partizan.  A  commander,  he  was  un- 
tainted with  blood.  A  ruler  in  desperate  times,  he  was 
unsullied  with  crime.  A  man,  he  has  left  no  word  of  pas- 
sion, no  thought  of  malice,  no  trick  of  craft,  no  act  of 
jealousy,  no  purpose  of  selfish  ambition.  Thus  perfected, 
without  a  model  and  without  a  peer,  he  was  dropped  into 
these  troubled  years  to  adorn  and  embellish  all  that  is  good 
and  all  that  is  great  in  our  humanity,  and  to  present  to  all 
coming  time  the  divine  idea  of  free  government.  It  is  not 
too  much  to  say  that  away  down  in  the  future,  when  the 
Republic  has  fallen  from  its  niche  in  the  wall  of  time;  when 
the  great  war  itself  shall  have  faded  out  in  the  distance  like 
a  mist  on  the  horizon  ;  and  when  the  Anglo-Saxon  language 
shall  be  spoken  only  by  the  tongue  of  the  stranger,  then  the 
generation  looking  this  way  shall  see  the  great  President  as 
the  supreme  figure  in  this  vortex  of  hist  ry. 

CIVIL    ORGAXIZATIOS. 

The  history  of  Illinois  has  been  traced  while  a  possession 
of  France,  and  when  under  the  British  government ;  and 
the  formation  of  Illinois  as  a  County  of  Virginia  has  been 
noted.  The  several  States  afterwards  agreed  on  the  adoj)- 
tion  of  Articles  of  the  Confederation,  to  cede  their  claims  to 
the  western  land  to  the  General  government.  Virginia 
executed  her  deed  of  cession  March  1st,  1784.  For  several 
years  after,  there  was  an  imperfect  admistration  of  the  law 
in  Illinois.  The  French  customs  partly  held  force,  and 
affairs  were  partly  governed  by  the  i)romulgations  of  the 
British  commandants  issued  from  Fort  Chartres,  and  by  tlie 
regulations  which  had  subsequently  been  issued  bv  the  Vir- 
ginia authorities. 


By  the  ordinance  of  1787,  all  the  territory  north-west  of 
the  Ohio  was  constituted  into  one  district,  the  laws  to  be 
administered  by  a  governor  and  secretary  ;  a  court  was  insti- 
tuted of  three  judges.  A  general  assembly  was  provided 
for,  the  members  to  be  chosen  by  the  people.  General 
Arthur  St.  Clair  was  selected  by  Congress,  as  Governor  of 
the  north-western  territory.  The  seat  of  government  was  at 
Marietta,  Ohio. 

In  the  year  1795,  Governor  St.  Clair  divided  St.  Clair 
County.  All  south  of  a  line  running  through  the  Xew 
Design  settlement  fin  the  present  County  of  Jlonroe)  was 
erected  into  the  County  of  Randolph.  In  honor  of  Edmund 
Randolph  of  Virginia,  the  new  county  received  its  name. 

Shadrach  Bond,  afterwards  the  first  Governor,  was  elected 
from  Illinois,  a  member  of  the  Territorial  Legislature  which 
convened  at  Cincinnati,  in  January,  1799.  In  1800  the 
Territory  of  Indiana  was  formed,  of  which  Illinois  consti- 
tuted a  part,  with  the  seat  of  government  at  Vincennes. 
About  1803,  among  other  places  in  the  West,  Aaron  Burr 
visited  Kaskaskia  in  an  endeavor  to  enlist  men  for  his 
treasonable  scheme  against  the  government.  In  1805, 
George  Fisher  was  elected  from  Randolph  County  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Territorial  Legislature,  and  Pierre  Menard  was 
chosen  member  of  the  Legislative  Council. 

By  act  of  Congress,  1809,  the  Territory  of  Illinois  was 
constituted.  !Xinian  Edwards  was  appointed  Governor  of 
the  newly  organized  Territory,  and  the  seat  of  government 
established  at  Kaskaskia.  Xathaniel  Pope,  a  relative  of 
Edwards,  received  the  appointment  of  Secretary. 

For  nearly  four  years  after  the  organization  of  the  Terri- 
torial Government  no  legislature  existed  in  Illinois.  An 
election  for  representatives  was  held  on  the  eighth,  ninth, 
and  tenth  of  October,  1812.  Shadrach  Bond,  then  a  resi- 
dent of  St.  Clair  County,  was  elected  the  first  Delegate  to 
Congress  from  Illinois.  Pierre  Menard  was  chosen  from 
Randolph  County  member  of  the  Legislative  Council,  and 
George  Fisher  of  the  House  of  Representatives.  The  Legis- 
lature convened  at  Kaskaskia  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  Novem- 
ber, 1812. 

In  April,  1818,  a  bill  providing  for  the  admission  of  Illi- 
nois into  the  Union  as  a  sovereign  State  was  passed  by  Con- 
gress. A  Convention  to  frame  a  Constitution  assembled  at 
Kaskaskia  in  the  following  July.  The  first  election  under 
tlie  Constitution  was  held  in  September,  1818,  and  Shadrach 
Bond  was  elected  Governor,  and  Pierre  Menard,  Lieutenant 
Governor  Illinois  was  now  declared  by  Congress  admitted 
to  the  L^nion  as  on  an  equal  footing  in  all  respects  with  the 
original  States.  The  L3gislature  again  met  at  Kaskaskia  in 
January,  1819.  This  was  the  last  session  ever  held  at  Kas- 
kaskia. Vandalia,  the  same  year,  was  selected  as  the  Capital 
of  the  State.  It  was  stipulated  that  Vandalia  was  to  be  the 
Capital  for  twenty  years.  At  the  end  of  that  period  it  was 
changed  to  Springfield.  Below  we  give  list  of  governors 
and  staff  officers  of  Illinois. 

Illinois  was  constituted  a  separate  Territory  by  act  of  Con- 
gress February  3d,  1809.  The  boundaries  were  described 
as  follows : 


40 


HI8T0RY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


ILLINOIS  TERRITORY. 


FROM  1809, 


TO  1882. 


*  "  That  from  and  after  the  first  day  of  March  next,  all 
that  part  of  the  Indiana  Territory  which  lies  west  of  the 
"Wabash  river  and  a  direct  liuedrawn  i'rom  the  said  Wabash 
river  and  Post  Yincennes  due  north  to  the  territorial  line 
between  the  United  States  and  Canada,  shall  for  the  purpose 
of  temporary  government,  constitute  a  separate  territory,  and 
be  called  '  Illinois.'  " 

The  seat  of  government  was  fixed  at  Kaskaskia. 

The  territorial  government  was  continued  under  the  first 
grade  from  1809  until  1812,  when  by  a  vote  of  the  people 
the  second  grade  was  adopted. 

Under  the  first  grade,  the  Governor  and  Judges,  who 
received  their  appointment  from  the  President,  constituted 
the  Legislative  Council,  and  enacted  laws  for  the  govern- 
ment of  the  people.  The  Governor  possessed  almost  un- 
limited power  in  the  appointment  of  ofiicers  ;  the  Secretary 
of  the  Territory  being  the  only  ofiScer,  not  appointed  by  the 
Governor. 

Lender  the  second  grade,  the  people  elected  the  Legisla- 
ture, which  was  composed  of  a  Legislative  Council  and  a 
House  of  Representatives.  The  Legislative  Council  was 
composed  of  five  members,  and  the  House  of  Representatives 
of  seven  members. 

The  Legislature  enacted  the  laws  for  the  government  of 
the  people,  but  the  Governor  was  possessed  of  the  absolute 
veto  power,  and  was  therefore  in  position  to  dictate  the  laws, 
if  he  cho.se  to  exercise  the  power. 

The  peojjle  also  elected  the  Delegate  to  Congress  by  popu- 
lar vote. 

Territorial    OlHcers. 

The  following  is  a  complete  roster  of  territorial  officers 
from  1S09  until  the  organization  of  the  State  government 
in  1818: 

GOVEKNOES. 

.Tnhn  Bovie  March  7, 1809.    Declined. 

Niuian  Edwiinis April  24, 1809,  to  December  0, 1S18. 

The  term  of  the  Governor's  appointment  was  two  years.  Governor  Edwards 
was  re-appointod  from  time  to  time,  as  his  term  expired,  and  served  through 
the  entire  territorial  government. 

SECRETARIES. 

Nathaniel  Pope Jlarch  7,  ISon,  to  December  17,  ISlfi. 

Joseph  Phillips December  17, 1816,  to  October  6, 1S18. 

AUDITORS  OF   PUBLIC   ACCOUNTS. 

H.  H.  Maxwell 1812  to  1818. 

Daniel  P.  Cook January  13, 181S,  to  April,  1S17. 

Kobert  Blaekwell April  5, 1817,  to  August,  1817. 

Elijah  C.  Berry August  38, 1817,  to  October  9, 1818. 

ATTORSETS-GENERAL. 

Beni.amin  IT.  Dovie July  24, 1809,  to  December,  1809. 

John  J.  C'rittenilen December  30,  1809,  to  April,  1810. 

Thomas  T.  Crittenden April  7,  1810,  to  October,  ISlo. 

Benjamin  M.  Piatt October  29, 1810,  to  Jun(7, 1813. 

William  Mears June  23, 1813,  to  February  17, 1818. 

*  From  Legislative  Directory,  published  1881. 


TREASURERS. 

John  Thomas 1812  to  181S. 

DELEGATES   TO    OOXGRESS. 

Sh.adrach  Bond December,  1812,  to  1814. 

Benjamin  Stephenson .September  29, 1814,  to  1817. 

Nathaniel  Pope 1817  to  1818. 


Obadiah  Jones, March  7, 1809. 

Ale-fander  Stuart March  7, 1809.     Resigned. 

Jesse  B.  Thomas March  7, 1809. 

Stanley  Griswold March  16,1810.    T'iceStuart. 

William  Sprieg July  29, 1813. 

Thomas  Towles October  28, '815. 

Daniel  Cook.    (Western  cinniii.) January  13, 1818. 

John  Warnoek.    (Western  circuit.) June  8, 1818. 

John  McLean.    (Eastern  circuit) January  13, 1818.    Declined. 

Elias  Kent  Kane.    (Eastern  circuit.) February  17, 1818. 

William  Mears.    ^Eastern  circuit.) February  17, 1818. 

Jeptha  Hardiu.    (Eastern  circuit.) March  3, 1S18. 

ADJUTANTS-GENEE.^L. 

Elias  Rector Mav  3,  isnn,  to  Julv  18. 1809. 

Robert  Morrison Julv  18,  1ko<i,  to  May  28,  ISIO. 

Elias  Rector Mav  28,  ISKi,  to  October  2S,  1813. 

Benjamin  Stephenson December  13,1813,  to  October  27, 1814. 

Wm.  Alexander October  27, 1814,  to  December,  1818. 

First  Territorial  liegislatnre— 1813. 

Convened  at  Kaskaskia  on  the  25th  day  of  November,  A.  D.  1812.  Adjournod 
the  26th  day  of  December,  1812.  Second  session  convened  and  adjourned 
November  8,  A.  D.  1813. 

LEGISLATIVE  COUNCIL. 
OFFICERS. 

President Pierre  Menard. 

Secretary John  Thomas. 

Doorkeeper Thomas  Van  Swearingen. 

MEMBERS. 

Pierre  Menard Randolph.       Samuel  Judy Madison. 

Benjamin  Talbott Gallatin.       Thomas  Ferguson Johnson. 

William  Biggs St.  Clair. 

HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES. 
OFFICERS. 

Speaker George  Fisher. 

C(erk William  C.  Greenup. 

Doorkeeper Thomas  Van  Swearingen. 


George  Fisher Randolph 

Alexander  AVilson Gallatin. 

Phillip  Trammel Gallatin. 

John  Grammar Johnson, 


MEMBERS. 

Joshua  Oglesbv St.  Clair. 

Jacob  Short St.  Clair. 

William  Jones Madison. 


Second  Territorial  Ije'^islatnre— 1814. 

FIRST   SESSIOX. 
Convened  at  Kaskaskia  the  14th  day  of  November,  A.  D.  1814.    Adjouri 
December  24,  A.  D.,  1S14. 

LEGISL.iTIVE  COUNCIL. 
OFFICERS. 

Presiiient Pierre  Menard. 

Secretary John  Thoma-s. 

Doorkeeper Thomas  .Sttiart. 

MEMBERS. 


Pierre  Menard Randolph. 

William  Biggs St.  Clair. 

Benjamin  Talbott Gallatin. 


Sjimiiel  Judy Madison. 

Thomas  Ferguson Johnson. 


HOUSE  OF  REPUESENT.4.TIVES. 


Soeaker Risdon  Moore. 

Clerk William  Mears. 

Doorkeeper Thomas  Stuart. 


Phillip  Trammel Gallatin. 

Thomas  C.  Browne Gallatin. 

Owen  Evans Johnson. 


Risdon  Moore St.  Clair. 

William  Rabb Madison. 

Jiimes  Lemen,  Jr St.  Clair. 

James  Gilbreath* Randolph. 

Second  Territorial  Ijeglslatnre — 1815. 

SECOND   SESSION 
Convened  pursuant  to  adjourumeut,  the  4th  day  of  December,  A.  D.   1815. 
Adjourned  January  11,  A.  D.  1816. 

LEGISLATIVE  COUNCIL. 
OFFICERS. 

PreMcni Pierre  Menard. 

Secretary John  Thomas. 

Enrolling  and  Engrossing  Clerk Wm.  C.  Greenup. 

Doorkeeper Ezra  Oweu. 

MEMBERS. 

Pierre  Menard Randolph.       William  Biggs St.  Clair. 

Samuel  Judy M.adi.son.       Thomas  Ferguson Johnson. 

Benjamin  Talbott Gallatin. 

*  Expelled. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


41 


HOUSE  OF  RDPnESEXTATIVES. 
orncEKS. 

Speaker Risdon  Moore. 

Clerk Daniel  P.  Co..k. 

Doorkeeper Ezr.i  Owen. 

Enrolling  and  EnjrMting  Clirk VVm.  C".  Greenup 

MEMBERS. 
Bisdon  Moore St.  Clair. 


John  n.  Lofton Mndiao 

William  I!.il)b Madisr 

James   Lemen,  Jr St.  Cla 


Pierre  Menard. 
I.i-eph  Conivav. 
U  K.MeLaugh'lin. 
Lzri  Owen. 


Phillip  Trammel Oallatin. 

Thomas  C.   Browne (Gallatin. 

Jarvis  flazeltoa Uandulph. 

Third  Territorial  I^eglslatnre— 1816-17. 

FIBST    SESSION-. 

Convened  at  Ka.skaskia  the  2d  day  of  December,  A.  D.  I81G.    Adjourned 
January  IJ,  A.  D.  1S17. 

LEGISLATIVE  COUNCIL. 

OUICLI' 
President 
;^i:crefan/ 

Enrolling  and  Engro  Sinrj  Clerk 
Doorkeeper 

MEMBERS. 

Pierre  Menard Randolph.       John  Grammar .Johnson. 

John  G.  Lofton Madison.        Thomas  C.  Browne Gallatin. 

Abraham  .Amos St  Clair. 

HOUSE  OF    REPRESEXTATIVE-S. 
OFFICERS. 

Speaker George  Fi.«her. 

Clerk Daniel  P.  Cook. 

Enrolling  and  Engro^ng  Clerk R.  K.  MeLauglilin. 

Doorkeeper Ezra  Owen. 

MEMBERS. 

Joseph  P.almer Johnson. 

Seth  Gard Edwards. 

Samuel  Omelveny Pope. 


George  Fisher Randolph 

r.  R.  Mathenv St.  Clair. 

•\Vm.  H.  Br.idsby St.  Clair. 

Nathan  Davis Jackson. 

Tblrd  Territorial  lieglslatnre— 1817-18. 
SECOXD    SESSION. 

C  nvened  at  KasUaskia  the  Isl  day  of  December,  A.   D.  1817. 
January  12,  A.  D.  1818. 

LEGISLATIVE  COUNCIL. 


Presidoit 
Seerctary 
Enrolling  an 
Doorkeeper 


I  Engrossing  Clerk 


Pierre  Menard. 
Joseph  Conwav. 
R.  K.  MeJ^aughlin. 
Ezra  Owen. 


Pierre  Menard Randolph. 

Abraham  Actos Monroe. 

John  Grimmar Johnson. 

HOUSF.  OP  REPRESENTATIVES. 

OFFICERS. 

Speaker George  Fisher. 

CUrk Daniel  P.  Cook. 

Enrolling  and  Engrossing  Clerk R.   K.  McLaughlii 

Doorkeeper Ezra  Owen. 

MEMBERS. 


George  Fisher Randolph 

Cha«.  R.  Matheny St.  Clair. 

Willis  Hargraves White. 


Wm.  H.  Bradsby St.  Ciair. 

Joseph  Palmer Juhnson. 

M.  S.  Davenport Gallatin. 


First  Constitutional  Convention. 

CONVE.VTIOX  OF  ISls. 

Assembled  at  Kaskaskia,  July  — ,  1818.  Adjonrneil  .\ugnst  26, 
1818.  Thirtv-three  delegates.  One  member  from  Washington  county 
died  during  tlie  .sitting  of  the  convention  ;  name  unknown.  Constitu- 
tion adopted  in  convention  without  being  submitted  to  a  vote  of  the 
people.     Approved  by  Congress,  December  3,  ISIS. 

OFFICERS. 

President .Tes«e  B.  Thomas. 

Secretary William  C.  Greenup. 

DELEGATES. 

St.  Clair — Jesse  B.  Tliomas,  John  Messinger,  James  Lemen,  Jr. 
Il'indolph— George  Fisher,  Elias  Kent  Kane. 

Madison — Benjamin  Stephenson,  Jo.seph  Borough,  Abraham  Pric- 
kett. 

Gatom— Michael  Jones,  Leonard  White,  .\dolphus  F.  Hubbard. 
Johnson — Hezekiali  West,  Wm   McFatridge. 
Edwards   Seth  Gard,  Levi  C'ompton. 
lIViiVc— Willis  Ilargrnve,  Wm   MoIIcnry. 
Jl/onroe— Caldwell  Cam-;,  Enoch  Woore, 
Pope — Samuel  Omelveny,  Hamlet  Ferguson. 
JacAwon— Conrad  Will, .James  Hall,  Jr. 
CW(«.'/br<Z —Joseph  Kiichell,  Edward  >?.  CiiUom. 
5omi— Thomas  Kirk  Patrick,  Snmuel  G.  Mor.se. 
Union — William  Echols,  John  Whiteaker. 
Wa'<hinglon — Andrew  Bankson. 
Franklin — Isham  Harrison,  Thomas  Roberts., 


EXECUTIVE  DEPAIIT.MEXT. 

Underthe  constitution  of  ISIS  the  elective  officers  were  the  Gover- 
nor and  Lieutenant-Governor,  who  held  office  for  four  years.  The 
election  returns  were  transmitted  by  the  returning  officer.',  directed  to 
the  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  whose  duty  it  was  to 
open  and  publish  them  in  the  presence  of  a  m.ajority  of  each  hou.se  of 
the  General  Assembly.  In  case  of  a  tie,  the  choice  was  made  by  a 
joint  ballot  of  both  houses.  The  first  election  for  Governor  and 
Lieutenant-Governor  was  held  on  the  third  Thursday  of  September, 
A.  D.  1818.  Thereafter  the  elections  were  held  every  four  years 
on   the  first  Monday  of  August. 

The  Secretary  of  State  was  appointed  by  the  Governor,  with  the 
advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate. 

The  .\uditor  of  Public  Accounts,  Treasurer  and  ."Vtlorney- General 
were  elected  by  the  General  Assembly,  and  held  office  for  two  years 
respectively. 

By  the  constitution  of  1S4S,  all  these  officers  were  made  elective  by 
the  people,  except  the  Attorney-General,  which  office  was  abolished. 
The  term  of  office  for  each  was  four  years,  except  the  Treasurer, 
which  was  two  years. 

The  office  of  .^.ttorney-General  was  again  created  by  law,  in  1867, 
and  the  term  fixed  at  two  years.  The  office  was  first  filled  by 
appointment  by  the  Governor,  and  at  the  e.Kpiration  of  the  term  by 
election  by  the  people. 

The  constitution  of  1870  provides  that  the  Executive  Department 
shall  consist  of  a  Gorernor,  Lieutenant-Governor,  Secretary  of  State, 
Auditor  of  Public  .Accounts,  Treasurer,  Superinlendeut  of  Public  lu- 
struclion,  and  Attorney-General,  who  sh-ill  each,  with  the  exception 
of  the  Treasurer,  hold  office  for  four  years  from  the  second  Monday  in 
January  next  after  election.  The  Treasurer  holds  office  for  two  years, 
and  is  ineligible  for  re-election  until  the  expiration  of  two  years  next 
after  the  end  of  his  terra.  The  first  election  under  the  constitution  of 
1870  was  held  November  5,  A.  D.  1872. 

By  a  law  pas.sed  in  lS49the  Secretary  of  Siate  was  made  ex-officio 
State  Superintendent  of  Public  Sohools.  In  1S.54  the  law  establish- 
ing a  svstem  of  free  schools  created  the  office  of  State  Superintendent, 
and  provided  for  the  appointment  by  the  Governor,  upon  the  taking 
effect  of  the  law,  of  some  person  to  hold  office  until  the  elec;ion  in 
1855,  when  a  State  .Superintendent  should  be  elected,  and  every  two 
years  thereafter. 

The  offices  of  Adjutant-General,  State  Geologist,  and  Entomolo- 
gist, are  created  by  law,  and  filled  by  appointment  of  the  Governor. 

STATE  OF  ILLINOIS. 
Ciovemors. 


When         From    wh.at 

inaugurated.        county      I 


Shadrach  Bond.. 

Edward  Coles 

Ninian  Edwards 
John  Reynolds... 


.Oct. 
.|Dec. 
.iDec. 
•  Dec. 


5,  1824....  Madi.'<ou.. 

6,  1S20...  Miidison.. 
9,  1830....  St.  Clair... 


Wm.  J>.  D.  Ewing 

Joseph  Duncan 

Thomas  Carlin 

Thomas  Ford 

Augustus  C.  French.. 
Augustus  C.  French.. 


Joel  A.  Mitteson.. 
Wm.  II.  Bissell... 
John  Wood 


Resigned  Nov.  17,   18;!4. 
Elected  Rep.  to  Congress. 

.Nov.  17,  1834..:  Fayette [Vice  Reynolds. 

.  Dee.  3, 1S34 iMorgau 

.  Deo.  7, 18.38 Greene ' 

.Dec.  8, 1842 Ogle I 

.  Dec.  9, 1846 Crawford 

.iJau.  8,  1819 [Crawford lRe-elecl3d  under   Const'a 

I  I  I     of  1847. 

.'.Jan.,     1853 Will 

12, 18.^.7....  Monroe 'Died  Mareh  l.l.  1800. 

.21, 1860...,  Adams 


Richard  Yates 

Richard  J.Oglesby.. 

John  M.  Palmer 

Richard  J.  Oglesby.. 


John  L.  Beverid.^e... 


Shelby  51.  Ciillom.. 
Shelby  M.  Cullom.. 


.  14, 1801...  Morgan 

.  10,180.-..,,.  Macon 

.  11,  1809...  Macoupin  . 
.  13,  1,S73...  Macon 


Jan  23,  1873...  Cook.. 


.  San  gam  0 
.'Sangamo 


Resigned   Jan.   2,3,   187!. 

Elected  U.  S,Seni»or. 
Succeeded    to  office,  vice 

Oglesby  resigned. 


42 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Ijleutcnant-Govemors. 


When 
inaugurated 


Pierre  Menard Oct.  6,  1S18., 

Adolplms  F.  Hubl.ard..|Dec.  5,  lS2i. 

William  Kinney Dec.  0,  182C. 

Z.ailolc  CasBV I  Dec.  0,  1S3I). 

Wm.  L.  D.  Ewing [Mar.  1,  1833. 


Stinson  H.  Anderson.. 

John  M-  ore 

Joseph  B.  Wells 

Wm.   McMiuuy 

Gustavus  Koerner 

John  Wood 


Thomas  .\.  Marshall.. 

Francis  .4.  Holfman.. 

Willi.-im  Bross 

John  Douirhcrty 

John  L.  iieveridgi... 


Archibald  A.  Glei 


Dee.  ', 
Dee.  S 
Dee.  1 
Jan.  ' 
Jan. 
Jan.  12 


.Jan.  14,  ISOl. 
.Jan.  ir.,  is;ri., 
.  Jan.  11,  isc;p. 
.|Jan.  1  ,  IS73. 

.Jan.  23,  1873. 

.Jan.    8,  1875. 


1838..  Jefferson.. 

is4i.  ;Ar,-i.i-.aii... 

isl.i      K,,rk    I-la: 


ReSisned  March  1,  1833 

Presidentof  Senate  and  Act- 
ing Licut-tioveruor. 

Resigned. 

Presidcntof  Senate  and  Act- 
ing Lieut-Governor 


vice  Bissell    dcc'd  Mar.  21, 

1800. 
Presidentof  Senate  and  Act- 

o-  I.ieiit-Gi'vc'rn..r. 


Cook 

Oool: 

Union 

Cook 

Winnebag 

Brown 


SecretAries  of  State. 


Elia^i  Kent  Kane 

Samuel  D.  Loclcwood.. 

D.avid  Blackwell 

Morris  Birkbeek 

George  Forquer 

Alexander  1*.  Field 

Stephen  A.  Iinuu'lus... 
Lym:ui  Tiiiiii'-ill   

ThoTlip.      -I      .      .■:,■•-   'li 

llora.  ^  -     .       ' 
Uorao.j  .-.   I  ■■■A'  X 


Appointed  o 
qiiaiitied. 


■From   what 
county. 


Oct.  6.  1818..  Kaskaski 
Dej.  IS,  1822..  Madison 
April  2,  lS2i..'St.  Cla 
Uet.  '"    "^  •    '" 

'^'nv. 

F..1,, 


:4..  IM\i 


\^i'< 


..  Resignea  Dee.  10, 1822. 
Resigned  .ipril  2, 1823. 
Rosisned  Oet.  l.i.  1824. 

RrM-Ti-.l  I  i-i    T..  1S25. 


iK-.i  .Miui  li  4,1813. 

^ned  Dec.  23,  1846. 

.\ppointed  by  Gov.  French. 


David  L.Greggs i  April  in,  I860.. | Cook.. 

Alex.snder  Starne .Ian.  10,  18o3..|Pike  . 

Ozias  M.  Hatch Jan.  12,  ls-,7.. Tike  . 

OziasM.  Hatch Ilan.  14.  K-l.   ri!:- 

Sharon  Tyndale iJan.  V,  I  -■    'I 

Edward  Rummel Jan.  li.  I      '    I 

tieoree  n.    Harrow ;Jan.  1;.  i-.  ;     li  ■  ^\ 

George  H.   Harrow I.an.    .■?.  Is77..  I  azrn 

Hcnrv  C.  Dement Jan.  10,  ls81..iLee  ... 


Elected  under  Constitution 
o(  1818.  Died  April  2, 1860. 


Auditors  of  Public  Accounts, 


When        From    what 
qualified.         county. 


Elijah  C.  Berry 'Oct.    9,  1818..  Fayette  . 

Elijah  C.  Berry .\pril  6,  1819.. 

James  T.B.  Stapp \u.15.  27,  1831..         •'       , 

Levi  Davis Nov.  16,  1836..         "       

James  Shields Mar.    4,  1841..  Randolph 

Wm.  D.  L.   Ewing ilar.  20,  1843..  F.iyett^ Died. 

Thomas  H.  Campbell...  Mar.  26,  18M..  Randolph....  Vice  Ewing,  deceased. 
Thomas  H.  Campbell...  Jan.     7,  1847..|  " 

Jesse  K.  Dubois Jan.  12,  1857..  Lawrence  .. 

Jesse  K.  Dubois Jan.  14,  1861..         " 

Orlin  H.  Mmer Dee.  1 ',  1864..!Sangamon.. 

(  harles  E.  Lippincott..|Jan.  11,  183!l..|Cass 

Charles  E.  Lippincott... Jan.  13,  187.3..     "        1. 

Thomas  B.  Needles .Ian.    8,  1877..  Wi.shington 

C harles  P.  Swigert Wan.  10,  ]881..lKankakeo...l, 


Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 


When 
qualiiied 


Ninian  W.  Edwards  , 

Wm.  H.  Powell 

Newton  Bateman 

Newton  Bntemau 

John  P.  Brooks 

Newton  Bateman.... 
Newton  Bateman.... 
Newton  Bateman.... 


.  Mch.  24,  1854. 
.  Jiin'y  12, 1857. 
..  .lan'v  1,1869. 
,.  Jan'y  4, 1861. 
,.  .lan'v  12,  1803. 
"y  10,  1805. 

Jan'y  — ,  1867. 

Jan'y  -  ,  1871. 


I 


From    what 
county. 


Sangamon.. 

Peoria 

Morgan 


State  Treasurers. 


When  From    what 

qualified  county. 


John  Thomas ] 

R.  K.  McLaugnlin Aug. 

Abner  Field Jan. 

James  Hall iFcb. 

John  Dement Fob. 

Charles  Gregory Dec. 

John  D.  Whiteside ,  .Mch. 

Milton  Carpenter jMch. 

John  Moors -Vug. 

John  Moore iDec. 

.James  Miller Jan. 

William  Butler Sept. 

William   Butler 'Jan. 

Alexander  Starne Jan. 

James  H.  B-veridge Ian. 

George  W.  Smuh .l:in. 

Erastus   N.  I.:it.~  Iilil 

Erastus  N.  1  .ii    -  N>'\- 

Edward  Rm:- Ian. 

Thos.  S.  Ridguway .J.an. 

Edward  Rutz Jan. 

John  C.  Smith IJan. 

Edward  Rutz ;Jan. 


.  1818. 
,  1810. 

,  1S23. 


St.  Clair., 
j  Fayette  .. 


Appointed  by  the  Governor 


,  1.S41. 
,  1848. 
,  1850. 
,  18,'.7. 
,  185  J, 
,  1801. 
,  1863. 
1S65. 


Uaniilton  ...  Died. 

IMcLean [Appointed  vice  Carpenter. 

!  Elected. 

.i        "       iRcsigned  Sept  3, 1859. 

.iSangamou...|Appointcd,  vice  Miller. 


Attorneys- General. 


Daniel  Pope  Cook iMch.    S, 

William   Moars {Deo.   14, 

Sam'l  D.  Lock  wood iFcb.  26, 

James  Turney iJan'y  14, 

James  Turney Jan'y  15, 

George  Forquer Jan'y  23, 

James  Semple 'Jan'y 30, 

Ninian  W.  Edwards ISept.    1, 

Ninian  W.  Edwards J.an'yl'.l, 

Jesse  B.  Thomas,  Jr....  Feb.   1-2, 

Walter  B.  Si-ate.s |Jan'yl8, 

Usher  F.  Lin.Irr Frli.      1. 

George  W.  <  Mn  'n  luni'  -■■, 

Wickliife  l\ii   li.  1;  M   !..     '■■ 

Josiah  Lai 
James  A.  Jlciii 


Randolph  ...  Resigned  March  5, 1819. 

St   CLair ■ 

Madison Resigned  Dec.  28, 1822. 

Washington  Resigned  Jan'y  7,  IS'25. 


Monroe JResigned  Dee. 3, 183'2. 

Madison ' 

Sangamon... 


jdison l:      -  ,  y  s,  1830. 

ffersou    ..  1;.    .-i..   I  r  •■■  2ii,  1830. 

Ins U.,-muc.i  Ju..l:  11,  1838. 

.dison .Resigned  Fcb'y  1, 1S39. 

awford iResignod  Nov.  19, 1840. 


mall laiiy  12,  1.^ 


David  B.  Campbell [Dec.  21, 

Robert  G.  Ingersoll  .  ...;Feb.  '28, 
W'ashington  Bushnell..  Jan'y.  11, 

James  K.  Edsall Jan'y  13, 

James  Iv.  Edsall ,.  Jan'.v.  8, 

James  JlcCartney [Jan'y.  10, 


1840. 
1867. 
1873. 
1873. 

1877..!     "  

1881..iWayne 


Sangamon 

Peoria App-. 

LaSalle 

Lee 


State  Geologists. 


When 
appointed. 


Joseph  Norwood July  21,  1851..  Sangamon....  Act  of  Feb.  17, 1851. 

H.  A  Ulffers 1S53..  Hardin  Topographer. 

Amos  H.  Worthen Mch.  2-2,  1858..  Hancock '\  lee  ^orwood. 


Leopold  Riehter iDec.     1,  18o9..|St.Louis,Mo.  .\rtist. 

Henry  Engelmann L\pril  19,  1S61 .  St    Clan- I. \ssistant  Geologist. 

William  Billingtou April  20,  1804..ISangamon...,Yice  Richer. 


State  Elntozuologlsts. 


D.B.Walsh 

Wm.  LeBarron.. 
Cyrus  Thomas... 


When         From    whatl 
appointed.         county. 


.June  11,  1807..  Rock  Island  Died. 

.lApril   '2,  1870..  ICane Died. 

.JApril  13,  1875..;  Jackson 

Adjutants-General. 


When 
appointed. 


From    what 
county. 


Wm.  Alexander April  24,  1819..  Randolph.. 

Elijah  C.  Berrv June  11,  1821..  Payette.. 

James  W.  Berry Dec. 

Moses  K.  Audo  son Dee.   16,  1839..;Sangamon. .. 

Simon  B.  BueUntr ipril    ,3,  1 8.37..!  Cook 

Wm.C.  Kc.MMV I>fo.     ;',  l.^.-.T..  M.  Clair 

ThomasS.  M  it!i.  1    ivt.    k.  \^:.^  ^.tviiiamo-a... 

AllenC.  Full,  i   N'.'v.    11 

Ishani.N.  11. Mil.' .lan-yli'. 


Resigned  Nov.  11, 1839. 


\ 


Hiram  Hilliard.. 


.;Mch. ; 

.Jan'y; 

.July 

.iJuly 

.'July 


l.sfi.-,,.  .Uc-xandt-r.. 

1869..iSangamon.. 
1873..!         " 
1874..  I 

1875..lCook 

1877..I     "      


Resigned  Nov.  7, 1857. 

Died. 

Vice  Kinney,  deceased. 


MISCELLANEOUS    IXFOEMATION". 


Presidents. 


No. 


NAME. 


QIA 


1  George  Washington April  30,  ITS'i 

Msr.  4,  IViit 

2  John  Adams Mar.  4,  1797 

S  Thomas  Jeflerso  i Mar  4,  Isiil 

"               "         Mar.  4,  18Uj 

4  James  Madison     Mar.  4,  18(.0 

"             "       Ma',  4,  I81i 

5  James  Monroe Mar.  4,  1«17 

"           '•       Mar.  5,  1821 

6  John  Quiaey  Adams  ....  Mar.  4,  ]825 

7  Andr.-w  Jackson Mar.  4,  1829 

••               "       Mar.  4,  1833 

8  Martin  Van  Biiren   Mar.  4,  1837 

9  Wm.  Henrv  Hani  on....Mar.  4,  1841 

10  John  Tvier April   B,  1841 

11  James  K.  Polk Mar.  4,  1815 

12  Zacharv  THVlor Mar.  .">,  1849 

13  Millard  Fillmore .July  10,  18.10 

14  Franklin  Pi.-roe Mar.  4,  1853 

l.l  James  BuohHiian Mar.  4,  1857 

16  Abraham  Lincoln Mar.  4,  1861 

"       .Mar.  4,  1865 

17  Andrew  Johnson April  l.'i,  1865 

18  Ulysses  S.  Grant Mar.  4,  1869 

■'      Mar.  4,  1873 

19  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  ....Mar.  5,  1877 

20  James  A.  Gnifield Mar.  4,  1881 

21  Chester  A.  Arthur Sept.  2li,  1881 


Vice-Presidents. 


Secretaries  of  State. 


Secretaries  of   'War. 


No. 


APPOINTEP.      No. 


APPOINTED. 


1  John  Adams  June  3,  1780 

"  "        Dec.    2,  1793 

2  Thomas  Jefferson Mar.    4,  1797 

3  Aaron  Burr       Mar.    4,  1801 

4  George  Clinton Mar     4,  Iso.'i 

" Mar.   4,  18IHI 

6  Eldridge  Gerrv Mar.    4,  1813 

•John  Gaillarri Nov.  2.^,  1814 

6  Daniel  D.  Tomokins Mar.    4,  1817 

"  •'         Mar.    5,  18-1 

7  John  C.  falho.in Mar.    4.  1825 

Mar.    4,  18-'9 

8  Martin  Va'i  Knren Mar.    4,  1833 

9  Rifhar.l  M.  Johnson Mar.    4,  18:i7 

10  John  Tyler .Mar.    4,  1841 

•Sam'iel  L.  S.iu  hard Amil  n,  1811 

•Willie  P.  Manirum Mav  31,  1842 

11  George  M.  Ualla' Mar.    4,  1S4S 

12  Millard  f'iilmnrn Mar.    !,,  1849 

•William  It   Kiu'.; July  11,  1850 

13  Willi^iMi  i:.  Kill'      Mar.    4,  1853 

•Davi  I   R.  Vlchi  on  April  18,  18.53 

•Jesse  1).  Hright       Deo.     5,  1854 

14  John  C.  Breckinridge. ..  Mar.    4,  18.57 

15  Hannilial  Hamlin Mar.    4,  isrd 

16  Andrew  Jnhnson Mar.    4,  1865 

•I.afave  fe  S.  Foster April  15,  IPGo 

•Benjami-i  F.  Wade Mar.    2,  1867 

17  Schiiyirr  Colfax   Mar.    4,1869 

18  Henry  Wilson  Mar.    4.  1873 

•Thoma.<  W.  Ferrv Nov.  22,  1875 

19  William  A.  Wheeler Mar.    .5,  1877 

20  Chester  A    Arthur Mar.    4,  1881 

21  D.iTid  Davis Oct.    13,  1881 

•Acting  Vi-*e-Presidcnt  and  Pre  ident 
j>ro  (em  of  the  Senate. 


Secretaries  of  State. 

1  Thomas  Jeffersoi Sept.  2 

Mar. 

2  Edmon<l  Randolp'i Ian. 

3  Timothy  Pickering Ii-c.  1 

Mar. 

4  John  Marshall May  1 

B  James  Madison Mar. 

.Mar. 

6  Robert  Smiih  Mar. 

7  James  M  -nroe ^pril 

Mar. 

8  John  Qui  i"y  Ad.arn  Mar 

"  "       Mar. 

9  Henry  Clav Mar. 

10  Martin  Van  Biiren   Mar. 

11  Edward  LivioKStou   May  2 

12  Louis  McLane May  S 

13  John  Forsyth lune  i 

Mar. 

U  Daniel  Web«ter Mar. 

„  "  "        April 

5  Hugh  S.  Lepare May   5 

10  Abel  P.  Upshur July  s 


17  J-»hn  C.  Calhoun Mar.    6, 

IS  James  Buchanan Mar.    6, 

19  John  M.  Clayton Mar.    8, 

Daniel  Webster July  22, 

•20  Edvvard  Everett Nov.    6, 

21  William  L.  Marcy Mar.    7, 

22  Lewis  Ca3.s Mar.    6, 

•a  Jeremiah  S.  Black Dee.  17, 

24  William  H.Seward Mar.    5, 

Mar.    4, 

"  "         .April  15, 

25  E.  B.  Washburne Mar.    .5, 

26  Hamilton  Fish „Mar.  11, 

"    Mar.    4, 

27  William  M.  Evarts Mar   12, 

28  James  G.  Blaine Mar.    4, 

29  Frelinghuysen,  F.  T Dec, 


Secretaries  of  the  Treasury. 

1  Alex.  Hamilton Sept.  11,  1789 

Mar.     4,  1793 

2  Oliver  Woleott Feb.    2,  1795 

Mar.    4,  1797 

i  Samuel  Dexter Jan.    1,  ISul 

(  Albert  Gallatin May  14,  1801 

"  "       -Mar.    4,  1809 

"  " Mar.    4,  1813 

j  Geo.  W.  Campbell Feb.    9.  1814 

i  Alexander  J  Dallas Oct.    6,  1814 

r  Wm    H.  Crawford Oct.  22,  1816 

"  "         Mar.    6,  1817 

"  "        Mar.    6,  1821 

1  Richard  Rush  Mar.    7,  1825 

I  Samuel  D.  Ingham Mar.    6,  1S29 

)  L'Miia  McLane ..Aug.    2,  1831 

!  William  J.  Duane May  29,  1833 

!  Roger  B.  Taney Sept.  2.3,  1833 

1  Leri  Woodbury June  27,  1834 

Mar.    4,  1837 

I  Thomas  Ewiiig Mar.    .5,  1841 

"      April    6,  1841 

i  Walter  Forward Sept.  13,  1841 

;  John  C.Spencer Mar.    3,  1S43 

'  George  M.  Bibb lune  1.5,  1844 

I  Robert  J.  Walker Mar.    6,  1845 

I  Wm.  M.  Meredith Mar.    8,  1849 

I  Thomas  C.irwin July  2.3,  1850 

JamesGuthne Mar.    7,  18.'i3 

:  Howell  Cobb Mar.    6,  18.57 

;  Philip  F.Thomas Dec.  12,  I860 

John  A.  Dix Jan.  11,  1861 

I  Salmon  P.  Cha.se  ..  Mar.    7,  1861 

1  Wm.  Pi't  Fessenden July    1,  1864 

Hugh  McCalloch Mar.    7,  1865 

"  •'  April  1.5,  1865 

:  George  S.  Boutwell Mar,  11,  1869 

Wm.  A  Richardson Mar  17,  1-73 

'  Benj.  H.  Bri.stow June   4,  1874 

Lot  M.  .Morrill July    7,  1876 

John  Sherman Mar.    8,  1877 

William  Windom Mar.    4,  1881 

:  Chas.  G.  Folger    Dec,       istft 


Secretaries  of  War. 


2-^  William  L.  Marcy Mar.  6, 1845 

23  George    •'  .  Crawford..  .  Mar.  8,  1849 

24  Charles  M.  Conrad Aug.  15, 1850 

25  Jetferson  Davis Mar.  5,  1853 

26  John  B.  Floyd Mar.  6.  18.57 

27  Joseph  Holt Jan.  18, 1861 

28  Simon  Cameron Mar.  5,1861 

29  Edwin  M.  Stanton Jan.  15, 1862 

Mar.  4,  1866 

■'                      "         April  15,  1865 

U.  S.  Grant,  aJ  tn(enm...Aug.  12. 1867 

L  Thomas.     "       "      ...Feb.  21,1808 

30  John  M.  Schofield May  28, 1868 

I  31  John  A.  Rawlins Mar.  11, 1869 

I  32  Wm.  W.  Belknap Oct.  25, 1869 

I          "                    "         Mar.  4,  1873 

•  Si  AlphonsoTaft Mar.  8, 1876 

34  James  D.  Cameron May  22, 1876 

35  Geo.  W.  McCrary Mar.  12, 1877 

36  Alexander  Ramsey Dee.  10, 1879 

37  Robert  T.  Lincoln Mar.  4,  1881 


Secretaries  of  the  Navy. 


Postmasters-lx^ueral 


1  Benjamin  Stoddert May 

Mar. 

2.  RobertSmith July 

3.  J.  Crowninshield ..Mar. 

4  Paul  Hamilton Mar. 

5  William  Jones Jan. 

"  "     Mar. 

6  B.  W.  Crowninshield Dec. 

"  "  Mar. 

7  Smith  Thompson Nov. 

"  "  Mar. 

8  Samuel  L.  Southard Sept. 

Mar. 

9  John  Branch Mar. 

10  Levi  Woodbury May 


..Ma 


11  Mahlon  Dickerson June 

Mar. 

12  James  K.  Paulding June 

13  George  E.  Badger Mar. 

"  *•        April 

14  Abel  P.  Upshur Sept. 

15  David  Henshaw July 

16  Thom,as  W.  Gi  mer Feb. 

17  John  Y.  Mason Mar. 

18  Geoge  Bancroft Mar. 

John  Y.  Mason Sept. 

19  William  B.  Preston Mar. 

20  William  A.  Graham July 

21  John  P.  Kennedy July 

22  James  C.  Dobbin Mar. 

23  Isaac  Toucey Mar. 

24  Gideon  Welles „ Mar. 

"      Mar. 

"  ''       April 

25  Adolph  E.  Borie Mar. 

26  Geo.  M.  Robeson .....June 

"  '■        Mar. 

27  Rich.  W.Thompson Mar. 

28  Nathan  Goff,  Jr Jan. 

Lt)  W.  H.  Hunt Mar. 

30  W.  E.  Chandler April, 


21,  1798 
4,  1801 

15,  1801 

3,  1805 

7,  1809 

12,  1813 

4,  1813 
m,  1811 

4.1817 
9,  1818 

6,  1821 

16,  1823 

4,  1825 
9,  1829 

23,  1831 
4.1833 

30,  l&i4 
4.1837 
25,  1838 

5,  1841 
6,1841 

13,  1841 

24,  1843  I 
15,  1844 

14,  1844  I 
10,  1845  1 

9,  1846  I 

8,  1849  I 

22,  1850 
22, 1852 

7,  1853 

6,  1857 
6,  1801 
4, 1865 

15,  1865 
6, 1869 

25,  1869 
4  1873 

12, 1877 
6,1881 
4,  1881 


No.  NAME.  APPOINTED. 

4  Gideon  Granger Nov.  28, 1801 

';            ■'         Mar.  4, 1805 

„_'          ,  '         Mar.  4,1809 

5  Return  J.  Meigs,  Jr Mar.  17, 1814 

"               "           Mar.  4.1817 

„  ,  .      „  ,      "           Mar.  5, 1821 

6  John  McLean lune  26,1823 

»„'.„.       ,„"„ Mar.  4,1825 

7  W  illiam  T.  Barry Mar.  9, 1829 

■•      Mar.  4,  IKtt 

8  Amos  Kendall May  1, 18.35 

„  ,",     ,,     "       Mar.  4,1837 

9  John  M.  Niles May  25,  I84ii 

10  Francis  Granger .Mar  6, 1841 

„, "              "       April  6,  1841 

11  Cha.s.  A.  Wickliffe Sept.  13.  I8J1 

12  Cave  Johnson M»r.  6,  i815 

13  Jacob  Collamer Mar.  8  1849 

14  Nathan  K.  Hall July  23,  1850 

15  Sam'l  D.  Hubbard Aug.  31, 18.52 

10  James  Campbell Mar  5, 1853 

17  Aaron   V.  Brown Mi.r.  6, 18.57 

18  .loseph  Holt Mar.  14,  18.59 

19  Horatio  King Feb.  12,  1861 

20  Montgomery  Blair Mar.  .5,  .861 

21  William  Dennison Sept.  24, 1804 

"              "        Mar.  A,  1865 

"                 "         April  1.5,  1»65 

22  Alex.  W.  Randall   Inly  2,5,  1866 

23  John  A.  J.  Cre.sswell Mar.  5,  1809 

"                    "         Mar.  4.1873 

24  Marshall  Jewell Aug.  24, 1874 

25  James  N.  Tyner July  1.-,  1H76 

26  David  McK  Key Mar.  12^  1S77 

27  Horace  Maynard June  2,  18-0 

28  Thomas  L.  James Mar.  4,  1881 

29  Timothy  O.  Howe Dec,  1881 


Attorneys-General. 


1789 
1793 
1794 


1801 
1805 
1809 
,  1811 
,  1S13 


1841 
1841 
,  1843 
,  1843 


1  Henry  Knox Sept.  12, 

"           •'      Mar.  4, 

2  Timothy  Pickering Jan.  2, 

3  J.tmesMcHenry Jan,  27, 

Mar.  4, 

4  Samuel  Dexter May  1.3, 

5  Roger  Griswold Feb.  3, 

6  Henry  Dearborn Mar.  5, 

Mar.  4, 

7  William  Eustis Mar.  7, 

8  John  Armstrong Jan.  13, 

-Mar.  4, 

9  James  5lonroe Sept.  27, 

10  Win.  H.  Cra»ford Aug.  1, 

11  George  Graham   ad  interim 

12  John  C.Calhoun Oct.  8, 

'■       Mar.  5, 

13  James  Barbour„ Mar.  7, 

11  Peter  B.  Porter Mav  20, 

15  John  H.  Eaton Mar.  9, 

10  Lewis  Ca.ss Aug.  1, 

"          "     - Mar.  4, 

17  Joel  R  Poinsett Mar.  7, 

18  John  Bell Mar.  5, 

"        "    .April  6, 

19  John  C.  Spencer Oct.  12, 

20  James  M.  Porter Mar.  8, 

21  William  Wilkins -Jeb.  15, 


1789 
1793 
1795 


Secretaries  of  the  Interior. 


Thomas  Ewing Mar. 

Alex.  H.  Stuart Sept. 

Robert  McClelland Mar. 

Jacob  Thompson Mar. 

Caleb  B.  Smith Mar. 

John  P.  Usher Jan. 

"  "      Mar. 

"  "      April 

James  Harlan May 

O.  H.  Browning July 

Jacob  D.  Cox .Mar. 

Columbus  Delano Nov. 

'■      M.ar. 

Zachariah  Chandler Oct. 

Carl  Schurz Mar. 

Samuel  J.  Kirkwood Mar. 

Henry  M.  Teller \pril, 


8,  1849 
12,  1850 
7,  1853 
6,  1857 

5,  1861 
8, 1863 
4,1865 

15,  1865 
15,  1865  I 
27,  1806 

6,  1869 
1,  1870 
4,  1873 

19,  1875 

12,  1877 

4,  1881 

1882 


Postmasters-General. 


1  Samuel  Osgood Sept.  26, 1789 

2  Timothy  Pickering Aug.  12, 1791 

Mar  4, 1793  j 

3  Joseph  Habersham F  b.  2.5,1795 

Mar.  4.  1797  . 

"  "         Mar.  4, 1801  , 


1  Edmund  Randolph Sept. 

M.-.r 

i  William  Bradford Jan. 

3  Charles  Lee Dec 

"     Mar. 

t  Theophilus  Parsons Feb. 

3  Levi  Lincoln Mar. 

3  Robert  Smith Mar. 

r  John  Breckinridge Aug. 

i  t-pesar  A.  Rodney Jan 

■'       Mar. 

)  William  Pinkney Dec 

"  "       Mar. 

)  Richard  Rush Feb. 

•■    Mar 

1  William  Wirt Nov. 

•'    Mar. 

"  **    Mar. 

2  John  M.  Berrien Mar 

J  Roger  B.  Taney July 

'•      Mar. 

1  Benjamin  F.  BuHer Nov. 

"    M,n. 

j  Felix  Grundy July, 

5  Henry  D.  Gilpin Jan. 

J  John  J.  Critlendeu Mar. 

"  "         April 

i  Hugh  S.  Legare i-ept. 

(John  Nelson July 

)  John  Y.  Mason Mar. 

I  Nathan  Clitfoid Oct. 

i  Isaac  Toucey Tune 

I  Reverdy  Jonnson Mar. 

John  J  Crittenden Inly 

I  Caleb  Cu'hing Mar. 

j  Jeremiah  ,S.  Slack Mar. 

;  Edwin  JI.  Stanton Dec. 

1  Edward  Bates Mar. 

T.  J.  Coffey,  ad  int June 

i  James  Speed Dee. 

"      Mar. 

"      April 

)  Henry  Stanbery July 

(  Willi.am  M   Evarts July 

I  E.  Rockwond  Hoa- M:ir. 

i  Amos  T.  Akerman lune 

!  George  H.  Williams Dec. 

Mar. 

1  Edward  Pi-rrepont Ajiril 

i  Alphonso  laft Mav 

>  Charles  Devens Mar. 

r  Wayne  MacVeagh „.Mar. 

J  Benj.  Harris  Brew8ter...Dec., 


26,  1789 
4,  1793 

27,  1794 
111,  1795 

4,  1797 

20,  1801 
fi,  1801 

3,  181IS 

7,  1805 

28,  1807 

4,  1809 
11,  1811 

4,  1813 

10,  1814 
4,  1817 

13,  1817 
6,  1821 

4,  1825 
9,1829 

iO,  1831 
4,1833 

15,  1833 
4,1837 
6,  1838 

11,  1840 
6,  1841 

0,  1841 

13,  1841 

1,  1843 

6,  1845 
17,  1840 

21,  1848 

8,  1849 

22,  1850 

7,  I8-.3 
6,  1857 

20,  I860 

5.  1861 

22,  1863 

2,  1864 

4,  1865 
15.  18i;5 

23.  1806 
IS,  18i;8 

5,  1869 
23,  1870 

14,  1871 
4.  1873 

26,  1875 
22,  1870 

12,  1877 
4  1881 

1881 


F.  A.  Miihl«Qberg  .. 
Jonathan  Trumbull.. 
F.  A.  Muhlenberg... 
Jonathan  Dayton  .... 


Joseph  B.  Varnum.. 
Henry  Clay 


Langdon  Cheves.. 
Henry  Clay 


SPEAKERS  OF  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES. 
Stated 


Pennsylvania 
Connecticut... 
Pennsylvania 
New  Jersey... . 


Coiisress. j Term  of  Service. 

1st  C  'ngress April  1, 1789,  to  Mareli  4, 1791 

•id  Congress Oetober  24, 1791,  to  March  4, 1793.. 


December  2, 1793,  to  March  4, 1796.. 
December  7, 1795,  to  March  4, 1797.. 
May  15,1797,  to  March  3, 1799.. 


John  W.  Taylor 

Philip  P.  Barbour j  Virginia 

Henry  Clay I  Kentucky. 


3d  Congress 
4th  Congress. 

5th  Congress ^.^aj  .lu,xi^i,  ^^  ^.jia.,.,i  u,  m,^ 

6th  Congress.. December  2, 1799,  to  March  4, 1801 

;th  Congress December  7, 1801,  to  March  4, 1803. 

- 8th  Congress October  17, 1803,  to  March  4, 1805.. 

"  "      :!ith  Congress |December  2. 1805,  to  March  4, 1807. 

Massachusetts - !lotli  Cbngress IOctober2C,  1807,  to  March  4, 1809.. 

1  nil  ConL'ioss May  22  1S09,  to  March  4,  ISll 

-  :>  '  .  ii-r.'s.s November  4,  1811.  to  March  4,1813 

- 1'  " jMay  24, 1813,  to  January  19, 1814.... 

'     iiLM  -^ iJanuary  19, 1814,  to  March  4,  1815.. 

I'll  '    'iigiiss jDeoember  4, 1815,  to  Mnrch  4, 1815. 

I.itli  Congress 1  ecember  1, 1S17,  to  March  4, 1819. 

liith  Congress [December  6, 1819,  lo  May  1.5, 1820 


Kentucky.. 


South  Carolina,  2il  - 
itucky 


New  York,  2d  Session.. 


Itjth  Congress.. 
I7th  Congress.. 
18th  Congress., 
luth  Congress.. 
20th  Congress.. 
21st  Congress.. 
J-d   Congress  . 


Tennessee,  2d  S'-~- 


Robert  M.  T.  Hunter 

John  Wuite Kent 

John  W.  Jones IVirt 

John  \V.  Davis Indii:,  i 

Robert  C.  Wintlirop Ma--  i 

Howell  Cnho   ili.  M,  _ 

Linn  Boyd Ktiiii    i  ^ 

Nathaniel  P.  Banks Massachu.e 

James  L.  Orr riouth   Car' 

Wm.  Pennington {New  Jer.^o 

Galusha  A.  Grow 'Pennsylva 

Svdiuvler  Colfax Indiana.... 


Virginia I^nth  Congrei 

ky ]27throng: 


Michael  C.  Kerr Indiana 

Samuel  J.  Rnndall Pennsylvania,  2d  Se 


November  15, 1820,  to  March  4, 1821.. 
December  4,  1S21,  lo  March  4,  1823.... 
December  1,  1823,  to  March  4, 1825.... 
December  5,  1825,  xo  March  4, 1827..  . 
December  3,  1827,  to  March  4, 1829.... 
December  7,  182ii,  to  March  4, 1831.... 
December  5, 1831,  to  March  4, 1833.... 

j:;d  Congress |l)ecember2,  183:i,  to  Juno  2, 1834 

- :;d  Congress 'June  2, 1834,  to  Man  h  4, 18;i.i 

-ith  Congress jDecember  7, 183.5,  to  March  4,18.37.... 

"th  Congress September  5, 1837.  to  March  4, 1839..., 

'   "  December  Ki,  18.18,  to  March  4,1841.., 

May  31, 1841,  to  March  4, 1843 

December  4,  1843,  to  March  4.  1845.... 

■S  '    ,ii-r.-> December  1, 1845,  to  March -I.  ll!l,7.... 

II'     11-1.=^ iDeeember  6, 1847,  to  March  4,  1849.... 

I-'    '  un  s>  Decembrr22,  1S49,  to  M«n  li  4,  bWl.., 

i  '     i,^'u-s- December  1,  18.51,  to  Man-li  4,  IS.iH..  ., 

;'l  Congress December  5, 18.i3,  to  March  4,  l^-SS.... 

4th  Congress '  Pebruary  2  1856,  to  Wa'-ch  4, 1857 

itlt  Congress December",  1857,  to  March  4, 1N.59,... 

iith  Conaress February  1,  isrn,  to  March  4,  1801 

::ii  '■  n-'.'-<  July  4,  IsCl,  to  March  4,  1863 

I  I    I  -       -  December  7,  18ra,  to  March  4, 1865 

'I  '       J       -    December  4, 1865,  to  March  4,1867 

^  I  -- March  4,  1867,  to  March  4, 1869 

•     I  _'icss March  4,  1SI>9,  to  March  4, 1871 

ifioss March  4, 1871,  to  March  4, 1873 

-i.-ss December  1, 187.3,  to  March  4, 1875 

December  6, 1875,  to  August  20, 1876  . 
December  4, 187i>,  to  March  4, 1877...., 

45ih  Congress October  15, 1877,  to  March  4, 1879 

46th  Congress i  March  18, 1879,  to 


1805 
1S05 
1799 
1809 
1H5 
18U0 


1.S22 
1796 
1823 
1823 


ngres: 


Pled. 

1801 


1821 
1852 
1857 


1845 

1848 
1850 


POPULATION  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  AT  EACH   CENSUS,   FROM  1790  TO  1880,   FROM  THE  OFFICIAL  CENSUS. 
1790.  1800.        1 


States  and   Territories. 


18^0.    I    1830. 


Alabama... 
Arkansas.. 
California, 
Colorado... 
Connectlct 
Delaware.. 

Fl..rida 

Georgia 

Illinois 

Indiana 


2S2433 

.    12282 

24520 


340985 
65162 
147178 


297675 
7i;748 
34730 

516823 


309978 
78085 
54477 
69139i 
476183 
68.5866 
43112 


771623 
209897 
92597 

"370792" 
91S32  I 
S7445  j 
90G185 
851470 
988416  1 
192214  1 


Maine •,.. 

Maryland 

Massachusetts., 

Michig  .n 

Mmnesota 


9!i640 
3197i8 
3787S7 


151719 
341548 
422845 


Mississippi  . 

Missouri 

Nebraska 

Nevada.. 


New  Hampshire. 

New  Jersey 

New  York 

North  Carolina,... 

Ohio    

Oregon.. 


14 1 885  183858 
1S4139  211149 
.341020  589051 
393761  478103 
I  45365 


Pennsylvania... 
Rhode  Island... 
South  Carolina  . 
Tennessee 


434373 
68825 

249073 
35691 


Vermont 

Virginia  .... 
West  Viruii 
Wisconsin  . 


002365 
69122 
3455U1 
1U5602 


400511 
70556 
2J8705 
380.540 
472040 
4762 


564135 
152923 
298269 
407350 
523159 
8765 


637917 
215739 
399455 
447040 
610408 
31G39 


352411 

501793 
470019 
737699 
212267 


214460 
215562 
959049 
5!')5,500 
230760 


244022 
277428 
1372111 
0388 '9 
681295 


810t)!ll 
70931 
415115 
261727 


1047.507 
83016 
502741 
422771 


bi  iiio       "-""""■"" 14093       24023       mm 


260328 
320823 

1918601 
737087 
937903 


13482,33 
97199 
681185 
681904 


284,574 
37.3:»6 

2428921 
75  !419 

1519467 


1724033 
108830 
594.398 
829210 


982405 
517762 
583169 
683034 
994514 
397654 
6077 
6065-.'6 
6820<M 


317976 
489555 

3097334 
869039 

1980329 
13294 

2.311786 
147545 
668507 

1002717 
212592 
314120 

1421661 


306.391 


17019041  ■  230672C2- 


Montana.. 
New  Mexict*. 

Utah 

Washington.. 
Wyoming 


The  Territories 

Total  Population.. 


5308483   7239SS1 


9033822   12866020   17069453 


864::01 
43545P 
379994 
34277 
460147 
112216 
1404i4 

10,57286 

1711951 

1360428 
674913 
107206 
115.568 
708002 
628279 
087049 

123105G 
749113 
172023 
791305 

1182012 

28841 

6867 

326073 

672036 

3880736 
992622 

23S9511 
62466 

2906215 
174620 
703708 

1109801 
604215 
3151198 

1596318 


775881 


93516 
40273 
11594 


23191876   31443,321 


991992 
484471 
660247 
39864 
537454 
125015 
187748 
1184109 
2539891 
1G80637 
1194020 
304399 
155684 
72C915 
626915 
780894 
1457351 
1184059 
4397116 
827922 
1721295 
122993 
42491 
318300 
906096 
43827.59 
1071361 
266526 
90923 
3521951 
217353 
70,5606 
1268620 
818579 
330661 
1226163 
442014 
1054070 


1262794 
802564 
864686 
194649 
622683 
146654 
267351 
1530048 
3078760 
1978362 
1G24G20 
995966 
1648708 
940103 
648945 
934632 
1783012 
1636331 
780806 
1331.592 
2108804 
452433 
62266 
346984 
1130892 
5083810 
1400047 
3198239 
174767 
4282786 
276528 
995622 
1642463 
1592574 
332286 
151 2806 
618443 
1315480 


3811.5641 


14181 
131700 
14999 
20595 
91874 
86786 
23955 
9118 


49309695 


40441 
135180 
177638 
32611 
301.57 
1184.30 
143906 
75120 
20788 


442730  (       783271 


Increase  [  Increase    Increase,  Increasei  Increasei  Increase    Increase    Increase  Increase 

percent. '  per  cent.i  percent. '  per  cent,   per  cent.l  per  cent,    per  cent,  per  cent  per  cent. 

1700-1800.   1801-1810   1810-1820.  1820-1830.11830-1840.1840-1850.  1850-1860.  1860-1«70.  1870-18 

35,10.  3G.-!«.  ^n.Ol--.  3?..51.      I        33.52,  3.5.83.     1       35.11.  22.6.5.  ai.nr. 


26.66 
65.65 
64.34 

388.28 
15.85 
17.30 
42.39 
29.97 
21.22 
17.70 
86.06 

173.14 
24.80 
29.32 
3.16 
19.68 
22.34 
38.19 
77.67 
36.67 
25.99 

2li7.83 
46.53 
9.01 
24.80 
15.99 
30.67 
19.9<l 
92.21 
21.60 
27.22 
40  05 

2i.50 
94.-55 
.62 
23.42 
39.91 
24.72 


29.52 


318.73 
853.24 
34.88 
117.42 
90.12 
X8.90 
65.81 
213.58 
127.98 
78.91 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS, 


43 


POPri^ATIOX  OF  FLLIXOIS. 


r  1380,  and  date 


I  180n.  i  1810.  ,  1820. 1    1S30. 


Aduins 

Alexander 

Bond 

Boone 

Brown 

Bureau 

Calhoun 

Carroll 

Cas«i 

Champai^  \ 

C  hnsti  m 

Clark 

CUy 

Clinton 

Coles 

Cook 

Crawf  rd 

Cumberland 

Dekalb 

DeWitt 

Doni^las 

BuPage 

I  dear 

E  d  wards 

i  tfin»ham 

F  a\  ette 

Fiinl  hu 

Full   n 

Gallatin 

Grtene 

Grundy 

Hamilton 

Hancock 

Hardin 

Henderson 

Henry 

IroquoM 

Jackson 

Jasper 

Jeneraon 

Jerse\ 

JoDa\ip  "< 

Johnson 

Kane 

Kankakee 

Kendall 

Knox 

Lake 

LaSalle 

Lawrence 

Lee 

Livingston 

L0!»1M 

Wa-^on 

Waco  ipin 

Madi«on 

M  anon 

Marshall 

Mason 

M  assa" 

McDonongh 

McHenrj 

McLean 

M  engird 

Mercer 

Monroe 

Montgomery 

Morgan 

Moultrie 

Ogle 

Peoria 

Perrv 

Piatt 

Pike 

Pope 

Pula«ki 

Putnam 

Randolph 

Richland 

Rof*k  IsH  id 

Saline 

Sangamon 

S<  huyler 

Stott 

Shebly 

SI  ark 

*&t   CKir 

SleVienson 

Tazewell 

Union 

Vermilion 

A\  ftbi-ih 

W  arren 

"VSishingt  )a 

Wavne 

White 

WhitesidL 

Will 

^\  illiamson 

\\  innebft^o 

Woodford 

Atrjrotrito 


I    I  101    7  '>73 


1,^»n|    ^  iD7J   S  248 


1  111 

4  8^1 


2  1S( 

14  47G 

26, 508 

41,323 

1   U( 

3  31; 

2,48- 

4,701 

2,03 

1  0(X 

6,14- 

0,815 

1  705 

7,62- 

11,  67f 

4    IS 

7,19) 

9,93i 

3  or,; 

8,841 

20,  426 

1,0!K 

]  741 

3,231 

.5,  141 

1  02-: 

4,  .580 

11,  7:11 

■>  981 

7,2.->; 

11,325 

1   475 

2,01! 

14,620 

1  87« 

3,20: 

10,  492 

SO* 

7,4-.S 

9,  532 

11,987 

7oo 

3,2>f 

4,28! 

0,336 

3,71S 

5, 13! 

10.011 

9,616 

9,335 

11,203 

10  201 

43, 386 

144,954 

3  11- 

4  42:i 

7,13: 

11,. 551 

3,71S 

8,311 

1  097 

7,54( 

19,080 

3,217 

5,002 

10, 8-20 
7.140 
14,701 

i  535 

9,290 

4(171 

8  215 

l'\  002 

10,925 

IGII 

3  070 

3, 52) 

5,454 

l,r,75 

3,7911 

7  816 

2-lM 

r  -.n 

8,075 

11,  !S9 
1,970 
0,393 

4  08.1 

i  082 

5,  681 

1811 

11  Hi 

22,f.0S 

33,338 

10  ?i;(i 

5,44s 

8,0.55 

7,1-^ 

11   931 

12, 42J 

10,093 

3.02a 

10,  .370 

2111 

3  [llo 

6, 362 

9,915 

483 

<1  !>tfi 

14, 652 

20,061 

1    W8 

2,887 

3, 7.50 

4,612 

9,  .501 

41 

]    200 

3, 807 

2",  000 

1  095 

4,149 

l',325 

1  &iS 

i   566 

S,  862 

9,580 

1   172 

3,  220 

8,  .304 

2j    > 

5   rG2 

8.109 

12, 005 

4  JTS 

7,  .364 

12, 0.51 

i  111 

r  ISO 

18,  6(M 

27,325 

1  lOr 

•5  620 

4,114 

9, 342 

f   iOl 

1".,703 

3  1  002 
15  412 

7,73 

13  (174 

274 

7,0C0 

13,  270 

2S,  003 

„ 

7  654 

ll,22(^ 

18,257 

1   118 

17,  SI."-' 

48.. 332 

3«-C8 

7  092 

6,121 

0,214 

2,035 

6,202 

17,  651 

r59 

1, 562 

11,637 

2   i33 

6,12s 

11,272 

1  l"' 

T  039 

3,088 

13,738 

1  01(1 

7  82li 

1\  3.55 

21,002 

C  "1 

14  m 

20,441 

31,3.51 

21')o 

4    r42 

6, 72(1 

12,7.30 

1,840 

5,180 

13,4.37 

.5,  9.'] 

10,931 

4,09 

6,213 

6    108 

7,Gir 

20,  org 

2    i78 

14,078 

22,080 

6  ;go 

10,163 

28,772 

4    \X\ 

6,349 

0,584 

m 

,5,240 

15,042 

2  0(10 

4    181 

7.079 

12,832 

21    1 

4    190 

6,277 

13  070 

19  711 

11  vn 

10,  flr4 

22,112 

3,234 

0,385 

i  479 

1'',  020 

22, 888 

6  153 

17,  .547 

36, 601 

1    I 

3    !22 

5,278 

9,552 

l,6or 

6,127 

2ior 

11  728 

LSSl!- 

27  249 

3  31G 

4  094 

3,97r 

6,742 

2,204 

3, 043 

1  ild 

2  isi 

3,92r 

.5.  .587 

4  42) 

7  144 

11,07!' 

17.205 

4,012 

9,711 

/,010 

6, 9.37 

21,005 

.5,  .58P 

9,  .331 

12  ICO 

14    -l- 

10,  22« 

32,274 

21j0 

r  172 

10,  .573 

14,084 

r    !15 

7,914 

0,069 

^97 

r  659 

7,807 

14  613 

1    i73 

.1,710 

0,004 

7  078 

n  6:11 

20,180 

37,  694 

2  800 

lt.06f 

25,112 

4"ir 

7    21 

12,0,52 

21,470 

3  m 

1    i24 

7,  615 

11,181 

r  (j  (- 

9    lOT 

11,492 

10,K0O 

2  710 

4    110 

4,000 

7,313 

!0? 

r  no 

8,170 

18,330 

1  '•7 

4  81" 

6,953 

13.731 

2  ,a1 

5  133 

6, 825 

12,223 

COOl 

7  019 

8  025 

13,403 

"    14 

6, 301 

lS,ri7 

10  107 

l-,703i 

29,321 

' 

■"  457 

7.21c; 

12,205 

' 

4  009 

11, 773| 

21,491 

4,415 

13,282 

56, 302 
10,  564 
13  1.52 
12, 042 
12,  2(15 
34,415 
C,  .562 
15,705 
11,, 580 
32,  737 
20, 3!Vi 
18,719 
15, 875 
16, 285 
2.5,235 
340, 906 
13,S'!9l 
12,  223 
23,265 
14,768 
13, 4,84 
16,6S5 
21.450 
7,  .565 
15,65:! 

10,  63< 
9,103 

12,  0.52 
3'<,291 
11,134 
20, 277 
14,9:t8 
13,014 
35,93 
6,113 
12,5S. 
.35.  .51  ■« 

25. 782 
19,  6;i4 

11,  239 
17. 864 
1.5,  0.54 
27,  820 

11,  24S 
39,  (Wl 
24,352 

12,  .309 
30.. 522 
21,014 
60, 792 
12.533 
27, 171 
31,471 
23,05:i 
26,481 
32,726 
44,131 
20,622 
10,050 
10, 184 

0,581 
20,500 
23,702 
53,988 
11,  7:15 
18,700 
12, 082 
25,  314 
28, 403 
10, 385 
27,412 
47.540 
13,7-23 
10,953 
.30,  768 
11,437 
8, 7.52 
0,280 
20,859 
12  803 

20. 783 
12,714 
46, 352 
17,410 
10.  .5.30 
25. 470 
10,  751 
."■l.OOS 
.30, 008 
27. 003 
1"',.518 
3>,.388 

8,811 
23, 174 
17,  .='00 
10,758 
16, 846 
27,  .503 
4:!,  "13 
17,3-20 
29,  .301 
18,9.50 


Counlv  .Scat-!. 


,5,105  Fi-hrn:n->   1:,  :■    >  r,  ■  : 

6, 1-29:  January  -,    i  ; .  >  1 

1,'249i.Ianilary  L-.  I 

2,802  Septem't  T  1  l  !    1  ~i.  ,  w  ,.  . 

3, 014  January  2. 1,  \<l\ i;irr..lito 

6,;:iS  February  17,  1.S41 Morris 


i2  Februarys,  1821 MeLeansboro  .. . 

>,'352. January  1.3.   i-'25 ("arthape 

i,  0-24  March  2,  1     .    rii    ii  .  thtown ... 

),755'.Tanuarv  J  ,  '  ■.  ka 

">, 609  .lanuarv  1      1  '  ::.l»e 

),457|Fehruary  :  '.,  !~:;  Wn-.ka 

2,508|january  l'>,  lsn: Mtirphv>boro.  .. 

t,5;5rFebruary  1.5,  1831 iNcwton 

1, 03o!March20, 1819 Mt.  Vernon 

i,  5161  February  2-*,  1839 Jersevville 

r,  .5.34 1  February  17,  1S27 Galena 

!,  079  September  1 1, 1-12 |  Vienna 

l,056lJanuary  1  %  \?'\f\ .Geneva 

1, 061 1  February  It,  1S5I Kankakee  Citv.. 

t,08i:Februarylfi,  l>fU Yorkville 

!,36o!Janu.ary  i:i-  1S2'> Galcsburg.. 

l,209|March  1,  ls;.i Waukoian 

1, 42ii.Tanuary  1".,  1^:1 nitnwaV «.... 

:,'    ;  lii'i;  \-   11         l.awrenceville  ... 

;  ;    1  I  ,-  j:  i'ixon 

,11^        .■  : :  .,  P'lntiac 

.,"11  r.i'iiii.-l         ;■.  Lincoln 

1,071  .lanna'-vl'i,      21 Decatur 

■,705  .January  IT,  1820 'Carlinville 

1, 141  September  14, 1812 E'lH-ardsville 

1,001 'January  24,  1823 Salem . 

i,030;january  10, 1S30 Lacon 

i,  244  January  20,  1811 Havana 

I,  443:February8,  1843 IMctropoIis 


1S26 


,iMa 


l\Voo<l^tock 

',  !i'   I'  .   1-111 iBloominptin 

;.  '-'-  r  .  1   .  i;!( Pctereburg 

',      1   '  1,1   -'-. i.Mcdo 

,    -J  '1.1  Waterloo 

,         !  -  I   ,  l-Jl HiP'^boro 

:■  1  .    i      '. Jaek.«onvi  le 

,;:  '.  1.1     ;     -,-1  .  Ill Sullivan 

I,  IIJO  .Tanuarv  10.  l^:l': jOrepon 

;,419|.January  13,182.5 Peoria 

1,008  January  20,  18-27 IPiucUnevville 

1,.583  .Taniia-v  27,  1S41 :M..nticcllo 

1,761  J:r,'i  ,■■.•  :.:.  1-Jl    I'  !-.•". 'H  

1,250    \:       !'.      -  :  I 

1,507  -M  .      ■-    :,   1    1  .  '1  II  itv 

1,555  .I:i-ii,  ,-v   11.  l-_". II.  iih.  pin.". 

1,601  April:;*.  1S11 Chester 

1,546  February  24,1841 joiney - 

1,314  February  9, 1S31 Rock  Island 

.,  OW  February;-".,  1^17 Ilarrisburi; 


I  April  23.  1809 Belleville. 

I  March  4,1837 Freeport. 

■   iiuary31,1827 Pekii 


)  .Ianuary2.  1818.. 

l.I.anuarvlS,  1826 

1  Deceuiber27.  1824.. 

I  .Tanua'-v  1.3, 182.5 

■  January  2, 1818 

■March  25,1819 

I;  December  0,18(5... 

I  January  16, 18-iO 

1  .lanuary  12, 1830 

1  February  23, 1839... 

I  January  16,  1836 

iFebrusjry  27, 1841... 


Joncsbftro... 

D:mville 

Mt.  Oarmel.. 
Monmouth... 

Nai^viPe 

Fairfield 

Carmi 

MorrLson 

.loliet 

Marion 


51,47(1:  1,711,951    -2..531.  Rill  3,07«.e3_ 


(ountj  WW  orscani7cd  \pnl  ""th,  I'll  Iv   \rlliur«t  Clair  I 
no  river    ro-organizid  aft<r  Ilhnoi=  li  1 J  1      n      talliliedi 


crnor  a-i'l  Commander-in-chief  uf"  The  territory  of  the  United  States  north- 
il.iry,  April  -2Stli,ISri1. 


44 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


CHAPTER  III. 


GEOGRAPHY,  AGIilCVLTUEAL  RESOmCES  AND  RAIL- 
ROAD FACILITIES. 


'I* 


GE(XJRAPHY,  POPULATION,  TOPOGRAPHY,  TIMBER,  HYDROGRAPHY, 
MOUNDS,  SOIL,  AGRJCULTURE,  HORTICULTURE,  CENSUS,  ETC, 
TRANSPORTATION  FACILITIES,  RIVER,  RAIL,  AND  EARLY 
PACKET  LINES. 


of  coDforma- 
Illinois,  it  is 
^||^.l^l><^;  hard  to  locate  Madison  county  speci- 
'^r  "-V' Jw  ^j"^tl  fically  ;  to  speak  of  it  as  one  of  the 
south-western  counties  is  eminently  pro- 
per. Geographically  it  lies  wholly  with- 
in the  degree  belt  lying  south  of  the  thir- 
ty-ninth parallel  of  latitude,  whilst  the 
thirteenth  meridian  of  longitude  west 
from  Washington  bisects  it  north  and  south.  Its  northern 
boundary  is  39°  north  latitude;  its  southtrn  38°  33'norlh  ; 
whilst  its  eastern  is  12°  36'  30"  west  longitude,  and  its 
most  western  point  13°  16'  west.  Its  greatest  length  east 
and  west  is  thirty-four  miles.  It?  width  twenty-four  miles. 
It  contains  72008  square  miles  or  461,315.86  acres.  It 
is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Jersey,  Macoupin  and  Mont- 
gomery counties;  on  the  east  by  Bond  and  Clinton,  on 
the  south  by  Clinton  and  St.  Clair,  west  by  the  Missis- 
sippi river  and  Jersey  county.  The  Mississippi  river 
washes  its  western  boundary  for  a  distance  of  over  twenty 
miles.  The  county  derives  its  name  from  James  Madison, 
the  fourth  President  of  the  United  States,  during  whose 
administration  it  was  organized.  The  geographical  situation 
of  the  county  is  unsurpassed  It  embraces  sixteen  full  and 
eight  fractional  parts  of  congressional  townships  and  is 
divided  for  political  purposes  into  twenty-three  townships  as 
follows:  Helvetia,  Saline,  Leef,  New  Douglas,  St.  Jacobs, 
Marine,  Alhambra,  Olive,  Jarvi«,  Pin  Oak,  Hamel,  Omph, 
Ghent,  Collinsville,  Edwardsville,  Fort  Russell,  Moro, 
Nameoki,  Chouteau,  Wood  River,  Fosterburg,  Venice,  Alton 
and  Godfrey. 

Edwardsville,  situated  a  little  southwest  of  the  geographi- 
cal and  almost  exactly  upon  the  population  centre  of  the 
county,  is  its  capital.  It  is  eighteen  miles  distant  from  St. 
Louis  and  ninety  miles  from  Springfield,  the  capital  of  the 
State. 

The  first  surveys  of  land  under  the  government  of  the 
United  States  were  made  in  January,  1808,  in  what  is  now 
Collinsville  township  by  John  Messenger.  During  the 
same  year  J.  Milton  Moore,  and  J.  Messenger,  a  sub- 
contractor under  William  Rector,  ran  several  township 
lines.  The  entire  work  of  setting  forth  the  metes  and 
bounds  of  such  townships  was  not  completed  until  some 
time  in  January,  1819.  At  various  times  between  the  dates 
above  given  lines  were  run  by  J.  Messenger,  J.  M.  Moore, 


Thomas  W.  Thurston,  Enoch  Moore,  J.  S.  Conway,  Charles 
Powell,  H.  Morley,  E  Barcroft,  George  Frazer,  G.  Marshall, 
C.  Lockhart,  J.  Judy  and  Joseph  Borough.  Prior  to  any 
entries  of  these  lands  were  claims  located  in  accordance 
with  various  provisions  for  such,  which  were  set  forth  in 
a  report  made  by  ISIessrs  Michael  Jones  and  E.  Bockus, 
commissioners  to  sit  in  judgment  upon  the  various  claims 
brought  under  the  provisions  of  various  acts  of  Congress. 
Their  first  reports  bear  date  December  31st,  1809.  ''  There 
are,"  say  the  commissioners,  "four  species  of  claims  upon 
which,  as  commissioners  for  this  district,  we  have  had  to  act. 
1st.  Those  founded  on  ancient  grants  or  allotments  derived 
from  former  government  or  from  the  Indians.  2d.  Those 
founded  on  the  grant  of  a  donation  of  four  hundred  acres  to 
ea(.h  of  those  who  were  heads  of  famiies  in  the  county  at 
or  before  the  treaty  with  England  in  1783.  3d.  Those 
founded  on  having  actually  improved  and  cultivated  land  in 
the  country,  under  a  supposed  grant  of  the  same  by  court 
commandant.  4th.  Those  founded  on  their  having  been 
enrolled  on  the  1st  of  August,  1790,  and  done  duty  in  the 
militia."  The  first  and  second  of  these  classes  were  under 
the  act  of  June  20,  1778,  and  third  and  fourth  under  that 
of  March  3d,  1791.  To  the  second  of  these  belong  the  first 
confirmations  of  lands  within  the  limits  of  Madison  County. 
To  the  third  were  several,  whilst  to  the  fourth  were  more 
than  half  the  whole  number.  These  claims  will  be  presented 
properly  elsewhere  in  this  work. 

POPULATION. 

The  population  at  different  periods  is  as  follows  : 

1818.  (Dana's  Geographical  Sketch).       .         .         .  5,456 

1820.  (State  census.     Edwardsville  Spectator).    .  8,549 

1820.  (United  State?  census,)     '•             "         .        •  13,550 

1830.  (Peck's  Gazeteer) 6,540 

1840.  (United  States  Census) 14,433 

1850.         "           "           " 20.441 

1860.         "          "           " 31,556 

1865.  (State  Census) 42,042 

1870.  (United  States  Census) 44,.322 

1880.         '■          "             " 50,141 

Discrepancies  in  this  table  are  partially  accounted  for  by 
changes  in  territory.  Madison  county  at  one  time  reached 
to  the  north  line  of  the  United  States  and  embraced  a  terri- 
tory now  divided  not  alone  into  counties  but  states  as  well. 

TOPOGRArHY. 

The  surface  of  the  country  presents  a  pleasing  variety, 
gently  rolling  prairies  predominating.  The  majestic  bluff's 
of  the  Mis.sispippi  present  a  rocky  wall  along  its  shore  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Illinois  to  Alton  and  then  tending  inland 
around  the  great  American  bottom,  round  their  fronts  into 
grassy  sloped  hills  that  go  down  more  gently  to  the  fertile 
fields  of  the  garden  spot  of  Illinois.  These  bluifij,  like 
adamantine  walls  checking  the  course  of  destruction  of 
raging  floods,  are  from  eighty  to  one  hundred  and  fi'ty  feet 
in  height.  From  their  crest  a  lovely  panorama  spreads  out 
to  view,  comprehending  as  it  does  a  view  of  the  valley  of 
the  great  Jilisscuri  which  commingles  its  muddy  waters  with 


HISTORY    OF    MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


45 


those  of  the  Mississippi  in  their  onrushingto  the  sea,  and  the 
intervening  landscape  of  cultivated  fields,  here  and  there 
marred  by  stretches  of  sand  or  slouyhs  waiting  to  be  made 
to  bloom  and  blossom  as  the  rose  before  the  hand  of  in- 
dustry when  once  redeemed  by  drainage-  Eastward  from 
the  blufti  are  far-reaching  prairies  relieved  by  grove-crowned 
eminences,  beautiful  valleys  and  inviting  hillsides.  On 
many  of  the  prairies  are  stretches  of  young  and  vigorous 
timber,  where  once  was  an  open  space  consequent  upon 
annual  fires  sweeping  everything  before  them.  The  timber 
tracts,  in  the  main,  follow  the  meanderiugs  of  the  various 
streams  or  crown  the  bluffs  that  hem  in  the  valleys.  The 
principal  prairies  are  known  as  Ridge  Prairie,  Marine 
Prairie,  Round  Prairie,  Liberty  Prairie,  Looking  Glass 
Prairie,  Six  Mile  Wet,  or  formerly  Gillham's,  Rattan's 
Prairie  and  Sand  Prairie.  All  are  fertile ;  indeed  are  unsur- 
passed in  the  great  Mississippi  valley. 

TIMBER. 

The  native  kinds  of  timlier  are  fully  set  forth  in  the 
chapter  on  the  Flora  of  the  county,  hence  demand  but 
brief  mention  here.  The  largest  bodies  of  timber  skirt  the 
streams.  Oak  in  great  variety  abounds,  embracing  black, 
white,  overcup,  post,  &c.  There  are  also  white,  black  and 
shcllbark  hickory,  soft  and  sugar  maple,  ash,  sassafras, 
black  and  white,  or  English  walnut,  wild  cherry,  elm,  pecan, 
sycamore,  honey  locust,  box  alder,  paw-paw,  buckeye,  red- 
bird,  persimmon,  hackberry  and  other  woods  indigenous  to 
south  and  central  Illinois.  Of  shade  trees  there  are  black 
locust,  elm,  maple,  and  representatives  of  the  numerous 
family  of  evergreens.  The  preservation  of  the  forest  growth 
is  a  matter  of  vital  importance.  When  it  is  remembered 
that  wood  is  an  article  of  constant  daily  consumption,  posi- 
tively indispensable  to  nearly  every  use  and  appliance  of 
modern  civilization  ;  that  railroads  require  millions  of  ties 
annually  for  purposes  of  construction  as  well  as  reparation, 
it  becomes  a  que.stion  of  moment  when  will  the  supply  be 
exhausted?  The  cessation  of  prairie  fires,  with  their  besom 
of  destruction,  admits  a  growth  not  enjoyed  before  the  occu- 
pation of  the  land  in  the  interests  of  agriculture.  This  is 
but  an  aid.  Will  nature's  work  be  supplemented  by  intel- 
ligent action  ? 

IIYDROGR.VPHV. 

The  county  is  well  supplied  with  natural  water  courses. 
Along  a  part  of  its  western  boundary  roll  the  waters  of  tl  e 
Mississippi,  whose  volume  is  here  augmented  by  the  addition 
of  those  of  the  Missouri.  The  eastern  part  of  the  county 
is  drained  by  Sugar  and  Silver  creeks  together  with  their 
tributaries.  Sugar  Creek  rises  in  Saline  township,  flows  a 
southerly  course,  leaving  the  county  at  a  point  less  than  two 
miles  distant  from  the  south-eastern  corner. 

Silver  Creek,  (so  named  because  of  a  belief  by  the  early 
French  settlers  of  the  territory  in  the  existence  of  silver  along 
its  course)  rises  in  the  northern  part,  ami  flows  a  southerly 
course  leaving  the  county  south  of  the  village  of  Troy. 
Both  of  these  streams  are  affluents  of  the  Kaskaskia 
River. 

The  west  central   \ya\-1  of  the  county  is  drained  by  Caho- 


kia  and  its  branches.  The  north-western  by  Wood  river  and 
Piasa  Creek,  and  their  tributaries.  In  addition  to  these 
natural  means  of  drainage,  tiling  has  been  resorted  to  with 
excellent  results.  Wet,  marshy  lauds  have,  through  its 
agency,  been  reclaimed  and  made  to  gladden  the  hearts  of 
progressive  husbandmen  by  the  rich  harvests  of  the  cereals 
they  have  borne.  This  tiling,  which  is  fast  coming  into 
general  use,  is  made  out  of  a  species  of  fire-clay,  of  which 
extensive  beds  are  found  in  the  county.  As  the  benefits  of 
tile  draining  become  more  manifest  it  will  be  still  more  ex- 
tensively used,  and  millions  will  be  added  to  the  wealth  of 
the  county. 

Here  and  there  in  deep  valleys,  or  along  the  hillsides 
which  fringe  them  are  perennial  springs  of  clear,  pure,  cold 
■water. 

MOU.VDrt. 

Much  speculation  has  been  indulged  in,  respecting  the 
group  of  mounds  known  as  the  Cahohia  in  the  southwestern 
part  of  the  county  and  of  which  "Monk's  Mound"  is  the 
chief  attraction.  This  matter  is  treated  elsewhere  in  the 
chap'er  on  antiquities. 

Soil. — This  county  contains  nearly  all  the  elemental  classes 
of  soil  known  to  agricultural  writers.  Argillaceous,  calcare- 
ous and  silicious  soils,  vegetable  and  alluvial  loams,  are  re- 
presented by  turns  in  the  different  geological  formations 
which  abound,  often  blended  with  each  other  in  such  minute 
gradations  as  to  make  it  a  task  of  some  difficulty  to  classify 
them  without  preceding  analysis.  Part  of  these  soils  are 
characterized  by  a  spontaneous  growth  of  natural  grasses  and 
forest  trees.  Cultivation  of  the  soil  has  greatly  diminished 
the  former,  so  that  where  once  a  luxuriant  growth  of  wild 
grasses  furnished  sustenance  to  herds  of  cattle  and  droves  of 
hogs,  cultivated  fields  more  than  compensate  for  their  extin- 
guishment. Here  we  find  a  stretch  of  the  great  sedimentary 
basin  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  with  its  aggregations  of  cen- 
turies constituting  a  soil  of  inexhaustible  fertility,  and  des- 
tined yet  to  be  the  great  market  garden  whence  will  be  sup- 
plied the  wants  of  one  of  our  nation's  greatest  cities.  Hard 
by,  frowning  down  upon  this  valley,  save  above  Alton  where, 
rock-ribbed  in  perpendicular  walls,  it  overlooks  the  bright 
waters  which  reflect  them  back  again,  are  the  bluffs,  whose 
heights  are  crowned  with  clay  loam,  or  here  and  there  but  a 
thin  covering  of  silicious  soil,  whose  unfruitfulncss,  by  a  wise 
dispensation  of  nature,  is  compensated  for  by  the  coal  meas- 
ure beneath. 

Then  again,  farther  to  the  oast  aTid  north  are  reached  vast 
prairies  with  a  wondrous  wealth  of  black  soil,  from  one  to 
six  feet  in  depth,  and  commonly  termed  vegetable  mould, 
from  the  fact  that  for  untold  ages,  extending  back  to  the 
glacial  period,  immense  accumulations  of  decayed  vegetable 
matter  have  been  successively  adding  their  treasures,  fertiliz- 
ing these  plains,  fitting  them  to  become  the  supply  stations 
for  a  dense  population.  Imperceptibly  do  the  different  va- 
rieties of  .soil  blend  and  intermingle.  There  is,  too,  a  cold 
yellowish  clay  protruding  itself  to  the  surface  in  places  on 
the  upland-',  but  its  extent  is  limited.  With  proper  appli- 
ances such  as  drainage,  there  is  but  little  land  in  the  county 
not  susceptible  of  cultivation. 


46 


HISTORY    OF  21  AD  ISO  N  COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


Agrmdture. — lu  none  of  the  arts  has  such  progress  been 
made  during  the  past  hundred  years  as  in  that  of  agriculture. 
The  pioneers  depended  largely  upon  the  chase,  the  stream, 
and  a  bountiful  nature  for  the  supply  of  their  wants.  Small 
patches  were  cultivated,  after  a  fashion,  immediately  about 
their  door  yards,  and  if  one  essayed  to  grow  a  larger  area  of 
corn  or  wheat  recourse  was  had  to  the  old  wooden  mould 
board  plow  with  which  to  put  the  ground  in  condition.  The 
earliest  records  we  have  of  any  agricultural  labor  within  the 
limits  of  Madison  county  was  that  put  forth  by  Catholic 
Missionaries  in  what  is  now  the  northwestern  part  of  Na- 
nieoki  township  on  land  now  occupied  and  owned  by  Samuel 
Squire.  Here  there  were  planted  pear  trees  a  hundred  and 
forty  years  ago,  here,  too,  on  the  then  outskirts  of  civiliza- 
tion, was  the  first  production  of  ct reals.  It  is  a  remarkable 
fact  that  from  Green  Bay  in  Wisconsin,  to  Kaskaskia,  the 
route  of  these  missionaries  can  be  traced  by  pear  trees  now 
old  and  mostly  decayed. 

Among  early  farmers  who  were  devoted  to  their  calling  and 
brought  skill  to  the  aid  of  agricultural  art  were  such  men  as 
Col.  Samuel  Judy,  who  planted  an  apple  orchard  nearly 
eighty  years  ago,  the  first  in  the  county ;  the  Whitesides, 
whose  especial  delight  was  the  improvement  of  the  stock  of 
horses  ;  the  Gillhams,  the  Pruitts  and  others  whose  descendents 
have  contributed  largely  to  Madison's  agricultural  wealth. 
On  the  9th  day  of  February  1822  a  meeting  of  farmers  was 
held  in  the  Court  House  in  Edwardsville,  who  organized  the 
first  Agricultural  Society  in  the  county.  Micajah  Cox,  Esq., 
was  elected  to  the  chair  and  Geo.  Churchill  was  chosen  Sec- 
retary. Upon  perfecting  their  organization  the  following 
resolutions  were  adopted. 

Resolved.  That  a  piece  of  plate  of  the  value  of  five  dollars 
be  presented  for  the  most  approved  essay  on  the  best  mode 
of  pickling  and  preserving  pork,  and  pointing  out  the  cause 
of  the  difi'erence  in  value  between  New  England  and  Wes- 
tern pork. 

Resolved.  That  a  premium  of  sirailar  value  shall  be  given 
to  the  person  who  shall  make  the  best  specimen  of  malt  liquor, 
not  less  than  thirty  gallons. 

Resolved.  That  a  premium  of  similar  value  be  presented 
to  the  person  who  shall  present  the  greatest  number  of  wolf 
scalps,  not  less  than  five,  taken  by  himself  within  the  limits 
of  Madison  county. 

Resolved.  That  a  premium  of  similar  value  be  presented 
to  the  person  who  shall  manufacture  the  best  piece  of  linsey- 
woolsey,  not  less  than  twenty  yards. 

Resolved.  That  a  premium  of  similar  value  be  given  to 
the  member  who  shall  raise  a  year  old  lamb  which  shall  pro- 
duce the  greatest  quantity  of  wool. 

Resolved.  That  a  piece  of  plate  of  the  value  of  three  dol- 
lars be  awarded  to  the  person  who  shall  make  the  greatest 
quantity  of  proof  spirit,  not  less  than  thirty  gallons,  from  a 
given  quantity  of  grain. 

This  effjrt  was  not  successful.  Whether  the  premiums,  or 
the  matters  selected  on  which  to  base  them  were  the  cause  of 
abandonment  does  not  appear. 

In  1831  an  agricultural  paper,  called  the  Plotiffhboij,  was 
established  in  Edwardsville.     It  is  worthy  of  mention  that 


choice  nursery  stock  was  advertised  in  its  columns.  As  early 
as  1820  there  appeared  in  the  Edwirdsvil/e  Spectator  accounts 
of  wonderful  fields  of  various  cereals,  evidently  intendel  to  at- 
tract the  attention  of  immigrants.  In  1822  Daniel  A.  Lauter- 
man  raised  five  hundred  bushels  of  oats  on  ten  acres  of  land. 
Solomon  Truitt  harvested  fifty-two  bushels  of  wheat  from  a 
single  acre.  One  hundred  and  twenty  bushels  of  corn  were 
raised  on  an  acre.  Castor  beans  were  quite  extensively  raised 
sixty  years  ago.  John  Adams  commenced  the  manufacture 
of  castor  oil  in  Edwardsville  in  1825,  and  in  1831  turned  out 
12,000  gallons. 

The  first  vineyard  in  the  county  was  near  Highland  in 
1844.     In  1847  Mr.  KoefHi  made  the  first  wine. 

Improved  varieties  of  apples  were  planted  by  John  Collet, 
E.  J.  West,  Gershom  Flagg  and  D.  A.  Lautermau  as  early 
as  1820.  The  trees  planted  by  Messrs.  Collet  &  West  were 
procured  from  New  York,  those  of  Flagg  from  Greenville, 
Bond  county.  Among  the  varieties  were  Kirkbridge,  White, 
Rambo,  Pryor's  Red,  Penuock,  Pennsylvania,  Red  Streak, 
Newtown  Pippin,  Rawle's  Janet.  The  first  established  nur- 
sery was  that  of  Collet  &  Masson  Mr.  Collet  was  an  Eng- 
lishraau,  and  Mr.  Masson  a  French-Swiss.  Their  stock  of 
fruit  trees  ivas  largely  of  foreign  origin.  The  nursery  was  on 
section  22,  Tp  5,  R  8,  from  whence  it  was  moved  in  18:!2  to 
section  8. 

In  1829  or  30,  Mr.  Charles  Howard  obtained  some  poach 
pits  from  a  Mr.  Fitchenal,  which  he  planted  within  the 
present  limits  of  Alton.  Of  the  trees  which  grew  from  them 
he  transplanted  one  to  his  farm  near  Greenwood.  From 
records  kept  by  the  Alton  Horticultural  Society,  from  which 
much  of  the  above  is  gleaned,  we  learn  that  a  s-iugle  peach 
from  one  of  these  trees  sold  in  St.  Louis  fir  two  dollars. 

The  Agricultural  Society  formed  in  Edwardsville  on  the 
31st  of  October,  1854,  also  the  Alton  Horticultural  So- 
ciety organized  November  12th,  1853,  receive  elsewhere  in 
this  work  full  attention. 

The  Madison  County  Farmers'  Club  holds  monthly  meet- 
ings from  house  to  house  Its  deliberations  have  resulted  in 
great  good  Its  contributions  to  agricultural  literature  have 
been  of  practical  value. 

To  show  the  progress  of  agriculture  in  Madison  county 
the  following  tables  compiled  from  the  Census  of  1850  are 
placed  in  contrast  with  those  of  1860  and  1870. 

Census  of  ld:'-)0  :  Acres  of  land  in  farms  ;  improved  93, 
251;  unimproved  165,067.  Valueof  farms  and  implements 
— farms  S2,435  145  ;  implements  and  machinery  $142,457. 

Live  Stock:  Horses  6,745;  asses  and  mules  317;  milch 
cows  6,414  ;  working  oxen  2,056  ;  other  cattle  1 2,740  ;  sheep 
9,085  ;  swine  40,233  ;  value  of  live  stock  $480,668.  Value 
of  slaughtered  animals  81 15  680. 

PRODUCE    DURING    TUE    YE.VR    ENDEXG  JUNE   IST,  1850. 

Whe.it  bushel S8,S93 

Rye  "  611 

Indian  Corn  biHliel 1,1.^),S,183 

O.its  bushel, 202,0o9 

Tub,iceo  pound?, 100 

Wool  pounds, 19,878 


HIS  TORY   OF   MADISON  COUNTY,    II L I  NO  IS. 


47 


Peas  and  Beana  bushel, 1,6G9 

Hay  tons, 0,499 

Irish  Potiiloes  bushel, 270,204 

Clover  bushel, 14 

Hops  pounds, 56 

Oiher  Grass  Seeds, 71 

Sweet  potatoes   bushel,  .    .    ■    '    • •  .    .    .  6,732 

Barley  bushel, 220 

Buckwheat-bushel, 839 

AVine  gallons 023 

Value  Orchard  Products $17  411 

Cheese  pounds, 14,136 

Produce  Market  Gardens,  Value, $2,269 

Butter  pounds, 2')1,S24 

Value  Home  Made  Manufactures, $2S,9oO 

Honey  and  Beeswax  pounds, 11,006 

Census  of  1860  :  Acres  of  lauds  in  farms  ;  improved  1 28, 
988;  Value  $4,137,910.  Value  impleiuents  aud  machinery 
$385,770. 

Livestock:  Horses  9,22.5 ;  asses  and  mules  1,317;  neat 
cattle  24,269;  sheep  4,062;  swine  26,085;  Value  of  live 
stock  8736,171. 

Censiis  of  1870 :  Acres  laud  improved,  183,026  ;  horses 
12,417;  mules  2,976;  sheep  5,275;  swine  45,407;  wheat 
bushel,  410,257;  corn  bushel,  3,191,140.  No.  of  cattle 
14,101. 

In  1860  there  were  eight  manuflicturiug  establishments 
divided  between  agricultural  implements,  plows  and  thresh- 
ers and  horse  powers  which  gave  employment  to  sixty-one 
men  ;  employed  an  aggregate  capital  of  853,450,  and  turned 
out  manufactured  articles  to  the  value  of  §63,525. 

t'e«.«i(.«  of  1880:  Inasmuch  as  elsewhere  in  this  work  will 
be  found  complete  returns  Census  of  1880,  for  the  present 
purpose  we  insert  only  statistics  of  cereals,  as  follows  :  Barley 
5  acres,  54  bushels  ;  buckwheat  9  acres,  80  bushels  ;  corn  98, 
780  acres,  4,058,15-5  bushels;  oats  13,905  acres,  351,505 
bushels;  rye  161  acres,  2,299  bushels;  wheat  129,861  acres, 
2,607,969  bushels. 

By  comparison  with  other  counties  of  Illinois,  Madison 
stands  first  in  production  of  wheat.  In  orchard  products, 
striking  an  average  of  all  varieties  of  fruit  she  stands  second. 
Several  counties  produce  more  peaches,  others  again  more 
apples  or  pears  as  the  case  may  be,  but  when  great  variety 
coupled  with  production  is  jiresentcd  Madisou  county  takes 
her  rank  among  the  foremost  of  the  iStatc 

In  production  of  wheat  she  stands  fourth  in  the  Uniied 
States.  Her  product  is  greater  than  either  of  the  following 
States,  Alabama,  Arkansas,  Colorado,  all  the  New  Eug- 
land  States  combined,  Delaware,  Florida,  ]Missis.-ippi,  New 
Jersey,  South  Carolina  and  Te.xas. 

TRANSPORTATION    FACILITIES. 

In  1805  feeble  eiforts  were  put  forth  by  farmers  living  in 
the  American  bottom  to  ship  their  produce  to  market  directly 
upon  their  own  account,  thus  exhibiting  considerable  enter- 
prise. They  constructed  several  rude  rafts  on  Grand  Isle, 
now  Chouteau,  which  thty  loaded  with  corn,  cattle,  hrgs, 
chickens,  Ac,  and  went  do«n  the  Mississippi  to  New  Orleans. 
Some  reached  their  destined  port  in  safety,  others  were 
wrecked  on  the  voyage  for  want  of  proper  skill  in  the  navi- 
gation of  the  river.     These  trips  consumed  much  time,  as 


they  were  carried  forward  by  the  force  of  the  current  and 
were  compelled  to  return  by  laud.  In  a  few  years  rumors 
of  successful  steamboat  navigation  of  the  Hudson  reached 
these  pioneers,  but  they  shook  their  heads  and  gravely  said 
the  current  of  the  Mississippi  would  never  admit  of  such 
navigation  here  Their  doubts  were  however  dispelled  on 
the  2d  of  August  1817  when  the  "  General  Pike  "  command- 
ed by  Capt.  James  Reed  landed  at  St.  Louis. 

In  1818  continuing  until  1S20  boats  under  charge  of  Col. 
James  Johnson  i  brother  to  Richard  M.)  shipped  supplies  for 
Fort  Osage — far  up  the  Missouri — under  contract  with  the 
United  States  Goverument,  from  Alton.  This  was  the  time 
of  the  origin  of  the  expression  ''St.  Louis  is  a  village  twenty 
miles  below  Alton  "  And  in  1834  when  the  "Piskilwa," 
Captain  Chambers  commanding,  commenced  making  regular 
daily  trips  between  Alton  and  St.  Louis,  letters  directed  "St. 
Louis,  twenty  miles  from  Alton,  III."  were  not  uncommon. 
At  the  time  Arthur  Phillips  was  contractor  for  carrying  the 
mail  and  Bruner  was  postmaster  at  Alton. 

lu  1837  the  "Alpha"  was  put  into  the  trade.  She  was 
succeeded  by  the  ''Eagle,'  owned  and  run  by  Captains  Wil- 
sou,  Reed  and  Clay,  of  St  Louis.  In  1843  Captain  William 
P.  Lamothe,  of  Alton,  bought  her,  and  the  Altou  and  St. 
Louis  Packet  became  an  Alton  institution.  From  Hair's 
Gazetteer  are  gathered  the  following  facts  relative  to  this 
trade.  In  January  1844  Lamothe  in  connection  with  Starnes 
and  Springer  of  St  Louis,  built  the  Suella.  In  1845  Frink 
and  Walker,  the  old  Stage  proprietors  of  Chicago,  put  the 
steamer  "Geo  Briggs,"  Captain  James  E.  Starr,  in  opposi- 
tion to  her.  This  competition  was,  however,  soon  checked  by 
the  proprietors  joining  hands  and  forming  a  joint  stock  com- 
pany. In  1848  Messrs.  S.  and  P.  Wise  in  connection  with 
Captain  Thomas  C.  Starr  and  other  citizens  of  Alton  bought 
the  "  Tempest,"  and  started  opposition  to  the  old  line  ;  at  the 
time  the  fare  to  and  from  St.  Louis  was  one  dollar.  In  1849 
the  old  company  gave  the  'Tempest,"  a  hot  opposition  ;  the 
"Suella,"  Captain.  George  E.  Hawley;  Jno.  A.  Bruner, 
Pilot.  Bruner  and  Hawley  had  chartered  the  boat,  put  the 
fare  to  seventy-five  cents,  then  to  fifty,  then  to  twenty-five, 
then  to  ten  and  finally  carried  passengers  free,  and  freight 
for  nearly  nothing  Both  boats  carried  bands  of  music,  leav- 
ing as  they  did  at  the  .same  hour;  racing  was  regularly  in 
order  and  great  quantities  of  rosin  and  turpentine  were  used 
in  connection  with  their  wood  for  fuel.  Parenthetically  it 
may  be  remarked  that  this  was  before  law  restricted  engi- 
neers in  amount  of  steam  to  be  employed.  The  result  of  this 
ruinous  p  ilicy  was  a  compromise  effected  in  1849,  when  con- 
solidation of  interests  took  effect.  The  Suella  ran  in  the 
trade  during  the  spring  of  1850,  and  the  Tempest  the  balance 
of  the  year  and  the  whole  of  li^51.  Frink  and  Walker  sold 
out  to  Captain  Joseph  Brown,  who  in  connection  with  S.  and 
P.  Wise,  and  Gaty,  McCune  &  Co.,  of  St.  Louis,  built  the 
"  Altona,"  which  commenced  running  in  December  1851,  and 
was  the  fastest  boat  on  the  western  waters.  She  made  the 
run  from  St.  Louis  to  Alton  in  one  hour  and  thirty-seven 
minutes;  the  fastest  time  ever  made  to  Alton  from  that  city. 
In  September  1852  the  Chicago  and  Mississippi  railroad 
company  bought  the  Altona,  D.  C.  Adams,  Captain. 


48 


HISTORY    OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


This  was  done  to  give  the  road  connection  with  St.  Louis, 
and  was  in  accord  with  the  old  internal  improvement  scheme 
of  politicians  of  the  day,  who  desired  to  concentrate  every- 
thing within  state  boundaries  as  far  as  possible,  and  recog- 
nized Alton  as  the  future  great  meiropolis.  They  also  bought 
the  steamer  "Cornelia,"  commanded   by  Captain   Lamothe, 
the  same  year,  for  the  passenger  busine-s,  making  two  trips  per 
day.     The  Cornelia  sank  in  December  1853,  when  in  charge 
of  Captain  Jno.  A.  Bruner,  and  the  Altona  January  l>-t, 
1854.     The  "St.  Paul,"  commanded   by  Captain   Lamothe 
then  did  all  the  business  until  March,  when  the  "  Winchester  "    ; 
was  bought  by  Samuel  J.  Owens  for  the  company,  simulta- 
neously with  the  purchase  of  the  "Keiudeer"  by  Captain,   ; 
Adams.    These  boats  not  proving  to  be  profitable  invest- 
ments were  sold.     Jno.  J.  and  Wra.  H.  Mitchell  and  Joseph 
Brown  were  the  purchasers,  they  contracting  to  do  the  rail-    '• 
road   business  between  the  two  points.     There  were  some 
changes  in  ownership  to  1857,  wllen  the  company  had  three 
boats,   the  "Reindeer,"  "Baltimore,"  and  "York  State." 
On  November  10,  the  Reindeer  sank.     There  were  several 
different  boats  chartered  to  do  the  work  until  the  company 
built  the  famous  "City  of  Alton,"  commanded  by  Captain 
George  E.  Hawley,  which   came  out   in  the  fall  of  1860. 
She  ran  in  the  trade  until  the  war   broke  out,  when  on  ac- 
count of  the   railroad   company  seudiug   their   passengers 
through  by  rail  over  the  Terre  Haute  and  Alton  railroad  to 
St.  Louis,  she  was  withdrawn  from  the  Alton  trade,  and  ran 
from  St.  Louis  south,  in  command  of  Captain  Wm.  Barnes. 
In  June,  1862,  the   company   bought  the  steamer  "B.M. 
Runyan,"  Captain,  Jas.   S.   Bellas.     She  ran  in  the   trade 
until    1864,  when  she  was  sent  south,  and  sunk  July  21st, 
proving  a  total  loss.     The  compauy  then  ran  the  "Tatum" 
in  the  Alton  trade,  until  the  Chicago  and  St.  Louis  company 
extended  their  road  to  St.   Louis,  taking  all  the  railroad 
freight  from  the  boat  in  the  winter  of  1864.     The  company 
ran  the  Tatum  during  January  and  February  1865,  but  not 
paying  expenses  she  was  withdrawn  and  sent  elsewhere,  thus 
abandoning  the  trade  to  the  through  packets.     There  was  no 
packet  for  a  month  when  Captain  John  A.  Bruner  in  con- 
nection with  Tunstal  and  Holmes  and  others  of  St.  Louis, 
put  in  the  steamer  "  May  A.  Bruner."      She  was  withdrawn 
and  the  "South- Wester"  took  her  place,  the  May  A.  Bru- 
ner being  put  on  the  Arkansas  trade  to  ply  between  St.  Louis 
and  Little  Rock.     The  South- Wester  ran  in  the  trade  until 
1868,  and  was  succeeded  by  the  Comet.     In  May  1869  the 
Belle  of  Alton  came  out  and  ran  in  the  trade  until  1871,  when 
she  was  sent  south.     She  was  completely  destroyed  by  fire  at 
New  Orleans,  March  28th,  1871.     In  September  same  year 
the  Schuyler  took  her  place.     In  1874  a  rivalry  was  insti- 
tuted  between  the  Illinois,  the  successor  of  the  Schuyler, 
owned  by  the  Illinois  River  Packet  Company,  and  the  De 
Smet,  purchased  by  Messrs.   Bruner  and  Labarge.      After 
two  months   and  a  half  the  Illinois  was  withdrawn.     Soon 
after  the  Spread  Easrle  owned  by  the  Eagle  Packet  Company 
entered  into  competition  with  the  De  Smet.     This   generous 
rivalry  ended  in  consolidation  of  interests  in  1874. 

The  Eagle  Co.  was  the  outgrowth   of  the  Eagle,  a  small 
boat  put  into  the  trade  between  Keokuk,  Alexandria  and 


"Warsaw,  many  years  ago  by  Hamilton  Branum.  Branum 
had  the  contract  for  carrying  the  U.  S.  Mail  between  these 
points,  which  he  did  for  a  time  in  a  skiff,  which  was  laid  aside 
for  the  Eagle.  Branum  has  been  known  to  take  a  horse 
across  the  river  at  Keokuk  in  his  skiff. 

The  Eagle  Packet  Company  is  officered  as  follows: 
J.  R.  Williams,  of  Warsaw,  President. 
G.  W.  Hill,   of  Alton,  Secretary  and  Treasurer. 
Henry  Leyhe,       "  Superintendent. 

William  Leyhe,   "  Ass't.  Supt. 

The  Spread  Eagle  is  one  of  the  best  and  ftistest  boats  on  the 
upper  Mississippi.  The  company  also  own  the  Imperial  and 
the  Little  Eagle. 

The  Alton  packets  commenced  the  extension  of  their  run 
to  Grafton  in  1869.  The  "  Jack  Robinson,"  a  propeller 
owned  by  Capt.  Jno  A.  Bruner,  made  a  trial  trip  up  to  that 
point,  carrying  many  merchants  and  business  men  of  Alton. 
Citizens  of  Grafton  promised  their  trade,  and  from  the  start 
the  trade  proved  lucrative.  In  18T1  a  daily  line  was  com- 
menced between  Grafton  and  St.  Louis,  which  arrangement 
has  since  been  maintained. 

In  addition  to  the  regular  packet  of  the  Northern  Line 
Company,  the  "  Diamond  Joe,"  the  Illinois  River  and 
Clarksville  packets  make  regular  trips,  stopping  at  Alton, 
and  competing  with  the  local  packets  for  a  share  of  her 
trade. 

KAILKOADS. 

j        Railroading  is  comparatively  a  new  industry.     Six  thous- 
and  years   have  added  their  contributions   to  science,  yet 
during  fifty  years  only  have  railroads  been  known.     Seieu- 
'    tists  of  all  ages  have  grappled   with  problems  of  govern- 
ment, social  life,  and  questions  of  demand  and  supply,  and 
1    left  the  records  of  their   efforts  for   our  instruction.     The 
I    accumulated  wisdom  of  centuries  furnish  store-houses  from 
whence  we  can  draw  such  instruction  ;    but   railroads  are 
J    things  of  to-day      Our  fathers  died  after  welcoming  their 
i    birth,  and  yet,  brief  as  the  span  of  time  since  their  concep- 
tion, what  mighty  levers  they  have  become  in  the  advance- 
ment of  the  world's  material  industries  !     Archimedes  said 
"Give  me  whereon  to  stand,  and  I  will  move  the  world." 
Railroads   have   found    the  standing-space,    reached   forth 
i    their  iron  arms,  and  moved  the  world.     All  this,  ton,  within 
I    the  memory  of  living  men.     The  locomotive  steam  engine 
was  invented  by  George  Stephenson,  of  England,  and  was 
first  successfully  used  September  27,  1825,  on  a  short  road 
built  from  Stockton  to  Darlington.     la   1830  there   were 
only  twenty-jhree  miles  of  railroad   in  the  United  States. 
The  road  between  Baltimore  and  Ellicott's  Mills,  Maryland, 
11 J  miles  iu  length,  was  the  first  regularly  opened  for  pas- 
senger traffic,  which  was  in  July  of  that  year.     The  train 
was  termed  a  "  Brigade  of  Cars."     It  was  the  first  road  to 
present  a  time-card.     The  "Brigade  of  Cars  "  was  drawn  by 
horses  or  mules.     It  had  not  then  been  demonstrated  that 
locomotives  could  attain  a  speed  of  over  six  miles  an  hour, 
nor  was  it  until  later  in   the  same   sea.son,   when  George 
Stephenson's  "  Rocket "  attained  the  then  remarkable  speed 
of  fifteen  miles  an  hour.     In    the   Baltimore  American   of 
July,  1830,  was  the  advertisement  of  this  road,  stating  that 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


49 


a  sufficient  number  of  cars  had  been  provided  to  accommo- 
date the  travelling  public,  and  that  a  brigade  would  leave 
the  depot  on  Pratt  Street  at  6  and  10  o'clock,  a.m.,  and  at 
3  and  4  o'clock,  p.^r;  returning,  would  leave  the  depot  at 
EUicott's  Mills  at  6  and  8,V  o'clock,  a.m.,  and  121  and  6 
o'clock,  P.M.  This  time-card  was  accompanied  with  posi- 
tive orders  prohibiting  any  passengers  from  entering  the 
cars  without  tickets,  also  with  a  provision  for  engaging  cars 
by  the  day,  where  parties  were  so  disposed. 

In  1837  the  internal  improvement  scheme  was  in  its  hey- 
day. Railroads  were  projected  everywhere.  The  first  road 
located  in  Madison  county  was  the  Alton  and  Mt.  Carmel, 
via.  Edwardsville,  Carlyle,  Salem,  Fairfield  and  Albion  to 
Mt.  Carmel.  Not  only  was  the  road  located  but  contracts 
were  entered  into  by  the  state  for  the  grading  and  bridging  of 
the  road,  and  considerable  work  was  done  between  Alton  and 
Highland.  About  the  same  time  branch  roads  were  in  con- 
templation from  this  "  trunk  "  line  as  follows  :  one  diverg- 
ing from  Edwardsville  to  Shawneetown,  passing  through 
Lebanon,  Nashville,  Pinckneyville,  Frankfort  and  Equal- 
ity: one  from  Lebanon  to  Bellville,  for  which  $1,750,000 
was  appropriated.  A  railroad  from  Alton  via  Upper  Alton, 
Hillsboro,  Shelbyville,  Charleston,  Paris,  and  from  thence 
to  the  state  line  in  the  direction  of  Terre  Haute,  Indiana, 
where  it  was  to  connect  with  the  railroad  and  canal  commu- 
nications through  that  state  both  in  an  eastern  and  southern 
direction.  For  this  road  there  was  appropriated  $1,250,000. 
Also  a  survey  was  made  and  stock  taken  for  one  from  Alton 
to  Springfield,  seventy-five  miles,  which  was  designed  to 
open  au  importau  tline  of  communication  with  the  interior, 
and  eventually  became  connected  with  the  great  line  of  the 
Atlantic  cities. 

In  November  of  1837  the  financial  crash  swept  over  the 
whole  country.  General  bankruptcy  followed,  and  all  these 
railroad  schemes  yielded  to  the  inevitable.  The  laurels  of 
being  first  in  the  field  with  a  railroad  were  wrested  from 
Madison  county  in  favor  of  her  sister  upon  the  south,  St. 
Clair,  where  the  Illinois  and  St.  Louis  railroad,  the  first  in 
the  Mississippi  valley,  was  built.  It  was  built  independent  of 
state  aid  by  Governor  Reynolds,  Samuel  B.  Chandler, 
George  Walker  and  Daniel  Pierce. 

CHICAGO  AND  ALTON  RAILROAD.* 

This  is  one  of  the  most  important  roads  of  the  great 
system  of  railroads  in  the  Mississippi  Valley.  The  length 
of  line  within  the  limits  of  Madi.son  county,  including  the 
"cut  off"  from  near  Alton  Junction  to  a  point  above  God- 
frey, including  switches  and  side  tracks,  is  48  miles,  2265 
feet.  The  air-line  between  St.  Louis  and  Chicago,  the  two 
most  prominent  cities  of  the  Great  West,  and  the  most  pro- 
nounced commercial  rivals,  occupies  a  prominent  position 
among  the  Trans-Mississippi  railroads.  This  maj'  be  attri- 
buted partly  to  the  persistent  manner  in  which  the  manage- 
ment has  fostered  and  developed  the  local  business  along  the 
line  of  the  road,  and  partly  to  the  fact  that  since  its  reor- 

*  For  some  of  the  data  on  C.  and  A.  R.  R.  we  are  indebted  to  an  article 
by  Vernon,  in  a  work  entitled,  "  Railway  and  River  System  of  St.  Louis." 

7 


ganization  in  1862  the  company  has,  until  recently,  been  the 
only  one  in  the  railroad  system  of  St.  Louis,  east  of  the 
Mississippi  river,  which  paid  dividends  to  its  stockholders. 
Little  did  they  dream  who  obtained  a  charter,  in  or  about 
1S47,  for  the  Alton  and  Sangamon  Railroad,  and  who  were 
indefatigable  in  securing  subscriptions  along  the  proposed 
lioe,(72  miles  in  length),  for  its  construction  and  equipment, 
that  they  were  laying  the  corner-stone  of  one  of  the  most 
valuable  railroad  properties  in  the  country,  and  that  withiu 
the  comparatively  brief  period  of  thirty  j'ears,  the  line 
between  Alton  and  Springfield  would  be  merely  a  small  link 
in  an  extended  railroad  system,  under  one  comprehensive 
management,  of  more  than  840.34  miles.  The  road  between 
Alton  and  Springfield  was  commenced  in  1846,  and  com- 
pleted in  1852,  with  the  proceeds  of  bona  fide  local  sub- 
scriptions to  .stock,  under  the  management  of  a  local  board 
of  directors.*  After  the  completion  of  the  road  to  Spring- 
field, additional  legislation  was  obtained  for  extending  the 
line  to  Bloomington.  Mr.  Henry  Dvvight  conceived  the 
idea  of  extending  the  road  to  Joliet,  and  making  a  connec- 
tion at  that  point  for  Chicago  and  the  East.  In  furtherance 
of  this  idea  he  obtained  a  charter  for  a  company  called  the 
"  Chicago  and  Mississippi  Railroad  Company,"  and  having 
obtained  a  board  of  directors  in  his  interest,  issued  bonds  to 
the  amount  of  $3,500,000  in  1856,  with  the  proceeds  of 
which  the  line  was  completed  through  to  Joliet.  Subse- 
quently a  lease  of  the  road  from  Alton  to  Joliet  was  made. 
The  road  was  sold  at  auction,  and  it  was  bid  ofl'  by 
Governor  Mattison  and  one  or  two  associates  in  December, 
1857,  for  the  paltry  sum  of  $5,000.  The  road  between 
Alton  and  Joliet,  at  the  time  of  this  sale,  represented 
a  cost  for  construction  and  equipment  of  $9,535,000,  or 
about  $46,640  per  mile  of  road.  The  purchasers  at  this 
auction  sale  organized  themselves  into  a  company,  called  the 
"St.  Louis,  Alton  and  Chicago  Railroad  Company,"  and 
perhaps  under  ordinary  circumstances  might  have  made 
their  venture  a  success ;  but  the  business  and  general  inter- 
ests of  the  whole  country  were  so  crippled  by  the  panic  of 
1857,  that  failure  seems  to  have  been  accepted  as  a  foregone 
conclusion,  and  after  various  struggles  for  existence,  the 
property  passed  in  1860  under  the  hands  of  a  receiver,  Mr. 
James  Robb,  formerly  a  banker  of  New  Orleans,  and  a 
gentleman  of  recognized  executive  and  financial  ability. 
Under  Mr.  Robb's  management  an  era  of  prosperity  was 
inaugurated,  and  the  affairs  of  the  company  were  so  success- 
fully managed  that  in  1862  measures  were  taken  for  reorgan- 
izing the  company,  and  in  October  of  that  year  the  Chicago 
and  Alton  Railroad  Company  was  formed,  with  the  former 
receiver,  as  president  of  the  new  company.  The  attention 
of  the  management,  after  the  reorganization,  was  directed  to 
securing  an  independent  line  under  their  own  control  be- 
tween Chicago  and  St.  Louis,  which  were  recognized  as  the 
future  termini  of    the  property.    In  furtherance  of  these 

*No  one  was  so  persistent  in  ellbrt  or  so  liberal  in  sacrifice  in  securing 
the  construction  of  this  part  of  the  C.  &  A.  as  was  the  late  Capt.  Godfrey. 
Mr.  Godfrey  lived  in  a  car  as  the  work  progressed,  labored  as  a  day 
laborer,  and  mortgaged  everything  in  his  possession  to  secure  the  build- 
ing of  the  road. 


60 


BISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


views,  a  lease  in  perpehiity  was  first  secured  of  the  Joliet 
aud  Chicago  Railroad. 

It  was  at  this  juDCtiire  that  Mr.  John  J.  Mitchell,  a  warm 
friend  and  supporter  of  the  Chicago  and  Alton  interests, 
offered  to  build  an  independent  road  from  Alton  to  East  St. 
Louis,  provided  that  the  Chicago  aud  Alton,  on  completion 
of  the  road,  merge  the  franchises  of  the  Alton  and  St.  Louis 
charter,  obtained  in  1850,  ihen  owned  and  controlled  by  Mr. 
John  J.  Mitchell,  with  their  own.  The  proposition  was 
accepted,  and  during  the  winter  of  1864  trains  of  the  Chi- 
cago and  Alton  Railroad  were  running  to  East  St  Louis, 
and  terminating  on  valuable  depot  grounds,  obtained  by  Mr. 
Mitchell  for  the  Chicago  and  Alton  Railroad  from  the  Wig- 
ging's Ferry  Company.  From  this  date  forward  this  railroad 
company  assumed  an  independent  position  in  the  metropolis 
of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  as  the  chief  transportation  line 
between  St.  Louis  and  Chicago.  Four  years  later,  viz :  in 
1868,  the  Chicago  and  Alton  Railroad  Company  secured 
control  of  the  line  from  Bloomington  to  Godfrey,  a  distance 
of  180  miles,  built  under  the  charter  of  the  St.  Louis,  Jack- 
sonville and  Chicago  Railroad  Company.  The  lease  of  thJs 
valuable  property  covers  a  period  of  nine  hundred  and  ninety 
years,  and  the  rental  paid  is  40  per  cent,  of  gross  earnings 
with  the  understanding  that  such  40  per  cent,  shall  in  no  case 
amount  to  a  less  sum  annually  than  $240,000." 

Subsequently  in  1870-71,  arrangements  were  made  with 
the  St.  Louis,  Jacksonville  and  Chicago  Railroad  Company 
for  building  a  branch  road  from  Roodhouse  to  Louisiana,  on 
the  Mississippi  river,  a  distance  of  3S  miles,  under  an  agree- 
ment, whereby  the  Chicago  and  Alton  Railroad  Company 
guaranteed  the  annual  interest  on  bonds  issued  on  construc- 
tion of  such  branch.  At  the  same  time  control  was  obtained 
of  the  charter  and  franchises  of  the  Louisiana  and  Missouri 
River  Railroad  Company,  which  has  been  incorporated  by 
the  legislature  of  the  state  of  Missouri,  to  build  a  railroad 
from  Louisiana  to  Kansas  City,  an  estimated  distance  of  216 
miles,  together  with  a  branch  from  Me.xico  to  Cedar  City, 
opposite  to  Jefferson  City,  five  miles  in  length.  It  is  believed 
that  in  consideration  of  building  this  road  in  Missouri,  the 
Chicago  and  Alton  Railroad  Company  were  to  receive  $80, 
000  i)er  mile,  §15,000  mortgage  bonds,  $10,000  preferred, 
and  $5,000  ordinary  stock  of  the  Louisiana  and  Missouri 
River  Railroad  Company,  and  in  addition  such  county  aud 
local  aid,  as  has  been  donated  in  favor  of  the  enterprise. 
The  fifty  miles  of  road  from  Louisiana  to  Mexico  were 
opened  for  traffic  in  the  winter  of  1871-72,  the  line  from 
Mexico  to  Fulton,  242  miles,  March  6lh,  1872,  and  the  line 
from  Fulton  to  Cedar  City,  25V  miles,  in  July  of  the  same 
year.  At  the  time  when  the  Chicago  and  Alton  Railroad 
Company  assumed  control  of  the  road  in  Missouri,  it  was 
intended  to  build  an  independent  line  from  Louisiana  to 
Kansas  City,  but  when  the  road  had  reached  Mexico,  and 
when  considerable  grading  had  been  done  between  that 
point  aud  Glasgow,  legal  questions  were  raised  as  to  the 
legality  of  certain  county  and  township  aid  which  had  been 
voted  beyond  the  Missouri  river  at  Glasgow,  and  the  courts 
held  that  the  charter  only  contemplated  a  line  between  the 
Mississippi  and  Missouri  rivers,  and  not  crossing  the  river 


at  various  points,  hence  the  subventions  beyond  Glasgow 
were  illegal.  The  decision  involved  the  susjjeusion  of  the 
through  line  project,  and  arrangements  were  made  with  the 
St.  Louis,  Kansas  City  aud  Northern  Railway  Company  for 
traffic  arrangements,  over  its  road  from  Mexico  to  Kansas 
City,  and  for  running  through  passenger  and  sleeping  cars 
on  the  line  between  Chicago  and  Kansas  City,  via  Blooming- 
ton,  Roodhouse,  Louisiana  and  Mexico.  It  is  almost  needless 
to  say  that  the  advantages  for  through  business  thus  obtained, 
have  been  abundantly  utilized,  to  the  pecuniary  advantage 
of  both  railroad  companies  interested  in  the  through  line; 
also  that  the  Chicago  and  Alton  Kansas  City  line  has  been 
one  of  the  most  popular  for  passenger  traffic  between  the 
east  and  west.  The  rapid,  and  it  might  be  truly  said  un- 
paralleled development  of  Kansas,  Colorado  and  South-west- 
ern Missouri,  during  the  past  six  years,  convinced  the  man- 
agers of  the  Chicago  and  Alton  Railroad  of  the  necessity  for 
owning  and  controlling  an  independent  line  from  Mexico  to 
Kansas  City,  and  the  views  thus  entertained  assumed  a 
practical  shape  during  1878,  by  the  formation  of  an  inde- 
pendent company,  to  build  what  is  known  as  the  Missouri 
Extension,  from  Mexico  to  Kansas  City,  it  being  understood 
that  the  extension,  when  built,  should  be  leased  in  perpetuity 
by  the  Chicago  and  Alton  Railroad  Company,  and  thus 
become  an  integral  part  of  that  extended  railroad  system. 
The  through  line  from  Chicago  to  Kansas  City,  via  Mexico 
and  Glasgow,  will  not  exceed  4S5  miles  iu  length,  and  the 
distance  will  be  about  four  miles  shorter  than  that  via  Gales- 
burg  and  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad. 

CHARACTERISTIC'S   OF  THE   KOAD. 

Main  Line — Chicago  to  Joliet,  perpetual  lease 37.20  miles 

Joliet  to  East  St.  Louis,  owned 243.60  " 

Western  Dirision — Dwight  to  Washington,  owned  .    .    .     69.80  '* 

Branch  to  Lacon,  owned 10.00  " 

Chicago  and  Illinois  River,  leased 23.86  '' 

Coal  Branch,  owned, 3.98  " 

Jacksonville  Division — Bloomington  to  Godfrey,  leased,  .  150.60  '' 

Roodhouse  to  Louisiana,  including  bridge,  owned  .    .    .    38.10  " 

Louisiana  and  Missouri  Railroad — perpetual  lease  ...  " 

Louisiana  to  Mexico 50.80  "  ' 

Mexico  to  Cedar  City 50.00  " 

Missouri  Extension — perpetual  lease " 

Mexico  and  Glasgow.  Marshall  to  Kansas  City  .  162.50  " 

*Upper  Alton  Division •      7.00  " 

Total  length  of  road  owned  and  leased 847.30  " 

Number  of  counties  in  the  state  of  Illinois  traversed  by 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  sixteen,  15.68  per  cent,  of  the 
whole  number  of  counties  in  the  state. 

True  value  of  real  and  personal  estate  in  .said  sixteen 
counties,  44.42  per  cent,  of  the  total  value  of  real  and  per- 
sonal estate  in  the  state. 

Number  of  acres  of  improved  land  in  said  sixteen  counties. 
23.25  per  cent,  of  the  whole  improved  property  of  the 
state. 

~  The  contract  was  let  for  constructing  the  Upper  Alton  Division  of  the 
St.  Louis,  Jacksonville  &  Chicago  R.  R.  (controlled  by  the  C.  &  A.  R.  R. 
Co.,  February  lst,1881.  The  object  of  constructing  the  same  was  to  avoid 
the  heavy  grade  through  .\lton  or  from  Godfrey  to  Alton,  also  making  a 
saving  in  distance  of  nearly  2  V  miles,  tiit;il  length  of  new  road  constructed 
7  miles. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


61 


Value  of  farms  in  said  sixteen  counties,  26  46  per  cent,  of 
the  total  value  of  improved  farms  in  the  state. 

Estimated  value  of  farm  productions  in  said  sixteen  coun- 
ties, 23.09  percent,  of  the  total  estimated  value  of  farm  pro- 
ductions in  the  state. 

Value  of  live  stock  in  said  .sixteen  counties,  24  per  cent,  of 
the  total  value  of  live  stock  in  the  state. 

Number  of  counties  in  the  state  of  Missouri  traversed  by 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  eight,  7  per  cent,  of  the  whole 
number  of  counties  in  the  state. 

Population  of  said  counties,  about  16  per  cent,  of  the  total 
population  of  the  state. 

As.*essed  value  of  real  and  per.sonal  estate  in  eight  coun- 
ties, about  !■")  per  cent,  of  the  total  assessed  valu )  of  real  and 
personal  estate  in  the  state. 

True  value  of  real  and  personal  estate  in  said  eight  coun- 
ties, 981  per  cent,  of  the  total  true  value  of  real  and  personal 
estate  in  the  state. 

Number  of  acres  of  improved  land  in  said  eight  coun- 
ties, 15.92  per  cent,  of  the  whole  improved  property  of  the 
state.  Value  of  farms  in  said  eight  counties,  14.88  per 
cent,  of  the  total  value  of  improved  farms  in  the  state. 

Estimated  value  of  farm  productions  in  said  eight  counties, 
13.50  per  cent,  of  the  total  estimated  value  of  farm  produc- 
tions in  the  state. 

Value  of  live  stock  iu  said  eight  counties,  13.66  per  cent, 
of  the  total  value  of  live  stock  in  the  state. 

In  brief  the  Chicago  and  Alton  Railroad  Company  has, 
by  a  judicious  system  of  permanent  improvement,  and  by  the 
introduction  of  all  the  modern  appliances  which  tend  to  the 
preservation  of  life  and  propert}',  placed  itself  in  such  a  con- 
dition, materially  and  physically,  that  its  financial  future 
cannot  be  affected  by  the  contingencies  which  severally  affect 
other  roads.  Its  success  as  one  of  the  great  highways  of  the 
west  is  an  assured  reality.  It  might  be  appropriately  noted 
here  that  while  much  of  this  road's  past  success  may  be  attri- 
buted to  its  admirable  geographical  location,  embracing  a 
very  rich  section  of  the  country  for  li)cal  traffic,  and  with 
termini  on  Lake  Michigan  and  the  Missisjippi  and  Missouri 
rivers,  equally  as  much  is  due  to  the  stability  and  manage- 
ment during  the  past  decade  and  a  half,  and  to  the  fact  that 
the  property  has  never  yet  become  the  foot-ball  of  specula- 
tors Nothing,  perhaps,  has  a  greater  tendency  to  demoral- 
ize the  working  force  on  any  railroad,  and,  it  might  be  said, 
impair  its  usefulness  to  the  public,  than  the  spasmodic 
changes  in  the  control  and  managment,  which  have  charac- 
terized the  history  of  most  western  railroads,  and  from  these 
vicissitudes  the  Chicago  and  Alton  Railroad  has  been  happily 
exempt.  The  executive  management  and  the  entire  directors 
have  been  practically  the  same  for  the  past  fifteen  years, 
and  where  to  recognized  skill  in  opsrating  there  has  been 
added  the  financiering  and  engineering  ability  of  the  presi- 
dent, and  the  solid  unanimous  support  of  wealthy  stockhold- 
ers, and  directors  distinguished  for  business  ability,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  the  Chicago  and  Alton  Railroad  has  main- 
tained a  firm  position  as  an  investment  in  the  moneyed  cen- 
ters of  the  world,  and  has  acquired  a  well-merited  popularity 
with  the  traveling  and  shipping  public. 


Wabash,  St.  Louis  and  Pacific  Railway — More  widely 
and  commonly  known  as  the  Watash,  has  a  length  of  about 
forty-four  miles  in  this  county,  including  side  tracts,  running 
diagonally  across  from  the  south-west  to  a  point  ten  miles 
west  of  the  north-west  corner.  Through  a  system  of  consol- 
idation, unparalleled  iu  American  railways,  it  has  become  a 
giant  among  them.  This  consolidation  it  is  estimated,  has 
added  850,000,000  to  the  value  of  bonds  and  shares  of  the 
various  companies  now  incorporated  in  the  Wabash  system. 
The  road  takes  its  title  from  the  river  of  that  name,  a  tribu- 
tary of  the  Ohio,  which  in  part  separates  the  States  of  Indi- 
ana and  Illinois.  Twenty-nine  years  ago,  in  April  1853,  the 
initial  steps  were  taken  in  behalf  of  a  line  of  road  to  ex- 
tend from  Toledo,  Ohio,  to  the  Mississippi  river,  such  road  to 
be  subject  to  the  direction  and  control  of  one  official  man- 
agement. Upon  examination  of  tht  laws  of  the  States 
through  which  it  was  to  pa^s  it  was  found  impracticable  to 
prosecute  the  enterprise  under  one  corporate  organization, 
and  consequently  distinct  corporations  were  organized  in 
each  State.  In  April,  1853,  the  "Toledo  and  Illinois  Rail- 
road Company  "  was  incorporated  under  the  general  railroad 
laws  of  Ohio,  with  power  to  build  a  railroad  from  Toledo  to 
the  western  boundary  of  the  State.  The  capital  stock  was 
originally  fixed  at  S500,0'IO,  but  in  1855,  was  increased  to 
82.500,000.  In  August,  1853,  the  "  Lake  Erie,  Wabash  and 
St.  Louis  Railroad  Campany"  was  incorporated  in  the  State 
of  Indiana,  with  power  to  construct  a  railroad  from  the  east 
line  of  the  State  to  a  point  on  the  western  line  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Danville,  Illinois.  The  road  was  constructed  in  1856 
and  the  companies  consolidated  under  the  name  "  Toledo, 
Wabash  and  Western."  Financial  embarra-ssraents  con- 
fronted the  company  during  the  panic  of  1857.  Various 
changes  in  management  and  name  followed.  St.  Louis  as  an 
objective  point — as  indicated  in  the  name  of  one  of  the  cor- 
porations, was  lost  sight  of — the  road  was  built  across  Illinois, 
terminating  at  Meredosia  with  a  branch  from  Bluffs  to  Na- 
ples. From  Meredosia  to  Camp  Point  a  road  was  owned  by 
the  "  Quincy  and  Toledo,"  company.  In  conformity  to  laws 
of  Ohio,  Indiana  and  lUiouis,  then  but  recently  adopted, 
authorizing  consolidation  where  the  roads  of  various  com- 
panies formed  a  continuous  line,  these  roads  were  placed 
under  one  management,  the  "Toledo,  Wabash  and  West- 
ern Railway  Company."  In  August,  1870,  arrangements 
were  made  with  the  "  Decatur  and  East  St.  Louis  Railroad 
Company,  for  the  construction  and  equipment  of  a  railroad 
between  Decatur  and  East  St.  Louis,  the  understanding  be- 
ing that  on  completion  thereof  the  bonded  debt  of  the  Deca- 
tur and  .St.  Louis  Railroad  Company  to  the  extent  of  ?25,000 
per  mile  should  be  assumed  by  the  Tidedo,  Wabash  and 
Western,  and  that  the  capital  stock  of  the  Decatur  and  East 
St.  Louis  Railway  Compmy  to  the  amount  of  815,000  per 
mile  should  be  exchanged  at  par  for  the  stock  of  the  Toledo. 
Wabash  and  Western  The  road  to  St.  Louis  was  completed 
and  opened  for  business  in  1871.  During  the  two  years  fol- 
lowing the  Wabash  acquired  by  lease  the  "Hannibal  and 
Missouri  Central,"  the  "  Pekin,  Lincoln  and  Decatur,"  and 
the  "Lafayette  and  Bloomington."  In  the  early  part  of 
1873  the  "Toledo,  Wabash   and  Western"   controlled  and 


52 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


operated  905  miles  of  road,  with  average  gross  earnings  for 
the  whole  system  of  more  than  §6,000  per  mile  per  annum, 
and  it  promised,  although  capitalized  at  a  high  figure,  to  re- 
alize the  most  sanguine  expectations  of  its  owners.  The 
financial  panic  of  1873  seriously  affected  the  road  so  that  it 
failed  to  meet  its  obligations  and  in  1874  the  property  was 
placed  in  the  hands  of  Hon.  John  D.  Cox,  as  Receiver. 
The  road  remained  in  the  receiver's  hands  and  under  control 
of  the  court  until  1?77,  when  arrangements  having  been 
effected  by  the  company,  transfer  of  tlie  property  was  made 
to  the  "Wabash  Railroad  Company." 

Soon  after  it  underwent  a  reorganization  under  the  name  of 
Wabash,  St  Louis  and  Pacific  Railway  Company.  From 
the  last  annual  report  the  following  facts  are  gathered. 

"  During  the  past  year  there  has  been  added  to  the  Wabash 
St.  Louis  and  Pacific  system,  the  following  roads,  either  by 
purchase  or  lease,  viz  : 

On  July  15,  1881,  the  Peoria,  Pekin  and  Jacksonville, 
72.9  miles  in  length,  was  acquired  by  purchase;  on  July  15, 
1881,  the  Springfield  and  Northwestern  R.  R.,  47.2  miles  in 
length,  was  also  acquired  by  purchase;  on  August  15, 1881, 
the  Detroit  and  Butler  Road,  112.6  miles  in  length,  complet- 
ing our  line  to  Detroit,  was  acquired  by  purchase;  on  Sep- 
tember 1,  1881,  the  Indianapolis,  Peru  and  Chicago  Road, 
running  from  Indianapolis  to  Michigan  City,  161  miles,  was 
acquired  by  purchase;  on  October  1,  1881,  the  Cairo  and 
Vincennes,  the  Danville  and  Southwestern,  and  the  St.  Fran- 
cisville  and  Lawrenceville  Railroads,  267.3  miles  in  length, 
forming  our  "Cairo  Division,"  were  acquired  by  purcha.se. 

The  Quincy,  Missouri  and  Pacific  Road  was  extended  from 
Milan  to  Trenton,  a  distance  of  31  miles,  and  opened  for 
business  August  5, 1881.  The  Attica  and  Covington  Branch, 
extending  from  Attica  to  Covington,  14  5  miles  was  built  by 
this  company  and  opened  for  business  September  1, 1881.  A 
branch  road  leading  from  our  Chicago  Division  to  the  Braid- 
wood  Coalfields,  a  distance  of  12  miles,  was  built  by  this  com- 
pany, but  has  not  yet  been  opened  for  business.  The  Des 
Moines  and  Northwestern  Railway  (narrow  gauge),  leading 
from  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  to  Jefferson,  Iowa,  a  distance  of  66  9 
miles,  was  acquired  by  lease. 

We  have  also  under  process  of  construction,  a  branch  line 
from  Champaign  to  Sydney,  a  distance  of  10.5  miles,  con- 
necting our  Champaign,  Havana  and  Western  Road  with  the 
main  line,  which  will  soon  be  completed  and  ready  for  use. 
The  St.  Louis,  Jerseyville  and  Springfield  Railroad,  built 
under  the  auspices  of  this  company,  from  Bates  to  Grafton, 
111.,  a  distance  of  75  miles,  is  now  nearly  completed  and  will 
soon  be  opened  for  business.  The  Dts  Moines  and  St.  Louis 
R.  R.,  from  Albia  to  Des  Moines,  a  distance  of  69  miles,  is 
being  built  under  a  lease  to  this  company,  and  will  probably 
be  completed  early  in  the  coming  summer.  The  Des  Moines 
and  Northwestern  Road  is  being  extended  north  of  Jefferson, 
and  will  soon  be  opened  for  business  to  Eads  station,  21  miles 
beyond  Jefferson.  This  company  is  also  building,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy  R.  R.,  the 
Humeston  and  Shenandoah  Rjad,  from  Humeston  to  Shen- 
andoah, for  the  purpose  of  forming  a  connection  between  our 
Missouri,  Iowa  and  Nebraska  Road  and  our  Council  Bluff's 


Branch,  which  when  completed,  will  reduce  our  distance  be- 
tween Omaha  and  Chicago  nearly  one  hundred  miles,  and 
give  us  a  short  and  direct  line  between  Omaha  and  all  points 
East.  In  connection  with  the  Missouri  Pacific  Road,  this 
company  perfected  a  lease  of  the  St.  Louis  Bridge,  taking 
eflTect  October  1,  1881.  During  the  year  1881,  we  have  laid 
20.450  tons  of  steel  rails  (213  miles)  in  the  track  of  our  main 
lines,  and  2,000  tons  of  iron  on  branch  lines.  The  total  num- 
ber of  miles  of  road  in  operation  at  the  close  of  the  year  was 
3.348  miles. 

Miles   of    Road    Operated,   December   31,  1881. 
Lines  East    of    the   Mississippi. 


Toledo, 

to  E.  St.  Louis, 

435.7 

Decatur, 

"  Camp  Point, 

129.2 

Camp  Point, 

''  Quincy, 

22.8 

Bluffs, 

"  Hannibal, 

49.9 

Maysville, 

"  Pittsfield, 

0.2 

Clayton, 

"  Elvaston, 

34..5 

Edwardsville, 

''  Edwardsv'lCroFs' 

g.  10.2 

Detroit, 

"  Logansport, 

213.8 

Michigan  City, 

"  Indianapolis, 

1(11.0 

Attica, 

"  Covington, 

14. .5 

W.  Lebanon, 

''   Leroy, 

7.5  7 

P.  &  D.  June, 

"  St.  Francisville, 

109.3 

Vinceunes, 

"  Cairo, 

1.58,0 

HoUis, 

"    Jacksonville, 

75.3 

Springfield, 

"  Havani, 

47.2 

Sireator, 

"  Altamont, 

15G.5 

Shumway, 

"  Effingham, 

8.5 

Strawn, 

"  Chicago, 

99.7 

Urbana, 

"  Havana, 

102.2 

White  Heath, 

'•  Decatur, 

29.7 

Lafayette  to  Slate  Line  (C,  I ,  St.  L  &  C, 

46),  h  for 

W.,  St.  L.&P., 

23.0 

State  Line, 

to  Keokuk, 

223  7 

Hamilton, 

"  Warsaw, 

5.0 

La  Harpe, 

"  Burlington, 

19.7     2,211.J 

Lines 

West  of  the  Mississippi 

St.  Loui.s, 

to  Kansas  City, 

276.8 

"         Levee, 

"  Ferguson  June, 

10.4 

Centralia, 

"  Columbia, 

21.8 

Glasgow, 

"  Salisbury, 

1.5.9 

Moberly, 

''  Oltuniwa, 

1310 

Brunswick, 

"  C.  Bluffs 

224  4 

Roseberry, 

"  Clarinda, 

21.5 

N.  Lexington, 

"  St.  Joseph. 

77.1 

W.  Quincy, 

"  Trenton, 

135.9 

Keokuk, 

''  Humeston, 

131.0 

Relay, 

"  Albia, 

24.0 

Des  Moines, 

"  Jefferson, 

66.9    1,136  7 

Total  miles,       3,348.0 
INDIANAPOLIS    AND   ST.    LOUIS   R.  R. 

Its  general  offices  are  located  at  Indianapolis,  which  point 
is  its  eastern  and  St.  Louis  its  western  terminus.  The 
length  of  the  line  of  this  road  in  Madison  county  is  35 
miles  and  3.149  feet,  and  the  entire  length  of  the  track  from 
either  terminus  is  261  miles.  The  road-bed  is  of  substantial 
build,  and  well  ballasted,  tied  and  ironed.  In  January, 
1851,  the  "  Terre  Hnute  and  Alton  Railroad  Company," 
(now  I.  and  St.  L.)  was  incorporated  by  special  act  of  the 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


53 


Illinois  legislature,  with  power  to  liuikl  and  operate  a  road 
between  Terre  Haute  and  Alton.  Subsequently,  in  18o2, 
the"  Belleville  and  Illiiioistowu  Railroad  Company"  was 
authorized  by  act  of  the  Illinois  legislature  to  construct  a 
road  from  East  St.  Louis,  or  Illiuoistown,  to  Belleville,  also 
to  extend  the  same  in  the  direction  of  Alton.  In  February, 
1854,  a  special  act  was  passed,  authorizing  the  coiisolidatiou 
of  the  two  roads.  The  two  companies  did  not  avail  them- 
selves of  this  act  until  October,  1856,  at  which  time  the 
whole  line  was  put  in  operation  and  opened  to  traffic. 

The  stations  along  the  line  of  this  road  in  Madison 
county  are  Venice,  Kinder,  Xamooki,  Long  Lake,  Edwards- 
ville  Crossing,  Alton  Junction,  Bethalto,  Moro  and  Dorsey 
stations.  From  Alton  Junction  a  branch  extends  to  Alton, 
originally  the  terminus  of  the  road.  The  I.  and  St.  L.  is  a 
link  in  what  is  known  as  the  "  Bee  Line."  For  years  its 
prosperity  was  problematical,  but  through  the  untiring 
l)erseverance  of  interested  parties  it  is  fast  taking  its  place 
among  the  leading  roads  of  the  country. 

KOCK  ISLAND  DIVISION  OF  THE   CHIC.VGO,  BURLINGTON  AND 
QUINCY   E.  R. 

This  line  operates  nine  miles  .3.149  feet  of  road  in  this 
count)',  including  side  track  entering  on  .section  six  in  Foster- 
burg  township  and  terminating  on  section  sixteen  in  Wood 
river  township  where  it  forms  a  junction  with  the  Indian- 
apolis and  St.  Louis  railroad,  whose  track  it  uses  thence  to 
St.  Louis.  Little  did  the  farmers  and  tradesmen  along  the 
line  of  this  road,  whose  money  built  it  in  1869  and  '70,  sus- 
pect that  it  would  ever  become  the  property  of  one  of  the 
most  influential  and  aggressive  railroad  corporations  of  the 
day.  The  beginnings  of  the  Rockford  (as  it  i.s  familiarly 
called)  were  humble,  its  construction  was  slow  and  unpromis- 
ing. Numerous  changes  took  place  until  1876,  when  it 
passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy 
by  lease,  the  terms  of  which  make  it  practically  perpetual. 
The  length  of  this  division,  in  all,  is  271  miles.  As  at 
present  managed,  it  is  proving  a  valuable  acquisition  to  the 
C.  B.  and  Q. 

ST.  LOUIS,    VANDALIA    AND    TERRE    HAUTE    R.  R. 

The  length  of  line  of  this  road  including  side  tracks  in 
Madison  county  is  about  27  miles  and  .351  feet,  and  in  July 
1868,  trains  were  first  run  between  East  St.  Louis  and 
Highland,  and  in  July  of  the  following  year  the  road  was 
completed  from  East  St.  Louis  to  Effingham,  ninety-eight 
miles,  and  a  through  service  established  between  East  St. 
Louis  and  Chicago  in  connection  with  the  Illinois  Central 
R.  R.  and  in  July  1870,  the  last  rails  were  laid  between 
Effingham  and  the  Indiana  state  line.  Immediately  there- 
after a  through  line  of  sleeping  cars,  was  established  between 
New  York  and  St.  Louis,  and  the  "Vandalia  route"  at 
once  became  the  popular  route  from  St.  Louis  to  the  sea- 
board. The  most  important  stations  on  the  line  of  road  in 
this  county  are  ColliusviJle,  Troy,  St.  Jacobs,  Highland  and 
Pierron.  This  road  has  contributed  largely  to  the  develop- 
ment of  the  agricultural  and  mineral  resources  of  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  county. 


TOLEDO,  CINCINNATI   AND   ST.   LOUIS  R.  R. 

This  is  a  narrow-gauge  road,  the  first  survey  was  made  in 
January,  1881,  and  a  part  of  the  line  located  in  May  follow- 
ing. AVork  was  begun  in  this  county  in  June  1881.  There 
are  about  forty-five  miles  of  this  road  within  the  limits  of 
Madison  county.  The  principal  stations  in  the  county  will 
be  Edwardsville,  Alhambra  and  New  Douglass.  The  road 
is  being  constructed  by  a  compan}'  of  Eastern  capitalists. 
It  is  to  be  a  link  in  a  great  chain  of  narrow-gauge  roads 
uniting  the  east,  west,  and  south,  and  when  completed  will 
be  a  valuable  acquisition  to  the  railroad  system  of  Madison 
county. 

As  the  railroads  passing  through  Madison  county  all  use 
the  great  bridge  as  a  means  of  getting  into  the  city  of  St. 
Louis,  it  is  proper  that  we  make  a  brief  mention  of  the 
same. 

ST.    LOUIS    BRIDGE. 

Spanning  the  Mississippi  from  East  St.  Louis,  111.,  to  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  is  the  great  railway  and  roadway  bridge.  The 
initial  step  toward  commencing  this  celebrated  structure 
wa?,  An  act  passed  by  the  Missouri  legislature  in  1864,  in- 
corporating the  "  St.  Louis  and  Illinois  Bridge  Company." 
This  act  was  approved  February  5,  1864.  An  amended 
act  was  passed  and  approved  February  20,  1865.  About 
the  same  time  the  legislature  of  Illinois  passed  an  act 
authorizing  the  incorporators  under  the  Missouri  act,  under 
certain  stipulations,  to  build  a  bridge  to  the  Illinois  shore 
near  the  dyke.  An  act  of  Congress  was  also  passed  and 
approved  July  25,  1866,  authorizing  the  consiruction  of 
certain  bridges,  one  of  which  was  to  be  built  at  St  Louis. 
Having  thus  secured  the  necessary  legislation,  the  projec- 
tors directed  special  attention  to  the  work  itself.  Prelimin- 
ary steps  were  taken,  soundings  made,  plans  proposed,  and 
estimates  considered.  May  1st,  1867,  the  company  was 
organized  ;  and  contracts  for  the  masonry  were  soon  after 
let,  and  the  first  stone  was  laid  on  the  western  abutment 
pier,  Jan.  2oth,  1868,  and  the  pier  had  been  built  above  the 
water-level  by  the  spring  of  1868.  Captain  James  B  Eads 
was  chief  engineer  of  the  work. 

The  four  piers  of  the  bridge  are  as  follows  in  their  height 
above,  and  depth  below,  low-water  mark,  respectively: 

W.  abut.  Pier,  22  ft.  bel.  low-water  mark,  130  ft.  ab.  low-water  mark. 
Wtst  "     78      "        "        "        "       18G     "        •'      " 

Ea.^t  "      92       "        "        "        "       200     "        "       " 

East  abut.  "    102      "        "         "         "        210     "        "      " 

In  the  construction  of  the  masonry,  12,000  cubic  yards  of 
gray  granite  from  Portland,  INIaine,  were  used.  12,000 
cubic  yards  of  sandstone  from  the  St.  Genevieve  quarries  in 
Missi/uri  are  used  in  the  approaches,  and  two  thousand  cubic 
yards  of  granite  from  the  quarries  at  Pilot  Knob,  Mo.,  were 
used  in  the  base  course  of  the  approaches. 

Superdrudure  — The  superstructure  is  made  of  chrome 
steel,  and  every  possible  test  was  made  long  in  advance  of 
its  use,  so  as  to  prove  that  its  tensile  strength  corresponded 
with  the  general  requirement  of  the  whole  structure.  In 
placing  the  spans  in  position,  Mr.  Flad,  the  chief  assistant 
of  Captain  Eads,  introduced  a  system  of  hog-chains  reach- 
ing over  immense  wooden  structures  on  the  top  of  the  piers. 


54 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


These  were  let  down  and  made  fast  to  the  growing  spans, 
and  as  each  part  grew  from  the  pier  towards  the  centre  in 
open  space,  chains  were  applied  from  time  to  time  to  support 
the  great  weight  of  the  growing  arch.  By  the  method  of 
working  with  hog-chains,  Mr.  Flad  was  enabled  to  dispense 
with  the  old  cumbsrsome  way  of  scaffolding  below  to  sup- 
port the  span,  as  it  was  being  built  out  from  the  pier.  The 
superstructure  contains  2,200  tons  of  steel,  and  3,400  tons 
of  iron.     The  tons  of  metal  aggregate  5,600  tons. 

The  bridge  proper  consists  of  three  spans  or  arches;  the 
center  being  520  feet,  and  the  others  502  feet  each.  The 
arches  or  spans  and  abutments,  make  2,046  feet,  including 
the  approaches  on  each  side  of  the  river;  the  total  length 
of  the  bridge  is  6,220  feet,  or  more  than  one  mile.  The 
bridge  is  connected  with  the  yard  of  the  Union  depot,  St. 
Louis,  by  means  of  a  tunnel  4,866  feet  in  length,  and  double 
tracked  through  the  whole  distance. 

The  cost  of  the  bridge  and  tunnel,  at  the  time  of  its  being 
thrown  open  to  the  public  in  June,  1874,  had  been  between 
$12,000,000  and  §13,000,000.  It  was  amid  great  parade 
dedicated  to  the  traveling  public,  July  4th,  1874.  It  may 
be  mentioned  here,  that  on  the  top  of  the  arches  a  road  is 
constructed  for  vehicles,  animals  and  streetcars;  there  are 
also  suitable  paths  for  pedestrians.  Thus  we  have  given  a 
brief  sketch  of  probably  the  greatest  bridge  in  the  world  ; 
the  building  of  which  was  one  of  the  great  engineering 
triumphs  of  the  age. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


GEOLOGY   OF  MADISOX   COUyTT. 


BY   HON.    WILLIAM    McADAMS- 


HE  geology  of  this  county  may  be  illus- 
trated by  the  following  section,  taken 
principally  from  the  exposures  of  the 
strata  along  the  bluffs  of  the  Mississippi 
river,  where  it  forms  the  boundary  line 
of  the  county  of  the  west. 


i 

& 

Alluvial   100  feet. 

Loe.<=s  100  feet 

Glacial  drift  80  feet. 

i 
s. 

'S 

Coal   measures  450   feet. 

6 

3 

2 
'S 

Chester  Limestone   15  feet. 

St.  Louis  Limestone  200  feet. 

2 

Keokuk  Limestone  200  feet. 

cc 

The  surface  deposits  of  clay,  sind  and  soils,  which  overlie 
the  harder  rocks  are  known  under  the  general  name  of 
Quaternary. 

This  system  is  by  far  the  most  important  geological  for- 
mation in  the  State,  since  it  determines  in  a  large  degree, 
the  character  of  the  soils  which  forms  the  materia!  wealth  of 
Illinois. 

The  Quaternary  iu  Midison  county  may  be  divided  into 
three  distinct  deposits;  tha  Alluvium  or  bjttom  deposits, 
the  Loess,  and  the  true  drift  of  the  glacial  age.  The  allu- 
vial is  the  most  recent. 

The  great  American  Bottom  is  largely  alluvial,  although 
there  is  reason  to  suspect  that  this  great  basin  was  once 
filled  with  true  drift  clays  which  have  since  been  much 
modified  by  the  overflowing  floods  of  the  Mississippi  and 
Missouri  rivers.  This  bottom  commences,  a  short  distance 
below  Alton  near  where  Wood  river  emerges  from  the  high- 
lands. Here  the  harder  limestones  of  the  sub-carboniferous 
dip  beneath  the  surfice  give  place  to  the  coal  measures. 
The  softer  shales,  sandstones  and  limestones  of  the  coal 
measures  being  more  easily  exoded  away,  give  the  valley  of 
the  Mississippi  here  a  wide  expanse.  In  Madison  county 
this  bottom  is  some  ten  miles  in  width,  and  comprising  some- 
thing over  one  hundred  sections  or  square  miles,  a  majority 
of  which  are  among  the  richest  lands  in  the  United  States. 
Originally  a  larger  portion  of  this  was  a  kind  of  bottom 
prairie  on  which  flourished  an  enormous  growth  of  wild 
grasses.  The  higher  portions  of  this  bottom,  and  this  in- 
cludes the  greater  part,  are  now  mostly  under  cultivation 
producing  quantities  of  market  produce,  such  as  potatoes, 
cabbage,  &c.  Good  crops  of  both  corn  and  wheat  are 
raised,  but  much  of  the  land,  especially  near  St.  Louis,  is  too 
valuable  to  be  planted  in  these  cereals  Much  of  the  land 
does  not  overflow,  while  the  lower  portions,  are  being  ra- 
pidly brought  under  cultivation  by  being  drained  and  pro- 
tected by  levees. 

The  geological  character  of  the  subsoil  of  this  region  is 
peculiar,  being  in  some  place  a  sandy  or  gravely  strata, 
alternating  with  layers  of  silt  and  a  black  vegetable  mould, 
some  of  which  has  the  consistency  of  putty,  and  goes  by  the 
name  of  sticky;  at  other  places  the  deposits  seem  to  be  a  yel- 
lowish or  brownish  clay  resembling  glacial  deposits. 

The  soil  is  in  some  places  a  rich  dark  sandy  mould,  while 
in  other  places  it  is  the  sticky  humus,  enormously  rich  but 
difficult  to  work. 

The  sands  and  silt  from  the  Missouri  river  are  different 
from  those  of  the  Mississippi,  and  these  deposits  are  some- 
times seen  in  contrast  in  the  bottom. 

The  thickness  of  these  alluvial  deposits  are  not  known, 
but  a  boring  at  the  National  stock  yards  in  East  St.  Louis 
failed  to  reach  the  bottom  of  the  deposits  at  the  depth  of  one 
hundred  feet. 

LOESS. 

The  loess  usually  present  a  finely  comminuted  mass  of 
siliciuos  marly  clay,  and  is  easily  recognized  by  its  buff  color 
and  general  appearance.  Above  Wood  river  and  the  city  of 
Alton,  it  forms  the  earthy  deposits  which  cap  the  blufls. 
Below  AVood  river  the  bluffs  bordering  the  bottom  are  almost 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


55 


entirely  of  loess.  It  sometimes  goes  by  the  name  of  "Bluff 
clays,"  from  the  fact  that  it  is  only  seen  in  the  vicinity  of 
rivers,  and  its  presence  is  probably  due  to  the  silty  clay 
deposits  during  the  subsidence  of  the  glacial  epoch,  when  the 
great  sluggish  streams  at  the  close  of  that  era  were  confined 
to  the  valleys.  This  subsidence  was  doubtless  of  slow  con- 
tinuance for  the  deposits  in  this  county  are  in  some  places 
more  than  a  hundred  feet  in  thickness.  The  loess  extend 
but  a  few  miles  from  the  river  and  the  more  tenacious  clays 
of  the  drift  take  its  place. 

The  rich  character  of  the  farming  lands  about  Edwards- 
ville,  and  all  the  high  lands  in  the  vicinity  of  the  bluffs  are 
due  to  the  marly  character  of  the  loess  which  form  the  sub- 
soil. The  recuperative  power  of  such  soils  even  when  appar- 
ently exhausted  is  remarkable;  a  few  crops  of  clover  restores 
the  weakened  energies  of  these  lands  to  their  original  vigor. 
The  loess  contain  both  land  and  fresh  water  shells  and 
sometimes  the  remains  of  extinct  animals,  generally  of  the 
larger  mammals.  Near  Alton,  some  years  ago  was  found 
some  remains  of  a  mastodon  ;  we  also  have  the  tooth  of  an 
extinct  bison,  and  an  undescribed  mammal  from  this  region 
a  few  miles  above  Alton. 

DRIFT. 

The  true  drift  clays  which  cover  the  rocks  on  the  high 
lands  are  quite  different  from  either  of  the  divisions  of  the 
formation  we  have  described.  The  drift  clays  were  no 
doubt  accumulated  when  the  whole  surface  was  under  water, 
and  the  rocks  being  in  places  eroded  into  valleys  which 
more  subsequently  filled  with  these  drift  clays.  They  are 
much  deeper  in  some  localities  than  others,  although  the  sur- 
face level  may  be  the  same.  There  is  usually  at  the  base  of 
this  depo3it  a  blue  plastic  clay,  with  pebbles,  and  oftentimes 
are  found  in  it  sticks  and  even  the  bodies  of  trees,  with 
pieces  of  coal  and  other  accumulations;  sometimes  the  blue 
clay  is  wanting,  but  above  it  is  generally  a  reddish  brown 
clay  with  boulders  and  fragments  of  rocks  that  do  not  belong 
even  in  the  State.  These  foreign  substances  seem  to  have 
been  brought  here  in  icebergs,  or  floating  masses  of  ice  and 
earth,  which  melting,  the  hard  material  with  the  clay  was 
deposited  on  the  bottom.  Often  in  digging  wells  these 
drifted  materials  are  met  with  to  the  wonder  of  those  not 
conversant  with  the  manner  of  their  disposition.  Sometimes 
valuable  minerals  are  found  in  small  quantities,  leading  the 
unwary  to  suppose  a  mine  is  near. 

The  thickness  of  the  drift  deposits  in  Madison  is  from  40 
to  80  feet. 

CARIJONIFEKOUS. 

The  next  system  beneath  the  Quaternary  in  IMadison 
county  is  the  carboniferous  or  coal  measures.  The  coal 
veins  that  crop  out  in  this  county  belong  to  what  is  known 
as  the  lower  coal  measurt-s.  This  county  being  on  the  edge 
or  rim  of  the  great  coal  basin,  besides  having  its  strata 
elevated  and  cast  off  by  an  upheaval  of  the  rocks,  has  the 
outcropping  edges  of  the  coal  formation,  as  seen  here  and 
there  at  various  localities,  weathered  and  broken,  so  pecu- 
liarly situated  as  to  render  it  difficult  to  make  a  correct 
section.  We  know  of  no  shaft  or  boring  that  has  penetrated  I 
the  whole  series  of  the  carboniferous  in  the  eastern  side  of 


the  county  where  they  probably  all  lie  in  place.  A  thin 
seam  of  coal  at  Highland  probably  represents  No.  8  or  9  of 
the  general  section  of  the  state.  There  are  probably  five  dis- 
tinct coal  seams  worked  in  the  county.  Coal  seam  No.  1, 
which  is  worked  about  North  Alton,  seems  to  have  local 
dimensions  that  have  created  some  confusion  in  numbering 
the  veins  in  this  locality. 

The  best  seam  of  coal  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  county, 
and  known  as  the  Bellville  seam,  we  are  inclined  to  believe, 
notwithstanding  previous  reports,  to  be  No.  5,  the  main 
workable  seam  of  the  state. 

There  probably  has  never  been  a  correct  section  made  of 
the  coal  seam  in  this  county, 

Most  of  the  coal  mined  in  the  county  is  of  good  quality. 
The  coal  taken  from  vein  No.  1  at  Buckin  and  vicinity  we 
consider  au  excellent  coal  and  of  much  superior  quality  to 
that  taken  from  No.  5  at  Virden,  111.,  and  vicinity. 

Excepting  a  strip  of  land  along  the  Mississippi  river, 
above  the  city  of  Alton,  nearly  the  whole  county  is  under- 
laid with  valuable  beds  of  coal.  There  are  in  the  county 
some  250,000  acres  of  good  coal  lands.  Considering  the 
easy  access  to  this  great  store  of  wealth,  and  its  accessibility 
to  the  leading  railroads  of  the  state  and  St.  Louis  as  well  as 
the  Mississippi,  Madison  is  most  enviably  situated  in  this 
respect. 

According  to  the  report  of  the  mine  inspector  of  Madison 
county  for  the  past  year  we  learn  that  there  are  27  mines  in 
the  county,  all  being  worked  by  shafts  ana  affording  em- 
ployment to  1000  men  and  boys.  The  yearly  product  is 
400,000  tons,  and  the  capital  invested  248,000  dollars. 

CHESTER    LIME.STONE. 

Immediately  underlying  the  coal  in  this  county,  in  some 
localities,  is  the  Chester  limestone.  The  Chester  group  of 
the  subcarboniferous  is  several  hundred  feet  in  thickness  in 
Randolph  county,  but  has  thinned  so  rapidly  towards  the 
north  as  to  be  represented  in  Madison  by  only  some  twelve 
or  fifteen  feet  in  thickness.  It  is  a  coarse-grained  sandstone 
of  a  brownish  color  and  overlaid  by  a  thin  baud  of  lime- 
stone two  to  three  feet  in  thickness. 

These  beds  form  the  upper  layers  of  the  bluffs  above 
Alton  and  show  themselves  in  detached  fragments  on  the 
Pia.sa  and  other  streams. 

The  sandstone  is  often  quite  prolific  of  fossils,  the  most 
prominent  and  characteristic  being  retzia  vera  and  athyrus 
ambigua. 

ST.  LOUIS    LIMESTONE. 

The  most  important  rock  in  Madison  county  is  the  lime- 
stone, known  as  the  St.  Louis  limestone,  which  forms  a  bluff 
something  over  one  hundred  feet  in  height,  and  extending 
from  the  city  of  Alton  to  the  mouth  of  the  Piasa  creek. 

During  the  disposition  of  this  group  of  rocks  on  the  bot- 
tom of  that  ancient  sea  one  is  forcibly  struck  with  the  differ- 
ent conditions  of  the  elements  during  this  great  subcarbon- 
iferous era,  as  the  following  section  will  show: 

Greenish  shale .")  fee  t. 

Massive  arenaceous  limcstone.not  regularly  stratified  20    " 
Massive  grey  limestone 10    " 


56 


H] STORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Thin  bedded  grey  limestone 15  feet. 

Irregularly   bedded    grey   limestone   with    cherty 

nodules 20  " 

Brecciated  and  concretionary  limestone 40  " 

Regular  bedded  gray  limestone,  partly  magnesian...  50  " 
Brown  earthy  Maguesian  limestone,  turning  to  gray 

with  hydraulic  layers '. 40  " 

The  upper  beds  thin  out  rapidly  above  Alton,  and  the 
■whole  group  ascends  to  the  top  of  the  bluff'  at  the  Piasa, 
giving  place  to  the  Keokuk  group  which  come  up  from  be- 
neath the  Mississippi. 

At  the  base  of  the  St.  Louis  limestone,  on  the  Piasa  creek, 
is  a  bed  of  anhydrous  limestone,  or  hydraulic  lime  8  or  10 
feet  thick. 

It  makes  a  valuable  cement,  and  ought  to  be  among  the 
great  resources  and  industries  of  the  country.  The  rock  is 
a  bluish  gray,  earthy  Magnesian  limestone,  sometimes  a 
delicate  dove  color,  quite  soft  and  very  easy  to  quarry. 

Hitherto  the  heat  in  the  kilns  required  to  reduce  this  rock 
to  lime  preparatory  to  grinding  into  the  cement  flour,  has 
been  made  with  wood.  The  nearness  of  the  coal  mines  and 
the  cheapness  of  this  fuel  might  be  brought  into  requisition 
in  the  manufacture  of  the  cement.  Situated  as  these  cement 
deposits  are,  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  and  near  the 
coal  mines,  ought  to  give  them  a  commercial  value. 

The  upper  members  of  the  St.  Louis  limestone,  so  finely 
exposed  at  Alton,  furnish  some  of  the  finest  building 
materials  in  the  state.  There  are  layers  in  the  quarries  of 
Alton  of  hard,  compact  limestone  that  would  make  a  build- 
ing as  durable,  and  of  richer,  finer  appearance  than  the 
Magnesian  limestone  of  Jolietor  Grafton.  The  pure  color 
of  this  freestone  is  very  pleasing  to  the  eye  and  is  retained 
without  change  for  a  great  length  of  time. 

When  monotonous  brick  walls  and  perishable  frame 
buildings  give  way  to  solid  structures  of  architectural 
beauty  the  materials  in  these  great  quarries  of  Alton  will 
be  in  large  demand. 

Besides  being  used  as  a  building  rock  the  St.  Louis  lime- 
stone is  the  main  source  of  the  supply  of  lime  in  the  west. 
It  makes  a  beautiful  white  lime,  not  more  noted  for  its  color 
than  its  strength. 

There  is,  probably,  no  place  in  the  west  where  could  be 
found  the  same  facilities  for  the  manufacture  of  superior 
lime  as  at  Alton.  There  is  an  unlimited  supply  both  of 
fuel  and  material  for  lime. 

The  means  of  shipping  both  by  rail  and  river  are  excel- 
lent. AH  that  is  needed  is  enterprise  and  capital  to  make 
its  manufacture  at  Alton  a  great  industry. 

The  fossils  of  the  St.  Louis  limestone  are  quite  numerous 
about  Alton,  and  some  of  them  are  very  finely  preserved. 
There  are  several  species  of  productus,  the  more  common  of 
which  is  the  P.  Punctatus,  and  one  pretty  species  called 
P.  Allonensis.  Spysipers  and  Terebratulas  are  common. 
About  the  bluffs  can  be  found  fine  specimens  of  that  pecu- 
lar  coral,  like  a  mass  of  columns,  and  known  as  the  Liihostro- 
t'ton  Canaden.se  and  just  above  the  beds  of  hydraulic  lime- 
stone the  pretty  pentrineites  are  common,  and  in  some  of 


the  lower  layers  of  the  group  above  the  city  of  Alton, 
numerous  fish  teeth  are  found.  About  the  little  village  of 
Clifton,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Piasa,  fossils  are  numerous. 

KEOKUK    LIMESTONE. 

The  lowest  rock  exposed  in  this  county  belongs  to  the 
group  known  as  the  Keokuk  limestone.  It  is  represented  in 
several  localities  on  the  Piasa  creek  by  20  to  40  feet  of  a 
shaly  calcareous  lira33torie  of  m  ecimmic  valu3.* 

There  are  but  few  counties  in  the  state  favored  with  the 
natural  resources  and  elements  of  wealth  and  pro.sperity  for 
its  inhabitants  enjoyed  by  Madison  county. 

It  possesses  a  soil  of  unsurpassed  fertility,  an  excellent 
supply  of  timber,  an  inexhaustible  supply  of  coal,  building- 
stone,  limestone  for  lime,  cement  and  potters'  clay,  with  a 
favorable  position  on  the  Mississippi;  together  with  railroad 
facilities  and  other  natural  advantages  seldom  found. 

ARTESIAN   WELLS. 

In  the  economic  geology  of  Madison  county,  the  subject  of 
artesian  wells  may  interest  many.  The  conditions  necessary 
for  a  successful  artesian  well  are  very  simple. 

1st.  There  must  be  a  stratum  of  porous  rock  or  other  sub- 
stance beneath  the  surface  forming  a  conductor  for  water; 
this  conductor  being  usually  sand  or  sandstone. 

2d.  The  source  of  the  supply  of  water  must  be  higher,  or 
as  high  as  the  surface  of  the  proposed  well.  Very  often  it 
happens,  however,  that  the  force  of  pressure  or  the  pres- 
ence of  gas,  forces  the  water  in  an  artesian  well  above  its 
source. 

The  source  of  the  supply  may  be,  and  often  is,  many  miles 
distant.  It  is  said  that  the  source  of  the  water  flowing  from 
the  artesian  wells  in  Chicago  is  in  the  outcropping  sandstones 
on  Fox  River  nearly  a  hundred  miles  distant.  The  source 
of  the  supply  of  water  in  the  Belcher  well  in  St.  Louis  is  in 
the  outcropping  sandstones  in  Calhoun  County,  111. 

Nearly  all  the  artesian  wells  in  this  State,  and  in  fact  in 
this  part  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  get  their  supply  of  water 
from  soft  heavy  bedded  sandstone,  known  to  western  geologists 
as  the  St.  Peter's  sandstone. 

Through  the  agency  of  some  subterranean  power,  evidently 
of  a  volcanic  nature,  the  St.  Peter's  sandstone,  the  lowest  rock 
seen  in  Illinois,  is  upheaved  and  brought  to  the  surface, 
forming  a  high  bluff'on  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi  at  "Cap 
au  Oris,"  (Grey — sandstone  headland)  in  Calhoun  County, 
Ills.,  and  nearly  forty  miles  northwest  of  Alton.  This  sand- 
stone forms  part  of  the  bed  of  the  Mississippi  at  this  place. 
The  headland  or  Ijluff",  is  something  over  a  mile  in  extent 
along  the  river,  and  near  200  feet  in  height.  Much  of  this 
rock  is  so  friable  as  to  be  crushed  between  the  fingers,  and 
such  pure  silica  as  to  be  in  demand  in  the  manufacture  of 
glass. 

'Cap  au  Gris' being  the  centre  of  the  upheaval,  except,  on 
the  southwest  where  the  deposits  seem  not  to  have  been 
thrown  up,  the  rocks  dip  strongly  in  going  from  the  axi.s. 
The  upheaval  of  the  St.  Peter's  of  course  brought  up  all  the 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


57 


rocks  lying  above  it,  but  this  great  elevation  being  afterward 
eroded  away  by  the  forces  of  the  "glacial  epoch,"  a  general 
level  was  again  attained  leaving  the  outcropping  edges  of  the 
Upper  Silurian,  Lower  Silurian,  Devonian,  Subcarbonifer. 
ous,  and  coal  measure  rocks  exposed  in  succession  to  the  view 
of  the  observing  traveller  in  any  direction  on  the  line  of  Cap 
au  Grig. 

In  all  this  western  country  there  is  not  such  another  field 
for  the  study  of  geology.  Every  stream,  or  water  course  in 
Madison,  Jersey  and  Calhoun  counties  reveal  the  edges  of  the 
rocky  strata,  each  group  of  which  can  be  recognized  by  its 
peculiar  fossils;  and  each  group  of  which  can  be  measured, 
at  least  approximately,  so  that  any  competent  geologist  at 
any  point  within  fifty,  or  even  a  hundred  miles  from  Cap 
au  Gris,  can  tell  very  nearly  how  far  beneath  the  surface 
lies  the  St.  Peter's  sandstone,  down  through  the  heavy  beds 
of  which  percolate  a  portion  of  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi. 

The  following  diagram  will  enable  the  reader  more  fully  to 
comprehend  the  geology  of  this  region.  The  diagram  repre- 
sents a  section  of  the  rocks  from  Edwardsville  on  a  straight 
line  to  Cap  au  Gris : 


The  horizontal  stratum  on  top  of  the  section  represents 
the  drift-clays  that  overlie  all  the  rocks  except  where  washed 
away  in  the  valleys  formed  by  streams  Below  the  drift 
which  is  20  to  100  feet  in  thickness  the  rocks  are  represented 
showing  their  position  and  dip.  No.  1,  crops  out  at  Cap  au 
Gris,  No.  10,  at  Edwardsville.  We  give  iu  the  table  below 
8 


Calciferoiis. 

200  feet  thick 

Lower  Silurian. 

200     "      " 

Lower  Silurian. 

150     "     " 

Upper  Sihirian. 

150     "     " 

Devonian. 

50     "     " 

Sub.  Car. 

150     "     " 

Sub.  Car. 

200    '■     " 

Sub.  Car. 

150    "    " 

Sub.  Car. 

150    "    " 

Car. 

150     "     " 

the  names  of  the  groups  of  rocks,  with  their  thickness  as  seen 
in  the  section. 


1.  St.  PetetV  Sandstone, 

2.  Trenton  Lirae-stone, 

3.  Cincinnati  Shales, 

4.  Niagara  Limestone, 

5.  Hamilton  Limestone 

6.  Kinderhook  Limestone, 

7.  Burlington  Limestone, 

8.  Keokuk  Limestone, 

9.  St.  Louis  Limestone 

10.  Coal  Measures 


The  thickness  here  given  is  mostly  taken  from  the  exposed 
strata  along  the  Missi.ssippi,  some  places  being  covered  on 
the  slopes  by  debris  are  supplied  by  better  sections  of  the 
same  horizon  as  shown  in  the  creeks  and  smaller  streams.  The 
thickness,  however,  we  believe  to  be  given  as  the  maximum. 

Seven  or  eight  miles  north  of  Cap  au  Gris,  on  the  Missis- 
sippi side  of  Calhoun  Co  ,  is  an  arte.-ian  well  200  feet  deep, 
and  from  which  a  great  volume  of  water  has  been  flowing 
for  over  thirty  years.  This  well  is  represented  on  the  left  of 
the  diagram  near  Pittsburg,  in  Jersey  county,  or  some  15 
miles  east  of  Cap  au  Gris  is  another  well,  started  in  the 
Devonian,  and  which  reached  a  great  flow  of  water  in  the  St. 
Peters,  at  the  depth  of  500  feet.  This  well  was  bored  several 
years  ago  with  the  view  of  finding  coal  oil,  and  is  825  feet 
deep.  It  is  a  sulphur  water,  containing  some  minerals  in  solu. 
tion,  not  unpleasant  to  the  taste,  as  may  be  evinced  by  the 
fact  that  a  graduating  class  of  1.3  young  ladies  visiting  the 
locality  under  our  charge  drank  heartily  from  the  water  as  it 
flowed  over  the  tube.  Without  doubt  it  could  be  utilized  for 
nearly  all  mechanical  purposes. 

The  waters  of  Perry  Springs,  in  Pike  county.  111., 
noted  as  a  health  resort,  is  somewhat  similar,  and  is 
doubtless  nothing  more  than  a  natural  artesian  well,  in  which 
the  waters  from  the  St.  Peters  escapes  to  the  surface  through 
some  crevice.  In  our  opinion  many  of  the  so  called  mineral 
springs  have  the  same  deep-seated  source,  and  might  be 
duplicated  without  number  by  simply  going  deep  to  the  St. 
Peters  sandstone  with  an  artesian  well  and  making  an  artifi- 
cial spring. 

An  artesian  well  in  Madison  county  is  simply  a  matter  of 
dollars  and  cents.  The  water  bearing  strata  lies  beneath 
with  the  great  probability  of  its  treasures  being  released  only 
by  the  drill. 

At  the  right  of  the  diagram  is  represented  an  artesian 
well  from  the  coal  measures  at  Edwardsville  to  the  St. 
Peter's  sandstone. 


58 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


CAHOKIA  OR  "  MONK'S  MOUND,"  MADISON  CO.,  ILL. 


CHAPTER  V 


ANTIQUITIES. 


BY  HON.    WILLIAM  McADAMS. 

I  ADISON  COUNTY  is  rich  in  antiquities. 

Its   central  geographical    position,  and 

its    peculiar    geological    formation,   in 

ancient  times,  as  well  as  now,  made  it  a 

great  centre  of  natural   resources,  and 

the  ancient  population  had  their  great 

central    works   in    this    locality.      The 

greatest  mounds  in    the  United  States 

are  here  and  it  is  really  the  Egypt  of 

America  with  its  pyramids  and  tumuli  looming  up  from  the 

rich  valley  of  the  Mississippi  in  magnitude  and  grandeur 

rivaling  in  interest  those  of  the  Nile. 

Within  the  ten  miles  square  of  alluvial  bottom  in  this 


county  are  more  than  one  hundred  mounds  of  considerable 
dimensions.  The  largest  of  these  mounds  are  on  the  bank 
of  the  Cahokia  creek  five  or  six  miles  from  East  St.  Louis. 
This  group  contains  seventy-two  mounds,  the  majority  of 
which  are  situated  on  a  square  mile.  The  largest  mound  is 
in  the  centre  of  the  group  and  is  known  as  the  Cahokia  or 
Monk's  Mound,  deriving  its  latter  name  from  the  fact  that 
in  the  early  history  of  the  county  some  of  the  order  of  La 
Trappe  settled  near  and  for  a  time  occupied  the  mound. 
These  monks  lived  in  strict  and  silent  seclusion,  eat  no  meat 
and  lived  upon  the  most  frugal  and  homely  diet.  Several 
of  them  soon  succumbed  to  the  malarial  influences  of  the 
climate  and  the  remainder  of  the  colony  departed  for  wheoce 
they  came. 

In  this  connection  we  prefer  the  name  of  Cahokia  mound 
since  it  perpetuates  the  name  of  a  tribe  of  Indians  met  by 
La  Salle  in  this  vicinity  and  who  gave  their  name  to  the 
creek. 

The  form  of  the  Cahokia  mound  is  a  parallelogram,  witli 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


59 


straight  sides,  the   longer  of  which  are  north  and   south. 
It  is  about  one  hundred  feet  in  height. 

On  the  southern  end,  some  30  feet  above  the  base  is  a 
terrace  or  apron,  containing  near  two  acres  of  ground. 

On  the  western  side,  and  some  thirty  feet  above  the  first 
terrace  is  a  second  one  of  somewhat  less  extent. 

The  top  of  the  mound  is  flat  and  divided  into  two  parts, 
the  northern  end  being  some  4  or  5  feet  higher  than  the 
southern  portion.  The  summit  contains  about  an  acre  and 
a  half. 

Near  the  middle  of  the  first  terrace,  at  the  base  of  the 
mound,  is  a  projecting  point,  apparently  the  remains  of  a 
graded  pathway  to  ascend  from  the  plain  to  the  terrace. 
The  west  side  of  the  mound  below  the  second  terrace,  is 
very  irregular  and  forms  projecting  knobs,  separated  by 
deep  ravines,  probably  the  result  of  rainstorms,  to  the 
northwest  corner  of  the  base  of  the  structure  there  feems 
to  be  a  small  mound  attached,  in  exact  imitation  of  the 
small  mounds  attached  to  the  base  of  the  pyramids  of 
Egypt  as  well  as  those  of  Mexico. 

The  remaining  sides  of  the  structure  are  quite  straight 
and  but  little  defaced  by  the  hand  of  time. 

About  the  sides  of  the  mound  are  still  growing  several 
forest  trees,  one  of  which  is  an  elm  several  centuries  old. 

As  the  size  of  the  Cahokia  mound  has  been  given  vari- 
ously we  applied  to  Mr.  B.  J.  Vancourt,  a  practical  surveyor 
living  in  the  vicinity,  at  O'Fallen,  and  whom  we  knew  had 
made  a  regular  survey  of  the  mound.  Mr.  Vancourt  sent 
us  the  following : 

"  In  my  survey  I  did  not  follow  the  irregularities  of  the 
mound  but  made  straight  lines  enclosing  the  base.  The 
largest  axis  is  from  north  to  south  and  is  998  feet,  the 
shortest  from  east  to  west  is  721  feet.  The  height  of  the 
mound  is  99  feet.  The  base  of  the  structure  covers  16  acres 
2  roods  and  3  perches  of  ground." 

Our  own  survey  made  the  base  somewhat  less  than  six- 
teen acres  in  extent,  it  being  somewhat  difficult  to  point  out 
the  precise  line  where  the  structure  begins  to  rise  from  the 
plain. 

The  base  of  the  Cahokia  pyramid  covers  more  ground 
than  any  pyramid  of  Egypt  and  with  the  exception  of 
Cholula,  which  is,  however,  simply  a  mass  of  ruins,  the 
Cahokia  is  the  largest  in  the  world. 

The  great  pyramid  of  Egypt — Cheops,  is  746  feet  square. 
The  temple  of  Mexico  was  680  feet  square. 

The  summit  and  lower  terrace  of  the  Cahokia  mound  has 
been  plowed  a  few  times.  Brackenridge  who  visited  the 
mound  in  1811,  says  that  the  monks  used  the  lower  terrace 
for  a  kitchen  garden  and  also  had  the  summit  of  the  struc- 
ture sown  in  wheat.  The  great  pyramid  has  not  been 
materially  changed,  however,  and  doubtless  presents  the 
same  outlines  to-day  as  at  the  time  of  the  discovery  of  this 
continent  by  Columbus. 

Since  some  doubts  have  been  expressed  as  to  the  artificial 
origin  of  this  structure  we  were  much  interested  to  ascer- 
ta  u  what  could  be  learned  in  this  respect  by  examination. 
On  the  top  of  the  pyramid  is  the  remains  of  a  hou.se,  said 
to   have  been  commenced    by  the    monks,  but   afterwards 


added  to  and  finished  as  a  comfortable  residence  for  the 
family  of  a  man  named  Hill,  an  enterprising  settler  who 
owned  the  mound  and  a  large  body  of  land  adjoining.  Be- 
neath this  house  is  a  deep  unwalled  cellar.  A  section  down 
the  side  of  the  cellar  to  the  depth  of  ten  feet  is  very  plainly 
revealed  a  deposit  of  various  kinds  of  earth  without  strati- 
fication. The  ])rincipal  part  of  this  deposit  was  the  black 
humus  or  mould,  so  common  in  the  bottom  and  forming  the 
priucipal  soil,  very  sticky  when  wet  and  breaking  into  cubi- 
cal blocks  when  dry.  Here  and  there,  as  if  thrown  pro- 
miscuously among  the  black  mould  is  a  bunch  of  yellow 
clay,  or  sand,  or  marly  loess,  these  bunches  being  about  such 
size  as  a  man  could  easily  carry. 

Similar  sections  can  be  seen  up  the  old  road  made  by  Hill 
to  ascend  to  his  residence. 

On  the  second  terrace  is  a  well  (shown  in  the  engraving) 
dug  by  Hill  and  supposed  to  be  80  or  90  feet  deep,  pene- 
trating the  base  of  the  mound.  The  water  taken  out  while 
excavating  for  the  well  still  lies  near  and  would  indicate 
that  the  deposits  penetrated  were  similar  to  those  seen  in  the 
cellar.  Old  settlers  living  near  when  the  well  was  dug,  say 
that  at  the  depth  of  about  sixty  feet  pieces  of  pottery  and 
two  sea  shells  were  found. 

In  an  old  publication  entitled  the  "  Far  West"  published 
in  New  York,  by  Harper  &  Bros.,  in  1838,  the  author  after 
describing  the  great  mound  which  he  visited,  also  speaks  of 
the  well  and  says  that  while  it  was  being  dug,  at  the  depth 
of  sixty  feet  remains  of  corn  and  fragments  of  pottery  were 
found.  On  drinking  of  the  water  he  says  it  had  a  peculiar 
taste.  He  further  mentions  that  it  was  but  seldom  used  on 
account  of  the  general  belief  among  the  inhabitants  that 
the  well  was  dug  through  an  ancient  cemetery  beneath  the 
mound. 

About  midway,  on  the  north  side,  or  face  of  the  pyramid, 
and  elevated  25  or  30  teet  above  the  base,  in  a  small  depres- 
sion, stands  a  pine  tree,  singularly  enough,  since  this  tree  is 
not  found  in  the  forrests  in  this  locality.  There  was  a  story 
rife  among  the  early  settlers  that  this  tree  stood  at  the  mouth 
of  an  opening  or  gallery  into  the  interior  of  the  mounds. 
To  ascertain  the  truth  of  this  matter,  Mr.  Thomas  Raraey, 
the  present  owner  of  the  mound  commenced  a  tunnel  at  this 
tree  and  excavated  about  ninety  (90)  feet  towards  the  centre 
of  the  mound.  When  fifteen  feet  from  the  entrance  to  the 
tunnel  a  piece  of  lead  ore  was  discovered  but  no  other  object 
of  interest  was  found.  The  deposits  penetrated  by  the  tun- 
nel are  very  plainly  shown  to  be  the  same  as  seen  in  the 
cellar  mentioned  above. 

Upon  approaching  the  Cahokia  temple,  which  stands  on 
a  level  plain,  two  miles  from  the  bluff  and  five  miles  from 
Mississippi  river,  one  is  astonished  at  its  magnitude  and  the 
large  force  of  men,  time  and  labor  required  in  its  construc- 
tion ;  but  the  astonishment  of  the  beholder  is  increased  when 
upon  coming  near,  to  find  that  the  great  mound  is  b  it  one 
of  many  structures,  which,  if  not  so  large,  are  still  of 
immense  proportions. 

About  the  great  mound  and  lying  in  apparent  irregular 
form  over  the  plain  are  some  seventy  others,  some  square, 
some  conical,  others  oblong.     Several  of  the  group  are  ou 


GO 


HISTOFiY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


the  opposite  side  of  the  Cahokia  creek.  The  situation  of 
the  mounds  are  shown  by  the  map  and  diagrams  on  another 
page.  The  nearest  mound  on  both  the  east  and  west  side 
of  the  greater  structure,  is  square,  with  their  sides  and 
corners,  like  the  greater  pyramid,  straight  and  well-defined. 
The  square  on  the  east  side  is  about  15  feet  in  height  with 
between  one  and  two  acres  on  the  summit.  The  square  on 
the  west  side  is  very  much  larger  and  something  over  20 
feet  in  height. 

The  largest  square  is  southwest  of  the  great  mound,  some 
300  paces  distant  and  30  feet  in  height.  The  summit  of 
this  square  platform  is  so  large  that  it  contains  a  good  sized 
farm  house  with  all  the  outbuildings,  barn-yards  and  gar- 
dens necessary  to  a  well-regulated  farm. 

One  peculiarity  of  these  square  mounds,  of  which  there 
are  a  number  in  the  group,  are  that  they  are  all  attended  by 
a  small  conical  mound  which  is,  in  some  instances,  attached 
to  one  corner.  This  same  peculiarity,  as  described  by  trav- 
elers, is  observed  in  Egypt  as  well  as  Mexico,  the  pyramids 
being  attended  by  a  small  mound  attached  generally  to  one 
corner. 

Some  of  the  oval  mounds  are  very  large,  being  from  ten 
to  sixty  feet  in  height.  One  large  oval  mound  stands 
directly  on  the  bank  of  the  Cohokia,  (See  Map)  and  the 
side  of  the  mound  toward  the  creek  is  so  washed  away  as 
to  give  an  excellent  opportunity  to  examine  the  material 
and  manner  of  its  construction.  It  is  composed  of  black 
loam  nothing  different  from  the  great  pyramid.  Many  of 
the  mounds,  both  conical  and  oval,  have  such  declivity  that 
one  can  with  difficulty  ascend  the  sides. 

There  are  many  other  mounds  in  the  bottom  not  enume- 
rated in  the  Cahokia  group.  There  is  another  very  inter- 
esting group  near  Mitchell  station,  on  the  C.  A.  &  St.  L. 
R.  R.,  between  St.  Louis  &  Alton.  Several  of  this  group 
present  the  same  square  flat  forms,  as  described  on  the 
Cahokia. 

One  of  these  platforms,  measuring  one  hundred  paces,  or 
300  feet,  on  each  of  its  four  sides  and  25  or  30  feet  high  has 
been  largely  excavated  away  to  make  room  for  railroad 
tracks.  A  portion  of  the  earth  near  the  centre  still  remains 
showing  the  bunches  of  earth  thrown  down  promiscuously 
during  the  construction  of  the  mound. 

During  the  excavation  for  the  four  R.  R.  tracks  that  go 
through  this  mound  a  great  number  of  relics  were  found 
showing  that  these  ancient  temples  were  used  for  sepulchres 
as  well  as  for  other  purposes.  From  this  mound  we  have  a  con- 
sider able  number  of  copper  implements  and  ornaments,  some 
of  the  latter  are  curiously  made  to  represent  the  shell  of  a 
tortoite,  even  showing  the  sutures  in  the  plates  of  the  shell. 
Short,  heavy  spools  of  bone  covered  with  copper  so  neatly 
done,  that  only  from  a  broken  one  did  we  discover  that  the 
interior  was  bone.  Copper  awls  and  needles,  some  of  the 
latter  18  inches  in  length.  There  were  also  flint  implements 
and  the  teith  of  a  bufl'alo,  together  with  a  quantity  of  both 
coarse  and  fine  matting  plaited  together  in  a  neat  nianner. 

Who  were  the  people  who  erected  these  great  mouncls  on 
the  American  Bottom  ?  If  these  works  were  erected  by  the 
ancestors  of  our  present  red  Indians,  then  the  Indians  must 


have  very  greatly  degenerated,  for  we  are  quite  satisfied 
that  the  mound  builder  had  a  different  government,  a  differ- 
ent religion,  a  different  character,  and  most  probably  a 
different  physiogaomy.  Our  knowledge  of  ladian  character, 
formed  largely  by  personal  contact  with  them  in  the  west, 
has  led  us  to  believe  that  our  Indian,  like  the  Arab  of  the 
desert  is  incapable  of  any  great  work  requiring  physical  labor. 

Still  it  would  seem  as  if  the  Indians  had  some  connection 
with  the  ancient  mound-builders.  Possibly  the  Indians  of 
the  present  are  descended  in  some  way  from  the  mound- 
builders,  because  mound-building  seems  to  have  been  com- 
mon to  all  savage  people. 

Even  if  our  Indians  were  known  to  have  made  mounds, 
which  is  highly  probable,  it  would  not  prove  they  were 
descended  from  the  people  who  built  the  great  mounds  on 
the  Cahokia. 

Mounds  are  found  everywhere  ;  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa 
present  almost  precisely  such  mounds  as  we  have  in  Illinois. 
Jt  is  probable  that  our  Indians  have  been  known  to  make  a 
few  small  mounds,  at  least  we  have  such  authority  as  Catlin 
on  the  Upper  Mississippi,  and  Missouri,  and  the  early  ex- 
plorers among  the  southern  Indians.  But  the  custom,  if 
ever  common  with  them,  soon  became  obsolete  after  the 
advent  of  white  men. 

There  are  many  small  mounds  on  the  bluffs  and  highlands 
of  Madison  and  adjoining  counties,  some  of  which,  judging 
from  the  preservation  of  the  remains,  are  not  very  old. 

Traces  of  sepulchres  are  often  found  in  the  mounds  and 
there  is  no  doubt  but  that  the  later  Indians  used  them  as 
burial  places. 

The  blufl^s  of  Madison  county  are,  in  fact,  an  immense 
cemetery,  and  one  can  hardly  dig  on  any  prominence 
without  encountering  human  bones.  A  majority  of  these 
places  have  no  mound  over  them,  but  have  been  the  common 
burial  places  of  the  tribes  who  from  time  to  time,  succes- 
sively inhabited  the  locality. 

Mounds  were  probably  only  erected  over  the  remains  of 
persons  of  note.  Neither  are  all  mounds  burial  places. 
In  Madison  county  on  the  Piasa  and  other  streams,  are  many 
mounds  that  seem  to  be  the  remains  of  dwelling  places,  of 
which  the  prominent  material  seems  to  have  been  clay, 
probably  the  roof  as  well  as  the  sides.  In  these  mounds 
only  what  seems  to  be  the  kitchen  refuse  is  found. 

Other  mounds,  like  some  of  those  in  the  American  Bottom 
were  erected  for  religious  purposes,  public  ceremonies  and 
meetings. 

Some  of  these  mnunds  are  doubtless  very  old,  others 
are  comparatively  recent,  while  both  have  intrusive  burials, 
and  much  error  has  been  promulgated  by  casual  examina- 
tion and  hasty  conclusion.  A  leading  theorist  on  this 
subject  in  Illinois  exhibits  a  well  preserved  brass  button, 
with  the  well  known  letters  U.  S.  upon  it,  said  to  have 
been  found  in  a  nionnd.  And  learned  archajologists  from 
the  Smithsonian  base  their  theories  on  some  glass  heads 
said  to  have  been  found  in  a  mound  in  the  west. 

In  the  vicinity  of  the  Piasa  creek,  which  empties  into  the 
Mississippi  a  few  miles  above  Alton,  a  great  variety  of 
mounds  can  still  be  seen,  some  of  earth  covered  with  stone. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


61 


others  of  stone  and  earth  together,  while  others  are  wholly 
of  earth. 

On  the  face  of  the  bluff  in  this  vicinity  can  also  be  seen 
a  number  of  figures  of  animals  and  other  objects  painted 
with  a  red  pigment.  These  figures  are  supposed  to  have 
some  hieroglyphic  meaning.  At  Alton  was  another  large 
figure  representing  a  kind  of  dragon  and  known  as  the  Piasa. 
This  monster  is  represented  as  having  wings  and  there  is  a 
legend  said  to  have  been  held  by  the  Indians  of  this  vicinity 
that  this  flying  dragon  once  actually  existed,  and  was 
addicted  to  carrying  off  members  of  the  tribe  to  his  eyrie 
among  the  rocks  and  devouring  the  body  at  its  leisure. 
Some  celebrated  chief  dedicating  iiiiu.sclf  to  the  work  finally 
killed  the  monster  and  the  picture  ^va^;  p tinted  on  the  rock 
in  commemoration  of  the  occasion. 

The  legend  was  written  by  Mr.  .John  Russel,  at  one  time 
a  Baptist  minister,  and  editor  of  a  local  paper  called  the 
"  Backwoodsman."  The  story  of  the  Piasa  Bird,  although 
largely  imaginative,  had  an  extensive  circulation. 

The  painting  on  the  rock,  was  also  described  by  Marquette, 
years  ago,  however ;  the  rocks  forming  the  face  of  the  bluff 
on  which  the  object  was  portrayed  were  quarried  ofl'  for  the 
purpose  of  making  lime. 

Although  the  mounds  of  the  American  Bottom  seem  to 
belong  to  the  same  age  as  the  great  earthworks  of  Ohio,  and 
were  probably  made  by  the  same  people,  there  are,  however, 
no  enclosures  or  embankments.  The  nearest  enclosure  by 
earthen  walls  that  we  have  been  able  to  discover  is  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Illinois  river.  There  is  herean  earthen  embank- 
ment, circular  in  form,  and  nearly  a  mile  in  extent.  A  gate- 
way protected  by  mounds  opens  on  the  high  bank  of  a  slough 
some  distance  from  the  Mississippi,  but  without  a  doubt  its 
shore  in  ancient  times.  In  the  centre  of  the  enclosure  stands 
a  flat  circular  mound  ;  it  is  hardly  a  work  of  defense  ;  for  the 
bluff  towers  above  it  a  short  distance  away,  and  within  easy 
bowshot. 

After  many  days'  exploration  and  study  of  the  Cahokia 
mounds  we  are  inclined  to  believe  the  evidence  would  tend 
to  prove  that  this  group  of  the  greatest  mounds  in  the  Union, 
and  possibly  on  the  continent,  had  their  origin  for  religious 
purposes,  and  this  was  the  Mecca,  or  grand  sacred  shrine  of 
the  mound  builder's  empire.  From  the  flat  summit  of  the 
temple,  one  hundred  feet  above  the  plain  were  their  adori- 
tories,  probably  two  buildings  like  that  of  Mexico,  glittering 
with  barbaric  splendor,  and  from  whence  couhl  be  seen  from 
afar  the  smoke  and  flames  of  the  eternal  fire,  their  emblem 
of  the  sun.  At  the  city  of  Mexico  the  Spaniards  found  the 
Aztecs  holding  their  religious  ceremonies  on  almost  precisely 
such  a  structure,  120  feet  in  height,  with  five  terraces.  On 
the  flat  summit  of  this  pyramidal  structure,  which,  like 
Cahokia,  was  divided  into  two  parts,  were  two  adoritories 
or  shrines,  in  one  of  which  the  sacred  fire  burned.  This 
great  Mexican  temple  mound  was  not  more  than  half  the 
size  of  the  Cahokia  temple,  being  only  300  feet  square  at  the 
base.  The  square  mounds  about  the  base  of  Cahokia,  some 
of  which  are  larger  than  the  base  of  the  Mexican  terajjle, 
were  doubtless  used  for  sacred  purposes,  and  the  adjoining 
mounds   may   have  been  the  residences  of  the  priests;  just 


such  mounds  surrounded  the  Aztec  temple  "Surrounding 
the  great  Pyramid,"  says  Clavigero,  speaking  of  the  Aztec 
or  Mexican  temple,  were  forty  similar  structures  of  smaller 
size,  consecrated  to  separate  divinities ;  one  was  called  the 
House  of  Mirrors,  and  was  covered  with  brilliant  materials, 
and  was  sacred  to  the  god  of  light,  the  soul  of  the  world, 
the  spiritual  sun  ;  another  to  the  god  of  water  ;  another  to 
the  god  of  air  ;  and  Gomera  says,  that  because  the  winds  go 
round  the  heavens  they  made  this  temple  circular. 

Besides  these  were  the  dwellings  of  the  priests  amounting 
to  5000  according  to  Zarata,  and  of  the  attendants  in  the 
temples,  and  places  for  the  iuftruction  of  the  youth,  and  if 
some  accounts  are  to  be  credited,  places  for  the  reception  of 
strangers  who  came  to  visit  the  temple  and  see  the  glory  of 
the  Court  of  Montezuma.  There  were  ponds  and  fountains, 
groves  and  gardens,  in  which  flowers  and  sweet  smelling 
herbs  were  cultivated  for  use  in  certain  sacred  rites,  and  for 
the  decoration  of  the  temple. 

There  is  a  general  concurrence  in  the  accounts  of  the  great 
temple  of  Mexico  given  by  the  early  writers,  among  whom 
were  Cortez,  Bernal,  Diaz,  and  others  who  witnessed  what 
they  described.  These  accounts  give  us,  not  only  some  idea 
of  the  predominance  of  religious  superstitions  in  ]\Iexico,  but 
also  a  good  clue  to  the  customs  of  our  own  mound  builders, 
and  the  origin  and  uses  of  the  great  structures  on  the  Caho- 
kia creek. 

While  the  Cahokia  temple  mound  is  much  the  same  shape 
as  the  Mexican  temple,  it  is  twice  as  large,  and  the  surround- 
ing temples  and  mounds  much  larger  and  greater  in  number, 
leading  us  to  believe  that  on  the  banks  of  Cahokia  was  the 
largest  congregation  of  religious  structures,  not  only  on  this 
continent,  but  of  the  world. 

What  a  city  !  What  a  population  there  must  have  been  at 
that  time  on  this  alluvial  plain.  This  view  is  al.so  strongly 
evidenced  by  the  fact  that  this  rich  plain,  which  is  some  75 
miles  long,  and  5  to  10  miles  wide,  is  a  veritable  cemetery  of 
the  past,  and  full  of  evidences  of  long  human  occupation. 
Relics  of  the  stone  age  protraide  from  the  bank  of  every  creek 
and  ravine.  In  the  rich  fields  opposite  St.  Louis  and  for 
miles  up  the  Cahokia  creek,  we  have  many  times  seen  the 
market  gardener  literally  plow  throjgh  human  bones.  The 
little  labor  with  which  enormous  crops  are  grown  here  would 
excite  the  envy  of  the  plodding  planter  on  the  banks  of  the 
Nile. 

Some  eminently  travelled  writer,  after  admitting  that 
Nature  stands  revealed  on  a  grand  scale  in  America,  com- 
plains that  this  new  world  is  wanting  in  antiquities  so  full  of 
interest  in  the  old  world.  This  writer  ought  to  come  to  Ca- 
hokia, and  standing  on  our  Cheops,  look  down  on  the  monu- 
ments of  pre-historic  America.  When  he  asked  who  built 
them,  the  echoes  of  his  inquiring  voice  would  go  reverberat- 
ing among  the  temples  below',  but  no  answer  would  return. 

Of  course  many  relics  of  the  past  are  collected  in  the 
vicinity  of  these  mounds,  and  from  the  mounds  themselves. 
We  have  many  thousand  of  these,  of  stone,  copper,  bone  and 
shell,  as  well  as  various  kinds  of  pottery.  We  are  con- 
stantly surpriseci  in  looking  over  our  collection  to  see  the 
great  similarity  of  our  relics  of  the  stone  age,  with  those  of 


62 


HISTORY    OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


other   countries.      "  Evans'  Stone  Age  of  Great  Britain" 

might  represent  ours  fairly  by  a  simple  change  of  title  and 
still  be  an  incomparable  work. 

There  is  hardly  an  antiquity  in  any  country  but  what  we 
have  represented  here,  and  the  remarkable  similarity  of 
some  of  the  more  peculiar  is  very  puzzling,  especially  since 
we  have  been  in  the  habit  of  attributing  this  similarity  of 
thought  to  the  instinctive  impulses  of  savage  and  barbarian 
untutored  minds.  We  are  so  puzzled  sometimes  as  to  doubt 
our  position.  This  is  illustrated  in  the  fact  that  after  having 
taken  from  the  mounds  a  number  of  large  sea  shells,  found  in 
such  a  position  and  under  such  circumstances  as  to  leave  no 
doubt  as  to  their  being  held  sacred  by  the  moand  builders^ 
and  used  in  their  religious  ceremonies,  to  find  that  they  were, 
in  a  great  majority,  the  same  reversed  shell,  with  the  mouth 
or  opening  on  the  left-hand  side,  and  held  as  sacred  by  the 
Buddhists  of  India.  We  are  told  that  the  statues  of  Buddha 
are  often  seen,  in  which  each  toe  of  his  foot  is  represented  by 
a  sinistral  or  reversed  conch  shell.  From  time  immemorial 
these  shells  turning  the  wrong  way  have  been  reversed  in 
Asia,  and  wherever  the  Buddhist  religion  is  known,  they  have 
numbers  of  Pyrrula,  Cassis,  Conchs  and  other  shells  taken 
from  the  altars  of  the  mounds,  and  exhibiting  the  same  re- 
versed whorls.  It  is  a  strange  fact  that  the  great 
mouiids  of  Cahokia  should,  like  those  of  Egypt  and  Mexico, 
stand  straight  with  the  main  points  of  the  compass. 

It  is  a  singular  fact  thit  the  mound-builder  should  have 
the  same  religious  ceremonies.  At  the  foot  of  the  Cahokia 
temple  we  were  so  fortunate  as  to  discover  a  sort  of  tomb  or 
burial  place  and  in  size  less  than  two  rods  square,  amid 
the  crumbling  dust  of  near  a  score  of  human  skeletons,  we 
found  about  a  hundred  vessels  of  pottery  in  an  almost 
perfect  condition.  It  is  surprising  to  observe  how  these 
vases  and  long-necked  water  bottles  resembled  in  appearance 
and  shape  the  ancient  vessels  of  the  Nile,  but  what  is  more 
strange  is  that  several  of  these  vessels  have  painted  on 
them  in  bright  red  pigment  some  of  the  same  symbols  as 
used  by  the  sun-worshipers  in  Egypt  and  very  similar  to 
symbols  on  similar  vessels  taken  by  Schliemann  from  buried 
Mycente  and  Troy.     (See  illustrations). 

The  limits  of  this  paper  permit  us  only  to  mention  the 
very  interesting  fact  that  in  connection  with  the  mounds 
many  symbols  are  found  remarkably  resembling  those  of 
the  institution  of  Masonry.  Squares,  triangles,  circles  and 
circles  touching  parallel  lines  are  not  uncommon  in  the 
shape  of  the  mounds  and  earthworks,  plummets,  crosses  of 
various  kinds,  painted  and  carved  on  earthen  vessels,  and 
we  have  curious  boat-shaped  stone  implements  that  we  are 
inclined  to  believe  were  used  as  levels.  A  series  of  illustra- 
tions would  be  necessary  to  explain  these  to  the  public 
Some  of  the  ceremonies  of  the  mound  builders  also  appear 
strongly  similar  to  those  used  in  Masonry.  It  may  be  that 
Masonry  is  descended  from  the  original  and  primitive 
religion  of  mankind.  From  what  centre  the  civilization  of 
man  came  we  know  not. 

DESCRIPTION  OP  PLATE  NO.   1. 

1.  Long-necked   water   vessel,   of   which    numerous   ex- 
amples are  found  in  the  American  Bottom. 


2.  Earthen  vessel  representing  the  beaver. 

3.  This  vessel  as  well  as  the  preceding  ones  are  burned 
hard  and  painted  red.     All  one-fourth  original  size. 

4.  5.  Earthen  dishes.  These  fine  vessels  are  represented 
cne-eighth   natural  size. 

6.  Sea  shell,  Busycon  perversum,  an  uncut  specimen 
one-fourth  nat.  size. 

7.  10.  Fine  water  vessels  representing  the  human  form 
one- quarter  natural  size. 

8.  Neat  vessel  with  two  human  faces,  one  on  the  rim 
one-eighth  natural  size. 

9.  Vessel  representing  bear  one-quarter  natural  size. 

11.  Recumbent  human  figure  with  the  neck  of  the  vessel 
arising  from  middle  of  body,  one-fifth  natural  size.  12.  Like 
No.  11,  a  unique  water  vessel,  one-fifth  natural  size. 

13,  14,  15.  Fine  earthen  vessels  one-half  natural  size,  on 
which  are  carefully  painted  certain  figures  that  probably  re- 
fer to  their  religion.  Although  we  have  found  many  painted 
vessels  and  somewhat  similar  figures  in  Mad  son  county,  we 
have  thought  best  to  copy  a  few  illustrations  from  the 
repors  of  the  St.  Louis  Academy  of  Science. 

The  originals  of  the  figures  from  11  to  15  inclusive,  were 
found  on  the  Missouri  side  of  the  Mississipi  below  St.  Louis, 
and  are  now  in  the  collections  of  the  Academy  of  Major 
Hilder  of  St.  Louis.  The  remainder  of  the  objects  figured 
on  Plate  1  as  wella^  Plate  2  are  in  my  own  collection,  and 
were  obtained  from  Madison  county. 

DESCKIPTION  OF  PLATE  NO.   2. 

1,  2,  3,  4.  Finely  made  vessels  of  burned  clay,  probably 
representing  ducks  The  illustrations  explain  themselves 
better  than  a  description. 

5.  Water  vessels  that  with  the  preceding  and  near  a 
hundred  others  were  found  in  an  ancient  burial  place  at  the 
foot  of  the  great  Cahokia  mound. 

6.  Copper  from  the  mounds.  The  figure  on  the  right  is  a 
opper  axe,  thj  next  a  crescent  head  ornament,  beneath 
which  is  a  copper  bracelet  and  ornamental  tube.  To  the 
left  of  the  copper  crescent  is  a  spear  point,  a  plummet  and 
a  smaller  axe,  all  of  beaten  native  copper. 

7.  On  the  left  is  a  polished  flint  axe,  a  rare  and  beautiful 
implement,  as  also  is  the  diorite  axe  on  the  right.  They 
are  perfectly  smooth,  the  marks  in  chipping  and  manu- 
facture being  ground  away,  then  polished.  This  is  not  the 
common  form  of  the  stone  weapon  so  commonly  seen,  but 
exactly  represents  the  form  of  European  ground  flint-axes, 
and  is  rarely  found  in  this  country.  Both  of  these  are  from 
mounds  in  Jersey  county.  We  have  two  similar  ones  from 
Madison,  but  they  are  broken. 

8.  Two  skulls  found  with  the  pottery  at  the  foot  of  the 
great  Cahokia  mound.  The  one  on  the  right  is  a  common 
form  of  the  crania  with  the  pottery.  The  one  on  the  left 
is  not  uncommon  and  may  be  the  result  of  artificial  flatten- 
ing, although  the  appearance  of  the  rounded  frontal  bone 
would  indicate  otherwise.     They  are  both  nearly  entire. 

9.  10,  11,  12.  Finely  finished  pipes  of  red  catlinite  and 
found  in  the  mounds ;  the  bird  pipe  on  the  left  is  in  the 
collection  of  Shurtlift"  college,  and  was  found  on  the  Gill- 
bam  farm   below   Wood   river.     No.  12  is  remarkable  as 


HISTORY    OF    MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


63 


showing  a  sort  of  beard  on  the  side  of  the  face.  It  is  of 
stone  and  found  with  the  pottery. 

14,  15,  16.  Stone  images.  Probably  used  in  religious  or 
other  important  cfrf  monies.  In  each  there  are  two  funnel- 
shaped  cavities  in  the  back  and  posterior  portions  that  have 
led  some  to  believe  they  might  have  been  used  as  pipes  on 
great  occasions.  No.  16  is  a  splendid  specimen  of  stone 
carving  and  was  found  in  a  small  mound  on  the  Piasa 
creek,  near  the  north-line  corner  of  Madison  county.  It 
stands  about  (8)  eight  inches  high  and  is  cut  from  a  single 
block  of  hard,  red  catlinite,  or  Minnesota  pipe  stone.  The 
original  is  now  the  property  of  Blackburn  University. 

No.  14  is  also  of  red  catlinite,  of  fine  workmanship,  and 
exhibits  a  hideous  human  form  with  a  fish  protruding  from 
the  wide  open  mouth,  with  another  fish  held  in  the  hands 
between  the  knees.  We  also  took  this  from  a  small  mound 
on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Illinois.  No.  16  is  also  of  re  1  catlinite,  and  was  found  by 
some  laborers  making  a  new  highway  or  public  road,  not 
far  from  the  great  Cahokia  mound.  It  was  broken  into 
several  pieces  by  the  plow,  and  the  head  is  wanting.  We 
obtained  the  original  from  the  Mis.souri  Historical  Society, 
and  made  the  restoration  as  given  in  the  cut  The  original 
was  made  from  a  single  block  of  stone,  very  neatly  carved 
and  highly  polished. 

The  builders  of  the  Cahokia  mounds,  from  the  relic-  left 
behind,  seem  to  have  been  of  a  peaceful  character  rather 
than  warriors.  Some  of  the  finest  implements  of  stone 
from  this  vicinity  are  implements  of  agriculture.  Hoes 
not  very  unlike  in  shape  to  those  of  iron  in  present  use, 
were  made  of  flint,  and  with  such  skill  as  to  be  very 
serviceable  tools.  Spades  and  digging  tools  of  flint  also, 
and  we  have  several  fine  iniplements  that  are  worn  in  such 
manner  and  of  such  peculiar  shape  as  to  indicate  that  they 
were  fastened  to  a  stock  and  pulled  through  the  soil  after 
the  manner  of  a  plow.  Soma  of  these  implements  of  agri- 
culture, doubtless  used  in  the  cultivation  of  corn,  are  among 
the  most  valued  of  the  relics  of  the  stone  age. 

We  have  no  evidence  that  this  people  ha<l  any  knowledge 
of  metals,  except  copper.  They  used  botii  iron  and  lead 
ores  as  a  stone,  and  both  these  ores  are  frequently  found  in 
their  mounds.  The  age  corresponding  to  that  of  bronze  in 
Europe  was  a  copper  age  on  the  Mississippi.  Our  mound- 
builders  knew  nothing  of  tin.  Copper  ornaments  were  not 
uncommon  (see  illustrations)  here  and  were  made  by  beating 
out  pieces  of  native  copper,  obtained  apparently  from  the 
region  of  Lake  Superior,  where  the  mines  were  worked 
quite  extensively. 

The  domain  of  this  people  must  have  been  of  great  extent 
else  their  commercial  relations  extended  very  widely,  for 
we  find  side  by  side  copper  from  Superior,  plumbago  and 
mica  from  the  East,  obsidian  from  Mexico  or  the  west,  and 
shells  from  the  Atlantic  coast. 

What  became  of  the  mound-builders  is  not  known  ;  living 
as  they  did  in  communities  about  the  alluvial  lands  of  the 
rivers  and  streams,  they  were  no  doubt  subject  to  epidemics 
and  plagues,  and  thus  were  either  destroyed  or  so  weakened 


as  to  fall  a  prey  to  the  nomadic  tribes  whom  we  now  knovr 
as  their  successors.     Even 

''  Lo!  the  poor  savage  whose  uiitiilored  mind." 
bears  no  record  in  history  to  tell  whence  he  came. 

There  is  still  another  class  of  antiquities  in  Madison 
county,  found  in  the  caverns  and  cane  shelters  along  the 
rocky  blutfs  above  AltoQ 

The  aborigines,  such  as  we  see  in  the  red  Indian,  it  is 
well  known  seldom  used  a  cavern,  or  even  entered  one, 
having  a  superstitious  fear  of  such  places;  still  it  is  quite 
probable  that  they  were  sometimes  driven  by  storms  or  other- 
wise to  accept  such  shelters.  Notwithstanding  th&se  facts 
in  regard  to  the  habits  of  the  red  men,  the  caves  and  cave 
shelters  about  the  blufls  show  numerous  evidences  of  occu- 
pation in  times  past  Accumulations  of  ashes  in  these  caves 
are  not  uncommon,  showing  that  for  long  periods  these 
places  were  inhabited  by  savage  men,  who  lived  on  the  flesh 
of  animals,  and  also  of  the  unsavory  shell  fish  found  along 
the  shore  of  the  Mississippi.  Large  accumulations  of  the 
shells  of  the  Unio  and  other  shell  fish  are  found  near  these 
old  caveru<ius  abodes. 

Nor  are  the  indications  entirely  wanting  that  they  did 
not  sometimes  partake  of  human  flesh  and  were  cannibals. 
In  several  of  the  caves  about  the  Piasa  and  iu  the  vicinity 
of  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois  river  we  have  found  among 
the  debris  of  these  cave  dwellings  human  bones  that  had 
been  broken  lengthwi.se,  appart-ntiy  to  extract  the  marrow. 
Farther  up  on  the  Illinois  river,  Judge  Henderson  and  others 
have  found  similar  evidence  of  apparent  cannibalism. 

The  implements  left  by  these  cave  dwellers  are  very  rude. 
We  have  some  beads  made  of  stalactite,  as  well  as  a  few  rude 
implements  of  the  same  material.  As  these  cavernous  re- 
treats have  not  been  thoroughly  explored,  much  interesting 
information  may  be  derived  from  this  source. 

To  sum  up  the  ethnology  of  Madison  county  it  would  seem 
that  there  are  to  be  found  many  traces  of  men  of  whom  we 
know  but  little,  except  that  they  were  the  merest  savages, 
living  almost  like  the  wild  beasts  with  whom  they  fiercely 
disputed  for  dominion 

Then  comes  a  class  of  earthen  mounds  that  seem  very  old, 
but  which  contain  little  or  nothing  to  furnish   data  for 
history  whatever. 

Then  there  suddenly  seems  to  intrude  a  class  of  earthen 
mounds,  some  of  which  are  of  huge  dimensions.  These  peo. 
pie  seemed  to  have  a  systematic  government  and  religion,  and 
to  have  followed  agricultural  pursuits.  They  .seemed  to  have 
pas-sed  the  pale  of  savagery,  and  advanced  to  some  of  the 
higher  planes  of  barbarism.  They  lived  in  great  communi- 
ties generally  occupying  the  low  lands  which  they  cultivated. 
The  fact  that  these  peo])le  had  so  many  customs,  and  singular 
ceremonies,  almost  exactly  like  the  barbarous  nations  of  the 
old  world  would  indicate  that  there  was  a  remote  period 
of  contact,  and  that  the  commencement  of  civilization  may 
have  had  a  common  origin  or  started  from  a  common  centre. 

Si. Ion's  story  of  Atlantis  as  told  by  Plato  and  learned  by 
Solon  of  the  Egyptian  priests  is  the  only  theory,  in  our 
opinion,  that  explains  the  wonderful  similarity  of  the  cus- 
toms as  exhibited  all  over  the  world.     Solon's  story  was  that 


any 


64 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


at  one  time  a  vast  islaod,  or  rather  a  continent  in  extent, 
existed  in  what  is  now  the  ocean,  and  connected  Europe, 
Asia,  Africa  and  America. 

This  great  island  was  two  thousand  miles  long  and  one 
thousand  miles  wide.  It  was  densely  populated,  and  the 
centre  of  all  civilization,  which  spread  from  here  through 
commercial  relations.  In  one  awful  day  this  great  Empire 
sank  beneath  the  sea,  and  the  surrounding  continents  kept 
not  only  a  tradition  of  the  great  catastrophe  as  a  flood,  but 
retained  many  of  the  customs  learned  from  them. 

Whether  our  great  mound  builders  were  a  colony  from 
Atlantis  and  founded  an  empire  on  the  Mississippi,  we  are 
hardly  prepared  to  prove. 

They  disappeared,  and  the  later  Indians,  a  large  portion 
of  whom  are  romantic,  succeeded  them  ;  from  where,  how, 
when,  are  questions  we  cannot  answer,  but  we  are  dilligently 
gathering  together  as  story  a  leaf  here  and  there,  that  are  cast 
lip,  like  empty  shells  on  the  shores  of  time. 


CHAPTER  Vr. 


FLORA. 


T  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  chapter  to  give 
an    elaborate   or  scientific  treatise  on  the 
^V^l^j^^  illl'       plants  found  in   this  county.      The  design 
V>£^--^'  ill       's  rather  to  give  a  catalogue  of  the  var- 
~  ious  plants  indigenous  to  this  region.   The 

state  of  Illinois  is  divided  east  and  west 
into  three  quite   distinct  botanical  belts, 
viz.:   The  heavily-timbered  regions  of  the 
south,  whose  flora  is  distinguished  by  its 
great  variety  and  luxuriant   growth,  the 
central  portion,  embracing  the  great  prai- 
ries of  the  state  with  their  multifarious  forms  of  vegetation, 
and  the  northern  part  which  is  divided   between   woodland 
and  prairie. 

Madison  county  has  most  of  the  botanical  characteristics 
common  to  the  timbered  and  prairie  regions  of  the  state. 

The  plants  of  a  country  are  a  sure  index  of  the  character 
of  the  soil,  and  for  this  reason  the  following  list  will  be  of 
special  interest  to  the  agriculturist. 

To  add  a  detailed  botanical  description  of  each  plant,  or 
of  all  the  species,  genera,  or  even  familes,  represented  here, 
would  fill  a  large  part  of  this  volume,  to  the  exclusion  of 
other  more  appropriate  matter.  By  way  of  preface,  it  may 
be  stated  that  vegetation  is  a  sure  index  of  the  character 
of  the  soil  in  which  it  is  growing.  No  class  of  persons 
realizes  this  fact  so  fully  as  does  the  practical,  observant 
farmer.  If  he  wishes  to  buy  uncultivated  land,  the  kinds 
of  trees,  shrubs,  or  grass  growing  in  the  locality  decide  for 
him  the  approximate  depth  and  fertility  of  the  soil,  and 
the  consequent  value  of  the  land  for  agricultural  purposes. 
According  to  its  flora  Illinois  has  been  divided  by  botanists 
into  three  parts ;  the  heavily  timbered  regions  of  the  south. 


whose  dense  vegetation  is  remarkable  for  its  variety;  the 
central  portion,  which,  except  in  the  vicinity  of  the  water- 
courses, is  mostly  prairie,  and  noted  for  the  great  number 
and  variety  of  its  grasses,  and  other  indigenous  plants;  and 
the  northern  section,  which  is  about  equally  divided  between 
woodland  tnd  prairie.  This  county  lies  within  the  great 
prairie  belt,  a  region  famous  for  the  fertility  and  depth  of 
its  soil,  and  the  luxuriance  of  its  flora.  Plants,  like  animals 
are  greatly  influenced  in  their  growth  and  development  by 
surrounding  circumstances.  As  man  and  the  domestic 
animals  have  driven  many  species  of  the  native  animals 
from  this  region,  so  numerous  kinds  of  indigenous  plants 
have  disappeared  before  the  onward  march  of  civilization. 
Hence,  we  find  to-day  in  the  fields  and  meadows  few  of  the 
grasses  and  other  plants  that  flourished  in  their  native 
beauty  here  fifty  years  ago.  Thus,  under  the  great  laws  of 
evolution  and  succession,  all  animated  nature,  from  age  to  age, 
moves  gradually,  but  grandly  forward  toward  the  eternal 
destiny  which  the  Almighty,  in  the  beginning,  ordained  for 
all  His  creatures.  For  this  region  the  following  is  a 
complete 

LIST  OF  NATIVE  WOODY  PLAKTS. 


Acer  Sarcharimim,  Eock  Sugar 
Maple. 

A.  Nigrum,  Black  Maple. 

A.  Dasycarpum,  Soft  Maple,  Sil- 
ver Leaf  Maple. 

A.  Negumlo,  Box  Elder,  Ash 
Leaf  Maple. 

JSsculus  Glabra,  Stinking  Buck- 
eye. 

A.  Strrulata,  Smooth  Leaf  Alder; 

Amelanchier  Canadensis,  True 
Service-Berry. 

Amorpha  Frulicosa,  False  Indigo 
Shrub. 

A.  Canescens,  Lead  Plant. 

AmpelopsisQuinquefolia.Virginia 
Creeper. 

Asiniina  Trioba,  Papaw. 

Betiila  Nigra,  River  or  Red  Birch. 

Carpiuus  Americana,  Blue  Beach. 
Hornbeam. 

Ceanothus  Americanus,  Red  Root. 

C.  Ovalis,  Great  Red  Root. 

Cercis  Canadensis,  Judas  Tree, 
Red  Bud. 

Celastrus  Scandens,  Bitter  Sweet 
Wax  Work. 

Celtis  Oceidentalis,  Hackberry. 

Cephalanthus  Oceidentalis,  Button 
Bush. 

Prunus  VirginLina,  Choke  Cherry. 

P.  Serotina,  Black  Cherry,  Cabi- 
net Cherry. 

Cornus  Alternifolia,  False  Dog- 
wood. 

C.  Sericea,  Kinnikinic 

C.  Circinata,  Pigeon  Berry. 

C.  Stolonifera  '*  Red 

Osier. 

C.  Paniculata  " 

C.  Sanguinea,  " 


Corylus  Americana,  Hazelnut. 
I  Crataegus  Coccinea,  Hawthorn. 

C.  Tomentosa,  " 

C.  Crus-galli 

Carya  Alba,  Shagbark    Hickory 

C.     Sulcata,      Thick      Shellbark 
Hickory. 

C.  Tomentosa,  White  Heart  Hick- 
ory. 

C.  Glabra,  Pig-nut  Hickory. 

Dirca  Palustris,  Lcatherwood. 

Euonymus    Americanus,     Straw- 
berry Tree. 

Fraxinus  Americana,  White  Ash. 

F.  Viridis,  Green  Ash. 

F.  Sambucifolia,  Black  Ash. 

F.  Quadrangulaia.  Blue  Ash. 

Gleditschia   Triacanthos,    Three- 
Thorned  Acacia,  Honey  Locust. 

Gymnocladus    Canadensis,    Ken- 
tucky Coflee  Tree. 

Hamamelis      Virginica,      Witch 
Hazel. 

JuglansCinerea,  Butter  Nut. 

J.  Nigra,  Walnut. 

Juniperus  Virginiana,  Red  Cedar. 

Lonicera  Grata,  Woodbine. 

Menispermum  Canadense,  Moon- 
seed. 

MoruB  Rubra,  Red  Mulberry. 

Ostrya  Virginica,  Hop  Hornbeam, 
Iron- Wood. 

P.  Angulata,  CoKon  Tree. 

Platanus Oceidentalis,  Buttonwood 
Sycamore. 

Populus    Tremuloides,    Quaking 
Asp,  Aspen. 

P.  Monilifera,   Necklace  Poplar, 
Cottonwood. 

Prunus   Americana,  Wild  Plum. 

Pyrus  Coronariii,  Crab  Apple. 


EISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


05 


Quercus  Macrocarpa,  Burr  Oak.      iShepherdia     Canadensis,     Buffalo 

Q.  Oblusiloba,  Post  Oak.  !     Berry. 

Q.  Alba,  White  Oak.  Srailax  Hispida,  Greenbrier 

B.  Prinus,   Swamp   Chestnut  flak.  Spir.-ea       Opulifolia,        Vinebark 

Q.  Bicolor,  Swamp  White  Oak.  Spira?a. 

Q.  Imbricaria,  Laurel  Leaf  Oak.    iSpira;  Tomentosa,  Hardback,  Wil- 

Q.  Nigra  Black  Jack  Oak.  low  Spirse. 

Q.    Tinctoria,  Yellow   Bark  Oak,  Stapliylea     Trifolia,      Rattle-box, 


W\>o(I- Bladder  Xut. 
Symphoricarpus    Vulgaris,    Coral 
Berry. 

Trumpet- 


Quercitron  Oak. 
Q.  Coccinea,  Scarlet  Oak. 
Q.  Rubra,  Red  Oak. 
Q.  Palustris,  Swamp  Spanish  Oak,  Teconia        Radicans 

Pin  Oak.  j     Creeper. 

Rhus  Glabra,  Sumach.  |Tilia  Americana,  Bass-wood. 

R.  Toxicodendron,  Climbing  Poi-'Ulmus  Pulva,  Red  Elm. 

son  Ivy.  U.  Americana,  White  Elm. 

Ribes    Cynosbati,  Prickly   Gosse.  U.  Racemasa,  Cork  Elm,  Hickory 

berry.  1     Elm. 

R.  Hirtellum    Smooth  Gooseberry.  A'iburnum     Prunifolium,      Black 


R.  Rotnndiluliuni,  '' 

R.  Lacusire,  Swamp,  '' 

R.  Floridium,  Black  Current. 
Ro8  Lucida,  Prairie  Rose. 
R.  Blanda,  Wood  Rose. 
Salix  Tristis,  Ro.se  Willow. 
S.  Humilis,  Cone  Willow. 


Haw,  Arrow  Wood. 
V.  Lentago,  Sheepberry. 
Vilis  Aestivalis,  Summer  Grape. 
V.  Cordifolio,  Frost  grape. 
Zanthoxylum  Ameriranum, 

[Prickly  Ash. 
Lenders  Benzoin,  Spice  Bush. 


S  Eriocephala,  Silky-head  Willow.  KubusStrigosus,  Red  Raspberry, 
S  Nigra,  Black  Willow.  i     "       Occidentalsis,    Black  Rasp- 

S.  Fragilis,  Joint  Willow,  Brittlei     berry. 

Willow.  jRubus  Vilosus,  Blackberry. 

Sambiicus  Canaden.sis,  Elderberry.!  Robenia    Pseudocacia,  Black    Lo- 
S.  Pubens,  Red  Fruit  Elderberry.  ]     cust. 
Sas.safras  Oflicinale,  Sa.ssafras. 

Of  the  forest  trees  the  most  valuable  deserve  special  men- 
tion. Rock  Sugar  Maple  is  excellent ;  the  Black  Cherry 
is  used  by  cabinet  makers  and  is  a  wood  of  good  color 
and  grain.  Vhe  Shag-bark  hickory  is  perliaps  the 
most  valuable  of  its  kind.  The  White  Oak  is  much  used 
in  making  furniture  and  agricultural  implements.  The 
Blue  Ash  is  capital  for  flooring.  The  Honey  Locust  is  a 
very  durable  wood  and  shrinks  less  than  any  other  in 
sea  oning.  The  Walnut  is  nearly  all  gone.  The  Plane  tree 
or  Sycamore  is  used  by  cabinet  makers.  Of  the  Oak  family 
the  most  valuable  kinds  are  the  Burr  Oak,  Panel  Oak,  and 
Pin  Oak. 

GR.ASSES. 

In  the  following  list  of  grasses,  the  common  grain  plants, 
not  being  indigenous  to  the  county,  are  omitted.  Some  of 
the  grasses  given  are  not  native,  but  are  among  those  best 
adapted  for  animals.     Hence  we  include  them : 

Phleum  Pratense,  Timothy.  Fe.«tuca  Elation,  Meadow  Fe.scue. 

Agrostis  Vulgaris,  Red  top.  Bemus  Secalinus,  Common  Cheat. 

Muhlenbergia      Diffusa,     Nimble  Phragmites   Communis,     Common 

Will.  i     Reed. 

Calamagrostis     Candensis,     Blue-IArundiuaria  Macrosperma,  Large 

joim  a  native  grass  of  the  prairies,      Cane. 

where  it  grew  from  ten  to  fifteen  Lolium      Perenne,     Darnel     Rye 

feet  in  height.  Grass. 

Dactylis  Glomerata,  Orchard  grass.  Anthoxanthum  Oderatum,^  Sweet- 
Poa    Pratensis,    Kentucky     Blue-  "  scented-  Vernal-grass. 

gra<a.  Phalaris    ,\rundinacea,    Reed    Ca- 

Poa  Compressa,  Wire  Grass.  nary  Gra.s.s. 


P.  Canariensis,  Canary  Grass. 
Panicum  Sanguinale,  CrabGras^. 
Panicum  Glabrum,  Smooth  Paiii 

cum. 
Panicum  Capillare,  Witch  Gntss. 


Panicum      Crus-galli, 
grass. 


Barnvard 


Sectaria  Glauca,  Common  Fo.xtail. 
S.  Viridis,  Bottle  Grass. 
S.  Italica.  Italian  Milet. 
.\ndropogon  &;oparius,  (?)   Brown 
beard  grass. 


FAUNA. 

The  following  chapter  embraces  all  the  animals  witliin 
the  memory  of  man  that  have  had  their  habitation  in  this 
county.  Prior  to  the  advent  of  the  white  man,  the  princi- 
pal animals  were  the  buffalo,  bear,  wolf  wilil  cat,  deer,  pan- 
ther, itc,  which  have  mostly  disappeared  before  the  onward 
march  of  civilization.  These  various  occupants  of  the  wild 
prairies  and  forests  afforded  rare  sport  to  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  this  region,  and  furnished  an  interesting  subject  of  study 
to  the  student  of  aatural  history.  That  all  cla.sses  of 
readers  may  find  pleasure  and  profit  iu  the  article,  both  the 
technical  and  common  names  of  the  animals  enumerated  are 
given. 

Without  transcending  the  scope  and  purpose  of  the  chap- 
ter by  describing  in  detail  the  orders,  families,  &c  ,  we  ap- 
pend the  followicg  list  : 

Of  the  ruminating  animals  that  wereindigneous  to  this  ter- 
ritory, we  had  the  American  Elk  (Cervus  Canadensis), and 
still  have  the  deer  of  two  kinds  ;  the  more  common  well  knowa 
American  deer  (Cervus  Virginianus),  and  the  white-tailed 
Deer  (Cervus  Leucurus).  And  at  a  period  not  very  remote,  the 
American  Buffalo  (Bos  Araericnnus),  must  have  found  pas- 
tures on  the  alluvial  prairies  and  rich  bottom  lands  of  this 
county.  The  head'*,  horns  and  bones  of  the  slain  animals 
were  still  numerous  in  1820.  The  Black  Bear  (Ursus 
Americauus)  were  quite  numerous  even  in  the  memory  of 
the  older  settlers.  Bears  have  been  seen  in  the  county  within 
the  last  fifty  years.  The  Gray  Wolf  (Canis  Occidentalia) 
and  Prairie  Wolf  (Canis  latrans)  are  not  unfrequently  found, 
is  al.?o  the  Gray  Fox  (Vulpes  Virginianus  >,  which  still  ex- 
ists by  its  superior  cunning.  The  panthers(Felis  concolor) 
was  occasionally  met  in  the  earlier  times:  and  still  later  and 
more  omraon,  the  Wild  Cat  (Lynx  rufus);  the  Mink  (Pu- 
torius  Vison) ;  American  Otter,  (Lutra  Canadensis) ;  the 
Badger  (Taxidea  Americana) ;  the  Raccoon  (Procyon  Lo- 
tor).  The  coonskin  among  the  early  settlers  was  regarded 
as  a  legal  tender.  The  Bear  and  Otter  are  now  extinct  in 
the  county,  and  were  valuable  fur  their  furs.  Many  of  the 
pleasures,  dangers  and  excitements  of  the  chase  are  only 
known  and  enjoyed  by  most  of  us  of  the  present  day  through 
the  talk  and  traditions  of  the  past.  The  Buffalo  and  the 
Elk  have  passed  the  borders  of  the  Mississippi  to  the  west- 
ward, never  more  to  return. 

To  the  weasel  family  (MuMeUdie)  belong  the  well-known 
animals,  minks,  skunks,  otters,  common  weasels,  &c.,  most 
of  which  have  long,  slender  bodies, five- toed  feet,  and  glands 
which   secrete  a  liquid  of  very  disagreeable  oder.     Otters 


66 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


and  minks  are  hunted  for  their  furs,  which  are  very  valu- 
able. The  former  are  ampliibious,  and  are  at  present  rarely 
seen  The  costly  fur  called  ermine  is  obtained  from  a  weasel 
which  inhabits  the  northern  parts  of  Europe  and  Asia. 

Wea^els  are  brown  in  summer  and  white  in  winter,  the 
tip  of  the  tail  being  black.  The  color  of  minks  is  dark- 
brown,  or  black,  throughout  the  year.  The  otter  (Lnlra 
Canadensis),  is  black,  and  is  noted  for  its  size  and  strength. 
Its  toes  are  webbed  ;  head  large  and  flat ;  ears  short ;  tail 
slighly  flattened,  and  nails  crooked.  It  is  aquatic  and  sub- 
sists on  fish.  Minks  and  weasels  prey  on  birds,  poultry  and 
small  animals  of  various  kinds.  The  skunk  (Mephitis 
Americana)  has  a  pointed  nose,  bushy  tail,  and  is  nocturnal. 
It  feeds  upon  beetles  and  other  small  animals.  It  is  also 
fond  of  eggs.  It  was  very  common  a  few  years  ago,  but 
like  most  of  the  wild  animals,  is  gradually  disapptaring 
Of  the  opossum  family  {Diddphidiv),  the  only  species 
here  is  the  common  opossum,  {Didelphys  Virginiana).  Opos- 
sums are  small  animals,  about  twenty  inches  long  to  the  tail, 
which  is  from  twelve  to  fifteen  inches  in  length,  nearly  bare, 
and  prehensile.  Its  hair  is  whitish  with  dark-brown  tips. 
When  captured  and  wounded,  it  feigns  itself  dead.  It  is  a 
marsupial,  or  pouched  animal,  and  carries  its  young,  which 
at  birth,tweigh  only  a  few  grains,  in  a  ventral  pouch  situated 
near  its  hind  legs.  On  emerging  from  this  pouch,  which 
occurs  four  or  five  weeks  from  birth,  the  young  twine  their 
tails  around  that  of  their  mother,  and  thus  supported  ride 
on  her  back.  Tlie  oposum  lives  on  birds,  eggs,  insects  and 
other  small  animals.  This  animal,  like  the  raccoon,  is  found 
in  all  parts  of  the  United  States  and  throughout  most  of 
North  America. 


EODENTIA,  OR  GNAWERS. 

The  animals  of  this  order  are  easily  distinguished  by 
their  teeth.  In  the  front  part  of  each  jaw,  they  have  two 
chisel  shaped  incisors,  between  which  and  the  molars  is  a 
considerable  space,  without  teeth,  these  animals  having  no 
canines.  The  largest  representatives  of  the  rodents  ever 
known  in  this  country,  the  American  beaver.  Castor  Cana- 
densis, is  still  met  with  in  this  county  in  the  timbered  nooks 
of  Wood  River.  The  rats  and  mice  {Muridce)  constitute 
the  most  numerous  family  of  the  rodents.  They  number, 
in  all,  about  three  hundred  species  in  the  world. 

Their  appearance  and  habit  are  too  well  known  to  re- 
quire description  here.  The  black  rat  {Mus  raiius)  was 
formerly  very  common,  but  of  late  years  it  has  been  almost 
extirpated  by  the  brown  or  Norway  rat  [Mas  decumanus) 
which  is  much  larger  and  stronger. 

Of  the  mice  we  note,  as  found  here,  the  common  house- 
mouse  {Mus  ynvscidus),  the  field-mouse,  the  meadow-mouse, 
the  jumping-mouse  (Jaculus  hudsoniiis,  of  the  f&mily  Jacu- 
Hdaw)  which  has  a  body  about  three  inches  long  and  a  tail 
six  inches — and  the  tree-mouse.  The  musk-rat  ( Owlatra 
zibetkicus),  allied  to  the  beaver,  has  but  one  species.  This 
animal  is  about  the  size  of  a  cat,  and  has  a  strong,  musky 
smell.     It  is  amphibious,  building  itis  mud  houses  in  ponds 


and  shallow  lakes.  It  is  a  native  of  North  America,  and  is 
still  quite  common.  Its  fur,  like  that  of  the  beaver,  is 
valuable.  The  fur  of  the  latter  is  used  for  making  the  finest 
hats. 

The  sqirrel  family  (SciuridaMs  represented  here  by  the 
red  (fox)  squirrel  (Sciiirus  hudsoni//s),  the  gray  squirrel 
{Sciurus  Carolinensis),  the  flying  squirrel  (Pteromijs  volueella) 
the  ground  squirrel  {Toinias  striaatus),  the  gopher  {Sperma- 
^/t»7((«),  the  prairie  squirrel  and  the  woodchuck  or  ground- 
hog {Arciomys  monax)  all  of  which  are  so  common  that 
they  need  not  be  described. 

Of  the  hare  family  (Leporidic)  the  common  gray  rabbit 
{Lepsus  euniculus),\s  the  only  representative  now  inhabiting 
this  region.  It  is  very  prolific,  and  is  destined  to  propagate 
its  species  long  after  some  of  the  animals  mentioned  shall 
have  become  extinct 

Bats  and  moles — the  former  belonging  to  the  order  of 
animals  (Chiroptera),  the  latter  to  the  order  {Insectivora) 
— are  still  very  numerous.  Both  are  carnivorous  {insectiv- 
orous), and  during  hibernation  are  semi-torpid. 

REPTILIA  OR  REPTILE.S. 

Under  this  class  we  find  represented  here  the  order  Testu- 
dinata,  or  turtles,  and  including  such  individuals  as  the  box 
twTt\e  {Cistudo  virginea),  snapping-turtle  {Chehjara  serpen- 
tina) wood  tortoise  {Gh/ptenys  insculpta),  and  soft-shelled 
turtles  including  mud  turtles.  Of  the  order  Lacertia  (liz- 
ards,) the  common  striped  lizard  (Ameiva  sexlineata)  is  the 
only  representative  we  have  found  here.  Under  the  order 
{Ophidia)  or  serpents,  we  note  the  common  black  snake 
(Bafcanion  constrictor),  water  snake  (Serpens  aquaticus),  rat- 
tlesnake (cr'dalus  horridus\  moccasin(  Toxicophis  atrapiscus), 
copperhead  {Trigonnncephdu^  coniortrix),  garter-snake  (Eu- 
ania  sirtalis)  house  snake,  joint  snake,  blue  racer,  and  green 
snake.  Of  these  the  rattlesnake, copperhead,  and  moccasin 
are  very  poisonous,  and  therefore  most  to  be  dreaded.  The 
blowing,  or  hissing  adder,  a  venomous  serpent,  is  rarely 
seen  here. 

The  class  Batrachi'i,  or  frogs,  has  as  representatives,  the 
leopard  frog  (Rana  halecin),  bull  frog  (Bmui  pipicns),  wood 
frog,  trf  e  rog  (''  tree  toad  ")  Bana  Ay/al,  marsh  frog  (Bana 
pa/iisfris),  common  toad  (Bafo  vulgaris,)  tadpole,  salamander 
{Amblystomapunctatun),  triton,  or  water  newt  (Diemictylus 
viridescens,  and  mud  puppy  (Menobranchus  lateralis). 

The  class  of  Pi'^ces,  or  fishes,  is  represented  in  the  streams 
of  the  county,  by  the  white,  the  black  and  the  striped  bass, 
catfish,  pike,  sturgeon,  (rare),  gar,  gogle-eyed  perch,  sunfish, 
chub,  white  perch  ("croppie  "?),  white  and  black  suckers, 
bufl^alo,  and  a  few  others  of  minor  importance. 

CLASS  OF  AVES  OR  BIRDS. 

In  the  following  list  of  birds  indigneous  to  the  county, 
the  old  system  of  groups,  or  orders,  is  used  rather  than  the 
new  classification  of  birds  adopted  provisionally  by  the 
Smithsonian  Institute  at  Washington.  The  former,  as  it 
contains  fewer  and  less  difficult  technical  terms,  will,  it  is 
believed,  be  more  readily  understood  by  the  general  reader. 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


C7 


The  chief  characteristics  of  all  the  birds  belonging  to  each 
order  are  given  first,  aa;l  appeii  led  thereto  are  the  names  of 
such  birds  of  the  order  as  arc  indigenous  to  this  region. 

RAPTORES,   OR   BIRDS   OF    PREY. 

These  are  generally  of  large  size  and  stout  form  ;  bills 
hooked  and  very  strong ;  claws  sharp  and  curved  ;  wings 
extensive  and  muscles  powerful ;  females  larger  than  males  ; 
live  in  pairs  and  choose  their  mates  for  life(?).  Under  this 
order  and  belonging  to  the  hawk  family  {Falconidcv,  are 
the  sparrow-hawk  {Tiniiuneulus  alandarius)  ;  swallow-tailed 
hawk  {Nauderiis  farcatm)  ;  hen-harrier  blackbird  {Merulu 
mmicci),  king  bird,  or  bee  martin  (Tyraunus  Caroliue7isi,s) 
Raven  {Corvus  corax),  common  crow  {Curvus  Americanus), 
Summer  red  bird  {Pyrangra  (estiva),  scarlet  tanager,  Balti- 
more oriole  (.Icterus  Baltimore),  pewee,  or  Phoebe  bird, 
(Saijorius  ficscus),  kingfisher  (Ceryle  afci/o»),  ruby  throated 
humming-bird  (Trochilits  colabris),  yellow-billed  cuckoo 
{Cuciiliis  eanorus),  ruby-crowned  kinglet,  golden-crowned 
kinglet,  whippoorvvill  (Aiitrostomus  vociferuii),  grass  sparrow, 
or  black  throated  bunting,  lark  sparrow,  or  finch,  snow  bird 
(Jtinco  hyemalii),  chipping  sparrow  {Spizella  socialk),  night 
hawk  i^Cliordeiles  popelue). 

SCANSORES,    OR   CLIMBING   BIRDS. 

Birds  of  this  order  have  their  toes  in  pairs,  two  in  front 
and  two  behind.  Under  this  order  and  indigenous  to  this 
county  are  the  swift,  or  chimney-swallow  (  OypMlus  pelaKgiua), 
red-headed  woodpecker  {Melaiierpes  eryfhrocephalus) ,  golden- 
winged  woodpecker  {Colaptes  auratiis,)  Carolina  paroquet; 
(  Conurus  CaroUnensis),  sap  sucker  (^Picus  pubescciis);  (  Cir- 
cus cyaiieus) ;  goshawk  {Falco  palainb:trius)  ;  sharp- 
skinned  hawk  {Bateo  horcalis) ;  red-shouldered  hawk, 
pigeon-hawk  {Falco  Columbarum);  ring-tailed,  or  golden 
eagle  {Aquila  chryfctos). 

To  the  owl  family  (^Strigidw)  belong  the  great  horned  owl 
{Bubo  Virffinianiis);  snowy  owl  (Sirix  nisa);  barred  owl 
{Syrnium  nebaloseum,  or  "hoot-owl");  American  barn  or 
screech-owl  {Strix  Jlamnue)  ;  spotted  owl,  marsh  owl,  Kenni- 
cott's  (?)  owl. 

Of  the  vulture  family  Vulturidoe,  the  only  representative 
is  the  turkey-buzzard  (^Cathartes  aura). 

RASORES,  OR   SCRATCHING   BIRDS. 

Birds  of  this  order  are  characterized  by  their  stout  bodies, 
strong  legs  and  feet,  and  their  general  adaptation  to  living 
on  the  ground.  It  includes  the  wild  turkey  (Melengris  gallo- 
pavo,)  prairie-hen  {Tetrao  cupido,)  ruffled  grouse,  or  "part- 
ridge "  {Bonasa  umbellas,)  q\ia,i]  {Orlyx  Virginianus,)  turtle- 
dove {Tartar  aurilus,)  wild  or  passenger  pigeon  {Ectopistes 
migratoria. 

GRALLATRES   OR    WADING    BIRDS. 

These  have  long  necks,  long  bills,  very  long  and  slender 
legs,  and  slender  bodies.  Their  general  form  is  well  adapted 
to  wading.  This  order  includes  the  plover  {  Charadrias,) 
common  snipe  (Scolopax  galliiiago,)  American  woodcock 
(Plillohelo  minor,)  Wilscm's  snipe  {GaUinago  Wilsonii,)  mud- 
hen  (Fulicn  Americnna,)  Kill-dee  (Aegialits  voci/erus,)  red- 
breasted-snipe  (  Gambeita  melanoleuea,)  tell-tale  snipe  (  Gam- 
hetia  flavipes,')  water-rail  {Rallus  Aquaticus)  sand  hill  crane 


(Griis  Gniadentis,)  blue  crane  (Grm  Amerieamis,)  yellow- 
legged  and  upland  plover,  white  crane  (Grus  Albm,)  and 
heron  (Ardea  ciiierea.) 

NATATORES,  OR   SW'IMMING   BIRDS. 

These  are  broad  and  flat;  feathers  compact  and  well 
oiled;  legs  wide  apart;  femur  short;  and  feet  webbed. 
Under  this  order  are  found  the  common  wild  goose  (.4n«YT 
Americanus,)  summer  or  wood  duck  (Aix  sponsa,)  Canada 
goose  {Bermicala  Canadensis,)  American  Swan  (Cygmis 
Americanus,)  brand-goose,  or  ("  brant  "  {Anser  Bernicla,') 
butter  ball  (Bucephala  albeola,)  mallard  {Anas  bosehas,) 
blue-winged  teal  {Bosehas  c'recca,)  American  widgeon  {Ma- 
reca  Americma,)  red-head  duck  (Apthaya  Americana,) 
canvass-back  duck  (?)  {Aythaya  vaWsnerio,)  green-winged 
teal  {Nettion  Carolidensis,)  pintail  duck  {Dajila  acuta,) 
trumpeter  swan  {Cygnus  buccinator.) 

INSESSORS   OR   PERCHING    BIRDS. 

The  i)erchers  differ  greatly  among  themselves ;  all  have 
three  front  toes  and  a  single  hind  one ;  feet  well  adapted  to 
perching.  To  this  order  belong  the  majority  of  birds,  of 
which  we  note,  as  belonging  here,  the  wood  thrush  {Tardus 
mmtelinus,)  mocking  bird  {Mimus  polyglottus,)  blue-bird 
{Sialis  Wilsonii,)  cat  bird  {Mimus  CaroUnensis,')  robin 
{Tardus  migratoriiis,)  brown  thrush,  or  "thrasher"  {Tur- 
dus  rufus,)  titmouse,  or  chickadee  {Parus  atricappillus,) 
brown  creeper  {Cei-thia  familiaris,)  nuthatch  (<S'iMas  Caro- 
Unensis,) winter  wren  {Troglodyte-i  hyemalis,)  cedar  bird 
{Ampelis  cedrorum,)  rose-breasted  grosbeak  {Guiraea  ludo- 
viciana,)  chewink  (Pipilo  erythrophthalnus,)  meadow-lark 
{Sturnella  m^gaa,)  blue  jay  {Cjinara,  cristata,)  wren, 
{Troglodytes  domestica)  warblers,  barn  swallow  {Hirundo 
hordeorum)  bank  swallow  {Cotxjle  riparia,)  l)lue  martin 
Progiie  pxirpurea,  cardinal  retl  bird  (Cardinalis  Virgini- 
anus,) field  sparrow  {Spizella  pmilla,)  indigo  l)ir(l  {Cyanos- 
piza  cyanea,)  great  northern  shrike,  or  butcher  bird  {Col- 
lurio  borcalis.)  yellow,  or  thistle  bird  (Syloatica  nstiva,) 
swamp,  or  red  winged  black  bird  {>Slurnns  predatoriiis,) 
cow  blackbird  "cowbird." 


CHAPTER  Vir. 


PIONEER  SETTLEMENIS. 


HE  first  time  that  the  eye  of  civilized 
man  ever  rested  on  the  soil  of  the  present 
county  of  Madison  was  in  the  year  1673, 
Marquette  and  Joliet,  on  their  voyage 
of  exploration,  reached  the  waters  of  the 
Mississippi  on  the  seventeenth  of  June, 
and  a  few  days  afterward  their  canoes 
were  gliding  past  the  shores  of  the  disr 
trict  of  country  embracing  what  is  now 

Madison  county.    The  sensations  of  these  explorers  are  given 

by  Marquette  in  this  language : 

"  As  we  coasted  along  rocks  frightful  for  their  height  and 

length,   we  saw  two  monsters  painted  on  one  of  the  rocks, 

which  startled  us   at  first,  and  upon  which  the  boldest  In- 


GS 


HISTORY   OF   ^ADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


dian  dare  not  gaze  long.  They  are  as  large  as  a  calf,  with 
horus  ou  the  head  like  a  deer,  a  frightful  look,  red  eyes, 
bearded  like  a  tiger,  the  face  somewhat  like  a  man's,  the 
body  covered  with  scales,  and  the  tail  so  long  that  it  twice 
makes  the  turn  of  the  body,  passes  over  the  head  and  down 
between  the  legs,  ending  at  last  in  a  fish's  tail.  Green,  red, 
and  a  kind  of  black  are  the  colors  employed.  On  the  whole 
these  two  monsters  are  so  well  painted  that  we  could  not 
believe  any  Indian  to  have  been  the  designer,  as  good  paint- 
ers in  France  would  find  it  hard  to  do  so  well ;  besides  this 
they  are  painted  so  high  upon  the  rock  that  it  is  hard  to  get 
conveniently  near  to  paint  them.  As  we  were  discour- 
sing of  them,  sailing  gently  down  a  beautiful  still  clear  water, 
we  heard  the  noise  of  a  rapid,  into  which  we  were  about  to 
fall.  I  have  seen  nothing  more  frightful ;  a  mass  of  large 
trees,  entire  with  branches,  real  floating  islands,  came  rush- 
ing from  the  mouth  of  the  river  Pekitanoui  (the  Missouri,) 
so  impetuously  that  we  could  not,  without  great  danger,  ex- 
pose ourselves  to  pass  across.  The  agitation  was  so  great 
that  the  water  was  all   muddy,  and  could  not   get   clear. " 

Such  were  the  circumstances  uoder  which  white  men  first 
saw  this  part  of  Illinois.  The  rocks,  to  which  ^Marquette  re- 
fers, were  the  precipitous  blutfs  which  extend  along  the  river 
northward  from  Alton.  On  the  face  of  the  bluff,  just  above 
the  present  city,  were  depicted  the  figure  mentioned  by  Mar- 
quette, and  with  wiiich  we  connected  the  famous  legend  of 
the  Piasa  Bird.*  These  paintings  must  have  been  renewed 
by  the  Indians  from  time  to  time,  for  they  seemed  fresh  on 
the  settlement  of  the  country  in  the  present  century.  It  is 
still  within  the  memory  of  living  men  when  every  Indian,  as 
he  passed  down  the  river  in  his  canoe,  discharged  his  arrow, 
or  his  rifle,  at  the  representation  of  these  monsters. 

The  French,  who  made  such  early  settlements  in  the  more 
southern  counties  of  Randolph,  St.  Clair,and  IMonroe,  do 
not  seem  to  have  secured  any  permanent  hold  within  the 
limits  of  Madison  county.  West  of  the  Mississippi  they 
pushed  north  to  St.  Louis  (1764),  to  St.  Charles  (1769),  and 
to  Portage  des  Sioux  (1799),  but  on  the  eastern  side  of  the 
river  they  founded  no  new  villages,  probably  from  the  fact 
that  by  the  treaty  of  Fountalnbleau,  1762,  Illinois  had  pass- 
ed under  English  control.  There  is  evidence  that  a  French- 
man named  Jean  Baptiste  Cardinal,  had  made  a  settlement, 
as  early  as  the  year  178"),  at  Piam,  supposed  to  be  the  site  of 
the  present  city  of  Alton.  He  there  built  a  house  and  re- 
siiled  with  his  family,  but  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Indians, 
when  his  family  were  obliged  to  flee  for  refuge  to  the  village 
of  Cahokia.  Reynolds  mentions  that,  in  the  year  1800,  there 
were  a  few  French  families  residing  on  Big  (or  Chouteau) 
island  in  the  Mississippi,  while  the  report  of  the  commission- 
ers to  examine  the  claims  for  land  within  the  district  of 
Ka-kaskia,  shows  that  several  early  improvements  had  been 
made  by  the  French  in  the  southern  and  western  part  of  the 
county,     i  Ou  Chouteau  island  settlements  were  made  by  the 

■f  Tills  lospiiil  will  be  found  in  the  subscciuent  chapter  on  the  History  of 
the  City  of  Alton. 

t  Michael  Jones  and  E.  Backus,  commissioners  appointed  by  Con- 
gress, repurte  I  on  the  31st  of  December,  1809,  that  twelve 
ilalms  lor  land,  within  the  limits  of  the  present  county  of  Madison, 


French  about  1750.  An  orchard  was  planted  here,  the  trees 
of  which  had  attained  such  size  in  1820  that  they  must  have 
been  planted  fifty,  or  sixty,  years  previous.  In  this  orchard 
was  a  pear  tree  whose  trunk  in  the  year  mentioned  had 
grown  to  be  a  foot  and  a  half  in  diameter. '  This  orchard 
was  planted  by  Chouteau  from  whom  the  island  received  the 
name  by  which  it  is  now  known.  On  both  Chouteau  and 
Cabaret  islands  some  French  residents  of  Cahokia  raised 
large  numbers  of  horses  which  they  shipped  in  flat  boats  to 
New  Orleans.  The  island  was  well  adapted  to  this  purpose, 
its  exclusion  from  the  main  land  preventing  both  the  escape 
of  the  horses  and  their  theft  by  the  Indians.  This  orchard 
years  ago  succumbed  to  the  floods  of  the  Mississippi,  as  also 
did  an  old  grave  yard  in  which  many  of  the  early  French 
residents  were  buried. 

should  be  confirmed  on  tlie  ground  of  actual  improvements  having 
been  made.     These  claims  are  as  follows: 

"Claim  1805.  Original  claimant,  Alexis  Buyatte  ;  present  claimant, 
Nicholas  Jarrot,  400  acres.  Affirmed  to  the  legal  representative  of  A. 
Buyatte.  Situate  on  the  river  I'  Abbe  nine  miles  above  Cahokia. '' 
The  river  1'  Abbe  here  referred  to  derived  its  name  from  the  monas- 
tery, or  r  Abbe,  on  Monk's  mound,  which  was  once  called  "  Abbe 
Hill",  even  by  the  American  settlers,  and  is  what  is  now  known  as 
Cahokia  creek.  The  claim,  however,  is  really  i-ome  distance  from  Caho- 
kia, on  the  bank  of  t  he  Mississippi  in  township  three,  range  ten,  near 
Kinder  station,  and  opposite  Cabaret  i.4and. 

"Claim  •520.  Original  claimant,  James  Biswell,  present  claimant 
heirs  ol  Biswell,  400  acres,  on  Buck  run,  a  branch  of  the  Kaskaskia 
river,  affirmed  to  the  legal  representatives."  This  claim  is  in  the 
southwest  corner  of  township  three,  range  seven,  and  extends 
into  St.  Clair  county. 

"  Claim  519.  Original  claimant,  Alexander  Denis;  present  claimant, 
William  Bolin  Whiteside;  400  acres,  on  Winn's  run  in  the  county  of 
St.  Clair  (St.  Clair  and  Randolph  were  then  the  only  counties),  begin- 
ning at  a  white  walnut  near  Cummin's  sugar  camp.  "  This  is  in  sec- 
tion twenty,  township  four,  range  eight,  on  the  bluffs  of  the  American 
Bottom,  in  what  appears  to  have  been  considered  at  that  time  the  most 
attractive  part  of  the  county,  the  ''Goshen"  settlement. 

Claim  5G1.  Original  claimant,  Clement  Drury ;  present  claimant, 
heir.-i  of  Samuel  Worley  ;  400  acres.  Below  the  Narrows,  below  Hull's 
Station,  to  be  located  adjoining  the  patented  militia  rights  of  Samuel 
Worley  and  James  McXabb,  these  rights  having  been  located  in  the 
improvement."  This  is  mostly  in  section  six,  of  township  three, 
range  nine,  and  included  one  of  the  earliest  improvements  in  the 
county,  upon  which  pear  trees  were  planted  in  the  year  1790,  or  soon 
thereafter,  which  were  standing  more  than  ihree-cjuarters  of  a  century 
afterward. 

''  Claim  1841.  Original  claimant,  Jacque  Germain  ;  present  claim- 
ant, Nicholas  Jarrot;  400  acres,  at  1' Abbe,  thirteen  miles  above 
Cahokia. ''  This  is  in  section  thirty-two  of  township  three,  range  nine, 
on  the  borders  of  Horse  Shoe  lake,  and  not  far  distant  from  Venice. 

"  Claim  133.  Original  claimant,  Jean  Baptiste  Gonville,  alias  Rap- 
pel  lay  ;  present  claimant,  Nicholas  Jarrot;  400  acres.  Affirmed  to 
Jarrot,  situated  at  Cantine,  about  ten  miles  above  Cahokia. "  This 
claim  includes  r  Abbe  itself  or  Monk's  Mound,  on  which  was  the 
monastery  of  the  Monks  of  LaTrappe,  who  resided  here  from  ISlOto 
1813.  It  lies  mostly  in  sections  thirty-five  and  thirty-six  of  township 
three,  range  nine. 

"Claim  1883.  Original  claimant,  Joseph  Hanson;  present  claimant, 
Nicholas  Jarrot,  400  acres,  affirmed  to  Jarrot,  situated  on  Mamis 
3Iensoui.  "  This  lies  mostly  in  section  twenty-six,  of  township  three, 
range  nine,  and  on  the  borders  of  Horse  Shoe  lake,  which,  perhaps 
is  identical  with  the  Marais  Mensoui. 

"  Claim  637.    Original  claimant,  James  Kinkead;  present  claimant 


HISTOEY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


G9 


James  Kinkead  by  George  H.  Dougherty,  400  acres.  In  the  Missis- 
sippi bottom,  four  or  five  miles  above  the  ferry  opposite  Si.  Louis.  " 
This  lies  in  township  three,  range  ten,  in  sections  twenty-five  and 
twenty  six,  about  two  miles  above  Venice. 

''  Claim  1855.  Original  claimant,  Baptiste  Lionais ;  present  claimant, 
Nichol.is  Jarrot,  400  acres,  affirmed."  Situated  opposite  the  mouth 
of  the  Missouri.  The  whole  of  this  claim  has  been  swept  away  by  the 
waters  of  the  river.  It  is  in  section  thirty-two  of  township  live,  range 
nine. 

'Claim  902.  Original  claimant,  Isaac  Levy;  present  claimant, 
Isaac  Darnielle,  400  acres.  On  the  river  1' Abbe,  above  Cahokia, 
about  twelve  miles  near  where  the  French  church  stood."  The  most 
of  this  claim  lies  in  St.  Clair  county,  a  part  in  sections  thirty-four  and 
thirty-live,  of  township  three,   range  nine,  close  to   Cantine  village. 

'"Claim  1838.  Original  claimant,  Michael  Pichette;  present  claim- 
ant Nicholas  Jarrot,  400  acres.  At  a  place  calletl  1'  Abbe  river,  eight 
miles  above  Cahokia.''  The  most  of  this  claim  lie?  in  section  thirty- 
one,  of  township  three,  range  nine. 

"Claim  1653.  Original  claimant,  Isaac  West ;  present  claimant, 
Isaac  West  400  acres.  By  the  testimony  of  George  Atchi.son  and 
David  Waddle,  that  this  land  on  which  the  actual  improvement  was 
made  had  been  included  in  the  survey  of  James  Piggott ;  and  by 
Alexander  Waddle  and  Amos  Squire  that  this  claim  had  been  sur- 
veyed about  the  year  1802,  in  the  place  where  the  said  West  now 
lives,  affirmed.  "  This  tract  is  partly  in  section  nineteen,  of  township 
three,  range  eight. 

The  foregoing  claims  were  awarded  on  account  of  actual  improve- 
ments that  had  been  made  on  the  land  included  in  the  claim  There 
were  four  species  of  land  claims  :  > 

FiR-sT.  Ancient  grants,  or  allotments,  derived  from  former  govern- 
ments (French  or  British)  or  from  tne  Indians,  under  act  of  Congress 
of  June  twentieth,  1788.  The  commissioners  were  satisfied  that  no 
grants  were  authorized  by  the  British  government  while  in  possession 
of  the  country.  The  French  records  had  in  great  part  been  destroyed 
by  the  British  officers,  and  the  grants  made  by  the  French  were 
proved  lip  by  oral  testimony.  There  were  no  grants  of  this  class  within 
the  present  territory  of  M.idison  county. 

Second.  Donations  to  heads  of  families.  Under  the  law  of  the 
twentieth  of  June  1788,  a  donation  of  four  hundred  acres  of  land  not 
given  lo  each  of  the  families  living  at  either  of  the  villages  of  Kaskas- 
kia,  Prarie  de  Kocher,  Cahokia,  Fort  Chartres,  or  St.  Phillips.  Tbe 
commissioners  construed  this  to  provide  for  all  those  who  had  become 
heads  of  families  from  the  peace  of  1783  to  the  passage  of  the  law  in 
1788.  Claim  527,  originally  claimed  by  James  Biswell,  and  con- 
firmed to  Ilia  legal  representatives ;  400  acres  in  township  three,  range 
seven. 

TiiiRTi.  Improvement  Eights.  Under  the  law  of  the  third  of 
March,  1791,  where  lands  had  been  actually  improved  and  cultivated, 
under  a  supposed  grant  by  any  commandant  or  court,  it  was  directed 
that  the  claim  should  be  confirmed,  note.tceeding  four  hundred  acres 
to  any  one  person.  The  twelve  claims  above  described  belonged  to 
this  class.  The  commissioners  construed  "actual  improvement  and 
cultivation"  to  mean,  not  a  mere  marking  or  deadening  of  trees,  but 
the  actual  raising  of  a  crop,  or  crops,  such,  in  their  opinion,  being  a 
neces.sary  proof  of  an   intention  to  make  a  permanent  establishment. 

Fourth.  Militia  Eiglits.  Under  the  act  of  March  third,  1791,  a 
grant  of  land,  not  exoeefling  one  hundred  acres,  was  made  to  each 
person  who  had  obtained  no  other  donation  of  land  from  the  United 
States,  and  who  on  the  first  day  of  .\Hgust,  1790,  was  enrolled  in  the 
militia,  and  had  done  militia  duty 

Commissioners  Michael  Jones,  John  Caldwell  and  Thom:is  Sloo,  on 
the  fonrth  of  January,  1813,  reported  five  other  claims  in  Madison 
county  which  they  recommended  for  confirmation  on  the  ground  of 
actual  improvements  having  been  made  : 

"  Claim  G02.  Original  claimant,  Peter  Casteline;  confirmed  by  Gov. 
William  11.  Harrison,  to  Peter  Casteline;  claimant  before  former 
board  of  commissioners,  Peter  CUsleliue,  250  acres. ''     This  lies  muslly 


in  section  thirty-two  of  township  three,  range  eight,  on  the  bluflTs  near 
Collinsville. 

"Claim  328.  Original  claimant,  Isaac  Enochs;  confirmed  by  Gov. 
Harrison  to  Isaac  Knochs,  claimed  before  the  former  board  of  com- 
missioners by  Jacob  Whiteside,  250  acres.  "  This  tract  is  in  sections 
four  and  nine  of  township  four,  range  nine.  Nearly  all  washed  away. 

"  Claim  617.  Original  claimant,  Abraham  Rain  ;  confirmed  by  Gov. 
Harrison  to  the  widow  and  heirs  of  Rain  ;  claimants  before  the  former 
board  of  commissioners,  Uel  and  Bolin  Whiteside,  250  acres."  This 
is  in  sections  twenty  and  twenty-one  of  township  four,  range  nine.  On 
the  surveys  the  name  is  spelled  Kainer. 

''Claim  756.  Original  claimant,  John  Sullivan  ;  confirmed  by  Gov. 
Harrison  to  Larkin  Rutherford  ;  claimed  before  the  former  board  of 
commissioners  by  Larkiu  Rutherford,  440  arpents.  This  is  mostly  in 
sections  eight   an<l  nine,  of  township  five,  range  nine. 

''Claim  544.  Origin.il  claimant,  David  Waddle;  confirmed  by  Gov. 
Harri.son  to  David  Waddle;  claimed  before  the  former  boanl  of  com- 
missioners by  David  Waddle,  250  acres."  This  lies  mostly  in  suc- 
tions thirty-one  and  thirty-two  of  township  four,  range  nine. 

The  commissioners  on  the  24th  of  February,  1810,  discuss,  "Claim 
2056.  John  Edgar  claims  four  arpents  in  front  by  forty  in  depth,  at 
Piasa,  so  called,  in  virtue  of  an  improvement  said  to  have  beeti 
made  by  J.  Baptiste  Cardinal,  and  the  claim  appears  to  have  been 
conveyed  to  John  Edgar  by  deed,  dated  17th  September,  1795,  wit- 
nessed by  La  Violette,  and  acknowledged  before  William  Morrison, 
April  10th  of  the  same  year,  five  months  before  its  e.xecution.  This 
board  is  fully  impressed  with  the  belief  that  the  name  of  this  witness 
was  written  by  John  Edgar.  It  is  further  remarkable,  that,  although 
the  said  Cardinal  affixes  his  mark  to  the  deed,  the  claimant  (Edgar) 
adduces,  in  proof  of  the  fairness  of  this  transaction,  a  letter  from  .said 
Cardinal,  dated  the  29th  of  July,  of  the  same  year,  oft<;ring  him  this 
land,  which  is  signed  by  himself  in  a  very  good  hand.  It  is  further 
apparent,  from  the  most  respectable  testimony,  that  no  improvement 
in  early  times  w;is  here  made." 

In  a  subsequent  report  of  the  commissioners,  on  the  4th  of  January 
1813,  the  following  appears  in  relation  to  this  same  claim  : 

•'This  claim  derives  its  validity  from  a  confirmation  made  by  Gov. 
St.  Clair  lo  the  said  John  Edgar.  It  is  proved  that  about  thirty  years 
ago,  Jean  Bte.  Cardinal  lived  at  Piasa,  five  or  six. leagues  above  Ca- 
hokia; that  he  built  a  hou.se,  and  resided  there  with  his  family;  that 
he  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Indians,  when  his  family  were  obliged 
to  abandon  there,  and  retired  to  the  village  of  Cahokia ;  that  no  culti- 
vation is  recollected  to  have  been  observed.  Should  the  foregoing 
claim  be  confirmed  by  Congress,  the  commissioners  would  recommend 
that  the  confirmation  be  to  the  said  Cardinal,  or  his  legal  representa- 
tives, as  the  title  papers  of  the  said  John  Edgar  appear  not  to  be  reg- 
ular." 

In  the  same  report  mention  is  made  of  claim  2079,  confirmed  by 
Gov.  Harrison  to  John  Edgar,  by  reason  of  an  improvement  said  to 
have  been  made  by  Philip  Gallaghen,  for  400  acres.  This  claim  was 
located  in  sections  eight  and  seventeen  of  township  four,  range  eight. 
The  commissioners  report  that  "The  deponents  state  that  they  knew 
said  Gallaghen,  but  know  of  no  improvement  made  by  him. '' 

The  greater  part  of  the  claims  confirmed  in  Madison  county  were 
militia  rights,  given  to  every  militia  man  enrolled  and  doing  duty, 
.\ugust  1st.  1790.  The  following  are  contained  in  the  report  of  the 
commissioners,  dated  December  31st,  1809. 

Claim  1809.  In  township  four,  rjinge  nine,  a  little  above  the  old 
town  of  Madi.son,  and  now  beneath  the  waters  of  the  Missi.ssippi,  100 
acres.     Original  claimant  Jean  Brugier     Affirmed  to  Nicholas  Jarrot. 

Claim  1324.  On  the  head  waters  of  Judy's  creek,  mostly  in  sec- 
tions twenty-two  and  twenty-three,  of  township  four,  range  eight 
about  two  miles  south  of  Edwardsville,  100  acres.  Original  claimant, 
Matliew  Rene  Bouvet.     Affirmeil  to  James  Haggin. 

Claim  338.  Four  claims,  afiirmed  to  Samuel  Judy,  were  located 
together  mostly  in  .sections  thirty-two  and  thirty-three  of  township 
four,  range  eight.     The  original  claimants  were  Louis  Bibo,  (Biboux 


HISTORY   OF  MADISOJ^    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


on  the  surveys),  Louis  LaRaiiime,  Jacob  Judy,  and  Francois  Ritcliie, 
100  acres  each,  400  in  all.  These  claims  were  locatetl  by  Judy  about 
the  year  1800.  On  the  farm  whicli  Judy  improved  an  orchard  was 
Fet  out  in  the  year  1802,  or  1803,  and  a  brick  house,  still  standing, 
was  built  in  the  year  1808,  the  walls  of  which  were  cracked  by  the 
earthquake  of  lAW- 

Claim  60o.  In  section  five,  of  township  three,  range  eight,  adjoin- 
ing claims  of  Samuel  Judy.  Original  claimant,  Louis  Bison.  Aflirm- 
ed  to  Ison  Gillham,  100  acres. 

Claim  2G03.  In  .section  seventeen  of  township  five,  range  nine, 
covering  in  part  claim  20oG,  and  including  the  site  of  the  former  town 
of  Milton,  on  Wood  river,  embracing  a  mill,  100  acres.  Original 
claimant,  George  Biggs.     AtBrined  to  John  Whiteside. 

Claim  98.  In  sections  seven  and  eight  of  township  four,  range 
eiglit,  on  Cahokia  creek  near  the  mouth  of  Indian  creek.  In  early 
days  a  mill  site.  Original  claimant,  Jean  Beaulieu.  Affirmed  to 
Nicholas  Jarrot,  100  acres.  At  the  June  terra  of  the  Court  of  Com- 
mon Pleas  in  1815.  we  find  a  verdict  of  inque.st  of  John  Robinson  and 
others  to  the  efttct  that  a  mill  dam  seven  feet  high  could  be  built 
without  damage  to  any  person's  land. 

Claim  1258.  This  location  embraced  the  original  claims  of  Fran- 
cois Campeau,  Pierre  Martain  Jr,  Jean  Bapliste  Rappalais,  Jaeque 
Mulolt,  Louis  Harmond,  Joseph  Poirier,  Dennis  Levertue,  Philip 
Le  Boeuf,  Joseph  Lamarch,  Constant  Longtemps,  each  of  100  acres, 
and  all  confirmed  to  John  Rice  Jones,  and  was  in  sections  one  and 
twelve  of  township  three,  range  ten,  "in  the  Mi.'fsissippi  bottom, 
between  Grand  Isle  and  Presqne  Isle,  opposite  Isle  of  Cattarot,  bound- 
ed by  the  Mississippi  West."  Presque  Isle  is  probably  the  peninsula 
on  which  Venice  was  situated,  and  the  Isle  of  Cattarot  is  probably 
intentled  for  Isle  of  Cabaret,  Isle  de  Cabaret,  or  Tavern  Island,  is  the 
.  probable  meaning. 

Claim  1258  (second).  In  sections  four  and  five  of  township  three 
range  eight,  and  ''located  in  Goshen  adjoining  Samuel  Judy  and 
Lsham  Gillham,"  100  acres.  Original  claimant,  Jean  B.  Girand 
alias  Jean  Pierre;  claimed  before  the  board  of  commis.sioners  by  John 
Rice  Jones,  and  by  him  conveyed  to  Thomas  Gillham. 

Claim  485.  In  section  tliirty-si.K  of  township  three,  on  the  south 
line  of  the  county,  range  ten,  "on  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi  adjoin- 
ing Cahokia  common."  100  acres  claimed  each  by  Pierre  Clement 
and  Antoine  Labussiere,  both  affirmed  to  John  Biggs. 

Claim  752.  On  Cantine  creek,  part  in  sections  thirty-one  and 
thirty-two,  of  township  three,  range  eight,  and  remainder  in  St.  Clair 
county ;  Claim  753,  and  Claim  765,  described  in  the  same  manntr; 
Original  claimants  respectively  Francois  Deneme,  Francis  Colline, 
and  Thomas  Callahan;  each  claim  of  100  acres,  and  all  confirmed  to 
John  Blum. 

Claim  754.  Original  claimant,  J.  B.  Derousse  St.  Pierre.  Affirm- 
ed to  John  Blum,  100  acres.  Surveyed  adjoining  Lttienne  Penso- 
neau,  and  probably  in  section  thirty-five  or  thirty-six,  of  township 
three,  range  ten. 

Claim  1061.  Original  claimant,  John  Whiteside,  and  claim  1745, 
original  claimant,  Elisha  Harrington,  100  acres  each.  The  first  con- 
firmed to  John  Whiteside  and  the  second  to  Uel  Whiteside,  were 
surveyed  on  Cahokia  Creek,  in  sections  one  and  two,  of  township  three 
range  eight. 

Claim  115.  Original  claimant,  Charles  Hebert,  alius  Cadieu, 
affirmed  to  Nicholas  Jarrot,  "on  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  about 
two  miles  below  the  mouth  of  M.ad  river,"  (Wood  River)  is  in  sec- 
lions  eight  and  nine  of  township  four,  range  nine. 

Claim  1851.  Originally  claimed  by  Baptiste  Lecompte,  and  affirm- 
ed to  Nicholas  Jarrot,  is  in  section  seventeen  of  the  same  township 
near  Madison  Landing.  Claim  1851,  original  claimant  Barzle 
Lecompte,  affirmed  to  Nicholas  Jarrot,  was  surveyed  in  front  of  1851, 
and  included  the  .site  of  the  old  town  of  Madison.  Claim  1880,  >)ri- 
gioal  claimant,  Louis  Menard,  affirmed  to  Nicholas  Jarrot,  is  in 
section  eight  of  the  same  township.  These  claims  have  been  swept 
away  by  the  encroachments  of  the  Mississippi. 


Claim  1719.  Original  claimant  Louis  LeBrun,  jr.  Affirmed  to 
Thomas  Kirkpatrick,  100  acres.  In  section  twenty-three  of  town- 
ship four,  range  eight. 

Claim  331.  Original  claimant,  Francois  Louval.  Affirmed  to 
Henry  Cook.  Situated  on  the  waters  of  Judy's  creek,  the  survey  in- 
cluding the  militia  claim  of  William  Young  Whiteside,  on  the  cor- 
ners of  sections  four,  five,  eight  and  nine,  of  township  three,  range 
eight,  near  the  claim  of  Samuel  Judy  in  Goshen. 

Claim  484.  Original  claimant,  John  Lisle.  Affirmed  to  John 
Biggs,  100  acres,  "  located,  begiuning  at  a  stake  on  the  banks  of  the 
Mississippi." 

Claim  991.  Original  claimant,  Pierre  Lejoy.  Affirmed  to  Thomas 
Kirkpatrick,  100  acres  mostly  is  sections  two  and  three  of  town- 
ship four,  range  eight,  and  including  the  north-western  part  of 
Edwardsville.  The  commissioners  note  this  claim  as  being  three 
miles  east  of  the  Mississippi.  It  is  about  eight.  At  the  house  of 
Thomas  Kirkpatrick  on  this  claim  the  county  court  of  Madison  county 
held  its  first  session  on  the  fifth  of  .-Vpril,  1813. 

Claim  599.  Original  claimant,  Louis  Rhelle.  Affirmed  to  Benja- 
min Ca.ster  line;  and  claim  600,  original  claimant,  Levi  Piggot,  each 
of  100  acres,  were  located  on  Cantine  Creek,  near  Colliusville,  partly 
in  section  twenty-nine,  of  township  three,  range  eight. 

Claim  113.  Original  claimant,  Joseph  St.  Ives.  Affirmed  to 
Nichola-s  Jarrot,  in  section  seventeen  of  township  four  range  nine 
near  Madison,  has  been  washed  away  by  the  Mississippi. 

Claim  330.  Original  claimant,  William  Young  Whiteside.  Affirm- 
ed to  Henry  Cook,  100  acres.  Surveyed  with  claim  of  Francois 
Luval,  331,  which  see  above. 

Claim  545.  Original  claimant,  David  Waddle.  Affirmed  to 
David  Waddle,  100  acres,  and  claim  >10,  original  claimant,  Alexan- 
der Waddle,  Affirmed  to  Alexander  Waddle,  100  acres  were  survey- 
ed with  other  claims,  and  the  improvement  right  of  250  acres  of  Daviil 
Waddle,  and  located  mostly  in  sections  thirty-one  and  thirty-two  of 
township  four,  range  nine. 

The  commissioners  on  the  fourth  of  January,  1S13,  reported  the 
following  additional  claims  grounded  on  Militia  service. 

Claim  548.  Original  claimant,  Jean  Baptiste  Becket.  Confirmed 
by  Governor  Harrison  to  Ettienne  Pensoneau  who  was  the  claimant 
before  the  commissioners.  In  township  three,  range  ten,  covering 
part  of  the  plat  of  the  town  of  Venice. 

Cl.-iim  549,  adjoining  548,  100  acres.  Original  claimant,  Augusle 
Belconr.  Confirmed  by  Governor  Harrison  to  the  same,  and  by  him 
conveyed  to  Ettienne  Pensoneau. 

Claim  103.  In  township  three,  range  ten,  100  acres.  Original 
claimant,  Raphael  Belanger.  Confirmed  by  Governor  Harrison  to 
Nicholas  Jarrot. 

Claim  1907.  Original  claimant,  Charles  Denean.  Confirmed  by 
Crovernor  Harrison  to  Hannah  Ilillman,  100  acres. 

Claim  104,  100  acres.  Original  claimant,  Stephen  Louis  Lamall. 
Confirmed  by  Governor  Harrison  to  Nicholas  Jarrot. 

Claim  609, 100  acres.  In  sections  thirty-three  and  thirty-fi>ur  of 
township  three,  range  eight,  just  south  of  Colliusville,  and  e.ictending 
into  St.  Clair  county.  Original  claimant,  ClLirlas  Francois  Lancier 
affirmed  to  the  same  by  Governor  Harrison,  and  by  whom  conveyed 
to  Thomas  H.  Talbot. 

Claim  928.  In  sections  sixteen,  twenty,  and  twenty-one  of  town- 
ship four,  range  eight  on  the  bluffs.  Original  claimant,  James 
Whiteside,  and  confirmed  to  him  by  Governor  Harrison. 

This  comprises  all  the  claims,  located  partly  or  entirely,  within  the 
present  boundaries  of  Madison  county.  The  list  comprises  sixly- 
nine  claim.s,  incluled  in  forty-ei.;ht  several  surveys.  Forty-nine  are 
for  100  acres;  thirteen  for  400  acres;  three  for  250  acres;  one  for 
160  arpents,  and  one  for  440  arpents.  Their  location  by  townsliips  is 
as  follows : 

Township  3,         Range  7.  2  Claims.         1  Surveys. 

3,  "        8.  18       "  11 

4,  "        8.  8      "  8        " 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


71 


'ownsliiji  3, 

Range   9. 

21  Claims. 

9  Surveys 

4, 

"         0. 

8      " 

8        " 

''            5, 

9. 

3      " 

3 

tj. 

"       10. 

0       " 

8 

69 


48 


PIONEER     AMERICAN   SETTLEMENTS. 

The  district  of  country  comprising  the  present  county  of 
Madison  was  explored  by  the  Rev.  David  Badgley,  and 
some  others,  in  the  year  1709.  The  luxuriant  growth  of 
grass  and  vegetation,  evidence  of  the  great  fertility  of  the 
soil,  reminded  the  explorers  of  the  richness  of  the  country, 
the  best  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  in  which  the  children  of  Israel 
had  possessions,  "  and  grew  and  multiplied  exceedingly," 
and  they  called  it  Goshen.  David  Badgley  was  a  Baptist 
preacher  who  came  to  Illinois  in  1796,  and  settled  in  St. 
Clair  county,  a  few  miles  north  of  Belleville,  where  he  died 
in  1824.  He  was  never  a  resident  of  this  county.  The  first 
American  settler  to  push  beyond  the  frontier,  and  plant 
himself  within  the  limits  of  what  is  now  ]Madison  county, 
was  Ephraim  Conner.  This  was  in  the  year  1800,  he  built 
his  rude  cabin  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  present  Col- 
linsville  township,  but  whether  dissatisfied  with  his  isolated 
position,  or  prompted  by  a  roving  spirit,  peculiar  to  the  early 
pioneers,  he  sought  some  now  '  lodge  in  the  vast  wilder- 
ness." The  next  year,  1801,  he  disposed  of  his  improvement 
to  Samuel  Judy,  who  became  a  permanent  and  valued  citi- 
zen of  the  flourishing  Goshen  settlement,  which  the  rapidly 
arriving  immigrants  in  a  few  years  brought  into  existence. 

The  Judy  family  is  conspicuous  in  the  early  settlement  of 
Illinois.  Jacob  Judy,  the  father  of  Samuel  Judy,  was  born 
in  Switzerland,  and  came  to  America  when  six  years  old.  He 
was  married  in  Frederick  county,  Maryland,  and  at  Pitts- 
burg, Pennsylvania,  "  worked  for  the  public,"  as  an  early 
chronicler  says,  "  at  the  gunsmith  business,  for  many  years, 
and  received  nothing  for  it."  He  .started  for  the  frontier 
regions  of  the  west  in  the  year  1786,  with  his  family,  then 
consisting  of  three  children,  and  descerded  the  Ohio  river 
to  Kentucky.  On  his  way,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Scioto,  he 
heard  Indians  on  the  bank  making  noises  to  decoy  him  to 
the  land,  but  he  kept  straight  on  his  way  down  the  river. 
His  daughter,  Nancy,  then  a  girl  of  eighteen,  steered  the 
boat  while  the  others  rowed,  with  all  possible  speed,  past  the 
dangerous  locality.  He  remained  two  years  in  Kentucky, 
near  Louisville,  and  then  set  out  for  Illinois,  making  a 
voyage  down  the  Ohio  in  a  flat  boat.  The  hostile  Indians 
obliged  him  to  seek  protection  up  Cash  river,  in  the  present 
county  of  Alexander,  where  he  remained  seven  weeks,  until 
a  boat  could  come  from  Kaskaskia  to  his  relief.  He  lived 
at  Kaksaskia  four  years ;  in  1792  he  moved  to  the  New 
Design  settlement  in  the  present  county  of  Monroe  ;  and  in 
1794  settled  in  Monroe  county  where  he  died  in  the  year 
1807.  The  place  where  he  lived  was  widely  known  as 
Judy's  mill.  Samuel  Judy,  his  only  son,  the  pioneer  of  the 
family  in  Madison  county,  was  born  on  the  nineteenth  of 
August  1773.  He  married  Margaret  Whiteside,  a  sister  of 
Gen.  Samuel  Whiteside.  In  the  early  Indian  troubles  in 
Monroe  county,  Judy,  then  a  young  man  of  only  twenty, 


displayed  great  activity  and  bravery,  afterwards  in  the  cam- 
paigns against  the  Indians,  during  the  war  of  1812-14,  he 
was  actively  employed  in  the  service.  In  1812  he  was  in 
command  of  a  company  of  spies,  in  advance  of  the  main 
army,  which  proceeded  against  the  Indians  at  the  head  of 
Peoria  lake,  and  the  next  year,  1813,  was  captain  of  a  com- 
pany in  the  army  of  Gen.  Howard.  In  the  frontier  skirmishes 
with  the  Indians,  he  was  considered  both  active  and  efficient 
and  prudent,  and  cautious.  He  was  modest  and  unassum- 
ing in  character,  and  would  have  preferred  to  serve  as  a  pri- 
vate soldier  in  the  ranks,  had  not  his  neighbors  and  friends 
insisted  on  his  taking  the  responsible  command  to  which 
they  thought  his  experience  and  sterling  qualtities  of  mind 
entitled  him.  He  was  elected  a  member  from  Madison 
county,  in  the  fall  of  1812,  of  the  first  legislature  that  on- 
vened  at  Kaskaskia  after  the  formation  of  the  territorial 
governmeat.  Although  he  had  little  education,  and  hai 
learned,  barely  more  than  to  read  and  write,  and  this  with 
some  difficulty,  the  clear,  sound,  and  solid  judgmsnt  with 
which  nature  had  endowed  him,  his  great  common  sense, 
and  his  character  for  honesty  and  integrity,  made  him  a  valu- 
able member  of  this  first  legislative  body  of  Illinois,  in  which 
his  influence  was  scarcely  surpassed  by  that  of  any  other 
member.  After  the  organization  of  Madison  county  he  was 
one  of  the  first  county  commissioners,  and  displayed  great 
judgment,  honesty,  and  economy,  in  managing  the  finances 
of  the  county.  In  his  own  private  business  affairs  he  c-xhibi- 
ed  the  same  prudence  and  foresight.  He  acquired  wealth, 
but  without  speculation  or  doubtful  practice.  He  raised 
large  numbers  of  horses,  cattle,  hogs  and  sheep.  On  the 
establishment  of  the  penitentiary  at  Alton,  he  was  ap])ointed 
by  Gov.  John  Reynolds,  one  of  the  board  which  had  charge 
of  the  erection  of  the  building  and  the  placing  of  the  peni- 
tentiary system  in  operation.  Though  not  a  member  of  any 
religious  society,  all  the  churches  had  the  benefit  of  his  good 
will  and  friendship,  and  he  was  moral  and  correct  in 
his  habits.  In  the  excesses  so  common  in  his  day — gaii- 
ing,  drinking,  and  light  and  frivolous  amusements — he  never 
indulged.     He  died  in  the  year  1838. 

The  farm  on  which  Judy  settled  was  included  in  the  mili- 
tia claim,  number  three  hundred  and  thirty-eight,  and  on  it 
he  made  early  and  substantial  improvements.  The  first,  or 
second  year  after  his  arrival  he  set  out  an  orchard.  In  1808 
he  built  a  brick  house,  the  walls  of  which  were  cracked  by 
the  earthquake  of  1811,  which  is  still  standing  in  good 
condition.  This  was  the  first  brick  house  erected  within  the 
limits  of  Madison  county.  Jacob  Judy  the  oldest  son  of 
Samuel  Judy,  was  register  of  the  land  office  at  Edwardsville 
from  1845  to  1849.  Another  son.  Col.  Thomas  Judj',  repre- 
sented Madison  county  in  the  State  legislature  in  1852  and 
'53,  and  has  been  one  of  the  best  known  citizens  of  the 
county. 

The  first  settlement  on  the  Six  Mile  prairie  was  made  in 
the  year  1801.  A  family  named  Wiggins  'settled  here,  and 
with  them  lived  an  unmarried  man,  Patrick  Hanniberry. 

In  the  early  history  of  Madison  county  the  most  numerous 
family  were  the  Gillhams.  Thomas  Gillham,  the  first  of 
the  family  to  come   to  America,  was  a  native  of  Ireland. 


72 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


He  settled  in  Virginia  about  the  year  1730,  and  afterward 
moved  to  South  Corolina.  He  had  eleven  children,  seven 
sons  and  four  daughters  :  Ezekiel,  Charles,  Thomas,  Wil- 
liam, James,  John,  Isaac,  Nancy,  Mary,  Sally,  and  Susan- 
nah. The  original  stock  was  Irish  Presbyterian,  though  the 
descendants  are  now  mostly  of  the  Methodist  faith. 

The  first  of  the  family  to  behold  the  Illinois  country  was 
James  Gillham,  the  fourth  sou  of  Thomas  Gillham.  He 
came  iu  the  summer  of  the  year  1794  in  search  of  his  wife 
and  cliildren,  who  were  then  held  captive  by  the  Indians. 
He  had  married  Ann  Barnett.in  South  Carolina,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution  moved  to  Kentucky*  He 
conceived  so  favorable  an  opinion  of  Illinois  that  he  made  it 
his  home  in  1797,  first  settling  in  the  American  Bottim 
below  St.  Louis,  and  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  century 
moving  to  what  is  now  Madi-son  county.  Congress,  in  1815, 
gave  to  Mrs.  Gillham  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land 
at  the  head  of  Long  Lake,  iu  township  four,  range  nine, 
in  testimony  of  the  hardship  and  sufferings  she  endured  dur- 
ing her  captivity  among  the  Indians.  The  children  of 
James  Gillham,  were  Samuel,  Isaac,  Jacob  demons,  James, 
Harvey,  David  M.,  Polly,  Sally  and  Nancy.  Samuel  settled 
in  section  fifteen  of  township  four,  range  nine  ;  and  the 
other  sons,  Lsaac,  Jacob  demons,  James,  Harvey  and  Da- 
vid M.,  all  made  homes  for  themselves  iu  section  four  of  the 

*  One  day  in  the  montli  of  June,  1790,  while  Mr.  GilUiara  wag 
plowing  corn  on  his  farm  in  Kentucky,  and  his  son  Isaac,  then  a  .small 
boy,  was  clearing  away  with  a  hoe  the  clods  which  the  plow  might 
throw  on  the  young  stalks,  a  party  of  Kickapoo  Indians  stole  up  to 
the  house,  and  captnred  Gillham's  wife  and  his  three  other  children, 
whose  ages  ranged  from  four  to  twelve  years.  The  field  in  which  Mr. 
Gillham  w.is  at  work  was  at  some  distance  from  the  house,  and  it  was 
not  for  some  time  that  he  discovered  the  misfortune  which  had  be- 
fallen his  fimily.  In  the  meantime  the  Indians  hurried  away  with 
their  prisoners.  Mrs.  Gillham  w.as  so  alarmed  at  the  sudden  appear- 
ance of  the  savages  that  she  lost  lier  senses,  and  the  first  that  she  could 
recollect  afterward  was  the  voice  of  her  oldest  son,  S  imuel,  .saying, 
"  Mother,  we  are  all  prisoners."  The  Indians  ripped  open  the  beds, 
turned  out  the  feathers,  and  converted  the  ticks  into  sacks  into  which 
they  placed  clulhing  and  such  other  articles  as  they  could  carry  on 
their  backs.  They  then  hurried  off  in  the  direction  of  the  Kickapoo 
town,  near  the  head  waters  of  the  Sangamon  river  in  Illinois, 
Their  course  avoided  the  settlements,  and  their  anxiety  to  escape  pur- 
suit made  them  push  forward  without  rest  or  food.  The  savages 
hurried  them  forward  with  fierce  looks  and  threatening  gestures. 
The  children's  feet  became  sore  and  bruised,  and  the  mother  tore  her 
clothing  to  get  rags  in  which  to  wrap  them.  The  Indians  had  with  them 
a  small  quantity  of  jerked  veni.son  which  they  gave  the  children,  but 
neither  they  nor  the  mother,  h.ad  a  particle  of  food,  until  one  day  after 
they  had  traveled  some  distance  from  the  white  settlements,  the  party 
made  a  halt,  and  two  of  their  best  hunters  were  dispatched  to  look  for 
game.  Towards  night  they  returned  with  one  poor  raccoon.  Mrs. 
Gillham,  who  was  afraid  that  either  the  children  would  perish  with 
hunger,  or  that  the  Indians  would  kill  them  to  save  them  from  star- 
vation, afterward  said  that  the  sight  of  this  one  poor  coon  gave  her 
more  satisfaction  at  that  time  than  any  amount  of  wealth  could  furnish. 
The  coon  was  dressed  by  singing  oft"  the  hair  over  a  blazing  fire,  and 
after  throwing  away  the  contents  of  the  intestines,  in  w.as  chopped  in 
pieces,  and  with  head,  bones,  skin,  and  entrails,  boiled  in  a  kettle  and 
made  into  a  kind  of  soup.  The  Indians  and  their  captives  sat  around 
the  kettle,  and  with  bone  spoons  and  forked  sticks,  obtained  a  scanty 
relief  from  starvation. 

They   approached  the  Ohio  river  with  great  camion,  fearful  tli.at 


same  township  and  range.  The  descendants  of  the  two 
youngest  daughters  now  reside  in  the  State  of  Mississippi. 

James  Gillham  wrote  ti  hi^  brothers  in  S  )uth  Carolina  of 
the  advantages  of  the  Illinois  country,  and  his  brother, 
Thomas,  left  South  Carolina  in  the  fall  of  the  year  1799, 
and  reached  the  end  of  his  journey  on  the  closing  day  of  the 
eighteenth  century — thus  ready  to  begin  the  new  century 
in  the  new  western  world.  Two  other  brothers,  John  and 
William,  came  to  Illinois  in  the  year  1802,  both  settling 
within  the  present  boundaries  of  Madison  county,  and 
another  brother,  Isaac,  followed  a  couple  of  years  afterward. 

The  oldest  son  of  Thomas  Gillham  was  Isham  Gillham, 
sheriff  of  Madison  county,  from  1812  to  1818.  He  first 
settled  on  a  farm  adjoining  that  of  Colonel  Samuel  Judy, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1817  moved  to  the  bank  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, nearly  opposite  the  luouth  of  the  Missouri.  Another 
son,  William,  settled  on  a  farm  in  the  liidge  prairie,  five 
miles  east  of  Edwardsville.  One  of  the  daughters,  Violet, 
married  Joshua  Vaughn,  and  settled  in  the  American  Bot- 
tom ;  and  another.  Patsy,  became  the  wife  of  Peter  Hub- 
bird,  and  moved  to  Bond  county. 

William  Gillham,  on  coming  to  Illinois  settled  in  the  Si.x; 
mile  prairie,  as  early  as  1820,  or  1822  ;  he  moved  to  Jersey 
county.  His  sons  were  John  D.,  William,  and  Ezekiel. 
William  became  a  resident  of  Scott  county,  and  the  two 
others  lived  in  Jersey  county.   One  of  the  daughters,  Agnes, 

they  might  be  discovered  by  white  people  passing  down  the  river. 
They  camped  through  the  day  in  a  thick  wood  near  the.site  of  the  town  of 
Hawesville,  Kentucky,  and  made  three  rafLs  of  dry  logs,  I;is!ied  togeth- 
er with  thongs  of  red  elm  bark,  and  at  night  crossed  the  river  in  safe- 
ty. Once  across  the  Ohio  the  Indians  relaxed  some  of  their  cau- 
tion, marched  slower,  and  secured  abundant  food.  Keeping  to  the 
right  of  the  white  settlement  at  Vincennes,  they  crossed  the  Wabash 
below  Terre  Haute,  and  marching  through  the  present  counties  of 
Clark,  Coles  and  Micon  in  this  State,  finally  reached  tha  Indian  town 
on  Salt  Creek  about  twenty  miles  east  of  north  from  the  present  city 
of  Springfield. 

Mr.  Gillham  on  returning  home  from  his  work  at  noon  found  all 
about  his  house  in  confusion.  Tlie  feathers  from  the  beds  were 
scattered  over  the  yard,  and  the  mother  and  children  were  gone.  It 
did  not  take  a  long  time  for  a  frontiersman  to  conjecture  the  fate  of  the 
family.  It  was  plain  that  they  had  been  taken  prisoners  by  the  In- 
dians, and  Mr.  Gillham  and  his  friends  lost  no  time  iu  starting  in 
pursuit.  Their  trail,  as  they  left  the  clearing,  was  discovered,  and  in 
one  or  two  pl.aces  the  footprints  of  Mrs  Gillham  and  the  children 
were  visible.  But  the  trail  was  again  lost,  and  all  their  ctlorts  to  re- 
cover it  were  ineflectual.  Mr.  Gillham  was  obliged  to  abandon  the 
pursuit,  but  he  still  entertained  hope  of  one  day  recovering  his  wife 
and  children.  He  sold  his  improvements  in  Kentucky,  and  visited 
Vincennes  and  Ka,skaskia,  with  the  hope  of  enlisting  the  aid  of  the 
French  traders,  who  had  person.al  knowledge  of  all  the  Indian  tribes 
in  the  Northwest.  The  commencement  of  hostilities  between  the 
whites  and  Indians  made  his  efTorts  almost  hopeless.  After  five  years 
of  disappointment  he  learned  from  some  of  the  French  traders  that 
his  family  were  among  the  Kiekapoos,  and  with  two  Frenchmen  as 
interpreters  and  guides  he  visited  the  Indian  town  on  Salt  Creek,  and 
found  his  wife  and  children,  alive  and  well.  The  rans  im  was  p:ii<l 
through  an  Irish  trader  .at  Cahokia,  named  .Vtchinson.  The  younger 
son,  demons,  could  not  speak  a  word  of  English,  and  it  was  some 
time  before  he  could  be  persuaded  to  leave  the  Indian  country.  In 
bis  visit  to  Illinois,  Mr.  Gillham  had  become  favorably  impressed 
with  the  advantages  of  the  country,  and  in  1797,  two  years  after  the 
recovering  of  his  family,  he  became  a  resident  of  this  State. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


73 


married  John  G.  Lofton,  one  of  the  early  judges  of  the 
court  of  com  men  pleas  of  Madison  county.  Sally  married 
a  Mr.  Waddle,  and  subsequently  a  Mr.  Jarvis.  Jane  became 
the  wife  of  William  Davidson.  Peggy  became  the  wife  of 
Benjamin  Steadmau,  and  Polly  of  Frank  Kirkpatrick. 

John  Ciillham  arrived  in  what  is  now  Madison  county  on 
the  tenth  day  of  June,  1802,  and  first  settled  in  section 
nineteen,  township  four,  range  eight,  on  the  west  bank  of 
Crthokia  creek,  near  the  farms  of  Col  Samuel  Judy,  and 
William  Bolin  Whiteside,  and  afterward  removed  to  a  farm 
in  section  one,  township  four,  range  nine,  where  he  lived  till 
his  death  in  the  year  1832  His  oldest  daughter,  Jlargaret 
was  married  in  South  Carolina  to  Samuel  Brown,  who 
settled  in  section  four,  township  four,  range  nine,  and 
in  1830,  moved  to  Scott  county.  Ann,  his  next  daughter, 
was  likewise  married  in  South  Carolina,  to  Isaiah  Dunnagan, 
who  made  the  first  improvement  in  township  five,  range 
eight.  James,  the  oldest  son,  married  Polly  Good,  under 
the  authority  of  the  first  marriage  license  issued  in  Madison 
county,  and  settled  in  section  one,  of  township  four,  range 
nine.  Ryderus  C,  another  son,  settled  near  his  brother 
James.  The  other  children  were  Thomas,  Sarah,  Charles, 
Elizabeth,  Susannah,  Polly,  John  and  William.  Sarah 
became  the  wife  of  Daniel  Brown,  and  settled  on  the  Caho- 
kia,  in  section  eighteen,  township  four,  range  eight.  Susan- 
nah married  William  Ramsey,  and  moved  to  Scott  county. 
Polly  married  Thomas  Cox,  and  settled  in  section  thirty- 
six,  township  five,  range  nine.  John  settled  where  Wanda 
station  now  is.  He  was  a  pioneer  Methodist  preacher  and 
died  in  1835.  William  was  born  in  Tenne  see  in  1802,  on 
the  journey  from  South  Carolina  to  Illinois.  His  home  was 
in  section  thirty  six,  of  township  five,  range  nine.  He  was 
also  a  Methodist  minister,  and  died  of  the  cholera  in  Alton 
in  1853. 

Isaac  Gillham  came  to  Illinois  in  1804  or  1805,  and  settled 
in  the  American  Bottom,  in  this  county.  His  children  were 
Thomas,  John,  James,  William,  Isaac,  Polly,  Margaret, 
Susannah,  and  Jane.  Thomas  settled  within  a  short  dis- 
tauce  of  the  old  Six  mile  prairie  Methodist  Church ;  John 
settled  on  an  adjoining  farm  ;  James  moved  to  Scott  county ; 
William  improved  the  farm  on  which  Dr  T.  J.  Irish  now 
resides,  in  township  three,  range  nine ;  Isaac  lived  on  a  farm 
near  his  brother  Thomas  ;  Margaret  married  John  David- 
son, who  lived  on  a  farm  adjoining  the  church  proj)erty  at 
Kinder ;  Polly  married  Robert  Whiteside,  and  removed  from 
the  county;  Susannah  became  the  wife  of  Hardy  Willbanks, 
and  emigrated  to  Texas;  Jane,  the  youngest  daughter,  mar- 
ried Hiram  Fish,  and  resided  in  township  three,  range  nine. 

Ezekiel  Gillham.  the  oldest  son  of  the  original  Thomas 
Gillham,  was  married  in  Virginia,  and  moved  to  what  is 
now  Oglethorpe  county,  Georgia.  One  of  his  sons  and  two 
of  his  daughters.  Charles,  Mary  and  Margaret,  came  to  Illi- 
nois in  1803.  Charles  Gillham  stttled  the  Phillips  farm, 
southeast  of  Edwardsville,  and  his  daughter,  Lucretia,  he- 
came  the  wife  of  John  T.  Lusk.  Mary  married  Thomas 
Good  in  Georgia.  Good  settled  two  miles  and  a  half  south 
of  Edwardsville.  His  wife  was  a  Methodist,  and  on  his 
farm  were  held  the  early  Methodi.st  camp  meetings.  Mar- 
10 


garet  had  married  in  Georgia  Bryant  Mooney.  Mooney 
settled  about  a  mile  east  of  Edwardsville,  and  gave  his  name 
to  Mooney 's  branches. 

Sally,  one  of  the  daughters  of  the  original  Thomas  Gill- 
ham, married  in  South  Carolina  John  Davidson,  who  was 
killed  in  one  of  the  battles  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  Two 
of  her  sons,  Thomas  G.,  and  William  Davidson,  and  one  of 
her  daughters,  Sally,  came  to  Illinois,  and  settled  in  Madi- 
son county  early  in  the  present  century. 

Susannah,  the  youngest  daughter  of  Thomas  Gillham, 
married  James  Kirkpatrick  in  South  Carolina.  After  an 
absence  of  months  in  the  army  during  the  war  for  Indepen- 
dence, he  obtained  permission  to  visit  his  family,  which,  on 
account  of  the  strong  Tory  feeling  in  the  neighborhood  iu 
which  he  lived,  he  had  to  do  by  stealth.  He  had  been  home 
but  a  few  minutes  when  as  he  was  seated  by  his  wife,  sur- 
rounded by  his  children,  he  was  shot  through  the  window 
by  a  Tory  and  killed.  The  four  olde.'?t  sons  of  Mrs.  Kirk- 
patrick James,  Thomas,  Franklin,  and  John  came  to  Illinois, 
and  figured  prominently  in  the  early  settlement  of  Madison 
county. 

The  Gi'lhams  were  strong  supporters  of  morality  and 
order,  and  among  the  best  citizens  of  the  county.  Though 
born  in  a  slave  State,  they  recognized  the  corrupting  in- 
fluence of  slavery,  and  unalterably  opposed  its  introduction 
into  Illinois.  The  author  of  a  history  of  the  State,  pub. 
lished  in  1849,  remarks  that  the  convention  party  of  1824 
owed  its  defeat  to  the  Gillham  family  and  their  kinsmen 
who,  almost  in  a  solid  phalanx,  cast  five  hundred  votes 
against  the  proposition  to  make  Illinois  a  slave  State. 

The  following  facts  in  reference  to  the  Gillham  family, 
were  written  and  furnished  by  Hon.  Daniel  B.  Gillham: 

"  Thomas  Gillham,  the  ancestor  of  the  family  in  America, 
many  of  whose  descendants  were  identified  with  the  early 
settlement  of  Illinois  during  the  last  year  of  the  last,  and 
first  years  of  the  present  century,  was  a  native  of  Ireland. 
He  was  married  there  and  with  his  wife  and  child,  Charles, 
emigrated  to  America  about  the  year  1730,  and  settled  first 
in  Virginia.  His  first  wife  dying  there,  he  again  married, 
and  removed  to  South  Carolina  and  settled  in  what  was 
then  known  as  Pendleton  county,  since  divided  into  the 
counties  of  Pickens  and  Henderson. 

His  family  consisted  of  eleven  children,  seven  sons  and 
four  daughters,  namely:  Charles,  Ezekiel,  Thomas,  William, 
James,  John,  Isaac,  Nancy,  Mary,  Sally,  and  Susannah, 
and  were  Irish  Presbyterians,  though  their  descendants 
are  now  mostly  j\Iethodists. 

He,  his  sons  and  sons-in-law  all  served  in  the  war  for  Inde- 
penlence,  during  which  two  of  his  sons.ia-lavv  lost  their 
lives,  namely,  John  David.«on  and  James  Kirkpatrick. 

The  first  of  the  family  that  beheld  the  Illinois  country 
was  James,  the  fourth  son  of  Thomas  Gillham,  in  quest  of 
his  wife  and  children  then  held  captive  by  the  Indians  in 
the  summer  of  1794 — a  history  of  which  is  given  above. 
When  he  recovered  his  family  from  the  Indians  he 
was  so  pleased  with  the  prairies  of  Illinois  and  happy 
in  the  results  of  his  long  and  dangerous  search,  that 
he  wrote  his  relations  of  his  grand  discovery  rcque;4tiiig 
them  to  come.  Accordingly,  Thomas  the  third,  aTid  Isaac 
the  youngest  of  the  sjns  of  Thomas  Gillham  the  1st,  left 
South  Carolina  in  the  foil  and  arrived  at  their  journey's  end 
on  the  last  day  of  the  eighteenth  and  rested  quietly  ou 
Illinois   soil   on   the  first  day  of  the   niuetejath    century. 


I]  IS  TORY   GF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Thus  they  began  the  new  century  in  the  new  world.  James 
was  here  as  before  statt  tl,  and  two  others,  John  and  William, 
arrived  in  1802,  both  settling  within  the  present  boundaries 
of  Madison  county. 

Charles,  the  first  son,  and  his  two  eldest  sisters  remained 
in  the  old  south  state.  Ezekiel,  the  second  son,  raised  a  large 
family,  lour  of  whom  emigrated  to  Illinois,  namely,  Charles, 
Mary,  Ruth  and  Margaret. 

Charles,  son  of  Ezekiel,  was  the  father  of  Mrs.  Lucretia, 
wife  of  the  late  Hon.  J.  T.  Lusk,  and  grandfather  to  Capt. 
G.  C.  Lusk  and  Mrs.  Sarah  Torrence,  residing  ia  Edwards- 
ville,  where  they  were  born.  Ezekiel  was  the  grandfather 
of  the  late  Thomas  and  Davidson  Good. 

Themas  Gillham,  the  oldest  of  the  second  family,  married 
a  Jliss  McDaw  and  raised  three  sons,  Lham,  AVilliam  and 
John  T. ;  and  seven  daughters,  Jane,  Margaret,  Sally, 
Violet,  Patsy  and  Agnes,  several  of  whom  either  died  young 
or  never  came  to  Illinois. 

Isham,  the  oldest  son,  m^rried  Rulh  Vaughn  Their 
family  were  Jonah  K.,  Shadrach  B.,  John,  James  Johnson, 
and  a  daughter  Julia,  all  born  and  raised  in  Madison  county. 
Only  one,  J  J.,  is  now  living.  He  now  lives  in  Jersey 
county.  Isham  first  settled  on  a  farm  adjoining  that  of  the 
late  Samuel  Judy,  and,  in  April  1817,  removed  to  the  bank 
of  the  Missi>sippi  river,  nearly  opposite  the  mouth  of  the 
Missouri.     He  was  Sherifl'of  the  county  from  1812  to  1818. 

William,  the  second  son  of  Thomas  Gillham,  Jr.,  married 
Mary  Anderson  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Ri<lge  prairie, 
five  miles  east  of  Edwardsville.  Thtir  children  were  Eva- 
line,  Cvrus,  Isham,  Valugand,  Orsman.  I  am  not  aware  of 
any  of  this  family  residing  in  the  county  at  present.  Violet 
married  Joshua  Vaughn  and  settled  on  the  American 
Bottom  near  the  bluft'.  Patsy  married  Peter  Hubbard  and 
moved  to  Bond  county.  Agnes  lived  to  be  old  and  died 
single.     Of  the  remainder  (jf  the  lamily  I  have  no  history. 

William,  second  son  of  Thomas  Gillham,  married  Jane 
McDaw.  Their  sons  were  John  D  ,  William  and  Ezekiel. 
Their  daughters  were  Agnes,  Sally,  Mary,  Margaret  and 
Jane.  John  D.  has  always  lived  in  Jersey  county  ;  his  sons 
Marcus  and  Andrew  still  reside  there  I  believe.  William 
long  since  removed  to  Scott  county.  Ezekiel  also  lived  in 
Jersey  county,  and  is  the  grandfather  of  the  Rev.  John  D. 
Gillham,  now  of  Belleville.  Agnes  married  John  G.  Lofton, 
and  was  the  mother  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  G.  Lofton,  the 
former  owner  of  the  great  Orchard  farm,  four  miles  north 
of  St.  Louis  on  the  Alton  road.  John  G.  Lofton  was  one 
of  the  first  judges  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  of  Madi- 
son county.  Sally  married  a  Mr.  Waddle,  raised  four  sons, 
named  Alexander,  Thomas,  Andrew  and  William. 

After  Mr.  W^addle's  death,  she  again  married  a  Mr. 
Jarvis,  and  was  the  mother  of  John  Wesley  and  Fletcher 
Jarvis,  and  a  daughter  Lucinda.  Although  twice  married 
afterward  she  had  no  more  family.  She  always  resided  in 
Madison  county. 

Jane,  the  youngest  daughter,  married  William  Davidson, 
and  was  the  mother  of  T.  Sidney,  now  living  near  Venice, 
and  Mr.  Madison  Davidson,  who  settled  a  farm  near  the 
prtsent  residence  of  C.  P.  Smith  in  Fort  Russell  township, 
and  died  there  in  1859  or  '60. 

James  Gillham,  the  third  son  of  Thomas  Gillham,  Sr.  and 
Miss  Ann  Barnett,  a  sister  of  Capt.  Barnett  of  Revolu- 
tionary fame,  was  married  in  the  state  of  South  Carolina  in 
1770,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  for  Independence  removed 
to  Kentucky. 

Their  children  were  as  follows,  viz:  Samuel,  Isaac,  Jacob 
demons,  James  Harvey,  David,  Polly,  Sally  and  Nancy. 
As  befjre  stated,  Mr.  Gillham  first  saw  Illinois  while  in 
search  of  his  captive  family,  and  was  so  pleased  with  it  that 
he  determined  to  make  it  his  future  home,  and  did  so  from 
the  summerof  1797, and  in  1800  he  settled  in  the  American 
Bottom  below  St.  Louis.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  same  year 


he,  with  his  family  removed  to  a  tract  of  160  acres  of  land 
that  the  United  States  in  consideration  of  her  great  trials 
had  bertowed  upon  his  noble  wife,  where  they  continued  to 
reside  to  the  time  of  their  death.  Of  this  iamily  we  have 
the  following  :  Stimuel,  the  oldtst  son,  married  Anna  Patter- 
son and  settled  on  the  south  half  of  section  15,  township 
4,  range  9,  west.  This  family  consisted  of  five  sons,  viz: 
John  P.,  James  H.,  Isham  Barnett,  Dr.  Samuel  J.,  late  of 
Carlyle,  now  deceased,  and  Gershom  M.,  now  res-iding  in 
Carlyle.  Their  daughters  wtre  Adelaide,  Louisa,  first  wife 
of  late  Samuel  P.  Gillham,  Ruhama,  and  Nancy,  the  latter 
now  living  in  jMascoutah,  St.  Clair  county.  Jsaae,  the 
second  son,  married  Nelly  Patterson  and  .settled  on  the  south- 
east quarter  of  section  4  in  township  No.  4  north,  range  nine 
west.  This  family  consisted  of  five  daughters,  Sally,  who 
was  the  wife  and  widow  of  Charles  Bram,  and  also  the 
wife  of  J.  Miller  JIurphy.  Eliza,  who  was  the  wife  of 
Phillip  Day,  Arilda  and  Indiana,  the  first  and  second  wives 
of  Isaiah  Dunnagan,  Jr.,  Zurah,  who  married  a  Mr.  Douglas, 
and  Ellen,  the  fiist  wife  of  Micajah  C.  Gillham,  and  J. 
Franklin,  A\ho  died  at  the  ape  of  18  years.  The  third  son, 
J.  demons,  married  first  Priscilla  Patterson  and  settled  in 
the  same  section,  township  and  range. 

Their  children  were  John  Patterson,  now  of  Missouri, 
Harriet,  now  5Irs.  Rush,  of  this  county,  and  Lucinda,  first 
wife  of  the  late  James  Sanders.  His  second  wife  was  Miss 
Katy  Harkleroad,  sister  of  the  late  Isaac  Harkleroad  of  this 
county.  His  children  were  J.  Milton,  Priscilla  Gillham, 
now  of  Mississippi,  and  Maliuda,  now  the  wife  of  James 
Coda  of  Madison. 

J.  Harvey,  the  fourth  son  of  Samuel  Gillham,  married 
Polly  Whiteside,  and  settled  in  the  same  section  with  his 
brothers.  Their  children  were  William,  Sally,  Samuel  and 
Ann. 

David  M.  married  Polly  Harkleroad,  and  settled  also  in 
the  same  section.  They  had  two  sons,  Thomas  and  Mason. 
Polly,  the  oldest  daughter  of  Samuel  Gillham,  married  a  Mr. 
Thomas,  but  raised  no  family.  The  others  married  and  left 
the  county,  and  are  residents  of  the  state  of  Mississippi. 

John  Gillham,  the  fourth  son  of  Thomas  Gillham,  Sr., 
emigrated  from  South  Carolina  to  Illinois,  arriving  in 
Monroe  county  on  the  10th  day  of  June,  1802,  and  settled 
in  Madison  county  in  set  lion  19,  township  4  north, 
range  8  west,  just  west  of  the  farm  of  Col.  Samuel  Judy 
and  Bolin  Whitfside  on  the  west  bank  of  Cahokia  creek, 
where  he  lived  a  few  years  and  then  removed  to  the  north- 
east quarter  of  section  1,  same  township  and  range,  where 
Mr.  Sinclair  now  resides,  where  he  lived  until  his  death  in 
March  18.32.  He  was  married  in  South  Carolina  to  Misj 
Sirah  Clark,  by  whom  he  had  twelve  children,  six  sons  and 
six  daughters.  Their  names  were  in  this  order,  Margaret, 
Ann,  Thomas,  James,  Ryderus  Clark,  Sarah,  Charles,  Eliza- 
beth, Susannah,  Polly,  John  and  W^illiam.  jMargaret  and 
Ann  were  married  iu  South  Carolina,  the  former  to  Samuel 
Brown  who  settled  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  4,  town- 
ship 4  north,  range  9  west,  where  Mrs.  William  Emert  now 
resides;  selling  out  in  1830  and  removing  to  Scott  county. 
The  latter  to  Jsaiah  Dunnagan,  who  made  the  first  improve- 
ments in  township  5,  ra'  ge  8,  now  Fort  Russell,  upon  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  31,  where  the  parsonage  stands 
at  Wanda  station.  Their  children  were  Joshua,  now  of  Col- 
orado, Thomas,  Aimer,  Joseph,  Clark,  Laiah  and  a  daughter 
Louisa,  the  wife  of  Levi  Stringer.  Their  desc*  ndants  are  few 
and  widely  scattered,  yet  all  married,  settled,  lived  and  died 
in  Madison  county,  except  Joshua,  who  alone  is  living. 
Thomas,  the  oldest  sou  of  John  Gillham,  died  single.  James, 
the  oldest  sou,  married  Polly  Good  under  authority  of  the 
first  license  of  marriage  issued  iu  the  county,  and  settled  on 
the  southwest  quarter  of  Section  1,  township  4,  range  9,  now 
Chouteau.  His  family  consis  ed  of  four  daughters;  the 
oldest,  Sally,  became  the  Aife  of  Ryland  Ballard,  the  second, 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


75 


Polly  Ann,  was  the  wife  of  a  Jackson  Davidson,  and  after- 
ward the  wife  of  JefFv^rson  Cox.  The  third,  Nancy  C.  married 
Hugh  Paul,  and  the  fourth,  Mirtha  T.,  is  the  wife  of  Lemuel 
Siuthard  and  resides  on  the  old  homestead,  the  ouly  one 
living. 

Ryderus  C,  bast  knowi  as  "R;d,"  f)r  short,  was  first 
married  to  Susannah  B  own  an!  .settler!  one  quarter  of  a 
mile  south  of  his  br.>ther  Jaina,  iu  Sjctiou  12,  township  4, 
range  9,  where  he  resiiled  to  the  day  of  his  death.  He  was 
a  juror  iu  the  first  murder  ease  tried  in  this  county.  Their 
children  were  Lydia,  who  married  James  GiUhara,  Sa  nuel 
P.,  Rev.  John,  a  Metho  list  minister,  uow  of  Eldorado, 
Salin  countv,  Micajah  C,  Hannah,  the  first  wife  of  Charles 
Sebastian,  Sarah,  now  of  Jersey  county,  and  Susannah  B  , 
who  was  the  first  wife  of  Samuel  Teter  and  afterward  the 
wife  of  George  S.  Rice.  By  his  .second  marriage  to  Mrs. 
Ruhama  Stockton,  nee  Patterson,  his  children  were  Ann,  the 
wife  of  Elias  Judy,  Jara^s,  now  of  Alton,  Gershora  P., 
deceased,  JIary  E.,  second  wife  of  Jonah  Good,  E.  Ellen, 
the  wife  of  John  Willson  of  Marion  county  and  Ryderus 
Clark,  Jr.,  now  residing  on  the  old  homestead. 

Charles,  the  third  son  of  John  GUlham,  first  married  Misi 
C'elia  Medford  and  raised  two  daughters,  Sarah  and  Mary 
Ann,  who  married  Joseph  Tilton.  Both  died  in  early  life. 
By  his  .second  wife,  Miss  Mary  Murphy,  he  had  one  daughter, 
Ann,  uow  the  wife  of  David  Klingle,  Esq.  Sally,  the  third 
daughter,  married  Daniel  Brown,  and  settled  on  the  banks 
of  Cahokia  creek  in  section  18,  township  4,  range  8.  Their 
children  were  fohn,  Charles,  Samuel,  I.  Newton,  D.  Sanders, 
and  James.  I.  N  and  James  died  young;  a  daughter, 
Susannah,  married  Jlr.  McMurtra  and  resides  in  VanBuren, 
Arkansas.     D.  Sanders  also  lives  there. 

Charles  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Murphy,  who  is  yet 
living.  John  married  Elizabeth  Vaughn,  and  Samuel 
married  Miss  Sebastian,  and  went  to  California  iu  1849. 
Elizabeth,  fourth  daughter  of  John  Gillham,  married  Mica- 
jah Cox  and  early  located  in  Scott  couuty.  Their  numerous 
descendants  still  reside  there. 

Susannah,  fifth  daughter,  married  William  Ramsey  and 
also  located  in  Scott  county,  where  they  resided  until  1840, 
when  Mr.  R.  died.  They  had  three  children,  .fohu,  the 
oldest,  Caroline,  who  became  the  wife  of  a  Mr.  Packwood, 
and  Mary  Anu,  now  the  wife  of  Dr.  Mahlon  Turner,  of 
Des  Moines,  Iowa.  John  was  killed  by  accident  on  a  steam- 
ship upon  his  return  home  from  Cdlifornia,  at  the  city  of 
New  Orleans,  in  18.^0. 

The  sixth  daughter,  Polly,  married  Thomas  Cox  and 
settled  upon  the  southeast  corner  of  section  36,  township  5, 
range  9  uow  Wood  river.  Their  children  were  Jefferson, 
John  H.  and  William,  all  born  and  raised  in  this  county. 

John,  fifth  son  of  John  Gillham,  Sr.,  married  Miss  Phebe 
Dunnagan,  and  settled  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  I, 
township  4,  range  9,  right  where  Wanda  Station  now  stands. 
He  was  a  pioneer  Methodist  preacher,  and  did  what  he 
could  toward  the  advancement  of  the  church,  aided  by  a 
true  Christian  wife.  They  both  died  within  a  brief  period 
in  1835,  he  at  37  she  at  36  years  of  age,  leaving  five  small 
children,  who.se  names  were  NarcLssa,  who  married  Johnson 
Vaughn  and  mother  of  Mrs.  M.  H.  Boals,  of  Alton.  Mr. 
Vaughn  dying  she  married  George  Q^iigley  of  Alton. 
Their  children  were  Frank,  John  G.  and  Mac. 

D.iuiel  B  ,  the  oldest  son,  married  first  Miss  E.  Lucretia 
Smith,  who  lived  only  six  years,  leaving  a  daughter,  M. 
Eliza,  wife  of  Warren  Lowe,  Esq.,  of  Upper  Alton. 

He  again  married  Miss  Virginia  Harrison,  by  whom  he 
has  one  son  Willard  T.,  and  four  daughters  living,  viz: 
Nannie  Addean,  Alice  E  ,  E  Lillian  and  Virginia  N.  His 
second  wife  dyitig  in  1872,  in  I87ii  he  was  married  to  Ade- 
line Harrison,  sister  of  the  second  wife,  who  has  no  children. 

Julia  A  .second  daughter,  married  \\m  Harrison  of  the 
firm  of  Harrison  Brothers,  merchant  millers  of  Belleville. 


She  lived  but  a  short  time  afterward.  H.  Eliza,  third 
daughter,  married  Shed  B.  Gillham,  now  of  Upper  Alton. 
Shortly  after  they  were  married  they  removed  to  West 
Point,  Iowa,  where  she  died  about  four  mouths  afterward. 
Both  the  latter  were  graduates  of  the  Jacksonville  Female 
College  and  neither  left  children. 

Jo.seph  B  ,  the  .second  son,  emigrated  to  Calif  )rnia  in  lS.o3. 
He  there  married  a  JIi.ss  Adams  aud  died  from  a  wound 
inflicted  by  a  ma'i  whom  he  had  befriended  across  the  plains 
by  loaning  him  money,  upon  which  to  live,  while  serving 
upon  him  a  writ  as  sherirt'  of  the  county.  He  left  two 
children. 

William,  sixth  son  of  John  Gillham,  Sr.,  was  born  in  the 
state  of  Tennessee  while  his  parents  were  en  route  to  Illi- 
nois in  1H02.  He  married  Polly  MeKinuey,  and  settled  on 
the  southeast  quarter  of  section  36,  township  5  range  9, 
Wood  River.  Tliey  raised  but  two  children, — sotis — John 
M.  formerly  of  the  Western  House,  Broadway,  St.  Louis, 
now  of  Leadville,  Colorado,  and  Wm.  E.  Emaring  of  the 
Brunswick  House,  St.  Louis.  He  was  also  a  M 'tlo  list 
minister,  and  died  of  cholera  in  the  city  of  Alton,  in  ls.53, 
beloved  by  all.  His  wife  survived  him,  but  has  now  passed 
awa)'.  All  of  the  above  named  desceudauts  of  John  Gill- 
ham, Sr.,  have  numerous  descenda  its  now  scattered  over 
the  wide  domain  of  the  United  States,  a  complete  history  of 
which  would  make  a  large  volume. 

Isaac,  the  fifth  son  of  Thomas  Gillham,  was  married  in 
South  Carolina  to  Miss  Jane  Kirkpatrick,  emigrated  to 
Illinois  in  1804  or  5  and  settled  on  the  American  Bottom  in 
Madison  county.  Most  of  his  children  were  born  in  the 
old  South  State.  Their  names  were  Thomas,  John,  James, 
William  and  Isaac,  Polly,  Margaret,  Susannah  and  Jane. 
Thomas  married  Letitia  Davidson  and  settled  near  the  [)lank 
road  from  Edwardsville  to  St.  Louis,  about  three  and  one- 
half  miles  northeast  from  the  latter,  and  within  a  few 
hundred  feet  of  the  old  Six-mile  Methodist  church.  Their 
children  were  Newton,  now  of  Oregon,  Lewallen,  deceased 
James  G.,  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  Shadrach  B.,  of  Upper 
Alton,  Minerva  and  Lucretia,  the  wives  of  Gabriel  and 
James  Marlow,  both  deceased,  and  Margaret  wife  of  W.  C. 
Linn,  of  California.  John,  second  son  of  Isaac  Gillham,  Sr., 
married  Elizabeth  Gillham  and  settled  on  the  farm  just  west 
of  his  brother  Thomas.  Their  children  were  Jane,  Madison, 
Julia  and  John. 

James,  third  son  of  Isaac  Gillham,  Sr.,  married  Polly 
Lofton,  and  early  in  the  century  removed  to  Scott  county. 
Their  children  were  Leroy,  Wesley,  both  deceased,  Jud.;es 
Erastus,  and  William,  now  of  Scott  county,  Margaret,  widow 
of  the  late  Dr.  Kersey,  of  Winchester,  and  Jaue,  wife  of 
Je-se  Newman,  of  Jacksonville. 

William,  fourth  son  of  Isaac,  Sr.,  married  Barbara  Hea- 
ton  and  .settled  the  farm  now  owned  and  resided  upon  by 
Dr.  T.  J.  Irish,  in  Nameoki  township.  Their  children  were 
J  Addison  and  Louisa  the  wife  of  T.  Sidney  Davidson  of 
this  county.  His  first  wife  dying,  he  married  Miss  Marian 
Davidson.  Their  children  were  Thomas  and  Mary  .Jane. 
Isaac,  Jr.,  third  son  of  Isaac,  Sr.,  married  Rebecca  Hayden 
and  settled  on  a  farm  just  east  of  and  near  his  brother 
Tiiomas.  Their  only  child,  James  A.,  now  of  Brighton, 
with  whom  his  mother  still  resides. 

Margaret,  the  first  daughter  of  Isaac  Gillham,  Sr.,  married 
John  Davidson  and  settled  the  farm  adjoining  the  church 
property  at  Kiuder.  Their  only  son,  MiJton,  was  the  father 
of  John  E.  Davidson,  of  Golden,  Col.  Mrs.  Maggie  Mc- 
Carty,  of  Arizona  and  Mi.ss  Mattie  Davidson,  of  St.  Louis. 
Mr.  David.son  dying,  she  bjc.imj  the  wife  of  Calvin  Kinder, 
aud  was  probably  as  well  known  as  any  woman  ever  living 
iu  the  county.  Polly  married  Robert  Whiteside  and  left 
this  county.  Susaunah,  third  daughter  of  Isaac,  Sr.,  mar- 
ried Hardy  Willhanks  and  emigrated  to  Texas  at  an  early 
day.     Jaue,  fourth  daughter  of  Isaac  Gillham,  Sr.,  married 


76 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Hiram  Fisli,  who  lived  in  the  township  of  Nameoki.     Their 
only  child,  Stiliuan  Oscar,  now  resides  in  St.  Louis. 

Sally,  eldest  daughter  of  Thomas  Gillhani,  Sr.,  married 
John  Davidson  in  South  Carolina.  Their  children  were 
Samuel,  Thomas,  George,  William,  Susannah  and  Sally. 
Samuel  and  Susannah  did  not  come  to  Illinois.  Thomas  G. 
married  in  South  Carolina,  and  early  came  to  Illinois  with 
his  brothers  George  and  William  and  his  sister  Sally.  His 
children  by  his  first  wife  were  Letitia,  wife  of  Thomas  Gill- 
ham,  Jr.,  and  mother  of  S.  B.  Gillham  of  Upper  Alton, 
Ephraiiu  William  and  Dovey,  widow  of  Alexander  Bell. 
She  now  resides  at  Exeter,  Scott  county.  His  first  wife 
dying,  he  married  Polly  Stanford  and  settled  just  on  top  of 
the  blutf  where  J.  H.  Kendall  now  resides.  Their  children 
were  Beverly  A.,  and  Clayton  T.,  vho  long  lived  on  the  old 
homestead.  Matilda,  who  was  the  first  wife  of  Joshua 
Duunagan,  married  the  second  wife  of  William  Gillham. 
Jane,  the  wife  of  Walker  Delaplain,  who  settled,  lived  and 
died  near  Venice.  Sinai,  the  wife  of  the  late  Sidney  Smith 
and  the  mother  of  Mr.  Shed.  B.  Gillham,  Mrs.  W.  C.  Had- 
ley,  and  William  Smith,  Esq.,  of  CoUinsville ;  Sopronia, 
the  fii>t  wife  of  George  S.  Rice;  and  Elvira,  the  wife  of 
Abner  Duunagan  and  mother  of  W.  H.  and  Miss  Mattie 
Dunnagan  of  this  county.  Thomas  G.  Davidson  was  one  of 
the  firi-t  justices  of  Madison  county. 

WilUiam,  second  son  of  John  Davidson,  married  Hannah 
Bunkhead  and  early  came  to  Illinois.  Their  children  were 
Ishara,  James,  Andrew,  I]lizabeth,  who  became  the  wife 
of  Thomas  G.  Dunnagan,  and  S.  Milicent,  second  wife  of  J. 
Clark  Dunnagan,  both  yet  residing  on  the  old  homestead  in 
section  1  and  '2,  township  4,  range  9. 

George,  the  third  son  of  John  Davidson,  married  Miss 
Jane  Lusk.  Susannah  married  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Lusk.  They  did  not  come  to  Illinois.  John  Davidson, 
husband  of  Sally  Gillham,  as  above,  was  killed  iu  battle  in 
the  Revolutionary  War. 

Susannah,  youngest  daughter  of  Thomas  Gillham,  the  1st, 
married  James  Kirkpatiick  in  South  Carolina.  After 
having  been  away  from  his  home,  in  the  army  of  the  revo- 
lution for  months,  he  obtained  permission  to  visit  his  family 
which,  on  account  of  Toryism,  he  had  to  do  by  stealth.  He 
had  been  at  home  but  a  few  minutes  when,  sitting  upon  his 
wife's  knees,  surrounded  by  his  children,  he  was  shot  and 
killed  by  a  Tory  named  Pruitt,  who  fired  through  a  window. 
They  had  five  children,  viz:  James,  Thomas,  Franklin, 
John  and  Polly.  Mrs.  Kirkpatrick  again  married  a  man 
by  the  name  of  Scott,  and  raised  a  sou  Joseph.  She,  her 
daughter,  and  youngest  son  never  came  to  Illinois.  Her 
older  sons,  fouf  in  number,  all  came  to  Illinois  at  an  early 
day,  and  figure  prominently  in  the  early  settlement  of  Madi- 
son county.  Their  descendants  are  to  be  found  in  many 
portions  of  the  state  iu  Bond,  Adams,  Morgan  and  other 
counties." 

Thus  I  have  imperfectly  sketched  the  history  of  the 
family  to  the  second  generation  in  Illinois  only,  which  is  all 
that  space  will  admit  which  from  the  meagre  and  somewhat 
contradictory  data  at  hand,  must  of  necessity  contain  mis- 
takes or  errors.  Were  it  continued  to  the  present  day  it 
would  supply  material  for  a  large  volume,  and  while  this  is 
in  no  sense  a  history  of  the  family,  it  is  as  correct  as  I  think 
it  possible  at  this  late  day  to  make  it,  and  it  will  enable  the 
descendants  of  the  diflerent  branches  of  the  family  to  take 
up  the  thread  in  each  and  carry  it  down." 


Among  the  accessions  to  the  population  of  the  southern 
part  of  the  county,  in  the  year  1802,  were  members  of  the 
White.ide  family,  who  moved  up  from  Monroe  county.   The 


Whitesides,  in  early  times,  were  celebrated  for  their  bravery 
and  daring  in  the  troubles  between  the  white  settlers  and 
the  Indians.  They  were  of  Irish  descent.  W'illiam  White- 
side, the  leader  and  pioneer  of  the  family  in  Illinois,  was 
a  soldier  in  the  Revolution,  and  took  part  in  the  battle  of 
King's  Mountain.  From  the  frontiers  of  North  Carolina 
he  emigrated  to  Kentucky,  and  thence  in  the  year  1793  he 
came  to  Illinois  He  settled  iu  the  present  county  of  Mon- 
roe, and  built  a  fort  on  the  road  between  Cahokia  and  Kas- 
kaskia,  (about  half  way  between  the  present  towns  of  Co- 
lumbia and  Waterloo),  which  became  widely  known  as 
"  Whiteside's  Station."  His  brother,  John  Whiteside,  who 
came  to  Illinois  at  the  same  time,  had  also  been  a  Revolu- 
tionary soldier.  Colonel  William  Whiteside  was  justice  of 
the  peace,  and  judge  of  the  court  of  common  pleas  of  j\[onroe 
county.  In  the  war  of  1812-14,  he  was  active  in  organizing 
the  militia.     He  died  at  the  old  station  in  1815. 

The  Whitesides  had  been  neighbors  of  the  Jud3's  in 
Monroe  county,  and  coming  to  the  Goshen  settlement  they 
selected  a  location  not  far  from  Samuel  Judy.  The  wife  of 
the  latter  was  a  sister  to  Samuel  Whiteside.  Samuel  and 
Joel  Whiteside,  .sons  of  John  Whiteside,  settled  in  the  north- 
east part  of  the  present  CoUinsville  township,  and  made  the 
first  improvements  on  the  Ridge  prairie.  The  other  settlers, 
who  preceded  them,  had  all  made  their  homes  at  the  foot  of 
the  bluff,  and  in  the  American  Bottom.  Samuel  Whiteside 
was  a  representative  from  Madison  county  in  the  first  legis- 
lature which  met  after  the  admission  of  Illinois  into  the 
Union  as  a  State.  He  commanded  a  company  of  rangers  in 
the  campaigns  against  the  Indians  during  the  war  of 
1812-14.  In  the  Black  Hawk  war  he  was  commissioned  by 
Governor  Reynolds  a  brigadier-general.  William  B.  White- 
side, who  for  many  years  filled  the  office  of  sheriff"  of  Madi- 
son county,  was  a  sou  of  Col.  William  Whiteside ;  he  was 
born  in  North  Carolina,  and  was  a  mere  lad  when  he  accom- 
panied his  father  to  Illinois  in  1793.  He  was  raised  on 
the  frontier,  without  many  opportunities  for  education,  but 
"  possessed  a  strong  and  sprightly  intellect,  and  a  benevo- 
lence rarely  equalled."  He  was  a  captain  of  one  of  the  com- 
panies of  United  States  rangers,  organized  in  1813.  John 
Reynolds,  afterward  governor  of  the  state,  and  three  of  his 
brothers  were  members  of  this  company,  as  also  were  a  large 
number  of  the  early  residents  of  Madison  county.  On  the 
twenty-fourth  of  July,  1802,  two  men,  named  Alexaniler 
Dennis,  and  John  Van  Meter,  were  murdered  by  the  Indians 
in  the  Goshen  settlement,  southwest  of  Edwardsville,  not  far 
from  where  the  Cahokia  creek  emerges  from  the  bluff,  at 
the  place  afterward  known  as  Nix's  ford.  This  murder  was 
committed  by  a  band  of  Pottawatamies,  led  by  their  chief, 
Turkey  Foot,  an  evil-disposed  and  cruel  savage.  Turkey 
Foot  and  his  band  were  returning  from  Cahokia  to  their 
town  in  the  northern  part  of  Illinois,  and  meeting  Dennis 
and  Van  Meter  killed  them  without  provocation.  The  In- 
dians were  probably  intoxicated,  as  mostly  happened  when 
they  visited  Cahokia.  This  occurrence  offered  but  slight 
impediment  to  the  progress  of  the  Goshen  country.  The  In- 
dians were  at  that  time  in  friendly  relations  with  the  whites, 
and  this  act  was  not  looked  upon  as  an  evidence  of  organ- 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


11 


ized  warfare,  but  as  a  solitary  incident  of  chance  depreda- 
tion. Emigrants  were  rapidly  coming  to  Illinois,  and 
many,  who,  a  few  a  years  previous  had  located  in  the  New 
Design  settlement,  and  other  parts  of  the  present  county 
of  Monroe,  were  moving  up  to  Goshen,  attracted  by  the 
superior  fertility  of  the  soil,  and  the  great  beauty  of  the 
country. 

The  droits  and  Seybold  fiiniilies  came  in  1803.  William 
Grotts  and  Robert  Seybold  had  been  soldiers  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  Jasiper  Seybold,  father  of  Robert  Seybold, 
was  born  on  the  Rhein  in  Germany,  in  the  year  1718.  He 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1732,  in  a  small  ship  that  sailed 
from  Amsterdam  crowded  with  emigrants.  A  pestilence 
carried  off  many  of  the  passengers  on  the  voyage.  Landing 
in  the  Chesapeake  bay,  the  captain  of  the  ship  bound  young 
Seybold  to  a  planter  for  seven  years  to  pay  for  bis  passage. 
Becoming  free  he  married  Alcey  Clendenuing,  a  Scotch  girl, 
who  had,  in  like  manner,  been  bound  to  a  tailor  for  her  pas- 
sage money  across  the  ocean.  In  1740,  they  settled  at  the 
foot  of  the  Blue  ridge,  now  in  Loudon  county,  A'irginia,  and 
baked  their  first  hoe- cake  on  a  flat  stone  for  want  of  other 
domestic  conveniences.  He  had  twelve  sons,  and  two 
daughters.  Robert  Seybold  was  the  youngest  of  these  sons. 
Nine  of  them  drew  pensions  for  their  services  during  the 
Revolutionary  war.  A  member  of  the  family  was  accus- 
tomed to  say  that  he  never  knew  one  of  them  to  be  disloyal, 
to  be  convicted  of  a  crime,  or  to  get  rich. 

In  1785,  Robert  Seybold  came  down  the-  Ohio  river  in  a 
flat  boat,  and  walked  from  Fort  Massac  across  to  Kaskaskia 
In  1787  he  married  Mrs.  Jacob  Gratz,  whose  husband  a 
short  time  previous  had  been  killed  by  the  Indians  at  Pig- 
gott's  fort.  Her  maiden  name  was  Mary  Bull,  and  she  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1775,  and  came  to  Monroe  county, 
Illinois,  in  1778.  Samuel  Seybold,  a  former  old  resident  of 
Ridge  prairie,  was  born  at  Piggott's  fort  in  the  year  1795. 
Robert  Seybold  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  the  present 
Jarvis  township,  making  an  improvement  in  the  prairie,  at 
the  head  of  Cantine  creek,  two  miles  and  a  half  west  of  Troy 
in  1803. 

East  of  Seybold,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  present 
town  of  Troy,  settlements  were  also  made  in  1803,  by  the 
Greggs.  In  April  of  tliat  year,  Jacob  Gregg  settled  a  half 
mile  south  of  Troy.  The  next  year,  1804,  he  planted  a  pear 
tree,  which  bore  large  crops  of  fruit  for  more  than  half  a 
century  afterward.  Philip,  Titus,  John,  and  Hermon  Gregg, 
sons  of  Jacob,  made  settlements  in  the  neighborhood.  John 
Gregg  on  the  prairie,  not  far  from  Robert  Seybold.  The 
Greggs  were  from  Kentucky,  slow  and  unprogressive,  and" 
in  after  years  grumbled  at  being  taxed  to  support  the  free 
schools,  and  favored  the  introduction  of  slaverj'. 

On  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  opposite  Cabaret  or  (Gab- 
beret)  Island  not  far  above  Venice,  Dr.  George  Cadwell  was 
an  early  settler.  He  and  John  Mcssinger,  who  made  many 
of  the  early  surveys  in  this  county,  had  married  daughters  of 
Matthew  Lyon  in  Vermont,  and  the  three,  with  their  fiiniilies, 
emigrated  to  Kentucky,  coming  down  the  Ohio  river  in  a 
flat  boat,  in  the  year  1799.  They  settled  at  Eddyville, 
Kentucky,  and   Lyon,  an   eccentric,  but  popular  character. 


was  elected  a  representative  in  Congress  from  Kentucky  for 
several  terms.  He  had  previously  served  as  a  member  of  Con- 
gress from  Vermont.  Dr.  Cadwell  and  Messinger  came  to  Illi- 
nois in  1802.  They  lauded  from  their  boat  iu  the  American 
Bottom,  not  fiir  from  Fort  Chartres,  and  remained  in  that 
vicinity  for  some  time.  Dr.  Cadwell  then  made  a  perma- 
nent settlement,  as  stated  above,  on  the  Mississippi.  He 
practiced  the  profession  of  medicine,  and  was  chosen  to 
several  public  oflices.  He  was  justice  of  the  peace.  Judge 
of  the  county  court,  first  in  St.  Clair  county,  and  then  in 
Madison,  after  its  organization.  He  was  the  first  member 
of  the  State  Senate  from  Madison  county  after  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  State  government  and  held  that  position  from 
1818  to  1822.  He  was  a  man  of  unimpeachable,  private 
life,  a  respectable  physician  and  a  useful  citizen.  He  was 
afterward  a  member  of  the  legislature  from  Greene  county. 
He  died  at  a  good  old  age  in  Morgan  county.  George 
Richardson  accompanied  Dr.  Cadwell,  settled  near  him,  and 
removed  with  him  from  this  county  to  Morgan. 

John  Mcssinger  who  came  with  Dr.  Cadwell  to  Illinois, 
lived  a  short  time  within  the  present  limits  of  Madison 
county,  though  he  took  up  his  permanent  residence  in  St. 
Clair.  He  lived  in  Ridge  prairie,  between  the  present  towns 
of  Troy  and  Collinsville.  He  was  born  in  West  Stockbridge, 
Massachusetts,  1771,  and  in  1783  settled  in  Vermont.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  legislature  of  Indiana  territory,  before 
Illinois  had  a  seperate  territorial  government.  He  assisted 
in  forming  the  first  constitution  of  the  State,  and  was  Speaker 
of  the  House  of  Representatives  in  the  first  General  Assem- 
bly after  the  State  government  was  formed.  He  died  in  St. 
Clair  county  in  1846.  He  had  a  great  genius  for  mathema- 
tics, and  was  an  excellent  surveyor  ;  nearly  one-third  of  the 
boundaries  of  the  townships  in  this  county  were  surveyed 
by  him. 

In  1804,  the  settlements  were  extended  farther  north,  and 
were  strengthened  by  the  arrival  of  many  new  families. 
A  Frenchman  from  Cahokia,  named  Delorne,  settled  this 
year  at  the  edge  of  the  timber,  east  of  Monk's  Mound,  near 
Cantine  Creek. 

The  settlement  in  the  Six  Mile  prairie,  from  1804  to  1806, 
received  considerable  accessions  in  the  Waddle,  Griffin, 
Squire,  Cummings,  Carpenter  and  Gillham  families. 

Thomas  Cummings  was  an  energetic  pioneer  with  a 
family  of  stalwart  sons.  In  1817  he  moved  to  what  is  now 
Jersey  county.  Nathan  Carpenter  was  a  man  of  enterprise 
and  energy,  and  at  an  early  period  had  a  horse-mill  in  opera- 
tion. Thomas  Gillham,  the  oldest  son  of  Isaac  Gillham, 
was  a  justice  (jf  the  peace,  and  subsequently  a  county  com- 
missioner. Amos  S((uire,  who  bad  emigrated  from  Mary- 
land to  Illinois  in  company  with  Shadrach  Bond,  and  first 
settled  at  Kaskaskia,  in  1808,  made  his  home  on  the  farm  on 
which  his  son,  Samuel  Scjuire,  still  lives.  He  was  the  first 
justice  of  the  peace  in  township  three,  range  nine.  He  was 
first  appointed  to  this  position  by  Gov.  Ninian  Edwards,  and 
filled  it  for  twenty  consecutive  years.  He  was  captain  in 
the  ranging  service  during  the  war  of  1812-14.  Among 
other  early  residents  of  this  part  of  the  county  were  Henry 
Hayes,  John  Clark,  Henry  Stallings,  and  John  G.  Lofton. 


78 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


The  Arthur  family  carae  to  tliis  part  of  the  county  in  1811. 
From  1804  to  1806  families  by  the  name  of  Chilton,  Bra- 
zell,  Lorton,  Moore,  Downing,  Lemen,  Copelaud,  Lacy,  Van- 
hooser.  Rattan,  Hewitt,  Hill,  Stubblefield  and  Jones,  attach- 
ed themselves  to  the  eastern  and  northern  parts  of  the  Go- 
shen settlement. 

In  1S05,  John  T.  Lusk,  then  a  young  man  of  twenty-one, 
cast  his  fortunes  with  the  Goshen  country.  He  was  born  on 
Broad  river,  in  the  Union  district  of  South  Carolina,  in  the 
year  1784.  In  1798,  his  father,  James  Lusk,  emigrated  to 
Kentucky,  and  established  a  ferry  on  the  Ohio,  where  is  now 
the  town  of  Golconda.  This  was  widely  known  as  Lusk's 
ferry,  and  John  T.  Lusk,  as  he  was  growing  to  be  a  young 
man,  was  engaged  for  some  time  in  its  operation.  Soon 
after  his  arrival,  Mr.  Lusk  pre-empted  land  two  miles  and  a 
half  southwest  of  Edwardsville,  and  in  1809  married  Lucre- 
tia,  daughter  of  Charles  Gillham,who  in  the  year  1803,  had 
settled  two  miles  south  of  Edwardsville.  After  living  at 
this  place  some  years,  Charles  Gillhamsold  his  improvements 
to  John  and  Beniah  Robinson  and  moved  to  Hurricane 
creek  in  Bond  county.  Directly  after  his  marriage,  John 
T.  Lusk  moved  to  a  tract  of  land,  afterwards  included  in 
the  Fair  Grounds,  near  Edwardsville,  and  lived  in  a  tent 
till  he  constructed  a  double  log  cabin,  which  stood  for  many 
years,  and  in  which  was  born  Alfred  Lusk,  said  to  have 
been  the  first  white  child  born  in  township  four,  range  eight. 
John  T.  Lusk  was  a  ranger  in  the  Indian  troubles  of  1812- 
14,  and  a  lieutenant  in  the  Black  Hawk  war,  and  prominently 
connected  with  the  interests  of  Edwardsville. 

Joseph  Newman,  a  Pennsylvanian,  came  to  the  present 
Fort  Russ  11  township  in  1804,  but  the  first  substantial  im- 
provement in  this  township  was  made  by  Major  Isaac  H. 
Fergurson  in  1806.  Major  Fergurson  was  a  Kentuckian. 
A  year  or  two  afterward  he  moved  to  what  is  now  Morine 
township,  and  in  the  war  of  1812-14  had  command  of  Chil- 
ton's Fort.  He  moved  to  Texas  in  1842,  and  died  in  Mexico 
during  the  war  between  that  country  and  the  United  States. 
Martin  Preuitt,  in  1806,  settled  on  the  Sand  Ridge 
prairie,  about  three  miles  east  of  Alton.  He  was  born  in 
North  Carolina.  In  1767,  when  fifteen,  he  went  with  his 
father  to  Kentucky,  in  company  with  Daniel  Boone,  and 
camped  nine  months  on  the  Kentucky  river,  spending  their 
time  hunting,  and  then  returned  to  North  Carolina.  He 
had  three  brothers,  Abraham,  William  and  Isaac.  He  was 
in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  at  the  battle  of  Kings  Moun- 
tain. After  the  Revolution  all  the  family  removed  to 
Virginia,  and  after  being  there  several  years,  to  Tennessee. 
Here  Abraham  and  William  Preuitt  were  killed  by  the 
Cherokee  Indians,  and  in  1806  the  family  came  to  Illinois. 
Martin  Preuitt  did  little  else  but  hunt.  He  died  without 
sickness  or  pain,  in  the  year  1844,  at  the  age  of  ninety-two. 
He  had  ten  children  ;  the  sons  were  named  Isaac,  Abraham, 
Jacob,  William,  Jones  and  Solomon.  Solomon  Preuitt,  the 
youngest  son,  was  born  in  1790,  and  lived  to  be  one  of  the 
oldest  residents  of  Madison  county.  He  was  elected  captain 
of  a  militia  company  in  1811,  when  twenty-one  years  of  age. 
He  was  in  the  ranging  service  in  1813  and  1814.  In  1818 
he  moved  to  a  place  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  the  present 


town  of  Bethalto.  In  1831  he  was  in  command  of  a  com- 
pany which  marched  to  Rock  Island  in  the  first  campaign 
against  Black  Hawk.  In  1832  he  was  elected  captain  of  a 
company  formed  at  Milton  for  service  in  the  Black  Hawk 
war,  and  at  Beardstown,  where  the  regiment  was  organized, 
was  chosen  lieutenant-colonel.  After  his  return  to  Madison 
county  he  was  elected  major  of  the  militia,  and  held  that 
position  for  many  years.  When  the  Preuitt  family  came  to 
Illinois  in  1806,  there  was  only  one  house  in  the  forks  of 
Wood  river,  in  which  a  man  named  Benjamin  Carter,  a 
shoemaker,  lived.  This  improvement  was  bought  by  George 
Moore,  who  built  a  log  house.  Solomon  Munson  was  living 
on  the  Sand  Ridge  prairie,  and  towards  Alton  lived  Mrs. 
Shields,  whose  son,  James  Shields,  afterward  settled  on  land 
now  included  in  the  city  of  Alton,  and  gave  his  name  to 
Shields'  branch. 

William  Jones  and  John  Finley  arrived  in  1806,  and' 
settled  on  the  sand  ridge,  east  of  Alton.  They  had  come  to 
Illinois  a  couple  of  years  previous,  and  had  stopped  for  a 
time  in  Pope  county.  William  Jones  was  a  Baptist  preach- 
er. He  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Virginia,  and  em- 
igrated thence  to  Kentucky,  and  thence  to  Tennessee,  where 
he  experienced  religion  and  became  connected  with  the  min- 
istry of  the  Baptist  church.  He  was  captain  of  a  company 
of  rangers  during  the  war  of  1812-14.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  legislature  of  Illinois,  both  while  under  the  territorial 
government  and  after  the  admission  of  the  state  into  the 
union.     He  died  in  1844. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1807  Robert  Reynolds,  the 
father  of  Gov.  John  Reynolds,  purcha-sed  a  farm  at  the  foot 
of  the  bluff,  three  or  four  miles,  southwest  of  Edwardsville. 
Seven  years  before,  the  family  had  emigrated  from  Tennes- 
see and  settled  in  Randolph  county ;  John  Reynolds  was  then 
nineteen  years  of  age.  He  says  of  this  period  of  his  life:  I 
had  with  me  my  books  and  compass,  and  studied  the  math- 
ematics with  care  and  attention  at  intervals,  when  I  was  not 
at  work  on  the  farm.  I  was  called  on  to  do  jobs  of  survey- 
ing, which  I  performed  tolerably  well,  as  all  parties  conclu- 
ded. When  my  father  arrived  in  Goshen,  it  was  the  most 
beautiful  country  that  I  ever  saw.  It  had  been  settled  only 
a  few  years,  and  the  freshness  and  beauty  of  nature  reigned 
over  it  to  give  it  the  sweetest  charms.  I  have  spent  hours 
on  the  bluff,  ranging  my  view  up  and  down  the  American 
Bottom,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  extend.  The  ledge  of  rocks 
at  the  present  city  of  Alton,  and  the  rocks  near  Cahokia, 
limited  our  view  north  and  south,  and  all  the  intermediate 
country  extended  before  us.  The  prairie  and  timber  were 
distinctly  marked,  and  the  Mississippi  seen  in  places.  " 

This  was  Gov.  Reynolds'  home  till  he  began  the  practice 
of  law  at  Cahokia  in  1814,  though  he  was  absent  for  some 
time  attending  school  in  Tennessee.  He  relates  that  he  at- 
tended all  the  house  raisings  and  other  gatherings  of  the 
people.  No  horse-race,  or  Fourth  of  July  frolic,  escaped 
him.  He  speaks  of  being  present  at  the  camp-meeting,  the 
first  in  Illinois,  held  on  the  premises  of  Mr.  Good,  three 
miles  south  of  the  present  Edwardsville,  in  the  spring  of 
1807,  and  also  of  taking  part  in  muster  at  Cahokia  the 
same  spring  at  which  all  the  militia  of  St.  Clair  county  (in 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


which  the  territory  of  the  present  Madison  county  was  then 
included)  gathered.  Many  women  and  children,  as  well  as 
men,  attended.  In  those  days  women  often  rode  on  horse- 
back many  miles,  carrying  their  children  with  them,  to 
places  of  public  resort.  At  this  muster,  a  troop  of  cavalry 
was  training,  exchanging  blank  shots  with  the  infantry, 
when  a  company  of  French,  from  Cahokia,  either  by  mistake 
or  otherwise,  tired  leaden  shot  into  the  cavalry  company, 
wounding  many  of  the  men  and  horses.  At  that  time  a  bad 
state  of  feeling  existed  between  the  French  and  Americans, 
and  at  the  next  training  the  regiment  was  divided,  so  that 
the  two  races  mustered  apart  from  each  other.  Reynolds 
also  refers  to  a  horse  race.of  which  he  was  a  witness,  that  took 
place  on  the  Fourth  of  July,  1808,  on  the  prairie  in  the 
American  Bottom,  a  little  northwest  of  the  residence  of 
Samuel  Judy. 

Rattan's  prairie  was  given  its  name  from  the  circumstance 
that  Thomas  Rattan  settled  here  in  1804.  He  came  to  Ill- 
inois from  Ohio ;  some  time  after  the  war  of  1812-14  he  re- 
moved to  the  present  county  of  Greene.  Toliver  Wright,  a 
Virginian  by  birth,  settled  near  the  mouth  of  Wood  river  in 
180C.  He  was  a  captain  in  the  ranging  service  during  the 
war  of  1812-14,  and  while  in  command  of  a  company  of 
spies,  on  a  march  to  Peoria,  he  was  shot  by  an  Indian.  He 
was  carried  back  to  Wood  River  fort,  and  died  in  six  weeks 
after  receiving  his  wound.  Abel  Moore  made  his  home  in 
the  Wood  river  settlement  in  1808.  He  was  born  in  North 
Carolina,  thence  removed  to  Kentucky,  and  from  that  state 
came  to  Illinois.  He  died  in  1846  at  the  age  of  sixty-three. 
The  death  of  his  wife  occurred  one  day  previous.  Two  of 
his  children  were  killed  in  the  Wood  river  massacre.  Three 
of  the  children  are  yet  living,  of  whom  two  reside  in  this 
county,  the  wife  of  Madison  Williams  and  Major  Franklin 
Moore  of  Upper  Alton.  George  and  William  Moore,  brothers 
of  Abel  Moore,  left  Kentucky  at  the  same  time,  1808,  but 
went  to  the  Boone's  Lick  country  in  Missouri,  from  which, 
in  180J  they  came  to  Madison  county.  The  Reagan  family 
some  of  the  members  of  which  were  the  victims  of  Indian 
ferocity  in  the  Wood  river  massacre,  came  to  the  Wood 
river  settlement  about  the  same  time  as  the  Moores. 
■  George  and  Thomas  Davidson,  natives  of  South  Carolina, 
settled  in  the  southeastern  part  of  township  five,  range  nine, 
in  1806,  George  Davidson  estal)li.shed  a  tannery  as  early 
as  1810.  Thomas  Davidson  for  many  years  was  a  Justice  of 
the  Peace. 

John  Atkins  came  to  Illinois  in  1807  and  settled  near  the 
Mississippi,  four  or  five  miles  above  the  present  town  of 
Venice.  He  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  and  had  been  a 
soldier  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  Near  the  present 
Mitchell  station  Andrew  Emert,  a  Pennsylvanian,  settled 
in  1807. 

Thomas  Kirkpatriek  made  the  pioneer  improvement  on 
the  site  of  Edwardsville,  and  in  the  same  part  of  the  county 
south  and  south-east  of  the  present  county  seat.  James  Kirk- 
patriek, Frank  Kirkpatriek,  William  Gillham,  Charles 
Gillham,  Thomas  Good,  George  Barn.sback,  George  Kin- 
der, John  Robinson,  Frank  Roach,  James  Holliday,  Bryant 
Mooney,  Josias  Randle,  Thomas  Handle,  Jesse  Bell,  Josias 


Wright,  made  early  settlements.  William  Gillham  was  one 
of  the  early  representatives  of  Madison  county  in  the  legis- 
lature. On  the  farm  of  Thomas  Good,  whose  wife  was  an 
earnest  Methodist,  the  early  camp  meetings  were  held.  The 
Handle,  Bell,  and  Wright  families  left  Georgia  together,  in 
September,  1811,  and  i-eached  Turkey  Hill,  in  St.  Clair 
county,  on  the  seventeenth  of  October,  and  shortly  afterward 
made  their  homes  in  Madison  county.  Josias  Raudle  became 
the  first  clerk  of  the  circuit  court.  Josias  Wright  settled 
the  Shaefl'er  place, two  miles  and  a  half  southwest  of  Edwards- 
ville ;  George  Barnsback  was  born  at  Osterode,  Germany,  in 
1781.  In  1797  he  came  to  America,  landing  at  Philadelphia, 
but  soon  afterward  going  to  Kentucky,  where  for  some  years 
he  was  overseer  of  a  plantation.  From  Kentucky  he  trav- 
elled to  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  and  there  took  passage 
for  Germany,  in  a  vessel  which  was  shipwrecked  in  the  Eng- 
lish Channel.  He  returned  to  Kentucky  in  180.^, and  in  1809 
came  to  what  is  now  Madi.son  county.  He  served  two  years 
in  the  ranging  service,  during  the  war  of  1812-14.  In  1824 
he  went  to  Germany,  and  in  1825  came  back  to  the  United 
State-i.  For  six  years  he  lived  in  St.  Francois  county,  Mis- 
souri, and  then  came  back  to  his  old  farm,  six  miles  south- 
east of  Edwardsville.  He  had  ten  children.  Among  his 
descendants  are  some  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  county. 
George  Kinder  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  Soon  after  the 
Revolution  the  family  moved  to  Kentucky,  where  his  father, 
Jacob  Kinder,  was  killed  by  the  Indians.  He  moved  from 
Kentucky  to  Illinois,  and  settled  in  what  is  now  Madison 
county,  in  the  fall  of  1811.  James  Holliday  came  from 
Georgia.  His  sou,  Robert  Holliday,  resided  in  this  county 
many  years,  and  then  moved  to  Macoupin  county,  where 
he  died. 

South-west  of  Edwardsville,  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff,  Am- 
brose and  David  Nix  were  early  settlers,  and  above  them 
lived  Jacob  Varner.  Abraham  and  Joel  Varner  were  sons 
of  the  latter.  Near  the  Nixs  was  Nix's  ford,  on  the  Caho- 
kia, a  well-known  place  in  the  early  history  of  the  county, 

Joseph  Bartlett,  and  families  by  the  name  of  Lockhart 
and  Taylor  settled  in  township  four,  range  seven,  in  1809. 
Bartlett  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  in  1772,  and  removed 
at  an  early  period  to  the  vicinity  of  Knoxville,  Tennessee, 
and  from  there  canje  to  Illinois  in  1807  He  first  made  his  home 
in  the  Wood  River  settlement.  During  the  war  of  1812-14 
he  built  a  block-house,  which  was  standing  in  good  condition 
as  late  as  1834.  Mr.  Bartlett  was  a  man  of  much  intel- 
ligence. He  was  the  first  treasurer  of  Madison  county  after 
its  organization.  His  habits  were  domestic,  and  he  seldom 
went  from  home.  He  died  in  December,  1863,  and  for  f  rty- 
four  years  previous  to  his  death,  had  not  visited  the  city  of 
St.  Louis,  though  less  than  twenty-five  miles  distant  from  his 
residence.  At  the  time  of  his  last  tri])  there,  in  1819,  the 
horse-ferry  had  just  been  established  acro.ss  the  Mississippi. 
So  little  curiosity  did  he  manifest  in  the  march  of  modern 
improvements,  that  he  never  went  to  see  a  steamboat,  or 
railroad,  nor  did  he  ever  visit  a  county  fair,  a  camp-meeting, 
or  any  like  public  gathering.  He  spent  much  time  with  his 
books,  and  his  mind  was  well-stored  with  information,  espe- 
cially in  regard  to  Politics.     He  was  a  Whig.     He  had  a 


80 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


large  and  well-selected  library,  and  was  particularly  well 
versed  in  the  early  history  of  Tennessee,  in  which  state  he 
lived  before  coming  to  Illinois.  Besides  acting  as  county 
treasurer  he  filled  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace,  and  other 
public  positions. 

Paul  Beck  was  one  of  the  early  residents  of  this  part  of 
the  county,  and  about  three  miles  east  of  Edwardsville  was 
built  Beck's  block-house,  one  of  the  places  of  refuge  during 
the  Indian  troubles  of  the  war  of  18r2-14.  Jubilee  Posey, 
a  native  of  Georgia,  came  to  Illinois  in  1811,  and  settled  in 
township  four,  range  eight.  He  was  in  the  ranging  service  ; 
some  of  his  descendants  reside  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
county. 

In  the  southeastern  part  of  the  county  the  first  traca^  of 
settlement  appear  in  1809.  Mrs.  Howard,  a  widow  with 
several  grown  sons  and  daughters,  emigrated  from  Tennessee 
that  year,  and  made  her  home  on  a  beautiful  ridge,  covered 
Avith  timber,  on  the  edge  of  the  Looking  Glass  prairie.  The 
prairie,  for  a  distance  of  many  miles,  was  spread  out  before 
their  view.  Their  location  was  about  one  mile  northwest 
of  the  present  town  of  Highland.  The  next  year  1810, 
Abraham  Huser,  who  had  married  one  of  the  Howard 
daughters,  began  makiig  an  improvement  nearly  a  mile 
farther  north.  At  that  time  these  settlements  were  in  ad- 
vance of  all  others,  in  that  part  of  the  county.  Ten  miles 
to  the  south,  a  short  distance  north  of  the  present  town  of 
Lebanon,  a  few  white  men  had  erected  their  cabins;  like- 
wise to  the  east,  on  Shoal  creek,  some  settlements  had  been 
made,  and  to  the  east  were  the  improvements  on  Ridge  Prai- 
rie, near  the  present  towns  of  Troy  and  Edwardsville,  but 
on  the  north  not  a  single  white  man  had  erected  hisjjioneer 
habitation. 

On  the  east  side  of  Silver  creek,  between  1810  and  1812, 
settlements  were  made  by  John  Lindley,  Augustus  Chilton, 
William  Chilton,  Cyrus  Chilton,  and  families  by  the  name 
of  Harrison  and  Smeltzer,  with  the  Howards  and  Husers. 
There  were  eleven  families  in  all  in  this  part  of  the  county 
to  seek  the  protection  of  Chilton's  Fort  during  the  troubles 
with  the  Indians  in  the  war  of  1812-14. 

MONKS   OF    LA   TRAPPE. 

A  different  order  of  emigrants  made  their  appearance  in 
1807  in  the  Monks  of  La  Trappe  who  made  their  home  on 
Cabokia  or  Monk's  Mound  where  they  remained  till  1816, 
when  they  returned  to  France.  These  Monks  were  a  branch 
of  the  order  of  Cistercian  Monks.  They  first  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1804,  and  lived  successively  atConewango, 
Pennsylvania,  in  Kentucky,  at  Florissant,  St.  Louis  county, 
Missouri,  and  then  settled  on  the  mound  in  the  American 
Bottom  which  was  a  gift  to  them  of  Col.  Nicholas  Jarrot,  of 
Cahokia.  They  were  severe  in  their  penances  and  discipline, 
and  lived  in  perpetual  silence.  Gov.  Reynolds  states :  "  I 
saw  many  of  the  order,  at  their  monastery  in  the  American 
Bottom  who  refused  to  speak,  but  made  signs,  pointing  to 
the  place  to  obtain  information.  Many  whom  I  saw,  were 
stout,  robust  men,  badly  clothed,  but  fat  and  hearty."  To 
them  is  attributed  the  discovery  of  coal  in  the  neighboring 
blufls. 


THE  SETTLEMENTS,    DURING   THE   WAR   OF    1812-14. 

In  the  year  1812,  at  the  time  of  the  commencement  of  the 
Indian  hostilities,  the  settlements  in  the  present  Madison 
county  were  confined  to  the  southern  and  western  parts  of 
the  county.  The  centre  of  population  was  a  short  distance 
southwest  of  Edwardsville,  north,  along  the  Mississippi,  the 
settlements  were  bounded  by  the  site  of  the  present  city  of 
Alton,  which,  in  1809,  Reynolds  says,  Andy  Dunnagan 
occupied,  solitary  and  alone.  A  settlement  of  some  consi- 
derable number  of  families  had  formed  in  the  forks  of  Wood 
river ;  east  of  Silver  creek,  in  the  southeast  part  of  the 
county,  not  more  than  a  dozen  families  had  made  pioneer 
locations.  Ridge  prairie  and  the  American  Bottom  con- 
tained by  far  the  largest  number  of  inhabitants. 

INDIAN    TROUBLES. 

With  the  exception  of  the  murder  of  Dennis  and  Van 
Meter  in  1802,  the  settlements  were  happily  spared  any 
Indian  atrocities  till  the  year  1811,  when  the  hostile  feelings 
of  the  Indians,  which  bad  been  growing  stronger,  year  by 
year,  as  they  witnessed  the  advance  of  the  white  settlements, 
culminated  in  the  murder  of  a  man  named  Price  near  Hun- 
ter's Spring  in  the  lower  part  of  the  present  city  of  Alton. 
Price  and  a  companion  were  engaged  in  plowing  on  the  20th 
day  of  June  in  that  year,  when  a  party  of  Indians  approach- 
ed them,  as  they  stood  at  the  spring,  where  a  small  cabin 
had  been  built.  As  the  Indians  came  near,  the  white  men 
asked  them  if  they  came  in  peace.  One  of  the  Indians,  a 
man  of  great  size  and  strength,  laid  down  his  gun,  and  ex- 
tended his  hand  to  Price,  who  took  it  without  suspecting 
treachery.  Price  was  held  fast  by  this  one  Indian,  while 
the  others  immediately  murdered  him.  During  the  struggle 
Price's  companion  mounted  his  horse  and  escaped,  though 
in  his  flight  he  received  a  severe  bullet  wound  in  the  thigh. 

This  tragedy  occasioned  great  apprehension,  and  from 
that  time,  till  the  declaration  of  peace  at  the  close  of  the 
war  of  1812-14  the  settlers  lived  in  constant  alarm.  Pre- 
parations for  defence  were  immediately  made.  In  July, 
1811,  a  company  of  mounted  riflemen,  or  rangers,  was 
organized.  Block  houses  were  built  at  difl^erent  points. 
The  news  of  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  fought  in  November 
of  the  same  year,  intensified  the  excitement,  and  gave  the 
settlers  to  understand  that  their  homes,  at  any  moment, 
might  be  made  the  theatre  of  a  cruel,  and  relentless^  savage 
warfare. 

A  stockade  fort  was  built  in  section  one,  of  township  four, 
range  nine,  and  around  this  were  gathered  a  number  of 
families.  Amongthem  were  John  Gillhara  and  his  five  sons  ; 
three  brothers  of  the  name  of  Brown,  three  of  the  Kirkpa- 
tricks,  and  families  by  the  name  of  Dunnagan,  Sanders,  Fer- 
gurson,  Dodd,  Revis,  Beeman,  Winsor,  Celver,  Green,  and 
Smith.  Thomas  Kirkpatrick's  fort  at  Edwardsville  shelter- 
ed the  inhabitants  who  had  settled  in  that  vicinity,  and 
Chilton's  fort,  east  of  Silver  creek,  about  two  miles  west  of 
the  present  town  of  St.  Jacobs  gave  jirotection  to  the  Howards, 
the  Gigers,  the  Chiltons,  and  others  who  had  settled  in  that 
part  of  the  county.     There  were  other  block  houses  at  vari- 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


81 


ou?  points,  one  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  eighteen, 
township  five,  range  eight,  known  as  Jones'  block-house. 
James  Kirkpatrick's  fort  was  a  couple  of  miles  southwest  of 
Edwardsville,  and  southeast  was  Frank  Kirkpatrick's  fort. 
Beck's  block-house  stood  on  section  five  of  township  four, 
range  seven.  Lofton's  and  Hayes'  block-houses  were  in 
the  American  Bottom,  in  the  present  Naineoki  township. 
The  Wood  river  fort  was  in  section  ten,  of  township  five, 
range  nine,  and  there  was  another  fort  about  one  mile  south 
of  the  old  town  of  Milton. 

In  IS  12,  active  preparations  were  made  under  Ninian 
Edwa-ds,  the  territorial  Governor,  for  the  protection  of  the 
frontier.  Companies  of  mounted  rangers' were  organized 
who  scoured  the  Indian  country.  Fort  Russell  was  built  at 
the  commencement  of  the  year,  a  couple  of  miles  north 
of  the  present  town  of  Edwardsville,  and  made  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Governor,  and  the  base  of  his  military  opera- 
tions. Reynolds  states  that  it  was  also,  during  the  war, 
"  the  resort  of  the  talent  and  fashion  of  the  country.  The 
Governor  opened  his  court  here,  and  presided  with  the 
character  that  genius  and  talent  always  bestow  on  the  per- 
son possessing  them.  The  cannon  of  Louis  XIV,  of  France, 
were  taken  from  old  Fort  Chartres,  and  with  them  and 
other  military  decorations,  Fort  Russell  blazed  out  with 
considerable  pioneer  splendor."  The  fort  received  its  name 
in  honor  of  Col.  William  Russell,  of  Kentucky,  who  had 
command  of  the  ten  companies  of  rangers,  organized  by  act 
of  Congress,  to  defend  the  western  frontier.  Four  of  these 
companies  were  allotted  to  the  defense  of  Illinois,  and  were 
commanded  by  William  B.  Whiteside,  James  B.  Moore, 
Jacob  Short  and  Samuel  Whitiside.  The  Whitesides  were 
citizens  of  this  county.  A  small  company  of  regulars,  under 
command  of  Captain  Ramsey,  were  stationed  at  Fort  Rus- 
sell for  a  few  months  of  the  year  1812,  the  only  regular 
troops  at  the  fort  during  the  war. 

Andrew  Moore  and  family,  moved  fiom  the  Goshen  set- 
tlement in  1810  to  a  place  ten  or  fifteen  miles  southwest  of 
the  present  town  of  Mt.  Vernon,  and  in  1812,  he  and  his 
son  were  killed  by  the  Indians  on  the  middle  fork  of  the 
Big  Muddy,  where  they  had  camped  on  their  way  home 
from  Jordan's  fort. 

AVOOD  RIVER  MASSACRE. 

The  most  startling  and  cruel  atrocity  ever  committed  by 
the  Indians  within  the  limits  of  Madison  county  was  the 
Wood  River  massacre,  on  the  tenth  of  July,  1814,  by  which 
seven  persons,  one  woman  and  six  children,  lost  their  lives. 
This  tragedy  took  place  in  the  forks  of  Wood  river,  between 
two  and  three  miles  east  of  the  present  Upper  Alton.  The 
victims  were  the  wife  and  two  children  of  Reason  Reagan, 
two  children  of  Abel  Moore,  and  two  children  of  William 
Moore. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  war  of  1812-14,  the  citizens  of 
the  county,  who  lived  at  exposed  locations  on  the  frontier, 
sought  refuge  in  _the  forts  and  block-houses;  but,  as  no 
Indians  made  their  appearance  and  the  Rangers  were  con- 
stantly on  the  alert,  scouring  the  country  to  the  north  and 
east,  the  most  began  to  feel  su  secure  that  in  the  summer  of 
11 


1814  they  returned  to  their  farms  and  dwellings.  There 
were  .six,  or  eight  families  residing  at  that  time  in  the  forks 
of  Wood  river.  The  men  were  mostly  absent  from  home  in 
ranging  service.  At  the  residence  of  George  Jloore  on  the 
east  branch  of  Wood  river,  a  block-house  had  been  built  to 
which  the  women  and  children  could  flee  .should  danger  be 
apprehended. 

The  massacre  occurred  on  a  Sabbath  afternoon.  Reagan 
had  gone  two,  or  three  miles  from  home  to  attend  church, 
leaving  his  wife  and  two  children  at  the  house  of  Abel 
Moore,  which  was  about  a  mile  distant  from  where  he  lived, 
and  half-way  between  his  house  and  the  block-house.  About 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  ^Irs.  Reagan  started  back  to 
her  own  dwelling,  intending  to  return  to  Abel  Moore's  in  a 
short  time.  She  was  accompanied  by  her  own  two  children, 
and  the  four  children  of  Abel  and  William  Moore.  A  little 
afterward  two  men  of  the  neighborhood  pa.ssed  along  the 
road,  in  an  opposite  direction  to  that  taken  by  Mrs.  Reagan. 
One  of  them  heard  at  a  certain  place,  a  low  call,  as  of  a  boy, 
which  he  did  not  answer,  and  for  a  repetition  of  which 
he  did  not  delay. 

When  it  began  to  grow  dark  uneasiness  was  felt  at  the  ab- 
sence of  the  Moore  children,  and  William  Moore  came  to 
Abel  Moore's,  and  not  finding  them  there  passed  on  toward 
Reagan's,  while  his  wife  started  in  a  direct  line,  not  follow- 
ing the  road,  for  the  same  place.  William  Moore  now  came 
back  with  the  startling  information  that  some  one  had  been 
killed  by  the  Indians.  He  had  discovered  a  human  body 
lying  on  the  ground  which  by  reason  of  the  darkness  and  his 
haste,  he  was  unable  to  identify. 

The  first  thought  was  to  find  a  refuge  in  the  block-house  ! 
Mr.  Moore  desired  his  brother's  family  to  go  by  the  road 
directly  to  the  fort,  while  he  would  pa.=s  by  his  own  house 
and  take  his  own  family  with  him,  but  the  night  was  dark, 
the  road  passed  through  a  heavy  forest,  and  the  women  and 
children  chose  to  accompany  William  Moore  though  the  dis- 
tance to  the  fort,  by  the  road  only  one  mile,  was  thereby 
nearly  doubled.  The  feelings  of  the  party,  as  they  groped 
their  way  through  the  dark  woods,  may  be  more  easily  im- 
agined than  described.  Sorrow  fur  the  supposed  loss  of  rel- 
atives and  children,  was  mingled  with  horror  at  the  manner 
of  their  death,  and  fear  for  their  own  safety.  Silently  they 
passed  on  till  they  came  to  the  dwelling  of  William  Moore, 
when  he  exclaimed,  as  if  relieved  from  .some  dreadful  appre- 
hension, "  Thank  God,  Polly  is  not  killed!"  The  horse 
which  his  wife  had  ridden  was  standing  near  the  house. 

As  they  let  down  the  bars  and  gained  admission  to  the 
yard,  his  wife  came  running  out,  exclaiming,  "  They  are 
killed  by  the  Indians,  I  expect. "  The  whole  party  then 
departed  hastily  for  the  block-house,  to  which  place,  all  the 
neighbors,  to  whom  warning  had  been  communicated  by 
signals,  gathered  by  daybreak. 

It  has  been  mentioned  that  Mrs.  William  Moore,  as  well 
as  her  husband,  had  gone  in  search  of  the  children.  Passing 
by  different  routes,  they  did  not  meet  on  the  way,  nor  at  the 
place  of  the  slaughter.  Mrs.  Moore  who  was  on  horseback, 
carefully  noted,  as  she  went,  every  discernible  object  till  at 
length  she  saw  a  human  figure,  lying  near  a  log.     There  was 


82 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


not  sufficient  light  to  tell  the  size,  or  sex,  of  the  person,  and 
she  called  over  agaiu  and  again  the  name  of  one  and  another 
of  her  children,  supposing  it  to  be  one  of  them  asleep.  At 
length  she  alighted,  and  examined  the  object  more  closely. 
Wh  it  must  have  been  her  sensations  as  she  placed  her  hand 
upon  the  back  of  a  naked  corpse,  and  felt,  on  further  exami- 
nation, the  quivering  flesh  from  which  the  scalp  had  recent- 
ly been  torn  ?  In  the  gloom  of  the  night  she  could  indis- 
tinctly see  the  figure,  of  the  little  child  of  Mrs  Reagan's  sit- 
ting so  near  the  body  of  its  mother  as  to  lean  its  head,  first 
one  side,  then  the  other,  on  the  insensible  and  mangled  body, 
and  as  she  leaned  over  the  little  one,  it  said—  "  The  black 
man  raised  his  axe  and  cutted  them  again."  She  saw  no 
further,  but  thrilled  with  horror  and  alarm,  hastily  re- 
mounted her  frightened  horse,  and  quickly  hurried  home 
where  she  heated  water,  intending  by  that  means,  to  defend 
herself  from  the  savage  foe. 

There  was  little  rest  that  night  at  the  fort.  The  women 
and  children  of  the  neighborhood,  with  the  few  men  who 
were  not  absent  with  the  Rangers,  crowded  together,  not 
knowing  but  that  at  any  minute  the  Indians  might  begin 
their  attack.  Seven  were  missing,  and  the  bodies  of  these 
lay  within  a  mile,  or  two,  mangled  and  bleeding  in  the  for- 
est. At  three  o'clock  in  the  m  )rniug  a  messenger  was  dis- 
patched with  the  tidings  to  Fort  Russell. 

At  dawn  of  day  tlie  scene  of  the  tragedy  was  sought  and 
the  bodies  gathered  for  burial.  They  were  buried  the  same 
day,  in  three  graves,  carefully  dug,  with  boards  laid  beneath, 
beside,  and  above  the  bodies.  There  were  no  men  to  make 
the  coffins. 

"The  Indians  had  built  a  large  fire,  and  also  blazed  the 
way  to  make  the  whites  think  that  there  was  a  large  pirty. 
The  news  soon  spread,  and  it  was  not  long  before  Gen. 
Whiteside,  with  nine  others,  gave  pursuit.  Among  the 
number  were  James  Preuitt,  Abraham  Preuitt,  James  Stock- 
den,  Wm.  Montgomery,  Peter  Wagoner  and  others,  whose 
descendants  now  live  in  Moro  and  AVood  River.  The 
weather  was  extremely  hot,  and  some  of  their  horses  gave 
out  and  fell  beneath  their  riders.  Gen.  Whiteside  gave  out 
entirely.  His  orders  was  to  keep  up  the  pursuit.  It  was 
on  the  second  day  in  the  evening,  that  they  came  in  .sight 
of  the  Indians,  on  the  dividing  ridge  of  the  Sangamon  river. 
There  stood  at  that  time  a  lone  cotton-wood  free  on  the 
ridge,  and  this  several  of  the  Indians  had  climbed  to  look 
back.  They  saw  their  pursuers,  and  from  that  tree  they 
separat.d  and  went  in  ditterent  directions,  all  making  for  the 
timber-  When  the  whites  c^me  to  the  spot  where  the 
Indians  had  divided,  they  concluded  to  divide  and  pursue 
the  Indians  separately.  James  Preuitt  and  Abraham  took 
the  trail  of  one  of  the  Indians.  James  Preuitt  having  the 
fastest  and  best  horse,  soon  came  within  sight  of  his  Indian. 
He  rode  up  to  within  thirty  yards  of  him  and  shot  him  in 
the  thigh.  The  Indian  fell,  but  managed  to  get  to  a  tree 
top  that  was  blown  down.  Abraham  Preuitt  soon  came  up, 
and  they  concluded  to  ride  in  on  the  Indian  and  fiui  h  him, 
which  they  did  by  Abraham  shooting  and  killing  him  where 
he  lay.  In  his  shot-pouch  was  found  the  scalp  of  Mrs. 
Regan.   The  Indian  raised  his  gun,  but  was  too  weak  to  fire. 


and  had  also  lost  his  flint,  or  perhaps  he  might  have  killed 
one  of  the  pursuers.  The  rifle  is  supposed  to  be  in  the  hands 
of  the  Preuitt  family  yet.  It  was  somewhere  near  where 
Virden  now  stands  that  the  party  came  upon  them.  The 
Indians  hid  in  the  timber  and  in  a  drift  in  the  creek.  Night 
coming  on  is  all  that  saved  them.  It  was  ascertained  at  the 
treaty  afterwards  at  G.ileua  that  only  Indians  escaped,  and 
that  wa.s  the  chief  The  Indians  bled  themselves  on  account 
of  the  heat  to  prevent  them  from  fainting.  Solomon  Preuitt, 
who  was  not  in  the  pursuit,  assisted  in  the  burial  of  Mrs. 
Reagan  and  the  children.  He  hauled  them  in  a  little  one- 
hor.se  sled  to  the  old  burial  ground  south  of  Bethalto,  where 
a  simple  stone  marks  their  last  resting  place.  There  is  also 
buried  in  the  same  burying  ground  an  Indian  girl  who  was 
captured  by  Abraham  Preuitt  during  one  of  the  campaigns 
in  the  war  of  1812.  The  Indians  had  been  pursued  into  the 
Winnebago  Swamps,  and  Abraham  Preuitt  hearing  firing  in 
a  distant  part  of  the  swamp  concluded  to  go  and  see  what 
was  the  matter.  On  nearing  the  spot  he  found  Davis  Car- 
ter and  one  other  firing  at  the  little  Indian  child  who  was 
mired  and  could  not  get  out.  He  called  them  cowards  and 
ordered  them  to  cease  firing  at  a  helpless  child.  Preuitt 
went  into  the  swamp  and  rescued  the  child  and  brought  it 
home  with  him.  She  lived  to  the  age  of  fifteen,  being  about 
six  years  old  at  the  time  of  capture.  She  was  always  of  a 
wild  nature."  * 

CITIZENS   OF   THE   C'OVNTY   IN    1815. 

A  "  list  of  persons  subject  to  road  labor,"  preserved  in 
the  county  records,  gives,  doubtless,  the  names  of  the  great 
portion  of  the  adult  male  resi.lents  of  the  county  at  that 
time.f 

Oq  the  "  public  road  leading  from  Edwardsville  by 
Thomas  Good's  to  Samuel  Judy's."  These  lived  south  of 
Edwardsville  in  the  present  Edwardsville  township: — 
William  Sherone,  John  Robertson,  sr.,  John  Robertson,  jr  , 
James  Robertson,!  Andrew  Black,  Charles  Gillham,  Francis 
Kirkpatrick,  William  Gillham,  Thomas  Good,  James  Good, 
Ezekiel  Good,  William  Tilford,  Josias  Randle,  James  Wat- 
son, Richard  Wright,  Joshua  Dean,  William  Courtney  (17). 

On  the  "  public  road,  leading  from  the  New  Bridge  on 
Cahokia  creek  near  Edwardsville  to  where  the  said  road 
crosses  Indian  creek."  These  lived  north-west  of  Edwards- 
ville:— Thomas  Kirkpatrick,  John  Kirkpatrick,  John  New- 
man, John  Stout,  Upton  Smith,  Richard  Standford,  Josiah 
Vaughan,  William  Mmtgomery,  James  Gillham,  Andrew 
Dunagan,  Ryderus  Gillham,  Ephraim  Davidson,  Joseph 
White,  John  Hewitt,  John  Springer,  John  Fullmore,  Silas 
Beasley,  Field  Bradshaw,  Jonas  Brad  haw,  Obadiah  Brad- 
shaw,  William  Lawle-s,    Rowland  Heritt,   Michael   Dodd. 

Ou  the  "  public  road  leading  from  Edwardsville  to  Isom 
Gillham's  bridge  on  Cahokia  cretk,"  James  Kirkpatrick 
overseer: — Benjamin  Stedmans,  Beniah  Roberson,J  John 
McKinney,    Henry    Bonner,    John    W.    Wright,    Jamfs 

®From  an  article  famished  by  E.  K.  Preuitt. 

fThespi'lling  is  given  as  fovinrl  in  the  record,  much  of  it  obviously 
incorrect. 

+  Properly  spelled  Poblnson. 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


S3 


Wright,  James  Greenwood,  Thomas  Randle,  Temple  Nix, 
Thornton  Scepler,  Robert  Giliaspy,*  IsomGillhani,  Micajah 
Cox,  John  Baruett,  James  Suggs,  sr.,  Alexander  V.  Boiiuer, 
James  Kirkpatrick,  George  Coventry,  Joshua  Delaplane, 
Samuel  Delaplane,  John  Ddlaplane,  sr.,  Bejamin  Dela- 
plane, jr.,  William  Ottvvell,  William  Lawless,  Jesse  Bell, 
George  Davidson,  Samuel  Davidson  (27). 

Oa  the  'public  road  leading  from  Cahokia  to  the  Indian 
Ford  on  C  ihokia  creek."  These  resided  in  the  American 
Bottom  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  county: — Uel 
Whiteside,  William  B.  Whiteside,  James  Reynolds,  Robert 
Reynolds, jr,  Thomas  Reynolds,  Joshua  Vaughan,  Elisha 
Alexander,  Joseph  Wallace,  Henry  Cook,  Hiram  Arthur, 
Cornelius  Folly,  Ambrose  Nix,  William  Cox,  John  Craw- 
ford, Samuel  Judy,  Jacob  Judy,  Robert  Folly,  Thomas 
Smith,  Francis  Cohue,  John  Cook,  Philip  Hewson,  Peter 
Hubbard,  George  Belsha,  (23). 

Ou  the  public  road  beginning  at  David  Moore's  old  place 
(on  Cahokia  and  Indian  Ford  road)  and  ending  at  the 
bridge  on  Cantine  creek  : — David  Lloyd,  Thomas  Moore, 
Michael  Squire,  William  Winkfield,  Gearge  Sadler,  John 
Sadler,  Stephen  Sadler,  William  Robb  sr ,  Andrew  Robb, 

William  Robb,  jr.,  Joseph  Newman, Haley,   John 

Waggoner.  (13). 

On  the  public  road  from  Isom  Gillham's  ferry  on  the 
Mississippi  to  Indian  creek,  where  the  public  road  crosses 
said  creek  leading  to  Edwardsville  : — Isaac  Gillham,  Samuel 
Gillham,  Harry  Gillham,  David  Gillham,  Jacob  C.  Gillham, 
Samuel  Brown,  Samuel  Stockton,  John  Fiuley,  John  Powell, 
Joseph  LeH()U3e,  Gherson  Patterson,  Ethan  Meacham, 
Willeritt  Meacham,  Bart  Meacham,  Joseph  JleFaggin, 
William  Ryon,  Thomas  Cox,  Hezekiah  Crozby,  Joseph 
Meacham,  Daniel  Stockton,  (20). 

What  is  known  as  the  upper  r.jad  running  from  Edwards- 
ville to  Alton  was  laid  out  in  1817.  and  the  following  are 
the  names  of  persons  then  living  within  two  miles  of  the 
road,  who  assisted  in  its  opening.  The  names  begin  with 
those  residing  near  Edwardsville,  the  eastern  terminus: 
William  Jones,  John  Newman,  Zadoc  Newman,  Joseph 
Newman,  David  Robinson,  John  Green,  William  Robinson, 
Samuel  Delaplane,  Joshua  Delaplane,  John  Delaplane,  Sr., 
John  Delaplane,  jr.,  William  Ottwell,  Jesse  Bill,  George  I 
Davidson,    William    Lawless,    William    Sharone,     Thomas 

White,  Henry  Brown, Brown, Hunter, Hun-    ! 

ter,  Joseph  Vaughan,  John  Hewitt,  jr.,  Hiram  Pruitt,  Ben. 
Wood,  Christopher  Stont,  John  Stout,  Christopher  Stubbins,   [ 
James  Mc  Peak,  Upton  Smith,  John  Drum,  James  McFad-   1 
den,  William  Ryon,  John  Vickory,  Mr.  Gibbs,  Mr.  Grimes, 
Mr.  Whitlock,  William  Vaughan,  Thomas  Carlin,  Mr.  Coop- 
er, Mr.  Scott,  John    Rose,  Richard  Rotan,t  William  Mont- 
gomery, William  Cox,  Isaac  Cox,  Charles  Gillham,  John 
Gillham,  R.  Gillham,  James  Gillham,  Thomas  Cox,  James 
Tunnel,  Silas   Bobsell,  Jacob  Linder,  Low   Jackson,  Field   ' 
Bradshaw,  Jonas  jJradshaw,  Obediah    Bradshaw,  Arman    i 
Beeman,  John  Springer,  Walter  Sealy,  Daniel   Dunsmore, 
R.   Langworth,  Joel    Meacham,  Ethan    Meacham,  old  Mr.    J 
Hodge,  David   Hodge,   old  Mr.  Morris,  Job   Day,  Isham 

S'Gille.'ipie.  fKattan. 


Shockley,  James  Swinerton,  A.  Patton,  old  Mr.  Beeman,  S. 
Beeman,  John  Finley,  Hezekiah  Crosby,  Mr.  Huff,  Thonuis 
Johnson,  ;Mr.  Tongate,  K.  Carter,  James  Prewitt,  A  Prewitt, 
James  Stogdon,  John  Danley,  William  Rowden,  Pa'rick 
Mofall  and  Robert  Sellers  This  road  was  viewed  and  lo- 
cated by  Thomas  G  Davidson,  John  Wallace  and  Abraham 
Prickett. 

SUBSEQUENT   SETTLEMENTS. 

After  the  war  of  1812-14  was  ended,  the  settlements  in 
the  ounty  rapidly  incraaseil.  A  treaty  of  peacs  with  the 
Indian  tribes  of  the  Northwest  was  concluded  in  October 
1815.  Emigrants  from  older  States,  who  had  been  deterred 
from  coming  to  Illinois  by  reason  of  the  Indian  hostilities, 
now  poured  into  the  country,  and  soon  took  possession  of  the 
hitherto  unsettled  parts  of  the  county. 

In  the  year  1813,  Major  Isaac  H.  Ferguson  built  the  first 
house  ever  erected  on  the  Marine  prairie,  but  after  building 
it,  did  not  dare  to  live  there  for  some  time  on  account  of  the 
hostile  Indians.  ISIaj  )r  Ferguson  is  spoken  of  by  an  old 
resident  as  the  noblest  pioneer  of  Madison  county,  a  man  of 
fine  native  talent,  and  as  brave  as  Julius  Ciiisar.  He  fought 
the  Indian  race  in  Illinois,  and  ended  his  life  fighting  under 
Gen.  Scott,  as  an  oflicer  in  the  United  States  army  in  Mexico. 

Permanent  settlements  in  the  Marine  prairie  were  made 
in  1813  and  181-t  by  John  Warwick,  John  Woods,  George 
Newcome,  Isaac  Ferguson,  Joseph  Furguson,  Absolom 
Ferguson,  Aquilla  D olahide,  Abraham  Howard  and  Joshua 
Dean.  In  1815,  the  settlements  were  increased  by  the 
arrival  of  Chester  Pain,  Thomas  Breeze,  Richard  Winsor, 
John  Campbell  and  John  Giger  ;  and  in  the  following  year 
came  Henry  Scott,  John  Lord,  James  Simmons,  Henry  Peck, 
Andrew  Matthews,  Sr.,  and  Andrew  Matthews,  Jr  ,  Lefl^brd, 
French,  James  French,  and  Abram  Carlock.  In  lnl7, 
there  were  no  new  settlements,  but  in  1818  and  succeeding 
years  the  arrivals  were  very  numerous. 

A  colony,  among  which  were  Rowland  P.  Allen,  Elijah 
Ellison,  and  their  families,  arrived  at  Edwardsville  in 
December,  1817,  and  in  1818,  Allen  and  Ellison  came 
to  the  ]\Iarine  settlement.  Among  the  arrivals  in  1819  were 
Capt.  George  C.  Allen,  Capt.  Curtis  Blakeman,  Capt. 
James  Breath,  Capt.  De  Selhorst,  Capt.  David  Mead 
and  their  families.  These  men  had  seen  years  of  service  on 
the  ocean,  and  had  come  to  the  West  to  engage  in  agricul- 
ture, and  rear  their  families.  They  came  from  New  Eng- 
land, New  York  and  New  Jersey.  The  circumstances  of 
their  settling  here  gave  to  the  prairie,  and  the  village  when 
it  was  founded,  the  name  of  Marine.  The  Judd  family  also 
settled  here  in  1819,  as  did  James  Sacket,  a  native  of  Con- 
necticut. Capt.  Curtis  Blakeman  was  one  of  the  leading 
men  of  this  colony.  He  came  with  considerable  wealth 
while  the  others  from  the  east  had  been  mostly  driven  to 
Illinois  either  by  poverty,  or  a  desire  to  retrieve  a  fortune 
lost  by  commercial  reverses.  He  was  a  candidate  for  county 
commissioner  in  1820  and  was  elected  to  represent  the  county 
in  the  legislature  in  1822.  For  a  number  of  years  he  filled 
the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace.  His  son,  Curtis  Blake- 
man, was  a  prominent  citizen  of  the  county,  and  was  elected 
a  representative  in  the  legislature  in  1842.     The  wife  of 


81 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


John  L.  Ferguson  was  the  daughter  of  Curtis  Blakeman,  Sr. 
Major  Ferguson,  and  the  older  settlers,  coming  as  they  did, 
from  the  heavily  timbered  counties  of  Kentucky  and  Ten- 
nessee, all  made  clearings  in  the  edges  of  the  forest,  and  there 
bui't  and  lived.  Rowland  P.  Allen  was  one  of  the  first  to 
build  in  the  prairie,  and  was  laughed  at  for  his  willingness  to 
haul  building  material,  fencing,  and  fire  wood  so  far,  a  dis- 
tance of  half  a  mile.  But  in  a  few  years  the  older  pioneers 
realized  the  advantages  of  a  residence  on  the  prairie,  and 
began  themselves  to  leave  the  gloom  of  the  woods,  and  come 
out  into  the  sunshine. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Randle  with  a  family  of  nine  children, 
seven  sons  and  two  daughters,  the  youngest  of  whom  was 
Irwin  B.  Randle,  now  a  resident  of  Edwardsville,  removed 
from  Stewart  county,  Tennessee,  to  this  county  in  the  fall  of 
1814,  and  the  next  year  settled  a  couple  of  miles  southeast 
from  Edwardsville. 

Among  the  early  settlers  in  the  neighborhood  of  Troy 
were  William  F.  Purviauce,  John  Jarvis,  and  Robert  Mc- 
Mahan.  Purviance  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  came  to 
Illinois  in  1809.  After  coming  to  this  county  he  lived  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Troy,  till  his  death  in  1820.  He  was 
the  last  surviving  member  of  the  first  grand  jury  ever  con- 
vened in  Madison  county.  Robert  McMahan  was  born  in 
Virginia,  and  at  an  early  day  emigrated  to  Lexington,  Ken- 
tucky. He  came  to  Illinois,  and  settled  in  the  New  Design, 
in  the  present  county  of  Monroe.  His  wife  and  four  children 
'were  killed  by  the  Indians,  and  he  and  a  daughter  taken 
prisoner.     He  died  near  Troy  in  1822. 

Note. — Several  accounts  liavs  been  published  of  the  murder  of  the 
meraber-5  of  McMahan's  family  and  bis  capture  by  tbe  Indians,  but 
ibe  following,  from  tbe  pen  of  George  Churcbill,  a  neighbor  of  Mc- 
Mahan in  Ridge  Prarie,  is  the  mo.st  correct : 

"Tbe  settlers  being  apprehensive  of  attacks  from  straggling  parties 
of  Indians,  Mr  McMahan,  in  1794,  resided  in  a  house  of  Mr.  James 
Lemjn,  Sr.,  near  tbe  station  in  Mmroe  county.  In  the  simi  vicin- 
ity resided  Mr.  Peter  Casterline  and  Mr.  Benjamin  Ogle.  But  desir- 
ing to  improve  the  land  which  he  had  selicted  for  bis  farm,  and 
hoping  to  escape  an  attack,  or  to  repel  it  if  made,  he  afterwards  re- 
moved to  his  improvement  in  the  prairie,  about  three  miles  from  the 
station,  and  out  of  sight  of  any  house. 

"  He  made  preparations  to  defend  himself  and  foraily  against  an  at- 
tack. He  bad  a  rifle,  and  only  a  week  before  the  tragedy,  he  run 
two  hundred  rifle  balls.  He  also  bad  a  blunderbuss  charged  with  six 
charges  of  powder  and  nine  balls.  "  When  you  hear  the  report  of  any 
biundirbuss ! '  said  he  to  his  friends  at  the  station, "  you  may  be  certain 
ibat  I  am  attacked."  The  door  of  bis  hou.se  was  so  constructed  that  it 
might  be  strongly  barred,  and  first  holes  were  made  in  the  walls 
through  which  be  might  shoot  any  who  should  attempt  to  asicend  to 
ibe  roof.  On  the  fatal  twenty  si.xth  of  January,  1795,  Mr.  Mc- 
Mahan went  out  to  hunt  for  his  oxen,  when  he  perceived  that  his 
horse,  which  was  confined  in  a  pen,  appeared  to  be  frightened.  He 
cast  bia  eye  over  the  prarie   in    every   direction,  but  saw  no   enemy.  " 

"  A  lone  hickory  tree,  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  his  house, 
had  been  blown  down  tbe  year  before  while  in  full  leaf,  thus  affording 
a  convenient  hiding  place  for  an  attacking  party  :  but  unfortunately 
Mr.  McMahan  did  not  think  of  there  being  a  deadly  enemy  ensconced 
within  that  convenient  covert.  ' 

"  He  entered  bis  house,  but  had  not  been  there  more  than  two  or 
three  minut&s,  when  four  Indians,  frightfully  painted  black  and 
red,  entered  the  bouse,  two  by  two,  saying  '  Bon  jour!  Ion  jour .'  (good 
dav  !  good  dav)  !'     Thev  stood  motionless  a  few  seconds,  when  one  of 


them  attempted  to  take  down  Mr.  McMahan's  rifle  from  tbe  hook, 
and  Mr.  McMahan  took  down  his  bliniderbuss;  but  bis  wife  took  hold 
of  it,  and  begged  her  husband  not  to  resist,  as  she  hoped  their  lives 
might  be  spared,  if  they  submitted  peaceably,  but  otherwi.^e  they 
would  be  killed.  The  Indians  then  seized  tbe  blunderbus-i  and 
wrenchtd  it  from  bis  bands.  Every  one  then  made  for  the  door.  Mrs. 
McMahan  run  half  way  round  the  house,  when  she  was  shot  in  the  left 
breast,  and  scalped.  Mr.  McMahan  was  then  pulled  back  into  the 
house,  thrown  on  the  floor,  and  his  hands  pinioned  close  behind  him, 
with  deer  sinews.  Sally  McMahan,  his  eldest  daughter,  then  less 
than  nine  years  old,  remained  in  tbe  house  and  saw  one  of  the  In- 
dians knock  her  brother  and  two  of  her  sisters  in  tbe  head  with 
tbe  poll  of  his  tomahawk.  It  was  a  light  blow,  only  sufficient  to 
stun  them.  This  Indian  was  proceeding  to  open  tbe  cradle  where  lay 
a  female  infant,  only  one  month  old,  when  Sally  ran  out  of  the  house, 
and  once  around  it  when  she  was  also  seized  by  him.  ' 

"  Tbe  Indian  who  committed  tbe  murder  was  sujiposed  to  be  of  the 
Miami  tribe.  Tbe  other  three  were  Pu-taw-wabs  as  they  call  them- 
selves, or  as  they  are  commonly  called  by  the  whites,  Poltowatomies.  " 

"  Three  of  the  children  were  scalped.  It  was  said  that  the  infant 
was  not  scalped,  but  my  informant  stated  that  the  Indians  displayed 
five  scalps  when  they  camped  at  night,  and  they  supposed  they  took 
two  scalps  from  tbe  head  of  one  of  tbe  murdered  children,  and  left  the 
infant  unscalped.  It  has  also  been  stated  that  the  infant  was  unhurt 
and  died  of  starvation ;  but  my  informant  learned  from  a  woman 
who  was  present  at  the  burial,  that  there  was  a   gash  in  its  cheek. '' 

"  Tbe  Indians  took  from  the  bouse  such  articles  as  they  wanted,  packed 
a  part  of  them  upon  Mr.  McMahan,  one  of  whose  hinds  was  untied, 
so  that  he  might  carry  his  load:  and  with  their  captives,  left  in 
haste  for  their  home  in  the  northeast  part  of  Illinois.  Mr.  McMahan 
meditated  an  escape,  but  did  not  make  known  his  intention  to  his 
daughter.  Tbe  first  night  of  the  journey  he  saw  no  chance  of  escape, 
as  tbe  Indians  had  tied  him  very  securely,  and  had  taken  away  his 
sho.s  and  bat  and  part  of  his  clothes.  But  during  tbe  second  night, 
be  quietly  slipped  oft"  the  cords  from  his  limbs  and  body,  and  was 
about  to  rise  when  be  perceived  that  one  of  the  Indians  wis  awake. 
Waiting  till  the  Indian  was  again  asleep,  he  made  his  escape,  after 
trying  in  vain  to  get  possession  of  his  shoes.  In  the  dead  of  winter, 
without  shoes,  without  food,  and  with  scanty  clothing,  he  left  bis 
daughter  with  her  captor.s,  and  endeavored  to  make  his  way  to  the 
New  Design.  He  lay  out  one  cold  night,  making  his  bed  of  leaves 
under  a  large  fallen  tree,  which  was  held  up  frum  tbe  ground  by  its 
branches.  He  was  partially  frozen,  but  the  next  morning  resumtd 
his  journey.  He  now  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  a  friend  in  the 
person  of  Col.  Samuel  Judy,  who  gave  him  the  necessary  directions, 
which  he  pursued,  and  reached  his  home  just  after  his  wife  and  four 
children  had  been  committed  by  their  sympathizing  neighbors,  to  one 
common  grave.  He  prostrated  himself  upon  the  grave  exclaiming, 
'  They  were  lovely  in  their  lives,  and  in  their  deaths  they  were  not 
divided! 

Tbe  massacre  took  placeon  Monday,  and  the  burial  on  tbe  succeed- 
ing Friday.  \  small  dog  belonging  to  Mr.  McMahan  daily  visited 
the  residence  of  Mr.  James  Lemen,  sen.,  and  endeavored,  by  whining 
to  inform  the  people  of  what  had  happened  to  his  master's  families. 
But  for  several  days  they  did  not  comprehend  the  dog's  message.  One 
authority  says  not  until  old  Mr.  Judy  had  discovered  the  dead  bodies, 
and  reported  tbe  fact  at  the  station. " 

'Let  ns  now  rv  turn  to  the  Indians  and  their  remaining  captive. 
They  i)ur6ued  their  course,  and  reacbid  tbe  home  of  the  Putawwabs 
southwest  of  Lake  Michigan.  Sally  McMahan  was  here  transferred 
to  an  Ottawa  Indian,  who  had  become  a  chief  of  the  Putawwabs 
and  whose  wife  was  a  sister  of  the  three  Putawwabs  who  had  been 
concerned  in  the  massacre.  The  name  of  this  chief  was  Sukkonok, 
which  being  translated  means  Blackbird  ;  but  among  tbe  whites  he 
went  by  tbe  name  of  Leturneau.  Here  the  Indian  women  cultivated 
their  gardens  and  "  truck  patches,  "  with  a  neatness  worthy  of  com- 
mendation and  imitation,  not  permitting  a  solitary  weed  to  grow 
therein. " 


HISTORY    OF    MADISOX    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


85 


John  Jarvis  was  a  Virginian  \<y  birth.  He  came  to 
Illinois  at  au  early  date,  and  from  1806  to  1813  lived  at 
Turkey  Hill,  the  first  American  settlement  formed  within 
the  present  county  of  St.  Clair.  He  came  to  JIadison 
county  in  1813,  and  there  ended  his  life  if  usefulness.  Many 
of  his  descendants  still  live  in  that  part  of  the  county.  In 
the  diary  of  Rowland  P.  Allen,  occurs  the  following  passage, 
written  in  1817,  on  his  journey  to  Illinois:  "On  Monday, 
December  22d,  to  our  aslouishraent,  drove  seventeen  and  a 
half  miles  this  day.  Put  up  at  night  at  Troy  with  a  Mr. 
Jarvis,  a  very  fine  man,  where  we  saw  the  first  real  marks  of 
civilization  sinre  we  left  Shawneetown.  Previous  to  retiring 
for  the  night,  ^Ir  Jarvis  gathered  his  family  and  the  stran- 
gers around  the  family  altar,  read  a  chapter  from  the  Bible, 
sang  a  hymn,  and  offered  up  to  Almighty  God,  a  most 
feeling,  excellent,  and  appropriate  prayer."  Jlr.  Jarvis,  in 
1816,  built  a  band  mill,  which  was  a  great  convenience  to 
thepefiple  of  that  part  of  the  county.  His  memory  is  per- 
pftuated  in  the  name  of  Jarvis  township. 

Jesse  Renfro,  who  is  still  living  in  the  vicinity  of  Troy, 
is  one  of  the  oldest  residents  of  the  southern  part  of  the 
county  He  was  born  iu  Kentucky  in  1796,  and  his  father 
James  Renfro,  removed  with  the  family  to  Illinois  in  1810. 
In  the  spring  of  1811  his  father  settled  in  township  three, 
range  eight,  and  died  iu  1814  while  on  a  visit  to  Kentucky. 

"In  1795,  General  Antliony  Wavne,  sometimes  called  'Mad  An- 
thony,' obiaiucd  a  great  victory  over  the  Indians  in  Ohio.  This  was 
followed  by  the  Treaty  of  Greeneville,  by  which  the  Indians  engaged 
to  bring  into  the  white  settlements  all  the  captives  in  their  ()o.sses.sion. 
In  accordance  with  the  stipulation,  in  April,  1790,  Sukkonok  look  Sally 
McMahan  down  the  Illinois  and  Mississippi,  in  a  ciinoe,  and  landed 
at  Cahokia,  and  delivered  her  to  the  white  people.  It  being  court 
time  a  great  many  people  were  present.  Sukkonok  ra.ide  a  speech  to 
lliem  in  which  he  said  that  he  had  no  hand  in  the  massacre,  had  paid 
a  considerable  sum  for  the  captive,  and  had  brought  her  a  great  dis- 
tance into  the  white  .settlements.  He  therefore  appealed  to  the  liber- 
ality and  sense  of  justice  of  the  white  people  to  makt  him  just  com- 
pensation. A  subscription  paptr  w.as  dta«n  up,  and  circulated,  and 
one  hundred  and  sixty-four  dollars  subscribed,  and  that  amount  in 
goods  was  advanced  to  Sukkonok  by  Mr.  Arundel,  a  merchant  of  Ca- 
hokia. 

'■  ■  Bill, '  a  .slave  of  Mr.  Marney,  of  the  .\uierican  Bottom,  was  a  few 
weeks  after  the  massacre  of  Mr.  McMalian's  family  carried  away 
captive  by  two  of  the  Indians  engaged  in  that  transaction  together 
with  two  other  Indians.  Bill  was  never  restored  to  his  friends;  but 
it  was  reported  that  he  was  poisoned  by  his  mistress,  to  prevent  his 
restoration  according  to  the  treaty  of  Greeneville. " 

''Kobert  McMahan  married  a  second  wife,  and  raised  a  large 
family.  He  resided  many  years  in  Ridge  prairie,  southwest  of  Troy, 
and  died  in  the  year  1822,  aged  sixty-three  years." 

"  Sally  McMahan  was  born  March  9tli,  178-5;  was  married  to  Mr. 
David  Gaskill,  and  raised  a  large  family.  She  lived  in  Ridge  prairie, 
during  the  greater  portion  of  her  life.  Towards  the  close  of  her  life 
fhe  rimoved  to  the  city  of  Alton,  where  she  died  on  the  23d  of  Jan- 
uary, 1860,  in  the  sixty-fourth  year  of  her  age.  To  her  I  am  imlebted 
for  such  of  the  facts  stated  in  this  memoir  as  occurred  in  her  pre.'^ence." 

■'  In  Gov.  Reynolds'  account  of  the  above  transaction  it  is  stated 
that  tuo  daughters  of  Mr.  McMahan  were  led  away  captive,  and  no 
mention  is  made  of  Mr.  McMahau's  preparations  for  defense.  It  is 
evident,  however,  that  if  he  had  seen  the  Indians  before  they  entered 
liis  house,  he  could  have  defended  himself  successfully  until  the  re- 
port of  his  blunderbuss  would  have  brought  him  assistance  from  the 
station.  ■' 


Jesse  Renfro  was  married  in  1817  and  settled  a  short 
distance  east  of  the  present  town  of  Troy  where  he  has 
since  lived.  After  a  married  life  which  extended  over  the 
unusually  long  period  of  si.xty-five  years,  his  wife  departed 
this  life  in  the  spring  of  1882. 

William  Hall  became  a  resident  of  the  ( re.sent  Jarvis 
township  in  181.5.  James  Watt,  who  came  to  Illinois  from 
Green  county,  Kentucky,  settled  three  miles  south  of  Troy 
iu  1817.  For  nearly  sixty  years  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  died  iu  December.  1861. 
George  Churchill  made  his  home  on  the  Ridge  prairie  west 
of  Troy,  in  1817,  and  was  one  of  the  most  meritorious  aud 
deserving  citizens  the  county  ever  had.  He  was  born  at 
Hubbardton,  Rutland  county,  Vermont,  in  1789.  He 
learned  the  printing  business  iu  Albany,  Xew  York,  and 
afterward  worked  as  a  journeyman  in  Xew  York  city,  and 
then  came  AVest  by  way  of  Pittsburg,  Cincinnati,  Louis- 
ville and  .Shawneetown,  from  the  last-named  place  proceeding 
on  foot  to  Kaskaskia.  A  view  of  the  Illinoi.'i  prairies  made 
him  resolve  to  become  a  farmer,  aud  he  entered  laud  in 
township  three,  range  seven,  on  which  he  lived  till  he 
died.  He  was  a  close  student,  a  writer  of  fine  ability,  and 
a  man  who  paid  great  attention  to  exactness  of  detail  and 
the  collection  of  historical  data.  He  had  amassed  a  large 
quantity  of  valuable  matter  concerning  the  early  history  of 
the  county  and  this  part  of  the  state,  but  his  papers  were 
unfortunately  destroyed  in  the  great  fire  at  Chicago,  to 
which  place  they  had  been  sent  after  his  death.  His  habits 
were  somewhat  eccentric,  and  he  never  married.  He  was 
several  times  chosen  a  member  of  the  Legislature  and  ane 
of  the  warm  oj)ponents  of  the  movement  for  the  introduction 
of  slavery  into  the  state  in  1824. 

Joseph  Eberman  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  on  the  site  of 
Troy,  and  the  first  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  that  part  of  the 
County.  Calvin  and  Horatio  JlcCray,  natives  of  Connecti- 
cut, settled  near  Troy  iu  1816  or  1817,  and  brought  the 
first  infusion  of  "yankee"  blood  to  a  settlement  the  pre- 
vious members  of  which  had  been  almost  entirely  of  south- 
ern origin.  James  and  Harry  Riggin  came  to  this  part  of 
the  country  in  1818,  and  the  next  ytar  James  Riggin  and 
David  Hendershott  laid  off  the  town  of  Troy.  John  C. 
Riggin,  a  brother  to  James  and  Harry,  followed  in  1822. 
The  Riggius  were  natives  of  Sevier  county,  Tennessee. 

Jacob  Gonterman,  who  was  born  in  Maryland  iu  1764, 
aud  from  his  native  state  removed  to  Shelby  county,  Ken- 
tucky, came  to  Illinois  in  1816 and  settled  in  township  four, 
range  eight.  Soon  after  his  arrival  he  dug  a  well  on  his 
farm,  which  faithfully  served  the  people  of  that  neighbor- 
hood for  many  years.  James  Pearce  made  au  improvement 
in  this  part  of  the  county  in  1815.  The  Rev.  Thomas  Ray, 
a  Baptist  preacher,  came  in  1818,  Alvis  Hauskins  in  1819, 
aud  John  M inter  and  Mathias  Handlon  at  an  early  period. 
The  Fruit  family  was  one  of  the  earliest  to  settle  in  this  part 
of  the  county. 

Laban  Smart,  a  North  Caroliuian  and  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  emigrated  from  Chatham  county.  North 
Carolina,  to  Kentucky  in  1806,  and  thence  to  Madison  county, 
Illinois,  iu  1816.     He  settled  in  township  four,  range  eight. 


86 


HISTORY    OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


and  Smart's  prairie  was  named  from  the  circumstance  of 
the  settlt'inent  of  the  family  in  that  part  of  the  county. 
Henry  B.  Smart,  his  son,  was  sixteen  years  of  age  when  his 
father  came  to  this  county,  and  for  many  years  was  a 
resident  of  Smart's  prairie,  where  he  died  on  the  twenty- 
third  of  January  of  1882. 

John  Giger,  a  Pennsylvania  German,  became  a  citizen  of 
township  three,  range  six,  in  1816,  as  also  did  Gilmore 
Anderson,  William  Faires,  John  Herrin,  Nicholas  Kyle 
and  William  Parkinson.  Anderson  came  from  Bourbon 
county,  Kentucky.  John  Herrin  gave  his  name  to  Herrin's 
grove.  In  1817  there  were  two  arrivals  from  Tennessee, 
Philip  Searcy  and  Wesley  Dugger.  The  latter  built  a 
horse-mill  and  kept  a  store.  He  had  served  under  Gen. 
Jackson  at  the  battle  of  New  Orleans.  Henry  Burton 
Thorp,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  came  in  1819,  and  Washing- 
ton Parkinson  in  1818.  John  Howard,  one  of  the  fixmily 
which  made  the  pioneer  settlement  east  of  Silver  creek, 
near  the  present  town  of  Highland,  was  the  first  Justice  of 
the  Peace  in  township  three,  range  six.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  first  legislature  after  the  organization  of  the  state 
government. 

In  1813  Abner  Kelly  and  Josiah,  William,  Andrew,  and 
John  W^allace  made  settlements  under  ihe  blufl'  in  township 
three,  range  eight.  The  Wallace  family  finally  moved  to 
Missouri.  As  early  as  1814  Michael  Squire  settled  near 
Collinsville,  and  John  Williamson  came  to  the  same  part 
of  the  county  in  1819.  David  Morgan,  William  Combs, 
Abraham  Claypole,  and  several  of  the  Muirheid  family, 
made  their  hnnies  in  the  present  Collinsville  township  pre- 
vious to  the  year  1820.  Stephen  Johnson,  who  became  a 
citizen  of  Collinsville  in  1829,  came  to  the  county  in  1818. 

William  Montgomery  came  from  Kentucky  to  St.  Louis 
in  1809,  and  in  1814  made  his  home  in  Madison  county. 
After  living  three  years  in  Fort  Russell  township,  he  re- 
moved to  Wood  River  township.  Mrs.  Anna  Collet,  with 
her  three  sons,  John  W.,  Robert,  and  Mark  Collet,  in  1817, 
came  to  Illinois  from  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  and  settled  at 
the  old  town  of  Milton,  on  Wood  river.  Thomas  Lippincott, 
in  1818,  became  a  citizen  of  Milton,  where  he  opened  a  store 
and  carried  on  the  mercantile  business  in  partnership  with 
Rufus  Easton,  of  St.  Louis,  the  founder  of  the  city  of  Alton. 
Mr.  Lippincott  was  born  at  Salem,  New  Jersey,  in  1791,  and 
in  1817  started  for  the  AVest,  arriving  in  St.  Louis  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1818.  Milton  proved  an  unhealthy  place.  About 
1821  Mr.  Lippincott  removed  to  Edwardsville,  of  which 
place  he  was  a  resident  for  some  time.  He  died  at  Pana  in 
1869.  The  town  of  Milton  had  been  founded  at  an  early 
date,  perhaps  about  1809.  John  Wallace  and  Walter  Seely 
were  largely  interested  in  the  place  in  1818.  At  that  date 
it  contained  three  mills,  two  saw-mills,  and  a  grist  mill. 
Besides  the  store  there  was  also  a  distillery  and  a  tavern. 
Joel  Bacon  was  proprietor  of  the  tavern.  Wallace,  in  an 
advertisement  in  the  Edwardsville  Spectator,  de.scribes  the 
steam  distillery  as  "a  valuable  property,  calculated  to  work 
twenty-five  bushels  a  day."  The  dam  thrown  across  Wood 
river  to  furnish  power  to  the  mills  seems  to  have  generated 
a  miasma,  which  rendered  the  place  undesirable  for  habita- 


tion. Sickness  was  prevalent,  and  the  deaths  many.  The 
town  declined,  but  its  history  should  be  perpetuated  for  the 
one  reason,  at  least,  that  here  was  organized  by  Thomas 
Lippincott,  in  1819,  the  first  Sunday-school  in  Illinois. 

In  the  "Geographical  Sketches  of  the  Western  Country," 
written  by  E.  Dana,  and  published  in  1819,  appears  the 
following  reference  to  Milton  and  to  the  Six  mile  prairie : 

"Two  miles  from  Alton,  at  the  place  called  Wallace 
Mills,  on  Wood  creek,  which  empties  into  the  Mississippi, 
is  the  little  town  of  Milton,  on  the  route  from  Alton,  by 
Edwardsville  to  Vincennes.  This  place  contains  about  fifty 
houses.  The  creek  here  drives  both  a  grist  and  saw  mill,  each 
of  which  does  a  large  business.  The  soil  extending  from  this 
town  to  St.  Louis,  twenty-four  miles,  is  mostly  excellent, 
being  all  bottom  lands,  except  the  Six  mile  prairie,  which  is 
one  and  a  half  miles  wide,  surrounded  by  trees  of  a  hand- 
some growth.  The  greater  part  of  the  last  described  tract 
is  cjvered  with  settlements  made  since  the  United  States  ac- 
quired a  right  to  the  soil.  A  peculiar  disease  among  the 
cattle  prevails  here,  which  the  people  call  milk-sick,  that 
produces  in  beasts  strange  tremulous  motions,  and  so  strongly 
affects  them  as  often  to  prove  mortal.  Nowhere,  except  at 
this  place  and  about  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  has  this  dis- 
ease made  its  appearance.  The  milk  of  cows  thus  affected 
has  proved  injurious,  and  sometimes  mortal  to  those  who 
drink  it." 

A  colony,  among  which  were  Isaac  Braden,  Valentine 
Kinder,  the  Hawk,  and  other  families,  settled  in  township 
three,  range  nine,  in  1817.  They  came  from  Pennsylvania, 
making  the  voyage  down  the  Ohio,  from  Wheeling,  Vir- 
ginia, to  Shawnee! own  bj'  flat  boat,  and  thence  to  St.  Louis 
by  keel  boat.  About  1815,  John  Anthony,  of  Pennsylvania 
Dutch  descent,  built  the  first  house  on  the  site  of  Venice, 
and  entertained  travellers  in  a  single-room  house  built  of 
cotton-wood  logs.  He  also  hired  skiffs  to  persons  wishing  to 
cross  the  river — a  fore-runner  to  the  regular  horse-ferry 
established  between  Venice  and  St.  Louis  in  1826. 

In  township  six,  range  nine  (Fosterburg),  the  first  settle- 
ments were  made  about  1816,  by  Joseph  S.  Reynolds  and 
Orman  Beemau,  who  resided  there  till  1822.  Settlers  by 
the  name  of  Honeycutt  and  Dubbs  gave  their  names  to  the 
streams  known  by  that  appellation.  Mrs.  McAfee  and  her 
family  lived  here  for  a  few  years  subsequent  to  1816,  and 
then  removed  to  Greene  county.  W^illiain  R.  Rhodes  began 
making  an  improvement  in  1818,  which  three  years  later 
he  sold  to  Joshua  Wood.  Jacob  Deck  came  in  1820,  and 
became  a  permanent  citizen.  His  brothers,  John  and  Isaac 
Deck,  settled  in  the  same  neighborhood.  Green  W^.  Short, 
a  Tennesseean,  removed  to  this  township  in  1820,  having 
previously  lived  two  years  in  Wood  river  township.  James 
Dooling,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  the  state  in  1818, 
settled  in  this  township  in  1821,  and  Oliver  Foster  in  1825. 

Ger:rhom  Flagg  came  to  the  county  in  the  spring  of  1818. 
He  was  born  in  Vermont  in  1792.  He  served  with  the  Ver- 
mont troops  in  the  war  of  1812-14.  He  started  for  the 
West  in  1816,  and  spent  the  winter  of  1816-17  in  Ohio.  The 
following  summer  he  came  down  the  Ohio,  in  a  small  flat- 
boat,  to   the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  thence  journeyed  by 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUXTY,    IILIXOIS. 


87 


land  to  St.  Louis.  He  there  assisted  in  painting  the  first 
steamboat  that  ever  reached  St.  Louis.  In  the  spring  of 
1818  he  began  making  an  improvement  on  section  three,  of 
township  five,  range  eight,  where  he  resided  till  his  death. 
A  number  of  letters  written  by  him  to  relatives  in  Vermont 
are  still  preserved.  In  one  he  says,  speaking  of  Illinois  :  "I 
will  only  say  it  is  the  handsomest  and  best  country  that  I 
have  ever  seen.  In  places  there  is  prairie  as  far  as  the  eye 
can  reach,  covered  with  tall  grass  higher  than  a  man's 
head"  These  letters  show  that  he  was  a  man  of  keen  ob- 
servation and  good  ability.  His  son,  Willard  C.  Flagg,  born 
in  1829,  became  one  of  the  most  distinguished  citizens  of  the 
county. 

Gaius  Paddock  settled  near  Mr.  Flagg  the  same  year.  He 
was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  was  born  in  1758.  He 
entered  the  colonial  army  at  the  commencement  of  the  Revo- 
tionary  war,  then  seventeen  years  old,  and  served  till  its 
close.  He  wa-s  in  Washington's  command  at  the  time  he 
made  the  crossing  of  the  Delaware  and  captured  the  British 
force  at  Trenton.  He  removed  from  Vermont  to  Cincinnati 
in  1S15,  to  St.  Charles,  Missouri,  in  1816,  and  the  next  year 
to  St.  Louis.  He  died  in  1831.  John  Springer  became  a 
resident  of  this  part  of  the  county  in  1814;  he  served  in  the 
war  of  1812-14,  and  was  a  lieutenant  in  Captain  Jones' 
company.  He  raised  a  large  family  of  children,  and  was 
for  years  one  of  the  prominent  men  of  his  section.  The 
Springers  have  always  been  among  the  leading  citizens  of 
the  county — further  mention  of  them  is  made  elsewhere  iu 
this  work. 

Another  old  and  well  known  family,  whose  several  mem- 
bers became  prominent  and  distinguished  citizens  in  the  his- 
tory of  this  county,  was  that  of  David  Gillespie,  the  father 
of  Matthew  and  Joseph  Gillespie.  He  was  born,  reared,  and 
married  in  County  M  )naghan,  Ireland,  and  emigrated  to 
New  York  in  1807,  where  he  resided  until  1818,  when  with 
his  family  he  removed  to  Madison  county,  Illinois.  Here  he 
lived  until  1834,  when  he  went  to  Wisconsin,  and  there  died. 
The  family  were  of  Scotch  origin,  but  settled  in  the  North 
of  Ireland  in  the  year  1688.  An  uncle  of  David  G  llespie 
emigrated  to  America  previous  to  the  Revolutionary  war, 
and  settled  in  Virginia,  from  whom  the  persons  of  that  name 
throughout  the  Southern  States  have  descended.  From 
tradition  we  learn  that  the  Gillespies  were  a  branch  of  the 
clan  of  the  Campbells,  and  that  their  original  habitation 
was  in  the  Highlands  of  Scotland.  David's  family  consisted 
of  the  parents  and  two  children,  Matthew  and  Joseph,  who 
were  born  in  New  York  city.  He  Wiis  a  man  of  good  com- 
mon sense  and  honesty.  He  had  no  ambition  but  to  make 
a  living  for  himself  and  family,  and  transmit  to  his  children 
a  reputation  for  integrity.  He  disliked  the  dealings  of  the 
English  Government  with  Ireland,  and  early  in  lil'e  deter- 
mined to  make  America  his  home.  His  wife  Sarah,  the 
mother  of  Matthew  and  Joseph,  was  a  woman  of  remarkable 
strength  of  character,  and  endeavored  to  inspire  her  sons 
with  an  ambition  to  rise  in  the  world,  and  availed  herself 
of  every  opportunity  to  procure  books  for  iheni  from  which 
to  obtain  information.  Schools  in  early  days  in  Illinois  were 
verv  limited.     She  was  a  deadlv  foe  to  the   institution  of 


slavery,  and  would  not  reside  in  a  slave  state.     She  was  a 

thorough  Whig  in  politics,  and  her  two  sons  took  their  ideas 
from  her  in  that  regard.  The  two  sous  of  David  and  Sarah 
Gillespie  ever  remained  firm  and  true  exponents  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Whig  and  Republican  parties;  patriotism  and 
loyalty  to  the  principles  of  liberty  were  the  standard  by 
which  they  measured  their  p.ilitical  conduct.  They  assisted 
in  the  formation  of  the  Republican  party  in  Illinois — and 
the  venerable  Joseph  Gillespie,  who  is  still  living,  U  one  of 
the  well  known  men  of  the  state.  Further  mention  is  made 
of  them  elsewhere  in  the  work. 

Daniel  A.  Lanterman,  one  of  the  early  residents  of  Fort 
Russell  township,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  of  Dutch  ances- 
try, in  the  year  1786.  His  father  moved  with  the  family  to 
Fayette  county,  Kentucky,  iu  1788.  Mr.  Lanterman  came 
from  Kentucky  to  Illinois  in  1818,  and  taught  school  two 
years  near  the  Baptist  church  on  section  eighteen,  of  town- 
ship five,  range  eight.  In  1821  he  settled  on  the  adjoining 
section,  nineteen.  At  that  time  there  lived  in  that  neigh- 
borhood, John  Springer,  Ephraim  Wood,  Lowe  Jackson, 
William  .Montgomery,  John  Drum,  Sjlomou  Preuitt,  and 
Jacob  Liuder,  whohad  settled  in  that  vicinity  in  181-5  or  1816, 
and  had  removed  to  Greene  county.  Beside  the  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Jones,  another  William  Jones  lived  in  section  twenty- 
nine.  William  Green  lived  in  the  neighborhood,  but  in 
1821  went  to  Greene  county.  His  place  was  purchased  by 
a  Kentuckian  named  Norman,  who  likewise  stayed  only  a 
short  time.  AVilliam,  James  and  Abraham  Preuitt  lived 
along  the  blufl'  in  that  part  of  the  county. 

When  Mr.  Lanterman  came  through  Edwardsville  on  the 
nineteenth  of  December,  1818,  there  were  two  stores  in  the 
place  Some  of  the  party  went  to  buy  some  whiskey,  but 
could  find  no  bottles.  After  he  settled  in  township  five, 
range  eight,  a  great  many  used  to  go  past  his  farm  inquiring 
for  Alton  He  asked  a  neighbor  what  kind  of  a  place  Alton 
was,  and  received  the  reply,  "  About  fifteen  sink  holes  to  the 
acre."  He  was  in  Lower  Alton  in  1822,  when  there  were  no 
women  residing  in  the  place,  and  only  three  men.  He  u.sed 
to  go  to  the  old  town  of  Milton  to  mill.  There  were  two 
stores  there  at  that  time.  In  some  seasons  the  place  was 
very  sickly.  He  went  there  once  to  buy  some  cotton  yarn, 
and  Thomas  Lippincott,  who  lived  on  the  east  side  of  the 
bridge  and  had  his  store  on  the  other  side,  told  him  he  would 
not  walk  across  the  bridge  for  all  there  was  in  the  store,  so 
fearful  was  he  of  the  pestilential  air  of  the  stream.  The 
streets  at  that  time  were  grown  full  of  weeds. 

A  few  miles  northeast  of  Edwardsville,  in  township  five, 
range  seven,  a  settlement  was  made  in  the  winter  of  1.S17- 
18,  by  Henry  Keley,  with  whom  came  to  the  county,  Robert 
and  Anson  Aldrich.  The  latter  were  born  in  Mendom, 
AVorcester  county,  Massachusetts,  and  in  September,  1816, 
Robert,  then  being  twenty-two  years  old,  they  set  out  on 
foot  for  Illinois,  reports  of  the  wonderful  fertility  of  which 
country  had  reached  them  In  the  vicinity  of  Xenia, 
Ohio,  they  found  some  friends  from  M;issachusetts  «ith 
whom  they  staved  and  worked  till  the  fall  of  1817.  They 
then  resumed  their  journey  to  Illinois,  and  at  Cincinnati, 
fell  in  with  Henry  and  George  Keley,  two  brothers  on  their 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


way  to  Edwardsville.  "With  them  Henry  Keley  had  his 
family.  The  Keleys  had  what  was  called  a  family  boat, 
and  the  Aldrichs  decided  to  go  with  them  on  the  voyage 
down  the  Ohio.  Shawneetown  was  reached  in  October,  and 
there  the  party  decided  to  follow  the  river  no  farther,  but  to 
go  overland.  The  Keleys  had  brought  on  the  boat  three 
horses  and  a  wagon.  The  journey  was  made  over  bad  roads. 
The  men  were  often  obliged  to  wade  into  the  mud  holes  and 
lift  the  wagon,  by  sheer  strength,  out  of  the  mire.  The 
streams  had  no  bridges,  and  the  wagon  box  was  used  as  a 
boat  in  which  to  ferry  over  the  women,  children  and  house- 
hold goods.  At  one  stream,  greatly  swollen,  they  encamped 
on  the  bank  four  days,  waiting  for  the  waters  to  subside,  and 
an  opportunity  to  continue  their  journey.  Finally  the  women 
children,  and  household  goods,  and  running  gear  of  the  wa- 
gon were  ferried  over,  while  the  horses  swam.  They  ar- 
rived in  Kaskaskia,  November  the  first,  1817.  After  renting 
there  a  few  days,  Henry  Keley  and  the  two  Aldrichs 
mounted  horses,  and  came  to  Edwardsville,  crossing  the 
Mississippi  on  the  route,  and  taking  a  look  at  the  French 
village  of  St.  Louis.  A:,  Edwardsville  they  found  quarters 
at  the  public  house,  which  John  T.  Lusk  had  just  erected. 
Indeed,  this  new  log  hotel  was  not  quite  finished,  some 
chinking  and  daubing  remained  to  be  done.  The  cracks 
between  the  logs  were  wide,  a  blustering  storm  arose  during 
the  night,  and  so  furious  was  the  blast  that  the  bed  clothing 
was  swept  from  the  would-be  sleepers.  After  looking  around 
for  a  day  or  two,  INIr.  Keley  employed  George  Coventry, 
father  of  John  W.  Coventry,  the  present  post-master  at 
Edwardsville,  to  show  him  the  country  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
town,  and  especially  to  point  out  the  sectional  corners  of  the 
land  surveys.  Mr.  Keley  selected  a  location  on  section 
twenty-nine,  of  township  five,  range  seven.  The  north  line 
of  this  township  was  the  limit  of  the  government  surveys 
that  had  been  made  up  to  that  time. 

With  the  exception  of  a  small  improvement  made  in  the 
year  1811,  by  a  man  named  Ferguson,  (who  abandoned  it 
at  the  commencement  of  the  hostilities  in  the  war  of  1812-14) 
just  below  where  the  Alton  and  Greenville  road  crosses  the 
Cahokia  creek,  the  dwelling  erected  by  Keley,  into  which  he 
moved  his  family  on  the  fourth  of  January,  1819,  was  the 
first  ever  built  in  Hamel  township.  At  Lamb's  Point  in 
this  township,  Bennett  Jones  built  a  cabin  in  the  early  part 
of  1818,  and  a  couple  of  miles  farther  west  two  men,  by 
the  name  of  Allen  and  Keltner,  brothers-in  law,  made  small 
improvements  the  same  year,  which,  however,  they  left  in  a 
short  time.  Archibald  Lamb  settled  in  1818  at  Lamb's 
Point,  and  resided  there  for  many  years  afterward.  In  the 
west  part  of  the  present  Alhambra  township,  William  Hox- 
sey  made  a  settlement  in  1S18.  He  was  born  in  Rhode 
Island  in  1766,  emigrated  to  Greenbrier  county,  Virginia, 
where  he  married,  then  to  Christian  county,  Kentucky,  and 
from  there  came  to  Illinois  in  1818.  He  died  in  18.32.  He 
was  an  enterprising  farmer,  and  brought  a  considerable 
quantity  of  land  under  cultivation.  Near  Mr.  Hossey,  his 
brother  in-law,  James  Gray,  settled  the  same  year,  and  after 
a  residence  of  ten  or  twelve  years  in  this  county,  moved  to 
Montgomery  county      In  the  Silver  creek  timber,  near  the 


ford  where  the  old  trail  leading  from  the  Wood  river  settle- 
ment to  Bond  county  crossed  that  stream,  David  Aikman 
built  a  cabin,  but  after  living  there  a  few  years,  sold  his 
improvement  and  moved  to  other  parts.  In  the  southwest 
part  of  Hamel  township,  Thomas  Barnett  settled  in  1818,  and 
lived  there  till  18.52,  when  he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
three. 

In  tlie  north  part  of  township  four,  range  five,  Archibald 
Coulter,  who  came  to  Illinois  from  Kentucky,  settled  in 
1816.  In  this  year  also  arrived  James  East,  who  built  a 
cabin  and  planted  two  acres  of  corn  in  the  edge  of  the 
prairie,  with  a  spade.  The  next  year  he  brought  his  wife 
from  Kentucky.  Samuel  McAlilly,  who  was  born  of  Scotch 
ancestry  in  South  Carolina,  removed  from  Tennessee  in  1818, 
and  a  few  years  found  a  home  for  his  family  in  a  cabin 
which  stood  on  ground  now  comprised  in  the  Highland 
cemetery.  Thomas  Johnson,  a  Kentuckian,  came  in  1817  ; 
Benjamin  May  at  an  early  date,  and  Benjamin  Reiramer  in 
1818. 

In  Silver  Creek  bottom,  in  section  nineteen,  township 
f  )ur,  range  five,  west,  there  was  a  .salt  lick  which  attracted 
deer  and  cattle  at  an  early  day,  and  here  in  182-3,  William 
Biggs,  a  Kentuckian,  undertook  to  bore  for  salt.  He  struck 
solid  rock  at  a.depth  of  thirty  feet,  and  ontinued  the  shaft 
to  a  distance  of  four  hundred  and  forty  feet  below  the  sur- 
face, when  salt  water  began  to  flow.  Into  the  shaft  he  set 
the  trunk  of  a  hollow  sycamore  tree,  cemented  to  the  rock. 
The  experiment  was  expensive,  and  ended  in  failure. 

William  Hinoh,  a  hardy  pioneer  from  eastern  Kentucky, 
was  the  first  white  settler  within  the  boundaries  of  township 
five,  range  six.  He  arrived  in  November,  1817,  and  settled 
a  short  distance  north  and  east  of  Silver  Creek.  During 
,  the  succeeding  winter  he  lived  in  camp  and  the  next  spring 
put  up  a  cabin.  He  died  in  184-5.  His  widow  still  survives, 
and  is  now  eighty-eight  years  of  age.  James  Farris  settled 
in  the  same  vicinity  in  1818,  and  the  same  year  the  Piper 
settlement  was  started  in  the  southwest  part  of  this  town- 
ship, numbering  among  other  settlers,  John  Piper,  Richard 
Knight,  Matthew  Hall,  and  Jackson  and  Prior  Scruggins. 

James  Pearce,  in  1818,  removed  from  township  four, 
range  eight,  where  he  had  settled  three  years  previous,  built 
a  cabin  east  of  Silver  Creek,  and  made  the  first  settlement 
in  what  is  now  Leef  township.  Tais  was  at  that  time  the 
frontier  settlement  in  that  part  of  the  county,  the  prairie 
from  his  residence  stretched  away  toward  the  north  wild  and 
uninhabited. 

Township  six,  ranges  even  (Oraph-Ghent)  had  for  its  first 
settler  David  Swett,  who  in  the  ftiU  of  1820  built  a  cabin 
near  the  site  of  the  Omph-Ghent  church.  He  had  come  to 
Edwardsville  in  1817.  He  moved  into  this  cabin  in  the 
spring  of  1821.  He  was  the  first  Justice  of  the  Peace  in 
the  township,  and  was  also  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
County  Commissioners.  Charles  Tindall  settled  in  the 
township  in  1825,  and  Ezekiel  Davis  in  1826. 

In  township  six,  range  six,  (Olive)  James  Street  was  one 
of  the  early  settlers,  but  in  a  short  time  moved  away- 
Isham  Vincent,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  came  to  the 
county  in  1817,  and  lived  three  years  in  the  vicinity  of  Troy, 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


89 


then  moved  to  the  northern  part  of  tlie  county.  He  had  a 
horsc-niill.  His  house  was  the  early  voting  place  of  Silvir 
Creek  precinct.  He  died  in  1846.  Abram  Carlock  settled 
in  this  part  of  the  county  in  1817,  David  Hendershott  and 
Samuel  Voyles  in  1818,  James  Keown  in  1819  and  John 
Harrington  in  1820. 

New  Douglas  township  six,  range  five,  had  only  one 
early  pioneer,  Daniel  Funderburk,  who  was  born  in  Houth 
Carolina,  settled  herein  1819  and  died  in  1838. 


EARLY   MARRIAGES. 

The  first  marriage  license  found  among 
the  sixth  issued,  and  reads  as  follows : 


the  records  was 


Illinois  Territory,     | 
Madison  County.  )   " 
The  Clerk  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  nf  Madison  Countij, 

To  all  who  shall  see  these  present-i,  grettlug. 

Know  ye  that  license  and  permission  is  hereby  given 
unto  any  Judge  of  the  General  Court  of  the  Illinois  Terri- 
tory, and  any  Judge  of  the  Court  of  drnmon  Pleas,  Justice 
of  the  Peace,  or  Licensed  Minister  of  any  Religious  Society 
in  the  County  of  Madison,  to  join  together  in  matrimony, 
as  man  and  wife,  Daniel  G.  Moor,  gentleman,  and  Miss 
Frankey  Jarvis,  both  of  this  county,  according  to  the  usage, 
custom,  and  the  laws  of  the  territory,  and  for  so  doing  this 
shall  be  their  sufficient  license  or  warrant. 

In  testimony  Avhereof,  I,  Josias  Randle,  Clerk  of  the 
Court,  have  hereunto  set  ray  hand  and  (the  county  not  yet 
having  provided  one)  affixed  my  own  private  seal,  at  my 
office,  this  21st  day  of  June,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  1813, 
and  of  our  Independence  the  Thirty-seventh. 

/S'^^^  Josias  Randle,  C.  C.  C.  P. 

(  SEAI.  ) 

The  following  are  the  marriage  licenses  issued  from  June 
1814,  to  June  1819,  No.  15  to  No.  150.  The  names  of  the 
parties  are  spelled  as  they  appear  in  the  records : — 

1814— June  14.  William  Kelley  to  Rebecah  McMahan. 

July  27.  Samuel  Statens  to  Elizabeth  II. 

Sept.    5.  Samuel  Lockliart  to  Winney  Walker. 

Sept.  22.  Janles  Kirkpatrick  to  Electa  Meacliain. 

Oct.   13.  Benjamin  Steilman  to  Margaret  Gillham. 

Oct.   13.  Wyait  StiiblefieW  to  Sarah  Black. 

Dec  12.  Bennet  Nowland  to  Nancy  Robeson. 

Dec.  27.  George  Moor  to  Peggy  McFarlin. 
1815— Jan.     2.  Jubilee  Posey  to  Caty  Smith. 

Jan.  24.  W'illiam  Wood  to  Polly  Cox. 

Feb.     1.  Jesse  Bell  to  Su.-san  Meacliam. 

Feb.  13.  Phillip  Teter  to  Rebeckah  Robeson. 

March  17.  William  Johnson  to  Lydia  Ilatton. 

May  20.  Davis  Carter  to  Caty  Ragan. 

June  23.  Orman  Beernan  to  Talisha  White. 

June    6.  Abraham  Prickett  to  Sally  Kirkpatrick. 

July  31.  James  Heart  to  Fanny  Puksley. 

Aug.  12.  Daniel  Lanison  to  Amans  Greenwood. 

Nov.  22.  Hiram  Beok  to  Nancy  Sams. 

Dec.  20.  Waller  McFarlin  to  .Sally  lliitton. 
181G — Jan.  John  Drum  to  Gilley  Wood. 

Feb.  20.  Abraham  Casteel  to  Polly  Nowland. 

Feb.  12.  Jonah  Caton  to  Ara  Clark. 
12 


Mar.   11 

April  :!0. 

May  21. 

June  3. 

Aug.   5. 

Aug.  17. 

Aug.  24. 

Sept.  11. 

Sep.  2.5. 

Nov.  13. 

Nov.  13. 

Nov.  27. 

Dec.  13. 

Dec.  19. 

Dec.  23. 

1817— Jan.   3. 

Feb.    7. 

Feb.  15. 

Feb.  22. 

Mar.    1. 

Mar.  12. 

Mar.  13. 

Mar.  18. 

April  10. 

April 

April  IG. 

May  2!. 

June    5. 

June  10. 

June  21. 

June  23. 

July 

July  15. 

July  22. 

July  23. 

Aug.   6. 

Aug.    9. 

Aug.    9. 

Aug.    !). 

Aug.  14. 

Aug.  l(i. 

Aug.  19. 

Sept.    1. 

Oct.     1. 

Nov.    4. 

Nov.  15. 

Dec.  10. 

Dec.    3. 

Dec.  11. 

Dec.  21. 

Dec.  23. 

Dec.  2G. 

1818— Jan.   2G. 

Feb.  11. 

Feb.  17. 

Feb.  17. 

Feb.  25. 

Feb.  27. 

Mar.    3. 

Mar.    5. 

]Mar.    9. 

Mar.    9. 

Mar.  20. 

Mar.  24. 

.   Isarael  Turner  to  Caty  Stice. 
.  S.iiuiiel  ScybnU  to  Tamar  Piokerin?. 
Samuel  Jaraway  to  Jenney  Whitehead. 
Samuel  Thomas  to  Elizabeth  Isey. 
Thomas  Moore  to  Rebecca  Holcomb. 
William  .\tkins  to  Elizabeth  Emert. 
James  Tliomp.son  to  Permilia  Sorrels. 
,  .Joseph  Borough  to  Sally  Shepherd. 
Robert  Reynolds  to  Sally  Wliite.side. 
Walter  J.  Sealey  to  Vicy  Meacham. 
David  H.  Kennedy  to  Mary  Coots, 
.lephtha  Lanipkin  to  .Jane  Kirkpatrick. 
■John  Green  to  Nancy  Means. 
Samuel  Beeman  to  Polly  Smelser. 
Samnel  Davidson  to  Vitet  Enloe. 
Moses  .'Vrcher  to  Elizabeth  Brazel. 
\Villiam  Wya!t  to  Richel  Kitchens. 
Alexander  V.  Bonner  to  Iluldali  Foster. 
William  Green  to  Polly  Starkey. 
Rodolphus  Langworthy  to  Lucy  Meacliam. 
Jonas  Bradsliaw  to  BiiLsey  Suvyers. 
James  Reynolds  to  Sally  Black. 
Levi  Scott  to  Edy  Ennis. 
Wiley  Green  to  Betsey  Higgins. 
David  Nix  to  Betsey  Whiteside. 
James  Hereford  to  Betsey  Vincence. 
Jacob  Dack  lo  Sally  Bates. 
John  Greenwood  to  Margaret  Ivirkpatrick. 
Thomas  Seoit  to  Susan  Cooper. 
Hampton  McKinny  to  Polly  B.  Clark. 
Job  Day  to  Jane  Shock  ley. 
Samuel  Ju<ly  to  Sally  Reaves. 
Thomas  Hamilton  to  Purifa  Harris.* 
.Vbsalom  Renshaw  to  jiilley  Woodyard. 
John  Bates  to  Nancy  Crosby. 
William  Going  to  Anna  Whitehead. 
Edward  Welsh  to  Rachel  Kane,  wi<low, 
Philip  Henson  to  Elizabeth  Greenwood. 
Edward  Haley  f  to  Elizabeth  Bolt. 
D.iniel  Dimmore  to  Turzy  L.  Meacliam. 
George  Hewitt  to  Peggy  Bishop. 
John  Wyatt  to  Rebecca  Wyatt. 
Jesse  RenlVo  lo  Letty  West. 
Hiram  Huitt  to  Nancy  Herriford. 
John  Caramel  to  Levinia  Parkinson. 
Joshua  Delaplain  to  Hannah  Davidson,  wid 
Abraham  Sippy  to  Sally  Miller. 
Martin  Jackson  to  Betsey  McDaniel. 
.John  C.  Wood  to  Fanny  Denson. 
Hiram  Bobbins  to  Betsey  Dean. 
Alexander  Byrani  to  Polly  Wood. 
Jehu  L.  Litton  to  I^ydia  Morris. 
John  McCollum  to  Sarah  Whiteside. 
George  Faris  lo  Nancy  Piper. 
John  Crawford  to  Cassey  Holcomb. 
William  Howard  to  Elizabeth  Reeco. 
Robert  McMahan,  jr.,  to  Nancy  Conway. 
Lorenzo  Edwards  to  Patsey  New. 
.John  Richardson  to  Orphy  Thompson. 
James  Thompson  to  Jean  Munson. 
Henry  Eniert  to  Rachel  Rebold. 
Richard  Kinghton  to  Jenney  Smart. 
Isaac  Casteel  to  Betsey  Albard. 
James  Gilliam  to Lofton. 


*  Purifa  Kirkpatrick  in  Record  of  Certificates 
f  William  Ilailey  in  Record  of  Certificates. 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


April  15.  Thomas  Fiirgufon  to  Betsey  Medford. 
May  22.  George  Allen  to  Tolly  Gibbs. 
June  .3.  David  M.  Gillhatn  to  Polly  Ilarkleroad. 
.June    9.  Kiclioliis  Kiissell  to  Polly  Canby. 
June  17,  Jolm  T.  Lawyoik  to  Ann  Tiulock. 
July         Aqnilla  Low  to  Polly  Revis. 
July    S.  Temple  Nix  to  Ilannali  Taylor. 
July         William  Pxirton  to  Barbany  Smart. 
July  18.  Jacob  Moore  to  Polly  Burns, 
July  18.  Jacob  Waggoner  to  Nancy  Moore. 
Aug.    5.  Daniel  Holcom  to  Vicy  Tolly. 
Aug.  17.  Elias  Roberts  to  Elizabeth  Allen. 
Aug.  21.  Jobn  Johnson  to  Nancy  Dagger. 
Aug.  22.  Moses  Leeds  to  Mary  Waddle. 
Sept.  19,  Solomon  Penny  to  Jincy  Renshawr. 
Oct.     5.  John  Piper  to  Lucinda  Beard. 
Oct.   10.  Warner  Yates  to  Frances  Tindall. 
Oct.    20.  Thomas  Fenley  to  Charlotte  Jackson, 
Oct.    29.  Hiram  Rountree  to  Nancy  R.  Wright. 
Nov.  17.  Jobn  Powell  to  Betsey  Coop. 
Dec.     7.  Thomas  Hill  to  Peggy  Moore. 
Dec.  16.  William  Archer  to  Betsey  Holt. 
Dec,    18,  Jobn  White  to  Peggy  Robinson. 
Dec.  21.  John  Carson  to  Margaret  Parkerson. 

Dec.  24.  Daniel  Pettengill  to  Anna  Biekmore. 
JX20.— Jan.  13.  Isaac  Renfro  to  Rachel  Carson. 

Jan.  18.  Elias  McCance  to  Polly  Whiteside. 

Jan.  19.  James  Whitlock  to  Rhody  Green. 

Jan.  28.  Daniel  Harper  to  Peggy  Standfield. 

Jan.  30.  Owen  Evens,  to  Mary  Crispwell. 

Feb.    2    Nicholas  Cheland  to  Margaret  Degearly. 

Feb.  lo.  Andrew  Armstrong  to  Mary  Ann  Roberls. 

Feb.  15.  AVilliara  Kirkpatrick  to  Lydia  Bartlett. 

Feb.  22.  Thomas  McDow  to  Mary  Lofton. 

Feb.  26.  Adam  ■Miller  to  Peggy  Thomson. 

Mar.  6.  Thomas  Lofton  to  Betsey  Hayton. 

Mar.  8.  Mark  Higgins  to  Rachel  Brisco. 

Mar.  S.  James  Dunn  to  Zilpba  Thomas, 

Mar.  15.  Joseph  Howard  to  Jenney  McAliley, 

Mar.  25.  John  Waddle  to  Caty  Snyder. 

Mar.  26.  Jobn  Barnaby  to  Polly  Johnson. 

Iklar.  26.  Thomas  Moore  to  Mary  Parkerson. 

Apr.     3.  Samuel  Hamilton  to  Polly  Eldrlge.  ■- 

Apr.  19.  James  Nixon  to  Mary  .\nn  Rutherford. 

Apr.  21.  Daniel  White  to  Anne  Brown. 

Apr.  28.  Daniel  Tolman  to  Mary  Ann  Hare. 

May    1.  William  Ennis  to  Sally  Wiatt. 

May    3.  John  Cressup  to  Agnes  Manning  (on  condition  if  no 

objection  of  parents.) 
May.  11.  George  Bridges  to  M.ary  Lindly. 
June    3.  Richard  Brozale  to  Layodosea  Enyart. 
June    7.  Jobn  Corraack  to  Fanny  Randle, 

Below  are  the  marriage  certificates  on  record  from  Jan- 
uary, 1>!13,  to  May  1819.  Much  diversity  appears  between 
the  list  of  licenses  and  certificates.  Where  the  authority  by 
which  the  parties  were  married  was  a  license,  "  L  "  is  affixed, 
and  "  Ad."  where  it  was  by  advertisement.  The  latter  was 
common  in  the  earlier  years.  It  is  some  source  of  satisfac- 
tion, even  at  this  late  day,  to  observe  that  John  Cressup  and 
Agnes  Manning,  to  whom  a  license  was  given  on  the  third 
of  May,  1819,  on  condition  that  there  should  be  no  objections, 
on  the  part  of  the  parents,  were  married  the  same  day,  as 
appears  by  the  certificate : 

18J3.— Jan.  29.  James   McKinney     to  Nancy    Lotkhart, 
by  Rev.  Josias  Randle.L. 


Feb.    19.  John  Lawton  toPatey  Hill,  by  Rev.  William  Jones  Ad. 
Mar.    9.  William  York    to  Betsey   Kitchens,  by  Thomas  Davidson, 

Esq.  Ad. 
Mar.    25.  William  Ogle  to  Isabella  Kyle,  by  Thomas  Davidson,  Esq. 

Ad. 
Apr.    8.  Jobn   Hapton  to  Harriet  Stubblefield,   by  Rev.   William 

Jones.  Ad. 
Apr.     9.  James  Sullivan  to  Pliebe  Hutton,   by  Rev.   Josias  Rami le, 

L. 
May     3.  Joshua  Renfro  to  Pher.iby   Revis,   by  Rev.  James  Renfro. 

L. 
June  24.  Daniel  G.  Moor  to  Frankey  Jarvis,  by  Rev.  Josias  Randle. 

L. 
July    2.  Thomas  Wadkins  to  Polly  Green,  by  Thomas  Davidson,  Ivq. 

Ad. 
Aug.  10.  James  Wright  to  Millitson  Greenwood. 
Aug.   31.  Samuel  Huton  to  Peggy  Wright,  by  Rev.  Josias  Randle. 

L. 
Nov.  25. William  Furgurson  to  H.innah  Green,  by  Thomas  G.  David, 

son,  Esq.   Ad. 
Nov.  19,  George  Wise  to  Elizabeth  Jones,  by  Rev,  Joseph  Lemcn.  L. 
Nov.        Joseph  Ferguson  to  Jane  Gragg.  L. 
Nov.  25,  Daniel  Johnson  to  Siis.mna  Smelser,  by  Thomas  Davidson, 

Esq.  Ad. 
Dec.  23-  John  Giliham   to  Elizabeth  Gillham,  b/  J\idge   John   G. 

Lofton.    Ad. 
1814.— Jan.  1.  Thomas  Green  to  Nelly  Desha.  L. 
Jan    4.  Samuel  G.  Morse  to  Polly  Kirkpatrick,  by  William  Gillham, 

Esq.   L. 
Jan.  5.  Anthony  Thomas  to  Cynthia  Scott,  by  Judge  John  G.  Lofton. 
Jan.  5.  John  Davidson  to  Margaret  Gillham,  by  Judge  John  G.  Lofton. 
Jan.  20.  John  Enox  to  Marjory  Ferguson,  by  Thomas  G,  Davidson, 

Esq.  Ad. 
Feb.  10.  William  Sharone  to  Keziab  Robinson,  by  Judge  John  G, 

Lofton.  L. 
Feb,  16.  Hardy  Willbanks   to  Susanna  Gillham,  by  Judge  .Tohn  G. 

Lofton.  Ad. 
Apr.    2.  Mills  Whitley  to  Elizabeth  Littleby,  by  Rev.  William  Jones. 

Ad. 
Apr.    2.  Thomas   Finley  to  Mary  Little,  Rev.  William  Jones.  Ad. 
May       Timothy  Lamber.son  to  Rebekah  Furguson.  L. 
May     John  Hawks  to  Jliss.  McFarlin.  L. 
June  14.  William  Kelley  to-Rebekah  McMahan.  L. 
Dec.   13.  Thomas  Carlau   to  Rebeckah   Hewitt,   by  Rev.    William 

Jones.  Ad. 
Dec.  13.  William  Montgomery  to  Sarah  Rattan,  by  Rev  William  Jones. 
181.5. — Jan.  5.  Jubilee  Posey  to  Caty  Smith,  by  Rev.  Josias  Randies, 

L, 
Feb.    2.  Jesse  Bell  to  Susan  Meacliam,  by  Rev.  Josias  Randle.  L. 
Feb.    2.  William  Wood  to  Polly  Cox,  by  Rev.  William  Jones.  L. 
Feb.    4.  William  Ferguson  to  Polly  Poggett,  by  Thomas  G.  David- 
son, Esq.   Ad. 
Feb.  14.  Philip  Peter  to  Rebeckah  Robinson,  by  Rev.  Charles  R. 

Mathenay.  L. 
Mar   18.  William  Rowdcn  toLavi"ia  Prewitt,  by  John  Springer,  Esq. 

Ad.' 
Oct.  17.  Thoma-s  Blakenship  to  Hannah  Carter,  by  Rev  William  Jone.^, 

Ad. 
Nov,    5.  John  Jones  to  Mary  Wright,  by  Rev.  William  Jones.  Ad. 
Nov.  19.  James  Beeman  to  Litha  Odle,  by  Rev.  William  Jones.  Ad. 
Nov.  23  Hiram  Beck  to  Nancy  Sams,  by  Rev.  William  .Tones.  L. 
Nov.  28.  Martin  Jones  to  Margaret  Hutton,  by  Rev.  William  Jones. 

Ad. 
Djc  14.  Thomas  Green  to  Rody  Hegans,  by  Rev.  William  Jones.  Ad. 
Dec.  16.  Solomon  Revis  to  Polly  Green,  by  John  Springer,  Esq.  Ad, 
1816.— Jan.  21.  Mathew  Cowin  to  Betsey  Hewitt,  by  Rev.   WiHiam 

Jones.  Ad. 
Feb.    5.  Young  Wood  to  Polly  Ewin,    by  Rev.  William  Jones.   Ad- 


HIS  TO  BY   OF   MADISON    COUXTY,    ILLINOIS. 


91 


Mar.  14.  Israel  Turner  to  Caty  Stioe,  by  Rev.   Rivers  Cormack.  L. 
Apr.     2.  Samuel  SeyboIU  to  Tamar  Pickering,  by  Rev.  Rivers  Cor- 

inack.  L. 
Apr.     S.  ICvans  Smith  to  Hannah  Tiirner,  bv  Rev.  Rivers   Cormack. 

L. 
June    4.  Samuel  Thomas  to  Elizabeth  Islev,  by  Rtjv.  William  Jones. 

L. 
Aug.     5.  Samuel  Stockton  to  Lorahama  Patterson.  Ad. 
Dec.  .Samuel  Beaman  to  Polly  Snielser.  L. 

Dec.  13.  Jeptha  Lampkins  to  Jean  Kirkpatrick,  by    Abraham   Prit- 

chelt,  Esq.   L. 
Dec.  19.  John  Green  to  Nancy  Means.  L. 
1817. — Feb.  6.  David  Fuukner  to  Lydia  Baeman,   by  Rev.   William 

Jones.  Ad. 
Feb.  11.  William  Atkins  to  Elizabeth  Emert.  L. 
Feb.   11.  David  Canady  to  Mary  Cyles.   L. 
Feb.   13.  William   Wyatt   to    Rachel    Kitchens,  l)y    Rev.     William 

Jones.  L. 
Feb.  IG.  Alexander  V.  Bonner  to  Huldah  Foster,  by  John  T.  Lusk, 

Esq.  L. 
Feb.  IS.  James  Hareford  to  Patience  Jones,  by  Thomas  G.  Davidson, 

Esq.  Ad. 
JIar.  2-5.  Jonas  Bradshaw  to  Betsey  Sawyers,  by  John  T.   Lusk,  E<q. 

L." 
Apr.  19.  James    Heryford   to   B.;tscy  Vineence,  by   Rev.    William 

Jonps.  L. 
Apr.  22.  Robert   Reynolds  to  Sally  Whiteside,  by  John   McKinney, 

Esq.  L. 
May  30.  Jacob  Deck  to  Sally  Bates,  by  Rev.  William  Jones.  L. 
May  31.  Wiley  Green  to  Betsey  Higins,  by  Rev.    William  Jones.  L. 
June  10.  John  Greenwood  to  Margaret  Kirkpatrick,  by  Rev.  R.  Cor- 

mach.  L. 
June  21.  Thomas  Scot  to  Susan  Cooper,  by  John  Springer,  Esq.   L. 
Aug.  13.  Philip  Henson  to  Elizabeth  Greenwood,  bv  John  T.  Lusk, 

Esq,  L. 
Aug.  14.  John  Bates  to  Xancy  Crosby,  by  Rev.  William  Jones.  L.  . 
Aug.  28.  Absalom    Renshaw  to  Milly  WooJyard,  by   Rev.    Rivers 

Cormack.   L. 
Sep.     8.  William  Ilaily  to  Elizabeth  B  ilt,  by  Rev.  .Joseph  Lemen.  L. 
Nov.  10.  Joshua  Delaplain  to  nannih  Davidson,  widow,  by  Thomas, 

G.  D.ivid.son,  Esq.  L. 
Dec.  27.  John  L.  Sitton  to  Lydia  M  >rris,  widow,   by  John  T.   Lusk, 

Esq.  L. 
181S.— Jan.  15.  JolmCammel  to  L;vina  P.ickerson,  by   John  Hone, 

Esq.  L. 
Jan.  23.  Alexander  S.    Biram   to   PuUy   Wood,    by    Rev.    William 

Jones.  L. 
Mar.  IS.  Lorenzj  Eiwards  to  P.it<ey  Xew,  by   Riv.  Wiiliam   Jones 

L. 
Mar.  27.  James  Gillham  to  Sarah  Lofton,  by  Thomas  G.  Davidson 

Esq.  L. 
Apr.    •->.  Moses  Fiuley  to  S.iUy  Scott,  by  Rev.  William  Jones.  Ad. 
Apr,  18.  Thomas  Ferguson  to  Betsey  Meilford,  bv  Hail   Mason,  Esq 

L. 
May  28.  George  Allen  to  Polly  Gibb.s,  by  Thomas  G.  D.ivid.son,  Rsq. 

L. 
Mav  20    John  Crawford  to  Gassy  llolcoiiib,  by  John  McKinney,  E<q 

L.  '  ' 

July  17.  William  Burton  to  Barbary  Snart,  by  Hail  M;ison,  Esq.  L. 
Aug.  C.  Daniel  Holcomb  to  V.  Tolly,  by  John  McKinney,  Esq.  L. 
Aug.  22.  Jacob  Moore  to  Polly  B.irns,  l)y  Rev.  William  Jone-s.  L. 

Jacob  Waggoner  to  Xancy  Moor,  by  Rjv.  William  Jones.  L. 
Temple  Xix  to  Hannah  Taylor,  by  Micajah  Cox,  E.sq.  L. 
Aquilla  Low  to  Polly  Revis,  Micajah  Co.x,  Esq.  L. 
Sept.  21.  Augustus  Langworlhy   to     Adah   Meacham,   by  R.  Lang- 

worlliy,  Esq.  L. 
Get.     10.  Moses  Soeds  to  Mary  Waddell,  by  Amos  Squire,  Esq.   L. 


Oct. 

20. 

Oct. 

29. 

Dec. 

3. 

1819 

-J 

Jan. 

15. 

Jan. 

15. 

Jan. 

27. 

Jan. 

30. 

Jan. 

so- 

Feb. 

il. 

Feb. 

11. 

Mar. 

5. 

Mar. 

11. 

Mar. 

25. 

Apr. 

12. 

.\pr. 

15. 

Apr. 

15. 

Apr. 

30. 

May 

3. 

Thomas  Feuley  to  Charlotte  Jackson,  by  Hail  Mason,  Esq 

Hiram  Roundtree  to  Xancy    R.   Wright,  by  Rev.   Josias 

Randle.  L. 
Martin  Jackson  to  Betsey  McDaniel,  bv  John  T.  Lusk,  Esq. 

L. 
an.  4    John  White  to  Peggv  Robinson,  bv  Rev.  G.  P.  Rice. 

L. 
Tliom.is  llill  to  Peggy  Moore,  by  Rev.  William   Jones.  L. 
Shadrack  Jackson  to  Prudance  Finley,   by  Rev.   William 

Jones.   L. 
Elias  McCance  to  Polly  Whiteside,  by  Micajah  Cox,  Esq.  L. 
James  Whilloek  to  Rhoia  Green,  bv  R;v.  William    Jone.5 

L. 
Daniel  Harper  to  Peggy  Stanafield,  by  Rev.  R.  Cormack.  L. 
Owen  Evans  to  Mary  Cripwell,  by   Thom:»s  G.   Davidson, 

Esq.  L. 
Xicholas  Clieleano   to   Margaret  Degearey,  by  Thomas  G. 

Davidson,  Esq.  L. 
William  Kirkpatrick  to  Lydia  Bartlett,  bv  Hail  Mason,  Esq. 

L. 
Thomas  G.  Lofton  to  Betsey  Heaton,  by  A.  Squire,  Esq.  L. 
James  Dunn  to  Zilpha  Thomas,  by  Rev.  William  Jones.  L. 
Thomas  McDow  to  Mary  Lofton,  by  Micajah  Cox,  Esq.  L. 
Adam  Miller  to  Peggy  Thompson,  by  A.  Scjuire,  Esq.  L. 
John  Wadle,  to  Caty  Snider,  by  A.  Squire,  Esq.  L. 
Daniel  Tolman  to  Mary  Ann  Hare,  by  Hail  Mason,  Esq.  L. 
John  Cre-ssup  to  Agnes  Manning,  bv  Thornton  Peoples,  Esq. 

L. 


Cn.VRACTER   OF   THE    EARLY  .SETTLEIiS. 

In  territorial  days  the  inhabitants  of  the  county,  almost 
without  exception,  were  of  Southern  origin.  Strong  sec- 
tional prejudices  existed,  especially  toward  the  "  Yaukee," 
which  appellation  was  given  to  every  man  who  hailed  from 
the  Northern  section  of  the  country  east  of  the  Allegheny 
mountains.  Before  the  year  1817  the  only  representatives 
of  the  New  England  states,  who  had  visited  the  county, 
were  the  ven<lors  of  wooden  clocks  and  tin  ware,  and  under 
these  circumstances  the  pioneers  could  not,  perhaps,  well  be 
blamed  for  their  first  impressions  of  the  Yankee  character. 
An  early  resident  of  this  county  states  that  there  were  three 
classes  of  society  known  in  the  territory  of  Illinois :  First, 
the  white  man,  born  in  a  slave  state,  who  arrogated  to  him- 
self the  title  of  the  real  Westerner;  second,  the  negro, 
generally  a  slave;  and  third,  the  Yankee,  from  over  the 
Mountains.  Traces  of  this  prejudice  could  be  discerned  for 
many  years,  but  among  intelligent  classes  the  emigrant  from 
the  East  soon  came  to  be  appreciated  at  his  real  worth,  and 
recognized  as  among  the  most  valuable  citizens  of  the 
county.  Subsequent  to  1817  the  county  received  a  large 
Eastern  emigration,  in  which  came  indiviiluals  whose  merits 
raised  them  to  positions  of  influence,  and  who  contributed 
greatly  to  the  prosperity  of  the  county.  Especially  was 
this  the  case  in  the  Marine  settlement,  at  Edwardsville,  and 
later  at  Alton,  whose  rapid  growth  and  business  prosperity 
were  almost  entirely  due  to  Eastern  men. 

The  early  settlers  had  great  respect  for  the  religious  views 
of  others.  Although  their  opinions  on  theological  subjects 
were  very  decided  and  very  dissimilar,  yet  a  quarrel  on 
these  matters  was  of  rare  occurrence.  The  Methodists  and 
the  Baptists  were  the  leading  deuoiuiuatii;n.<.     The  Jlethu- 


92 


HISTORY   OF  MADISOJ^    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


ilist  camp  meetings  were  uumerously  attended,  and  proved 
influential  means  of  increasing  the  membership  of  the 
churches.  Although  most  of  the  people  drank  occasionally 
there  were  fewer  drunkards  than  might  have  been  expected. 
;^  The  people  of  those  days  had  a  great  reverence  for  law. 
The  worst  characters  professed  to  be  law-abiding  citizens. 
No  man  claimed,  that,  if  he  did  not  like  the  law,  he  had  the 
right  to  set  it  at  defiance.  It  is  claimed  that  the  early 
jiioneers  were  more  moral  and  free  from  crime  than  the 
people  of  a  later  day.  Thefts  were  of  rare  occurrence,  and 
forgery,  perjury,  and  similar  crimes  were  seldom  perpetrated. 
But  while  the  higher  crimes  were  rarely  committed  the  lesser 
violations  of  the  law  were  not  unfrcquent.  Assault  and 
battery  was  the  most  common  breach  of  the  statutes. 
There  was  much  sensitiveness  as  to  personal  and  moral  stand- 
ing, and  any  one  who  considered  his  honor  or  respectability 
impugned  would  fight  in  a  moment  his  assailant.  On 
holidays  and  at  elections  and  musters,  boisterous  and 
quarrelsome  conduct,  induced  by  the  use  of  intoxicating 
liquors,  was  often  witnessed.  Fort  Russell  was  a  place  of 
frequent  rendezvous  in  early  times,  and  riotous  scenes  often 
occurred  there.  It  was  stated  by  one  of  the  earliest  resi- 
dents of  the  county  (Mr.  S.  P.  Gillham)  that  for.  some 
years  after  the  firtt  settlement  of  the  county  he  seldom  heard 
of  any  greater  crime  than  getting  drunk,  or  fighting.  The 
first  punishment  of  crime  he  recollected  took  place  in  1819, 
when  a  negro  was  found  guilty  of  stealing  some  coffee  from 
a  boat  on  the  Jlississippi  river,  and  whipped.  When  the 
population  began  to  multiply  and  courts  were  established, 
men  began  to  break  the  law,  and  were  often  punished  by 
whipping  at  the  post  and  confinement  in  the  stocks. 

The  Sabbath  was  often  employed  in  hunting,  fishing, 
getting  up  stock,  hunting  bee.-',  shooting  at  marks,  and  horse 
and  foot-racing.  It  was,  however,  a  custom  to  cease  from 
ordinary  labor,  except  from  necessity,  on  that  day,  and 
when  a  farmer  cut  his  harvest  on  Sunday  public  opinion 
condemned  it  more  severely  than  at  present.  There  was  no 
dancing  and  but  little  drinking  on  the  Sabbath.  In  many 
localities  there  were  no  religious  meetings.  The  aged  people 
generally  remained  at  home,  and  read  the  Bible  and  other 
books. 

All  kinds  of  gaming  were  common.  Card-playing  was 
sustained  by  the  best  classes.  At  the  sessions  of  the  courts 
judge  and  lawyer  would  frequently  spend  the  night  together 
])laying  with  cards  for  money,  though  the  statutes  rigidly 
forbade  such  a  practice. 

Horse-racing  was  one  of  the  most  popular  amusements. 
The  quarter  races  were  the  most  common,  and  at  these  the 
most  chicanery  and  juggling  were  practiced.  Gov.  John 
Reynolds  speaks  of  having  attended  a  horse-race,  which  drew 
crowds  of  people,  on  the  4th  of  July,  1807,  in  tlie  American 
Bottom  near  the  residence  of  Samuel  Judy.  The  most 
celebrated  and  famous  horse  race  in  Illinois,  in  early  times, 
was  run  in  the  upper  end  of  the  Horse-prairie,  in  Randolph 
county,  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1803.  The  two  horses 
which  ran  the  race  were  of  the  same  size.  The  race  was 
three  miles  and  repeat,  for  a  wager  of  five  hundred  dollars. 
The  byebets  and  all    must  have  amounted  to  a  thousand 


dollars  and  more,  in  those  days  considered  a  very  large  sum. 
In  1806  Robert  Pulliam,  of  Illinois,  and  a  Mr.  Musick,  of 
Missouri,  made  a  bet  of  two  hundred  dollars  on  a  race  be- 
tween two  horses,  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  to  be  run  on  the  ice 
in  the  Mississippi  river,  a  short  distance  above  St.  Louis. 
The  race  came  ofiT,  and  was  run  without  injury  to  either  the 
horses  or  riders.  Footracing,  jumping,  or  wrestling  were 
much  practiced.  Bets  of  some  magnitude  were  made  on 
foot-races  as  well  as  on  horse-races.  Gov.  Reynolds,  in  his 
youth,  was  one  of  the  best  in  a  foot-race,  and  won  many 
wagers  in  Randolph  county,  previous  to  the  removal  of  the 
family  to  Madison.  He  ran  his  last  race  while  absent 
from  this  county  attending  school  in  Tennessee. 

Shooting-matches  occurred  frequently.  These  were 
generally  held  on  Saturdays,  and,  during  the  summer,  as 
often  as  once  a  week.  A  beef  was  usually  the  prize.  A 
keg  of  whisky  was  usually  carried  to  these  shooting- 
matches,  on  horseback,  and  sometimes  a  violin  made  its 
appearance,  and  the  crowd -danced  for  hours. 

The  early  pioneers  were  exceedingly  friendly  and  sociable. 
A  n^-comer  was  given  a  hearty  welcome.  The  houses 
were  in  general  small  and  poor,  but  the  hospitality  of  the 
occupants  knew  no  bounds.  A  visitor  at  a  house  toward 
evening  could  scarcely  get  away  so  much  was  he  importuned 
to  stay  over  night,  which,  if  he  did,  he  was  always  treated 
to  the  best  the  house  afi'orded,  and  never  allowed  to  pay 
for  his  entertainment.  Orchards  and  melon  patches  were 
looked  on  as  common  property,  and  the  man  who  would 
charge  for  apples,  or  melons,  would  be  denounced  for  his 
meanness  the  whole  country  over.  No  charge  was  ever 
made  for  assisting  a  neighbor  at  house  -  raisings,  log- 
rollings, or  harvesting. 

The  women  were  brave  and  self-reliant,  and  it  was  no 
unusual  thing  for  them  to  practice  with  the  rifle.  They 
were  often  left  alone,  and  it  was  well  that  they  should 
know  the  best  means  of  defiance.  One  of  the  pioneers  of 
the  county  (John  L.  Ferguson)  was  accustomed  to  say 
that  his  mother  could  shoot  a  deer,  or  an  Indian,  just  as 
well  as  his  father  could,  and  thought  no  more  of  it.  The 
widow  Carlock,  in  the  Marine  settlement,  was  also  one 
who  had  the  reputation  of  being  able  to  use  her  rifle,  with 
equal  skill  to  any  man,  in  shooting  game,  or  despatching 
an  Indian,  as  the  ease  required. 

PIOXEER   CUSTOM.S    AND   MODES   OF    LIFE. 

The  early  settler  brought  with  him  little  besides  his  axo 
and  rifle ;  the  first  his  weapon  of  offence  against  the  forests 
that  skirted  the  water  courses,  near  which  he  made  his 
home;  the  second,  that  of  defence  against  the  wily  savage. 
His  first  labor  was  to  fell  trees  and  rear  himself  a  house. 
This  was  an  unpretentious  cabin,  rudely  built  of  logs.  It 
was  usually  from  fourteen  to  sixteen  feet  square  never  more 
than  twenty  feet,  and  was  frequently  entirely  built  without 
glass,  nails,  hinges,  or  locks. 

First,  large  logs  were  laid  in  position  as  sills;  on  these 
were  placed  strong  sleepers,  and  oa  the  sleeper.-i  were  laid 
the  rough-hewed  puncheons  to  serve  as  floors.  The  logs 
are   then  built     up  till   the   proper   height  for  the  eaves, 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


93 


tlien  on  the  ends  of  the  building  were  placed  poles,  longer 
than  tne  other  end-logs,  which  projected  some  eighteen  or 
more  inches  over  the  sides,  and  were  called  "  butting-pole 
sleepers ;"  on  the  projecting  ends  of  these  were  placed  the 
"  butting-pole,"  ■fthich  served  to  give  the  line  to  the  first 
row  of  clap-boards.  These  were,  as  a  matter  of  course,  split, 
and  as  the  gables  of  the  cabin  were  built  up,  were  so  laid  on 
as  to  lap  a  third  of  their  leajth.  They  were  often  kept  in 
place  by  the  wei;:ht  of  a  heavy  pole,  laid  across  the  roof 
parallel  to  the  ridge  pole.  The  house  was  then  chinked, 
and  daubed  with  a  coarse  mortar.  At  one  end  of  the  house 
was  built  a  huge  fire-place,  in  which  fire  was  kindled,  both 
for  cooking  purposes  and  to  furnis'i  the  needed  warmth  in 
winter.  Stoves  were  rarely  to  be  seen.  The  ceiling  above 
was  sometimes  covered  with  the  i)elts  of  the  raccoon,  opossum, 
and  wolf,  to  add  to  the  warmth  of  the  dwelling.  Sometimes 
the  soft  inner  bark  of  the  bass  wood  was  used  for  the  same 
purpose.  The  cabin  was  lighted  by  means  of  greased  paper 
windo  vs.  Over  an  opening  in  one  side  of  the  building, 
madeby  cuttingout  a  p)rtion  of  alog,  sheetsof  strong  paper, 
well  saturated  with  coon  grease,  or  bear  oil,  were  carefully 
tacked,  and  thus  furnished  the  window  with  which  the  cabin 
was  lighted. 

The  furniture  was  in  keeping  with  the  building.  The 
tables  had  four  legs,  and  were  rudelv  made  from  puncheons. 
The  seats  were  stools,  having  three  or  four  legs.  The  bed- 
stead compared  well  with  the  rest,  and  was  often  so  con- 
trived as  to  permit  it  to  be  drawn  up  and  fastened  to  the  wall 
during  the  day,  thus  affording  more  room  to  the  family. 
The  entire  furniture  was  framed  with  no  other  toals  than  the 
ase  and  the  auger.  Each  man  was  his  own  carpenter. 
Considerable  ingenuity  was  sometimes  displayed  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  implements  of  agriculture  and  household 
furniture  and  utensils.  Knives  and  forks  the  pioneers  some- 
times had,  and  sometimes  had  not.  The  common  table 
knife  was  the  pack  knife,  or  butcher  knife.  Horse  collars 
were  sometimes  made  of  the  plaited  husk  of  the  maize  sewed 
together.  They  were  easy  on  the  neck  of  the  horse,  and  if 
tug-traces  were  used,  would  last  a  long  time. 

The  common  dress  of  the  early  pioneers  was  verj'  similar. 
In  winter,  the  covering  of  the  feet  were  mostly  moccasins 
made  of  deer  skin  and  shoe-packs  of  tanned  leather.  In  the 
summer,  the  greater  portion  of  the  young  people,  male  and 
female,  and  many  of  the  old,  went  bare-foot.  The  women 
wore  moccasins  and  shoes  made  of  deer-skin.  The  substan- 
tial and  universal  outside  wear  was  the  blue  linsey  hunting 
shirt.  Many  pioneers  wore  the  white  blanket  coat  (the 
French  cnpot)  in  winter,  and  this  was  considered  very  fine 
attire.  The  vest  wrs  commonly  made  of  striped  linsey.  The 
colors  were  made  of  alum,  copperas,  and  madder,  boiled 
with  the  bark  of  trees,  in  such  manner  and  proportions  as 
the  old  ladies  prescribed.  The  shirts  were  generally  home- 
made, of  flax  and  cotton  material.  The  trousers  of  the 
masses  were  generally  linsey,  sometimes  a  coarse  blue  cloth, 
and  often  buckskin.  Home-made  wool  hats  were  worn,  and 
sometimes  caps  made  of  fo.K,  raccoon,  and  wild-cat  skins.  A 
fox  skin  cap,  with  the  tail  turned  over  the  top,  was  thought 
a  fine  head-dress   by  the  dashing  young   men.     In  warm 


weather  hats  were  worn  made  at  home  of  straw.  Neat  and 
fine  linsey,  manufactured  at  home,  and  colored  and  woven 
to  suit  the  fancy,  composed  the  outside  garments  of  the 
females.  It  was  not  unusual  for  a  young  woman  to  appear 
dressed  completely  in  the  products  of  her  own  hands.  A 
bonnet  of  calico,  or  some  gayly-chccked  goods,  was  worn  on 
the  head  in  the  open  air.  Jewelry  was  unusual.  A  gold 
ring  was  an  ornament  not  often  seen. 

Factory  made  goods,  from  New  England  and  Kentucky 
reached  Illinois  about  the  year  1818,  and  soon  supplanted 
the  products  of  the  loom  and  spinning  wheel.  The  style  of 
dress  began  to  change  about  1820.  The  bluc-linsey  hunting 
shirt,  with  red  and  white  fringe,  gave  place  to  the  cloth 
coat.  Boots  and  shoes  supplanted  the  deer-skin  moccasin. 
At  Edwardsville  were  seen  gentlemen  dressed  in  elegant 
broad-cloth.  By  the  year  1830,  a  man  dressed  in  the  cos- 
tume of  the  territory,  raccoon-skin  cap,  hunting-shirt,  buck- 
.skin  breeches  and  moccasins,  with  a  belt  around  the  waist, 
to  which  a  knife  and  tomahawk  were  appended,  was  rarely 
to  be  seen.  The  female  sex  made  still  more  rapid  progress 
in  adopting  modern  costumes. 

The  men  were  not  accustomed  to  work  so  hard  and 
steadily  as  now,  sufficient  corn  was  raised  for  home  con- 
sumption, also  a  little  wheat,  cotton,  flax  and  tobacco,  a 
patch  of  indigo  and  a  bed  of  midder,  with  garden  vege- 
tables for  the  family  use,  and  the  balance  of  the  time  wa.s 
spent  in  recreation,  and  in  hunting  deer,  turkeys,  and  bees. 
The  pioneers  were  capital  hands  for  attending  musters. 
Fourth  of  July  celebrations,  political  speaking,  the  courts, 
horse  races,  and  other  like  gatherings.  On  the  other  hand 
women  in  those  days  worked  much  more  than  at  present. 
Beside  the  house  work  they  had  to  do  the  cording,  spinning, 
weaving,  and  the  making  of  all  the  wearing  apparel  for 
the  family.  Each  house  was  a  manufacturing  establish- 
ment, each  woman  a  skillful  operative.  The  women  were 
overburdened  with  work  so  much  that  a  traveller  passing 
through  the  country  remarked  that  it  was  "a  heaven  for 
men  and  horses,  but  a  hell  for  women  and  oxen."  The 
women,  nevertheless,  were  cheerful  and  happy,  and  some- 
times, when  hard  pressed,  called  the  male  members  of 
the  family  to  their  aid.  Many  a  biy,  under  the  instruc- 
tion of  his  mither  or  sister,  learned  to  spin  and  weave, 
to  sew  and  knit,  and  also  to  dye. 

The  social  and  acc)ram)'iating  disposition  of  the  early 
settlers  led  them  to  do  much  work  in  concert,  at  public 
gatherings.  When  a  man  wanted  a  lot  of  nails  mads  he 
would  S3t  a  d.vy  aad  notify  the  neighbors,  who  were  sure 
to  be  on  hand.  The  self-imposed  task  of  each  man  was 
one  hundred  nails.  There  was  always  a  race  as  to  who 
should  halloo,  "Djue  first!"  S.  P.  Gillhara  relates  that 
he  was  in  such  a  race  once,  and  with  his  brother  made 
the  one  hundred  nails  in  a  little  over  two  hours,  and  got 
beat  at  that.  At  the  approach  of  wheat  harvest  some 
leading  man  would  send  word  for  the  neighbors  to  assend)le 
at  the  house  of  a  certain  neighbor  on  such  a  day  to  cut  and 
shock  his  wheat.  As  soon  as  they  had  finished  his  harvest 
they  would  go  to  the  next,  and  so  on  around  according  to 
the  ripeness  of  the  grain.     The  crops  of  the  widows  and  sick 


9i 


HISTORY    OF  MADISOA"   COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


persons  were  not  neglected,  but  were  attended  to  along  with 
the  rest,  and  if  any  partiality  were  shown  it  would  be 
toward  theiu.  The  yuung  people  frolicked  and  danced  of 
evenings  all  tlirough  harvest ;  and  it  is  little  wonder  that  the 
few  still  living,  whose  memory  reaches  back  to  those  golden 
days,  think  there  is  no  eujoyiueut  among  young  people  now 
as  there  was  then.  The  women  were  not  a  whit  behind  the 
men  in  their  social  gatherings.  They  often  met  to  do  quilt- 
ing and  carding,  and  thought  nothing  of  mounting  their 
horses,  taking  their  wheels  in  their  laps,  and  riding  five  or 
six  miles  to  attend  a  spinning  bee.  As  with  the  men,  there 
was  always  a  race  as  to  who  should  excel  in  carding,  or 
spinning,  and  at  quiltings,  there  were  often  two  quilts,  so 
that  the  gathering  could  divide  into  two  parties,  and  have 
a  race  as  to  which  quilt  should  be  finished  first. 

At  these  gatherings,  as  well  as  the  house-raisings,  at 
which  the  wholj  neighborhood  came  together,  whether 
invited  or  not,  much  sport  and  amusement  were  indulged 
in.  Young  men  and  b:)ys  tried  their  strength  and  skill 
at  jumping,  wrestling,  running  foot-races,  lifting,  and  other 
gymnastic  exercises.  Shooting  at  marks  was  practiced 
among  those  skilled  in  the  use  of  the  rifle.  Among  a 
grjup  of  older  men  would  figure  soms  Kentuckian,  relating 
his  adventures  on  a  flat-boat  trip  to  New  Orleans.  A  bottle 
of  ^lonougahela  whisky,  generously  passed  around,  was  of 
much  assistance  in  quickening  the  memories  of  the  old 
l)ioneers,  and  thiir  "har-brealth  escapes,"  and  thrilling 
adventures,  were  freely  told.  There  was  plenty  to  eat  as 
well  as  to  drink.  The  good  woman  of  the  house  had  busied 
herself  for  a  day,  or  more,  in  preparation  for  the  coming 
guests,  and  an  abundance  was  provided  for  the  healthy 
appetites  which  were  then  the  rule.*  After  the  day's  work 
had  been  accomplished,  out  doors  and  in,  by  men  and 
women,  the  floor  was  cleared  and  the  merry  dance  began. 
Handsome,  stalwart  young  men,  whose  manly  forms  were 
the  result  of  out-door  life,  clad  in  fringed  buck-skin  breeches 
and  gaudily  colored  hunting  shirts,  led  forth  to  the  dance 
bright-eyed,  buxom  damsels,  dressed  in  neatly  fitting 
linsey-woolsey  garments,  their  cheeks  glowing  with  health, 
and  their  eyes  speak  enjoyment  and,  perhaps,  a  tenderer 
amotion. 

But  the  greatest  of  all  social  gatherings  was  the  wedding. 
Everybody  in  reach  was  invited.  The  guests  of  the  bride 
assembled  at  her  home,  and  of  the  groom  at  his.  At  an 
appointed  hour  the  bride's  party  mounted  their  horses  and 
started  to  meet  the  groom.  In  many  neighborhoods  a  bottle 
of  li(juor  was  prepared,  sweetened  and  spiced  to  the  taste, 
and  the  bottle  decorated  with  many  colored  ribbons.  When 
the  two  parties  met  a  general  halt  was  ordered,  and  prepara- 
tions made  to  run  a  race  for  the  bottle.  The  groom's  party 
ran  for  him,  the  bride's  for  her.    The  bottle  was  taken  by 

«  "  The  bread  iisatl  at  these  frolics  was  baked  generally  on  Jonivj  or 
Journey  cake-boards,  and  is  the  best  corn  bread  ever  made.  A  board  is 
made  smooth,  about  two  feet  long,  and  eight  inches  wide  ;  the  ends  are 
generally  rounded.  The  dough  is  spread  out  on  this  board  and  iilaced 
leaning  before  the  fire.  One  side  is  baked,  and  then  the  dough  is  changed 
on  the  board,  so  tlie  otiier  side  is  presented,  in  its  turn,  to  tlio  fire.  Tliis 
is  Jonny-cake,  and  is  good,  if  the  pro])er  materials  are  put  in  the  dough, 
and  it  is  properly  baked."    Reynolds'  Pioneer  History. 


the  judge  to  the  far  end  of  the  course,  while  the  crowd 
remained  at  the  starting  point.  When  the  race  was  over 
the  winner  returned,  holding  up  the  trophy  and  shaking  it 
in  triumph.  After  the  wedding  and  the  dinner  was  over, 
the  groomsman  gave  a  general  invitation  to  all  the  guests  of 
the  bride  to  attend  the  young  people  home  the  next  day, 
and  to  take  dinner  with  them.  Then  the  race  of  the  day 
previous  would  be  repeated,  and  in  many  social  and  con- 
vivial neighborhoods  dancing  would  be  indulged  in  for 
hours.* 

*  The  following  description  of  a  "Shucking"  of  the  oUL'n  time  is 
taken  from  Iteynulds'  Pioneer  History  of  Illinois : 

"In  pure  pioneer  times  the  crops  of  corn  were  never  husked  on 
the  slalk,  as  is  done  at  this  day:  but  were  hauled  home  in  the  husk 
and  thrown  in  a  heap,  generally  by  the  side  of  the  crib,  so  that  the 
ears,  wlicn  luisked,  could  be  thrown  direct  into  the  crib.  The  whole 
neigliborliood,  male  and  female,  were  invited  to  the  shttclcin;,  as  it 
was  called.  The  girls,  and  many  of  the  married  ladies,  generally 
engaged  in  this  amusing  work.  In  the  first  place  two  leading  expert 
buskers  were  chosen  as  captains,  and  the  heap  of  corn  divided  as 
nearly  equal  as  possible.  Rails  were  laid  across  the  pile  so  as  to  desig- 
nate the  division ;  and  then  each  captain  chose,  alternately,  his  corp^ 
of  buskers,  male  and  female.  The  whole  number  of  working  hands 
present  were  selected,  on  one  side  or  the  other,  and  then  each  party 
commenced  a  contrsl  to  beat  the  other,  which  was  in  many  cases  truly 
exciting.  One  other  rule  was,  tha*  whenever  a  male  husked  a  red  ear 
of  corn,  he  was  entitled  to  a  kiss  from  the  girls.  This  frequently 
excited  much  fu.ss  and  scuffling,  which  was  intended  by  both  parties 
to  end  in  a  kiss.  It  was  a  universal  practice  that  taiKa  or  Mononga- 
hela  whisky  was  used  at  these  husking  frolics,  which  they  drank  out 
of  a  bottle,  each  one  male  and  female,  taking  the  bottle  and  drinking 
out  of  it,  and  then  handing  it  to  his  next  neighbor,  without  using  any 
glass  or  cup  whatever.  This  custom  was  common  and  not  considered 
rude.  Almost  always  these  corn  shucks  ended  in  a  dance.  To  pre- 
pare for  this  amusement  fiddles  and  fiddlers  were  in  great  demand; 
and  it  often  required  much  fast  riding  to  obtain  them.  One  violin 
and  a  per.''ormer  were  all  that  was  contemplated  at  these  innocent 
rural  games.  Towards  dark,  and  the  supper  half  over,  then  it  was 
that  a  bustle  and  confusion  commenced.  The  confusion  of  the  tongues 
at  Babel  would  have  been  ashamed  at  the  corn-shuckings.  The  young 
ones  hurrying  off  the  table,  and  the  old  ones  contending  for  time  and 
order.  It  was  the  case  in  nine  times  out  of  ten,  that  but  one  dwell- 
ing-house was  on  the  premises,  and  that  used  for  eating  as  well  as 
dancing.  But  when  the  fiddler  commenced  tuning  his  instrument 
the  music  always  gained  the  victory  for  the  young  side.  Then  the 
dishes,  victuals,  tables  and  all,  disappeared  in  a  few  minutes,  and  the 
room  was  cleared,  the  dogs  drove  out,  and  the  floor  swept  ofi'  ready 
for  action.  The  floors  of  these  houses  were  sometimes  the  natural 
earth,  beat  solid,  sometimes  the  eartli,  with  puncheons  in  the  middle 
over  the  potato-hole,  and  at  times  the  whole  floor  was  made  of  pun- 
cheons. The  music  at  these  country  dances  made  the  young  folks 
almost  frantic,  and  sometimes  much  excitement  was  dis]!layed  to  get 
on  the  floor  first.  Generally  the  tiddler  on  the.se  occasions  assumed 
an  important  bearing,  and  ordered,  in  true  professional  style,  .so  and 
so  to  be  done;  as  that  was  the  way  in  Xorth  Carolina,  where  he  wa.s 
raised.  The  decision,  ended  the  contest  for  the  floor.  In  those  days 
they  danced  jigs  and  four-handed  reels,  as  they  were  called.  Some- 
times three-handed  reels  were  also  danced.  In  these  dances  there 
was  no  standing  still;  all  were  moving  at  a  rapid  pace  from  begin- 
ning to  end.  In  the  jigs  tlie  by-standers  cut  one  another  out,  as  it  was 
called,  so  that  this  dance  would  last  four  hours.  Sometimes  the 
parties  in  a  jig  tried  to  tire  one  another  down  in  the  dance,  and  then 
it  would  also  last  a  long  time  before  one  or  the  other  gave  up.  The 
cotillion  or  stand-still  diiuces  were  not  then  known.  The  bottle  went 
round  at  these  parlies  as  it  did  at  the  shuckings,  and  male  anil  female 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


95 


EARLY  FINAKCIAL   CONDITION  OF  THE  COUNTRY — ARTICLES 
OF  HOUSEHOLD  USE. 

The  early  settlers  had  but  little  money,  and  but  little  was 
needed,  only  enough  to  pay  a  small  tax,  sometimes  a  doctor's 
bill,  and  lor  blacksmith  work.  This  was  obtained  from  the 
sale  of  cattle  and  hogs.  Store  goods  and  groceries  were 
generally  paid  for  with  butter,  eggs,  beeswax  and  peltries. 
The  early  pioneers  lived  on  government  laud,  unbought,  un- 
patenttd.  The  little  silver  coin  that  found  its  way  into  the 
community  had  to  be  cut  in  pieces  to  make  it  go  as  far  as 
possible,  and  for  convenience  of  change.  After  the  bank  of 
Edwardtville  went  into  oiseration,  in  1819,  money  became 
more  plentil'ul  for  a  while,  but  the  bank  soon  went  under, 
and  times  became  worse.  When  the  settling  up  of  the 
country  made  it  necissary  to  secure  a  title  to  the  land,  every 
fpare  dollar  went  to  the  land  office,  and  money  became 
scarce  on  this  account.  There  wa.s  little  demand  for  farm 
products.  Little  or  no  grain  was  sold  out  of  the  county. 
A  few  horses  and  cattle  were  shipped  south  or  driven  north, 
but  not  in  sufficient  numbers  to  put  much  money  in  circu- 
lation. Corn  frequently  sold  as  low  a.s  five  cents  a  bushel, 
wheat  at  thirty,  forty,  and  fifty  cents,  cows  and  calves  at 
five  dollars,  beef  and  pork  at  a  cent  and  a-half  a  pound, 
and  other  products  of  the  farm  proportionately  low.  Cattle 
and  hogs  were  commonly  taken  to  St.  Louis.  After  1825 
there  began  to  be  home  buyers  of  pork  and  beef.  A  pack- 
ing house  was  e-tablished  at  the  mouth  of  Wood  river  at 
an  early  day,  by  D  E.  Tiffiu,  and  afterward  one  at  Edwards- 
ville  by  Robert  Pogue. 

Produce  was  gotten  to  market  in  a  wooden  cart,  drawn  by 
a  yoke  of  oxen.  There  were  few  bridges,  but  little  work 
was  done  on  the  roads,  and  consequent!)^  heavy  teams  were 
>rcquired  for  light  loads.  Ox  teams  were  the  best  and  the 
most  commonly  used,  though  some  preferred  horses.  The 
oxen  could  live  on  the  grass  and  do  good  work.  There  were 
a  few  large  four-horse  wagons  in  which  people  had  moved 
into  the  country.  In  later  years  a  few  of  the  well-to-do 
farmers  got  a  Dearborn  wagon,  drawn  by  one  horse.  One 
of  the  old  residents  of  the  county  states  that  it  was  not  till 
1837  that  he  ever  heard  the  name  of  a  buggy,  and  it  wag 
about  the  same  date  when  two-horse  wagons  began  to  come 
into  use. 

Salt  was  one  of  the  dearest  of  the  commodities  which  the 
pioneer  settler  absolutely  needed.  It  was  in  early  times  ob- 
tained in  St.  Louis.  At  one  time  a  man  landed  a  boat  and 
left  a  few  barrels  of  salt  for  sale  with  Isaac  Gillham  on  the 
Mississippi.  This  was  sold  among  the  farmers  in  the 
vicinity  at  nine  dollars  a  barrel.  As  much  as  seven  dollars 
was  at  times,  i)aid  for  a  half  bushel.     In  1818  salt  sold  at 

took  a  dram  out  of  it  as  it  p.ns.'sed  around.  No  sitting  was  indulged 
in,  and  tlie  folks  eillicr  stood  or  danced  all  night,  as  generally  day- 
light ended  the  frolic.  The  dress  of  these  liardy  pioneers  was  gene- 
rally plain  homespun.  The  hunting  shirt  was  much  worn  at  that 
time,  which  is  a  convenient  working  or  dancing  dress.  Sometimes 
dressed  deer-skin  pantaloons  were  used  on  these  occasions,  and  mocca- 
sins— rarely  shoes —  and  at  times  bare  feet  were  indulged  in.  In  the 
morning  all  go  home  on  horseback  or  on  foot.  No  carriages,  wagons, 
or  other  vehicles  were  used  on  these  occasions,  for  the  best  of  reasons, 
because  they  had  none." 


Edwardsville  for  three  dollars  a  bushel,  and  in  1821  at  one 
dollar.  Whisky  was  cheap,  and  frequently  could  be 
bought  at  twenty-five  cents  a  gallon  by  the  barrel.  Several 
distilleries  were  erected  at  an  early  period,  and  some  of  the 
larger  farmers  hauled  their  corn  to  them,  and  had  it  manu- 
factured into  whisky,  the  distiller  taking  half  by  way  of 
toll.  Coflfee  and  sugar  were  expensive,  and  considered 
luxuries  not  to  be  indulged  in  every  day.  Their  use  was 
reserved  for  old  people  and  visitors.  Wild  honey  was  often 
used  in  place  of  sugar.  Because  of  the  scarcity  of  mills 
and  the  difficulty  of  travelling  to  them,  hominy,  green  corn, 
beans  and  potatoes,  often  supplied  the  table  to  the  exclusion 
of  bread. 

Every  farmer  calculated  as  much  on  having  his  barrel  of 
honey  when  winter  came  as  on  having  a  supply  of  corn  or 
other  provisions.  Hence  bee-hunting  was  common. 
Gershom  Flagg  writes  back  to  Vermont  in  1819 :  "There 
are  more  honey  bees  in  the  territory,  I  suppose,  than  in  any 
other  place  in  the  world.  I  have  heard  the  hunters  say 
that  they  have  found  eight,  or  ten,  swarms  in  a  day  on  the 
St.  Gama  (Sangamon)  and  Illinois  rivers,  where  there  are 
no  settlements.  Truly  this  must  be  the  land  of  milk  and 
honey." 

^  PKAIRIE   FIRES. 

A  settler  on  the  prairie,  in  early  days,  was  in  constant 
dread,  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  of  prairie  fires.  A  fire  started 
in  the  high,  dry  grass  would  sweep  over  the  prairie  faster 
than  a  horse  could  run.  Each  settler  usually  burned  off  a 
strip  of  ground  surrounding  his  farm,  and  thus  prevented 
the  flames  from  destroying  his  crop  and  buildings.  The 
neighbors  would  frequently  be  engaged  in  fighting  the  fire 
till  midnight  in  the  eflbrt  to  save  the  property  of  some  of 
their  number  from  destruction. 

PIONEER  SCHOOLS  AND  CIIUECIIE.S. 

The  first  camp  meeting  in  Illinois  was  held  near  the 
residence  of  Thomas  Good,  about  three  miles  south  of  tiie 
present  town  of  Edwardsville,  in  the  spring  of  1807.  This 
meeting  was  under  the  supervision  of  the  Rev.  William 
McKendree,  then  presiding  elder  of  circuits  covering  Ohit^ 
Kentucky,  Tennessee,  and  other  western  states,  and  who  in 
1808  became  the  fourth  bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Rev.  Jesse  Walker  was  an  assistant  preacher. 
Reynolds  states  that  during  this  meeting  many  persons  were 
curiously  exercised  by  the  "jerks,"  an  involuntary  exercise 
which  made  the  victims  sometimes  dance  and  leap  until 
they  became  entirely  exhausted  and  fell  helpless  to  the 
ground.  Later  in  the  season  a  camp-meeting  was  held  at 
Shiloh,  six  miles  north-east  of  Belleville.  The  old  Bethel 
church  in  Madison  county,  and  the  Shiloh  church  iu  St. 
Clair  county  were  the  two  earliest  Methodist  churches  in 
Illinois. 

Religious  meetings  had  been  held  among  the  pioneers 
several  years  previous  to  1807.  As  early  as  the  fall  of  1803 
Methodist  ministers  made  their  appearance.  Regular  re- 
ligious services  were  usually  held  about  once  in  four  weeks. 
Their  two-days  meetings  and  quarterly  meetings  were  well 
attended.       Of  the  resident  Methodist   preachers   in    the 


96 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


county,  ill  earl)'  times,  Josias  Ratidle,  for  many  years  clerk 
of  the  court,  wiis  among  the  be.-^t  known. 

A  Baptist  church  was  built  on  section  24,  township  5, 
range  0,  in  the  year  1809.  The  building  was  a  small 
cabin  constructed  of  logs.  The  Rev.  William  Jones  was 
the  first  preacher  who  held  services  here.  Rev.  John  M. 
Peck  was  one  of  the  earliest  Baptist  preachers.  The  Rev. 
Thomas  Ray  preached  frequently,  as  did  the  Rev.  William 
Jones,  both  Baptists.  Peter  Cartwright  was  an  early 
Methodist  minister.  He  was  called  the  "  fighting 
preacher."  It  was  not  considered  anything  out  of  the  way 
in  those  days  for  a  preacher,  when  insulted,  to  protect  his 
standing  by  force  of  arms.  The  Rev.  Thomas  Oglesby 
preached  as  early  as  1804.  The  Rev.  Benjamin  Young  was 
an  early  minister.  Thomas  Randle,  Nathaniel  Pinckard,' 
and  Samuel  Thompson  and  John  Dew  were  early  Methodist 
ministers. 

In  the  year  1812  a  school  was  taught  in  the  door  yard  .of 
the  residence  of  Col.  Samuel  Judy  by  I^lisha  Alexander.  A 
school-house  was  then,  in  1814,  built  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff, 
half-way  between  where  Col.  Judy  and  William  B.  White- 
side lived,  but  more  than  half  of  the  time  it  was  not  occupied. 
This  was  a  cabin  built  of  logs,  and  Mr.  Thompson  was  the 
teacher  who  first  held  sway  within  its  walls.  This  was  while 
the  war  of  1812-14  was  in  progress.  Many  of  the  inhabi- 
tants in  that  part  of  the  country  were  engaged  in  the 
ranging  service,  and  the  reports  from  the  field  so  inspired 
the  youth  with  martial  feeling  that  one  morning  they 
barred  the  cabin  door  against  the  teacher.  After  brave,  but 
ineffectual  efforts  to  carry  the  position  by  storm,  he  wisely 
sounded  a  parley  and  received  the  surrender  of  the  garrison 
on  condition  of  treating  the  pupils. 

A  .school  was  taught  by  Vaitch  Clark,  in  the  summer  of 
1813,  in  a  block  house  at  ihe  little  fort  which  had  been 
erected  for  protection  against  the  Indians  on  section  1,  of 
township  4,  range  9. 

The  first  teacher  in  the  Wood  River  settlement  was  Peter 
Fliun.  The  school-house  in  which  he  taught  was  on  section 
4,  township  5,  range  9.  In  township  3,  range  9,  the  first 
school  was  taught  in  1812,  by  Joshua  Atwater,  who  was 
succeeded  by  an  Irishman  named  McLaughlin. 

The  first  school  ever  taught  in  the  Marine  jTairie  was 
either  in  the  summer,  or  winter,  of  1814.  It  was  taught  in 
the  smoke  house  of  Isaac  Ferguson.  There  were  ten  or 
twelve  scholars,  and  Arthur  Travis  was  the  teacher. 

Hiram  Rountree  was  an  early  leacher  at  Ebenezer,  south- 
west of  Edwardsville;  ]Mr.  Campbell  at  Salem,  Joseph 
Berry  on  SugarCreek,  and  William  Gilliland  at  the  Cantine 
school  and  meeting  house. 

One  of  the  early  schools  in  the  Marine  settlement  was  in 
a  building  made  of  logs  consisting  of  two  departments  sepa- 
rated by  a  log  partition.  The  first  department  was  a  stable, 
accommodating  several  horses ;  the  second,  a  crib,  or  gran- 
ary, utilized  for  scho'astic  purposes.  The  only  entrance  to 
this  room,  was  through  the  stable,  and  teacher  and  pupils, 
girls  and  boys,  were  compelled  to  climb  six  feet  of  log  parti- 
tion. "  The  conductor  of  this  school,"  writes  one  of  the 
pupils  of  those  days,  ''  was  a  little  effete,  old  codger,  the 


most  ignorant  and  illiterate  creature  I  ever  knew  as  a 
teacher  of  the  youthful  mind.  We  were  instructed  to  al  wa3's 
call  the  letter  '  Z,' '  Izzard,'  and  in  spelling  Aaron  to  say, 
"Big  A,  little  A,  r-o-n,  Aaron,"  The  next  teaci.er  who 
attempted  to  illuminate  Marine  was  Mr.  Giles  Churchill, 
the  most  bashful  and  awkward  of  men.  He  had  studied 
'  English  grammar  in  Webster's  spelling  book,  and  'lowed 
he  could  teach  it  if  anybody  wanted  to  lava.'  At  that  early 
day  the  march  of  civilization  had  already  established  a 
whisky  distillery  in  the  wood-t,  not  more  than  two  miles 
from  our  noted  scholastic  institution,  and  our  beloved  peda- 
gogue would  sometimes  rest  at  this  point,  on  his  early 
literary  peregrination  to  his  morning  duty,  and  imbibe  too 
freely  of  corn-juice  for  the  successful  advancement  of  educa- 
tion, although  iu  one  way  or  another,  he  did  successfully 
'  teach  the  young  mind  how  to  shoot.'  A  true  politician, 
however,  he  even  then  stumbled  along  to  his  tasiis,  his  duties, 
and  his  school,  with  a  pint-bottle  well-filled  with  the  spirit 
that  '  steals  away  the  brain,'  to  treat,  fill  and  flatter  the 
older  boys,  and  thus  win  them  to  his  praise." 

One  of  the  early  schools  in  the  southern  part  of  the  coun- 
ty was  taught  in  Chilton's  foit  by  David  Smeltzer. 

The  Rev.  William  Jones  was  one  of  the  earliest  teachers 
in  what  is  now  Fort  Russell  township.  A  man  named 
Wyatt  taught  in  this  part  of  the  county  in  1817,  and  in  1818 
Daniel  A.  Lanterraan  had  a  school  in  which  thirty-three 
children  were  in  their  primers  at  the  commencement  of  the 
term.  He  was  paid  twelve  dollars  a  year  for  each  pupil. 
The  books  used  were  Webster's  Spelling  Book,  the  New 
England  Primer  and  Pike's  Arithmetic.  To  advance  far 
enough  in  arithmetic  to  understand  the  rule  of  three,  was 
considered  having  a  good  education.  The  scholars  came 
from  a  distance  of  three  miles.  The  school-house  was  built 
of  logs,  and  was  twenty  by  twenty-four  feet  in  dimensions. 
On  the  side,  half  a  log  had  been  cut  out  for  a  window. 
Over  the  aparture  greased  paper  was  tacked,  and  a  fence  had 
been  built  on  the  outside  to  keep  the  cattle  from  destroying 
this  substitute  for  glass  by  licking  it  with  their  tongues. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  the  present  Edwardsville  there 
were  no  good  schools  till  1818.  About  that  time  Hiram 
Rountree  taught  twoyears  at  the  old  Ebenezer  school-house 
and  had  a  school  of  eighty  pupils. 

The  first  school  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  present  town 
of  Troy  was  taught  by  Greenberry  Randle  in  the  year  1811. 
The  curriculum  of  studies  could  not  have  been  very  extend- 
ed for  the  "  master  "  stipulated  that  he  should  be  called  on 
to  give  no  instruction  in  arithmetic  farther  than  the  "  Dou- 
ble Rule  of  Three." 

EARLY   MILLS. 

The  want  of  convenient  mills  was  one  of  the  most  serious 
disadvantages  with  which  the  pioneer  settlers  had  to  con- 
tend. Of  the  early  contrivances  for  manufacturing  meal 
the  most  rude  and  primitive  was  what  was  known  as  the 
"  Armstrong  mill,"  used  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  and  which 
could  be  made  by  any  family.  This  consisted  of  a  plate  of 
tin,  pierced  with  numerous  hobs,  so  as  to  make  one  side 
very  rough,  bent  in  the  shape  of  a  half-circle,  and  nailed  to 
a  clap  board  about  three  feet  long  by  six  inches  iu  width. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


97 


By  rubbiug  an  ear  of  corn,  just  out  of  the  milk,  on  the  rough 
tin,  meal  was  made,  thou^^h  in  a  very  shiw  and  hiborious 
manner.  The  person  operating  this  mill,  by  the  time  he  had 
ground,  or  grated,  enough  meal  for  the  dinner  of  a  dozen 
persons,  would  be  apt  to  conclude  that  "  arm-strong  "  was  a 
very  appropriate  appellation. 

An  improvement  on  this  was  the  band  mill.  This  was 
made  of  two  mill-stones,  one  above  the  other.  A  hole  was 
made  in  the  upper  stone  in  which  was  placed  a  staff  of  wood, 
which  ran  through  a  hole  in  a  plank  above.  One  or  two 
persons  took  hold  of  this  statt'  and  turned  the  upper  stone 
with  as  much  velocity  as  possible.  There  was  no  hopper, 
but  through  an  eye  in  the  upper  stone  the  mill  was  fed  with 
corn  in  small  quantities. 

To  make  a  mortar,  wherein  to  beat  corn  into  meal,  the 
pioneers  took  a  large,  round  log,  three  or  four  feet  in  length, 
and,  by  cutting  or  burning,  made  a  cavitj^  in  one  end,  capa- 
ble of  holding,  perhaps,  a  peck  of  corn.  The  log  was  then 
set  perpendicularly  io  the  ground,  and  the  cavity  filled 
with  corn.  A  weight  attached  to  the  sweep  was  then  used  to 
crush  the  corn.  The  weight  was  forced  down  by  the  hands, 
and  was  raised  again  by  the  spring  of  the  sweep-pole. 

In  the  baud-mill  the  horse-power  consisted  of  a  large, 
upright  shaft,  some  ten  or  twelve  feet  in  height,  with  eight 
or  ten  long  arms,  let  into  the  main  shaft  and  extending  out 
from  it  fifteen  feet.  Auger  holes  were  bored  at  the  end  of 
the  arms,  in  tlie  upper  side,  into  which  wooden  pins  were 
driven.  This  was  called  the  big  wheel,  and  was,  as  has  been 
seen,  about  thirty  feet  in  diameter.  The  raw-hide  belt  or 
tug,  was  made  of  skins  of  beef  cattle,  cut  into  strips  three 
inches  in  width  ;  these  were  twisted  into  a  round  cord,  or 
tug,  long  enough  to  encircle  the  circumference  of  the  big 
■wheel.  There  it  was  held  in  place  by  the  wooden  pins. 
From  the  big  wheel  the  belt  crossed  and  passed  under  a  shed 
to  run  around  a  drum,  or  "  trunnel  head,"  to  which  was 
attached  the  grinding  apparatus.  The  horses,  or  oxen,  were 
attached  to  the  arms  by  means  of  raw -hide  tugs,  and  being 
driven  around  in  a  circle,  the  machinery  was  set  in  motion. 
To  grind  twelve  bushels  of  corn  in  a  band-mill  was  consi- 
dered a  good  day's  work.  Instead  of  using  the  band,  power 
was  sometimes  communicated  from  one  wheel  to  the  other 
cogs. 

Several  of  these  baud  mills  were  erected  in  the  Goshen 
settlement.  Before  their  coming  into  use  the  pioneer  settlers 
usually  procured  their  supplies  of  meal  at  Cahokia.  Wheat 
flour  at  that  time  was  but  little  used.  Previous  to  the  year 
1807,  several  pioneer  mills  were  built  within  the  present 
limits  of  the  county,  one  of  which  was  a  band  mill,  erected 
by  the  Preuitts,  on  the  edge  of  the  prairie,  a  few  miles  east 
of  the  present  site  of  CoUinsville.  On  the  Cautiuc  creek, 
south  of  CoUinsville,  a  man  named  Talbot  had,  first,  a  horse 
mill,  and  afterward  a  water  mill.  Cornelius  built  a  water 
mill  on  the  same  creek  below.  Elliott  had  a  horse  mill  about 
three  miles  south  of  Edwardsville,  and  Nathan  Carpenter 
one  on  the  Six  mile  prairie.  Adjoining  the  site  of  Edwards- 
ville, Thomas  Kirkpatrick  built  a  water  mill  on  Cahokia 
creek. 

William  Whiteside,  of  Whiteside  station,  in  the  present 
13 


county  of  Monroe,  and  his  brother,  John  Whiteside,  in  the 
year  1806,  purchased  a  land  warrant  of  one  hundred  acres, 
and  located  it  on  Wood  river,  where  that  stream  is  crossed 
by  the  road  leading  from  Edwardsville  to  Alton.  They 
prepared,  and  hauled  much  timber  with  which  to  construct 
a  mill,  but  for  some  reason  never  built  it. 

After  the  population  of  the  county  became  more  numerous, 
several  of  the  settlers,  who  had  a  mechanical  turn  of  mind, 
were  tempted  to  try  their  skill  at  building  horse,  or  ox 
mills.  There  were  many  failures,  and  sometimes  linancial 
ruin  resulted.  Especially  was  this  the  case  with  the  atteni])ts 
to  build  and  operate  water  mills.  It  was  a  saying  of  Isaac 
Prickett,  one  of  the  Edwardsville  merchants,  that  however 
great  a  falling  out  he  might  have  with  au  old  settler,  if  he 
undertook  to  build  a  water  mill,  he  always  forgave  him  the 
grudge.  At  Edwardsville  in  the  year  181^,  Josias  Kandle 
built  a  good  cog-wheel  horse  mill.  John  Messinger  was  the 
machinist  and  mill-wright  who  did  the  work.  In  1832  this 
mill  was  transformed  into  a  steam  mill,  one  of  the  first  in 
Madison  county.  It  burned  down  in  1834.  Near  the  pre- 
sent site  of  Bethalto,  there  was  a  band-mill  at  an  early  day 
operated  by  Mr.  Finley.  George  Moore  had  one  on  his 
])lace  in  section  ten,  of  township  five,  range  nine,  the  ma- 
chinery of  which  was  brought  from  Kentucky.  About  a 
mile  and  a  half  west  of  Edwardsville  was  a  mill  owned  by 
Joshua  Delajilain,  on  land  now  owned  by  S.  O.  Bonner. 
Prior  to  the  year  1817,  a  band-mill  was  erected  on  Gov. 
Coles'  farm,  three  or  four  miles  east  of  Edwardsville.  It 
was  run  by  George  Coventry,  and  afterward  by  William  L. 
j\Iay,  who  removed  it  to  Edwardsville.  Henry  Keley,  the 
pioneer  settlf  r  of  Hamel  township,  put  up  a  band-mill  on  his 
farm  about  1820.  This  mill  had  a  good  bolting  cloth  and 
chest.  •  It  was  in  operation  only  a  short  time,  and  the  enter- 
prise did  not  prove  a  financial  success.  George  W.  Farris 
had  a  band-mill,  west  of  Silver  creek,  near  the  line  between 
Hamel  and  Alhanibra  townships.  Robert  Collet,  one  of  the 
most  ingenious,  useful,  and  enterprising  citizens  on  Rattan's 
prairie,  built  a  good  mill,  two  or  three  miles  southeast  of  the 
present  town  of  Bethalto,  which  was  well  patronized,  and  a 
great  convenience  to  the  inhabitants  of  that  part  of  the 
county.  It  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1842,  or  1843.  Robert 
McDow,  a  Kentuckian,  who  settled  near  the  present  Kinder 
station,  had  a  horse-mill  in  operation  at  an  early  period. 

A  water-mill  was  built  on  Cahokia  creek  at  Edwardsville, 
by  Jo-eph  Newman,  who  sold  it  to  Samuel  Lockhart,  and 
he  to  Paris  Mason.  The  mill  was  in  operation  several  years, 
and  a  great  advantage  to  the  people  residing  within  several 
miles  of  Edwardsville,  but  so  treacherous  was  Cahokia  creek, 
and  so  difficult  and  expensive  was  the  work  of  preserving 
the  mill-dam  on  account  of  the  frequent  fl  )ods  which  dcva.s- 
tated  the  bottom,  that  Mr.  Mason  finally  concluded  to  aban- 
don the  mill.  Three  or  four  miles  southeast  of  Edwards- 
ville, a  mill  was  built  by  Jacob  Gonterman,  and  for  some 
years  did  good  service.  George  Barnsback  built  a  good  cog- 
wheel horse-mill,  southeast  of  Edwardsville,  and  Calvin 
McCray  put  in  operation  a  mill  of  the  same  description  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Troy.  In  the  forks  of  Wood  river,  two 
or  three  miles  east  of  Upper  Alton,   Abel  Moore  built  a 


IIISTOBY    OF   MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


good  cog-wheel  mill  about  1823  or  1824.  On  Cahokia 
creek,  three  or  four  miles  above  Edwardsville,  a  water-mill 
was  built  by  Robert  Harrison,  at  which  for  many  years 
large  quantities  of  corn  and  wheat  were  ground,  and  a  great 
deal  of  lumber  sawed.  Mr.  Harrison  was  a  public-spirited 
and  enterpri.sing  citizen,  and  afterward  carried  on  the  pot- 
tery business  for  many  years  at  Upper  Alton  Both  at 
Newman's  and  Randle's  mill  at  Edwardsville,  lumber  was 
sawed  at  an  early  day.  John  Estabrook  and  Oliver  Liver- 
more  built  a  water-mill  on  Cahokia  creek,  in  the  northwest 
part  of  Hamel  township  about  1829,  or  1830.  A  great 
amount  of  lumber  was  sawed  here,  and  some  meal  and  ilour 
manufactured.  On  Indian  creek,  in  Fort  Russell  township, 
John  Newman  built  a  saw-mill  at  an  early  period,  which  he, 
and  others  after  him,  ran  to  a  good  purpose  for  many  years. 
West  of  Edwardsville,  ou  Delaplaiu's  branch,  an  early  mill 
was  built  by  George  Coventry. 

William  Rabb,  who  in  1812,  purchased  claim  16.53,  on 
the  Cahokia,  about  three  miles  northwest  of  Collinsville,  in 
the  spring  of  the  next  year,  built  a  large  four-story  frame 
water-mill — an  extensive  concern  for  those  da3'S.  In  1820 
it  passed  into  the  possession  of  Joseph  Hertzog,  who  added 
a  distillery.  Hertzog's  mill  was  a  well-known  place  to  the 
early  settlers  of  the  county. 

ISoon  after  1«40,  there  were  several  steam-flour  and  saw- 
mills in  operation  in  the  county.  The  first  two  of  these 
were  the  Randle  mill  at  Edwardsville,  and  the  large  steam 
flour-mill  built  by  William  Manning  at  Alton.  The  building 
of  the  Alton  mill  commenced  in  1831,  and  was  completed  in 
18S3.  Farmers  sometimes  came  to  the  Alton  mill  from 
Sangamon  county,  a  distance  of  eighty  miles,  and  then 
would  often  have  to  wait  several  days  to  get  their  grist 
ground.  The  expense,  however,  was  but  little  more  to  them 
than  at  home.  Time,  in  those  days,  was  not  a  matter  of 
much  consequence.  Provisions  and  feed  were  either  brought 
from  home,  or  purchased  on  the  way,  and  the  covered  wagon 
made  a  convenient  place  for  lodging  as  they  camped  along 
the  road  at  night.  It  was  lawful  to  cut  sufficient  timber  by 
the  wayside  for  camp  fires. 

AGRICULTURE. 

Heavier  crops  of  corn  were  generally  raised  in  pioneer 
times  than  now,  but  the  crops  of  wheat  were  lighter.  The 
superior  crop  of  wheat  at  the  present  day  is  probably  due 
to  better  culture  and  better  varieties.  The  manner  of  seed- 
ing wheat  was  to  scatter  the  seed  broadcast  in  the  standing 
corn,  and  plow  it  in  with  a  one-horse  plow.  The  wheat  at 
harvest  was  reaped  with  a  sickle.  Solomon  Preuitt  once 
raised,  from  a  small  field,  a  crop  of  forty-two  bushels  of 
wheat  to  the  acre,  but  the  usual  yield  was  from  ten  to  fif- 
teen bushels.  The  fresh  and  fertile  prairie  lands  yielded 
heavy  crops  of  corn.  Curtiss  Blakeman  of  Marine,  writes, 
under  date  of  April  the  twentieth,  1820,  to  the  secretary  of 
the  State  Agricultural  Society,  that  the  previous  year  he 
gathered  from  nine  acres,  three-quarters  and  six  rods  of 
ground,  sixteen  hundred  bushels  of  ears  of  corn  of  a  very 
superior  quality.  One  bushel  and  a  half  of  ears  (consisting 
of  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  ears)  just  as  they  ran   from 


the  crib,  on  being  shelled,  made  one  bushel  and  four  quarts 
of  shelled  corn.  The  seed  of  this  corn  was  brought  from 
Kentucky.  He  describes  the  corn  as  being  white  and  hard, 
the  grains  a  little  indented  and  the  cob  very  small  in  propor- 
tion to  the  size  of  the  ear.  The  mode  of  culture  was  quite 
common,  the  corn  being  planted  late  in  May,  in  hills  about 
four  feet  apart,  and  ploughed  three  times.  Somewhat  less 
than  ten  acres  of  ground  made  thirteen  hundred  and  fifty 
bushels  of  shelled  corn,  a  yield  of  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
five  bushels  to  the  acre.  The  field  in  which  the  corn  was 
grown  was  newly-turned  up  prairie,  and  that  year  was  culti- 
vated  for  the  first  time. 

There  was  considerable  cotton  raised  in  the  county  in 
early  days,  and  its  cultivation  was  kept  up  by  some  as  late 
as  the  year  1835.  Thomas  Good  built,  and  operated,  a  very 
good  cotton  gin,  on  his  farm  two  miles  south  of  Edwardsville. 
Oats  were  not  much  raised,  and  only  small  crops  of  either 
Irish,  or  sweet  potatoes.  Nearly  every  farmer  had  his  patch 
of  flax  which  was  used  for  some  articles  of  clothing  because 
of  its  superior  strength  to  cotton.  At  a  later  day  castor 
beans  were  cultivated  and  readily  sold  at  Edwardsville, 
where  John  Adams  had  an  oil  mill.  The  hay  used  was  cut 
from  the  wild  prairie.  Melons,  which  were  raised  in  large 
quantiies,  were  planted  in  corn  fields  by  the  public  roads, 
and  the  travelling  public  were  expected  to  help  themselves. 
The  house  garden  of  early  times,  beside  vegetables  for  table 
use,  grew  the  medicines  of  the  family — the  senna  plant  for 
a  cathartic,  garlics  for  vermifuge,  saffron  for  soothing  syrup, 
wormwood  and  tansy  for  strengthening  bitters,  all  the  mints 
for  sudorifics,  and  sweet  basil  and  summer  savory  for 
essences  and  cooking. 

The  methods  of  agriculture  were  slow  and  laborious. 
Harvesting  wheat  with  a  sickle  was  a  severe  labor.  A  good 
hand  could  reap  half  an  acre  a  day.  Grain  was  threshed 
with  a  flail,  or  tramped  out  on  the  ground  with  horses  and 
oxen,  and  then  cleaned  by  lettlug  it  fall  through  a  breeze 
created  by  the  motion  of  a  sheet  in  the  hands  of  two  persons 
— a  slow  and  hard  process.  The  old  Barshare  plow,  with  a 
wooden  mold-board,  was  the  main  implement  used  for  cul- 
tivating the  soil.  This  plow  was  very  good  for  turning 
prairie  sod,  but  was  poorly  adapted  for  plowing  up  and  pul- 
verizing the  ground.  For  cultivating  corn  the  shovel  plow 
was  much  used. 

In  one  respect  the  farmer  of  the  olden  time  had  a  great 
advantage  over  the  modern  agriculturist.  His  crops  were 
not  injured  by  insects.  There  was  no  chinch  bug,  Hessian 
fly,  nor  weevil ;  no  vine  bugs,  lice,  potato  bugs,  or  bee  moth 
to  annoy  the  farmer,  nor  any  insect  to  bore,  or  sting,  his 
fruit.  The  prairie  grass  was  set  on  fire  each  year,  and  all  the 
country  burned  over,  so  that  little  hiding  place  was  left  for 
insect  life,  and  the  crops  grew  so  rapidly  on  the  new  and 
fertile  soil  that,  if  any  pests  existed,  to  injure  the  crops,  the 
damage  they  did  was  so  small  as  not  to  be  noticed.  There 
was  one  exception  in  the  tobacco  plant  which  had  to  be 
watched  closely  to  keep  the  worms  from  eating  it  up.  Chinch 
bugs  first  made  their  appearance  about  1847,  and  have  since 
rapidly  increased.  Wheat,  in  early  times,  never  winter- 
killed, though  sometimes  it  was  affected   by  the   rust.     The 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


99 


seasons  then,  are  claimed  to  have  been  better  than  now,  with 
not  so  much  excessive  drouth. 

In  the  summer  of  1817  corn  at  Elwardsville  sold  at 
thirty-three  and  one-third  cents  a  bushel,  in  the  spring  of 
1818  at  fifty  cents,  and  in  the  summer  at  seventy -five  cents. 
Potatoes  were  from  fifty  cents  to  a  dollar,  oats  fifty  cents, 
and  wheat  one  dollar.  In  1819  wheat  was  one  dollar,  and 
corn,  oats,  sweet  and  Irish  potatoes  each  fifty  cents  a  bushel. 
In  1820  there  was  a  cry  of  hard  times.  Money  became  very 
scarce,  and  the  prices  of  agricultural  products  fell — wheat 
to  fifty  cents  a  bushel  and  corn  to  twenty-live  cents.  The 
price  of  land  depreciated  one-half  within  eighteen  months. 
(Jews  which  in  1819  sold  at  twenty-five  dollars,  in  1820 
brought  only  fifteen,  and  the  price  of  a  yoke  ofo.Ken  fell 
from  one  hundred  and  twenty  to  eighty  dollars.  Matters 
grew  worse  in  1821.  Corn  sold  at  twelve  and  a  half  centr=, 
and  wheat  at  fifty  cents.  Prices  raised  a  little  in  1824, 
but  again  dropped  to  a  low  standard  in  1825.  The 
latter  year  beef  sold  at  one  dollar  and  a  half  per  cwt.,  cows 
at  from  five  to  seven  dollars,  oxen  from  twenty  to  forty 
dollars  a  yoke,  and  horses  at  from  ten  to  eighty  dollars. 
There  were  times  in  territorial  days,  when  corn  sold  as  low 
as  six  and  a  quarter  cents  a  bushel,  and  wheat  thirty  cents. 

THE   FIRST  ORCHARDS. 

In  the  year  1802,  or  1803,  Samuel  Judy  planted  an 
orchard  of  seedling  apple  trees  on  his  farm  in  section  5,  of 
township  3,  range  8.  This  was  the  first  orchard  planted  by 
an  American  settler,  but  long  years  previous  fruit  trees  had 
been  planted  by  the  French  residents  on  Big,  or  Chouteau, 
island.  There  were  apple  and  pear  trees  on  this  island, 
which,  from  their  appiarance  in  1820,  must  have  been 
planted  fifty  or  sixtj;  years  before  that  date.  Also  on  section 
9,  of  township  4,  range  9,  and  on  the  Squire  farm  in  section 
6,  of  township  3,  range  9,  there  were  pear  trees  which  must 
have  been  planted  previous  to  the  settlement  of  the  county 
by  the  Americans.  There  were  several  orchards  planted  at 
an  early  date  in  the  neighborhood  of  Troy,  one  planted  by 
Robert  Seybold  on  section  12,  of  township  3,  range  S;  one 
set  out  by  Titus  Gregg  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Ignatius 
Riggin,  north  of  Troy  ;  and  another  on  section  18,  of  town- 
ship 3,  range  7,  on  the  farm  settled  by  Robert  McMahan. 
There  was  another  early  orchard,  which  must  have  been 
planted  soon  after  1803,  on  claim  six  hundred  and  two,  near 
Collinsville.  This  orchard  was  set  out  by  Peter  Casterline 
and  was  in  bearing  in  1814.  Near  Rabb's  (afterward 
Hertzog's)  mill  an  orchard  was  planted  at  an  early  date. 
Major  Cook,  on  his  farm  at  the  foot  of  the  bhifi",  on  the  old 
Edwardsville  and  St.  Louis  road,  planted  an  orchard  of 
which  the  apple  trees  were  of  a  large  size  in  1817.  It  is 
said  of  Major  Cook  that  he  sold  his  last  cow  to  get  the 
money  with  which  to  purchase  apple  grafts. 

There  were  few  grafted  trees  before  1820.  A  specimen  of 
the  Lady  apple  was  planted  in  1819,  on  the  farm  afterward 
owned  by  Daniel  A.  Lanterman  in  township  5,  range  8. 
Solomon  Preuitt  set  out  in  1820,  forty  trees,  grown  from  the 
seed  of  a  yellow  apple  brought  up  from  the  French  .settle- 
ments.    Six  or  eight  of  these  trees  produced  very  good  fruit. 


In  township  5,  range  8,  soon  after  1820,  orchards  of  im- 
proved varieties  were  planted  by  John  Collet,  Emanuel  J. 
West,  and  Gershora  Flagg.  The  two  former  procured  their 
trees  from  the  state  of  New  York,  and  the  latter  from 
Greenville,  Bond  county.  Gershom  Flagg,  in  the  si)ring  of 
1822,  planted  three  hundred  seedlings,  and  in  the  fall  of  the 
same  year  about  two  hundred  trees  of  Kirkbridffe  White, 
Rambo,  Pryor's  R'3d,  Penn.'ck,  Pennsylvania  Red  Streak, 
Newtown  Pippin,  Rawle's  Janet,  Gilpin,  and  other  varieties. 
The  grafted  trees  proved  equally  hardy  and  long-lived  with 
the  seedlings.  The  first  orchard  in  Hamel  township  was  on 
the  fiirm  of  Robert  Aldrich.  The  grafts  were  procured  in 
1819  from  a  nursery  at  Portage  des  Sioux  in  St.  Charles 
county,  Missouri.  Henry  Keley  and  Anson  Aldrich  went 
after  them,  wrapping  deer  skins  around  the  middle  of  the 
jiackages,  so  that  they  could  lay  them  bef  jre  them  on  their 
horses.  Soon  afterward  Archibald  Lamb  and  Thomas 
Barnett  set  out  apple  orchards  in  the  same  township. 
William  Hoxsey  set  out  an  apple  orchard  as  early  as  1819 
or  1820,  and  Robert  MeKee  had  a  large  orchard  of  choice 
apples  on  the  Troy  road,  three  miles  south-east  of  Edwards- 
ville. The  first  nursery  men  in  the  country  were  John 
Collet  and  Masson.  The  latter  was  a  Swiss,  who  came  to 
this  country  with  a  countryman,  Mr.  Talon,  on  whose  farm, 
in  section  22,  of  township  5,  range  8,  he  had  his  first 
nursery.  He  removed  thence  to  Mr.  Collet's  farm,  about 
the  year  1825,  and  thence,  about  1832,  to  a  farm  in  section 
8,  of  the  same  township.  George  Barnsback  also  had  an 
early  nursery. 

BIRDS   AND   ANIMALS. 

Many  of  the  animals  and  birds  common  in  early  days 
have  disappeared.  Grey  wolves  were  plentiful  in  the  first 
settlement  of  the  country,  and  there  were  also  black  and 
prairie  wolves.  Wild  cats  were  also  numerous.  The  wolves 
were  a  great  trouble  to  the  farmers,  for  the  reason  that  they 
killed  many  of  the  young  pigs  and  sheep,  and  sometimes 
colts  and  calves.  A  panther  was  occasionally  met  with,  and 
often  attacked  men  and  the  larger  animals.  E^ra  Gil  man, 
in  township  six,  range  ten,  killed  a  panther  with  a  heavy 
stick  as  his  only  weapon.  The  panther  had  engaged  in  a 
fight  with  his  dog,  and  Oilman  seized  a  stake  from  a  sled 
near  by,  and  by  repeated  blows  on  the  head  succeeded  in 
killing  the  ferocious  animal.  Samuel  P.  Gillham  was 
accustomed  to  tell  of  a  neighbor  of  his,  who,  when  riding 
through  the  timber  at  night,  was  attacked  by  a  panther 
which  lit  on  the  back  of  the  man,  and  with  its  claws  raked 
his  body  from  the  head  downward,  tearing  his  clothing  in 
slits,  and  then  ripped  open  the  horse's  rump.  Both  horse 
and  rider  were  terribly  frightened.  The  horse  gave  a  terrific 
jump,  and  the  panther  slippad  off.  The  horse  then  leaped 
a  stake-and-rider  fence,  and  reached  home,  how,  the  man 
never  knew.  AVhen  he  came  to  his  senses  the  horse  was 
galloping  around  the  house.  The  man  died  in  two  days 
afterward  from  the  effects  of  his  fright. 

The  horns  of  the  wild  elk  could  still  be  seen,  showing  that 
they  had  once  inhabited  this  country.  A  badger  was 
occasionally  killed,  but  not  after  1830.  Buffalo  horns  were 
scattered  over  the  prairie,  for  years  after  the  first  settlement. 


100 


II  IS  TO  BY    OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Bears  were  not  common.  One  was  killeS  in  the  county 
after  1830.  The  Lyux  was  sometimes  seen.  Deer,  of  course, 
were  plentiful  in  early  days.  There  were  four  varieties  of 
squirrels,  the  fox,  grey,  flying  and  ground  squirrels. 

The  grey  and  bald  eagle  were  common  in  pioneer 
times.  Paroquets  were  once  plenty.  They  used  to  stay  in 
the  timber  along  the  creeks,  and  when  they  came  out  the 
settlers  regarded  their  appearance  as  a  sure  harbinger  of  a 
storm.  There  were  several  varieties  of  the  wood-pecker 
the  red  head,  the  yellow-hammer,  and  the  sap  sucker.  Par- 
tridges were  scarce.  The  southern  mocking  bird  was  seen 
in  the  country  for  a  year  or  two,  and  then  disappeared. 
The  pheasant  has  come  since  the  first  settlement  of  the  coun- 
try. There  were  several  varieties  of  owls,  among  which 
were  the  screech  owl,  the  large  prairie  owl,  and  the  large 
horned  owl.  Water  hens  have  come  since  the  country  was 
first  settled.  Wild  ducks  and  geese  were  plentiful,  and 
cranes,  herons  and  swans  were  found  about  the  lakes. 

PRAIRIE    FLIES. 

The  green-headed  flies,  which  infested  the  prairies  in  the 
summer,  were  a  great  annoyance.  From  the  middle  of  June 
to  the  first  of  September  it  was  almost  impossible  to  cross  the 
prairies  in  the  day  time.  Wherever  a  fly  lighted  upon  a 
horse  a  drop  of  blood  started.  In  a  journey  of  twelve  miles 
horses  were  frequently  killed.  Travellers  were  accustomed 
to  lie  by  in  the  timber  during  the  day,  and  to  cross  the 
prairies  at  night. 

INDIANS — TREATY   AT   EDWARDSVILLE. 

There  were  no  Indians  resident  in  the  territory  now  com- 
prising Madison  county  within  the  time  of  its  settlement  by 
the  whites.  There  was  originally  a  Kickapoo  town  near 
the  Salem  camp  ground.  It  was  their  second  town  in  im- 
portance, the  first  being  at  Peoria.  The  hunting  lodges 
stood  there  till  1820.  In  early  days,  however,  the  Indians 
frequently  visited  this  part  of  Illinois,  mostly  with  the 
object  of  having  conferences  with  Gov.  Ninian  Edwards  at 
Edwardsville.  Large  companies  or  bands  of  Indians,  some- 
times to  the  number  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  canoes,  each 
canoe  containing  three  or  four  men,  women,  and  children,  not 
unfrequently  passed  down  the  Mississippi.  The.se  com- 
panies sometimes  passed  on  to  St.  Louis  to  see  William 
Clark,  governor  of  the  territory  of  Missouri,  and  sometimes 
stopped  at  Gillham's  landing,  on  the  Mississippi,  just  below 
the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  there  left  their  canoes  moored 
to  the  shore,  and  proceeded  on  foot  to  Edwardsville,  to  see 
Gov.  Edwards  who  held  councils  and  made  treaties  with 
them.  One  of  the  old  residents  of  the  county  states  that 
he  had  seen  the  men  marching  along  the  road  to  Edwards- 
ville in  a  single  file,  a  mile  in  length.  The  squaws  and 
papooses  were  generally  left  at  the  river  to  guard  the  canoes 
and  baggage.  These  Indians  were  Sacs,  Foxes,  Pottawato- 
mies  and  Winnebagoes,  who  then  inhabited  the  country  on 
the  upper  Mississippi  about  the  present  towns  of  Rock 
Island,  Davenport  and  Galena,  the  country  on  the  Illinois 
river  in  the  vicinity  of  Peoria,  and  other  portions  of  north- 
ern  Illinois.     They   were   then  perfectly    friendly   to   the 


whites.  The  squaws  usually  wanted  to  barter  strings  of 
beads  for  green  corn,  and  the  braves  showed  a  great  fond- 
ness and  anxiety  for  whisky.  Often  before  their  return 
homeward  they  would  encamp  for  several  days  at  a  time 
near  the  Mississippi,  and  the  men  would  hunt  de3r  and 
other  wild  game  which,  with  boiled  corn,  would  constitute 
their  stock  of  provisions  for  the  voyage  up  the  river. 

Another  pioneer  settler  of  the  county  relates  that  among 
the  Indians  traveling  and  camping  near  Edwardsville,  the 
young  men  were  full  of  fun.  He  often  saw  them  when  the 
Cahokia  was  full  of  water,  wallowing  in  the  mud  in  the 
road,  and  then  jumping  into  the  creek.  He  had  also  seen 
them  playing  cards. 

On  the  sixth  of  August,  1819.  at  Edwardsville,  a  treaty 
was  negotiated  between  Auguste  Chouteau  and  Benjamin 
Stephenson,  commissioners  on  the  part  of  the  United  States, 
and  the  chiefs  of  the  Kickapoo  tribe  of  Indians,  by  which 
the  KickapOos  ceded  all  their  land  on  the  northwest  side 
of  the  Wabash  river,  including  their  principal  village  and 
a  tract  of  land  covering  the  central  part  of  the  state  of 
Illinois,  estimated  to  contain  upward  of  ten  million  of  acres, 
bounded  by  a  line  commencing  at  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois 
River,  ruiming  ea«twardly  to  the  line  dividing  the  states  of 
Illinois  and  Indiana,  thence  north  to  the  Kankakee  river, 
and  thence  down  the  Illinois  river  to  the  place  of  beginning. 
The  United  States  agreed,  in  return,  to  pay  the  Kickapoos 
two  thousand  dollars  in  silver,  annually,  for  fifteen  succes- 
sive years,  at  their  town  on  the  waters  of  the  Osage  river, 
and  to  guarantee  them  peaceable  possession  of  their  country 
on  the  O.sage  and  to  restrain  all  white  persons  from  hunting 
or  settling  therein.  The  United  States  also  promised  to 
furnish  two  boats  in  which  to  transport  the  property  of  the 
Indians  from  some  point  on  the  Illinois  river  to  their  new 
place  of  residence,  and  to  select  some  judicious  citizen  to 
accompany  them  in  their  journey  through  the  white  settle- 
ments. 

Proclamation  was  made  of  this  treaty  on  the  thirteenth 
of  January,  1821.  Indians  still  continued  to  vi-sit  Edwards- 
ville till  1827  or  1828.  Traces  of  their  camps  and  the 
peculiar  marks  made  in  their  stripping  the  bark  from  trees 
were  visible  ten  years  afterward.  The  Kickapoos  at  one 
time  had  a  temporary  encampment  near  the  mouth  of 
Indian  creek  and  buried  many  of  their  dead  there.  About 
the  year  1824  some  Delaware  Indians  who  came  from  Indi- 
ana, were  accustomed  to  camp  in  the  timber  bordering  the 
Cahokia.  In  a  year  or  so  they  moved  westward.  After 
1835  a  large  body  of  Pottawatomies  passed  through  the 
county  on  the  way  to  their  reservation. 

ITEMS    CONCERNING   SLAVERY. 

The  ordinance  of  1787  prohibited  the  introduction  of 
slavery  into  the  northwestern  territory,  of  which  Illinois  was 
then  a  part.  This  ordinance  was  construed  not  to  operate 
on  the  slaves  already  owned  by  the  early  French  settlers. 
After  the  organization  of  the  Indiana  territory  in  whose 
government  Illinois  was  included,  laws  were  passed  by  the 
territorial  legislature,  permitting  slaves  to  be  introduced  or 
indentured  servants,  and  many  thus  came  to  the  territory 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


101 


Under  this  arrangement  the  owner  went  with  his  slaves 
before  the  clerk  of  the  court  of  common  pleas,  and  there 
the  negroes  agreed  to  serve  their  master  a  certain  number  of 
years  and  then  become  free.  This  agreement  was  to  be 
made  within  thirty  days  after  the  slaves  entered  the  terri- 
tory, and  if  the  slaves  would  not  consent  to  the  agreement 
they  might  be  removed  out  of  the  territory  within  sixty 
days. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  a  bill  of  sale  of  one  of  these 
indentured  servants  from  Etienue  Pensoneau  of  St.  Clair 
county  to  Samuel  Gillham  of  this  county,  with  subse(iuent 
conveyances.  First  appears  the  record  certificate  of  inden- 
ture and  then  the  conveyance  from  Pensoneau  to  Gillham  : 

I,  John  Hay,  Clerk  of  the  County  Court  of  St.  Clair  county, 
Illinois  Territory,  do  hereby  certify  that  Elienne  Pensoneau  and 
Frankey  a  negro  woman,  about  the  age  of  twenty-three,  entered  into 
an  indenture  an  1  agreement  in  the  Clerk's  office  of  tliesaid  county  of 
St.  Clair,  whereby  tlie  said  Frankey  agrees  to  serve  the  said  Ktienne 
Pensoneau,  the  term  of  thirty  years,  and  that  the  same  was  duly 
registered  the  !Hh  of  November,  1811. 

Given  under  my  hand  tiiis  12th  of  August,  1815. 

John  Hay,  C.  C.  C.  St.  C. 

Know  all  men  by  these  presents  that  I,  Etienne  Pensoneau  of  the 
county  of  St.  Clair,  have  this  day  a.ssigned  and  do  hereby  assign  all 
my  Kight,  Title,  and  Interest  in  the  within  named  Frankey  to  Samuel 
Gillham,  and  do  moreover,  warrant  that  the  .said  Frankey  was  a 
slave  and  my  property  before  and  at  the  time  she  indentured  herself. 
In  the  above  assignment  made  for  and  in  consideration  of  the  sum  of 
five  hundred  dollars,  currency  of  tlic  United  Slates,  to  me  in  hand 
paid  by  the  said  Samuel  Gillham,  and  I  do  hereby  assign  overall  my 
right  and  title  to  a  child  of  .said  Frankey,  a  girl  of  about  one  year 
old.  In  testimony  whereof  I  have  hereunto  set  my  baud  and  seal  at 
Cahokia  this  12th  of  August,  1815. 

Test.  John  Hay. 

Etnb  Peksoseau. 
Recorded  September  10,  1815. 

J0SIA.S  Randall, 

C.  C.  C.  M.  C. 

"  Know  all  men  by  these  presents  that  I,  Sauiiicl  Gillham,  for,  and 
in  consideration  of  the  sum  of  ii-JOO  to  me  in  hand  paid,  I  do  by  llie.*e 
presents  sign  over  all  my  right,  title,  interest,  and  demand  of,  in  and 
to  the  within  bill  of  sale,  and  also  before  the  signing  of  these  presents 
deliver  one  negro  woman  named  Frankey  and  one  negro  girl  named 
Faney  unto  David  Ni.x,  for  him,  the  said  David,  to  hold  according  to 
law  as  given  under  my  hand  and  seal  this  8th  d.ay  of  October,  181G. 

Test.  Samuel  Gillham  (Seal). 

Uel  Whiteside." 

Illinois  Territory,  Afadison  County,  this  day  personally  came  the 

above  named  .Samuel  Gillham  and  acknowledged  his  signature  to  the 

above  to  be  his  voluntary  act  and  deed,  and  for  the  purpose  above 

stated  as  given  under  my  hand  and  seal  this  8th  day  of  October,  181G. 

Uel  WuiTESiDE,  J. P.,  (Seal). 

The  early  newspapers  contain  interesting  advertisements 
in  reference  to  runaway  negroes.  The  following  is  taken 
from  the  Louisiana  Gazette,  published  at  St.  Louis: 

FORTY  DOLLARS  EEWARD. 

Ran  away  from  the  subscriber,  on  the  27th  of  May,  a 
negro  man  named  George,  about  40  years  old,  .«ix  feet,  or 
upwards,  high,  coarse  features,  large  btard  and  whiskers, 


speaks  plain  and  with  assurance,  has  a  large  vacancy  be- 
tween his  fore  teeth,  but  not  with  the  loss  of  a  tooth,  yellow 
comple.xion,  sorrily  clothed,  having  none  but  those  on  him, 
viz.  :  A  big  coat  of  jeans,  dyed  brown,  the  under  part  of  the 
sleeves  a  drab  color.  The  public  are  hereby  cautioned 
against  dealing,  or  harboring  him  at  their  peril. 

The  above  reward  will  be  paid  to  any  person  who  shall 
deliver  the  aforesaid  negro  to  me,  at  Mr.  John  McDow's,  six 
miles  from  St.  Louis,  near  the  Six  Mile  Prairie,  Illinois 
Territory. 

JOIIX  HuMl'JIltlES. 

June  25,1811. 

In  1819,  in  the  same  journal,  appears  an  advertisement  in 
which  a  reward  of  SlOO  is  ottered  for  a  negro  named  Jim, 
who  ran  away  from  Chariton,  Howard  County,  Mi  souii 
Territory.  He  is  described  as  being  five  feet,  eight  inches 
in  height,  well-featured,  weighing  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  pounds,  and  being  "middling  black."  He  took  with 
him  a  dog  and  gun.  A  reward  of  8100  will  be  paid,  by 
Charles  Simmons,  to  any  person  securing  said  negro  in  any 
jail,  if  taken  without  the  territory  of  Missouri,  and  S35  if 
taken  within  said  territory." 

In  the  Edwardsville  tSpcctator,  1823,  an  advertisement 
offers  for  sale  "An  indentured  negro  man,  twenty-three 
years  of  age  with  twenty-three  years  to  serve,  well-acquainted 
with  farming,  a  pretty  good  rough  shoemaker,  has  attended 
at  a  distillery,  and  possesses  a  good  moral  character." 

The  Madison  Association  to  oppose  the  introduction  of 
slavery  in  Illinois  was  formed  at  Edwardsville  on  the  28lh  of 
June,  1823.  The  officers  were :  Curtis  Blakeman,  president, 
William  Otwell  and  Benjamin  Spencer,  vice  presidents ; 
Thomas  Lippincott,  secretary,  and  David  Prickett,  record- 
ing secretary.  An  address  was  drafted  by  Thomas 
Lippincott.  Among  other  members  appear  the  names  of 
George  Churchill,  Amos  Squire,  John  C.  Riggin,  George 
Smith,  Charles  Gear,  Benjamin  Stedman,  Jarrot  Duggar, 
William  P.  McKee,  John  T.  Lusk,  John  Barber,  and 
Thomas  S.  Slocura. 

The  following  is  an  advertisement  in  the  J-Alwardsville 
Sjyectator  of  the  27th  of  July,  1833  : 

sheriff's    NOTICE. 
There  wa.s  committed  to  my  care  July  17,  18.33,  Primes,  a  black 
man,  a    runaway  servant,  aged    about   thirty-five  years,  live   feet, 
eight  or  ten  inches  high,  stout  made.     He  acknowledged  himself  to 
be    the   properly  of  a   Mr.  William    Poke,  of  Hardeman   County, 
Tennessee,  near  Bolivar.     The  attention  of  the  owner  is  directed  to 
this  notix:e,  and    the  law  under  which  the  prisoner   was   taken    up, 
which  makes  it  my  duty  to  sell  the  prisoner  in  six  weeks  from  this 
d,ite  unless  the  right  to  the  property  is  established  according  to  law. 
Nathaniel  Buchma-ster, 
Sheriff  of  Madison  County. 

REMARKABLE   SEASONS   AND   CHANGES   OF   WEATHER. 

In  the  winter  of  1805  occurred  what  was  known,  for  years 
afterward,  as  "  the  cold  Friday."  The  weather  suddenly 
became  intensely  cold,  and  caused  the  day  to  be  long  remem- 
bered by  the  early  settlers. 

The  summer  of  1818  was  unusually  sickly  near  the  banks 


102 


HISTORY    OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


of  the  Mississippi  river.  The  Missouri  river  that  year  rose 
to  an  extraordiuary  height. 

This  summer  was  also  remarkable  for  the  frequent  thun- 
der, which  sometimes  carae  out  of  a  clear  sky.  Many  a  day 
distant  rumblings  were  heard,  while  not  a  cloud  could  be 
seen. 

In  the  spring  of  1820,  the  rainfalls  were  extremely  heavy. 
All  low  and  wet  places  were  covered  with  water.  During 
the  hot  months,  a  sickly,  disagreeable  effluvia  filled  the  at- 
mosphere, and  in  the  following  fall  there  was  considerable 
sickness.  INIauy  of  the  wheat  fields  that  year  were  affected 
with  what  was  termed  '■  sick-wheat."  Persons  who  ate  bread 
made  from  it  became  sick  with  nausea.  If  a  piece  of  the 
bread  were  thrown  to  a  dog,  he  might  snatch  it,  but  would 
immediately  drop  it.  Neither  cattle,  or  swine,  would  eat  the 
grain,  and  some  farmers  burned  their  stacks  into  the  fields, 
deeming  the  harvest  utterly  worthless. 

Great  sickness  prevailed  in  1819,  1820,  and  1821.  The 
summer  of  1820  was  very  hot;  for  weeks  in  succession  the 
thermometer  at  St.  Louis  marking  ninety  six  degrees  in 
the  shade.  The  fevers  of  that  year  were  peculiarly  malig- 
nant, rapid,  and  unmanageable.  In  the  summer  of  1821, 
the  sickness  was  very  general,  but  in  a  milder  form. 

The  winter  of  1820-21  was  very  severe,  with  considerable 
snow.  Two  men  were  found  dead  on  the  prairie,  chilled  to 
death  by  the  cold.  The  spring  and  summer  of  1821  were 
very  wet,  and  the  crops  were  not  up  to  their  usual  standard. 
A  great  deal  of  the  wheat  was  not  worth  reaping. 

A  violent  storm  in  June,  1821,  swept  over  a  part  of  the 
country,  destroying  gardens,  corn  crops  and  killing  chick- 
ens. The  storm  came  from  the  northwest,  and  its  track 
■was  three  or  four  miles  in  width.  The  hail,  which  accom- 
panied it,  ranged  in  size  from  a  musket  ball  to  a  hen's  egg, 
and  broke  all  the  windows  on  the  side  of  the  buildings  from 
which  the  storm  came,  in  Edwardsville. 

A  heavy  frost  occurred  on  the  twentieth  of  May,  1822. 
On  the  twenty-first  of  September  of  the  next  3'ear,  a  severe 
frost  cut  all  the  green  corn  blades,  but  the  subsequent 
weather  was  dry,  so  that  the  corn  ripened  well,  and  was 
good  for  the  next  year's  planting. 

The  year  1821  was  very  wet.  Heavy  rains  fell  frequently. 
Corn  on  flat  lands  was  a  total  failure.  This  year  the  weavel 
destroyed  the  wheat  after  it  was  harvested.  The  next  year, 
]82r),  there  was  a  remarkable  growth  of  thistles  on  the 
branch  bottoms.  The  winter  of  1830-31  was  known  as  the 
"  winter  of  the  deep  snow."  The  snow  was  of  a  depth  of 
from  two  and  a  half  to  three  feet,  on  a  level.  It  drifted 
much,  and  was  very  destructive  to  peach  trees.  The  weather 
was  intensely  cold.  Both  in  1381  and  1832,  the  early  frosts 
so  injured  the  corn  as  to  entirely  destroy  its  germinating 
properties,  and  render  it  w'orthless  for  almost  any  purpose. 
All  the  seed  corn,  immediately  after  those  years,  had  to  be 
procured  from  the  counties  further  south.  Daring  the  sum- 
mer of  1831,  there  was  frost  every  month  except  July. 

A  peculiar  change  in  the  weather  happened  in  the  early 
part  of  1836-  Six  inches  of  snow  which  had  fallen  on  a 
Saturday,  the  weather  growing  warmer,  by  Monday  morn- 
ing had  melted  into  slush.     It  became  suddenly  cold,  and 


in  an  hour  the  slush  was  frozen  hard,  and  converted  into  one 
solid  mass  of  ice.  William  Bevins  had  started  to  ride  to  a 
neighbor's  when  the  change  came,  and  finished  his  journey 
of  two  miles  with  great  difficulty.  On  reaching  his  destina- 
tion, he  found  his  horse's  tail  as  big  as  a  barrel,  and  his  legs 
as  thick  as  a  man's  body,  from  the  accumulation  of  frozen 
slush. 

Some  of  the  old  settlers  who  survived  till  recent  years, 
thought  more  rain  fell  in  early  days  than  was  the  case  later. 
The  creeks  were  seldom  dry,  and  fish  were  usually  plenty. 
There  was  also  commonly  a  difficulty  about  planting  crops 
on  account  of  the  long,  wet  spring.  It  is  likely,  however, 
that  the  difference  results  from  the  clearing  away  of  the 
timber,  which  has  tended  to  drain  the  laud  quicker,  so  that 
with  the  usual  rain-fall,  fields  can  be  worked  earlier  now  iu 
the  spring,  than  was  possible  forty  or  fifty  years  ago.  It  is 
said  also  that  long  drouths  in  the  fall  were  not  of  so  fre- 
quent occurrence,  and  that  there  were  fewer  frosts. 

From  1853  to  1861  peach  trees  blossomed  as  follows :  1853, 
April  12;  1854,  April  9;  1855,  April  19;  1856,  April  27 ; 
1857,  May  8;  1858,  April  3;  1855,  April  10;  1860,  April 
7,  and  1861,  on  the  15th  of  April. 

On  the  5th  of  April,  1857,  there  was  a  heavy  snow  storm, 
and  the  next  morning  the  thermometer  was  eighteen  degrees 
above  zero. 

EARTHQUAKE  OF  ISll. 

An  earthquake  occurred  on  the  night  of  the  sixteenth  of 
November,  1811,  and  occasioned  great  excitement,  and  some 
dread  among  the  people.  The  centre  of  violence  was  near 
New  Madrid,  Missouri,  but  the  whole  valley  of  the  Missis- 
sippi seems  to  have  been  affected  by  the  agitation.  In  the 
American  Bottom,  many  chimneys  were  thrown  down.  The 
walls  of  the  brick  house  of  Samuel  Judy  were  cracked.  The 
shaking  cau-ed  the  church  bell  in  Cahokia  to  sound.  Gov. 
Reynolds  relates  that  his  parents  and  the  children  were  all 
sleeping  in  a  log  cabin,  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff,  when  the 
shock  came.  His  father  leaped  from  the  bed,  crying  aloud, 
"  The  Indians  are  on  the  house.  "  The  battle  of  Tippecanoe 
had  recently  been  fought,  and  it  was  supposed  the  Indians 
would  attack  the  settlements.  "  We  laughed  at  the  mistake 
of  my  father, "  says  Gov.  Reynolds,  "  but  soon  found  out  it 
was  worse  than  Indians.  Not  one  in  the  family  knew  at 
that  time  it  was  an  earthquake.  The  next  morning  another 
shock  made  us  acquainted  with  it,  so  we  decided  it  was  an 
earthquake.  The  cattle  came  running  home,  bellowing 
with  fear,  and  all  animals  were  terribly  alarmed  on  the  oc- 
casion. Our  house  cracked  and  quivered  so,  we  were  fearful 
it  would  fall  to  the  ground.  It  is  said  a  shock  of  an  earth- 
quake was  felt  in  Kaskaskia  in  1804,  but  I  did  not  perceive 
it.  The  shocks  continued  for  years  in  Illinois."  The  earth- 
quakes in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1811,  and  the  begin- 
ning of  1812,  alarmed  some  people  to  the  greatest  possible 
extent,  and  very  many  persons,  who  had  never  thought  be- 
fore of  being  religious,  joined  the  church,  and  began  to  pray, 
thinking  the  end  of  all  things  was  at  hand.  Some  of  these 
remained  true  to  their  newly-adopted  principles,  but  many, 
after  the  danger  seemed  to  be  oyer,  relaxed  to  their  old 
worldliuess. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


lor 


Several  other  earthquakes  have  been  observed,  though 
none  so  violent  as  this.  They  seemed  to  occur  every  three 
or  four  years,  aud  invariably  appeared  to  approach  from  the 
southwest.  Joshua  Dannagan  stated  that  he  witnessed  one, 
about  the  year  1831),  strike  a  forest.  For  a  moment  the 
leaves  seemed  to  wilt  as  under  a  strong  heat,  but  soon  re- 
sumed their  original  appearance.  The  same  authority  is 
given  for  the  statemant  that  thay  nnst  frequently  came  at 
night,  and  were  always  accompanied  by  a  low  moaning 
noise. 

XAVIG.\TIOX   OF   THE   MlSSISSiirPI. 

The  pioneer  method  of  navigating  the  Mississippi  was  by 
keel-boats,  flat  boats,  mackiuaw  boats  or  batteaux,  and 
Indian  canoes.  The  keel  boats  were  used  for  conveying 
merchandise  up  the  rivers  to  the  various  trading  points,  and 
returned  laden  with  peltries,  honey,  and  beeswax.  The 
mackiuaw  boats  were  used  from  the  mountains  and  up 
river  ports,  down  ttream,  but  were  never  used  against 
the  current.  Flat  boats  were  used  in  floating  the  stock 
and  produce  of  the  farmers  to  the  new  Orleans  market, 
and  they,  like  the  mackinaw  boats,  were  sold  or  left  when 
the  cargo  was  disposed  of.  The  business  of  running  flat 
boats  to  New  Orleans  was  dangerous  and  precarious.  The 
distance  was  great  and  accidents  and  casualties  numerous. 
Perhaps  fully  one-third  of  all  the  boats  that  started  from 
Illinois  on  the  trip  were  wrecked,  or  lost  in  some  way,  before 
reaching  their  destination. 

The  expedition  of  Lewis  and  Clark  to  discover  the  sources 
of  the  Missouri  river,  which  reached  St.  Louis  in  December, 

1803,  passed  the  winter  at  the  mouth  of  \yood  river.  The 
party  consisted  of  nine  young  men,  Kentuckiaus,  fourteen 
volunteers  from  the  United  States  army,  two  French  water- 
men, an  interpreter  and  hunter,  and  a  black  servant  of  Col. 
Clark's.  lu  addition  a  corporal  aud  six  soldiers,  and  nine 
watermen  were  engaged  to  accompany  the  expedition  as  far 
as  the  Mandan  nation,  this  side  of  which  attacks  were  ex- 
pected from  hostile  Indians.  The  transports  consisted  of 
one  keel  boat,  fifty-five  feet  long,  carrying  one  large  square 
sail  and  twenty-two  oars,  and  two  pirogues,  one  of  six  and 
the  other  of  seven  oars.  The  expedition  left  its  encamp- 
ment at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  14th  of  May, 

1804,  and  began  the  ascent  of  the  Missouri,  the  first  night 
camping  four  miles  above  its  mouth. 

The  first  steamboat  which  ascended  the  Mississippi,  above 
the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  was  the  Gen.  Pike,  commanded  by  Cap- 
tain Jacob  Reid,  which  lauded  in  St.  Louis,  at  the  foot  of 
Market  street,  on  the  2d  of  August,  1817.  The  next  was 
the  Constitution  which  arrived  on  the  second  of  the  following 
October.  The  first  steamboat  to  enter  the  Missouri  river 
was  the  Independence,  which  left  St.  Louis  on  the  loth  of 
May,  1819.  In  the  spring  of  1819  Col  James  Johnson,  of 
Kentucky,  with  three  steamboats,  loaded  with  United  States 
soldiers  and  army  supplies,  landed  at  the  farm  of  Isom 
Gillham,  just  below  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri  river.  He 
had  a  contract  with  the  government  to  transport  soldiers 
and  supplies  to  St.  Peters  (now  St.  Paul)  on  the  Mississippi 
and  to  Council  Bluffs  on  the  Missouri.  He  had  little  ditti- 
culty  in   goiug  up  the  Jlissiosippi,  but  in  his  attempt  to 


ascend  the  Missouri  he  found  trouble.  The  river  was  low, 
no  pilot  was  acquainted  with  the  channel,  and  after  three 
weeks  of  toil  St.  Charles,  only  twenty  miles  above  the  mouth, 
was  the  farthest  point  reached.  The  expedition  was  given 
up,  and  Col  Johnson  returned  to  Mr.  Gillham's,  where  the 
steamboats  lay  in  state,  exciting  the  admiration  of  all 
visitors.  People  came  from  the  surrounding  country  for 
many  miles  expressly  to  see  these  boats.  Large  warehouses 
were  built  on  Mr.  Gillham's  farm,  in  which  the  provisions 
were  stored,  and  here  also  were  the  soldiers  quartered. 
After  a  time,  a  number  of  keel  boats,  of  light  draft,  were 
purchased,  and  in  these  the  provisions  aud  soldiers  were 
carried  to  Council  Bluffs. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 


EvnoPE.iN  nntiGR.vnoN. 

I  HE  Western  States  of  the  Union  contain  a 
large  proportion  of  naturalized  citizens 
and  their  descendants.  The  inexhaustible 
richness  of  the  lands  along  the  rivers  of 
the  West  had  been  heralded  in  Eurojjc 
even  before  the  beginning  of  the  jiresent 
century.  The  first  foreigners  seeking  a 
home  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  and 
ilissouri,  were  a  number  of  French 
colonists  arriving  here  within  the  first 
half  of  the  18th  century,  settling  near  the  missionary 
depots  at  Kaskatkia  and  Cahokia.  Among  these  first 
arrivals  we  find  several  Swi.ss  and  a  few  Germans  from 
Alsace — Judy  Dumoulin,  Eugel,  Schoenberger  aud  others. 
The  Judys,  nativ  s  of  Switzerland,  were  among  the  firrt 
permanent  settlers  of  this  county,  and  their  descendants  are 
to  this  day  well  known  citizens  of  the  county.  Traces  of 
French  efforts  at  colonization  in  this  county  are  fouiul  at 
the  prtsent  site  of  Alton  where  Jean  Baptiste  Cardinal  had 
built  a  cabin  probably  as  early  as  1785  (Madison  County 
Gazetteer.)  A  number  of  land  claims  were  located  along 
the  INIississippi  River  from  the  mouth  of  Wood  River  down 
towards  Venice,  by  French  colonists,  but  very  few  of  whom 
seem  to  have  improved  them.  Nicholas  Jarrot,  a  French- 
man of  distinction,  is  found  among  the  early  settlers  in 
Madison  county  ;  his  home,  however,  was  never  permanently 
located  there.  The  records  of  the  county  of  1815  contain 
a  list  of  names  of  men  subject  to  road  labor,  and  among 
them  but  very  few  foreign  names  are  met.  The  few  Euro- 
peans who  had  found  their  way  to  JIadison  county  before  or 
during  the  first  decade  of  its  organization,  made  no  effort 
to  have  colonies  or  settlements  of  their  own,  such  as  are 
found  in  St.  Clair  aud  Randolph  counties  or  elsewhere. 
The  Judy  family  mentioned  above,  had  become  thoroughly 
Americanized  before  they  settled  in  the  county.  Even  the 
orthography  of  their  family  name — Tschudy — a  name  so  well 
known  in  their  native  Switzerland,  had  been  lost  sight  of  and 


104 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


changed  into  "Judy"  before  the  coiiiiuenceiupnt  of  this  cen- 
tury. The  name  ajipeais  in  the  records  of  St.  Chiir  county  of 
1793.  Jacob  Judy  and  Samuel  Judy  presented  or  filed  their 
claims  for  land  grants,  200  acres  each,  one  as  an  equal  part 
of  a  Virginia  Improvement  Right  and  the  other  of  a 
"  Cahokia  head"  right  on  the  11th  November,  1798. 
Among  the  enrolled  militia  of  St-  Clair  county  in  actual  ser- 
vice of  the  United  States  in  1783  and  1790,  we  find  Samuel 
Judy  and  Jacob  Judy,  jr.  They  received  each  a  land  grant 
of  100  acres,  a  so-called  militia  right,  which  they  afterwards 
located  in  sections  32  and  33,  T.  4 — 8,  Madison  county, 
together  with  two  other  militia  rights  bought  of  Louis 
Bibaud  and  Barie  La  Flamme.  In  1799,  at  an  election  held 
at  Cahokia  "  to  vote  for  a  representative  for  to  be  sent  to 
the  General  Assembly  of  the  territory,  Jacob  and  Samuel 
Judy  voted  for  Shadrach  Bond,  who  defeated  his  opponent, 
Isaac  Darneille  by  a  vote  of  113  against  11.  Voting  was 
done  viva  voce,  and  the  well-preserved  tally  sheet  of  said 
election  is  on  file  in  the  Clerk's  office  at  Belleville. 

George  Barnsback,  another  foreign-born  pioneer  of  Madi- 
son county,  is  made  the  subject  of  the  following  sketch  by 
Hon.  Gustav  Koerner,  of  Belleville,  in  his  work  "The 
German  Element :" 

"  One  of  the  first  German  settlers  in  Madison  county,  if 
not  the  first,  was  George  Berensbach— Barnsback.  He  was 
the  son  of  a  highly  respected  family  at  Osterrode,  and  had 
received  a  thorough  education.  An  employee  of  a  com- 
mercial house,  he  gave  up  his  position  without  the  consent 
of  his  parents  and  embarked  for  America  in  1797.  He 
landed  in  Philadelphia,  a  lad  of  sixteen  years.  He  soon 
.strayed  over  to  Kentucky  and  traditon  has  him  serving  a 
season  as  overseer  of  a  plantation.  We  doubt  it,  because 
of  his  youth.  After  a  stay  of  two  years,  he  became  home- 
sick and  embarked  for  Hamburg  and  was  shipwrecked  at 
Dover,  barely  saving  his  life.  His  reception  at  home  was 
most  cordial,  the  fatted  calf  was  slaughtered  in  honor  of 
his  return.  However  he  had  breathed  the  air  of  America, 
ana  would  not  remain  in  Europe.  In  1802  he  returned  to 
Kentucky,  rented  a  plantation  and  erected  a  distillery. 
But  Kentucky  was  too  small  for  him.  He  brought  his 
lamily  to  Illinois  to  what  is  now  Madison  county.  Here 
he  devoted  himself  to  farming,  and  a  number  one  farmer 
he  was.  In  the  war  of  1812,  he  took  service  with  other 
volunteers  to  protect  the  settlements  against  the  Indians, 
the  allies  of  the  English,  and  remained  in  the  field  for  fully 
two  years.  In  18-5  he  went  to  Germany  to  collect  an 
estate  to  which  he  had  i'allen  heir.  Returning  he  resolved 
to  go  to  Missouri,  where  he  bought  a  large  plantation  in 
St.  Fran(;ois  county.  The  system  of  slavery  disgusted  him 
most  thoroughly  and  in  1830  we  find  him  back  in  Madison 
county.  He  was  now  nearly  50  years  of  age,  and  wanting 
rest,  he  devoted  himself  with  zeal  and  success  to  agriculture, 
and  left  at  the  time  of  his  death  one  of  the  best  and  most 
beautiful  farms  in  the  country.  He  was  a  tall  man  of 
powerful  build  with  features  betraying  energy,  and  main- 
tained an  imposing  appearance  to  his  end.  Hj  participated 
with  interest  in  the  management  of  puljlic  affairs,  without 
seeking  personal  gains,  filled  various  offices,  oftiu  against 


his  wish,  and  became  also  to  his  dislike,  a  member  of  the 
legislature  in  1846.  The  salary  which  he  drew  for  those 
services  was  bestowed  to  his  county  for  the  benefit  of  the 
poor.  lie  was  very  accurate  and  insisted  that  obligations 
to  him  were  strictly  fulfilled,  but  was  just  as  conscientious 
in  his  dealings  with  others.  It  is  said  that  he  never  charged 
more  than  one  half  of  the  legal  rates  of  interest  on  moneys 
due  him.  This  explains  the  fact  that  when  he  died  May 
25,  1809,  at  the  age  of  87  years,  he  did  not  leave  great 
wealth,  but  with  it  he  left  to  his  descendants  the  grand 
legacy  of  an  incorruptible  and  excellent  man. 

After  his  second  trip  to  Europe,  several  of  his  kinsmen — 
nephews — accompanied  or  followed  him.  All  settled  in  the 
vicinity  of  their  uncle,  and  one  of  them,  Julius  L.  Barnsback, 
had  become  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  a  man  of  much 
importance  and  influence  in  the  county.  He  removed  to 
Edwardsville,  where  he  engaged  in  commercial  business 
with  marked  success.  Sickness  however,  befell  him  and 
took  him  from  the  large  circle  of  an  interesting  family  and 
numerous  friends  before  he  had  reached  a  great  age." 

George  Barnsback  was  a  member  of  the  first  Board  of 
County  Commissioners  in  1819,  together  with  Samuel  Judy 
and  William  Jones. 

Julius  L.  Barnsback  is  frequently  mentioned  by  Dr.  H. 
C.  Gerke,  Joseph  Suppiger  and  Solomon  Koepfli  in  their 
publications — 1831  to  1833  as  a  friend  and  adviser.  He 
kindly  v  olunteered  to  assist  them  in  the  selection  of  lands, 
and  acted  as  interpreter  whenever  the  "  Book-English  "  of 
his  new  friends  gave  out.  Barnsback  seems  to  have  enjoyed 
their  surprise  at  unexpected  sights,  which  of  course  w'ere  of 
constant  occurrence,  for  life  in  the  cities  of  Europe,  differ  so 
materially  from  life  in  the  forests  on  the  frontier.  Koepfli 
complains  at  times  of  the  sarcastic  yet  humorous  remarks  of 
Barnsback,  made  in  German,  in  the  presence  of  Americans 
and  in  regard  to  their  appearance  or  surroundings,  for,  says 
Koepfli,  we  had  to  burst  out  in  laughter  and  then  could  not 
explain,  at  what  we  had  to  laugh.  Barnsback,  who  had 
done  the  mischief,  would  sit  there,  without  the  sign  of  a 
smile  on  his  lips,  sober  as  a  judge,  chuckling  inwardly  over 
our  discomfiture  ;  yet  he  was  so  universally  kind  and  amiable 
that  our  anger  was  but  momentary.  George  Barnsback's 
name  is  not  mentioned  by  the  authors  named  above.  He  had 
probably  not  yet  returned  from  Missouri.  Julius  L.  Barns- 
back was  the  first  German  ever  naturalized  in  the  courts  of 
this  county,  years  after  he  had  officiated  as  justice  of  the  peace. 
A  few  Canadians  had  been  naturalized  in  1816  and  1817,  as 
stated  in  the  chapter  on  Civil  History,  but  their  names 
have  disappeared  from  the  rolls  of  the  residents  of  the  county. 
The  Barusbacks  have  long  since  become  as  thoroughly 
Americanized  as  their  family  name  of  Berensbach  had  been 
anglicized  into  Barnsback.  Their  descendants  are  numer- 
ous, and  several  of  them  have  been  called  to  prominent  po- 
litical positions  in  the  county.  Speaking  of  politics,  it  should 
be  stated,  that  the  most  numerous  branch  of  the  Barns- 
backs  are  identified  at  present  with  the  Republican  party  and 
only  a  few  are  found  in  Democratic  ranks,  but  all  are  held 
in  high  regard  by  all  their  fellow  citizens.  The  Barnsbacks 
are  North  Germans,  and  the  characteristic  features  of  that 


SIS  TOE  Y    OF    MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


105 


race  are  fairly  represented  in  the  family,  to  wit :  self-reliance, 
firmness  of  mind  and  sagacity  in  judgment.  Another  fea- 
ture of  the  North  German  is  his  immense  will  power,  and 
incredible  power  of  endurance.  Besides  it  might  be  said, 
that  the  North  Germans  are  rather  reserved,  or  as  they  ex- 
press it  buttoned  up  to  their  throats.  The  German  from 
the  South  of  Germany  is  decidedly  more  amiable,  though 
inclined  to  over  estimate  his  powers  of  intellect ;  "  he  knows 
it  all,  "  as  the  saying  is  '•  He  is  sanguine  to  a  fault, 
laughs  at  difficulties,  which  his  brother  German  from 
the  North  contemplates  with  sagacity,  meets  with  firm- 
ness, and  overcomes  with  cer'ainty,  in  nine  cases  out  of 
ten,  just  as  often  as  his  brother  from  the  south  gets  floored. 
The  South  German  carries  his  heart  on  his  tongue,  and 
the  north  German  his  tongue  in  his  brain.  Though  parts 
of  one  and  the  same  nation,  they  differ  more  widely  from 
one  another  than  from  foreign  nations. 

The  Swiss  have  some  of  the  characteristic  features  of 
the  north  as  well  as  of  the  south  German.  His  mountain 
home,  surrounding  him  with  many  dangers,  has  made  him 
cautious  and  vigilant  besides.  The  Swiss  are  sometimes 
called  the  Yankees  of  Europe,  because  of  their  calculating 
shrewdness  and  active  energy,  as  well  as  because  of  their 
familiarity,  with  self-government  and  popular  sovereignty. 
The  Swiss  are  largely  represented  in  the  foreign  born  pop- 
ulation of  our  county,  and  were  the  first  European  colonists 
coming  in  great  numbers  to  this  county.  The  first  arrival 
took  place  in  1831.  The  Suppigers  and  Koepflis,  together 
with  others,  who  followed  them,  are  closely  identified  with 
the  township  bearing  the  Latin  name  of  Switzerland — 
HELVETIA — the  subject  of  their  settlement  is  treated  and 
commented  on  in  the  township  sketch.  Joseph  Suppiger, 
and  Solomon  Koepfli  were  the  first  from  the  settlement 
to  apply  for  and  obtain  letters  of  naturalization.  Jacob 
Eggeu,  of  Highland,  speaks  of  this  settlement  in  his  town- 
ship sketch  of  187t)  as  follows:  Both  families — Koepfli 
and  Suppiger,  came  with  the  intention  of  making  this  a  per- 
manent home.  They  found  in  James  Reynolds,  then  justice 
of  the  peace  in  the  district,  an  excellent  and  most  dis- 
interested adviser.  He  had  nothing  in  common  with  the 
indolent  squntters  and  squirrel  hunters,  so  frequently  met  with 
in  1830.  True,  he  knew  how  to  kill  a  deer  as  well  as  any 
one,  but  he  was  not  a  hunter  only.  He  understood  tanning 
and  blacksmithing,  could  stock  a  plow  or  make  a  speech. 
Reynolds  singled  out  Mr.  Joseph  Suppiger  as  the  one  best 
fitted  to  lead  the  colony,  which  was  reinforced,  during  the 
spring  fo  1833  by  the  arrival  of  Joseph  Suppiger,  and  his 
brother  Johann,  together  with  their  large  families. 
Tscharner  brothers  and  Jacob  Weber  of  Glarus  accompa- 
nied them.  Joseph  Suppiger,  Sr.,  died  within  a  few  months 
of  his  arrival  and  was  buried  in  Section  30 — T.  4—5;  his 
was  the  first  funeral  in  the  colony.  In  the  autumn  of  1833 
a  number  of  young  men  from  the  fatherland  made  their  ap-  ; 
pearance  in  the  colony,  among  them  Jacob  Eggen,  William 
Hagnaner  and  John  R.  Blattuer,  all  of  whom  arc  still  living 
in  the  midst  of  the  colony.  Blattner  became  famous  for  his 
many  enterprises,  commencing  with  working  on  a  canal,  then 
making  shoes — his  trade,  then  Niraroding,  shooting  deer,  etc. 
li 


Next  cultivating  mulberry  trees  with  a  view  of  raising  silk 
worms.  The  building  erected  for  housing  his  silk  worms, 
which — by  the  way — had  hatched  long  before  the  necessary 
food  was  ready  for  their  voracious  maws,  was  converted  into 
a  tavern  and  became  in  time  the  most  popular  resort  in 
Highland.  The  "  Herre  "  (gentlemen  of  wealth  and  educa- 
tion, hal  their  casino  at  ths  tavern)  and  here  it  was,  where 
amateur  tragedians  performed  the  classic  "  William  Tell," 
"  Cabale  and  Liebe,"  etc.,  as  related  in  the  "  Highlaml 
sketch.  "  Blattner  was  accumulating  wealth  and  now  en- 
gaged in  manufacturing  gunpowder.  He  was  persuaded 
into  the  business  by  John  L)ehrer,  a  practical  powder- 
miller.  Blattner  made  pjwder  but  once,  but  said  he:  It 
was  the  best  powder  ever  made  in  Illinois,  and  the  agricul- 
tural and  mechanical  association  of  Edwardsville  awarded 
me  a  diploma,  having  a  beautiful  "  ox  "  engraved  upon  it. 
Loehrer  died  and  Blattner  gave  up  the  bu-iness.  which  had 
caused  him  the  loss  of  fully  SS.OOJ,  the  savings  of  many 
years  of  toil. 

The  accounts  published  of  the  growing  and  prosperous 
settlement, — by  interested  parties,  Mr.  E.;gen  continues 
were  overdrawn,  and  this  becoming  known  in  Europe,  proved 
injurious  to  the  colony.  No  arrivals,  with  probably  the  ex- 
ception of  the  Statfelbach  family,  took  place  until  1840  — 
when  some  persons  arrived,  among  whom  the  families 
Bardill,  Marcut,  Ruedi,  Branger  and  Florin,  fi)llowed  in 
1841  by  a  number  of  families  from  Baden  and  Wirtember', 
among  whom  the  Trautners,  Hotz,  Spengel,  Bader,  Bender, 
Z)pf,  Hammer,  Plocher  and  others.  These  immigrants, 
says  Mr.  Eggen,  were  an  industrious  and  frugal  people,  who, 
with  but  few  exceptions,  knew  how  to  adapt  themselves  to 
the  trying  circumstances  then  existing,  and  how  to  work 
their  way  out  of  want  into  plenty.  The  very  fact  of  the  ex- 
tremely low  prices  of  provisions  and  stock  worked  in  their 
favor  to  get  started  in  opening  farms.  This  settlement  ex- 
tended through  Townships  3 — 5,  4— ,5  and  3 — 6,  and  is  the 
oldest  and  most  important  of  the  European  settlements  -n 
the  county.  The  names  of  the  colonists  who  settled  in  3 — 
5  and  4 — 5  have  been  mentioned;  in  3 — 6  we  find  Theodor 
Miller,  now  no  more,  who  represented  Madison  county  in 
the  legislature  of  1870  to  1872.  Jacob  Leder  came  in 
1837.  Samuel  Frey,  Valentine  Frey  and  Henry  Frey 
arrived  in  1840.  They  too  are  successful  farmers  ;  in  fact 
it  is  dificult  to  tell,  who  has  not  been  a  successful  farmer 
among  those,  who  arrived  at  an  early  day.  Peter  Frutiger, 
J.  A.  Kirri,  Henry  Ritterand  Rudolf  Baer  arrived  in  184-1. 
Henry  Laengle,  " mine  host"  of  a  splendid  hotel  afSt. 
Jacob,  came  to  Madison  county  in  1846,  settled  first  at 
Highland,  then  tried  the  state  of  Texas,  returned  to  Madi- 
son county  and  located  at  St.  Jacob.  John  Schmidt  arrived 
in  1847,  Jacob  Willi  in  1849. 

Another  German  colony,  or  at  least  the  nucleus  of  one, 
may  be  observed  in  the  Marine  settlement  as  early  as  1833. 
Hon.  G.  Koerner  makes  mention  of  Dr.  Gerke,  the  founder 
of  this  colony  as  follows:  "He  was  an  unco;nmonly  well- 
informed  and  liberal-minded  philanthropist.  He  possessed, 
theoretically,  at  least,  even  a  thorough  knowledge  of  agri- 
culture.    He  became  widely  known  by  a  work  published  by 


106 


HISTORY    OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


him  in  1833.     It  (this  work)  treats  of  all  phases  of  life  in 
America,  and  was,  in  many  respects,  an  instructive  compila- 
tion of  the  contents  of  the  best  works,  published  on  the  sub- 
ject.    He  was   the   father  of  the   talented  printer,  Philip 
Gerke  of  St.  Louis,  etc."  Koernvr.     The  work  of  Dr.  Gerke 
coutain.s  a  vast  amount  of  original   matter,  and   is  by  no 
means  a  mere  compilation.     The  writer  of  this  sketch  d'les 
not  hesitate  to  express  his   admiration  of  the  author  of  the 
work.    lu  fact  it  is  but  just  to  say,  that  H.  C.  Gerke,  LL  D., 
was  one  of  the  most  distinguished  foreigners  that  ever  made 
their  home  in  this  county.     He  was  a  North  German,  born 
at  Hanover  in   176-5.     His  first  effort  at  Emigration  was 
made  in  1790.    It  failed  on  account  of  insufficiency  of  funds, 
•  but  the  idea  of  making  the  United  States  his  home  was  never 
given  up.     He  made  the  institutions  of  the  United  States^ 
the  social  life,  the  pursuits  of  its  people,  the  subject  of  the 
most  searching  studies,  and  was  comparatively  no  stranger 
when  he  reached  the  shores  of  the  United  States  in  1831. 
He  spent  the  best  part  of  two  years  in  examining  personally 
into  American  life,  in  the  cities  and  on  the  frontier  alike. 
His  observations  are  laid  down  in  a  volume  called  by  him  : 
"  Der   Nordamerikanische  Bathgeber."    (N.   A.   Guide  and 
Adviser).     This  work  of  Mr.  Gerke  is  probably  the  best  on 
the  subject  published  prior  to  1 840.   Mr.  Gerke  was  a  close  ob- 
server and  accurate  chronicler  ;  he  saw  everything,  and  made 
mention   thereof  at   the  proper  place.     He  understood  the 
laws  of  the  land  as  thoroughly  as  any  American  jurisprudent^ 
and  the  system  of  government,  from  the  local  authorities  of 
a  village  up  to  the  federal  affairs.     He  knew  the  magnitude 
of  the  American  commerce,  and  how  it  was  managed.     He 
corresponded  with  the  publishing  houses  of  Boston,  New 
York,  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore ;  he  was  posted  to  per- 
fection on  the  inland  trade,  means  of  transportation   and 
costs.     He  came  to  Illinois  late  in  1831,  and  pronounces 
the  state  the  best  for  agricultural  purposes  between  the  Mis- 
sissippi and  the  Atlantic  Ocean.    He  takes  notes  of  the  price 
of  land  and  the  price  of  products,  and  accounts  for  their 
lowuess  very  properly.     He  even  says  that  farm  products 
would  still  be  lower,  for  says  he,  all  produce  the  same,  and 
every  youth,  as  soon  as  he  is  twenty  one  years  old,  sets  up  in 
farming.      Thus    constantly   increasing   productions,   with- 
out improving  the  means  of  transportation  to  markets.     Not 
satisfied  with  knowing  the  value  of  farm  products,  he  goes 
into  A.  R.  Skidmore's  cabinet-maker  shop  at  Edwardsville 
to  ascertain  the  prices  of  all  articles  of  furniture,  and  learns 
that  a  "good  workman  in  this  trade  earns  $1  00  a  day  and 
found," — while  painters  get  but  65  cents.    J.  W.  Chenoweth 
tells  him,  that  he  makes  common  chopping  axes  for  S2  50, 
and  broad  axes  for  S5.00,  ploughs  25  cents  jier  lb.,  shoes  horses 
new   for  §1.50,  resets    old    shoes   for  50  cents,  and  irons 
wagons  at  15  cents  per  pound.     He  pays  his  journeymen 
from   $20.00  to  $cO  (.'0  per  month,  "  finds  "  them,  or  allows 
them  to  work  on  shares  in  profits.    J.  C.  Bruner,  the  hatter 
must  tell  him,  that  hats  of  first  quality,  all  beaver,  are  worth 
$14.00,  of  second  fiuality  $10  00,  of  thjrd  quality  $8.00,  of 
fourth  quality  .$6.50  and  fifth  quality   $4. 50  ;  and  that  his 
journeymen's  wages  for  making  the  same  ready  for  coloring 
are  $2.00,  $1.75,  $1.50,  $1.25,  or  $1.00  each,  etc.,  etc. 


The  doctor  studied  the  difference  in  the  productive  power 
of  bottom  and  prairie  lands  with  great  attention,  for  he  had 
years  ago,  quit  the  law  and  directed  his  attention  to  agricul- 
ture with  great  success,  for,  says  he,  what  I  lost  during  the 
Napoleonic  wars  and  other  misfortunes,  I  have  all  recovered 
by  agriculture,  the  noblest  pursuit  men  can  follow.     (He 
was  an  honorary  member  of  the  State  Agricultural  bureau 
of  Great  Britain).     Not  being  satisfied  with  his  observations 
as  to  the  component  parts  of  the  bottom  and  prairie  lands, 
he  took  a  sample  of  each  to  Europe,  and  had  a  most  careful 
chemical  analysis  made  there  of  them  by  Professor  Dr  G. 
Sehmeisser,  Hamburg,  in  1833.   Before  returning  to  Europe 
the  Dr  bought  a  large  tract  of  land   in  the  Marine  settle- 
ment, where  his  son,   William    H.  Gerke,  remained.     The 
contents  of  the  work  of  Mr.  Gerke  are  manifold  and  com- 
prehensive.    He  seemed    to  have  seen  everything ;  he  at- 
tended church  in  the  stately  cathedrals  of  New  York  and 
Baltimore,  and  Sunday-school  in  a  log  cabin  in  Madi.son 
county.     He  was  not  pleased  with  the  subjects  taught  in  the 
latter,  and  emphatically  objects  to  the  following  questions 
asked  there,  to  wit:     "Who  is  the   devil?     What   is  the 
devil's  character?     W^hy  was  Jesus  tempted  by  the  devil  ? 
Where  did  the  devil  take  Jesus?  What  did  the  devil  say  to 
him  ?    And  what  did  Jesus   say  to  the  devil  ?    The   Dr. 
speaks  very  intelligently  about  all  the  diflTerent  denomina- 
tions of  Protestants  in  the  United  States;  he  had  found  time 
to  study  their  history,  organizations  and  dogmas.     He  turns 
his  attention  to  the  schools  next,  eulogizes  the  public  school 
sy>tera  of  the  eastern  states  and  expresses  a  hope  to  see  it 
introduced  in  Illinois.     He  has  sat  on  the  rough  bench  of 
the  log-school-house  of  Illinois,  has  spent  days  in  seminaries 
and  colleges,  and  is  conversant   with  the  system  and  the 
workings   of  the    national    military  school   at  West-Point, 
where  he  spent  several  days  on  his  return  to  New  York.    He 
measures  the  distance  between  the  tires  of  an  American  faim 
wagon  in  Illinois,  finding  it  to  be  60>  inches  exactly,  and 
then  goes  east  to  inform  himself  on  the  tariflT;  speaks  of 
Henry  Clay's  new  tariff  bill  as  intelligently  as  a  professional 
could,  and  denounces  the  sixteen  amendments  to  the  consti- 
tution proposed   by  the  South  Carolina  nuUifiers.     The  doc- 
tor returns  to  Europe  iu  order  to  arrange  his  business  there 
for  a  permanent  settlement  in  America,  whose  land  and  peo- 
ple he  has  studied  and  learned  to  love.     He  published  a 
beautiful  poem  about  the  land  of  his  longings  iu  a  Hamburg 
paper.     He  returned  to  M'adison  county  in  1834,  and  located 
in  Heron's  Grove,  Looking  Glass  Prairie,  where  he  died  in 
1842.     Gerke  was  66  years  of  age,  at  the  time  of  his  first 
journey  through  the  Uuited  States,  a  man  of  uncommon 
vigor  and  great  determination.     His  countrymen  in  Madison 
county  have  never  had  a  better  or  more  prominent  represen- 
tative among  them  than  the  doctor  was. 

Dr.  A.  F.  Beck,  a  native  of  Canton  Berne,  in  Switzerland, 
arrived  in  1834  and  located  permanently  in  the  Marine 
settlement,  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Brockhaus  farm, 
where  he  remained  until  death  called  him  hence — in  1844. 
Two  sons  of  the  doctor — Alfred  and  Alexander — are  citizens 
of  Highland.  A.  Ruf  and  F.  Starhli,  also  men  of  wealth, 
had  come  with  Dr.  Beck,  but  they  were  dissatisfied  with 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


lOV 


the  general  aspects  of  matters  in  the  settlement.  The  cora- 
nuiuieaiions  which  they  had  received  at  home,  had  led 
them  to  expect  much  more  than  reality  grunted,  hence  they 
concluded  to  return  to  their  native  Switzerland.  The 
Marine  settlement  received  most  valuable  additions  in  the 
persons  of  the  Waage,  Schmidt,  Voight  families  as  early  as 
1836  or  1837.  E.  L  Yoight  died  in  1862,  C.  C  Waage  in 
1866.  Andreas  Schmidt,  Erasmus  Schmidt,  Julius  Voight, 
surviving  sons  of  the  families  mentioned  above,  have  been 
successful  in  their  pursuits.  Henry  C.  Heuer  removed  his 
family  to  the  settlement  about  the  year  1814.  His  surviv- 
ing son,  Henry  A.  is  held  in  high  respect  by  all.  Henry 
Leutwiler,  George  Accola,  Henry  Inibs  (dead  since  1864), 
August  Iberg,  Samuel  Iberg  and  William  Jlay  arrived  about 
the  same  time.  Four  or  five  years  later  we  find  John  Eik- 
niann,  Valentin  Ottwein,  Frederick  Wenz  and  his  brothers 
Jacob,  and  Louis,  Philip  and  George  Volk,  Christian  Schoeck 
and  others.  John  Neudecker  and  H.  H.  Elbiing  came  a 
few  years  later.  John  Ntudecker  has  been  a  very  successful 
business  man.  H.  H.  Elbring stands  high  in  the  estimation 
of  all.  A  few  miles  north  of  Marine  is  another  German  set- 
tlement in  what  is  called  the  Handsbarger  neighborhood, 
the  founders  of  which  wereSylv.  Utiger,  Gustav.  Kaufmann, 
Gottlieb  Messcrli,  the  Daibers,  Huerlanders  and  otLers. 
Utiger  was  a  Swiss.  Several  sons  survived  him,  the  oldest 
of  whom,  R  bert  D.  Utiger,  represented  his  township  for 
years  in  the  board  of  supervisors.  George  Schmitt,  from 
Alsace,  France,  came  in  184.5,  settled  in  Alhambra,  where 
he  died  in  1873.  John  Wetzel,  reared  in  the  celebrated 
"  Latin  settlement  in  Shiloh  Valley,  St.  Clair  county,  came 
into  the  above  colony  about  the  year  1849. 

The  German  settlement,  south  of  the  town  of  Troy,  with 
its  thrifty  foreign  born  population,  also  belongs  to  the  earlier 
period  of  the  European  settlements.  Here  are  found  John 
Liebler,  a  resident  since  1840,  John  Widicus,  Andrew 
Langenwalter,  Andreas  Fehmel,  the  Schmidts,  Loyets, 
Schwarz,  and  others.  Who  does  not  remember  the  kind- 
hearted,  benevolent  old  Mr.  Bertram,  who  died  but  a  few- 
years  ago.  Among  the  foreign  born  population  of  Troy,  we 
mention  Andrew  Mills,  Esq.,  a  highly  respected  native  of 
the  Emerald  Isle.  Andrew  Mills  came  to  the  county  about 
the  year  1841.  His  fellow-citizens  have  time  and  again 
honored  him  with  official  positions,  in  all  of  which  Mr. 
Mills  has  proved  himself  worthy  of  the  confidence  of  the  peo- 
ple. And  as  justice  of  the  peace,  who  could  command  jaeace  as 
emphatically  as  the  old  Squire  ?  Frederick  Gcrfen  has  lived 
in  Troy  since  1851  ;  he  is  a  skillful  mechanic  and  successful 
dealer.  Gustav  Vetter,  the  proprietor  of  the  Troy  City 
Mills,  came  there  about  ^0  years  ago.  His  sterling  quali. 
ties  as  a  citizen  have  repeatedly  secured  to  him  the  highest 
political  position  in  the  village.  Charles  Schott,  M.  D.,  a 
learned  and  skillful  physician,  has  made  Troy  his  home  since 
1870. 

Collinsville,  city  as  well  as  township,  has  also  a  numerous 
population  of  foreign  birth  ;  a  few  French,  some  Irish  and 
Bohemians  and  many  Germans. 

Among  the  earliest  German  farmers  of  the  township  we 
find  William  Peters,  on  section  nine,  who  settled  there  in 


1838  ;  Fred.  Koehler  located  on  section  one,  in  184:3 ;  Gott- 
lieb Meyer,  on  twenty-second,  in  1846.  William  Blume,  H. 
Blume,  Winter,  the  Wittes  and  others,  laid  the  foundations 
of  the  prosperous  Pleasant  Ridge  settlem.nit;  J.  and  H. 
Wendler  located  on  section  thirty-five,  in  1847,  and  another 
Wendler  opened  a  blacksmith  shop  in  Collinsville  in  the 
same  year ;  C.  A.  Ambrosius,  Charles  Kreider,  Fisher 
Heinecke,  came  a  few  years  later.  C.  W.  Krome,  for  many 
years  a  justice  of  the  peace,  came  to  the  county  in  1850, 
from  Louisville,  Kentucky,  where  he  had  resided  since  his 
arrival  from  Germany.  Hon.  W.  H.  Krome,  member  of 
our  State  Senate  from  1>*74  to  1878,  is  the  only  surviving 
son  of  the  Squire.  C  H.  Pabst,  the  merchant,  is  an  old  resi- 
dent of  Collinsville,  and  so  are  J.  C.  Kalbfleisch  and  John 
Kuhlenbeck.  H.  H.  Kuhleubeck,  a  brother  of  John,  was 
clerk  of  the  Madison  county  circuit  court,  from  1868  to  1872  ; 
he  also  hailed  from  Collinsville,  and  is  now  a  resident  of 
Colorado.  The  manufactories  of  Collinsville,  flouring  mills, 
distilleries,  coal  mines,  zinc  works,  etc.,  etc.,  were  to  some 
extent  started  by  naturalized  citizens,  among  whom  was  Dr. 
Octavius  Lumaghi,  a  distinguished  Italian.  Augustus 
Finke,  for  several  years  city  attorney  and  justice  of  the 
peace,  is  of  foreign  birth.  Captain  A.  Xeustadt,  attorney- 
at-law,  is  an  Austrian  by  birth.  He  is  one  of  the  most  ac- 
tive men  among  the  leaders  of  the  Republican  party. 

A  large  number  of  Bohemians  have  of  late  settled  in  this 
and  adjacent  townships,  and  Captain  Neustadt,  one  of  them, 
has  kindly  volunteered  to  give  us  the  following  sketch : 

THE  liOHEJir.VSS 

numbering  about  five  hundred  in  this  county  are  true  descen- 
dants of  the  ancient  Czeks,  aribustand  industrious  people, 
whose  highest  ambition  is,  to  have  and  own  their  home  and  fire- 
side. Tired  of  military  de-potism,  and  an  overbearing  and 
oppressive  ari-tocracy,  they  converted  their  scanty  means 
into  money  and  emigrated  to  this  country,  where  the  insti- 
tutions and  the  laws  do  not  smile  on  the  rich  and  frown  on 
the  poor.  They  did  not  expect  to  find  rivers  of  nectar,  and 
the  soil  covered  with  manna,  but  a  land  where  they  may 
enjoy  the  fruits  of  their  labor.  They  arrived  and  were  not 
disappointed.  They  were  naturalized  and  became  citizens  as 
soon  as  the  laws  of  the  state  would  permit  them  to  do  so,  and 
when  in  the  late  war  their  dear  adopted  fatherland  was  in 
danger,  22  of  their  small  number  immediately  took  up  arms 
in  defense  of  the  glorious  stars  and  stripes.  One  became 
Captain  and  one  1st  Lt. 

The  majority  of  the  Bohemians  of  Madi.son  county  consists 
of  well  to  do  farmers,  the  balance  of  tradesmen,  mechanics 
and  laborers. 

Martin  Smola,  Wenzl  Smola,  Paul  Smola,  ilathias 
Scheibal,  Jos.  Berka,  Joseph  Kalina,  Joseph  Czerny  and 
Blazius  Bulkacame  to  this  county  in  1851 ;  in  1852  they  were 
followed  by  Franc  Kubat,  Joseph  Rossipal,  Joseph  Engel, 
John  Drozda,  Simon  Marsthaiek,  Mathias  Schwetz,  Joseph 
Sedlaozek,  John  Fperster,  and  Joseph  Zahradnik;  in  1853 
by  Martin  Kraus,  Mathias  Czerny,  John  Peshta,  Albert 
Janeczek,  John  Primas,  William  Primas,  Prokop  Ilabada, 
Jakob  Mottel,  Mathias  Kagek,  John  Krieger,  Joseph  Blaha, 


108 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


iuifl  John  BuUan  ;  in  1854  and  1855  A.  Ntustadt,  Wenzl 
Skala,  Joseph  Krakora,  Joseph  Dworak,  John  Duban, 
Wenzl  Scheibal,  John  Stiparck,  Wenzl  Bandhauer, 
Mathias  Wozteth,  Mathias  Kratz,  Mathias  Sashck,  Franz 
Lishka,  Peter  Slodola,  John  Petrashck,  John  Topina,  John 
Czihak,  Franz  Kessel,  Albert  Kneisel,  Wenzl  Tischler, 
Joseph  Wacek  and  Mathias  Zahruba. 

The  center  part  of  the  county,  the  "  Goshen  "  of  Ame- 
rica, had  attracted  a  number  of  foreigners,  even  during  the 
pioneer  period,  as  stated  heretofore.  The  naturalization 
records  of  the  county  introduce  John  Murray,  a  former  sub- 
ject of  his  majesty,  the  king  of  England,  defender  of  the 
faith,  etc,  as  the  first  European  naturalized  in  Madison 
county.  Mr.  Murray,  a  Scotchman  of  education  and  wealth, 
made  this  part  of  Madison  county  his  home  in  1820.  His  atten- 
tion had  been  called  to  the  resources  of  Illinois  by  Birbeck's 
publications.  Mr.  Murray,  together  with  his  family,  jour- 
neyed from  Virginia  to  Illinois  during  the  fall  of  1820,  and 
arrived  at  Shawueetown,  in  "  ague  time."  He  left  the  town 
at  once,  "  plodded  his  weary  way  to  Goshen,"  and  made  his 
home  near  William  Otwell's  farm  on  the  road  leading 
from  "  Edwardsville  to  Isom  Gillham's  bridge  on  Cahokia 
Creek" — where  he  found  his  countrymen,  George  and 
Samuel  Davidson.  Mr.  Murray  brought  some  capital  with 
him,  and  at  the  suggestion  of  IMr.  Davidson  invested  a  part 
of  it  in  founding  a  hrewcry  in  1821,  on  his  farm.  This  in- 
stitution was  operated  for  several  years,  but  did  not  prove 
to  be  profitable,  and  was  in  consequence  abandoned.  Farm- 
ing was  next  resorted  to.  In  18-.^7  Mr.  Murray  resolved  to 
revisit  Europe,  but  was  taken  sick  before  he  reached  the  sea. 
He  died  in  New  Orleans ;  his  family  remained  in  Edwards- 
ville until  1834,  when  they  removed  to  Upper  Alton.  Mrs. 
Murray  is  now  in  her  eighty-third  year,  enjoying  physical 
and  mental  health  to  a  rare  degree.  She  is  the  pride  and 
joy  of  her  only  surviving  son,  C.  A.  Murray  of  Alton,  who 
is  carrying  his  threescore  as  lightly  and  elegantly  as  ever 
a  mortal  did  before  him.  C.  A.  Murray  was  sherifl'of  Madi- 
son county  from  1852  to  1854. 

The  family  of  Robert  Gordon  arrived  from  Ireland  in 
April,  1822,  and  made  Edwardsville  their  home.  Joseph 
Gordon,  a  son  of  Robert,  was  ordaiued  pastor  in  the  Cum- 
berland Presbyterian  Church  in  1842,  and  entered  with 
great  zeal  upon  the  functions  of  missionary  in  Southern 
Illinois.  He  removed  to  Vandalia  in  1848.  Rev.  Gordon 
was  a  good  and  very  energetic  man.  His  labors  in  advo- 
cating temperance  and  abstinence  have  made  him  famous 
throughout  Illinois.  Over  7,000  people,  signed  the  pledge 
at  his  solicitation.  He  was  nicknamed  "  Irish  Pony  "  during 
that  period.  He  died  but  recently — June  10th,  1882 — at 
Vandalia.  A  sister  of  Rev.  Gordon  was  married  to  Mat- 
thew Gillespie,  late  of  Edwardsville. 

Samuel  Burgess,  Hugh  Kerr,  Robert  Kelsey,  Samuel 
Morrison,  James  Pullen,  James  Paterson,  natives  of  Great 
Britain,  came  to  the  county  about  ten  or  twelve  years  later 
than  the  Gordon  family.  Martin  Feehan,  an  Irishman 
preceded  them  ;  William  Gait,  a  Scotchman,  arrived  in  1845. 
David  Morris,  also  a  Scotchman,  preceded  him,  having 
settled  iu  1842,  in  township  5 — 7. 


F.  T.  Kraflfl  came  to  the  United  States  in  1833,  and  made 
the  Shiloh  settlement  iu  St.  Clair  county  his  home.  From 
there  he  came  to  Edwardsville,  and  engaged  in  mercantile 
business  with  great  apparent  success.  He  also  interested 
himself  in  the  political  questions  of  the  day,  and  became  a 
man  of  considerable  influence.  He  was  very  popular  with 
both  native  and  foreigti-b  irn  citizens,  and  was  elected  sherifl' 
of  Madison  county  iu  1850.  He  met  with  great  reverses  in 
the  latter  part  of  his  life,  and  died,  comparatively  speaking, 
in  poverty. 

F.  A.  Wolf  also  "  graduated"  in  the  Lateiner  settlement 
at  Shiloh,  and  to  this  day  he  assures  us  that  the  day.s,  months 
and  years,  spent  at  the  bachelor's  roost  on  the  Engelmann 
farm,  formed  the  happiest  period  of  his  life.  Latin  farm- 
ing, however,  was  not  exactly  profitable,  as  F.  A.  Wolf  soon 
observed,  and  so  he  engaged  in  distilling.  He  came  to  Ed- 
wardsville in  the  year  1840,  engaging  in  farming  and  fruit- 
growing, and  his  vineyards  were  the  most  extensive  and 
productive  ones  in  the  county.  Three  of  his  sons,  F.  W., 
A.  P.,  and  Otto,  reside  in  our  midst,  and,  are  engaged  in 
operating  their  extensive  coal  mines  on  the  "  rura  paterna ;" 
a  fourth  one,  Theodor,  doctor  philosophia;,  an  out  and  out 
"  Lateiner,"  is  professor  of  chemistry  at  the  state  unversity 
of  Delaware.  Many  of  our  readers  will  also  remember  that 
valiant  old  Napoleonic  warrior,  Phil.  Fix,  as  a  member  of 
the  Wolf  family.  A  number  of  immigrants  from  Alsace, 
France,  among  them  the  well  known  Gerber  family,  made 
Edwardsville  iheir  home  at  an  early  day. 

The  Bickelhaupt  family,  and  the  Ritters  came  to  Ed- 
wardsville from  St.  Clair  county,  where  they  had  at  first 
located.  Henry  Ritter  was  one  of  the  most  energetic  men 
of  his  time  in  our  midst.  He  was  a  public-spirited  man. 
Ritter  opened  the  first  coal  mine  in  the  vicinity,  and  of 
course  managed  it  so  as  to  pay  him  well.  An  amusing  in- 
cident of  his  mining  period  may  be  related  here.  His 
miners,  knowing  what  price  coal  commanded  in  those  days, 
went  on  a  strike  for  higher  wages.  Ritter  granted  them  im- 
mediately. Two  hours  later  a  second  strike  was  announce*!, 
and  a  higher  price  ;  this  time,  it  is  ."aid,  eight  cents  per 
bushel  was  demanded  and  allowed.  In  the  afternoon  of 
the  same  day  the  miners  made  a  third  strike  again,  demand- 
ing ten  or  twelve  cents  per  bushel.  Mr.  Ritter  went  to  the 
shaft  to  deliver  the  following  message :  "  The  hoisting  ap- 
paratus of  these  mines  will  be  removed  within  fifteen  min- 
utes; and  all  miners  remaining  in  the  pit  longer  than 
fifteen  minutes,  must  provide  their  own  means  of  getting 
up  and  out."  This  settled  matters,  and  no  further  strikes 
occurred.  Ritter  was  successful  in  all  his  pursuits;  he  was 
a  most  diligent  business  man,  sober  and  sagacious.  He  died 
quite  young,  in  1870. 

Frederick  Bohm  has  been  residing  in  township  four — 
eight,  ever  since  1839  ;  his  farm  in  section  nine,  is  one  of 
the  best  in  the  vicinity  of  Edwardsville.  His  neighbor 
Henry  Brockmeier,  is  also  an  old  settler.  C.  W.  Fangen- 
roth,  from  Berlin,  Prussia,  came  to  Madison  county  in  1843. 
Fangenroth  is  an  enthusiastic  agriculturist,  and  one  of  the 
most  zealous  members  of  the  farmers'  club.  His  articles  on 
scientific   and    practical    farming   are   highly   appreciated. 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


109 


Hfiiry  Engelhart,  on  the  Springfield  road,  settled  there  in 
1841,  and  is  now  an  honored  patriarch  among  his  neighbors. 
Squire  D.  C.  Scheer  came  a  year  later.  His  possessions  in 
section  fourteen,  township  five — eight,  represent  a  model 
farm.  In  the  southern  part  of  the  township  we  find  the  ex- 
cellent farm  of  C.  P.  Smith,  who  arrived  here  in  1847,  quite 
a  youth.  His  father,  a  most  prudent  man  and  skillful 
Daechanic,  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  his  only  son  becom- 
ing the  architect  of  his  own  good  fortune.  C.  P.  Smith 
operated  a  saw-mill  on  his  lands  for  years,  and  combinations 
and  surrounding  circumstances  being  very  favorable,  suc- 
ceeded in  amassing  a  large  fortune;  he  is  probably  the 
wealthiest  German  farmer  in  the  county,  owning  several 
farms   in  the    most   desirable  parts  of  the  county. 

Conrad  Leseman  and  Caspar  Miller,  both  deceased,  belong 
to  the  earliest  settlers  smong  the  Germans.  J.  G.  Lautner 
arrived  in  1839 ;  he  too  is  dead — in  1874.  The  Stullken 
brothers  and  J.  B  Kleine,  sr.,  also  belong  to  the  earlier  German 
immigration,  and  their  most  successful  ones.  Peter  Schnei- 
der, Louis  Hill,  Frederick  Weiss,  and  Louis  Klingemanu, 
came  somewhat  later.  Fred.  Gaertner  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1850.  He  became  a  resident  of  this  county  in  1858, 
is  a  successful  merchant,  and  owns  now  a  large  and 
most  desirable  farm  on  the  Spriugfield  road.  Gottlieb 
Stahlhut,  Leonhard  Eberhard  and  others  belong  to  a  later 
period.  Henry  Camman,  John  and  Mathias  Buchta,  and 
Ernst  Erbe,  are  the  pioueer  Germans  in  five — seven. 

The  foreign-born  population  of  the  old  "  Goshen"  district 
has  never  assumed  the  character  of  separate  colonies,  and 
the  process  of  Americanizing  has  been  more  ra.\m\  there 
than  elsewhere.  Marriages  between  natives  and  foreigners 
have  been  of  common  occurrence  ever^iuce  the  first  arrivals 
of  the  latter.  The  Germans  alone  have  maintained  some 
of  the  characteristic  features  of  their  nationality  to  a  greater 
extent.  There  is  a  large  number  of  German  churches  and 
schools  in  the  townships  mentioned,  arid  it  is  owing  to  the 
zealous  and  untiring  labors  of  the  German  clergymen  and 
parochial  teachers  that  the  German  language  has  been  pre- 
served for  almost  two  generations.  Three  or  four  efforts 
have  been  made  to  establish  a  German  newspaper  at  Ed- 
■wardsville,  but  all  failed.  There  seems  to  be  no  field  for 
such  an  undertaking  in  this  land  of  Goshen.  Some  German 
societies,  "  Vereine,"  however,  were  organized  at  Edwards- 
ville ;  the  first  or  oldest  of  them,  the  "  Turn  Verein,"  has 
existed  since  1858.  The  founders  of  this  society  were  G.  A. 
Wolf — brother  of  F.  A.,  mentioned  above,  a  most  amiable 
and  highly  educated  gentleman,  who  died  in  1869.  J. 
Hammel,  now  of  Lebanon,  C.  W.  Fangenroth,  W.  Thurnan, 
John  Schlindwein,  Ale.xander  Kitter,  Fritz  Hansingcr, 
Emil  Stoll,  Alois  Knaus,  William  Brackhaus,  J.  Brinkman, 
Jacob  Bayer,  Martin  Ruprecht,  George  Hoehn,  Bernhard 
Stier,  Wm.  Bender,  Charles  Weigel,  G.  Girnt,  and  John  F- 
Wielandy  ;  the  latter  was  subsequently  Judge  of  the  Probate 
Court  of  Coles  County,  Mo.,  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  St. 
Louis  bar.  The  present  Mayor  of  the  cily  of  Edwardsville, 
Alonzo  Keller,  is  a  native  of  Switzerland.  His  administra- 
tion since  1877,  has  been  a  great  success  ;  the  streets  and 
sidewalks  of  the  city  have  betn  greatly  and  permanently 


improved,  an  efiicient  fire-department  maintained,  and  a 
funded  debt  of  some  thirty  thousand  dollars  paid  and  dis- 
charged. 

Cotemporary  with  the  Swiss  colony  of  Highland,  the 
nucleus  of  a  German  settlement  was  formed  in  township 
six — eight,  near  the  present  village  of  Prairie  city,  where  F, 
Jleyer,  a  North  German,  entered  a  tract  of  land — 1831  — 
and  subsequently  opened  a  farm,  which  in  time  became  the 
center  of  a  prosperous  settlement  of  Germans,  many  of  whom 
now  rank  among  the  most  successful  farmers  of  the  county. 
The  Meyer  farm  is  to  this  day  owned  by  descendants  of  the 
family.  The  Germans  are  known  to  be  less  inclined  than 
any  other  people  to  dispose  of  the  homestead — the  rvra 
paterna  of  Horace — and  start  out  in  search  of  another  The 
following  German  families  clustered  around  the  Meyer  set- 
tlement ;  Adam  Hoeh  in  1842 ;  Mr.  Hoeh  has  befriended 
many  new-comers,  by  disinterested  advice,  as  well  as  ready 
and  material  help.  H.  Heyer  arrived  in  1843,  Daniel 
Schmidt  in  1847,  Herman  Wirsemann,  Ludwig  Pape,  Carl 
Eugelke,  Henry  and  Christian  Knoche,  Christian  Kurthe, 
John  Schoeneweiss,  H.  Thurmann,  H.  Dustmann,  J.  A. 
Scherf,  Albert  Kaiser,  Fred.  Dustmann,  Henry  Dorr,  for 
years  member  of  the  board  of  supervisors  of  Madison  county, 
Henry  Rurnhold,  Adam  Mueller,  Klein  J.  Schumacher, 
John  Schaefer,  the  Helmkamp  brothers  and  others  fol- 
lowed in  the  course  of  a  few  years.  Prairie  City  and 
vicinity  is  at  this  day  an  almost  entirely  German  settlement, 
and  can  boast  of  one  of  the  prettiest  German  church  build- 
ings in  the  county. 

Besides  this,  or  joining  it,  is  found  a  prosperous  settle- 
ment of  East  Frieslanders,  started  about  the  year  1846,  by 
Hiam  H.  Kaiser,  and  E.  C.  Balster,  Elke  Eden,  Martin 
Aljets  and  others. 

A  very  large  foreign-born  population  is  to  be  met  in  the 
western  part  of  the  county,  principally  at  Alton.  Some,  we 
may  say  many  Europeans  have  so  closely  identified  them- 
selves with  the  growth  and  developement  of  this  city  from 
the  very  days  of  infancy,  that  personal  mention  is  made  of 
some  of  them  in  the  historical  sketch  of  Alton.  Among  the 
first  foreign  born  citizens  of  Alton  we  find  G.  T  Brown  and 
Joseph  Brown,  Scotchmen,  who  were  in  Alton  in  1836  ;  the 
former  rose  from  a  printer's  boy  to  the  position  of  editor  and 
proprietor  of  an  influential  newspaper,  the  Courier,  was  a 
lawyer  of  great  merit  and  held  for  years  a  much  coveted 
oflSce  at  Washington  City.  He  was  a  man  found  worthy  of 
the  intimate  friendship  of  the  public  men  at  the  head  of  our 
national  affairs  and  died  loved  and  respected  by  a  large 
circle  of  friends — 1881.  His  library  contained  the  most 
valuable  political  works,  and  his  collections  of  curiosities, 
many  the  presents  of  native  and  foreign  explorers  and  tou- 
rists, are  gems  of  treasure.  Joseph  Brown  was  mayor  of 
Alton  and  subsequently  of  St.  Louis.  D.  D.  Ryrie,  the 
banker,  and  J.  A.  Ryrie  merchant,  also  Scotchmen,  arrived  in 
1837,  about  the  same  time  when  their  countryman  Andrew 
Mather  came  to  Alton,  followed  by  Johu  and  David  Mellen 
about  the  year  1840.  James  Patrick  James  Mitchell  and 
Peter  Robertson  are  also  Scotchmen. 

Charles  Holdeu,  Jr.,  the    present  postmaster  of  Alton, 


no 


BISTOEY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


is  a  initive  of  England,  arriving  with  his  father  in  Alton 
about  the  jcar  1841.  Andrew  JNIaley,  an  Irishman,  came  to 
Alton  about  the  year  1845.  He  had  been  for  years  previ- 
ously, in  the  service  of  the  United  States,  "  wintering  "  sev- 
eral seasons  in  Florida.  The  comforts  enjoyed  there,  while 
fighting  the  Seminole  Indians,  are  by  no  means  pleasant 
recollections.  Mr.  Slaley  commenced  his  career  in  Alton 
as  laborer.  Diligence  and  economy,  as  practiced  by  him, 
secured  him  the  friendship  and  assistance  of  influential  men, 
and  he  is  soon  seen  a  successful  contractor  in  the  very  town, 
where  he  had  toiled  as  laborer. 

John  E.  Coppinger,  from  Galway,  Ireland,  arrived  in 
1849.  Mr.  C.  has  occupied  a  prominent  position  in  his 
chosen  home  for  over  a  quarter  century,  and  is  now  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State-Board  of  Equalization  of  Illinois,  f.r  this, 
the  18th  Congressional  District.  James  Banuon  arrived 
about  the  same  time.  He  too  has  in  a  high  measure,  enjoyed 
the  confidence  of  his  fellow  citizens,  who  time  and  again  have 
elected  him  to  responsible  positions,  which  positions  he  filled 
to  the  satisfaction  of  the  people  and  to  the  credit  of  himself. 
Thomas  Biggins,  a  native  of  Mayo  County,  Ireland,  has  been 
an  honored  and  influential  citizen  of  Alton  since  1849.  R. 
C.  Causley,  deputy  postmaster  of  Alton,  arrived  about  the 
same  time.  Thomas  Richardson,  the  blacksmith,  arrived  iu 
1848,  and  John  Redmond  has  betu  a  resident  of  the  county 
since  1838. 

The  immigration  of  subsequent  years  brought  large  addi- 
tions to  the  pioneer  ranks.  The  historical  sketches  of  city 
and  township  make  mention  of  them,  as  far  as  they  have 
participated  in  public  life  and  business  pursuits. 

A  few  Pennsylvania  Germans  are  found  among  the  early 
settlers  of  Alton,  as  for  instance  a  tavern  keeper  named 
Fleischmann.  Jacob  Schmeer  was  probably  the  first  Ger- 
man to  settle  in  Alton.  He  had  a  small  baker  shop  which 
he  sold  to  C'harKs  Ubert  in  1833.  Ubert  added  a  store  to  the 
bu.-iuess  and  was  very  successful.  He  died,  quite  young,  iu 
1840.  Von  Stein,  a  tailor,  Holl  and  Poetgen,  masons,  J. 
Herman,  J.  Landenbergerand  C.  Walter  arrived  with  Ubert. 
C.  Heitzig,  A.  Ulrich  and  J.  Wiedfeld,  Germans,  were  then 
living  in  Upper  Alton,  operating  a  pottery.  Paul  Walter, 
Til.  Bauer  and  Johann  Forster  arrived  in  1832,  and  the 
latter  started  a  German  boarding  house  soon  after.  Mathias 
Schaub,  Martin  Fischbach  and  several  of  those  mentioned 
above  went  to  farming  on  Coal  Branch  as  early  as  1833. 
Fred.  Hoflmeister,  who  had  operated  the  former  bakery  of 
Ubert  and  connected  it  with  a  confectioner  shop,  erected  the 
first  German  Hotel,  now  known  as  the  Empire  House,  and 
it  was  here,  the  few  Germans  of  Alton  Feb.  18,  1849, 
held  an  enthusiastic  public  meeting  to  express  iheir  sympa- 
thies with  the  revolutionists  of  Europe  and  to  raise  funds  to 
aid  the  political  refugees  in  their  flight  to  the  United  States. 
J.  W.  Schweppe  presided.  Dr.  Humbert  made  motions,  after 
motions,  and  Hornau  kept  the  records.  Dr.  F.  Humbert's 
native  city  is  Frankfort  one  of  the  four  small  republics  of 
the  confederacy  of  Germany  until  18G6.  The  Dr.  had  em- 
igrated in  1833,  at  the  time  of  the  celehrated  Frankfort 
"Attentate,"  an  insurrection  undertaken  by  intellectual 
youths  against  the  existing  order  of  things.     The  Dr.  came 


to  Upper  Alton  in  1S3G,  was  successful  in  his  vocation  and 
became  an  influential  citizen.  He  identified  himself  most 
zealously  with  one  of  the  political  parties,  was  a  prominent 
and  leading  man  in  their  councils  and  is  said  to  have  secured 
the  nomination  of  Robert  Smith,  the  only  Madison  county 
man  that  ever  represented  this  county  in  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives in  Washington  City.  The  Dr.  resides  now  at 
Alton  Many  incidents  related  here  are  taken  from  a  cen- 
tennial speech  delivered  and  afterwards  published  by  him. 

J.  W.  Schvveppe,  now  one  of  the  leading  merchants  and 
a  respected  citizen  of  Alton  commenced  his  Alton  career 
in  a  baker-shop  erected  by  George  Fuls  in  1836.  Later,  in 
1841  when  Fuls  died,  this  shop  was  bought  by  F.  W.  Joes- 
ting  and  William  Schweppe. 

Hornan,  a  pedagogue  by  education,  kept  a  saloon. 

G.  H.  Weigler,  also  a  pioneer  among  the  Germans,  came 
to  Alton  in  1838.  His  labors,  hard  and  scarcely  remunera- 
tive at  first,  his  prudence  and  his  energy  have  given  him  a 
most  prominent  position  among  the  foreign  population  not 
alone  of  Alton,  but  in  the  county  and  state.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  city  council  or  city  ofiices  since  1854,  occu- 
jiies  now  the  chair  of  the  financial  and  judiciary  committees, 
and  was  justice  of  the  peace  time  out  of  mind.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  29th  As- 
sembly of  Illinois— 1874  to  1876. 

Hon.  J.  H.  Yeager  was  born  in  Saxe-Weimar,  in  1833,  and 
came  with  his  parents  to  St  Louis  iu  1834.  He  subsequently 
came  to  Madison  county,  studied  law,  graduated  at  Chicago, 
and  commenced  to  practice  at  Alton  in  1857.  He  was  as 
member  of  the  Legislature  from  1866  to  1868,  and  of  the 
senate  from  1872  to  1874.  In  1880  he  was  elected  county 
Attorney  of  Madison  county.  Mr.  Yeager  is  an  excellent 
lawyer  and  an  exemplary  citizen.  He  has  retained  full 
knowledge  of  the  German  language,  though  he  came  to  this 
country  in  the  1st  year  of  his  life,  and  is  fully  conversant 
with  the  classics  of  Germany.  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop  H.  Damain 
Juncker,  late  Bishop  of  Alton,  was  horn  at  Finsingen,  Lor- 
raine, France  in  1810,  came  with  his  parents  to  Cincinnati 
in  1824,  where  he  studied  theology,  was  parish  priest  at 
Chillicothe,  and  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  was  made  bishop  of 
Alton  in  1857.  He  died  there  October  2d,  1868.  H.  Brueg- 
geman,  mayor  of  the  city  from  1879  to  1881,  is  a  German 
by  birth  and  a  resident  of  Alton  since  1856.  John  M. 
Tonsor  has  represented  the  township  in  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors since  adoption  of  township  organization  in  1876. 

V.  Walter,  Henry  A.  Summers,  Louis  Biekel,  Henry 
Fisch,  J.  H.  Koehne,  Lorenz  Fahrig,  J.  J.  Kopp,  Germans, 
and  J.  W.  Brain,  Jonathan  Quarton,  John  Curdie,  Britons, 
are  members  of  the  earlier  immigration. 

The  immigration  from  1849  to  1864  brought  thousands  of 
people  to  the  county,  and  Alton  received  a  full  share  of  it. 
The  various  nationalities  are  now  represented  iu  all  the  va- 
rious vocations  of  life.  Mechanics,  farmers,  laborers,  con- 
tractors, city-township-and  county-oflicials,  merchants,  arti- 
sans, attorneys,  physicians,  even  "  bloated  bond-holders  " 
and  coupon  clippers,  of  foreign  birth,  are  successfully  com- 
peting with  their  native  born  neighbors. 

The  Germans  of  Alton  found  themselves  numerous  enough 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUXTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Ill 


in  1851  to  organize  their  social  Yereine.  The  celebration  of 
the  4th  of  July,  185],  was  the  first  public  festival  arranged 
by  the  Germans,  who  flocked  to  Alton  in  great  numbers. 
The  festival  was  held  in  a  beautiful  grove  on  the  Coalbrauch 
road.  Kev.  De  Therdiug  and  G.  H.  Weigler  were  the 
orators.  Elble's  clarinet  and  Lehman's  fiddle  furnished  the 
music  for  young  and  old.  A  militia  company  of  St-  Louis 
participated  in  the  frolic,  and  our  Altonians  immediately 
went  to  work  to  organize  a  military  company,  naming  it : 
Alton  Jaeger  company,  106  men,  rank  and  file.  It  was 
officered  by  G.  H.  Weigler,  L.  Haagen  and  B.  Ruenzi.  In 
1861  the  company,  commanded  by  Capt.  John  H  Kuhn,  en- 
tered into  the  federal  service,  as  Company  A— 9th  III.  Vol. 
The  chapter  on  patriotism  relates  the  brave  deeds  of  the  men 
and  officers,  and  gives  a  list  of  the  fearful  losses  the  company 
suffered  at  Shiloh.  Capt.  Kuhn  was  promoted  Major,  and 
Emil  Adams  brought  the  surviving  veterans  home  as  their 
captain,  at  the  end  of  the  war.  The  "  Turn-Verein,  "organ- 
ized in  1853,  erected  a  beautiful  building  in  1868,  and 
purchased  a  library  of  over  1000  volumes  to  furnish  the 
means  of  mental  culture  to  all  members  and  friends^ 
Another  Vereiu — Mutual  Aid  Association,  has  been  a  bless- 
ing to  its  members  ever  since  its  organization  in  1856.  The 
founders  of  this  society  are  G.  H.  Wtigler,  F.  Fels,  Charles 
Seybold,  P.  Sdilauder,  Julius  AVilhelms  and  Oberbeck.  The 
financial  condition  of  the  association  is  solid,  and  all  claims 
have  from  the  beginning  been  promptly  paid.  Erwin  Lodge 
No.  315  F.  &  A.  M.,  with  G.  H.  Weigler,  Leonard  Stutz,  B. 
Elble,  Henry  Basse  and  J.  J.  Koenig  as  charter  members 
was  opened  1859,  w'orking  in  German.  There  are  two  Ger- 
man Odd-Fellow  Lodges  in  Alton,  to  wit :  Germania  Lodge 
No.  299  and  Pestalozzi  Lodge  No.  367,  opened  respectively 
in  1862  and  1867.  A  German  Encampment,  Concordia  No. 
99,  was  founded  in  1869.  A  "  Maenner-Chor  "  (singing 
society)  was  organized  in  li'-67  and  soon  after  consolidated 
with  the  old  Turn-Verein. 

A  "Reform-Verein"  was  organized  by  the  Germans  of 
Alton  in  1873  for  the  purpose  of  confronting  and  defeating 
the  threatening  prohibitionists. 

The  German  Protestants  of  Alton  organized  in  1S49.  The 
congregation  erected  a  church  edifice  in  1851  and  also  built 
the  first  German  school  in  Alton,  corner  Henry  and  8th 
streets.  The  first  German  Catholic  church  was  built  in  1859. 
It  was  destroyed  by  the  tornado  of  1800,  but  immediately 
rebuilt,  together  with  parsonage  and  school-house. 

The  first  attempt  at  publishing  a  German  newspaper,  the 
•'  Vorwaerts  "  (Advance),  was  made  in  1853,  the  second.  Die 
Freie  Presse  (Free  Press)  in  1854,  by  Schneider  and  Can- 
isius,  neither  of  which  was  a  success.  Reiss  and  Weigler 
commenced  the  publication  of  the  "Beobachter"  (Observer) 
in  1854,  and  continued  it  until  1865.  The  "  Banner"  has 
been  published  since  1866,  (see  article  on  press) 

In  township  6-10  we  find  but  few  foreign  born  citizens  of 
the  earlier  immigration.  R.J.  Ingham,  who  died  in  1881, 
settled  there  in  1835,  Henry  Ebbler,  in  1841,  Louis  Ma- 
sulli  an  Italian  in  1845,  and  Julius  F.  Schneider  in  1846. 

James  McKenzie,  an  Irishman,  came  to  Wood  river  in 
1847.  Ebenezer  Rodgers,an  Englishman,  arrived  in  1834 and 


died  there  in  1854.     William  Badley,  another  Englishman, 
settled  there  in  1840  ;  he  died  in  l.Sfio. 

In  township  6-9  we  mention  Christ.  Froark,  1848,  William 
Bierbaum,  1849,  and  J-  D.  Heisel,  a  foreign  born  citizen  of 
distinction,  at  one  time  clerk  of  the  circuit  court  of  ^ladison 
county — 1872  to  1880-and  at  present  one  of  the  members 
of  the  bar  of  this  county. 

In  the  American  Bottom  we  find  but  few  immigrants  of  a 
very  early  period,  among  them  Caspar  Varnhold,   August 
Ruwisch,  August Brandfs,  Joseph  Froehly, and  R.  J.  Brown.  ' 
Theod.  Selb  has  represented  his  township  in  the  board  of 
supervi-sors  for  5  terras  in  succession. 

From  the  naturalization  of  the  records  of  the  county,  1840 
to  1849,  we  take  the  fullowing  names:  F.  A.  Wolf,  Val. 
Bickelhaupt,  F.  Pottgen,  John  Suppiger,  Joseph  ^liller, 
Louis  Krutli,  John  Schlup,  Jacob  Eggen,  William  Hag- 
nauer,  John  Leder,  Christian  Walter,  G.  J.  Staffelbach, 
Joseph  Koepfli,  Nic.  Heintz,  Martin  Fischbach,  Henry 
Bernius,  Christ.  Draper,  Christian  Branger,  Matth.  Schieffer- 
koetter,  J.  Leon  Scherer,  Anton  Schmidt,  Charles  Pabst,  C. 
A.  Kluge,  Christian  Waage,  G.  M.  Suppiger,  Carl  Mueller, 
David  Suppiger,  Carl  Dandermann,  Jacob  Durer,  Theodore 
Miller,  F.  H  Kiceleman,  Fred.  Deterding,  Conrad  Leseman, 
William  Stein,  Bernhard  Suppiger,  Charles  Kinnc,  Lorenz 
Wickenhauser,  Jacob  Kircher,  Henry  Ludwig,  M.  Huegv, 
Xavier  Suppiger,  Anton  lUichmann,  Will  Lange,  G  H. 
Weigler,  Mathias  Lconhardt,  Ludwig  Nagal,  John  Eschen- 
burg,  Andrew  Rienzi,  J.  E.  Blattner,  Joseph  Buchman, 
Anton  Ulrich,  M.  W.  AVackerle,  John  Guggenbuehler, 
Louis  Hess,  John  Iberg,  Martin  Schmidt,  Charles  Schoeck, 
Peter  Grass,  John  Blattner,  Sebastian  Huedy,  Nic  Mueller, 
Jacob  Krucker,  Melchior  Weber,  Anton  Fisher,  Fred  Weber, 
J.  G.  Spengel,  Jacob  Spiess,  Bartholomew  Ruenzi,  John 
Weittfeld,  Bernhard  Koepfli,  J.  F.  Lohmann,  William 
Blumer,  Henry  Altag,  D.  Warenburg,  .Tohn  Leutwiler, 
John  Marti,  Andrew  Guntley,  Joseph  Wildhaber,  Joseph 
Leuienberger,  F.  R.  Birtsch,  John  Dotterweich,  J.  F. 
Hoflnieister,  J.  H.  Kinne,  P.  A.  Schiedhering,  Christian 
Kaufmann,  Paul  Ambuehl,  Christian  Brase,  Henry 
Schmidt,  German  and  German-speaking  Swiss;  T.  C. 
Clifford,  John  Mulady,  John  Glass,  Sam.  McKitlrick, 
Thomas  Carr,  W.  Booth,  Hugh  Black,  John  Hogan, 
Malichy  Holland,  James  Shannon,  John  Jeffrey,  Martin 
Holland,  John  Forster,  Pat  Dunn,  George  Thorp,  Dr.  John 
Lee,  Hugh  Rice,  John  Lock,  W.  Peel,  Andrew  Rosberry, 
John  Rowe,  James  Heslap,  Dav.  McNeil,  Pat  Welch, 
Thomas  Brown,  Will  Vail  and  Harrison  Perrin,  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland,  J.  George  Kaindel,  Austrian,  Fred.  L. 
Durance.  Frenchman,  and   St.  A.  Wyszomirski,  Prussian. 

Further  naturalization  of  foreigners  1849  to  1864: — 
Henry  Scheer,  F.  J.  Springer.  Nich.  Bickelhaupt,  Gregor 
Hirsch,  Rudolf  Bircher,  Adolf  David,  George  Ruegger, 
political  refugee  of  Switzerland,  subsequently  sherifiT  of 
the  county,  Oliarlej  Stsiaer,  J,)nis  B.irdill,  J.  B.  Kirri, 
John  Schumacher,  Jacob  Iberg,  Henry  Kuhlmann,  Christ. 
Wedman,  Paul  Walter,  Fred  Buehler,  D.  Weisemann, 
Ca.spar  Britt,  Peter  Britt,  John  Reisser,  Christian  Hirni, 
shipwrecked  and  drowned  on  the  coast  of  England  in  May, 


112 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


1876.  Peter  Frutiger,  W.  Gerkemeier,  Michael  Lambert, 
Stephen  Marguth,  Anton  Cueler,  Conrad  Ort,  Beatus 
Mueller,  Wolfgang  Lautner,  Jacob  Kolb,  Leonard  Flachen- 
ecker,  Henry  and  John  Epping,  Henry  AVestenhoff,  F.  W. 
Joesting,  A.  G.  Schroeder,  Henry  Kramer,  A.  H.  Bias, 
Conrad  Hille,  William  Hoppe,  H.  C.  Brasse,  C  Meyer, 
Louis  Stock,  Jacob  Weber,  Jerome  Pl'aff,  Jacob  Simon, 
John  Dauwalter,  Landoliu  Walter,  H.  J.  Hendrich,  Ernst 
Erbe,  Anton  Ulrich,  Adam  Nagel,  John  Sommerfield, 
Henry  Brandes,  Julius  Voigt,  John  Hagemann,  Peter  Dorr, 
T.  Bruckner,  Henry  Hermann,  Christ.  Bleisch,  John  Zobrist, 
xVdani  Hoeh,  J.  A.  Goot,  John  Senu,  Henry  Weitkamp, 
William  Rinne,  Oswald  Rothe,  J.  G.  Billner,  J.  A. 
Schreppel,  Charles  Strassen,  M.  Ambrosius,  Fred  Bonn, 
Joseph  Gottlob,  Dan  Rouiger,  Joseph  Winter,  John  Heister, 
John  Meier,  Anton  Weisseuriether,  Sylvan  Utiger,  Philip 
Fischer,  Christian  Schneider,  Andrew  Bauer,  Caspar  Goet- 
ten,  Edwin  Weitmeier,  Constant  Rilliet,  (Associate  Justice 
of  Madison  county  1861  and  1862;.  John  Balsiger,  Her- 
man Giesse,  Arnold  Rietman,  Ferdinand  Balsiger,  Jacob 
Zobrist,  Anton  Gruenfelder,  J  V.  Metzger,  Henry  Bender, 
Christian  Wurrker,  George  Gertie,  Stephen  Knaus,  Joseph 
ZiUman,  Jacob  Bauer,  Fred  Werker,  Sol  Bauer,  William 
Maehler,  Gabriel  Ostrich,  Daniel  Wild  and  John  Utiger, 
from  Germany  or  Switzerland,  W.  Bendle,  Rob.  Hobson, 
Charles  Eardly,  Andrew  Mills,  David  Summs,  William 
Nixon,  Thomas  Locke,  William  Watts,  Edw.  Rutledge, 
Charles  Morley,  James  Farrell,  James  Patrick,  John  John- 
ston, Thomas  Riley,  Pat  Collins,  John  MuUern,  ^Thomas, 
Magher,  James  Mahoney,  Pat  McErlean,  Peter  Dimond, 
Will  Squire,  Joseph  Purcell,  F.  C.  lieall,  Pat  Carroll,  Jqhn 
Harman,  John  Browell,  Rob.  Mitchell,  and  Edw.  Coppinger 
from  Great  Britain  and  Ireland.  C  L.  Bernays,  republic 
of  France. 

This  closes  the  list  of  pioneer  immigrants  from  Europe. 
There  were  undoubtedly  many  more  immigrants  than  are 
mentioned  here.  The  Constitution  of  1848  granted  the 
riwht  of  suffrage  to  all  bona  fide  residents  of  the  state, 
■whether  naturalized  or  not,  and  as  the  right  of  voting  was 
with  many  the  only  coveted  boon  of  citizenship,  they  never 
applied  for  naturalization  papers. 

We  introduce  a  tabular  statement  of  the  number  of 
foreign-born  citizen  naturalized  since  1854. 


I'd 
II 

0   . 
£  i 

.9 

•5 

^ 

.a 
£ 

a 

o 
ma 

1S55 
186G 
1«57 
1.S58 
18.W 
]8iai* 
18U1 
1862 
18li3 
]8(!4» 
1805 

48 
110 
189 
200 
184 
196 
600 
14 
56 
02 
3.i3 
47 

i 

74 
.13 
22 

169 
i:i 
38 
37 

H6 
15 
11 
14 

109 
11 
9 

■  ■  a" 

....  1           4 

'  '  1 ' 

4 

1 

'  '   l' 

\ 

7 
27 

3 
14 

22 

1 

6 
6 
4 
14 

8 
3 

2 

13 

2 

1 

6 
3 
21 
2 

11 
1 

1SI17                 39 
1808*             2<7 
18K9                 21 
187U                 22 

1 

1 

....'.... 

>>§ 

la 
II 

"5 -a 

<: 

Italy. 

Fiance, 

Denmai-k. 

■a 

c 

'U 

47 
144 
10 
26 
32 
96 
9 
10 
11 
95 
17 

7 
32 
2 
5 
3 
78 
1 
3 
2 
26 

1 
7 
1 
1 
3 
6 

1 

1872* 

1 

1                1 

1 
1 

1874 

1 

1 

1»77 
1878 

1 

.... 

3 
1 

1 

1 

1881 

Total  since 
1854. 

Pioneer 
Immigrat'n 
1812  10  1854. 

2.983 
199 

971 
02 

137 

1 

3 

69 
2 

24               2 

G 

Grand  total 

3.182 

1.033 

138 

3 

61     '         24               2               0 

Or  4451  in  the  aggregate. 
♦Presidential  years  when  votes  were  in  demand. 

The  survivors  of  these  together  with  their  descendants 
make  up  about  one  half  of  the  population  of  the  county. 

These  people  have  contributed  their  full  share  to  develop 
the  county  to  what  it  now  is;  they  have  helped  to  build 
your  churches  and  school-houses,  to  open  and  cultivate  the 
countless  farms  of  a  county,  peer  to  all  sister  counties ;  they 
have  entered  into  the  bowels  of  the  earth  to  hoist  up  the 
treasures  of  the  mines,  and  they  have  built  your  railroads  ; 
and  not  that  alone.  When  the  government  called  for  men 
to  carry  the  flag  of  the  republic  against  foreign  enemies  or 
insurgents  and  revolutionists  at  home,  the  foreign-born 
citizens  responded  readily  and  patriotically  to  rival  with  the 
native  born  in  defending  the  republic  and  maintaining  its 
integrity.  There  was  a  time  when  the  native  American 
thought  the  sacred  institutions  of  his  land  endangered  by  a 
too  numerous  revolutionary  element,  filled  with  Utopian 
ideas,  wholly  foreign  to  the  sober  and  stalwart  American. 
The  wild  and  confused  utterances  and  doctrines  of  the 
French  socialists  and  revolutionists,  as  for  instance :  "  Prop- 
erty is  theft,"  and  many  others  of  similar  bearing,  were 
calculated  to  create  alarm.  This  feeling,  together  with  a 
degree  of  envy  harbored  by  indolent  people,  made  itself 
most  plainly  felt  when  the  revolutionists  of  1849  were  being 
naturalized  in  1854  and  1855. 

The  hostility  of  the  Know  Nothing  party  against  the  for- 
eign element,  which  led  to  serious  difficulties  in  various  parts 
of  the  country,  was  scarcely  felt  in  Madison  county,  and  the 
triumphs  of  that  party  here  were  of  short  duration. 

The  foreign  born  citizens  have  also  shared  to  a  most  liberal 
extent,  the  honors  of  public  life,  bestowed  upon  them  by  the 
votes  of  their  native  neighbors  and  fellow  citizens.  Among 
the  officers  entrusted  with  the  government  of  the  county  we 
find  George  Barnsback  in  1819  as  commissioner.  Constant 
Rilliet,*  in  1861-1862  as  associate  justice,  Xavier  Suter,  his 

*Rilliet  wa."*  born  in  Geneva,  January  28,  1820,  son  of  Col.Killiet, 
who  while  serving  under  Napoleon  I  was  decorated  on  the  battle-field 
with  the  Cross  of  the  Legion  of  Honor.  Billiet  was  a  man  of  splendid 
education,  master  of  nearly  all  modern  languages;  emigrated  in  1848 
and  settled  at  Highland,  where  lie  succeeded  Adolph  Olock,  E-iq.,  ia 
the  consulate  of  .Switzerland.  The  public  schools  of  Highland  are  in- 
debted to  Rilliet  for  his  successful  efforts  in  that  direction.  Rilliet 
died  on  the  lOlh  of  October,' 1802. 


HISTORY   OF   2[ADIS0N   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


113 


successor,  was  also  a  native  of  Switzerland,  to  which  he 
returned  in  1869,  Anthony  Suppiger  of  Saline  township  was 
associate  justice  from  1865  to  1869.  Henry  C.  Gerke,  a 
native  born  citizen  of  ISIadison  county,  but  of  German  de- 
scent, was  associate  justice  from  1869  to  1874.  R.  W. 
Crawford  and  John  Bardill  were  members  of  the  board  of 
county  commissioners  in  1S74  and  1875.  Fred  T.  Krafi'c,  a 
German,  was  sheriff  from  1850  to  1852  !Mr.  Kratft  belonged 
to  the  pioneer  Germans  of  1831.  His  first  American  home 
had  been  St.  Clair  county.  He  was  a  man  of  excellent 
qualities,  popular,  and  loved  by  all  who  knew  him.  We 
have  mentioned  above  the  Barnsbacks  as  typical  North 
Germans,  and  Krafft  may  be  considered  the  typical  South 
German.  C.  A.  Murray,  was  sheriff  from  1852  to  1854; 
George  Reugger,  a  Swiss,  from  1864  to  1866,  and  R.  W. 
Crawford,  an  Irishman,  from  1870  to  1872.  Among  the 
coroners  we  find  P.  F.  Regan,  an  Irishman,  from  1864  to 
1860,  Jonathan  Quarton,  an  Englishman  1868  to  1870  and 
W.  H.  Greipenberg,  a  German  1872  to  1874.  Walton  Rut- 
ledge,  also  of  foreign  descent  has  been  county  surveyor  since 
1875.  A.  A.  Suppiger,  son  of  Anthony  Suppiger  the  only 
survivor  of  the  pioneers  of  the  Swiss  Colony  at  Helvetia, 
was  superintendent  of  public  schools  from  1873  to  1877. 
B  E.  Hoffmann,  was  county  clerk  from  1869  to  1877.  H. 
H.  Kuhlenbeck,  clerk  of  the  circuit  court  from  186S  to  1S72, 
J.  D.  Heisel  from  1872  to  1880,  when  he  was  succeeded  by 
William  Daech,  the  present  incumbent.  Thomas  Kennedy 
was  treasurer  from  1867  to  1875,  and  Adolph  Ruegger  since 
1877. 

In  the  legislative  council  of  1812  and  1814  we  find 
Samuel  Judy — Swiss  extraction,  representing  Madison 
county;  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  1832  to  1838. 
James  Seniple  a  Scotchman,  John  Hogan  from  1836  to  1838, 
John  Bailhache  1842  to  1844,  George  Barnsback  1844  to 
1846,  Wra.  F.  De  Wolf  from  1846  to  1848,  J.  H.  Yager 
1866  to  1868,  Theodor  Miller  1870  to  1872.  In  the  Senate 
J.  H.  Yager  from  1872  to  1874  and  W.  H.  Krome  from 
1874  to  1878,  in  the  House  of  Representatives.  Henry 
Weinheimer  1872  to  1874,  G.  H.  Wcigler  lfs74  to  1876,  and 
Jones  Tontz  from  1880  to  1882. 

John  E.  Coppinger,  an  Irishman,  is  at  present  a  member 
of  the  State  Board  of  Equalization. 

The  number  of  foreign  born  local  and  municipal  officers 
is  legion.  Madison  county  has  of  course  seen  many  of  her 
citizens,  native  as  well  as  foreign  born,  called  to  hold  federal 
offices.  A  foreigner—  Mr.  Cauisius  of  Alton  was  appointed 
by  Lincoln  to  the  consulate  at  Vienna,  the  gay  capital  on  the 
beautiful  blue  Danube,  where  he  remained  until  1S65,  when 
he  was  recalled. — Later,  after  a  lapse  of  years,  during  which 
he  officiated  as  penitentiary  commissioner,  his  consular  star 
rose  again,  though  with  splendor  lessened.  The  former  consul 
general  of  Austria  had  to  content  himself  with  the  simple- 
consulate  at  Bristol,  England.  After  a  time  he  was  trans- 
ferred from  the  banks  of  the  famous  Avon  to  those  of  the 
obscure  Geeste,  at  Geestemuende.  His  stay  there  was  but 
brief,  for  others,  ready  to  accept  consular  positions,  looked 
with  longing  eyes  in  the  very  direction  of  Geestemuende,  on 
account  of  its  proximity  to  Bremeu  and  the  pleasures  of  the 
15 


Bremen  Rrathskeller.  The  doctor  hastened  to  Washington 
to  save  his  official  head,  but  came  too  late.  Pres.  Arthur, 
though  Geesterauenda  was  disposed  of,  concluded  to  retain 
the  services  of  Canisius,  sent  him  as  consul  to  our  very  an- 
tipodes, on  the  Islands  of  the  South  Sea.  There  he  resides 
now  at  a  village  called  Apia,  the  capital  of  the  Samoa 
Islands.  While  a  resident  of  the  county,  Canisius  was  con- 
nected with  a  German  newspaper,  ])uhlishcd  in  Alton. 

The  process  of  americanizing  the  foreign  element,  slow  at 
first,  is  now  perceptibly  advancing.  The  struggle  to  per- 
petuate foreign  tongues  has  been  brave  and  manly.  Cler- 
gymen and  teachers  aided  by  journalists  have  made  a  noble 
and  splendid  fight  to  save  and  preserve  the  language  spoken 
in  the  fatherland,  and  it  is  owing  to  their  efforts  and  cease 
less  laobrs,  that  the  second  and  third  generations  have 
retained  so  much  of  the  language  of  their  ancestors. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


CIVIL  HISTORY. 


TERRITORIAL   TI.MES,    1812   TO    1819. 
BY  B.  E.  HOFFMANN. 


IHE  organization  of  Madison  county  was 
by  no  means  the  work  of  its  inhal)itants. 
The  republic  of  the  United  States  of 
America  had  not  yet  become  a  govern- 
ment of  the  people,  by  the  people,  and 
for  the  people,  as  Abraham,  Lincoln 
happily  called  it  in  his  famous  speech, 
delivered  on  the  battle  field  of  Gettys- 
burg. In  the  days  in  which  the  history 
of  Madison  county  began,  it  was  thought 
safer  to  have  the  men  in  power  think  for  the  mas.ses  than  to 
have  them  act  on  their  own  thoughts.  The  republican  form 
of  government  was  still  new  and  on  trial.  Illinois  had  on 
February  3d,  1809,  by  act  of  Congress  become  one  of  the 
territories  of  the  United  States.  Ninian  Edwards,  at  the 
time  Chief  Justice  of  the  Court  of  Appeals  of  Kentucky, 
was  ap|)ointed  governor  of  the  newly  organized  territory  on 
the  24th  day  of  April,  1809.  The  governor,  and  territorial 
judges  constituted  the  legislative  body,  and  on  the  Uith  of 
Jun'3,  1809,  re-enacted  such  of  the  laws  of  Indiana  territory, 
with  which  the  people,  who  fur  nine  years  had  formed  a  part 
thereof,  were  fatiiliar,  and  as  were  suitable  and  applicable 
to  Illinois.  ^lany  of  their  laws  were  those,  which,  without 
even  change  of  phr.iseology,  had  either  been  originally  im- 
ported or  enacted  by  the  authorities  of  the  old  Northwestern 
Territory.  Some  of  these  laws  will  be  specially  mentioned 
hereafter. 

The  population  of  the  territory  at  the  time  of  its  organi- 
zation  was   estimated    at   9,000.     The  frontiers   had    been 


114 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


steadily  advanced  by  adventurous  pioneers,  who  had  esta- 
blished permanent  settlements  in  the  north  in  the  •'  Wood- 
river  "  regibu,  as  early  as  1804.  The  settlements,  however, 
were  very  sparse  and  feeble,  and  remained  so  until  after  the 
■war  of  1812,  as  immigration  had  been  at  a  perfect  stand 
still  for  a  period  of  five  years,  to  wit:  from  1810  to  1815. 

Governor  Edwards  organized  the  counties  of  St.  Clair 
and  Randolph  by  his  proclamation  April  28th,  1809.  A 
county  of  St.  Clair  had  heretofore  existed,  as  organized  by 
proclamation  of  Arthur  St.  Clair,  "governor  or  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  territory  of  the  United  States,  northwest 
of  the  river  Ohio,  on  the  27th  of  April,  1790"  Th'^  boun- 
daries of  this  St.  Clair  county  were  more  modest  than  those 
of  the  new  county  of  St.  Clair,  as  they  extended  only  to  the 
confluence  of  Michilliakinack  and  Illiuoise  rivers  in  the 
north,  while  the  new  county  of  St.  Clair  embraced  all  the 
territory  north  to  the  south  boundary  line  of  Canada. 

The  third  county  of  Illinois,  in  chronological  order  of 
organization  was  Madison,  named  so  by  Governor  Edwards 
in  honor  of  his  friend,  the  President  of  the  United  States. 

As  said  above,  the  people  living  in  the  county  had  no 
Toice  in  organizing  it,  its  political  existence  was  called 
forth  by 

A   PROCLAMATION. 

"  By  virtue  of  the  power  vested  in  the  governor  of  the 
Territory,  I  do  hereby  lay  off  a  county  or  district,  .to  be 
called  the  county  of  Madison,  to  be  included  within  the 
following  bouuds,  viz. :  To  begin  on  the  Jlississippi,  to  run 
■with  the  second  township  line  above  Cahokia  East  until  it 
strikes  the  dividing  line  between  the  Illinois  and  the  In- 
diana territories,  thence  with  said  dividing  line  to  the  line 
of  Upper  Canada,  thence  with  said  line  to  the  Jlississippi, 
and  thence  down  the  Mississippi  to  the  beginning. 

"I  do  appoint  the  house  of  Thomas  Kirkpatrick  to  be  the 
seat  of  Justice  of  said  county." 

"Done  at  Kaskaskia,  the  14th  day  of  September,  1812, 
and  of  the  Independence  of  the  United  States  the  thirty- 
seventh.  jSTinian  Edwards. 

[seal.]         Nathaniel  Pope, 

Secretary." 

Thus  the  county  of  Madison  was  ushered  into  existence. 
It  extended  from  the  Wabash  river  on  the  East  to  the  Mis- 
sissippi on  the  West,  from  its  present  boundary  in  the  South 
to  the  howling  wilderne-s  in  the  North.  It  would  appear, 
however,  that  the  governor  was  not  accurately  informed 
and  advised  as  to  the  political  geography  of  the  land,  for 
the  actual  northern  boundary  of  Illinois  never  extended  to 
Canada.  The  territory  of  Michigan,  was  organized  in  1805, 
and  it  embraced  also  the  present  states  of  Wisconsin,  Iowa, 
and  Minnesota,  thus  cutting  Illinois  off  from  the  southern 
boundary  line  of  "  Upper  Canada." 

The  first  territorial  legislature  of  Illinois,  composed 
of  five  senators  and  seven  members  of  the  house  was 
convened  at  Ka.skaskia  on  the  2.5th  of  November,  1812. 
An  election  had  been  held,  in  Madison  county  soon  after  its 
organization,  fir  the  purpose  of  electing  a  senator  and  rep- 
resentative.    All  researches  to  find  the  original  poll  books 


of  this  election  have  been  in  vain.  These  books,  together 
with  countless  othtr  papers  have  been  destroyed,  or  sold  for 
waste  paper!!  It  is  therefore  impossible  to  introduce  here 
the  names  of  the  voters  at  this  first  election  of  the  county,  all 
the  chronicler  can  do  is  to  relate  who  were  elected.  Samuel 
Judy  (see  pioneers),  had  been  elected  senator,  and  William 
Jones  represenative.  The  latter  is  also  spoken  of  in  the 
chapter  on  pioneers  and  early  settlers.  He  held  various 
county  offices,  as  hereinafter  mentioned.  In  later  years 
Jones  seems  to  have  been  an  influential  member  of  the 
third  house.  The  writer  was  shown  a  letter  written  by 
Jones  at  Vandalia,  December  2.3d,  182.3,  directed  to  Doctor 
Erastus  Brown,  at  Alton,  and  mailed  at  Eilwardsville 
on  the  2.5th  of  December;  the  letter,  still  in  existence  and  in 
possession  of  Mrs.  Willard  Flagg  of  Fort  Russell,  is  worded 
as  follows : 

"Dear  Sir: — 

"  A.s  we  had  the  fortune  lo  get  a  l,iw  passed  to  build  a  peniten- 
tiary at  or  near  Alton,  I  have  thought  it  a.lvisable,  if  it  should  meet 
your  approbation,  for  you  lo  draw  up  a  petition,  and  get  the  people  to 
sign  it  for  a  small  county,  beginning  at  the  mouth  of  Wood  river> 
thence  up  said  river  to  Captain  Little's,  thence  a  northea.sterly  course 
to  the  middle  of  the  Prairie,  between  the  timber  of  Wood  river  and 
Indian  Creek,  thence  up  .said  Prairie  to  encompass!  the  timbtr  of  the 
East  Fork  of  said  Wood  river,  one  mile  or  two  North  in  the  Prairie 
thence  taking  in  all  Wood  river  and  the  Piasa  timber  to  some  point 
on  the  Illinois  or  Mississippi  river,  as  you  and  the  peojde  may  think 
most  advisable,  not  to  encroach  on  Green  county  too  far,  lest  their 
iiiembcrs  here  ^houl/  not  approve  of  it.  If  you  tliink  proper  please  be  in 
haste,  likely  the  assembly  will  rise  not  far  from  the  20th  of  January. 
It  is  in  the  power  of  the  legislature  to  pass  a  law  lo  that  effect,  al- 
though the  re(juirememt'i  of  the  lair  should  not  be  futjilled  on  that  occasion, 

"  With  senlimtnts  of  respect,  I  rumain  yours,  etc. 

WlLI-I.VM   JOXES." 

Mr.  Jones  was  at  that  time  not  a  member  of  the  senate 
nor  of  the  house,  and  as  he  started  out  with  the  personal 
pronoun  of  the  first  person  in  the  pleural  number,  we,  i.e., 
the  outsiders,  jobbers,  etc.,  it  may  be  safe  to  put  him  down 
as  a  member  of  the  third  house,  the  concluding  sentence  of 
this  letter — although  the  requirements  of  the  law  should 
not  be  fulfilled  on  that  occasion,  is  more  forcible  than 
moral.  But  to  return  to  the  subjtct  matter.  The  legisla- 
ture of  1812  passed  an  act  to  fix  the  place  of  holding  courts 
in  the  several  counties  dated  December  25th,  1812,  of  which 
the  parts  relating  to  Madison  county  are  as  follows : 

"  That  the  place  of  holdingcourts  in  Madison  county  shall 
be  at  the  house  of  Thomas  Kirkpatrick  until  the  judge  of 
the  court  of  Common  Pleas  shall  provide  proper  accommo- 
dations at  the  place  to  be  fixed  on  by  the  commissioner.?. 

"  To  fix  the  permanent  seat  of  justice  of  Madison  county, 
Paul  Beck,  Dr.  Cadwell,  Alexander  Waddle,  George  Moore, 
James  Renfro,  Johti  Kirkpatrick,  and  Ephraim  Wood,  are 
appointed  coramisiioners  to  meet  on  the  first  Monday  in 
February,  1813, — they  shall  proceed  to  designate  a  conve- 
nient place  for  fixing  a  county  seat  for  the  erection  or  pro- 
curement of  convenient  buildings  for  the  use  of  the  county, 
taking  into  view  the  situation  of  the  settlements,  the  geo- 
graphy of  the  country,  the  convenience  of  the  people,  and 
the  eligibility  of  the  place,  which  place  so  fixed  on,  the 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


115 


commissioners  shall  certify  under  their  hands  and  seals  to 
the  nest  court  of  Common  Pleas,  which  said  court  shall 
cause  an  entry  thereof  to  be  made  on  their  records,  and 
it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  court  of  Common  Pleas  as 
early  as  practicable,  after  the  place  so  designated  shall 
be  fixed  upon  to  cause  suitable  buildings  to  be  pro- 
vided thereat,  and  to  cause  a  purchase  of  such  a  quan- 
tity of  land  to  be  made  for  the  use  of  the  county,  and  to 
erect  a  court-house  and  jail,  and  to  make  such  other  im- 
provements thereon  as  they  may  deem  expedient  from  time 
to  time. 

The  commissioners  named  above  must  have  failed  to  agree 
on  a  "  permanent"  seat  of  government,  for  they  did  not  re- 
port to  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  at  their  next  meeting,  as 
required  by  the  act  of  the  legislature.  This  first  meeting 
was  held  at  the  house  of  Thonas  Kirkpatrick  on  the  oth  of 
April,  1813.  Later,  January  14th,  1814 — the  Court  ordered 
the  sherifif  to  notify  the  several  commissioners  appointed  by 
Jaw  to  fix  the  place  for  the  public  buildings  (court-house 
and  jail),  for  Madison  county  to  meet  on  the  last  Monday 
in  January  at  Thomas  Kirkpatriek's,  to  be  qualified  to  enter 
on  their  duty  as  the  law  directs  The  records  do  not  con- 
tain an  account  of  further  proceedings,  but  as  the  building 
of  a  jail  was  contracted  for  with  William  Ottwell,  it  is  to  be 
presumed  that  the  troubles  in  reference  to  selecting  a  per- 
manent seat  of  government  had  been  overcome.  The  site 
selected  remained  the  "seat  of  government"  for  a  period  of 
over  forty  years,  and  has  recently  become  the  property  of 
the  Edwarilsville  public  school  di-strict.  Those  forty  years 
were  by  no  means  enjoyed  in  peace  and  quietude,  for  a  fierce 
struggle  to  change  the  location  took  place  among  the  citi- 
zens of  Edwardsville  in  1821,  and  was  the  cause  of  some  of 
the  best  men,  citizens  of  the  town,  leaving  the  same,  never 
to  return.  The  losses  then  and  thus  suffered,  have  been  of 
dire  consequence,  and  wounds  iuilicted  have  left  sores  which 
are  still  perceptible. 

The  United  States  Census  of  1810  returned  a  total  of  12, 
282  inhabitants  in  the  state,  of  whom  163  were  slaves,  and 
613  colored  people,  free  or  apprenticed.  Randol])h  county 
counted  7,275  and  St  Clair  county  5,007,  Madison  county, 
or  more  properly  speaking,  that  part  of  St.  Clair, 
which  became  MadLson  county  in  1812  may  have  contained 
probably  one  sixth  of  the  population  ;  less  than  3  000  in 
number.  The  chapter  on  pioneers  contains  a  more  detailed 
account,  and  points  out  the  location  of  various  settlements 
near  the  Mississippi,  along  Cahokia  and  its  branches,  on 
Wood  river  and  its  forks  on  lower  Silver  creek  and 
also  on  Shoal  creek.  The  pioneers,  coming  from  woodland 
states,  naturally  squatted  on  lands  well  stocked  with  timber. 
The  public  lands  of  Illinois  had  not  been  surveyed  at  that 
early  date  and  so  they  had  not  yet  been  brought  into  the 
market.  A  number  of  "  claims, "  embracing  about  10,000 
acres  of  land,  had  been  located  in  various  parts  of  the  county 
before  the  formation  of  the  county.  These"  claims"  were 
of  four  distinct  species  :  1st  Those  founded  on  ancient  grants 
derived  from  the  government  of  France.  None  of  these 
were  however  confirmed  in  the  limits  of  Madi=ou  county. 
2d.  Those  founded  on  the  grant  of  a  donation  of  four  hun- 


dred acres  to  each  of  those  who  were  heads  of  families  in  the 
county  at  or  before  the  treaty  with  England  in  17S3  ;  they 
were  known  in  this  county  under  the  name  of  Cahokia  head- 
rights.  The  archives  of  St  Clair  county  contain  a  census  of 
Cahokia  and  vicinity  taken  by  order  of  Governor  St.  Clair, 
and  verified  before  \Villiam  St.  (JIair,  recorder,  in  17S)0- 
This  census  taken  to  ascertain  the  number  of  families  residing 
there  in  1783  or  prior,  recites  the  names  of  ninety  nine  fam- 
ilies who  were  enticled  to  these  head-rights.  A  few  of  these 
claims  were  located  in  this  ounty,  to  wit:  400  acres  in  T. 
3.  R.  10  opposite  Cabaret  Island,  granted  to  Ale.xis  Buyatte 
and  affirmed  to  Nicholas  Jarrot :  40()  in  Sec.  32,  T.  3-9 
granted  to  Jacque  Germain  and  aftirmed  to  Jarrot ;  and  400 
acres  in  Section  35  and  30,  T-  3-i)-Monk's  Mound  granted 
to  Jean  Baptiste  Gonville  and  affirmed  to  Jarrot;  3d.  Those 
founded  and  having  actually  improved  and  cultivated  land 
in  the  country, — the  so  called  Virginia  improvement  rights 
of  400  acres  each:  400  acres  of  those  are  found  in  thi^ 
county  to  the  heirs  of  Jame<  Biswell  in  Township  3-7  extend- 
ing intoSt.  Clair  c  )uiity  ;  400  acres  in  section  20,  T.  4-8,  on 
the  blutfs  in  the  Goshen  settlement,  granted  to  Ah-xauder 
Dennis  and  affirmed  to  William  B  )lin  Whiteside,  (2d  .sherill 
of  the  county  ; )  40  J  acres  to  the  heirs  of  Samuel  Worley,  sec. 
tion  6  in  T.  3-9,  one  of  the  oldest  improvements  in  the  county  ; 
400  acres  to  Nick  Jarrot,  assignee  of  Joseph  Hanson,  in  See. 
26,  T.  3-9  ;  400  acres  George  H.  Dougherty,  sections  25  and 
26  in  T.  3-10 ;  400  acres  to  Nicholas  Jarrot  for  Baptist 
Lionais,  in  Sec.  32  T.  5-9 ;  this  land  has  all  bfcu  washed 
away  by  the  river ;  400  acres  to  Isaac  Darneillc  a.ssiguee  of 
Isaac  Levy,  part  only  in  this  county — in  Sections  34  and  35 
T.  3  9;  400  acres  to  Jarrot  assignee  of  Michael  Pichette,  Sec. 
31  T.  3-9;  and  400  acres  to  Isaac  Wert,  in  Sec.  29  T.  3-8  ; 
this  tract  was  surveyed  in  1802;  and  4th  those  having  been 
enrolled  on  the  1st  of  August  17!'0  and  done  duty  in  the 
militia.  Each  enrolled  militia  man  was  entitled  lo  100 
acres  of  land.  There  were  many  of  these  rights  located 
in  the  county,  although  but  few  in  the  name  of  the  original 
grantees,  to  wit :  100  acres  to  Jean  Brugier — Nicholas 
Jarrot,  located  on  the  river,  and  now  gone;  100  acres  to 
James  Haggin,  assignee  of  M.  Rene  Bouvet  in  Sec.  22  and 
23-T.  4-8  ;  100  acres  each  to  Louis  Biboux,  Jacob  Judy, 
Louis  Laflamme  and  Francis  Ritchie,  assigned  to  Samuel 
Judy  in  Sections  32  and  33  in  4-8,  one  of  the  oldest,  pro- 
bably the  oldest  improvement  in  the  county.  Judy  planted 
an  orchard  there  in  1801  ;  the  1st  brick-house  built  in 
the  county  was  erected  there  in  1808;  it  is  still  standing; 
100  acres  to  Isom  Gillham,  assignee  of  Louis  Bison,  in  Sec. 
5  T.  3-8;  100  acres  to  John  Whiteside,  assignee  of  George 
Biggs,  in  Sec.  17,  T.  5-9.  This  was  the  site  of  the  town  of 
Milton.  100  acres  to  Nick  Jarrot,  assignee  of  Jean  Beau- 
lieu,  Sec.  7  in  4-8 ;  100  acres  to  John  Rice  Jones,  assignee  of 
Francois  Cam peau,  100  acres  to  Louis  Ilarmond,  100  acres 
to  Constant  Longtemps.  100  acres  to  Dennis  Levertue,  100 
acres  to  Philip  Le  Boeuf,  100  acres  to  Joseph  Lcmarch,  100 
acres  to  Pierre  ]Martin  Jr.,  100  acres  to  Jacque  Mulot,  100 
acres  to  Joseph  Poirier  and  100  acres  to  Jean  Baptiste  Rap- 
palais.  These  1000  acres  were  located  in  Sections  1  and  12 
of  3-10  embracing  Chouteau  and  Cabaret  Islands  ;  100  acres 


1J6 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


to  John  Briggs,  assignee  of  Pierre  Clement,  Sec.  36  in  3-10; 
400  acres  to  John  Bloom,  assignee  of  Frank  Colline,  Thos. 
Callahan,  J.  B.  Derousse  St.  Pierre  and  Fr.  Deneme  in  Sec- 
tions 31  and  32  T.  3-8.  200  acres  toUel  Whiteside  assignee  of 
Elisha  Harrington  and  John  Whiteside  in  Sections  1  and  2 
T.  3-8;  100  acres  to  Nicholas  Jarrot,  assignee  of  Charles 
Hebert,  Section  8  and  9  in  4-9,  now  in  the  river  ;  200  acre^ 
to  Nicholas  Jarrot,  assignee  of  Baptiste  Lecompt  and  Barzle 
Lecompt,  in  Section  17  T.  4-9  ;  100  acres  to  Thomas  Kirk- 
patrick,  assignee  of  Louis  Le  Brun  Jr.,  Section  23  in  4-8  ; 
-00  acres  to  Henry  Cook,  asssignee  of  Francis  Louval  and 
AVilliam  Young  Whiteside,  in  Sections  4  and  5,  8  and  9  in 
T.  3-8;  100  acres  to  Thomas  Kirkpatrick,  assignee  of  Pierre 
Lejoy  in  Sections  2  and  Bin  4-8  ;  the  north-western  part  of 
Edwardsville.  The  house  of  Thomas  Kirkpatrick  stood  on 
this  tract,  and  from  here  vrere  the  first  official  papers  of  the 
county  sent  forth,  the  Honorable  Judges  of  the  Court  of 
Common  Pleas  of  iladison  county,  John  G  Lofton  and 
Jacob  Whiteside  held  their  first  session  in  said  house  on  the 
5th  of  April  1813.  200  acres  to  Benjamin  Casterline, 
assignee  of  Levi  Piggott  and  Louis  Rhelle  in  Section  29,  T. 
3-8 ;  100  acres  to  Nich.  Jarrot,  assignee  of  Joseph  St. 
Ives,  Section  17  in  4-9  (now  in  the  river  ),  100  acres  to 
David  Waddle  and  100  acres  to  Alexander  Waddle,  Sec- 
tions 31  and  32  in  4-9. 

The  reader  will  perceive  that  but  a  very  few  of  these 
militia  rights  had  remained  in  the  possession  of  the  original 
owners.  These  owners  were  principally  Frenchmen,  ever 
rtady  to  sell  their  militia  or  family  rights,  provided  they 
could  obtain  "  I'argent"  for  tlie  same. 

The  records  of  St.  Clair  county  give  an  account  of  the 
earlier  transactions  of  this  kind.  Joseph  Chennie  sold  his 
militia  right  to  Will.  Arundel  for  ^17.00  on  the  7th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1796,  first  sale  on  record-and  obtained  the  best  price  ; 
Joseph  La  Plat  and  Augustus  Clermont  sold  theirs,  a  few 
days  later,  the  one  for  $15.50,  the  other  for  $12.00,  which 
latter  was  the  lowest  price  paid  for  a  militia  right.  The  so 
called  head-rights  of  400  acres,  do  not  show  so  much 
uniformity  in  price.  Joseph  Lambert  was  the  first  to  sell, 
his  400  acres  to  Philp  Engel  on  the  5th  of  February  1793 
for  §120.  Tom.  Brady,  in  1794,  sold  his  to  William  Arun_ 
del  for  845,  and  William  St.  Clair  bought  the  head  rights  oj 
Joseph  Boisvenue  and  Mary  Mooney,  800  acres  for  §40.00 

The  entering  of  lands  in  Madison  county  commenced  in 
1814,  when  the  land  had  been  surveyed  up  to  the  fifth  township 
line.  The  south  boundary  line  of  the  county,  the  township 
line  between  towns  2  and  3  were  surveyed  in  1S07  and 
and  1808,  by  John  Messenger.  He  commenced  his  work  in 
township  3 — 8.  The  tow-uship  line  between  town  3  and  4 
and  4  and  5  were  surveyed  in  1808  by  J.  Milton  Moore 
and  Messsenger.  The  subdivision  lines  were  run  several 
years  later  in  1813  and  1814;  the  township  boundary  line 
between  towns,  5  and  6  were  surveyed  about  the  same  time 
and  the  subdivision  lines  of  ihe  four  tiers  of  townships 
were  completed  in  1818.  Besides  the  surveyors  mentioned 
above  the  records  give  the  names  of  T.  W.  Thurston,  Enoch 
Moore,  J.  S.  Conway,  William  Rector,  Charles  Powell,  H. 
Morley,  E.  Barcroft,  George  Frazur,  G.  Marshall,  Joseph 


Borough,  Gilbert  Marshall,  Jacob  Judy,  D.  A.  Spaulding, 
Gershom  Flagg  and  J.  D.  Bates,  as  surveyors,  connected 
with  the  geographical  subdivisions  of  the  county. 

The  French  hunters  and  traders  who  were  undoubtedly 
the  first  white  people  to  come  to  these  regions,  did  not 
remain — at  any  rate  their  number  was  very  small  at  the 
time  of  the  political  organization  of  the  county.  A  hardier 
and  more  energetic  class  of  people,  coming  from  the  older 
states,  principally  Virginia  and  Kentucky,  had  found  their 
way  to  the  modern  "  Goshen"  and  concluded  to  remain  and 
develop  the  wonderful  resources  of  this  beautiful  land- 
Pennsylvania  too  had  sent  a  number  of  her  industrious  and 
frugal  sons,  and  even  a  few  Europeans  of  pluck  and  talent 
had  made  Madison  county  their  home,  before  it  was  known 
under  that  name.  Among  the  early  inhabitants  were  also 
a  small  number  of  French  monks,  Trappists  who  had  come 
to  the  United  States  in  1803,  under  the  leadership  of  Dom 
Augustin  Lestrange.  They  first  located  in  Pennsylvania 
removed  to  Kentucky  in  1805,  and  to  Missouri,  at  Floris- 
sant near  St.  Louis  in  1808.  In  1809  they  settled  on  a 
huge  mound  now  named  after  them,  and  universally  known 
as  Monk's  Mound  their  residence.  They  abandoned  the 
Mound  in  1813  and  removed  to  Nova  Scotia.  Another 
factor  of  the  population,  more  permanent  and  prolific,  was 
the  negro,  free,  as  indentured  servant,  or  as  slave. 

As  seen  above,  the  colored  population  of  Illinois  amounted 
to  781  individuals  according  to  the  census  of  1810,  and  as 
the  negro,  or  more  properly  the  slavery  (juestion  became  a 
prominent  one  during  the  infancy  of  the  state,  we  therefore 
introduce  the  subject  here. 

SLAVES  AND  INDENTURED  BLACKS. 

A  number  of  readers  may  wonder  at  this  caption.  Slavery 
in  Illinois!  Why,  the  very  ordinance  of  Congress  creating 
the  Territory  North  West  of  the  Ohio  River  decreed  that 
neither  slavery  or  involuntary  servitude  should  exist  in  it. 
How  then  could  that  institution  be  established  ?  The  fact  is 
that  the  ordinance  of  July  13,  1787  found  slavery  in  this 
and  other  parts  of  the  vast  territory,  as  will  readily  be  seen 
from  the  following: 

The  first  slaves  may  have  been  brought  to  Illinois  by 
Antoine  Crozat  and  his  followers  about  the  year  1713  or 
1714. 

King  Louis  XIV  of  France  had,  on  the  14th  of  Sep- 
tember 1712,  exactly  one  hundred  years  prior  to  theorj^aniz- 
ation  of  Madison  county,  granted  to  said  Crozat  letters 
patent  to  the  vast  regions  extending  from  Upper  Canada 
to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Crozat  arrived  in  1713  and  com- 
menced mining  operations  in  the  vain  hope  of  finding 
precious  metals.  His  followers  were  suffering  with  climatic 
diseases,  and  therefore  a  number  of  blacks  were  imported 
from  the  French  West  India  Islands.  Crozat's  exploits, 
however,  failed  entirely  and  he  returned  to  France  in  1717, 
surrendering  his  grants  to  the  crown. 

Frangois  Renault,  manager  of  the  affairs  of  a  company  of 
adventurers,  sent  out  by  the  "  company  of  the  Indies,"  to 
whom  the  royal  domain,  refused  by  Crozat,  had  been  granted 
in  1719,  brought  five  hundred  negro  slaves  to  Illinois,  land- 


HIS  TORY  OF     MA  DISON  CO  UNT  Y,   ILLINOIS. 


117 


ing  them  a  little  above  Kaskaskia  in  what  is  now  Monroe 
county.  The  conditions  of  the  grant  were,  that  at  least  6000 
whites  and  3000  blacks  should  be  brougiU  to  the  territory 
within  25  years  from  the  date  of  the  grant.  By  the  condi- 
tions of  the  peace  of  Paris,  February  10, 17G3,  the  territory 
was  ceded  to  England,  and  on  taking  possession  of  it  in 
1764,  General  Gage,  commander  in  chief  of  the  English 
troops  in  America  and  governor,  issued  a  proclamation  in 
the  name  of  the  crown  of  England,  December  30,  1764,  in 
which  all  the  rights  and  privileges  heretofore  enjoyed  by  the 
then  inhabitants  of  the  ceded  territories  were  guaranteed  to 
them.  Sieur  Stirling,  captain  of  the  Highland  regiment 
brought  this  proclamation  to  Cahokia  in  person.  During 
the  revolutionary  war,  Virginia  sent  out  an  expedition  uude 
Col.  Clark  to  take  possession  of  this  territory  with  result 
as  stated  heretofore.  Virginia  in  her  turn  readily  guaran- 
teed to  the  inhabitants  of  the  conquered  territories  all  their 
prior  rights  and  titles  to  property  of  every  description.  The 
territory  remained  a  province  of  Virginia  until  March  1, 
1784,  when  it  was  ceded  to  the  United  States  by  a  formal 
deed  in  which  the  rights  and  privileges  of  the  inhabitant 
were  of  course  again  guaranteed.  Hence  it  was  afterwards 
strenuously  contended  that  the  ordinance  of  1787,  prohibit- 
ing slavery  conflicted  with  the  deed  of  cession  and  was  there- 
fore of  no  binding  effect,  as  the  system  had  legitimately 
existed  in  the  territory  prior  to  1787. 

It  is  not  the  province  of  the  chronicler  of  a  county  sketch 
to  follow  this  subject  through  its  various  stages  at  length. 
It  took  years  of  bit:er  strife,  causing  even  the  shedding  of 
blood,  before  the  last  vestiges  of  the  institution  of  slavery 
had  been  wiped  out  in  the  state.  Suffice  it  to  saj',  that  the 
leader  in  the  struggle,  the  man  who  conquered  the  hydra- 
headed  monster  in  the  state  was  an  honored  citizen  of  Madi- 
son county,  Governor  Edward  Cole  aided  by  Hooper  Warren, 
editor  of  the  Edwardsville  Spectator,  George  Churchill, 
Captain  Curtis  Blakeman,  members  of  the  legislature  ajd 
others  from  this  county,  as  well  as  by  the  prominent  anti- 
slavery  men  of  the  state.  It  should  here  be  stated  that  Gov. 
Cole  as  well  as  many  of  the  leading  anti-slavery  men  were 
born  and  raised  in  slaveholding  states  and  had  owned  slaves 
themselves.  They  had  studied  the  pernicious  consequences 
of  the  system,  and  therefore  fought  it,  all  honor  to  them  .' 
The  fruits  of  their  labors  ripened  in  1861.  What  might 
have  been  the  result  of  our  civil  war  if  Illinois,  and  j)erhap3 
Indiana,  too,  had  been  members  of  the  Southern  Con- 
ederacy  ? 

The  struggle  to  defy  the  stipulations  of  the  famous  ordi- 
nance of  1787  was  scarcely  perceptible  before  the  beginning 
of  this  century.  The  feeble  efforts  made  by  several  citizens 
of  the  territory  to  have  Congress  reconsider  the  anti-slavery 
proviso  were  ineffectual  and  even  hurt  and  injured  the  very 
men  who  made  them.  The  purchase  of  Louisiana  in  1803 
added  a  vast  empire  of  slavery  territory  to  the  United 
States,  the  present  state  of  Missouri  with  it,  and  it  was  not 
until  the  few  and  scattering  settlers  of  this  territory  saw 
well-equipped  emigrants  from  the  southern  states  pass 
through  Illinois  bound  for  Missouri,  where  slavery  was  not 
prohibited,  that  the  actual  agiiation  for  introducing  or  legal- 


izing it  here,  also,  was  inaugurated.  It  must  have  been 
provoking  to  see  a  desirable  population  turn  iheir  backs  t) 
the  beautiful  lands  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi  and 
cross  over  to  select  inferior  land  for  their  settlement;.  Hon. 
Jos.  Gillespie  tells  an  anecdode  of  a  rawbonded  Tennesseean 
passing  with  his  family  and  property  through  Edwardsville 
on  his  way  to  Missouri.  Being  asked  why  he  would  not 
rather  remain  here  than  move  further  on,  he  opened  his  big 
mouth,  saying:  "Your  sile  is  rich  and  fertile  and  the 
Country  is  fine,  but  God  dern  ye,  a  man  is  not  allowed  to 
own  niggers  here."  But  to  return  to  the  subject,  it  should 
be  stated  that  the  ordinance  of  1787  was  prospective  only 
and  did  not  affect  the  condition  of  the  French  slaves  or 
their  descendants. 

The  legislature  of  Indiana  passed  various  acts  in  Septem- 
ber 1807  (Illinois  was  at  that  time  a  part  of  Indiana)  by 
which  at  least  a  temporary  and  modified  form  of  slavery 
was  effected.  Negroes  were  brought  into  the  state  or  terri- 
tory and  there  held  as  indentured  servants.  This  act  pro- 
vided that  the  owner  of  a  person  owing  labor  (slave)  may 
bring  such  person  into  the  territory  and  agree  with  him 
before  the  Clerk  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  of  the 
county  upon  a  term  of  service  after  the  expiration  of  which 
the  slave  should  be  free.  The  ignorance  of  the  poor  blacks 
was  taken  advantage  of  for  most  of  them  would  just  as 
readily  bind  themselves  for  ninety-nine  as  for  ten  or  fifteen 
years.  The  reader  will  find  a  number  of  such  contracts 
below.  The  Clerk  of  the  Court,  Josias  Randle,  made  a 
sarcastic  remark  on  the  margin  of  the  contract  by  which 
Jack  Bonaparte  sold  himself  to  Joshua  Vaughn  for  ninety 
years,  to  wit:  "Jack  Bonajxirte  will  be  a  free  man  on  the 
15th  of  March,  1905." 

If  an  indentured  slave  refused  to  work  the  owner  was 
allowed  to  take  him  to  another  state  or  territory,  i.  e.,  to 
sell  him  to  some  slave  trader  in  the  south.  Slaves  under 
the  age  of  fifteen  were  held  in  servitude  until  the  age  of 
thirty-five  or  thirty-two  according  to  sex.  Owners  had  to 
give  bond  that  slaves  who  would  become  "  free  "  after  their 
40th  year  of  age,  should  never  become  a  county  charge. 
The  children  of  these  registered  slaves  remained  in  servi- 
tude until  they  were  twenty-eight  and  thirty  years  old 
according  to  sex. 

The  early  records  of  the  county  give  the  following  account 
of  negroes  held  in  bondage : 

SLAVES  IN  THE  COUNTY. 

Sylvmin — Betsey  Holts  registered — Feb.  25,  1815,  a  negro  girl, 
aged  10  years,  named  ".Sylvania"  to  serve  22  years— she  wa.s  to  lie 
free  on  tlie  17ili  of  May,18.J7. 

Jacic  Boimparte—selU  himself  to  Joshua  Vaughn  on  tlie  lodi  of 
March  181.5,  for  90  years. 

Benjamin — 13  years — registered  by  Micajah  Cox,  Sept.  IS,  1815  lo 
serve  22  years-aiid  to  be  free  January  1st  1837. 

Frankiiy,  a  negro  woman,  aged  23  years  formerly  owned  by  Etienne 
Pensoneau  of  St.  L'lair,  and  by  him  "  iiannfened  "  to  Samuel  (jillliam 
tj,.;ether  wi;li  her  girl  baby,  1  year  eld  for^oOO.,  U.S.  currency  to  him 
in  hand  paid  ;  the  deed  is  still  in  existence. 

Franic,  negro  boy  aged  13,  registered  by  John  McKinney,  Oct.  19 
IS1.5,  and  to  serve  22  years -will  be  free  in  1837. 


118 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Tamm — a  negro  woman,  lately  purchased  by  Will.  B.  Whiteside,  is 
re"isteml  for  20yeai-s  service  March  8,  1814,  to  be  free  in  1834. 

Ihnry.  luulatio  boy,  aged  11  years,  registered  by  John  W.  Johnson, 
Apiil  11.  181G,  also  by  same. 

Mariah,  a  uinla'to  woman,  brought  to  this  territory  by  the  said 
Johnson  to  serve  17  years.— April  11  ISllS. 

Ayny.  negro  wench  22  years ;  brought  to  the  territory  by  James 
Keynolds,  is  registered  for  CO  years — to  be  free  in  1876. 

y,it  a  blaciciuan,  17  years  old,  brought  in  the  territory  by  Michael 
Dodd  aud  by  him  registered  to  serve  35  years  from  May  31,  lS16-to  be 
free  in  1851. 

Imac  and  Diek,  negro  boys  aged  7  and  G  years ;  registered  by  Lou 
Jackson  June  3d,  1810. 

Tom,  colored  boy  11  years  old,  registered  by  Martiu  Jones,   Feb.  5, 

ISIG. 

Hannah,  black  woman,  recmtly  brought  to  territory  by  Hennj  Hays 
and  by  liim  registered  for  21  years  from  June  12th  1816  until  1837. 

Amy,  bhick  woman,  21  years  ohl,  brought  into  the  territory  by  \Vm. 
Savage,  registered  for  30  years  service,  from  Jurte  10th  1816-will  be 
free  in  1846. 

Adam,  black  man,  21  years  of  age,  registered  by  Kobert  Pulliam- 
indentured  for  36  years  from  June  21,  1816 -to  be  free  in  18.52. 

Lucy,  black  woman,  28  years  of  age,  aud  3  children,  Frank  7  Reu- 
ben 6  and  Silvy  2  years ;  board  to  be  paid-registered  by  Samuel  Judy 
for  20  years  from  Oct  U  1816to  183C. 

Marin,  negro  girl,  11  year.s  old,  registered  by  James  Gingles. 

Robert,  blackman,  24  years,  sold  himself  to  James  Henry  ford,  for  50 
years  from  Dec.  30th  1816. 

Bill  11,  Tomd,  negro  boys-regi.stered  by  same  party  same  day. 

Epiiraim,  aged  18,  sold  himself  to  Wlialey  Moore  for  21  years  ;  Jan- 
11,  1817. 

Hark,  Winn,  Bebb,  Mnriah  Caroline,  Lou'sa,  and  Barkley,  7  negro 
children,  registered  by  Benjamin  Stephenson,  lately  from  Kaudulph 
county.  La.,  January  15,  1817. 

Mi'llcy,  a  black  girl  aged  18  years,  registered  by  Josepli  Carroll. 

iVed,  a  blackman,  aged  21  years,  bound  himself  to  John  Wilkins 
for  80  years  from  May  12,  1817  to  1S97. 

Mary,  Chancy,  and  Lydia,  3  negro-childreu,  registered  by  Jacob 
Lurton,  May  12,  1817. 

Abhy.  negro  woman  of  35  years,  and  Willis  her  boy  of  17  years, 
bound  tEemselves  to  said  Jacob  Lurton  for  50  years  from  May  12, 

1817. 

Matilda,  black  woman,  aged  20  years,  bound  herself  to  Thomas 
Hempstead  for  70  years  from  June  7,  1817. 

Richard,  a  negro  man,  bound  to  George  Moore  until  Oct.  1S18  ;  was 
sold  to  George  Richard  for  §100,  June  23,  1817.  Hence  it  would  ap- 
pear that  the  services  of  an  able  bodied  man  in  tliose  days  were  worth 
about  ?50  per  year  and  clothes. 

Peler,  aged  17,  bound  himself  to  William  Scott  for  99  years  from 
Kov.  6,  1817. 

Temp,  a  negro  girl  of  17  years,  bound  herself  to  Will.  Hoxsey  for 
sixty  years  from  Dec.  1,  1817. 

BiUey,  black  woman  of  24  years,  boimd  Iierself  to  Mrs.  Francig 
pulliam  for  99  years  from  Dec.  8,  1817. 

Jennie,  a  negro  woman  of  45  years,  bound  Iierself  to  James  Gray 
for  tea  years  from  Dec.  24,  1817. 

Fanncy,  aged  22  years,  bound  her.self  to  said  Gray  who  had  brought 
her  to  this  territory,  for  50  years  from  Dec  24,  1817. 

Richard,  aged  5,  Kissey,  aged  3,  and  Jesse  aged  1  year  were  also  reg- 
istered by  tlie  said  Gray  on  said  day. 

James  Svriys,  alias  James  Sinrjlclm,  a  black  man,  bound  himself  to 
Samuel  Judy  for  12  years  from  January  2o.d,  1818. 

MoUcy,  a  black  woman  aged  45,  bound  herself  to  Joel  Starkey  for 
40  years  from  January  2,  1818. 

Sarah,  aged  19,  bound  herself  to  Jolin  Wallace  for  90  years  from 
January  6,  1818. 

Charlotte,  aged  23,  brought   to   the   territory   by    Ttcer  Branstetter, 


bound  herself   to   him  as  servant  for  99   years  from  January    13, 
1818. 

Jarret,  boy  15  years,  bound  himself  to  Joseph  Conway  for  30  years 
Feb.  18,  1818. 

The  foregoing  statement  mentions  the  names  of  slaves  and  inden- 
tured servants,  47  in  all,  prior  to  the  state  organization.  This  list  is 
followed  by  a 

REGISTER  OF  FREE  PEOPLE  OF  COLOR, 
made  in  pursuance  of  an  act  to  prevent  the  migration  of  negroes  and 
mulattoes  into  the  territory,  and  for  other  purposes. 

The  county  records  contain  the  following  memorandum  in  referenc^ 
to  this  matter  to  wit: 

Friday  /September  15,  1815.  The  reason,  why  the  following  free 
people  of  color  were  not  registered  within  the  time  limited  by  law,  is 
that  the  knowledge  of  the  said  act  did  not  come  to  our  hands  in  time 
it  not  being  published  until  a  few  weeks  previous  to  the  present  dale. 
Certilied  by  me  Jcsias  Randle,  C.  0.  C.  M.  C. 

This  day  personally   came   James  Saggs  Singleton  with  Philtis  his 

wife  and    four  children,   to  wit:  James,  Isaac,  John  and -?  to  be 

entered  on  record  a4  the  law  direot-s. 

James  S.  Singleton,  45  years  old,  black,  6  feet  high  manumitted  by 
John  Edgar  of  Kaskaskia. 

Pkillis  Singleton.  55  years  old,  yellow,  5  feet  high  together  with 
children  above  mentioned,  agul  lespeclively  20,  13,  and  12  years, 
black  and  all  manumitted  by  Ogle  of  St.  Clair  county. 

Charles  Barton,  43  years  old,  yellow,  manumitted  by  John  Adair  of 
Kentucky. 

Phebe  Barton,  his  wife,  raanuraitied  by  Ogle  of  St.  Clair. 
Geo'-ge,  William,  Eliza  aud  Polly,  their  children, /rec  born. 
Lonvisia  Vanderburg,   wife   of  S.imuel   Vanderburg  (nu  further  re- 
marks  .) 

Sarah,  formerly  owned  by  John  Dudley,  then  by  John  Smith,  then 
by  John  Fulton  and  lastly  by  Robert  Reynolds;  was  by  him  regis- 
tered as  entitled  to  her  freedom  on  the  1st  of  September  1825. 

Charity  Ricliards  (wife  of  George  Richards)  18  years  old,  manu- 
mitted by  Ogle  of  St.  Clair 

Benjamin,  David  and  Josc/iA—lier  children,  free  born. 
Caty  Smith,  21  years  old,  wife  of  Cupid  Smith   yellow,  manumitted 
by  John  Kirkpatrick  of  Madison  county. 
Biltey  and  Isaac,  her  children— free  born. 

This  concludes  the  list  of  free  negroes  then  living  in  the 
county — twenty,  all  told. 

In  order  to  point  out  the  rigorous  conditions  of  the  inden- 
tures mentioned  herein,  the  following  proceedings  in  the 
Circuit  Court  of  Madison  county  in  May  1818  are  here  in- 
troduced. The  cause  is  entitled,  George,  a  black  man,  vs 
Robert  Whitedde,  his  master,  in  May  term  1818.  The  suit 
was  brought  to  recover  damages. 

I       The  case  was   tried  before  a  jury  on  the   29th  of  May. 

{   The  jurors  were  Owen  Evans,  Edmund  Randle,  Alexander 

'  Byram,  David  M.  Gillham,  Joshua  Dellap  ain,  Thomas  G. 
Davidson,  Chad  Brown,  Richard  Browufield,  Samuel  Thurs- 
ton, Aaron  Sutton,  Henry  Brown  and  William  Scott.    Their 

;   verdict  was  for  the  defendant. 

On  motion  of  the  plaintitf  by  his  attorney  the  following 

I   bill  of  exceptions  was  filed  : 

Be  it   remembered  that  on  the  trial  of  this  cause  the  de- 

1  fendant  offered  the  following  deed  as  evidence  in  bar  of  the 
plaintiff"s  action,  to  wit :  Illinois  Territory,  Madison  county, 
know  all  men  by  these  presents  that  I  Gdorge,  a  negro  man 

I   formerly  the  indentured   servant  of  Uel   Whiteside  of  said 

!   county,  for  and  in  consideration  that  Robtrt  Whiteside   of 


HISTORY   OF   MAD  ISO  X   COUXTY,    ILLIXOIS. 


119 


said  county  at  my  special  instance  and  request,  first  to  hint- 
expressed,  to  purchase  the  right,  title,  interest  and  claim  of 
said  Uel  Whiteside  to  my  services  for  fifteen  years  yet  to 
come  and  whereas  said  Robert  has  exhibited  to  me  satisfac- 
tory testimony  of  his  having  purchased  from  said  Uel 
Whiteside  all  his  right  and  claim  and  pretentions  to  my  ser- 
vices as  his  indented  servant  for  fifteen  years  yet  to  come, 
and  in  consideration  also  of  the  following  articles  to  be  given 
and  delivered  to  me  by  said  Robert  at  the  expiration  of  my 
term  of  service  with  him,  to  wit :  one  horse,  one  yoke  of 
young  steers  and  plow,  one  ax  and  one  hoe.  I  do  hereby 
bind  and  oblige  myself  to  serve  said  Robert  Whiteside  for 
the  terra  of  fifteen  years  from  the  date  hereof,  in  the  same 
manner  as  indented  servants  under  the  laws  of  this  territory 
are  bound  to  serve  their  masters,  au  1,  for  every  day  I  lose 
by  voluntarily  absenting  myself  from  the  service  of  the  said 
Robert  Whiteside,  without  his  consent  first  had  and  obtained. 
I  do  promise  to  serve  him  at  the  conclusion  of  the  af)resaid 
period  of  service  two  days  ftr  every  one  so  lost,  and  should 
I  at  any  time,  before  my  time  be  completed  with  him,  run 
away  from  his,  said  Robert  Whiteside's  service,  then  and  in 
that  case  I  do  hereby  authorize  and  empower  him,  to  pursue 
me  and  if  necessary,  me  force  to  brinj  ms  b'Mk  to  his  service 
and  if  necessary,  by  force  oblige  me  to  execute  all  and 
every  of  his  reasonable  coaarainds,  and  the  said  R)bert 
is  to  find  the  said  George  meat,  drink,  lodging  and  clothing 
for  said  term  of  service,  such  as  is  suitable  and  customary  for 
negroes  to  have. 

In   testimony  whereof  we  do  hereunto  set  our  hands  and 
seals  this  r2th  day  of  February  1815. 

George  X        (  ^^  J 

mark  ^^^"^^ 

Test.  Egbert  Whiteside. 


W.  B.  Whiteside. 


The  plaintiS"  objected  to  the  reading  of  said  deed  as  evi- 
dence, which  objection  was  over-ruled  by  the  court,  and  the 
deed  admitted  to  go  in  as  evidence  to  the  jury,  to  which 
opinion  of  the  court  the  plaintiff  excepts  and  prays  this  bill 
of  exceptions  may  be  signed,  etc,  which  is  done 
John  Reynolds 


The  irrepressible  negro  is  now  dismissed,  to  appear  again 
in  the  celebrated  suit  of  Madison  county  against  her  noblest 
citizen, -Edward  Coles,  the  Governor  of  the  state. 

FIR.ST   efforts   OF    COUNTY   GOVERNMENT. 

In  territorial  times  the  government  of  the  counties  was 
entrusted  to  courts  of  Common  Pleas,  who  also  transacted 
the  probate  business.  The  honorable  members  of  those 
courts  were  called  "  Judges  "  from  the  day  they  appeared 
on  the  "Bench"  for  the  first  time,  and  during  life.  All 
officers  held  their  positions  by  appointment,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  representatives  and  senators.  Even  justices  of  the 
peace  were  appointed  by  the  governor,  usually  at  the  recom- 
mendation of  the  Judges  of  the  court  of  Common  Pleas.     It 


was  thought  that  the  dignity  so  very  desirable  on  the  bench 
as  well  as  in  the  '"Squire's"  chair,  might  be  lost  by  the 
vulgarity  of  elections.  The  tenure  of  oflice,  as  a  rule  with 
but  few  exceptions,  lasted  as  long  as  life.  Who,  that  has 
ever  witnessed  it,  does  not  remember  with  certain  pride 
and  satisfaction  the  gray-headed  "  Squires  "  of  former  years, 
neatly  attired  in  their  homespun  apparel,  their  cleanly 
shaved  faecs,  radiant  with  kindness  and  expresive  of  the 
dignity  of  their  position  ? 

The  first  meeting  of  the  court  of  Common  Pleas  of  Madi- 
son county  was  held  on  the  5th  day  of  April,  1813,  at  the 
house  of  Thomas  Kirkpatrick,  where  the  Hon.  John  G. 
Lofton  and  Jacob  Whiteside,  judges,  had  met  as  directed 
by  the  governor's  proclamation.  Josias  Randle  was  ap- 
pointed Clerk. 

The  business  transacted  at  this  meeting  may  here  be 
briefly  related.  Polly  Snider,  orphan  daughter  of  Joseph 
Snider,  deceased,  chose  Jesse  Waddle*  for  her  guardian. 

The  court  appointed  Joseph  Newman  and  John  Kirkpat- 
rick road  overseers.  The  only  established  public  road  at 
that  early  day  seems  to  have  been  the  one  leading  from 
Thomas  Kirkpatrick's  mill  on  Cahokia  creek  southwest,  jiast 
Col.  Judy's  to  Indian  Ford,  on  said  creek,  thence  to  Caho- 
kia, the  county  seat  of  St.  Clair,  the  mother  county.  The 
court  also  appointed  overseers  of  the  poor  for  the  four  town- 
ships into  which  the  county  appears  to  have  been  subdi- 
vided, called  respectively  Shoalcreek  in  the  East,  Goshen  in 
the  center,  Woodriver  in  the  Northwest,  and  Six  Mile  in  the 
Southwest. 

Martin  Wood,  admistrator  of  the  estate  of  Esther  Ewing, 
deceased,  filed  an  inventory  and  sale  bill  of  said  estate. 

This  inventory  was  dated  November  14th,  1812,  is  cor- 
rectly made  out,  and  as  it  contains  a  pretty  complete  list  of 
what  constituted  the  personal  property  of  an  American  pio 
neer  family  at  the  time  when  Napoleon  Bonaparte  crossed 
the  Berezina,  we  introduce  it  here  at  length,  also  giving  the 
values  put  upon  those  articles,  goods  and  chattels  by  the 
appraisers,  Isom  Gillham,  Henry  Cook,  (who  spells  his  name 
Kook,  thus  indicating  his  Teutonic  descent,  and  that,  in 
fatherland,  he  was  known  as  "  Koch),"  Thomas  Kirkpat- 
rick, and  Ejjhraim  Woods. — We  find  there  a  bay  mare  and 
colt,  worth  S55  00;  a  sorrel  mare  and  colt,  $30  00;  a  cow 
and  a  yearling  calf,  .$12  OO  ;  a  bed,  bolster  and  pillow,  $8.00  ; 
5  bed  covers,  $10.00;  a  flax  hackle,  $4.00;  a  set  of  spools, 
$1.50;  a  side  saddle,  $11.00;  2  pewter  dishes,  $6.00;  a 
pewter  basin  and  two  plates,  $2  00 ;  a  Dutch  oven  and 
hooks,  $1.50;  a  sifter,  75  cents;  a  bell,  75  cents;  a  pot,  . 
82.00;  a  pair  of  sUver  Icnee  buckles,  $1.00;  a  pot  trammel, 
S3.00  ;  a  pair  of  wool  cards,  $5  1)0 ;  a  fur  hat,  $5.00  ;  a  wool 
hat,  $100  ;  a  churn,  25  cents;  a  hatchet,  50  cents;  a  pair 
of  steelyards,  $3  00  ;  2  blind  bridles,  $2  00  ;  a  bi-ck^t  of  iron 
tin,  $1.00;  a  clevis,  75  cents ;  2  pair  of  chains  and  hamea, 
8450;  an  axe,  $1.50;  a  set   of  plow  irons,  $3.00;   a  curb 

*  The  Waddle'a  came  to  the  territory  with  James  Lemon  as  early  as 
1786.  The  fir«t  Americans  arrived  in  1780,  led  by  JamcH  Moore, — 
Shadrarh  Bond,  and  Larken  R'ltherford  among  ihem,  Virginians 
and  Marylanders.  Thi.s  tir.<t  corps  of  pioneers  was  reinforced  by 
Joseph  Ogle  and  others,  in  1785. 


120 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


bridle,  50  cents;  two  shovels,  $1  00;  5  books,  $3.25;  wear- 
ing clothes,  S8.00 ;  a  sickle,  50  cents ;  5  acres  of  corn  stand- 
ing in  the  field,  §30.00  ;  a  red  cow  and  calf,  §11,00 ;  a  black 
do.  $11.00;  a  black  steer,  §8.00  ;  a  yearling  steer,  $4.00; 
another  pot  trammel,  §2.50;  a  counterpane,  $  I  00 ;  2  bed 
quilts,  $8.00 ;  a  meal  bag,  75  cents  :  a  bay  hor.se  $45.00,  and 
the  "improvement,"  $80.00 — aggregating  $421.50.  The 
appraisers  had  overestimated  the  values,  for  all  the  property 
was  sold  at  public  auction  for  $338.62}.  Thomas  Gillham 
bought  the  silver  knee-buckles  for  $1,00,  and  the  fur  hat  for 
$4.50  ;  Henry  Cook  paid  $4.00  for  the  flax  hackle  ;  Martin 
Wood,  the  administrator,  bought  the  "improvement"  for 
$27.75.  All  articles  bought  by  him  were  sold  below  ap- 
praised values,  and  it  may  be  presumed  that  he  bought  them 
for  the  family;  there  seem?  to  have  been  no  bidding  against 
him.  A  big  wheel,  not  inventoried,  was  sold  to  Zidok  New- 
man for  $25.00,  and  "  Davis  Stocktain"  bought  a  number 
of  hogs,  not  inventoried,  for  813.50. 

The  estate  of  Prudence  Carterland,  mentioned  at  the  same 
term,  was  of  about  the  .same  value  as  the  one  above,  but,  of 
course,  no  knee  buckles  had  to  be  inventoried  in  this  case. 

Thomas  Kirkpatrick  obtained  license  to  keep  a  public 
house — a  tavern — for  or  because  he  is  a  man  of  good 
character  and  will  probably  keep  an  orderly  house.  It  is  to 
be  presumed  that  old  Tom  did  really  and  actually  keep  an 
orderly  house,  for  he  had  his  license  renewed  from  year  to 
year,  and  never  a  complaint  was  made  against  him  in  court. 
Only  once  in  the  many  years  of  his  tavern  life  may  Mr. 
Kirkpatrick  have  given  offence.  The  records  state  the 
Judges  met  in  December  1814,  at  Kirk's  and  immediately 
adjourned  to  the  house  of  Samuel  G.  Morse.  Sam  also  kept  a 
tavern,  it  was  newer  than  Kirk's  and  perhap.3  his  grog  a 
little  stiffen  Kirkpatrick  was  taxed  $6  50  for  his  license, 
which  amount  he  paid  to  Isom  Gillham,  the  sheriff,  as  per 
Gillham's  report  of  April  1814.  This  money  was  probably 
the  first  that  graced  the  treasury  of  Madison  county. 
The  court  which  had  granted  him  the  license,  next  stipu- 
lated a  schedule  of  prices  for  all  commodities  to  be  had  at 
the  tavern.  A  square  meal  should  not  cost  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  dollar,  for  corn  or  oats  he  was  allowed  to 
charge  one  bit  per  gallon,  and  hay  or  fodder  for  the  night 
was  12i  cents,  rum  or  wine  372  cents  per  half  pint  measure, 
gin  25  cts.,  and  peach  brandy  or  whiskey  121  cents  per 
half-pint  measure. 

The  August  terra  1813,  was  held  at  the  tavern  of  Kirk- 
patrick, who,  by  this  time,  had  become  one  of  the  Judges 
himself.     John  G.  Lofton  presided. 

Two  new  roads  were  laid  out  at  this  time,  one  leading  from 
Thomas  Kirkpatrick  to  the  bridge  on  Long  Lake.  George 
Barnsback,  William  Ottwell  and  Micajah  Cox  had  acted  as 
viewers  and  reported  in  favor  of  opening  this  road.  The 
other  from  said  bridge  southwest  to  near  William  Rad- 
cliff's  on  the  Mississippi  river,  a  few  miles  above  the  St. 
Louis  ferry,  Josiah  Cummings,  Alexander  Waddle  and 
John  Clark  viewers. 

The  revenue  law  in  force  at  the  time  provided,  that  for 
the  purpose  of  raising  a  tax  upon  land,  lands  should  be 
divided  into  three  classes.     The  Mississippi  and  Ohio  Bot- 


toms were  to  be  considered  first-rate,  all  other  located  land 
second  rate,  and  all  claims  to  land  that  had  been  confirmed 
by  proper  authority,  tvere  to  be  considered  as  third-rate, 
until  they  had  been  located.  Persons  owning  such  con- 
firmed claims,  or  third-rate  lands,  were  held  by  law  to  list 
the  quantities  for  taxation  ;  ,a  fine  of  $5  00  was  imposed  for 
every  100  acres  not  so  listed,  one  half  of  the  fine  went  to 
the  territory,  the  other  half  to  the  informer.  The  territo- 
rial tax  levy  on  land  was  a  fixed  amount  per  100  acres  and 
according  to  rate  of  land,  to  wit :  Mississippi,  Ohio  and 
Wabash  bottoms  $1.00  per  100  acres,  all  second  rate  lands 
75  cents  per  100  acres  and  all  unlocated  and  confirmed 
claims  37}  per  100  acres  (Laws  of  Illinois,  December  1812.) 
•  A  law  levying  a  license  tax  of  $40.00  on  every  billiard 
table  in  the  territory,  payable  to  the  territorial  treasury  was 
enacted  December  24,  18] 4.  Another  act  of  the  same  date 
created  the  office  of  County  Treasurer.  Such  Treasurers 
were  ajipointed  and  commissioned  by  the  Governor.  It  was 
their  duty  to  receive  and  disburse  all  funds  of  the  county 
and  to  account  for  them  once  a  year  to  the  Court  of  Common 
Pleas.  These  accounts  had  to  be  made  up  in  the  presence 
and  under  the  direction  and  advice  of  the  territorial  attor- 
ney, who  was  paid  a  fee  of  $10  00  for  every  settlement  thus 
superintended.  The  compensation  of  the  Treasurer  was  a 
per  centum  of  his  receipts  and  disbursements,  to  wit :  five 
per  one  hundred.  The  Treasurer  was  made  ex  officio 
assessor  and  his  compensation  fixed  at  $2  00  per  day. 

George  Cadwell  was  appointed  Commissioner  to  list  the 
property  in  the  county  for  taxation  for  1813  and  it  was 
ordered  by  the  Court  that  the  following  species  of  property 
be  subject  to  taxation  at  the  following  rates:  Each  able- 
bodied  single  man  $1.00,  each  negro  slave  $1.00.  (Subse- 
quently negroes  were  assessed  as  personal  property  and 
taxed  accordingly ;  as  seen  in  subdivision  of  this  chapter 
under  the  caption  of  "From  1818  to  1830,"  each  horse, 
mule  or  ass  50  cts.,  each  stud  horse  at  a  season's  rate,  (prac- 
tical and  just,)  Baker's  ferry  on  the  Mississippi  $1.00, 
Samuel  Gillham's  ferry  $1.00,  W.  B.  Whiteside's  ferry 
$1.00  and  Walker's  ferry  $3.00.  Houses,  lands  and  water- 
mills  were  ordered  to  be  appraised.  The  lists  were  made  by 
Cadwell  as  ordered  and  the  taxes  so  extended  were  collected  ; 
they  did  not  amount  to  much,  to  wit:  $426.84,  or  about  the 
1000th  part  of  the  tax  levy  of  1875.  The  lists  were  not 
preserved,  having  been  utilized  with  other  documents  and 
files  as  waste  paper  and  sold  for  old  rags.  It  would  indeed 
be  of  interest  to  learn  now  who  was  the  Croesus  in  1813, 
and  how  much  it  took  to  be  considered  as  such.  The  num- 
ber of  taxpayers  must  have  been  ver}'  limited,  there  were 
then  only  161  men  subject  to  road  labor  living  in  the  county, 
and  it  is  not  probable  that  the  number  of  families  exceeded 
the  above  number.  In  our  days  where  the  theories  of  Thos. 
R.  Malthus  and  others  have  taught  the  timid  to  dread  the 
dire  consequences  of  over-population  the  average  number  of 
individuals  to  a  family  is  considered  to  be  about  five,  but  in 
pioneer  times  it  is  safe  to  take  six  as  the  average.  The 
names  of  those  161  road  hands  are  introduced  in  the  pioneer 
chapters,  and  are  therefore  here  omitted. 

William  Rabb — sometimes  called  Robb — made  applica- 


HISTORY   OF  MADIS0]<1    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


121 


tion  to  the  court  for  permission  to  erect  a  mill-dam  for 
a  grist  mill  to  be  erected  ou  Cahokia  creek  iu  section  20, 
town  3—8. 

The  court  appointed  a  jury  composed  of  Samuel  Judy, 
foreman,  John  Gillhara,  Thomas  Gillham,  John  Nix, 
Michael  Squire,  John  Newman,  William  Grotts,  William 
Wingfield,  Peter  Hubbart,  John  Barnetc,  Henry  Cook  and 
Sylo  Jeneson  to  view  this  mill-site  and  to  report  to  the 
court  at  the  December  term  1813.  This  report  is  recorded 
worded  as  follows : 

The  lands  overflowed  by  the  erection  of  such  dam  belong 
to  the  United  States,  and  the  damage  will  be  very  incon- 
siderable, in  fact  there  will  be  no  damage  to  the  United 
States  as  the  lands  are  already  frequently  overflowed  and 
utterly  untillable,  no  mansion  house,  curtilage,  or  garden 
will  be  overflowed  by  the  erection  of  such  dam,  fish  of 
passage  will  not  be  obstructed  by  it,  said  stream  or  creek  is 
not  navigable  at  present,  and  the  health  of  the  neighbors 
will  not  be  annoyed  by  the  stagnation  of  waters  occasioned 
by  the  erection  of  said  dam,  as  there  are  no  settlers  residing 
in  the  vicinity. 

The  logic  of  the  last  sentence  is  very  striking.  As  there 
were  no  settlers  there,  their  health  would  certainly  not  be 
annoyed,  while  the  frogs,  lizards  and  turtles  would  rather 
enjoy  the  dam  and  greater  spread  of  water. 

Durii'g  the  December  terra  1813,  there  were  three  new 
roads  laid  out ;  one  leading  from  the  Indian  ford  on  Cahokia 
Creek  to  Savage's  shoal  on  Wood  River,  was  placed  under 
the  management  of  Josiah  Vaughan,  as  overseer,  the  second 
led  from  Kirkpatrick's  mill  to  George  Moore's  place  on 
Indian  creek,  with  Ephraim  Wood  as  supervisor ;  and  the 
third  under  management  of  Henry  Hays  extended  from  the 
bridge  on  Long  Lake,  south  through  six  mile  prairie  to  the 
county  line. 

The  ferrj'  rates  heretofore  established  for  the  territory  of 
the  county  by  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  at  Cahokia  were 
now  regulated  by  the  Court  of  iladison  county,  who  ordered 
that  the  following  charges  should  be  lawful :  Loaded  w^agon, 
§2.00;  light  wagon,  81.50;  carts,  SLOO;  man  and  horse, 
75  cents;  lone  man,  25  cts.,  cattle  per  head,  12 J  cts. ;  sheep 
or  hog,  6i  cts. ;  and  merchandise  12^  cts.  per  100  lbs.  These 
ferry  rates  were  frequently  changed,  and  besides  they  were 
not  uniform  as  to  the  various  ferries  in  existence. 

William  Ottweli  was  again  appointed  assessor  of  the 
county. 

Ajnil  Term  1814 — Judge  Lofton  was  absent,  and  the 
public  business  transacted  by  Kirkpatrick  and  Cadwell. 
Thomas  G.  Davidson,  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  paid  into  the 
court  three  fines  by  him  collected,  to  wit:  from  Robert 
PuUiam,  assault  and  battery,  81.50,  and  50  cents  each  from 
Thomas  Watkius  and  John  Conaway,  for  a  similar  offence.* 

*  Pulliam  kept  a  tipling  lioase,  and  had  been  indicted  by  the  fir.it 
grand  jury  of  the  connty  for  selling  liquor  without  license.  Michael 
Dodd,  a  constable,  had  informed  and  testified  against  Pulliam.  A 
fight  80on  followed,  in  which  Dodd  got  worsted.  Pulliam  was  fined 
§1  50  for  this  fight.  Michael  Dodd  was  quite  a  character  in  his  day  ; 
Rome  of  our  older  residents  relate  a  number  of  anecdotes  about  him. 
He  was  a  great  admirer  of  the  celebrated  Creamer  guus,  made  by  a 
16 


The  county  was  now  a  year  and  a  half,  and  its  govern, 
ment  just  one  year  old;  and  as  our  judges  concluded  to 
have  an  overhauling  of  the  public  cash-box,  Josias  Handle 
having  officiated  as  clerk,  and  having  procured  many  little 
articles  for  his  office,  presented  a  claim  for  8115.534, 
and  had  it  allowed.  The  sheriff  came  in  with  a  claim  of 
896  22J,  which  claim  was  also  allowed,  and  taken  as  a 
voucher  in  his  settlement.  William  Ottweli  and  John  Kirk- 
patrick, who  had  served  as  judges  of  election  in  18 i 2,  re- 
ceived each  8li-00  for  their  services.  William  Rabb  and 
Jacob  Whiteside  presented  their  claims  as  judges  of  the 
court  of  Common  Pleas.  How  Mr.  R;ibb  came  to  bring  in 
this  claim  is  inexplicable,  for  the  records  do  not  contain  his 
name  as  officiating  as  a  judge.  Mr.  Ilibb  was  a  justice  of 
the  peace,  and  represented  the  county  in  the  second  territo- 
rial Legislature — 1814  and  1815.  Isoiu  Gillham,  sherift", 
now  came  into  court  and  made  a  settlement  of  his  labors  as 
collector  and  acting  treasurer  of  the  county.  From  his 
report  it  appears  that  the  total  revenue  of  the  county,  iu  its 
first  year,  amounted  to  $406. SIJ,  to  wit: 

Keceipts: 

From  Thomas  Kirkpatrick,  tavern  license §  6-50 

From  Abraham  Prickett,  ftierchant  license 15.00 

From  Sam'l  G.  Mooss,  ( probably  Morse, )  merchant  license  15.00 

From  Squire  Davidson,  three  tines 2  50 

From  the  Court,  one  fine,  James  Green 1  00 

From  tax-levy  of  1813 4-2().SiV 

Total ?4i;(5.Sl} 

Expenditures  : 

To  Tsom  Gillham,  ex-ofEcio  service-s  $75.00,  attending 
election  in  1.S12,  $6.00,  by  one  day's  attending  the  let- 
ting of  the  jail  .?2  00,  by  services  in  two  criminal  cases, 
U.  S.  of  America,  vs.  Robert  Pulliam  .$12.10,  by  the 
price  of  tliree  quarts  of  whiskey,  in  letting  the  jail, 
$;i.l2i,  amounting  in  the  aggregate  to  ...    .    $96.22} 

To  Josias  Handle,  services  as  clerk  and  sundries  .    llo.53| 

To  John  G.  Lofton,  twenty-one  days  attending  as 
judge  of   probate 42.00 

To  George  CadwU.  six  days'  attendance  as  judge, 
$12.00,  and  listing  property  for  taxation  per 
1813,  twenty  days 32.00 

To  Jacob  Whiteside,  five  days,  as  Judge  of  Com- 
mon Pleas 10.00 

To  William  MM,  four  days'  attendance  as  such      8.00 

.$303.76i- 

Surplus $163.08} 

Thus  ended  the  first  year  with  a  snug  little  sum  hoarded  up  for 
future  use. 

The  court  next  proceeded  to  select  a  grand  jury  to  serve 
at  the  June  term,  1814,  of  the  Circuit  Court.  A  former 
term  of  this  court  was  held  in  February,  1813.  The  grand 
jury  of  that  term  had  to  be  convened  by  order  of  the  Judge 
(of  the  circuit  court),  as  the  court  of  Common  Pleas  had 

skillful  mechanic,  of  Prairit^  Du  Pont,  St.  Clair  county.  Wl.ile  hi^ 
pious  neighbors  said :  ''  True  as  gospel,"  or  a  grim  Indian-fijhter 
cried:  '"Sure  as  de;ith,"  D  )dd  would  qualify  his  a.ssertions  by  the 
words :  "  Sure  as  a  Creamer  lock  and  double  tricker,  by  G.  .  .  . !  " 


122 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


not  yet  been  organized  The  records  of  the  first  three  terms 
of  the  circuit  court  are  not  in  existence, — and  the  meagi-e 
account  given  ia  these  pages  of  said  three  terms  was  gath- 
ered from  a  few  papers  which  have  remained  on  file.  The 
names  of  the  grand  jurors  having  served  at  the  first  term — 
February  1813,  have  not  been  preserved.  The  second  grand 
jury  convened  in  the  county  was  composed  of  the  following 
"gentlemen  freeholders,"  to  wit.:  William  Rabb,  foreman, 
John  Clark,  Benjamin  Stedman,  William  C.  Davidson, 
Samuel  Judy  (sometimes  spelled  Judah,  neither  of  which  is 
correct,  as  the  family  name  largely  aud  favorably  known  in 
Switzerland,  the  native  home  of  the  colonel,  is  Tschudi), 
James  Renfro,  James  Kirkpatrick,  Francis  Kirkpatrick, 
Josias  Right,  John  Robinson,  Martin  Woods,  William  Pur- 
viance,  Samuel  Brown,  Joseph  White,  Solomon  Preuitt, 
Samuel  G.  Moore,  John  McKinney,  Charles  Gillham,  James 
Wright,  William  Ottwell,  Isaac  Gillham,  sr.,  John  Kirkjsat- 
rick,  and  Robert  McMahan. 

Avffust  Term,  1814.  John  G.  Lofton,  Thomas  Kirkpat- 
rick and  George  Cadwell,  on  the  bench.  Samuel  Lee,  aud 
Andrew  St.  John,  were  licensed  to  keep  taverns,  because 
they  were  men  of  good  character,  and  will  probably  keep 
orderly  houses,  for  which  license  they  had  to  pay  §5. 00,  and 
$4.00  respectively. 

The  Court  House,  with  a  view  of  its  site,  was  mentioned  at 
this  term  for  the  first  time.  T.  G.  Davidson  was  appointed 
supervisor  of  a  new  road,  beginning  at  the  northwest  branch 
of  Cahokia  creek,  opposite  the  Court  House  of  Madison 
county,  and  ending  at  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi  river, 
where  Jacob  Whiteside  formerly  lived. 

December  Term,  1814.  The  court  met  at  Kirkpatrick's, 
and  immediately  adjourned  to  Samuel  G.  Morse's;  no 
reason  given  for  this  sudden  aud  abrupt  change  of  base. — 
Charles  R.  Matheny,  a  young  aspirant  for  the  bar  and 
forensic  honors,  received,  by  order  of  court,  a  certificate  as 
to  being  a  man  of  honesty,  probity  and  good  demeanor. 

Samuel  G.  Morse  was  granted  license  to  keep  a  tavern, 
and  paid  an  annual  tax  of  $5.00.  He  too  was  considered  to 
be  a  man  of  good  character,  and  that  he  would  probably 
keep  an  orderly  house.  Should  it  be  possible  that  this 
license  affiiir  was  the  cause  of  the  sudden  adjournment  from 
Kirk's  to  Morse's?  The  diligent  caterers  of  our  days  would 
certainly  have  intimated  to  the  "  court  that  an  excellent 
lunch  "  had  been  prepared  for  the  occasion,  and  that  besides 
mine  host  was  celebrating  his  birth-day  for  the  fourth  time  in 
1814.  George  Cadwell  was  also  licensed  to  keep  a  tavern, 
at  the  same  rate  and  on  the  same  suppositions  mentioned  in 
the  ISIorse  case. 

William  Ottwell  heretofore  employed  to  build  a  jail  for 
the  county  reported,  that  his  work  was  completed  and  ready 
to  be  turned  over  to  the  authorities.  The  judges  walked 
over  to  view  and  inspect  the  edifice,  whereupon  it  was 
received  as  built  according  to  plans  and  specification.  Ott- 
well received  ^194.00  for  the  building.  This  jail  was  con- 
structed of  logs,  aud  perhaps  lined  with  plank,  on  the  nar- 
row square  in  lower  Edwardsville,  and  served  as  a  common 
prison  until  1822. 

The  last  will  aud  testament  of  Benjamin  Young,  late  of 


Madison  county,  was  produced  in  court  at  this  terra,  and  it 
being  the  first  document  of  the  kind  brought  into  court,  its 
contents  are  here  introduced  at  length  : 

FIRST   WILL   OF    RECORD. 

Li  the  name  of  God  Amen.  I,  Benjamin  Young,  of 
Madison  County,  Illinois  Territory,  being  weak  in  body 
considering  the  uncertainty  of  this  mortal  life,  but  being  of 
sound  and  perfect  mind  and  memory,  blessed  be  Almighty 
God  for  the  same,  do  make  and  publish  this  my  last  Will 
and  Testament,  in  manner  and  form  following,  (that  is  to 
say).  First:  I  give  and  bequeath  unto  four  children,  viz, 
Joseph  Thomas,  Loui-a,  Delinda,  and  Ulisses  Young,  one 
certain  section  of  land  lying  aud  being  in  the  Indiana  Ter- 
ritory, Franklin  county,  on  the  waters  of  White  Water, 
now  in  the  hands  of  my  uncle  John  Carson,  living  in  the 
State  of  Ohio,  who  is  my  lawful  attorney,  to  be  equally 
divided  between  them.  Secondly:  I  will  that  my  black 
mare  and  my  rifle  gun  be  sold.  Thirdly :  I  will  that  all 
my  notes  of  hand,  bonds  or  other  obligations,  now  in  the 
hands  of  John  G  Lofton  and  William  Gillham,  Esquires, 
be  appropriated  to  the  paymeut  of  my  lawful  debts.  And 
lastly :  as  to  all  the  Rest,  Residue  and  Remainder  of  my 
personal  estate,  goods  aud  chattels,  of  what  kind  aud  nature 
soever,  I  give  and  bequeath  the  same  to  my  beloved  wife, 
Sally  Young,  to  be  and  remain  at  her  own  disposal  forever. 
I  also  hereby  constitute  and  appoint  John  G.  Lofton  and 
William  Gillham,  Esquires,  above  named,  executors  of  my 
last  will  and  testament. 

In  witness  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  aud 
seal,  the  20lh  day  of  December,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord, 
Eighteen  hundred  and  Thirteen. 

Bexjamix  Young,        [se.vl]. 

Signed,  sealed  and  acknowledged  in  the  presence  of  us, 

Josias  Randle. 
Josias  Wright. 
January  18th,  1815. 

Josias  Randle,  Recorder,  C.  M. 

N.  B.  A  margin.il  note  sets  forth,  that  this  will  was  recorded  in  Book 
B,  pages  19  and  20. 

At  the  county  election  held  in  August  1814,  William 
Rabb  had  been  chosen  representative  of  the  county,  and  he 
in  company  with  Col.  Samuel  Judy,  Senator,  had  been  at- 
tending the  first  session  of  the  second  Legislature  of  Illinois 
at  Kaskaskia  from  I^ovember  14  to  December  24th,  1814. 
This  Legislalure  held  a  second  session,  from  December  4th, 
1815.  to  January  11,  1816,  when  John  G.  Lofton  also  ap- 
peared as  a  representative  of  Madison  county. 

This  December  terra  of  1814  was  the  last  term  of  the 
Court  ofCoraraon  Pleas.  A  territorial  law  of  December  19, 
1814,  had  provided  for  the  creation  of  a  county  court  for 
each  county,  to  consist  of  three  judges,  to  be  appointed  aud 
commissioned  by  the  Governor.  These  courts  were  to  have, 
possess  and  exercise  all  the  powers,  privileges  and  jurisdic- 
tion and  to  perform  the  same  duties,  that  the  courts  of 
Common  Pleas  of  the   respective  counties   might  lawfully 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


123 


have  performed  except  so  far  as  relate?  to  the  trial  of  causes 
civil  and  criminal,  over  which  the  county  court  shall  have 
no  jurisdiction  for  the  trial  thereof  (In  this  clause  may  be 
found  the  best  evidence  of  the  political  wisdom  of  our  pio- 
neers, for  in  giving  to  the  county  courts  purely  administra- 
tive functions,  they  avoided  all  conflicts,  sure  to  come 
wherever  administrative  and  judiciary  functions  are  to  be 
performed  by  the  same  authorities  or  individuals.)  The 
county  courts  held  three  sessions  during  the  year,  to  wit :  on 
the  first  Mondays  in  the  months  of  March,  June  and  Septem- 
ber. The  compensation  of  the  judges  was  moderate,  to  wit: 
82.00  for  every  day  "  they  shall  sit.  " 

The  first  term  of  this  new  court  of  the  county  of  Madison 
was  held  on  the  Cth  day  of  ]SIarch  1815,  when  John  G.  Lof- 
ton, Thomas  Kirkpatrick  and  George  Cadwell  exhiliited  to 
one  another  their  respective  commissions  duly  signed  by  His 
Excellency,  Governor  Xinian  Edwards,  and  authenticated 
and  sealed  by  Nathaniel  Pope,  secretary. 

The  court  granted  to  Samuel  Delaplain  the  privilege  of 
erecting  a  mill-dam  on  Frank's  branch  of  Cahokia  creek 
in  Goshen  town.ship,  and  then  had  a  settlement  with  Isom 
Gillham,  the  collector  and  acting  treasurer  of  the  county. 
Gillham  reported  to  have  collected  S40.5. 50  of  the  tax  levy 
of  l'S14,  merchant  licenses  of  Abraham  Prickett,  James 
Stears  and  Kirkpatrick  and  Lusk  S45  03,  tavern  licenses  of 
Tom  Kirkpatrick,  Andrew  St.  John,  Samuel  Lee,  S  G.  Morse, 
§19  00,  fine  of  Bill  Bridger  for  beating  a  woman  87.50,  and 
tax  on  65  writs-at  50  cts.  each-S32.50,  all  amounting  to 
S509  50.  The  sheriff  took  credit  for  delinquencies  of  1813- 
S53.30,  commissions  of  7J  per  cent,  on  S289.31,  land  tax  S28, 
01,  for  his  attention  at  the  autumn  election  in  1814,86.00, 
locks  for  the  jail  doors  8  >.00,  compensation  paid  to  the  com- 
missioners appointed  to  locate  the  county  seat,  for  their 
labors  814.00,  fees  paid  to  the  judges  of  elections -18.00,  for 
amount  paid  William  Ottwell  far  building  the  jail  81^4.0), 
to  ^latthew  Duncan  for  printing  88.00,  and  compensation  for 
official  duties  S'1.83i,  amounting  in  the  aggregate  to  $386. 
14 !'— leaving  again  a  surplus  of  SI  2  x35},  which  added  to  last 
year's  surplus  of  8163.081  increased  the  reserve  funds  of  the 
county  to  $286.43;. 

There  seems  to  have  been  a  general  settlement  among  or 
with  the  county  officials,  from  which  it  appeared  that  the 
county  was  then  owing  844  00  to  Kirkpatrick,  640.41 1  to 
Josias  Randle,  832.00  to  John  G.  Lofton  and  S'J8  00  to 
George  Cadwell,  or  8154  41]  in  the  aggregate. 

1815,  June  5.  Willliam  Jones  produced  his  commission 
as  treasurer  of  the  county,  issued  by  the  Governor  under  the 
act  mentioned  heretofore. 

The  court  gave  John  Newman  permission  to  build  a  water 
grist-mill  on  Indian  creek,  the  land  on  both  sides  of  the 
creek  being  his  property.  George  Davidson  built  also  a  grist- 
mill on  section  5  T.  4-8  on  similar  conditions.  Upton 
Smith  obtained  leave  to  build  a  water-mill  on  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  31  iu  T.  5-8,  also  on  Indian  creek,  and 
Nicholas  Jarrot,  the  mill  builder,  par  excellence  in  those 
daj-s,  petitioned  the  court  for  permission  to  erect  a  mill-dam 
at  Indian  ford  on  Cahokia  creek,  where  he  intended  to  erect 
a  large  flouring  mill. 


The  September  term  of  the  c :)urt  was  short  and  the  busi- 
ness transacted  of  no  public  interest.  It  should  be  stated 
however  that  the  court  changed  head-quarters  daring  that 
term  bv  trausferring  the  county  seat  tj  the  tavern  of  John 
T.  Lusk. 

The  law  creating  the  county  court  was  amended  by  an  act 
of  the  legislature,  approved  January  6th,  1816,  by  which  the 
powers  of  the  county  courts  were  increased,  giving  them  orig- 
inal jurisdiction  of  all  demands  for  direct  payment  of  money 
where  the  same  shall  be  over  twenty  dollars  and  not  exceed- 
ing one  hundred  dollars.  These  courts  were  to  hold  four 
terms  each  year,  and  the  judges  and  clerks  thereof  were  to 
be  appointed  by  the  Governor  for  the  term  of  three  years,  < 
"  during  good  behavior  " 

The  first  judges  of  Madison  county,  appointed  under  this 
act,  were  George  Cadwell,  Samuel  Judy  and  Thomas 
Kirkpatrick.     Josias  Randle  was  appointed  clerk. 

These  gentlemen  met  on  the  5th  of  February,  1816  and 
opened  court  in  due  form.  At  this  term  the  name  of  Ed- 
wardsville  is  mentioned  for  the  first  time,  as  Thomas  Kirk- 
patrick was  permitted  to  construct  a  dam  at  his  mill  site  on 
Cahokia  creek  near  Edwardscllle. 

1816,  May  6.  The  building  of  the  court-house  is  here 
mentioned  iu  connection  with  a  statement  of  the  county  in- 
debtedness, from  which  it  appears  that  Samuel  G.  Morse, 
the  contractor,  had  then  a  claim  against  the  county  by  reason 
of  said  contract  amounting  to  8262.50,  that  he  previously 
had  received  875  00  from  the  county,  and  8100  00  donated 
by  Thomas  Kirkpatrick.  The  county  debt  is  stated  to  have 
amounted  to  8577. 04J.  The  tax  levy  of  1814  was  similar 
to  the  one  of  the  previous  year,  with  the  exception  that  the 
head  tax  of  81.00  on  every  able  bodied  sinriilo  man  had  been 
omitted.  The  sheriff  nevertheless  collected  said  tax,  and  the 
board  or  court  sanctioned  his  proceeding  at  this  term.  The 
tax  levy  of  1815  was  as  follows :  Each  servant  or  slave 
Sl.OO,  each  horse  above  3  years  old  50  cts.,  each  stallion  one 
season's  rate,  houses  in  towns,  mills  etc.,  30  cents  per  8  00, 
valuation,  each  single  man  $1.00,  ferries  83.00  each. — 
August  term  1816. 

George  Smeltzer  was  licensed  to  keep  a  ferry — the  4th  in 
the  county — across  the  Mississippi  north  of  the  mouth  of 
Piasa.  Joseph  St.  John,  Charles  Slice  and  John  Jones  re- 
ceived each  a  bounty  of  75  cents  for  killing  wolves.* 

The  personal  estate  of  W.  L.  Smith,  deceased,  was  found 
insufficient  to  pay  the  debts,  to  wit:  81,551-75,  and  it  was 
therefore  ordered,  that  a  tract  of  land,  containing  250  acres, 
situated  in  Randolph  county  should  be  sold  ;  Henry  Hays, 
the  administrator,  then  brought  into  court  $1,260  bank 
notes  belonging  to  the  said  estate,  whereupon  the  court 
condemned  them  as  counterfeit,  and  ordered  them  burned, 
which  was  done  accordingly. 

*  There  were  a  large  number  of  \volve.s  killed  in  the  said  year.  The 
wolf-.sia![)  certilicate.s  of  1816,  have  remained  on  file  in  the  court- 
honse,  and  the  writer  gathered  therefrom  the  names  of  the  following 
Ximrod.s:  \V.  B.  \Vhite.si<le  heads  the  lii<t  with  14  Bcalps;  William 
Howard  9  ;  Robert  Tolly  S ;  William  Ilinch,  Isaac  Ferguson,  Andy 
Dimnegan.and  Richard  Brazle.each  6,  .lacob  Cmnmings,  Joseph  Diin- 
tan,  William  Camp  and   Alv.  Fuller,   each     y ;    Philip  Ptnn,   Ka- 


124 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


A  vast  amount  of  probate  business  was  transacted  during 
this  term  ;  many  administrators  and  guardians  had  lieen 
cited  to  appear.  The  proceedings  had  were  accurate,  and 
administrators  and  guardians  were  held  to  render  strict  ac- 
count. 

William  Jonas,  with  the  assistance  and  under  the  super- 
intendence of  the  prosecuting  attorney,  Wm.  Mears,  Esq. : 
proved  his  balance  as  county  treasurer,  to  wit. :  $5.37  V ;  Joshua 
Armstrong  was  permitted  to  build  a  toll  bridge  across  Silver 
creek  on  the  road  leading  from  the  "  settlement,"  to  the 
United  States  Saliues,  and  to  charge  the  following  rates  : 
Teams  25  cents,  man  and  horse  12J  cents,  and  men  alone  6^ 
cents. 

1S16,  November  ith.  A  very  cold  day.  The  records 
state, — Judge  Cadwell  was  absent,  and  Messrs.  Kirkpatrick 
and  Judy  adjourned  to  the  Clerk's  office,  the  court  house 
not  being  prepared  for  the  court's  sittings.  The  work  of 
the  court  was  confined  to  the  probate  business  exclusively. 

1817,  February  V2th.  William  Jones,  having  been  ap- 
pointed Judge,  took  the  seat  of  Thomas  Kirkpatrick,  and  in 
connection  with  George  Cadwell  and  CjI.  Judy,  proceeded 
to  business. 

Thomas  Reynolds  was  granted  permission  to  establish  a 
ferry  on  his  "  Improvement,"  on  the  Illinois  river,  two  miles 
above  its  confluence  with  the  Mississippi. 

Uel  Whiteside  was  licensed  to  locate  a  ferry  a  small  dis- 
tance above  Portage  des  Sioux,  at  Chiltron's  improvement 

Samuel  Gill  ham,  and  Joseph  Meacham  were  licensed  to 
run  a  ferry  across  the  Mississippi  at  the  mouth  of  Little 
Piasa.  This  ferry  was  intended  to  divert  the  constantly 
increasing  number  of  immigrants  from  Smeltzer's  ferry, 
■which  was  located  some  five  or  six  miles  further  north. 

A  new  road  was  laid  out  in  the  interest  of  this  ferry.  It 
extended  from  Sealy's  mill  at  Milton,  on  Wood  river,  to 
Gillham  and  Meacham's  ferry,  in  the  town  of  Altojj.  This 
is  the  first  time  that  the  name  of  Alton  is  mentioned  in  the 
records  of  the  county — 12di  of  February,  1817. 

In  pursuance  of  an  act  of  the  last  session  of  the  legisla- 
ture, the  court  now  proceeded  to  lay  otf  the  county  into 
townships,  to  wit. :  Six  Mile,  Big  Prairie,  Wood  river, 
Go'then,  Silver  Creek.  The  boundaries  of  these  townships 
are  mentioned  on  another  page  of  this  chapter. 

The  court-house,  built  by  Samuel  G.  Morse,  was  received 
by  the  court  as  being  finished  during  this  term,  and  the 
sherifi',  acting  as  treasurer  of  the  county,  was  ordered  to  pay 
the  contractor  the  sum  of  $2(32.50,  balance  due  him.  It  is 
ditticnlt  to  state  the  exact  cost  of  this  log-hall  of  justice.  It 
seems,  however,  that  the  county  paid  $3,37.50,  and  that  Hon. 
Thomas  Kirkpatrick  ha  1  also  contributed  $100.00  as  a  do- 
nation, making  the  total  cost  $437.50.    This  court-house  was 


tli.in  Daniels,  Thomas  Cumniings  and  Jamea  Kathels,  e.ach  4;  Jesse 
Slurkey,  Samuel  Whiteside,  and  Isom  Gillliam,  each  3;  Field 
Jarvis,  Joseph  Howard,  Andrew  Wallace,  G.  Patterson,  and  James 
S;eele,  each  2;  .Vbrahain  Howard,  John  Johnston,  .Vbraharn  Cliar- 
loi-k,  William  Scott,  John  Tliomns.  Dial  O.ivia,  .S.imiiel  Davi<lson, 
Moses  Archer,  Joseph  St.  John,  and  Jacob  C.  Gillham,  each  1,-121 
in  all. 


a  rough  and  uncouth  building,  and  was  kept  in  use  but  a 
few  years. 

The  first  pauper  mentioned  as  a  county  charge  was  one 
James  Prichard,  who  had  been  taken  in  charge  by  George 
Richardson,  on  the  22d  of  December,  1815,  and  kept  by 
him  until  the  22d  of  December,  1811).  Mr.  Richardson 
charged  and  received  $40,00  for  it  from  the  county. 

1817,  June  1  \tli.  Joseph  Conway  a  d  Abraham  Prickett 
were  appointed  to  superintend  the  making  of  a  Judge's 
Bench,  and  other  benches  necessary  for  the  court-house  of 
Madison  county,  to  be  furnished  by  A.  O.  Kelly,  the  cabi- 
net-maker These  benches  were  completed  during  vacation, 
and  Mr.  Kelly  received  his  pay,  $58.50,  on  the  14th  of  Oc- 
tober, 1817. 

The  circuit  clerk  was  permitted  to  make  a  window  in  the 
court-house,  at  his  own  expense — if  he  thought  proper. 

There  were  seven  ferries  lie  'used  by  the  county,  at  rates 
varying  from  $2  00  to  $12.00  per  annum.  Smeltzer  paid 
$12.00,  Dejailais,  Cheek,  ]Meachara,  each  15.00;  Isom  Gill- 
ham $3.00 ;  Uel  Wniteside  and  Thomas  Reynolds,  each 
$2.00  per  annum. 

The  sheriff'  reported  to  have  collected  the  following 
amounts  for  the  year  1816  : 

Taxes — as  per  assessments ^^007. 80 

Merchant  licenses,  fonr,  each  81,5.00 60  00 

Tavern  licenses,  collected  .... 20.00 

Total $087.80 

And  produced  the  following  vouchers  : 

George  Kicliardson,  on  act.  of  paupers  ....  $40  00 

S.  G.  Mor.^e,  bil.  co.u't-hou.^e  contract 262..50 

County    Judges'    salaries 110.00 

Wolf  scalps 14.50 

Constable  fees 4.00 

Coroner  fees 7.75 

Attending  elections 12.00 

Delinquencies 47.00 

County  orders  paid 74.50 

Fire  wood  and  house  cleaning 2  25 

Per  centum  for  collecting  revenue  ....•••  57.00 

Ex-ofiicio  salary,  seventeen  months 70.00 

Total ?701.70 

Balance  due  tlie  sherifT $13.70 

This  account  was  e-Kamined,  found  correiU,  and  approved. 

George  Coventry  obtained  a  license  to  keep  a  tavern  in 
Edwardsville,  for  which  he  paid  $7  00,  while  Joshua  At- 
water  acquired  the  same  privilege  for  $4.00.  Samuel  Jacka- 
way  established  a  tavern  at  Reyuolds'  ferry  on  the  Illinois 
river,  and  p.dd  $4.00  for  his  license. 

On  application  of  James  Mason  to  remove  the  jail  of  this 
county  in  the  town  of  Edwardsville  to  that  corner  of  the 
public  square  directly  opposite,  or  back  of  the  court-bouse, 
it  is  ordered  that  leave  be  given  him  to  do  so,  provided  it 
be  done  w^ithout  expense  to  the  county,  and  that  the  jail  be 
left  in  as  good  repair  as  it  now  is. 

With  the  proceedings  of  this  term  ended  the  official  duties 
of  the  so  recently  organized  county  courts.  The  legis- 
lators, ever  anxious  to  make  laws,  and  more  so  to  repeal 


HISTORY   OF  2rADIS0N    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


125 


them,  had  passed  an  act — January  12th,  1818 — by  which 
the  administration  of  county  affairs  was  entrusted  to  the 
various  justices  of  the  peace,  similar  to  our  present  system 
under  township  organization.  The  affairs  of  the  several 
counties  of  Virginia  had  been  well  conducted  in  this 
manner.  The  last  or  third  territorial  legislature  con- 
vened at  Kaskaskia  on  the  1st  of  December,  1S17,  and  ad- 
journed on  the  12th  of  January,  1818.  Madison  county 
was  represented  in  the  Senate,  (Legislative  Council),  by 
Judge  John  G.  Lofton  ;  it  was  impossible  to  ascertain  who  the 
representatives  were,  who  at  any  rate,  did  not  atlend  the 
sessions. 

1818,  January  12th.  Justices  in  attendance  :  Thomas  G. 
Davidson,  Micajah  Cox,  Rodolphus  Langworlhy,  John 
Howard,  Joseph  Meacham,  Amos  .^Squire,  John  JIcKiiiney, 
Jesse  Starkey,  Jolin  Springer,  Joseph  Eberman,  Josliiia 
Armstrong,  John  Hone,  Hail  ]Mason,  Abraham  Prickett, 
and  J.  T.  Lusk.  The  name  of  Big  Prairie  township  is  abol- 
ished, and  "  Greenfield  "  substituted  —afterwards  Alton. 
The  wolf  scalp  bill  of  J817  was  presented  to  the  court,  and 
it  appeared  that  Slo7. /o  had  been  paid  for  the  killing  of 
220  wolves,  in  or  near  the  ''settlements." 

The  court  ordered  that  all  the  claims  against  the  county 
should  be  presented  at  the  April  term  of  this  court,  and  that 
no  claim  should  be  considered  which  had  not  been  presented 
at  said  terra.  Tlie  court  granted  two  more  ferry  licenses  on 
the  Illinois  river,  viz. :  To  Jabiz  Ferries,  on  sections  four- 
teen and  twenty-three,  town  eleven,  range  two,  west ;  and  to 
George  Cadwell,  at  a  place  called  Movare  Terrie,  (probably 
niauvais  terres,  band  lands),  on  the  Illinois  river.  Dr. 
Cadwell  seems  to  have  worked  his  way  up  north, — his 
name  was  found  among  the  early  settlers  of  De  Witt  county, 
where  he  had  pitched  his  tent  before  the  ''  winter  of  the 
deep  snow." 

1818,  Aurjmt  Bd.  Hail  Mason,  J.  T  Lusk,  and  the  Rev. 
Green  P.  Rice  were  appointed  a  committee  to  contract  for 
the  building  of  a  well  on  the  public  square  in  Edwardaville, 
of  the  following  dimensions:  four  ieet  in  diameter,  to  be 
walled  as  high  as  the  water  will  rise,  with  stone,  and  the 
remainder  with  good  brick.  The  well  when  walled  to  be  21 
feet  in  the  clear,  and  also  for  the  building  of  a  substantial 
frame,  and  the  procuring  of  windlass  and  rope. 

1818,  December  9th.  Last  meeting  of  the  justices'  court. 
The  well  mentioned  above  was  completed  at  a.\\  expense  of 
$192.04.  The  sheriff  made  settlement  of  his  tax  collection  ; 
they  had  amounted  to  $720  80,  while  the  expenses  reached 
the  enormous  amount  of  S95.>.92.  The  territory  of  Illinois 
had  now  ceased  to  be,  and  the  justices'  courts  ended  with  it. 
Madison  now  a  county  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  entered 
upon  its  mission  with  an  empty  treasury,  and  a  debt  of 
$255.92. 

THE   CIRCUIT   COURT    IX   TERRITORI.\I,  TIMES. 

The  records  of  this  court  are  incomplete;  the  first  volume, 
containing  the  minutes  of  its  proceedings  during  the  terms 
held  in  February  and  June,  1813  and  1814,  is  not  to  be 
found  in  the  circuit  clerk's  office;  in  fact,  it  has  been  known 
for  years  that  the  book  was  missing.     A  meager  account  of 


the  proceedings  of  the  May  and  September  terms,  1815,  of 
this  court  was  discovered  by  the  writer  in  the  first  volume 
of  the  records  of  the  coirt  of  coram  )u  pleas. 

From  various  files  still  in  existence,  it  appears  that  the 
Hon.  Jesse  B.  Thomas  officiated  as  Judge  during  the  period 
mentioned,  and  continued  on  the  bench  until  March,  1818. 
Court  was  held  at  the  house  of  Thomas  Kirkpatrick.  Ben- 
jamin Stedman  was  the  foreman  of  the  first  grand  jury  of 
the  count}',  as  appears  on  an  indictment  returned  into  court 
in  February,  1813,  and  signed  by  said  Stedman  as  foreman 
of  the  grand  jury.  The  victim  of  this  indictment  is  Robert 
Pulliam  for  beating  and  wounding  Michael  Dodd,  a  consta- 
ble. Another  indictment  against  Pulliam  for  selling  liquor 
in  quantities  less  than  one  quart,  to  Michael  Dodd  and 
Bolin  Green,  preceded  the  one  above.  It  was  signed  by 
Daniel  GiUmore,  prosecuting  attorney.  A  third  indictraent 
against  PuUiara  for  keeping  a  disorderly  house  was  prose- 
cuted by  George  David.son.  In  the  first  case,  Pulliam  was 
found  not  "gilly,"  as  Thomas  Gillhara,  foreraan  of  the  jury 
expresses  it;  in  the  second  case,  Pulliam  plead  guilty,  and 
was  fined,  and  in  the  third,  the  jury  could  not  agree. 

The  folloxving  indictment  is  the  oldest  on  file  in  the  county. 
Illinoi.i  Territory,  Madison  County,  Court  of  Common 
Pleas,  February/  term,  1813.  The  Grand  Jurors  of  the  U.  S. 
impannelled  and  sworn  to  inquire  for  the  body  of  the 
county  of  Madison  aforesaid,  on  their  oath. 

Present : 

That  William  Bridger  of  the  county  aforesaid,  and  town- 
ship of  Goshen,  husbandman,  being  a  person  of  fierce,  cruel, 
terrible  and  inhuman  and  unnatural  disposition,  and  wick- 
edly having  in  his  heart  great  rancor,  malice  and  ill-will 
towards  Elizabeth  the  wife  of  one  Benjamin  Carter,  on  the 
30th  day  of  January,  18  1 3,  in  the  county  aforesaid,  in  and 
upon  the  aforesaid  Elizabeth  Carter,  then  and  there  unlaw- 
fully, wickedly  and  in  a  menacing  manner  did  make  an  as- 
sault, with  an  intent  to  kill,  and  one  gun  loaded  and  charged 
with  gun-powder  and  a  leaden  ball  towards  and  against  the 
said  Elizabeth,  then  and  there  iu  his  wicked  rage  and  in  the 
fury  of  his  mind,  he  the  said  William  Bridger  being  then 
and  there  about  the  distance  of  eighty  yards  from  the  said 
Elizabeth,  with  the  afpres-iid  gun  loaded  with  gun-powder 
and  leaden  ball,  did  unlawfully  and  with  force  and  arms 
shoot  said  gun  at  said  Elizabeth,  with  an  intention  ma- 
liously  and  unlawfully  to  kill  and  murder  the  said  Eliza- 
beth, to  the  terrible  and  manifest  danger  of  the  life  of  said 
Elizabeth  to  the  evil  examjile  of  all  others,  in  like  cases  of- 
fending, contrary  to  the  forms  of  the  statute  in  such  cases 
made  and  provided,  and  against  the  peace  and  the  dignity 
of  the  Uuited  States.  And  the  Jurors  aforesaid,  upon  their 
oaths  do  further  present  that  the  said  Wiliiara  Britlger, 
afterwards,  to  wit.  :  on  the  same  day,  with  force  and  arms, 
unlawfully  an  assault  on  and  upon  the  said  Elizabeth,  then 
and  there  did  make  and  her  the  said  Elizabeth,  did  beat, 
wound  and  illy  treat,  so  that  her  life  was  greatly  despaired 
of  and  other  wrongs  then  and  there  to  the  said  E  izabeth 
committed,  contrary  to  the  form  of  the  statute  iu  such  cases 


126 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


made  and  provided,  and  agaiust  the  peace  and  dignity  of  tlie 
United  States.  Will.  1\[e.\r><, 

Attorney  General. 

Tlie  defendant  was  tried  before  a  jury  wlio  rendered  the 
following  verdict: 

We  the  jury  find  the  defendant  guilty  of  committing  an 
assault  on  the  within  named  Elizabeth. 

Thomas  Stewart, 

Foreman  of  the  Jury. 

1813,  June  term.  Jesse  J.  Eenfro,  foreman  of  the  grand 
jury,  who  indicted  Thomas  Jacobs,  yeomau,  for  perjury. 
The  clerk's  capias,  issued  and  many  times  re-is=ued,  was 
invariably  returned  with  the  endorsement:  "  Non  est." 
Jacob  had  fled  the  modern  "  Goshen,"  never  to  return. 

1814,  June  term.  The  grand  jurors  summoned  for  this 
time  are  mentioned  on  a  former  page.  William  Rabb,  Esq., 
the  pioneer  miller  of  Colliusville,  was  their  foreman.  Brid- 
ger  was  found  guilty  of  assault,  and  fined  accordingly.  No 
records  of  proceedings  in  existence. 

1815,  May  term.  William  Mears,  Attorney  of  the  United 
States,  and  John  G-  Lofton,  foreman  of  the  grand  jury. 

Daniel  P.  Cook  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  There  were  four 
cases  of  assault  and  battery  on  the  docket,  and  one  of  va- 
grancy-against  John  Lane. 

Josias  Randle  was  appointed  clerk  pro  tempore. 

1815,  September  term.  Henry  Cook,  foreman  of  the  grand 
jury  reported  that  there  were  no  cases  before  the  jury,  where- 
upon the  jury  were  discharged.  Joseph  Conway  was  ap- 
pointed clerk  in  place  of  Josias  Randle.  Edward  Hemp- 
stead is  named  as  attorney. 

1816,  May  term.  Samuel  Whiteside,  foreman  of  the 
grand  jury,  who  found  two  indictments  against  James 
Thompson  for  larceny.  Thompson  was  tried  before  a  jury 
in  September  nest,  and  acquitted. 

181G,  September  term.  George  Cidwell,  foreman.  The 
following  foreigners  were  naturalized:  Jo-^eph  Touchette,  a. 
native  of  Canada,  and  resident  of  Illinois  since  1791,  as  tes- 
tified by  Pierre  Martin  and  Robert  Whiteside. 

Andree  St.  Jean,  a  native  of  Canada,  and  a  resident  of  this 
territory  since  1798,  as  testified  by  William  Chilton  and 
Pierre  Martin. 

Antoine  Lapense,  a  native  of  Canada,  then  a  resident  of 
Peoria,  Cahokia  and  Michillimackinac  since  1794,  a  bona 
fide  resident  of  the  United  States,  witnesses:  Pierre  Martin 
and  Joseph  Touchette. 

Michel  Lacroix,  a  friend,  countryman  and  constant  com- 
panion of  Lapense,  as  testified  by  Joseph  Touchette  and 
Louis  Lafiere. 

These  applicants  took  the  following  oath  :  We  swear  that 
we  have  been  living  in  the  United  States  for  at  least  five 
years,  that  it  was  bona  fide  our  intention  to  become  citizens 
of  the  United  States,  and  to  renounce  forever  all  allegiance 
and  fidelity  to  any  foreign  prince  potentate,  state  sovereignty 
whatever,  particularly  George  III.  of  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland,  defender  of  the  faith,  king;  we  swear  that  we  will 
support  the  constitution  of  the  United  States.     All  except 


Lacroi.x;  sign  by  mark  of  hand.  These  former  subjects  of 
the  "  Defender  of  the  Faith"  had  had  a  very  indifferent 
education. 

There  were  two  indicttnents  found  for  larceny.  Matthew 
Mears  had  stolen  a  blanket  from  Henry  Taylor,  of  the  value 
of  61.00.  Matthew  restored  the  blanket,  and  was  sentenced 
to  pay  a  fine  of  $2  00,  and  costs  besides.  Henry  Taylor  wa.s 
indicted  for  assault  and  battery.  He  whipped  Matthew  when 
he  returned  the  blanket-  James  Kirkpatriek,  supervisor, 
was  indicted  for  "omission  of  duty,"  plead  guilty,  and  paid 
a  fine  of  §5  00.     Joseph  Conway  was  re-appointed  clerk. 

1817,  Jul  term.  John  York  Sawyer  produced  his  license 
to  practice  law,  signed  by  two  of  the  U.  S.  Judges  of  the 
territory,  and  was  thereupon  admitted  to  practice  as  coun- 
sellor and  attorney-at-law.  Alexander  Waddle  was  fore- 
man of  the  grand  jury,  who  indicted  Francis  Grigmar  for 
perjury:  the  case  was  nol.  pros,  during  the  same  term. 
Benjamin  Wood  for  vagrancy,  Robert  Reynolds  for  fight- 
ing, and  Simon  News  Dile,  Thomas  Johnston,  R.  P.  Day, 
and  James  Maxwell  for  riot ;  this  riot  case  was  dropped  the 
next  day  "  for  want  of  prosecution." 

1817,  November  term.  Thomas  Reynolds  produced  his 
license  to  practice  law,  and  was  admitted ;  Theodore  N.  W. 
Narick  was  also  admitted  to  the  bar.  The  grand  jury  in- 
dicted Christopher  Stout  and  six  others  for  fighting. 

1818,  March  term.  Hon.  Daniel  P.  Cook  presided  at  this 
term  as  Judge.  Joseph  Conway  produced  his  commission 
as  clerk,  issued  by  the  governor.  The  grand  jury  indicted 
W.  L,  May,  and  eight  others,  for  fighting. 

1818,  July  term.  Hon.  John  Warnock  presided  at  this 
and  the  next  term  of  the  court.  There  were  again  nine 
cases  of  assault  and  battery,  and  two  of  larceny,  viz.:  John 
Warren  and  Hardy  Warren,  both  cases  were  nol.  pros. 
The  sheriff  reported  that  Jacob  Hutson  and  John  Hutson 
had  broken  jail. 

1818,  November  term.  No  business  transacted  at  this 
terra ;  the  attorneys  all  being  of  the  opinion  that  the  court 
should  not  to  proceed  to  business,  and  expressed  a  wish  not 
to  have  the  cases  tried  where  they  were  concerned.  All 
cases  were  therefore  continued  until  the  next  term. 

The  court  records  do  not  explain  this  strange  and  abrupt 
adjournment  of  the  court ;  it  may  be  accounted  for  by  the 
uncertainty  of  who  was  legally  entitled  to  the  judgeship. 
The  first  territorial  legislature  had  assembled  at  Kaskaskia 
on  the  Sd  of  October,  1818,  and  on  the  8th  had  elected 
Joseph  Phillips  Chief  Justice,  and  John  Reynolds,  Thomas 
C.  Browne  and  William  P.  Foster,  associate  justices,  and 
Dan.  p.  Cook,  Attorney  General.  The  constitution  of  the 
state,  under  the  stipulations  of  which  these  elections  had 
taken  place,  had  thus  far  not  been  ratified  by  the  Congress 
of  the  United  States,  and  when  the  attention  of  the  said 
legislature  was  called  to  this  circumstance,  an  immediate 
adjournment  was  suggested  and  agreed  upon.  The  legisla- 
ture was  to  be  convened  again  as  soon  as  the  state  constitu- 
tion should  be  ratified  by  Congress.  The  November  term, 
18l8,  of  the  Madison  county  circuit  court  was  to  be  held 
during  this  judicial  interregnum.  The  Hon.  John  Warnock, 
the  territorial  judge,  and  the  Hon.  John  Reynolds,  associate 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


127 


justice  as  above,  assigned  to  the  Western  Circuit,  were  both 
in  attendance,  but  neither  of  them  had  a  desire  to  officiate 
under  existing  circumstances,  hence  the  adjournment. 

THE  COUNTY  AT  TUE  CLOSE  OF  1818. 

To  the  reader  who  has  followed  us  through  the  meagre 
records  of  the  county  from  the  time  of  its  organization  to 
the  above  date,  a  period  of  only  five  years,  a  brief  resume 
of  what  had  been  accomplished  in  the  short  time  of  its 
political  existence,  will  probably  be  of  interest.  The  "squat- 
ters" of  1812  and  1813  had  become  owners  of  their  home- 
steads since  1814,  lands  having  been  entered  in  eighteen 
different  congressional  townships.  A  great  portion  of  the 
lands  in  the  river  townships  was  bought  in  1814  and 
181.5: — 4G45  acres  of  the  7000  acres  of  township  3—10; 
940  of  the  1350  acres  of  township  4—10,  and  2;!06  of  the 
4030  acres  of  township  5 — 10,  were  now  in  the  hands  of 
bona  fide  residents  or  "  speculators."  The  latter  class  was 
not  so  numerous  in  the  county  as  is  generally  supposed. 

The  land  entered  by  them  aggregates  about  25,000  acres, 
including  the  8457  acres  owned  in  six  different  townships  by 
Nicholas  Jarrott,  who  at  the  time  was  at  least  temporarily 
a  resident  of  the  county,  building  a  water  power  mill  on  the 
Cahokia  creek  at  Indian  Ford  near  the  Mound.  Township 
4 — 8  contained  then  only  4500  acres  of  government  land,  as 
18,021  acres  had  been  purchased  by  49  indivi<luals  ;  the 
largest  quantity  owned  by  any  one  man  was  1546  acres — 
the  property  of  Nicholas  Jarrott.  Benjamin  Stephenson 
contenting  himself  with  80  acres,  the  smallest  tract-  Glanc- 
ing over  the  list  of  names,  we  meet  the  familar  ones  of 
Barusback,  Cook,  Delaplain,  Gillhara,  Holliday,  Judy, 
Kirkpatrick,  Kinder,  Lusk,  Mason,  JMcKee,  Nix,  Ottwell, 
Prickett,  Randle,  Robinson,  Wiiiteside,  and  others. 

15,707  acres  of  the  22,500  of  township  3 — 9  were  owned 
by  45  individuals ;  Nicholas  Jarrott  again  in  the  lead  with 
3817  acres,  and  George  Hewitt  bringing  up  the  rear  with  a 
modest  80  acres.  Here  are  to  be  met  the  names  of  Atkins, 
Baird,  five  Gillhams,  Lofton,  John  G. — the  judge  had  441 
acres,  the  Reynolds,  three  VV'hitesides  and  Waddle.  In 
township  5 — 9,  14,478  of  its  21,030  acres  had  passed  into 
the  possession  of  42  resident  settlers.  The  names  of  Buck- 
master,  Bartlett,  Hewitt,  Moore,  Montgomery,  Preuitt, 
.  Vaughn,  Whiteside,  are  still  familiar  to  the  citizens. 

Out  of  the  21,713  acres  of  township  3— 7,  11,325  had 
been  entered  by  48  individuals.  Abraham  Vanhooser,  a 
Pennsylvania  German,  was  the  largest  land-holder,  owning 
at  that  time  1040  acres.  There  were  nine  settlers  in  the 
township  who  possessed  less  than  100  acres  of  land.  Many 
familiar  names  are  met  here,  to  wit.  :  The  Andersons,  the 
Armstrongs,  Bairds,  Cook,  Churchhill,  Dugger,  Gaskill, 
Hall,  Jarvis  (township  is  now  named  after  him),  Kingston, 
IMoore,  Riggiu,  Renfro,  Seybold,  Slice,  Thompson,  Wood, 
and  others. 

Township  3 — 8  follows,  11,159  of  its  22,452  acres  were  in 
possession  of  45  actual  settlers.  The  largest  tract,  a  full 
section  was  owned  by  Robert  Seybold,  Micajah  Cox,  Colcan, 
heirs  of  P.  Casterline,  and  Jlichael  Healy  had  80  acres 
each.     The  following  names   have  still  a  familiar  sound : 


Armstrong,  Cook,  Eaves,  Gillham,  (three  of  them),  Gaskill, 
Hall,  Lemen,  Moffitt,  Moore,  Robinson,  Reynolds,  S(iuire, 
Teter,  Vaughn,  and  Whiteside. 

10,325  acres  of  the  23,359  acres  of  Fort  Russell,  township 
5 — 8,  were  owned  by  35  persons.  William  Jones,  repeatedly 
mentioned  in  the  chapteis  on  Pioneers  and  Civil  Govern- 
ment— was  in  possession  of  the  largest  tract,  viz. :  803  acres, 
Gov.  Ninian  Edwards  being  content  with  the  smallest,  au 
80  acre  tract.  AVe  mention  the  names  of  Baird,  Cos,  Eiios, 
Hill,  Ma.son,  Newman,  (three  of  them),  Preuitt,  Reavis,  Star- 
key,  Smith,  Whiteside  and  Wood. 

.  Town-hip  4—9  had  10,4G9  of  its  original  19,834- acres 
occupied  by  residents  and  speculators.  Nicholas  Jarrott 
owned  1135  acres.  Here  we  find  the  names  of  Atkins,  De- 
jailais  the  ferry-man,  Emert,  five  Gillhams  and  others. 

In  township  3 — 5,  only  3000  acres  had  been  entered  by 
11  individuals,  among  whom  the  following  familiar  names 
are  to  be  mentioned:  Duncan,  Good,  Morgan  and  Ramsay. 

Township  4 — 5  had  3509  acres  sold— in  13  tracts;  we  find 
here  the  Howards,  Pearces,  McAllily  and  Reynolds.  Town- 
ship 5 — 5,  80  acre.s,  owned  by  James  Pearce.  Township 
65, — no  lands  entered. 

Township  3 — 6.  Here  were  5246  acres  entered  by  25  in- 
dividuals, most  of  whom  seem  to  have  been  actual  settlers ; 
the  greatest  quantity  of  land  owned  by  any  one  man  at  that 
time  was  a  tract  of  298  acres,  the  jjroperty  of  Washington 
Parkinson.  Familiar  names  to  be  mentioned  here  are : 
Anderson,  Cook,  the  Duggers,  Giger,  Howard,  Parkinson, 
Thorp,  and  Uzzell. 

Township  4 — 6,  (Marine). — 3053  acres  entered  by  10  in- 
dividuals. Captain  Curtis  Blakeman  had  bought  1120 
acres  as  early  as  1816.  Besides  him,  mention  is  to  be  made 
of  Allen,  Anderson,  Beck,  Ferguson,  Giger,  Ground  and 
Kile.  Township  5 — 6.  1305  acres  entered  by  five  per- 
sons; Hoxsey  took  640,  Farris  and  Aldrich  .  Township 
6 — 6.     No  lands  sold. 

Township  4—7.  7619  acres  in  possession  of  26  indivi- 
duals. John  Rice  Jones — the  eminent  lawyer  of  Illinois — 
owned  1280  acres  there;  Edward  Coles,  later  governor  of 
the  State  of  Illinois,  entered  148  acres  in  1816 ;  besides  we 
meet  the  familiar  names  of  Beck,  Bartlett,  Bell,  Barusback, 
Borough,  Clark,  Fruitt,  Gouternian,  William  Gillham, 
114  acres,  McKee,  Posey,  and^Taylor. 

Township  5 — 7.  2046  acres — Robert  Aldrich  and  Thomas 
Barnett,  each  160  acres,  seem  to  have  been  the  only  bona 
fide  residents  there  at  that  time. 

Township  6 — 7.  No  lands  "entered.  In  fact  no  lands 
situated  north  of  township  line  No.  5  had  been  entered  at 
that  period,  although  a  number  of  squatters  liad  made 
their  homes  there,  as  well  as  further  north. 

We  have  confined  ourselves  in  the  foregoing  to  the  terri- 
tory of  the  county  in  its  present  boundary  lines.  The  pro- 
clamation of  Governor  Edwards  creating  the  county,  had 
made  Canada  the  northern  and  the  Indiana  and  Illinoia 
boundary  line,  the  eastern  limit  of  the  county  of  Madison. 

The  latter  had  meanwhile  been  reduced  by  the  organiza- 
tion of  Edwards  county,  November  28th,  A.  D.  1841,  and  of 
Bond  county,  January  4th,  1817,  to  pretty   near     what   it 


128 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


is  now,  its  western  and  southern  lines  were  permanently 
established  by  the  governor's  proclamation,  which,  as  pre- 
viously stated,  had  left  the  northern  boundary  vague  and 
indefinite. 

The  county  was  officered  at  this  period,  December,  1817, 
as  follows : 

Hon.  Jesse  B.  Thomas,  Circuit  Judge. 

William  Mears,  Prosecuting  Attorney. 

Joseph  Conway,  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court. 

Isom  Gillham,  Sheriff,  and,  by  appointment,  Collector, 

Josias  Randle,  Recorder,  and  Clerk  of  County  Court. 

"William  Jones,  Treasurer. 

Martin  Jones,  County  Surveyor. 

John  Robinson,  Coroner. 

George  Cadwell,  1 

Samuel  Judy,       1     Judges  of  the  County  Court. 

William  Jones,    J 

The  names  of  the  acting  justices  of  the  peace  are  men- 
tioned in  the  foregoing. 

Political  Townships. 

The  Court  of  Common  Pleas  of  St.  Clair  county  had, 
prior  to  the  year  1812,  made  the  following  subdivisions  of 
this  part  of  its  vast  territory,  to  wit :  Shoal  Creek  township, 
a  part  of  Bond  county,  since  January,  1817,  Six  mile  town- 
ship, Goshen  and  Wood  river  townships. 

The  county  court  of  JNIadison  county  re-organized  the 
political  sub-divi-ions  of  the  county,  then  called  townships, 
and  later  precincts.  .  We  find  at  this  period  the  following 
townships,  some  of  which  presented  an  area  large  enough 
for  counties  or  even  states. 

Six  Mile — Began  at  the  southwest  corner  of  the  county, 
on  the  Mississippi  river ;  thence  east  along  the  county  line 
to  Cahokia  Creek,  and  up  the  same  to  the  mouth  of  Long 
Like,  up  Long  Lake  to  the  road  leading  from  Samuel  Gill- 
hams  to  Dejailai's  ferry,  thence  direct  to  the  Mississippi 
river,  including  Big  Island,  thence  south  along  the  bank  of 
the  river,  including  all  islands  to  the  place  of  beginning. 

The  name  of  "  Si.x  Mile  "  was  preserved  for  sixty  years, 
and  was  changed  to  "  Venice"  in  1872. 

Pig  Prairie — Greenfield  since  1818; — Began  at  Cahokia 
Creek,  at  the  mouth  of  L  jng  Lake,  thence  up  said  creek  to 
the  bluffs,  thence  up  the  bluffs,  so  as  to  include  all  "  living" 
under  the  bluff  as  high  as  to  where  Wood  river  cuts  through 
the  blufl',  from  there  to  Smeltzer's  ferry  on  the  Mississippi, 
thence  South  to  Dejailai's  ferry,  thence  down  the  Six  Mile 
township  line  to  the  mouth  of  Long  Lake. 

The  name  of  Big  Prairie  has  gone  out  of  use  entirely ;  it 
■was  abolished  in  1818. 

Wood  river  began  at  the  mouth  of  Indian  Creek,  from 
there  up  Cahokia  to  the  head  of  the  same,  thence  to  the 
Illinois  river,  including  all  the  inhabitants  between  the  forks 
of  the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  river,  theuce  down  the  Mis- 
sissippi river  to  Smeltzer's  ferry,  thence  with  the  township 
line  through  Big  Prairie,  to  the  mouth  of  Indian  Creek. 

The  ancient  name  of  Wood  river  township  was  restored  by 
township  organization  in  1876. 


Goshen  began  at  Cahokia  Creek,  where  it  crosses  the 
south  County  line,  thence  up  said  creek  to  where  the  range 
line  between  seven  and  eight  strikes  sal<l  creek,  thence 
south  to  where  said  range  line  strikes  St.  Clair  county, 
thence  to  the  beginning. 

This  township  had  a  triangular  shape.  The  township 
line  between  townships  three  and  two,  forming  a  right  angle 
by  the  intervention  with  range  line  between  seven  and 
eight — aud  the  meandering  course  of  Cahokia,  serving  as 
the  hypothenuse. 

The  name  of  Goshen  is  still  preserved,  as  one  of  the  school 
district  of  this  territory,  is  to  this  day  called  the  ''  Gosheu  " 
district. 

Siloer  Creek  bsgan  where  the  ranga  line  between  seven 
and  eight  intersects  the  north  boundary  line  of  St.  Clair 
county,  thence  due  east  to  the  Bond  county  line,  thence 
north!!!  (no  limit),  so  as  to  include  all  inhabitants  north 
of  Goshen  and  Wood  river  township^.  The  name  continued 
until  a  recent  day.  The  town-ship  of  1817  was  by  degrees 
greatly  reduced  in  size.  It  lost  much,  but  it  retained  its 
name  for  over  half  a  century.  Aud  yet  this  name  was  after 
all  a  misnomer,  for  the  creek,  that  gave  it  the  name,  was 
barren  of  silver. 

What  is  left  of  the  proud  Siver  Creek  township  of  yore, 
since  1876,  is  known  by  the  name  of  "  Olive." 

Many  of  the  territorial  laws*  had  bsan  taken  or  copied 
from  the  codes  of  older  States,  and  among  others,  a  law  in 
reference  to  providing  for  paupers.  The  county,  however, 
had  no  resident  paupers,  yet  overseers  of  the  poor  were  ap- 
pointed, because  the  law  directed  that  it  should  be  done. 
The  records  show  that  Amos  Squires  and  Philip  Hawk  were 
appointed  overseers  of  the  poor  for  Six  Mile.  Micajah  Cox 
and  John  Barnelt  for  Goshen  ;  Jacob  Linder  and  Young 
Wood,  for  Wood  river  ;  Joseph  White  and  Daniel  Broiun,  for 
Big  Prairie ;  and  John  Howard  and  William  Shellon,  for 
Silver  Creek. 

This  system  was  kept  up  for  half  a  century;  the  writer 
of  these  sketches  remembers  well  to  have  received  and 
filed,  while  occupying  a  position  in  the  court-house,  a  num- 
ber of  official  semi-annual  reports  of  those  overseers  of  the 

*0n  December  30th,  181.5,  a  wolf  scalp  law  was  enacleil.  One  of 
the  stipulations  of  this  law  made  it  necessary  for  applicants  for  [ire- 
miums  to  solemnly  swear,  that  they  had  never  willingly  spared  the 
life  of  a  "  bitch  wolf,"  with  a  design  to  increase  the  breed.  Wonder, 
if  any  sliarpers  from  down  "  East "  liad  practised  this  little  scheme 
before  t 

On  December  12th,  ISlfi,  a  law  was  passed  to  prevent  attorneys 
from  Indiana  from  practising  in  the  courts  of  Illinois,  and  any  viola, 
tion  of  this  law  was  to  cost  the  ofi'ender  a  fine  of  $200  00.  Friendship 
between  American  neighbors!!! — It  is  said,  that  once  npon  a  lime, 
some  villagers  in  Baden  had  run  a  mad  dog  to  cover,  and  had  sncc>ss- 
fiiUy  "  bagged"  him.  Instead  of  killing  the  dog,  tliey  in(iuired  at 
headquarters,  whether  the  rabid  animal,  which  was  known  to  have 
come  over  the  "state  line  "  from  Wirtemberg,  should  be  killed  or 
carried  back  to,  and  turned  loose  in  Wirtemberg.  The  answer  was : 
Eeturn  him  to  his  home  state !  Love  between  German  neighbors  ! ! ! — 
The  latter  is  an  anecdote  invented  to  illustrate  the  want  of  unity 
among  the  inhabitants  of  tlie  various  states  in  Germany,  aud  the 
former  is  a  stubborn  fact,  recorded  in  thj  statutes  of  Illinois. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


129 


poor.  Oae  of  these  gentlemen,  represent'mg  old  Silver 
Creek,  had  his  reports  stereotyped,  for  they  invariably  con- 
tained the  following  :  "  The  undersigned  begs  leave  to  report 
to  the  Hon.  County  Court  of  IMadison  county,  that  there  are 
no  paupers  in  his  territory."  Signed  James  Olive-  And  yet 
the  pauper  expenses  of  Madison  couity  reached  the  enor- 
mous amount  of  over  forty  thousand  dollars  in  the  year 
ending  August  31st,  1873  !  Silver  Creek,  however,  reported, 
"No  paupers  here."  There  was  something  in  that  silvery 
name  after  all. 

Roads. — At  the  time  of  the  organization  of  the  county,  we 
find  only  one  public  road  in  the  county.  Its  northeastern 
terminus  seems  to  have  been  Thomas  Kirkpatrick's  mill  on 
Cahokia  Creek — (EJwardsville),  and  passing  southwest  via 
Samuel  Judy's  place  and  Indian  Ford  on  Cahokia  creek,  it 
connected  the  old  French  settlement  of  Cahokia  with  the 
later  American  settlements  in  Madison  county. 

In  1817,  the  county  had  quite  a.  number  of  road  districts. 
The  first  one  to  be  mentioned  was  a  circle,  a  mile  in  diame- 
ter, around  the  court-house,  under  the  management  of  John 
T.  Lusk. 

2d.  Road  from  Edwardsville  to  Long  Lake,  crossing  Caho- 
kia creek  at  I.  Gillham's  bridge-site — John  Barnett,  super- 
visor. 

■3d  From  Edwardsville  to  Judy's  creek,  past  Bethel 
meeting  house — James  Reynolds,  supervisor. 

4th.  From  Edwardsville,  past  Zadok  Newman's  to  Indian 
creek, — Zadok  Newman,  supervisor. 

5th.  From  Wallace  and  Sealy's  mill,  on  Wood  river  to 
Gillhara  and  Meachani's  Ferry — at  Alton,  with  Ethan 
Meacham  as  supervi-sor. 

6th.  From  Cheek's  Ferry — above  the  mouth  of  Wood  river 
to  the  crossing  of  the  main  road  from  Edwardsville  to 
George  Smeltzer's  Ferry,  below  Alton — Thomas  Carland 
supervisor. 

7th.  From  county  line  up  the  INIissis^-ippi  to  Dejailais' 
Ferry — Beujamiu  Merrett,  supervisor. 

8lh.  From  county  line  to  Long  Lake — John  Clark,  super- 
visor. 

9th.  From  Indian  Ford  on  Cahokia  Creek  down  the 
bluff  to  the  house  of  Frank  Collins,  and  past  it  west  to 
county  line,  the  St.  Louis  road^ — Henry  Cook  and  Frank 
Collins,  supervisors. 

10th.  From  Indian  Creek  via  Moore's  bridge,  across 
Wood  river  to  Smeltzer's  Ferrj',  with  Solomon  Preuitt  and 
I'eter  Waggoner  as  supervisors. 

11th.  From  bridge  across  Cahokia  near  Edwardsville  via. 
bridge  on  Indian  Creek  to  Isom  Gillham's  Ferry — with 
James  Gillham  and  Thomas  Co.x;  as  supervisors. 

12th.  A  new  road,  from  Edwardsville  to  Wallace  and 
Sealey's  mill  on  Wood  river,  to  be  opened  at  once  in  three 
sections,  with  Joseph  Robertson  as  supervisor  for  the  eastern, 
T.  G.  Davidson  for  the  middle,  and  John  Wallace  for  the 
western  division. 

Bridges- — The  records  of  those  days  mention  four  bridges, 

to  wit :  Moore's  a  bridge  across  Wood  river — we  could  not 

ascertain  if  it  was    a  toll-bridge,   across  Indian   Creek    on 

the     road     from   Edwardsville  to    the     northwest   of  the 

17 


county,  bridge  across  Cahokia  near  the  court-house,  bridge 
across  Long  Lake,  west  of  the  present  railroad  stations,  and 
a  toll-bridge  across  Silver  Creek,  on  the  road  to  the  U.  S. 
salines  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State. 

Gillham's  toll-bridge  across  Cahokia  Creek,  on  the  road 
from  Edwardsville  to  Long  Lake,  erected  in  1813  and 
1814 — had  been  washed  away,  and  John  Barnett,  supervisor 
of  road  No.  2,  was  ordered  to  construct  a  new  bridge  at  the 
same  place.     The  order  was,  however,  rescinded. 

Public  buildings. — The  sessions  of  the  various  courts  had 
been  held  at  the  various  taverns  of  Edwardsville  for  five 
years;  and  it  was  not  until  autumn  1817,  that  the  first 
Court-house,  a  log  cabin  erected  by  Samuel  G.  Morse,  at  an 
expense  of  §437.50,  could  be  occupied. 

The  Jail,  built  by  William  Ottwell,  had  been  completed 
as  early  as  December  6th,  1814,  and  was  in  1817  moved  on 
the  court-house  square  at  the  suggestion  and  exj^cnse  of 
James  Mason,  a  public-spirited  man,  to  be  metioned  here- 
after. 

Towns. — Edwardsville,  the  county  seat,  was  then  the 
leading  town  ;  it  had  probably  some  fifty  dwelling  houses  ; 
the  United  States  Laud-office  was  there ;  also  a  Bank, 
Public  house,  etc. 

Alton,  now  the  principal  commercial  city  of  the  count}', 
had  been  located  in  1816  and  was,  properly  speaking,  not  a 
town  in  1817.  It  developed  rapidly,  however,  and  had  as 
many  as  a  hundred  residences  in  1819. 

Upjier  Alton,  laid  out  in  1817,  by  Jo.seph  Meacham,  a 
Vermonter. 

Milton,  now  no  more,  was  quite  a  town  in  1817.  There 
may  have  been  25  or  30  fiim  lies  residing  there  at  the  time. 
It  lay  a  few  miles  below  Alton,  on  Wood  river.  Wallace 
and  Sealy's  saw  and  grist  mills  were  doing  considerable 
business  at  that  period. 

Ferries. — The  authorities  of  the  county  had  granted 
licenses  to  seven  ferries,  as  follows : 

1st.  George  Smeltzer,  north  of  Alton  ;  this  ferry  had 
prev,iously  been  run  by  a  Mr  Langford,  at  or  near  the 
mouth  of  Wood  river,  whence  Smeltzer  moved  it  up  several 
miles  beyond  Alton.  This  ferry  had,  in  1817,  what  wascon- 
sidcred  the  best  site;  it  paid  an  annual  license  of  §12.00. 

2d.  Samuel  Gillham  and  Joseph  Meacham,  at  the  mouth 
of  Little  Piasa,  Alton.  This  ferry  was  started  by  Col.  R. 
Easton,  the  founder  of  Alton,  in  opposition  to  Smeltzer's 
ferry  above,  without  success, — which  may  be  seen  from  the 
fact,  that  the  county  taxed  this  concern  at  the  rate  of  .S2  00 
per  annum. 

3d.  Charles  l)i>jailais,  a  Frenchman.  His  ferry  was  lo- 
cated on  the  southwest  corner  of  section  17,  in  townships 
4 — 9,  at  the  head  of  Chouteau  Island,  making  trips  to  this 
island,  as  well  as  to  the  west  bank  of  the  IMississippi.  The 
ferry  was  subsequently  owned  by  Samuel  Gillham. 

4th.  Jeptha  Cheek,  above  the  mouth  of  Wood  river. 

5th.   Isom  Gillham. 

6th.  Uel  Whiteside,  "a  little  above  Portage  des  Sioux  ;"' 
this  ferry  paid  an  annual  license  of  82  00. 

7th.  Thomas  Reynolds,  across  the  Illinois  river,  about 
two  miles  above  its  confluence  with  the  Mississippi. 


1.30 


HISTORY    OF  MADISON  COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


The  records  mention,  besides  the  above,  two  more  ferries 
in  connection  with  the  location  of  public  roads,  to  wit:  John 
Walker's  ferry,  then  owned  by  Tlionias  Carlin,*  afterwards 
governor  of  the  State,  and  Hill's  ferry. 

Mills. — Thomas  Kirkpatrick,  on  Cahokia,  near  Edwards- 
ville,  stood  there  in  1812,  had  water  power  in  1817. 

William  Rabb,  August,  1813 — section  20th,  townships 
3 — 8,   on   what   is   now  called   school-branch   of  Cahokia. 

Samuel  Delaplain,  March,  1815,  transformed  his  mill  into 
a  water  mill,  located  on  Frank's  branch  of  Cahokia,  Goshen 
township. 

John  Newman,  August,  1815,  on  Indian  Creek. 

Upton  Smith,  August,  1815, — 'Nov.  4,  section  31,  5 — 8, 
on  Indian  Creek. 

Wallace  and  Sealy,  on  Wood  river,  at  Milton,  largest  mills 
in  the  county,  making  two  saws  and  a  grist-mill. 

Nicholas  Jarrott,  1817 — on  Cahokia,  near  Indian  Ford. 
Jarrott  was  the  mill  builder  of  his  times,  although  he  invaria- 
bly lost  money  in  this  busines3.  The  Cahokia  mills  were 
the  last  he  built,  and  it  is  said  were  the  cause  of  his  death  ; 
as  by  incessant  exposures  during  their  erection,  he  had  con- 
tracted a  malarial  disease  that  ended  his  life  and  incessant 
labors. 

Merchants  Ucemed  in  1817  :  Abraham  Prickett,  Col.  Ste- 
phens, Clayton  Tiffin,  (son-in-law  of  Nicholas  Jarrott),  and 
AVilliam  L.  May. 

Taverns  in  1817. 


John  T.  Lusk,  1 

George  Coventry,  I 

Joshua  Atwater,  [ 

Clayton  Tiffin,  J 

John  Atkin,  "\ 

William  Morris,  [• 
James  F.  Swinertown,  J 


Edwardsville. 


At  or  near  Alton. 


Charles  Dejailais,  at  his  ferry  lauding  near  the  head  of 
Chouteau  Island. 

John  Waggoner,  on  the  Wood  river,  near  Moore's  bridge. 

John  Herring,  on  Silver  Creek,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
county. 

Samuel  Jacquevay,  at  Reynolds'  ferry,  on  the  Illinois 
river.  The  reveuwe  derived  from  the  licenses  of  those  eleven 
taverns  amounted  in  1817,  to  $47.00. 

The  pojyidation  of  1818  was  made  up  principally  by 
American  settlers  from  the  Southern  States,  a  few  New 
Yorkers,  some  New  Englanders,  and  quite  a  number  of 
Pennsylvania  Germans  and  Irish  American.s.  The  Canadian 
French  had  never  been  as  important  a  factor  of  the  popula- 
tion of  this  county,  as  of  St.  Clair.  The  few,  who  had  ven- 
tured up  the  Cahokia,  or  on  the  islands  in  the  Mississippi, 
thus  separating  themselves  from  their  villages  below,  had 
almost  disappeared  in  1818  ;  the  records  do  not  mention 
above  ten  French  names  at  that  time. 

*  Carlin  was  at  that  time  so  little  known,  that  his  narafi  is  scarcely 
ever  spelled  alike  twice  in  succession,  lo  wit :  Carlan,  CorUinil,  C'or- 
lin,  Carland,  etc.,  etc. 


A  few  naturalized  citizens, — six  in  number — are  also  to 
be  mentioned. 

Blacks  were  quite  numerous,  principally  slaves  and  in- 
dentured servants,  and  a  few  registered  as  free  persons  of 
color. 

It  is  safe  to  estimate  the  population  of  1818  not  to  have 
exceeded  4,000 ;  this  estimate  is  made  on  the  following 
basis : 

The  records  of  the  year  1818  enumerate  484  laborers  for 
road  purposes. 

The  number  of  votes  polled  at  the  first  state  election  in 
1818,  July  6th,  7th  and  8th,  was  517  ;  and  at  a  very  exciting 
sheriff  election — W.  B.  Whiteside,  Isom  Gillham.  and  Jo- 
seph Borough,  candidates,  on  the  17th,  18th  and  19th  Sept. 
1818,  only  536. 

The  number  of  bona  fide  resident  free-holders  in  1817, 
was  354;  allowing  the  number  of  squatters  to  have  been 
about  two-thirds  as  great,  we  have  in  the  county  not  more 
than  600  families. 

Besides — there  were  eleven  licensed  taverns  in  the  county, 
and  statistics  prove  that  taverns  increased  with  the  popu- 
lation at  the  rate  of  about  275  per  tavern. 

Dana  in  his  "'Geographical  Sketch"  of  1818  allots  5,456 
to  the  county,  and  the  State  census  of  1820  counts 
8,549. 

The  United  States  Census  of  that  year,  however,  states 
the  number  of  inhabitants  of  Madison  county  to  have  been 
13,550.  This  report  was  made  by  Thomas  Reynolds,  but  is 
most  assuredly  incorrect. 

The  morals  of  the  pioneer  period  are  creditable.  True, 
there  were  a  large  number  of  indictments  found  for  assault 
and  battery,  but  then,  combativeness  was  the  characteristic 
feature  of  the  day.  The  number  of  crimes  against  property 
was  also  small — five  in  six  years  and  only  one  of  those  five 
proved.  The  perjury  case  mentioned  must  have  been  with- 
out foundation.  Families  seem  to  have  lived  in  peace; 
there  is  not  one  case  of  divorce  on  record. 

The  Dead. — Befi)re  closing  this  sketch,  it  is  proper  to  give 
the  names  of  those  pioneers  of  the  county  who  had  closed 
their  earthly  career,  who  had  finished  their  lalxirs,  and  were 
now  at  rest. 

1812. — William  Bradshaw,  Prudence  Casterland,  Esther 
Ewing,  John  Smith. 

1813. — John  Bradshaw,  Fleming  Cox,  Isaiah  Dunnegan, 
Benjamin  Delaplain,  Clement  Gillham,  Samuel  Huttoii, 
Obediah  Hooper,  James  Raine,  Benjamin  Sample,  Tol. 
Wright. 

1814. — Simeon  Brundridge,  Elsworth  Baynes,  Anthony 
Cox,  Henry  Cox,  William  Grotts,  Harman  Halcomb,  Wil- 
liam Preuitt,  Reason  Reagan,  John  Snider,  J.  B.  Thompson. 
1815. — Jeac  Baptist  Amelin,  Jude  Converse,  George 
Gillworth,  Daniel  Gilmore,  Thomas  Hudgell,  William 
O'Neal,  James  Renfro,  W.  L.  Smith,  Benjamin  Young. 

1816. — William  C.  Davidson,  Stephenson  Fowler,  Thomas 
Green,  Philip  Gregg,  Royal  Green,  Thomas  Hood,  William 
Hewitt,  James  Holladay,  James  Lard,  Abraham  Miller, 
Wm.  McLaughlin,  John  McFadgen,  George  Wise,  George 
Moore,  who  had  been  reported  dead  in   1816,  and  whose 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,   IL 1 1  NO  IS. 


131 


estate  had  been  put  under  administration,  reappeared  in 
the  county  in  1817,  to  take  charge  of  his  estate. 

1817. — Thomas  Cox,  John  Cardinal,  Augustin  Chilton, 
James  Giiigles,  Elisha  Havens  jr  ,  David  Kennedy,  Samuel 
Mears,  Henry  McGuire,  John  Nixion,  Uriah  Shaw,  William 
Smith,  William  Thompson,  William  West,  Alexander 
Waddle. 

Civil  History,  1819  to  1849  — The  constitutional  conven- 
tion of  the  new  State  completed  its  labors  on  the  26ih  of 
August,  1818.  The  convention  had  assembled  at  Kas- 
kaskia  in  July — the  exact  day  of  the  mouth  could  not 
be  ascertained  at  the  present  State  capital.  This  conven- 
tion consisted  of  thirty-three  delegates,  presided  over  by 
Judge  Jesse  B  Thomas,  a  resident  of  St.  Clair.  Madison 
county  was  represented  in  the  convention  by  Benjamiu 
Stephenson,  Joseph  Borough,  and  Abraham  Prickett.  Bond 
county  was  represented  by  two  well  known  former  citizens 
of  Edwardsville,  Thomas  Kirkpatrick  and  S.  G.  ISIorse. 
The  constitution  was  adopted  by  the  convention  without 
being  submitted  to  a  vote  of  the  people,  and  approved  by 
the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  December  3d,  1818. 

The  first  General  Assembly  of  the  State  held  two  sessions 
at  Kaskaskia;  the  first  from  October  .5th  to  October  1.3th, 

1818,  and  the   second   from   January  4th  to   March  31st, 

1819.  George  Cadwell  represented  the  county  in  the  Senate, 
and  John  Howard,  Abraham  Prickett,  and  Samuel  White- 
side in  the  House  of  llepresentatives. 

The  legislature  placed  the  county  government  into  the 
hands  of  three  commissioners,  to  be  elected  annually. 

The  commissioners  of  Madison  county  entered  upon  their 
duties  on  the  7th  day  of  June,  1819.  During  the  interreg- 
num from  December  9th,  1818,  to  this  date,  the  routine 
business  of  the  county  had  been  attended  to  by  the  clerk, 
•who  now,  June  7th,  1819,  made  the  following  entry  upon 
the  records,  viz  : 

"  Be  it  remembered,  That  in  pursuance  of  an  act  of  the 
people  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  represented  in  the  General 
Assembly,  entitled  an  act  establishing  the  Courts  of  County 
Commissioners.  It  appearing  from  certificates  from  the 
judges  of  election  of  Madison  county  that  William  Jones, 
Samuel  Judy  and  George  Barnsback  were  duly  elected  as 
commissioners  for  the  said  county  of  Madison,  Whereupon 
the  said  William  Jones,  Samuel  Judy,  and  George  Barns- 
back  took  their  seats,  and  thereupon  a  court  was  held  by 
county  commissioners  for  Madison  couuty  on  the  7th  day  of 
June,  1819. 

First  Board  of  County  Commmioaers, — 1819  to  1820. — 
William  Jones,  Samuel  Judy  and  George  Barnsback. 

Joseph  Gomvay  was  appointed  clerk,  and  Georye  Belsha, 
treasurer. 

The  C!ourt  established  a  new  "township"  under  the  name 
of  the  "  Bounty  township,"  to  include  all  the  lands  in  the 
forks  of  the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  rivers.  This  "town- 
ship" of  1819  has  in  less  than  fifty  years  been  divided 
into  thirty-four  splendid  counties,  averaging  seventeen  con- 
gressional townships  each.  John  Shaw,  Lev  Roberts,  and 
David  Duttou  were  appointed  judges  of  election  of  the  new 
township. 


Another  township,  "  Sangamo,"  was  laid  off  to  include 
all  the  settlements  not  heretofore  included,  and  ail  the  set- 
tlements on  the  Sangamon  and  its  waters.  Elijah  Slater, 
Daniel  Parkinson  and  William  Danuer  were  ap[)ointed 
judges  of  election  of  this  new  township. 

The  county  authorities  laid  out  and  opened  a  road  from 
Edwardsville  to  Clear  Lake  on  the  Sangamon,  a  distance  of 
seventy  miles,  as  early  as  1820,  surveyed  by  Jacob  Judy, 
who  caused  mile  posts  to  be  erected  along  the  entire  length 
of  said  road,  which  is  known  to  our  readers  as  the  "  Sjjriug- 
field"  road. 

"This  day,  July  14th,"  canic  into  Court  Hail  Mason, 
Esquire,  aud  paid  to  the  clerk  five  dollars,  which  he  received 
for  profane  swearing,  aud  breaches  of  the  Sabbath."  Won- 
der how  much  was  paid  for  a  good  round  oath  in  those  days 
of  our  fathers! 

The  proper  explanation,  however  is,  that  Hail  Mason, 
having  made  use  of  the  powers  granted  by  the  law  to  him 
as  a  justice  of  the  peace,  had  not  (uly  fined  some  follows 
for  profanity  aud  similar  oflences,  but  had  also  collected  the 
fines  thus  imposed. 

The  Board  of  Commissioners  next  made  an  Appointment 
of  Trustees  for  the  school-lands,  to  wit : 

T.  3,  R.  5,  Jonathan  L.  Harris,  William  Ramsay  and 
James  Good.  T.  4.  R.  5,  John  F.  McCullom,  Robert  Coul- 
ter, and  Thomas  Johnson.  T.  3  R.  6,  Rob.  G.  Anderson, 
John  Howard  and  William  Parkiuson.  T.  4,  R.  6,  Row- 
land P.  Allen,  John  Scott,  and  Isaac  Ferguson.  T.  5,  R.  6, 
James  Gray, .James  Farris,  and  William  Hoxsey  T.  3,  R.  7, 
Joshua  Armstrong,  Joseph  Eberman,  and  David  Samples. 
T.  4,  R  7,  Joseph  Bartlett,  Joseph  Borough  aud  Jacob 
Gonterman.  T.  5,  R.  7.  Thomas  Baruett,  Henry  Kelley, 
and  Abraham  Hayter.  T.  3,  R.  8,  ]Micajah  Cox,  Benjamin 
Eaves  and  Augustus  Collins  T.  4,  R.  8,  William  Gillham, 
John  Barber,  and  William  Oltwell.  T.  5,  R.  8,  John 
Springer,  Ephraim  Woods  and  William  Montgomery.  T.  3, 
R.  9,  Amos  Squire,  Isaac  Gillham  and  John  Singleton. 
T.  4,  R.  9.  Isom  Gillham,  Samuel  Gillham,  and  Samuel 
Browu.  T.  5,  R.  9,  John  Wallace,  William  Ogle,  and 
Abraham  Preuitt. 

An  election  had  also  been  ordered  to  choose  the  regimen- 
tal officers  for  the  second  battalion  of  the  Seventh  regiment 
of  Illinois  militia.  The  vote  was  taken  at  eleven  regularly 
established  polls,  and  there  were  the  following  votes  cast : — 
At  Edwardsville  100,  at  Silver  Creek  38,  at  Goshen  39,  at 
Alton  116,  at  Augusta  (a  town  in  embryo  in  3 — 6),  64,  at 
poll  No.  6,  (Joe  Duncans',  east  of  the  present  town  of  High- 
land) 37.  at  Six  Mile  67,  at  poll  No.  8,  (now  Troy)  19,  at 
Piasa  48,  at  Wood  river  81,  and  at  Sangamon  29,  amounting 
in  the  aggregtte  to  638  militiamen.  The  candidates  for 
the  position  of  Colonel  were  Joseph  Borough,  the  favorite 
of  Edwardsville,  Goshen  Silver  Creek,  and  Troy,  who  re- 
ceived 230  votes;  Isaac  Gillham,  the  Alton  champion,  who 
received  1.59  votes;  aud  Washington  Parkinson,  the  choice 
of  Wood  river,  Augusta,  and  poll  No.  6.  who  received  249 
votes,  and  was  electe<l.  Hezekiah  L.  Harris,  Rob.  St.  Clair, 
William  Montgomery,  Abraham  Howard,  Harry  Riggin 
and  David  Hendershott  were  candidates  for  ]Major ;  two  to 


132 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


be  elected.  Harris  and  St.  Clair  were  the  successful  candi- 
dates, receiving  258  and  347  votes  respectively.  Mont- 
gomery very  strong  in  Wood  river,  and  Piasa  township, 
came  near  being  elected.  Howard  Riggin  and  Hendershott 
had  no  "  show.' 

Having  thus  chronicled  who  were  to  be  the  leaders  in 
war,  we  will  now  introduce  the  names  of  those  honorable 
preservers  of  the  peace,  known  as  "  Squires,"  appointed  under 
the  new  order  of  things,  to  wit: 

Joshua  Armstrong,  John  Clark,  William  Ramsay,  Tho- 
mas Lippincott,  William  Ottwell,  Robert  Brazle,  Thomas  G. 
Davidson,  Joseph  Eberman,  John  Allen,  Benjamin  Spencer, 
Thornton  Peoples,  John  Laird,  Jesse  Starkey,  John  Barber, 
Amos  Squire,  Micajah  Cox,  Hail  Mason,  (was  notary  pub- 
lic also),  Daniel  Parkinson,  Adley  Harris,  AVillian  E.  Row- 
den,  Levi  Roberts,  Robert  G.  Anderson,  John  G.  Sawyer, 
Joel  Meacham,  Reuben  Hopkins,  Henry  Kelly,  Edward 
Bishop,  Isaac  E.  Robinson,  Nathaniel  Pinckard,  Zachariah, 
Peters,  and  James  W.  Whitney. 

The  September  and  December  Terms  of  the  board  were  of 
no  special  interest.  The  board  ordered  that  proper  seals 
should  be  procured  for  the  circuit  court  and  county  commis- 
sioners' court.  The  narrow  public  square  was  made  more 
so  by  the  erection  of  a  stray^  pen,  fifty  by  seventy  feet,  sur- 
rounded  by  a  sis  foot  fence,  constructed  of  posts  and  rails. 

A.  Baily  built  this  fence,  and  received  §20.00  for  it.  James 
Mason  was  appointed  keeper  of  the  pen. 

William  Holland,  the  lock-smith,  made  an  extra  strong 
lock  for  the  jail  door,  and  received  §7.00  in  compensation 
thereof 

The  principal  work  done  during  these  terms  was  probate 
business. 

The  assessment  of  1819  was  made  by  George  Belsha, 
treasurer,  and  the  revenue  §1,5-12.92,  was  collected  by  AV. 

B.  Whiteside,  the  successor  of  Isom  Gillham  in  the  sheriff's 
office.  The  appropriations  made  for  the  year  amounted  to 
§2,168.29,  of  which  §625.37  remained  unpaid.  The  popu- 
lation of  the  county  was  constantly  increasing,  and  three 
new  ferries  were  established  on  Illinois  river  in  1819.  The 
following  estates  had  been  put  under  administration  by  the 
clerk  during  the  vacation,  viz :  George  Coventry,  Sally 
Coventry,  adm'x ;  Thomas  Costican,  Nancy  his  widow, 
adm'x  ;  and  Pierre  Tiller,  as  administrator ;  Samuel  Stock- 
ton, Hannah  Stockton,  adm'x ;  Matthew  Dixon,  Mary 
Dixon,  adm'x;  Noah  Hall,  Esther  Hall,  adm'x;  Joseph 
Mason,  John  Clark,  adm'r ;  Michael  Deeds,  Abel  Moore, 
adm'r ;  Reuben  Stubbens,  James  Smith,  adm'r ;  Joseph 
King,  Walker  Daniels,  adm'r  ;  James  Peasley,  Phil.  Calen, 
adm'r;  William  Leonard,  Polly  Leonard,  adm'x;  Elisha 
Dodge,  Augustus  Langworthy,  adm'r ;  Abraham  Stovecall, 
Elizabeth  Stovecall,  adm'x  ;  and  Robert  Archibald,  Robert 
Watts,  adm'r. 

The  township  of  San  gam  o  was  subdivided  as  follows: 
All  the  country  north  of  the  Sangamon  to  be  called  Sangamo 
iowniihlp,  with  Matthew  Eats,  Stephen  England,  and  Joshua 
Dean,  judges  of  election. 

All  the  country  south  of  the  North  fork  of  Sangamon 
river,  embracing  the  waters  of  said  river  and  west,  so  as  to 


include  the  inhabitants  on  Sugar  Creek,  to  be  called  Fork 
Prairie,  with  William  Dreunon,  \Vi!liain  Roberts,  and 
Daniel  Lisle,  as  judges  of  election  ;  and  lastly,  all  the  coun- 
try west  of  Fork  Prairie,  and  south  of  the  Sangamon  river 
embracing  the  waters  of  said  river  to  be  called,  Springfield, 
with  Jacob  Ellis,  John  Clary,  sr.,  and  John  Campbell  as 
judges  of  election. 

The  public  buildings  of  the  county  were  wholly  unfit  for 
the  purposes  intended.  The  necessity  of  providing  for  better 
and  somewhat  decent  accommodations  had  become  well  un- 
derstood, but  the  pitiful  condition  of  the  county  treasury,  the 
scarcity  of  money,  and  the  absolute  "  poverty  "  of  the  owners 
of  lordly  farms  and  plantations,  rendered  the  authorities 
helpless.  Realizing  the  condition  of  affairs.  Col.  Ben  Ste- 
phenson, Judge  T.  W.  Smith,  acting  for  themselves,  governor 
Ninian  Edwards  and  others,  had  offered  a  most  magnificent 
donation  to  the  county  authorities,  conditioned  only,  that 
the  public  buildings  should  be  erected  in  the  southeastern 
part  of  Edwardsville.  This  proposition  had  been  made  ver- 
bally early  in  the  spring  of  1S20,  and  in  writing,  on  the  5th 
of  June,  1820. 

The  proposed  location  of  the  public  buildings  created  a 
storm  of  indignation  in  Lower  Edwardsville,  (the  old  town) 
and  a  most  vehement  opposition  so  intimidated  the  commis- 
sioners that  they  deferred  their  action  in  the  premises.  The 
golden  opportunity  was  lost.  The  Edwardsville  Spectator 
of  June  13th,  1820,  published  the  following  open  letter  in 
reference  to  the  matter.  It  throws  much  light  on  the  sub- 
ject, and  is  here  given  at  length  : 

To  the  County  Commiigioners  of  Madison  County: 

Gentlemen  : — As  a  citizen,  of  the  county  interested  in  its 
prosperity  and  growth,  and  alive,  in  common  with  every 
other  inhabitant,  to  any  occurrence  which  may  be  turned  to 
its  advantage,  I  shall  presume  to  address  you.  I  have  no 
disposition  to  inquire  into  all  the  acts  of  your  administration, 
yet  there  is  one  which  imperiously  demands  your  attention, 
and  in  relation  to  that,  I  shall  speak  in  the  language  of  can- 
dor and  sincerity.  The  fact  is  admitted  that  the  county  is 
not  only  now  unable  to  erect  its  public  buildings,  but  that  it 
will  probably  continue  in  that  situation  for  many  years  to 
come :  indeed  its  poverty  is  too  glaring  to  be  denied ;  and 
although  the  taxes  collected  for  the  last  year  exceed  §3,000, 
yet  this  sum  has  long  tince  been  exhausted,  and  the  couuty 
is  now  in  debt  several  hundreds  of  dollars.  This  situation 
of  things  has  constantly  been  urged  as  a  reason  against  com- 
mencing any  improvements  in  relation  to  the  public  build- 
ings; and  that  it  would  be  oppressive  and  unjust  to  resort 
to  a  tax  on  the  people,  to  raise  a  revenue  for  such  objects, 
and  particularly  so  at  the  present  period. 

I  am  disposed  to  admit  the  truth  of  your  position,  and 
the  justness  of  the  inferences  to  be  drawn  from  it;  but  it 
would  to  my  mind  be  a  paradox,  that  you  should  wish  to 
avoid,  or  delay,  the  acceptance  of  a  proposition  to  erect  the 
public  buildings  without  expense  to  the  county,  and  to  re- 
ceive therewith  a  large  and  valuable  donation  of  land,  for 
the  benefit  of  its  inhabitants.     That  such  a  proposition  has 


HISTORY  OF     MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


133 


been  made,  the  records  of  your  court  fully  testify,  backed 
by  the  offer  of  ample  security  to  carry  it  into  effect.  Lat  me 
ask  you,  if  in  that  proposition  there  was  any  thing  illegal, 
or  whether  or  not  you  have  not  expressed  your  united 
opinion  in  favor  of  the  liberality  of  the  offer.  Upon  what 
consideration,  for  what  reason,  or  under  what  influence, 
have  you  been  induced  to  hesitate  and  postpone  a  decision  ? 
Have  you  not  a  desire  to  remove  the  burden  of  taxes, 
already  like  an  incubus,  oppressing  and  bearing  down  the 
people?  and  is  it  by  refusing  or  delaying  to  accept  such 
offers  that  you  demonstrate  to  them  the  siucerity  of  your 
profession?  Ask  your  own  hearts  whether  you  do  not  be- 
lieve, that  nine-tenths  of  the  county  would  hail  their  accept- 
ance with  pleasure  and  gratitude  ?  Do  you  not  believe 
that  the  general  prosperity  of  the  county  would  be  promoted 
by  it  ?  that  the  seeds  of  division,  by  a  gratuitous  erection 
of  the  public  huildiugs  would  be  torn  up  by  the  roots,  and 
the  petty  factions  which  hope  to  distract  and  divide  the 
county  be  prostrate  in  the  dust?  What  individual  in  the 
.county  would  not  be  benefited  by  it  ?  Would  he  not  be 
relieved  from  au  enormous  tax  ?  Would  not  au  additional 
fund,  from  which  a  large  and  growing  revenue  could  be 
created,  have  been  secured  to  the  cjunty,  and  which,  if 
judiciously  managed,  would  at  a  future  day  be  of  incalcula- 
ble importance  ? 

How  then  can  you  answer  to  the  p3ople  ?  How  answer 
to  your  own  consciences  for  delaying  to  carry  into  effoot  a 
measure  so  important  in  its  consequences,  and  so  beneficial 
to  the  people  at  large  ?  I  ask  you  whether  the  general  interest 
of  the  county  and  of  its  inhabitants,  is  not  the  guide  for  your 
conduct  on  such  an  occasion?  and  whether,  if  it  is  evident, 
that  the  general  weal  is  to  be  promoted  by  the  acceptance  of 
such  propositions,  you  can  in  justice  to  them,  and  a  consci- 
entious discharge  of  your  duty,  justify  yourselves  in  delay- 
ing to  accept  them?  I  am  unwilling,  from  the  general  good 
sense  and  impartiality  with  which  you  have  discharged  the 
functions  of  your  office,  to  believe  that  any  undue  influence 
has  been  exercised  over  you,  to  control  your  decision,  by 
the  expression  of  extrajudicial  opinions,  by  a  gentleman 
high  in  official  dignity :  but  it  is  possible  that  his  opinions  may 
be  entitled  to  too  great  weight,  when  his  legal  acquirements 
and  education  are  considered,  and  no  doubt  the  citizens  of 
the  county  will  feel  under  great  obligations  to  him,  when 
they  may  possibly  know,  through  the  medium  of  their 
pock-eU,  that  they  are  indebted  in  some  measure  to  him,  for 
the  desirable  privilege  of  paying  for  the  erection  of  public 
buildings,  which  otherwise  may  have  cost  him  nothing  :  and 
it  is  to  be  hoped,  that  his  opinions  in  his  own  county  and  on 
the  subject  of  a  national  road,  may  have  eqwil  weight.  The 
people,  however,  are  alive  to  the  question  of  the  erection  of 
the  public  buildings,  and  deeply  interested  in  the  acceptance 
of  the  donation,  and  it  remains  to  be  seen  whether  their 
opinions  are  to  have  their  just  weight  and  influence.  You 
have  long  enjoyed  their  confidence  and  respect,  and  I  am 
bold  to  hazard  a  conjecture  that  you  already  regret  your  in- 
decision. Believe  me,  gentlemen,  it  is  one  of  the  worst  traits 
in  the  human  character.  Imbecility  U  despised,  when  even 
erroneous  decisions  may  from  their  promjttness  be   re»peded. 


You  have  still  the  means  within  your  reach  of  justifying  the 
characters  you  have  heretofore  sustained  as  men  of  judg- 
ment and  decision.  Let  me  then  entreat  you  to  reflect  and 
act  from  the  dictates  of  your  own  opinions,  unbiassed  by 
the  threats  and  Jesuitical  opinions  of  others.  It  is  due  to 
yourselves,  it  is  due  to  the  people.  You  cannot  injustice  to 
them  and  their  rights,  shrink  from  the  discharge  of  your 
official  duties.  The  future  opinions  of  mankind  will  be 
formed  of  you  from  your  present  acts.  You  who  so  often 
met  the  dangers  which  were  incident  to  the  early  settle- 
ment of  this  country,  are  not  to  be  terrified  by  the  threats 
of  a  few  individuals,  from  the  conscientious  discharge  of 
your  duty  ;  nor  do  I  believe  that  you  are  iudifft-rent  to  the 
good  opinion  of  those  who  were  your  companions  in  arms  in 
those  trying  times.  If  the  reasons  here  urged,  however 
sincere  and  just  they  may  be,  shall  not  have  that  weight 
which  they  certainly  deserve,  a  resort  is  left  by  the  consti- 
tution and  laws  in  an  appeal  to  the  people,  who,  by  their 
suffrage  may  elect  such  as  will  be  willing  to  respect  and  en- 
force their  rights  and  interests. 

A   CITIZEN   OF    UIDGE   PR.VIRIE. 

The  writer  of  these  lines  may  not  have  been  a  citizen  of 
Ridge  Prairie,  but  his  words  are  sterling  ones,  and  well  worthy 
of  presentation.  He  had  probably  read  the  entries  made  in 
the  county  commissioners'  court,  under  date  of  June  6th, 
and  June  8th,  1820,  given  below,  and  was  now  indignant 
at  and  angry  with  the  commissioners  for  their  timidity  and 
indecision.  Had  he  known  how  bittely  and  unreasonably 
the  opposition  had  hammered  upon  those  officers,  his  lan- 
guage would  have  been  less  cutting  and  severe.  The  Upper 
Edwardsville  of  those  days  contained  but  a  few  houses,  but 
some  of  its  inhabitants  were  rather  exclusive,  if  not  aristo- 
cratic, heace  the  bitter  hatred  against  "  Buncomb,"  the  nick- 
name of  Upper  Edwardsville. 

The  court  could  not  ignore  the  proposition  of  Col.  Ste- 
phenson and  others,  and  so  made  mention  of  it,  and  another 
one  to  be  introduced  hereafter  iu  the  following : 

"June  6th,  1820. — The  court  having  received  proposals 
by  way  of  a  donation  to  the  county  of  Madison,  for  the  i)ur- 
pose  of  erecting  public  buildings,  they  still  hold  themselves 
in  readiness  to  receive  any  proposals  that  may  be  made 
until  Thursday  next  (June  8th),  at  which  time  they  will 
take  the  same  under  advisement. 

"June  8(/(,  1820. — The  court,  having  received  several 
propositions  by  way  of  donations  to  erect  public  buildmgs 
for  Madison  county,  took  the  same  under  consideration, 
and  not  being  fully  advised  thereof  ordered  that  the  pro- 
position be  filed,  until  the  next  court,  to  which  the  matter 
is  continued.  On  motion,  leave  is  given  Benjamin  Stephen- 
son and  T.  W.  Smith  to  withdraw  their  proposition,  and 
leave  is  also  given  to  Abraham  Prickett  to  withdraw  his. 

From  the  contents  of  the  above  it  would  appear  that 
Col.  Stephenson  and  T.  W.  Smith  thought  that  their  liberal 
and  all-embracing  offer  of  a  donation  was  treated  with  con- 
tempt by  being  mentioned  in  ihe  same  breath  with  that  un- 
dated and  undefined  donation  off.red  by  York  Sawyer, 
Esquire  Prickett   and  others.     The  records  do  not  state  if 


134 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


they  made  use  of  the  leave  granted  to  withdraw  their  propo- 
sitiou- 

The  contents  of  it  were  made  known  to  the  people  of  the 
country  through  the  press — l\m  Spectator  of  June  20th,  1820, 
brought  the  following  : 

In  compliance  with  a  request  of  several  respectable  citi- 
zens of  tliii  county  we  have  procured  for  publication,  copies 
of  the  following  papers: 

s 

"  Edwardsville,  5th  of  June,  1820. 
"Gentlemen, — Herewith  are  submitted  propositions 
for  the  ert  ction  and  completion  of  a  Court-house  and  Gaol 
for  the  county  of  Madison,  as  a  donation  including  fifty  lots 
in  the  town  of  Edwardsville.  We  beg  leave  to  refer  you  to 
the  propositions  themselve-i  for  the  terms  and  the  spirit  in 
which  tbey  were  made,  with  this  addition  that  any  security 
which  may  be  required  for  their  fulfilment  will  be  cheer- 
fully given ;  and  the  hope  that  the  liberality  of  the  offer 
and  the  high  advantage  resulting  to  the  county  from  its 
acceptance,  will  operate  as  a  sufficient  inducement  ou  your 
minds  to  adopt  them.  Ben.t.  STEniENSON, 

T.  W.  Smith. 

For  themselves,  Ninian  Edwards  and  the  other  proprietors." 
"  To  Hon.  Samuel  Judy,  George  Barnsback  and  William 
Jonts,  commifsiouers  of  the  county  of  Madison 

Impressed  with  the  importance  and  necesi-ity  of  the 
speedy  erection  of  the  public  buildings  for  the  county  of 
Maiiison,  the  undersigned  ofier  to  the  county  commissioners 
in  consideration  of  locating  such  buildings  on  lands  belong- 
ing to  them,  and  forming  part  of  the  town  of  Edwardsville, 
to  cause  such  buildings  to  be  erected  without  delay,  at  their 
own  expense,  and  to  make  a  donation  thereof  to  the  county  ; 
and  to  give  in  addition  thereto,  fifty  lots  in  the  said  town, 
■ftith  a  complete  title  in  fee,  with  warranty,  and  for  the  use 
of  the  county,  to  be  disposed  of  for  the  benefit  of  the  same. 

They  propose  that  the  buildings  shall  be  at  least •  feet 

in  front  and  rear,  and  in  depth feet,  two  stories  high, 

with  sufficient  rooms  for  the  holding  of  the  circuit  and 
county  commissioners'  courts,  as  also  convenient  offices 
for  the  clerks  and  the  sheriffs  of  the  county;  all  of  whose 
offices,  it  is  respectfully  suggested,  should  be  contiguous  to 
each  other  at  the  seat  of  justice,  and  to  which  it  is  pre- 
sumed those  officers  will  cheerfully  assent.     The  buildings 

to  be  of  brick.     The  jail  to  be feet  square,  the  walls 

feet   in    thickness;    windows   well  secured   with  iron   bars, 

and  to  be  finished  within months.    In  making  the  offer 

herein  suggested,  the  undersigned  are  led  naturally  to  an- 
swer a  question  which  might  be  asked:  they  have  no  wish 
to  conceal  the  motives  which  actuate  them.  They  conceive 
it  not  only  perfectly  honorable  but  laudable,  and  that  al- 
though it  is  one  which  may  possibly  enhance  the  value  of 
their  property  at  some  distant  period  ;  yet  that  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  county  are  more  immediately  interested  in  its 
acceptance,  than  are  those  who  are  certain  to  be  directly 
benefited  thereby.  The  convenience  of  the  inhabitants 
will  be  greatly  promoted  in  the  early  establishment  of  the 
public  buildings.     The  present  state  of  them  is  such  that 


they  unite  not  only  expense  with  much  inconvenience,  but 
that  they  badly  answer  the  purpose  for  which  they  were 
designed  ;  and  the  Gaol,  in  particular,  as  has  been  evinced 
by  the  repeated  evidences  of  the  fact,  is  wholly  insecure  and 
worse  than  useless,  for  the  safe  keeping  of  prisoners.  The 
office  for  the  clerks  of  the  courts,  is  also  an  expense  of  con- 
siderable magnitude,  which  would  cease  in  case  of  the  ac- 
ceptance of  the  proposals  here  offered ;  and  it  is  believed 
that  it  will  be  admitted  on  all  hands,  that  the  present  state 
of  the  county,  its  growth  and  general  prosperity  requires 
that  the  erection  of  the  public  buildings  shouhl  be  no  longer 
delayed  ;  but  an  obstacle,  considered  insurmountable,  has 
continued  to  interpose  to  prevent  it,  viz: — the  great  tax^ 
which  it  would  require  to  be  imposed  on  the  citizens  of  the 
county,  and  at  a  time  when,  least  of  all  others,  they  would 
be  enabled  to  bear  it;  one,  which,  under  the  pressure  of  the 
times  would  be  oppressive,  and  meet  with  great  opposition; 
and  indeed  it  is  impossible  to  say  at  what  future  day  they 
would  be  willing  to  contribute  a  sum  of  six  or  eight  thou- 
sand dollars  for  such  purposes,  as  it  is  apprehended  an 
amount,  not  short  of  that,  would  be  required.  If  then,  these 
difficulties  do  exist,  and  which  it  is  believed  will  not  be 
denied,  can  the  commissioners  consistently  with  their  duty, 
and  the  disposition  they  undoubtedly  entertain  for  their  fel- 
low-citizens, to  relieve  them  from  burthens,  when  they  have 
the  legal  means,  hesitate  to  accede  to  an  offer  which  not 
omly  establishes  their  public  bui  dings  upon  a  large  and 
liberal  scale,  but  has  the  additional  advantage  of  throwing 
into  the  county  treasury  the  means  of  reaping  a  revenue  of 
large  amount  from  the  sales  of  the  lots  offered,  thereby  re- 
lieving the  people  at  the  same  time  from  the  payment  of  a 
large  sum  of  money?  The  situation,  which  is  on  a  square 
of  440  feet,  is  eligble  for  the  courthouse,  and  cannot  be 
equalled  by  any  that  can  be  offered,  and  a  suffiaeut  quanti- 
ty of  ground  for  the  gaol  will  be  given  ou  which  it  may  be 
erected. 

The  undersigned  are  persuaded  that  the  great  mass  of  the 
county  are  decidedly  in  favor  of  the  proposition,  and  would 
consider  its  acceptance  as  the  harbinger  of  peace,  with  refer- 
ence to  a  division  of  the  county,  which  has  been  so  much 
agitated  by  designing  men  from  motives  peculiar  to  them- 
selves, and  as  terminating  a  dispute  so  well  calculated  in  its 
tendency  to  disturb  and  divide  those  whose  interests  and 
feelings  imperiously  require  should  be  united.  Under  this 
view  of  the  subject,  those  propositions  are  submitted,  sub- 
ject to  such  modifiations  as  may  be  required  to  complete  the 
general  objects  set  forth. 

Edwardsville,  June  5th,  1S20. 

Benjamin  Stephenson  and  T.  W.  Smith  for  themselves, 
Ninian  Edwards  and  the  other  proprietors. 

"  The  size  of  the  buildings  is  left  blank  in  order  that  the 
commissioners  may  insert  such  a  size  as  they  shall  deem 
necessary." 

Benj.  STErnENSON  &  T.  W.  Smith. 

The  other  proposition  to  make  a  donation  seems  to  have 
been  drawn  up  in  great  haste;  it  is  even  without  a  date  and 
could  certainly  never  have  been  enforced  by  law. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


135 


It  is  worded  as  follows : 

We  the  subscribers,  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Edwards- 
ville,  hereby  engage  to  furnish  the  amount  of  cash  or  other 
articles  which  may  be  necsssary  iu  building  a  court-house 
on  the  public  square  in  the  town  of  Edwardsville  for  the 
county  of  Madison  which  we  hereby  engage  to  build  and 
make  a  donation  of  to  the  county  of  Madison  aforesaid  ; 
hereby  engaging  to  pay  and  furnish  the  amount  of  cash  or 
other  articles  by  us  severally  subscribed. 

Joshua  Atwatev,  one  half  of  any  number  of  bricks  not 
exceeding  70,000. 

Walter  J  Scaly,  the  other  half  of  the  bricks. 

Nathaniel  Back  master,  by  Abraliam  Prickett,  agrees  to  do 
the  mason  work  of  building  the  above  house. 

Abraham  Prickett  agrees  to  pay  three  hundred  dollars  in 
cash. 

John  T.  Lusk  makes  a  donation  of  three  hundred  dollars. 

D.  Tolman,  one  hundred  dollars  in  carpenter  work. 

James  Wright  will  furnish  one  hundred  dollars  in  cash. 

Mijron  Patterson  will  give  one  hundred  dollars  in  carpen- 
ter work. 

John.  York  Saivyer,  one  hundred  dollars. 

John  C  Bruner  &  Co.,  one  hundred  dollars. 

P.  &  Y.  Page,  three  hundred  dollars. 

James  Cox,  one  hundred  dollars. 

John  Reynolds,  thirty  dollars. 

Philip  Pemberton,  fifty  dollars  in  carpenter  work. 

Ihomas  B.  Stevens,  twenty-five  dollars. 

Alsworth  Baker,  twenty -five  dollars. 

James  Mason,  one  hundred  dollars  in  lumber  at  the 
mill. 

Paris  Masan,  one  hundred  dollars  in  lumber  at  the  spot. 

Wm.  P.  MeKee,  twenty  dollars  in  cash. 

John   Taylor,  ten  dollars. 

Hail  Mason,  fifty  dollars  in  10  M.  shingles. 

Isaac  Prickett,  one  huudred  dollars  in  goods. 

Jeptha  ZoHi/i/?i,  twenty-five  dollars  in  hauling. 

The  amounts  above  subscribed  may  have  represented  a 
value  of  perhaps  $2500,  and  certainly  no  more. 

It  remains  inexplicable  why  men  like  Col.  Judy,  Barns- 
back  &  Jones  could  not  come  to  a  decision  so  as  to  choose 
between  the  two  propositions  of  donation.  Mr.  Jones  was 
not  friendly  to  Edwardsville,  which  circumstance  may  ac- 
count for  his  action  ;  but  it  is  barely  probable  that  Judy  and 
Barnsback  could  have  been  intimidated  and  prevented  from 
taking  action.  At  any  rate,  however,  the  matter  was  de- 
ferred, until  after  the  election,  and  the  reader  will  then 
learn  how  the  matter  was  disposd  of. 

We  return  to  the  further  proceedings  of  the  court. 

Plasa  township  was  organized  as  such  on  the  7th  of  June, 
1820.  It  began  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Wood  river  town- 
ship, thence  due  west  to  the  Missi.>;sipj)i,  thence  up  said  river 
to  the  mouth  of  Illinois  river  until  it  strikes  the  mouth  of  the 
Macoupin,  theic:3  up  the  Macoupin  to  range  No.  8,  thence  to 
the  northeast  corner  of  Wood  river  township.  Joseph 
White,  John  G.  Lofton  and  Josiah  Cummins  were  appointed 
judges  of  election. 

Apple  creek  township  organized  on   the  same  day ;  began 


at  the  mouth  of  the  Macoupin,  thence  up  Illinois  river  to 
the  sectional  line  between  towns  twelve  and  thirteen,  thence 
east  to  range  line  8,  thence  along  said  Hue  to  Macoupin, 
thence  down  with  it  to  the  place  of  beginning.  Thomas 
Carlin,  Thomas  Rattan  and  David  Barrow  were  appointed 
judges  of  election. 

With  this  order  ended  the  labors  of  this — the  first  board 
of  county  commissioners.  The  coming  election  absorbed  all 
thoughts.  The  press  devoted  all  available  space  to  political 
effusions  and  harangues,  of  which  a  few  are  here  introduced 
to  illustrate  the  spirit  of  those  times. 

GEORGE   CHUl'vCn ill's   ADDRESS. 

To  the  Electors  of  the  County  of  Madison. 

Fellow-citizens :  At  the  solicitation  of  many  respectable 
citizens  I  have  become  a  candidate  for  your  suffrages  at  the 
approaching  ekction,  as  one  of  the  representatives  of  this 
county  for  the  General  Assembly  of  this  state.  Iu  making 
this  annunciation,  respect  for  the  public  opinion  and  a  jusj 
sense  of  propriety  require  from  me  a  frank  avowal  of  my 
political  principles  and  a  candid  delineation  of  the  course 
which  I  intend  to  pursue,  if  honored  with  a  majority  of  your 
votes. 

A  republican  by  birth,  by  p-inciple  and  by  practice,  I 
have  never  adopted  the  opinion  that,  in  order  to  constitute 
a  freeman  he  should  have  liberty  to  rob  his  fellow-man  of 
his  freedom.  Considering  slavery  as  derogatory  to  our  na- 
tional character, — as  inconsistent  with  the  political  princi- 
ples which  we  all  profess  to  believe, — as  a  curse  not  only  to 
the  slave,  but  the  slaveholder  also,  and  so  highly  dangerous 
to  the  public  tranquillity,  I  have  deemed  it  my  duty,  when- 
ever occasion  has  required,  to  exert  my  best  abilities  in 
opposition  to  the  progress  and  extension  of  a  system  of 
injustice  so  degrading  to  the  character  of  our  country  and 
portending  the  most  baleful  consequences. 

The  most  difficult  task  to  be  performed  by  the  next  legis- 
lature is  the  correction  of  the  errors  of  their  predecessors. 
These  are  so  numerous  that  only  a  small  proportion  of  them 
can  be  glanced  at  in  the  limits  of  an  address.  The  tax  law  I 
consider  exceedingly  unjust  and  o]i])ressive  in  its  operation, 
as  it  lays  as  high  a  tax  on  the  poor  man's  uncultivated  land, 
for  which  only  one  instalment  has  been  pa  d,  as  upon  the 
rich  man's  improved  farm,  for  which  the  payment  has  been 
completed.  The  repugnance  of  this  law  to  the  constitution 
and  the  compact  between  the  United  States  and  this  state  is 
too  palpable  to  require  elucidation. 

The  injustice  of  the  road  law  is  perhaps  still  more  glaring. 
That  a  mechanic  or  laboror  who  possesses  no  interest  in 
the  soil,  should  be  required  to  pay  a  road  tax  of  five 
dollars  per  auinim,  while  the  wealthy  owner  of  extensive 
domains  is  exempted,  on  account  of  being  fifty  years  of  age, 
from  paying  any  road  tax  whatever,  is,  in  my  opinion,  equally 
contrary  to  the  constitution,  to  justice  and  to  sound  policy. 
The  power  of  impressment  given  to  the  supervisors  of  high- 
ways, though  perhaps  never  carried  into  execution,  ought 
not  to  be  suffered  to  disgrace  the  statute  book.  Sheriffs  are 
not  by  our  present  laws   allowed  a  compensation  for  the 


136 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


herculean  task  of  collecting  the  taxes.  This  and  many  other 
circumstances  of  a  similar  nature  call  loudly  for  reform. 
Another  question  is  likely  to  be  agitated,  of  great  local  im- 
portance, and  wliieh  in  its  consequences  will  greatly  affect 
the  interests  of  the  state.  As  my  sentiments  on  this  subject 
differ  from  many  of  those  for  whom  I  have  the  highest 
respect,  I  deem  it  necessary  to  make  them  known,  together 
with  the  reasons  on  which  they  are  founded. 

It  will  be  recollected  that  at  the  last  session  of  the  General 
Assembly,  a  petition  was  presented  for  the  erection  of  a 
narrow  strip  of  land  from  the  western  edge  of  the  county 
into  a  separate  county,  with  the  view  of  locating  a  county  seat 
at  some  of  the  towns  on  the  Mississippi,  and  of  thus  accelera- 
ting the  growth  of  such  town,  with  the  further  view  of  remov- 
ing the  seat  of  justice  from  Edwardsville,  and  of  locating  it 
at  some  town  now  laid  off,  or  hereafter  to  be  laid  off,  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  county.  As  it  is  expected  that  an  at- 
tempt will  be  made  at  the  next  session  to  efiect  the  same 
objects,  I  deem  it  proper  to  state  that  I  am  decidedly  opposed 
to  the  contemplated  division  of  the  county,  and  to  any  altera- 
tion of  its  eastern,  southern  or  western  boundaries.  The 
county  of  Madison,  extending  to  the  northern  limits  of  the 
state,  there  can  be  no  objection  to  the  erection  of  new  coun- 
ties in  the  northern  part  of  the  county,  whenever  the  in- 
creasing population  in  that  quarter  shall  render  it  necessary, 
leaving  this  county  in  a  convenient  form  and  with  a  re- 
spectable portion  of  territory. 

I  am  opposed  to  the  contemplated  division  because  I  con- 
ceive that  the  removal  of  the  seat  of  justice  from  the  place 
where  it  has  been  located  by  law  would  be  a  violation  of  the 
public  faith.  The  owners  of  property  in  Edwardsville  have 
purchased  it  at  high  prices,  in  the  full  reliance  that  the 
county  seat  was  permanently  to  remain  at  that  town.  To 
remove  it  would  destroy  the  confidence  of  the  people  in  the 
good  faith  of  the  government,  and  would  furnish  a  pre- 
cedent productive  of  the  most  alarming  consequences.  Once 
admit  that  a  county  may  be  divided,  or  a  county  seat  re- 
moved,— not  for  the  greater  accommodation  of  the  public, 
but  merely  to  promote  the  growth  of  particular  towns,— 
and  you  give  the  signal  for  townmakers  and  speculators 
to  involve  the  state  in  disorder  and  confusion,  to  promote 
their  own  aggrandizement.  As  self  interest  is  the  ruling 
principle  of  mankind,  each  one  who  might  think  that  his 
own  interest  would  be  promoted  by  the  measure,  would 
insist  upon  having  a  county  seat  located  upon  his  own 
land. 

The  towns  which  might  be  converted  into  county  seats 
■would  receive  no  solid  advantage  from  that  measure.  Very 
few  will  purchase  property  or  make  improvements  in  such 
towns,  when  they  are  conscious  that  the  county  seat  will  be 
removed  whenever  an  adverse  faction  may  obtain  the  ascen- 
dancy. Let  the  proposed  measure  be  adopted,  and  the  legis- 
lature will  have  no  time  to  devote  to  the  enactment  of 
wholesome  laws  for  the  benefit  of  the  great  mass  of  their 
constituents,  but  will  find  continual  employment  in  carving 
out  new  counties  for  the  accommodation  of  petty  villages, 
and  in  adjusting  the  claims  and  settling  the  disputes  of 
•warring  speculators.     The  election  of  candidates  for  repre- 


sentative officers  will  be  made  to  depend  not  upon  their 
ability  and  integrity,  but  upon  their  places  of  residence  and 
their  predilections  for,  or  autipathies  against,  particular 
towns  and  villages.  Ignorance  and  imbecility  will  become 
the  sole  passports  to  the  legislative  hall ;  for  men  com- 
posed of  higher  qualifications  will  disdain  to  become  the 
catspaws  of  avaricious  speculators.  In  this  manner  the 
people  will  become  divided  into  petty  factions,  the  most  bitter 
animosities  will  be  engendered,  and  the  general  harmony  of 
the  state  will  be  destroyed.  This  is  not  chimerical.  Who  that 
reflects  on  the  nature  of  that  spirit  of  speculation  which  has 
unfortunately  taken  such  deep  root  among  u^,  is  not  con- 
strained to  acknowledge  that  all  these  consequences  and  many 
others  slill  more  to  be  dreaded,  will  inevitably  follow  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  principle  against  which  I  contend?  Simi- 
lar questions  are  this  year  in  many  other  counties  of  this 
state,  and  similar  means  are  resorted  to  for  the  promotion 
of  the  same  grand  object  of  all  speculators,  namely,  self- 
aggrandizement.  Does  it  not,  therefore,  behoove  the  inde- 
pendent farmers  and  mechanics,  the  efficient  population  of 
the  state,  to  place  their  sovereign  veto  upon  all  attempts  to 
promote  the  interests  of  the/ei«  at  the  expense  of  the  vvnuj, 
and  to  build  up  private  fortunes  upon  the  ruins  of  the  public 
tranquillity  and  the  general  welfare? 

Unjust  as  the  proposed  division  would  be  to  the  owners  of 
property  at  the  present  county  seat,  it  is  not  less  inexpe- 
dient as  it  regards  this  county,  and,  I  may  add,  as  it  regards 
the  inhabitants  even  of  that  part  which  is  proposed  to  be 
erected  into  a  new  county.  A  reference  to  the  map  is  suffi- 
cient to  show  that  many  of  the  citizens  of  the  proposed  new 
county  reside  nearer  to  the  town  of  Edwardsville  than  to 
either  of  the  places  in  contemplation  as  the  seat  of  justice 
of  the  new  county.  This  inconvenience  would  soon  be 
greatly  increased,  as  the  rapid  growth  of  the  settlements 
north  of  the  contemplated  county  seat  would,  in  a  short 
time,  require  its  removal  further  north — thus  leaving  the 
inhabitants  of  the  south  part  of  the  proposed  new  county  at 
a  great  distance  from  the  seat  of  justice,  although  the  same 
inhabitants  reside  but  a  small  distance  from  the  present 
county  seat.  The  inconvenient  shape  of  the  proposed  county 
(being  in  some  places  less  than  five  miles  wide),  is  another 
insuperable  objection  to  the  division.  And  however  numer- 
ous may  be  the  advocates  for  the  division,  while  each  expects 
to  have  a  county  seat  located  at  his  own  village,  in  his 
own  neighborhood,  or  on  his  own  farm,  yet,  as  it  is  impossi- 
ble that  they  should  all  be  gratified  in  this  expectation,  so 
it  is  obvious  that  a  majority  of  thosi  who  now  advocate 
would  ultimately  deprecate  a  division,  were  it  to  take  place. 
The  proposed  division  would  also  operate  disadvantageously 
for  the  settlements  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county,  as  it 
would  have  an  obvious  tendency  to  retard  erection  into  dis- 
tinct counties. 

These  considerations  appear  to  my  mind  to  be  entitled  to 
sufficient  weight  to  induce  all  real  friends  to  the  welfare  and 
prosperity  of  the  state  to  unite  in  opposition  to  a  measure, 
which,  however  pure  the  motives,  and  however  plausible  the 
arguments  of  its  supporters,  cannot  fail  to  produce  the 
most  pernicious  effects.     And  I  cannot  but  hope  that  the 


HIS  TOUT  OF  2fA  BISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


f37 


patriotism  and  good  sense  of  many  who  are  now  found  in 
the  ranks  of  the  friends  of  division,  will  i  .duce  them,  after 
a  calm  deliberation  upon  its  tendency,  to  spurn  the  idea  of 
seeking  the  promotion  of  any  imaginary  interests  of  their 
own  at  the  expense  of  the  general  welfare. 

My  sentiments  on  this  subject  are  uot  dictated  by  self-in- 
terest. Having  no  property  which  can  be  particularly 
aifected  by  the  division,  my  opposition  to  it  is  the  result  of  a 
firm  conviction  that  such  a  measure  would  be  a  flagrant 
violation  of  the  public  faith,  which  every  citizen  is  interested 
in  preserving  inviolate  ;  that  it  would  be  productive  of  great 
inconveniences,  and  would  materially  increase  the  public 
burdens  of  this  county  ;  and  that  it  would  constitute  a  pre- 
cedent highly  dangerous  to  the  future  harmony,  pr.)spcrity, 
and  improvement  of  the  state. 

I  have  thus,  fellow-citizens,  endeavored  to  give  you  my 
ideas  on  the  most  prominent  subjects  likely  to  come  before 
the  next  General  Assembly.  Other  questions  will  necessarily 
claim  their  attention  ;  with  respect  to  which  I  must  content 
myself  with  promising  the  unwearied  exertion  of  my  best 
abilities  in  promoting  the  general  prosperity.  A  cultivator 
of  the  Soil,  engaged  in  no  schemes  of  speculation,  and  de- 
pending for  a  livelihoood  on  ray  own  industry,  I  have  no 
interests  to  promote  and  no  wishes  to  gratify  but  such  as  are 
equally  the  interests  and  the  wishes  of  the  great  body  of  my 
fellow-citizens-  To  be  honored  with  their  confidence  would 
be  the  source  of  my  greatest  gratification,  and  to  deserve  it 
is  the  object  of  my  highest  ambition. 


George  Chukchill. 


Madison  County,  May  3,  1820. 


The  election  was  to  be  held  on  the  first  Monday  of  August 
of  said  year.  The  address  of  Mr.  Churchill  was  followed 
by  the  appeals  of  others,  who,  however,  had  less  to  say. 
They  all  declared  themselves  to  be  opposed  to  a  division  of 
the  county  by  any  line  running  north  and  south. 

Isom  Gillham  followed  Churchill's  example,  and  came 
out  in  brief  address  published  in  the  Speddor  ou  the  1.3th  of 
June.  He  says :  '•  From  the  view  I  have  always  taken  of 
legislation,  it  is  uot  like  that  of  horse-swapping,  where  men 
generally  are  trying  to  get  the  advantage  of  one  another." 
Mr.  Gillham  came  out  with  his  addess,  in  reply  to  a  commu- 
nication of  a  "  voter,"  to  tell  him,  that  people  had  no  right 
of  instructing  the  candidate  before  election,  etc  "  And,  as 
to  the  cutting  and  carving  of  the  state,  or  even  this  county, 
into  small  counties,  it  is  a  jiriuciple  that  I  am  very  much 
opposed  to." 

Daniel  Parkin.son's  address,  published  at  the  same  time,  is 
given  verbatim  et  literatim,  and,  as  his  grammar  and  king's 
English  are  not  very  perfect,  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  H. 
Warren,  of  the  Spectator,  did  not  favor  Mr.  Parkinson's  elec- 
tion. 

William  Ottwell  announced  himself  a  candidate  on  the 
24th  of  July.  In  his  address  he  denied  the  accusation  that 
Mr.  Churchill  and  himself  had  "put  their  heads  together"  to 
defeat  Captain  Nathaniel  Buckmaster. 

Joseph  Borough,  the  next  candidate,  was  very  brief  in  his 
18 


remarks:     "Fellow-citizens, you  know  who  and  what  I  am," 
is  about  all  that  was  said. 

Nathaniel  Buckmaster's  pronunciameuto  is  an  ably  writ- 
ten piece,  confining  itself  to  the  question  of  dividing  the 
county,  to  which  the  captain  is  opposed. 

John  F.  McCuUom  came  out  in  a  few  words,  to  defend 
himself  against  some  accusations  that  had  been  circulated  in 
the  "  Sangamo  "  country. 

Some  of  the  candidates  for  the  office  of  county  com- 
missioners followed  the  example  of  the  assembly-men  by 
publishing  cards  and  lengthy  addresses  in  the  Spectator. 
They  were :  William  L.  May,  Hail  Mason,  Curtis  Blakeman, 
and  Micajah  Cox.    The  hitter's  address  may  find  room  here  : 

"  Fellow-citizens:  I  now  come  before  you  as  a  candidate  for 
your  suffrages  at  the  ensuing  election,  for  county  com- 
missioner, and  as  the  people  must  undoubtedly  be  tired  of 
election  harangues,  I  shall  trouble  them  but  little.  There 
is  one  question  which  appears  to  excite  the  public  mind,  viz: 
the  erection  of  public  buildings  by  donation  instead  of  tax- 
ation. I  am  decidedly  in  favor  of  any  lawful  measure  that 
can  be  adopted  for  the  erection  of  the  public  buildings  for 
the  county  of  Madison,  without  taxing  the  people,  and  in 
favor  of  any  advantageous  donation  for  the  u.se  of  the 
county,  that  will  screen  the  people  from  a  heavy  tax.  It  is 
well  known  that  the  time  of  service,  power  and  duties  of  the 
county  commissioners  are  to  be  regulated  and  defined  by 
law,  and  let  them  be  who  they  may,  they  should  always  act 
with  caution.  And  I  can  venture  to  say,  that  those  who 
honor  me  with  their  votes,  believing  that  they  are  voting  for 
one  that  is  not  easily  biased  from  his  known  duty  when 
engaged  in  public  business,  will  not  be  deceived. 

Micajah  Cox." 

"  P.  S. — If  elected,  and  it  shall  be  considered  lawful,  I  shall 
be  decidedly  in  fiivor  of  having  the  public  buildings  in  the 
southeast  part  of  Ed  wardsville,  as  the  site  is  the  most  eligible 
and  healthy,  and  equall}'  convenient." 

The  other  candidates,  of  course,  pronounced  themselves  also 
in  favor  of  the  "donation  "  plan,  without  committing  them- 
selves to  the  location  of  the  buildings. 

It  should  here  be  stated,  that  none  of  the  gentlemen  that 
came  out  with  public  addresses  were  elected.  The  success- 
ful candidates  were:  Amos  Squire,  James  Tunnell  and 
Abraham  Prickett.  At  the  election  1186  votes  had  been 
cast,  to  wit.:  At  Goshen  (Edwardsville  included),  231 ; 
Ridge  Prairie,  242  ;  Six  Mile  Prairie,  81 ;  Greenfield  (Alton 
included),  115;  Wood  river,  8G  ;  Piasa,  65;  Bounty  Lands, 
15;  Apple  creek,  76;  Sangamo,  42;  Fork  Prairie,  89; 
Springfield,  50 ;  Silver  creek,  94. 

The  successful  candidates  for  the  general  assembly  were : 
William  Ottwell,  Nathaniel  Buckmaster  and  Joseph 
Borough,  who  received  532,  518  and  633  votes  respectively, 
Churchill  had  449;  D.  Parkinson,  32i) ;  J.  F.  McCollum, 
312 ;  William  Jones,  203  ;  Isom  Gillham,  189  ;  P.  Peters. 
124,  and  Benjamin  Steadman,  106  votes. 

The  vote  polled  for  Churchill  is,  perhaps,  the  most  inter- 
esting. He  made  the  race  principally  as  an  outspoken  anti- 
slavery  man,  which  was  fully  understood  by  the  voters. 


]3§ 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


He  had  a  majority  vote  at  the  following  precincts  ; 

Goshen,      123  votes  out  of  231- 

—majority    8 

Six  Mile,     45     •' 

"       81 

9 

Sangamo,      21      " 

"      42 

u           2 

Springfield,  40     " 

"      50 

30 

He  was  left  in  luinority  at : 

Kidge  Prairie, 

112   out  of 

242-18 

Greenfield  (Alton), 

16 

115—83 

Wood  river, 

28 

86—30 

Piasa, 

17         " 

65-31 

Bounty  Land, 

7        " 

1.^-  1 

Apple  Creek 

5        '' 

76—66  ; 

Fork  Prairie, 

9 

89—71 

Silver  Creek, 

15        " 

94-63 

363     49 
49 

Minority  of  314  votes. 
SECOND   BOARD,  1820-1821. 

Amos  Squire,  James  Tunnel  and  Abraham  Prickett. 

This  board  decided  in  their  March  term  to  contract  for 
the  building  of  a  jail.  The  proposition  of  Col.  Stephenson 
and  others,  to  erect  the  county  buildings  at  their  own  expense> 
had  been  ignored  as  heretofore  stated,  and  in  consequece  a 
violent  agitation  arose  in  opposition  to  the  proposed  con- 
tracts. Meetings  were  held  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  and 
petitions  poured  in  from  every  side,  praying  the  court  not  to 
create  a  county  debt  at  so  unpropitious  a  time,  when  the 
scarcity  of  current  money  had  brought  about  an  almost  un- 
bearable condition  of  affairs.  The  proceedings  and  resolu- 
tions of  one  of  these  assemblies  is  here  introduced  at  length  : 

COUNTY   CONCERNS. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Eidge  Prairie  township,  at 
Troy,  on  the  4th  inst.  convened  for  the  purpose  of  taking 
into  consideration  the  late  order  of  the  county  commissioners, 
for  the  erection  of  a  new  jail^Gen.  Samuel  Whiteside  being 
appointed  chairman,  and  James  Eiggin,  secretary,  the  fol- 
lowing resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted: 

Rcmlved,  That  it  is  the  opinion  of  this  meeting  that  it  is 
inexpedient  to  build  a  new  jail  at  this  time  in  the  county,  at 
public  expense,  and  that  a  few  repairs  on  the  old  jail  will 
answer  every  public  object 

Resolved,  That  it  is  the  opinion  of  this  meeting  that  the 
pressure  of  the  times  and  the  scarcity  of  money  is  such,  that 
it  is  the  duty  of  the  county  commissioners  to  reduce,  instead 
of  increasing,  the  taxes  on  the  people  at  this  time,  and  that 
it  would  now  be  extremely  oppressive,  and  highh'  unjust,  to 
attempt  the  erection  of  any  public  building,  which  must  of 
necessity  be  paid  for  by  levying  enormous  taxes  on  the 
people,  who  at  no  time,  have  been  so  entirely  incapable  of 
procuring  money  wherewith  to  pay  it. 

Resolved,  That  any  public  officers  who  will  at  a  time  like 
the  present,  go  on  to  impose  additional  taxes  on  the  people 
for  the  erection  of  the  proposed  unnecessary  building,  both 
for  the  size,  and  the  manner  of  structure,  as  appears  from 
the  plan  exhibited  by  them,  and  against  the  known  wishes  of 
the  people,  ought  deservedly  to  forfeit  their  confidence. 

Resolved,  That  it  be  recommended  to  the  farmers  in  the 


several  townships  in  the  county,  to  assemble  without  delay, 
and  enter  into  resolutions  to  be  presented  to  the  com- 
missioners, couched  in  firm  and  respectful  terms  against  the 
erection  of  any  new  jail  or  public  building  at  this  time  at 
public  cost,  or  the  imposition  of  any  additional  tax,  pledging 
themselves  to  oppose  such  measures  by  every  proper  and 
necessary  effort — and  that  they  appoint  delegates  from  their 
several  townships  to  meet  on  the  4th  Monday  of  July,  at  the 
court-house  in  Edwardsville,  to  present  such  resolutions  and 
remonstrances. 

Resolved,  That  the  proceedings  of  this  meeting  be  signed 
by  the  chairman  and  secretary,  and  published  in  the  Edwards- 
ville Spectator. 

Samuel  Whiteside,  Chairman. 

James  Riggin,  Secretary. 

The  friends  of  the  county  cimmissioaers  now  came  to  the 
rescue,  and  called  mettings  for  the  purpose  of  endorsing  the 
steps  taken.     We  introduce  here  the  following  ; 

At  a  respectable  meeting  of  the  farmers  of  the  Marine 
Settlement,  in  Madison  county,  held  at  R.  P.  Allen's.  July 
16, 1821,  Ciptain  George  C.  Allen  being  called  to  the  chair 
and  John  Anderson  being  elected  secretary,  the  following 
resolutions  were  adopted  : 

1st.  Resolved,  That  it  is  the  opinion  of  the  meeting  that 
a  public  jail  is  absolutely  necessary  for  the  insuring  of  the 
people  of  this  county  from  the  depredations  of  assassins  and 
midnight  robbers. 

2d.  Resolved,  That  it  is  the  law  of  the  land,  as  it  is  the 
duty  of  the  county  commissioners  forthwith,  to  cause  to  be 
erected  a  good  and  substantial  jail  for  the  use  of  the  county. 

3d.  Resolved,  That  in  order  to  secure  our  persons  and 
property  from  abuse,  pillage  and  robberies  we  will  cheerfully 
contribute  our  proportion  of  taxes  to  defray  the  expenses 
which  may  be  incurred  in  building  a  jail  for  the  county. 

4th.  Resolved,  That  we  approve  the  proceedings  of  the 
county  commissioners  in  their  late  special  sessions  in  ordering 
a  jail  to  be  erected  at  the  county  seat,  and  that  they  shall 
have  our  warmest  support  in  the  execution  of  so  laudable  an 
undertaking. 

George  C.  Allen,  President. 

John  Anderson,  Secretary. 

The  commissioners  were  determined  to  carry  out  their 
order.  Bids  for  contracts  were  invited  at  once.  The  jail 
was  to  be  built  in  the  town  of  Edwardsville,  on  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  public  square  in  said  town,  in  the  rear  of 
the  old  court  house,  to  be  constructed  of  brick  and  timber, 
30x24  feet,  and  two  stories  high,  one  cell  to  be  com- 
pleted by  the  first  Monday  in  December,  1821,  and  the 
balance  by  the  first  JNIonday  in  March,  1882.  §-500  in  state 
paper  were  promised  to  be  paid  as  soon  as  the  work  is  com- 
pleted and  the  balance  the  county  will  be  good  for  ! 

The  proposition  found  an  answer  in  the  following  bids: 
Jeptha   Lamkin,  .S5,U00 ;    John  Blandford,  3.500;    Myron 
Patterson,  3,500 ;  Walter  J.  Seely,  2,800  ;  Benjamin  Stephen, 
son,  2,000;   T.  W.  Smith,  1,500 ;    Hooper  Warren,  1,200 
W.  H.  Hopkins,  550 ;  Ninian  Edwards,  100. 

The  last  bid  was  worded  as  follows  : 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


139 


Gentlemen,  If  you  are  determined  to  persevere  in  build- 
ing the  jail  which  you  have  caused  to  be  advertised  to  be  let 
to  the  lowed  bidder,  I  will  contract  witli  you  to  have  it 
erected  at  the  place  and  within  the  time  and  according  to  the 
plan  advertised  for  the  sura  of  one  hundred  dollars,  giving 
you  such  a  bond  as  by  your  order  is  required,  according  to 
its  true  literal  import. 

July  23,  1821,  Ninian  Euwards. 

To  A.  Prickett,  A.  Squire  and  James  Tunnell, 

Commimoners  of  Madison  county,  HI. 

The  Senator  and  future  governor  of  Illinois  must  have 
felt  chagrined  to  have  his  bid  rejected  ;  the  phraseology  of 
the  bid — the  true  literal  import — may  have  had  something  to 
do  with  the  refusal.  Others,  however,  did  not  fare  better, 
as  the  contract  was  let  to  Walter  J.  Seely  for  S2,800.  He, 
too,  had  occasion  to  learn  the  meaning  of  the  phrase  :  "  The 
county  ivill  be  good  for  the  balance  ; '  for  it  should  here  be 
stated  that  the  county  revenue  of  1821,  all  told,  amounted 
to  $1,646.28,  and  in  1822  to  82,130.22.  Seely's  experience 
is  most  graphically  illustrated  in  the  following  letter : 

Edwardsville,  March  4th,  1822. 
To  the  Commissioners'  Court  of  Madison  county  : — 

I  beg  leave  to  lay  before  you  a  detail  of  ray  present  dis- 
tressing and  unhappy  situation.  I  need  not  tell  you  when  I 
bound  myself  in  a  contract  and  security  to  the  court  to 
build  a  public  jail  of  certain  size,  to  be  done  in  a  given  time, 
also  at  the  same  time  you  bound  and  pledged  yourselves  to 
pay  me  five  hundred  dollars  in  state  paper  so  soon  as  one 
cell  was  finished  fit  for  use.  On  the  good  faith  and  on  the 
virtue  of  this  contract  with  the  court  I  have  persevered  and 
made  use  of  every  means  to  perform  on  my  part.  I  have  made 
use  of  all  the  money  I  had  appropriated  for  paying  my  smal' 
debts,  believing  in  good  faith  that  you  would  pay  me  accor- 
ding to  contract,  which  would  enable  me  to  pay  mine  also ; 
but  alas !  I  am  here,  sick  and  confined,  not  able  to  attend  to 
my  business,  but  harrassed  every  day  by  my  creditors,  some 
pleading  needs  and  necessity,  some  threatening  vengeance, 
two  executions  in  the  hands  of  the  constable  for  $80.00  or 
upwards,  such  which  must  be  paid  or  my  property  will  be 
sold  by  the  officer.  Not  only  this,  but  I  have  to  furnish 
materials  and  finish  the  jail.  The  glass,  spikes,  iron  and 
planks  to  complete  the  jail,  costing  at  least  §100.00  in  St. 
Louis,  cannot  be  had  without  cash  in  hand.  Now  I  have 
only  to  solicit  and  pray  the  court  to  take  into  consideration 
my  before  mentioned  necessity,  and  to  deal  by  me,  as  the 
court  may  think  proper  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  your 
office  in  which  you  act.  In  sentiments  of  respect  I  am  your 
humble  servant,  etc.,  Walter  J.  Seely. 

The  court  ordered  this  letter  to  he  filed,  and  on  those  files 
it  remained  until  brought  to  light  sixty  years  later,  April. 
1882. 

The  public  square  on  which  the  first  county  buildings 
had  been  erected  was  now,  August  31st,  1821,  deeded  to  the 
county  by  T.  Kirkpatrick  and  James  Mason.  Mason's 
deed,  dated  July  25th,  1821,  conveys  for  the  consideration 


of  one  cent,  to  the  commissioners  and  their  successors  in 
office,  the  lot  on  which  the  jail  and  court-house  stand,  being 
one  hundred  and  forty-six  feet  square  and  containing  one- 
half  acre,  bounded  on  the  southwest  by  Main  street,  and 
southeast  by  Cross  street  No.  4,  being  the  lot  selected  by  the 
commissioners  appointed  to  locate  the  seat  of  justice  for 
Madison  county,  by  the  legislature  of  the  territory  of  Illi- 
nois, at  their  session  in  the  winter  of  1813-'14,  in  trust  for 
the  use  of  the  county  on  which  to  build,  erect  and  continue 
a  court-house,  jail  and  other  public  buildings  for  the  use 
of  the  county,  and  for  no  other  purpose  whatever. 

On  the  same  day,  August  loth,  1821,  the  court  accepted 
the  proposal  of  John  York  Sawyer  and  others  for  building 
a  brick  court-house  on  the  public  square  in  the  town  of 
Edwardsville  as  by  "  writing  on  file."  (This  proposal  has 
been  given  at  length  heretofore).  John  T.  Lusk  and  others 
gave  bond  for  building  said  court-house,  and  "  the  court, 
for  themselves  and  successors,  agreed  to  acjept  of  the 
said  court-house  when  completed  according  to  contract  this 
day  entered  into."  It  took  many  years  before  this  court- 
house was  com[)leted  ,  as  will  appear  hereafter. 

The  returns  of  the  election  of  August,  1821,  gave  Emanuel 
J.  West  the  seat  of  James  Tunnell. 

A  tax  receipt  of  1820,  probably  the  oldest  document  of 
this  kind  now  in  existence  in  the  county,  may  find  room 
here.  It  was  handed  to  the  writer  by  D.  W.  Collett,  Esq., 
of  Upper  Alton. 

Mrs.  Ann  Collett  for  taxes,  Dr.  for  year  1820. 
Town  lot  in  Milton,  valued  at  $1000  ] 
Town  lot  in  Milton,     "         "       200  i 


200  ! 


I  County. 


Tax  -510.20 


Town  lot  in  Milton.     "         " 
Oneindenturedblackmanand 

two  indentured  mulatto  girls    1400  | 
Two  horses,  "      140  j 

State  tax  on 

North  half,  section  5,  north  half  of  section  4,  northeast 
quarter  and  southwest  quarter  of  section  8,  northwest  quar- 
ter of  section  17,  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  20  the 
east  half  of  the  southwest  ipiarter  of  section  5,  and  the  east 
half  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  8,  all  in  the  town- 
ship, 5  north,  range  S  west,  of  which  480  acres  are  of  1st, 
400  of  second  and  640  of  od  quality  land  ;  tax  $22.00. 

Madison  county,  November  8,  1820. 

Received  of  Ann  Collett  thirty-seven  dollars  and  ■"  in 
full  for  state  and  county  taxes  for  the  present  year  1820,  as 
above  stated.  William  B.  Whiteside, 

Sheriff  of  Madison  Count)-. 

The  county  tax  was  levied  on  town  lots  and  personal  pro- 
perty only,  and  the  rate  for  the  year  1820  was  50  cents  on 
every  100  dollars'  valuation,  and  there  was  also  a  poll  ta.x; 
of  50  cents  on  every  unmarried  man  in  the  family,  which 
will  account  for  the  odd  50  cents  in  the  tax  of  $15.20.  The 
tax  on  land  was  very  light,  $22.00  on  1520  acres  in  Fort 
Russell  township.  The  lauds  described  in  the  foregoing  re- 
ceipt are  now  owned  by  Hugh  Burns,  Samuel  Forman,  E. 
C  Smith,  J.  M.  Aljets,  Edwin  Kennedy,  Daniel  Schmidt, 


140 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


W.  C.  Flagg,  heirs,  H.  G.  Helnikamp,  John  Helmkamp, 
Nimrod  Stillwell,  Robert  Kelsey,  Thomas  Joues,  E.  C  Bal- 
ster,  J.  F.  Herreu  aud  J.  &  W.  Bitts.  They  are  assessed  at 
39,73(1  dollars,  about  §26.00  per  acre,  aud  are  worth  at 
least  880,000.  The  taxes  on  said  land  in  1881  amounted  to 
8743.64. 

THIRD  BOARD,  1821-1822. 

Amos  Squire,  Abraham  Prickett  and  Emanuel;  J.  West. 
The  labors  of  this  board  were  confined  to  narrow  limits. 
The  letter  of  Seely  explains  in  what  condition  the  county 
was  financially.  He  had  received  a  county  order  instead  of 
the  solemnly  promised  8500  in  state  paper  1822,  June  3d. 
The  court  found  the  jail  built  by  W.  J.  Seely  to  be  strong 
and  substantial,  completed  according  to  contrdct.  It  was 
received  for  the  use  of  the  county,  and  the  clerk  was  ordered 
to  notify  the  circuit  court  of  same.  The  balance  due  Seely ; 
the  county  was  to  be  good  for  it ;  was  paid  to  him  in  county 
orders  of  85.00,  810.00,  $15.00  and  825.00  each,  aggrega- 
ting 82,300.  •     i 

The  sheriff,  ^^ .  B.  "Whiteside,  made  his  return  as  collector 
by  paying  the  full  amount  of  revenue  in  redeemed  county  ! 
orders  into  court.  George  Belsha,  the  county  treasurer,  re- 
jiorted  that  the  fines  and  licenses  paid  to  him  during  the 
year  amounted  to  8203. .50.  He  had  also  listed  the  personal 
property  for  the  new  tax  levy  aud  received  861.80.  He  had 
money  enough  in  the  treasury  to  pay  himself,  and  826  00 
more."  The  county  paid  B.  Stephenson  8120.00rent  for  the 
lower  part  of  his  brick  house,  in  which  the  clerk's  office  of 
the  circuit  aud  commissioners'  court  was  located  during  the 
year. 

The  election  of  August,  1822,  put  in  new  members,  to 
wit:  John  Barber,  Benjamin  Spencer,  and  Hail  Mason. 
Nathaniel  Buckmaster  was  elected  sheriff;  Isaac  Prickett, 
coroner;  Theopilus  W.  Smith,  state  senator;  Curtis  Blake- 
man,  George  Churchill  and  Emanuel  J.  West  members  of 
tlie  House  of  Representatives.  Edward  Coles,  a  most  dis- 
tinguished citizen  of  the  county,  was  elected  governor  of  the 
state  of  Illinois  at  this  election. 

Samuel  D.  Lockwood,  another  prominent  citizen  of  Madi- 
son county,  Attorney-General  since  February  1821,  was 
appointed  Secretary  of  State  on  the  18th  of  December  1822. 
The  county  had  been  represented  in  Congress  during  terri- 
torial times  by  the  following  delegates :  Shadrach  Boud,  of 
St  Clair  county  until  1814  ;  from  then  to  1816,  by  Col  Benja- 
min Stephenson,  who,  on  being  appointed  receiver  of  public 
moneys,  resigned  April  29,  1816,  and  made  Edwardsville 
his  residence.  Stephenson  was  succeeded  by  Nathaniel  Pope. 
Daniel  P.  Cook,  then  a  resident  of  Randolph  county,  was 
the  first  representative  to  Congress  from  Illinois.  He  was 
elected  in  1818,  re-elected  in  1820  aud  was  in  1822  re- 
elected a  second  time. 

FOURTH  BOARD,  1822-23. 

John  Barber,  Benjamin  Spencer,  Hail  Mason. 

The  county  has  meanwhile  been  reduced  to  almost  its 
present  limits  ;  the  township  so  recently  organized,  had  rap- 
idly increased  in  population  and   had  been  organized  into 


counties— Green,  Pike,  Sangamon  and  Montgomery  among 
them  The  territory  of  the  remaining  county  was  subdivided 
into  six  political  townships,  which  retained  the  familiar 
names  of  Silver  Creek,  Ridge  Prairie,  Goshen,  Wood  river, 
Greenfield  and  Six  Mile.  Alton,  situated  iu  Greenfield 
township,  had  become  quite  an  inportaut  commercial,  point, 
so  that  the  board  saw  fit  to  appoint  Benjamin  Stedman,  H. 
H.  Gear  and  Abraham  Prickett  inspectors  for  the  part  of 
Alton,  for  the  inspection  of  beef,  pork,  hemp,  flour,  tobacco 
and  all  other  articles  of  export  necessary  to  be  inspected. 
Charles  W.  Hunter,  then  one  of  the  leading  and  enterpris- 
ing citizens  of  Alton,  had  called  the  attention  of  the  court 
to  this  matter  in  a  letter  of  March  3d,  1823,  in  which  he 
asked  the  court  to  appoint  Samuel  Slater  inspector  of  beef 
and  pork,  Abraham  Prickett  of  tobacco,  Isaac  Woodburn 
of  lumber  and  staves,  Benjamin  Stedman  of  flour  and  H. 
H.  Gear  of  hemp. 

The  county  had  heavy  pauper  expenses  to  meet  during  the 
year,  amongst  which  a  claim  of  Clayton  TifBn  for  8202.05 
for  taking  care  of  and  treating  a  wounded  man  named 
"Wells,  and  finally  burying  him.  The  charges  were  high — 
coffin  and  burying  alone  810.00— however  the  court  allowed 
the  claim  in  full. 

1823,  March  term,  George  Belsha,  the  treasurer,  reported 
the  revenue  of  the  year  1822  to  have  amounted  to  82247.12}, 
of  which  2,017.121-  was  raised  by  taxes.  Belsha  resigned 
his  office  the  same  day,  whereupon  John  T.  Lusk  is  appoint- 
ed treasurer.  The  election  of  August,1823,  called  Thomas 
Lippincott  in  the  place  of  Mr.  Spencer. 

FIFTH  BOARD,  1823-24 

Hail  Mason,  John  Barber  and  Thomas  Lippincott. 

At  the  December  meeting  the  Board  received  the  follow- 
ing communication  in  the  shape  of  a  letter.  It  gave  the 
impetus  to  a  lawsuit,  bitter  and  of  long  duration,  against 
Edward  Coles,  then  governor  of  the  state,  a  man  of  national 
reputation,  known  and  honored  by  the  best  of  the  land. 
The  letter,  written  by  W.  L.  May,  then  a  merchant  of  Ed- 
wardsville, is  flowing  over  with  eulogies  on  law,  etc.,  but 
mean  and  sinister  motives  have  assuredly  dictated  it.  The 
letter  follows : 

Edwardsville,  Sept.  17th,  1823. 

To  Hail  Mason,  John  Barber  and  Benjamin  Spencer 
commissioners  for  the  county  of  Madison. 

Gentleman  :  By  an  act  of  the  30th  of  March,  1819,  of 
the  legislature  of  the  state  it  is  declared  that  every  person 
who  shall  bring  into  this  state,  any  negro  or  mulatto,  who 
shall  be  a  slave  and  held  to  .service  at  the  time  ;  aud  who  shall 
emancipate  with  such  negro  or  mulatto,  shall  give  a  bond,  to 
the  county  where  such  slave  is  emancipated,  iu  the  penalty 
of  one  thousand  dollars,  conditioned  that  such  person  so 
emancipated  shall  not  become  a  charge  to  any  county  in  the 
state  ;  and  every  person  neglecting  or  refusing  to  give  such 
bond  shall  forfeit  and  pay  the  sum  of  $200.00  for  every 
negro  or  mulatto  so  emancipated,  to  be  recovered  in  any 
action  of  debt,  to  be  sued  for  in   tlie   name   of  the   county 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


141 


commissioners  of  the  county  where  the  same  shall  happen  to 
the  use  of  the  county. 

As  you  gentlemen  are  charged  with  the  interests  and 
rights  of  the  county  and  are  bound  by  the  duties  of  your 
office  to  protect  it  from  even  the  possibility  of  expenses  re- 
sulting from  negroes  so  emancipated,  becoming  chargeable 
to  the  county,  I  feel  persuaded  that  you  will  promptly  ap- 
ply the  neceisary  remedy  to  prevent  an  occurence  of  the 
kind.  It  will  doubtless  be  within  your  recollection,  that  a 
number  of  negroes  and  mulattoes  were  some  considerable 
time  since  emancipated  in  this  county  by  Edward  Coles, 
Esq.  The  records  kept  by  the  clerk  of  your  court  will  fur- 
nish you  with  the  authentic  evidence  that  no  bond  has  ever 
been  given,  although  more  than  two  years  have  elapsed 
since  their  emancipation.  The  penalty  declared  by  the  act 
has  been  Incurred  and  is  now  justly  due  to  the  county;  no 
excuse  can  be  given  for  the  violation  of  a  positive  statute, 
and  as  the  penalty  has  already  clearly  enured  to  the  coun- 
ty, I  call  on  you  as  a  citizen  of  the  county  interested  in  its 
rights  and  prosperity  to  take  judicial  cognizance  of  thii  in- 
fraction of  the  law,  and  to  take  immediate  steps  for  the 
prosecution  of  the  offender.  You  are,  I  conceive,  bound  to 
institute  a  prosecution  without  delay  and  have  a  right  to 
call  on  the  Attorney-General  who  resides  in  the  district  to 
pursue  the  necessary  measures. 

I  am,  gentlemen,  your  humble  servant, 
William.  L.  May. 

W .  L.  !May  removed  from  the  county  not  many  years 
after  this  epistolary  effusion.  He  was  a  man  of  talent  and  a 
successful  politician.  He  represented  the  Third  Congres- 
sional (Springfield)  District  of  Illinois  in  the  Twenty-third, 
Twenty-fourth,  and  Twenty-fifth  Congress— 1833  to  1839. 

The  suit  was  commenced  March,  1824.  The  reader  will 
find  the  subject  treated  at  length  on  a  subsequent  page. 

Silver  creek  township  was  divided  from  east  to  west, 
March  Term,  1824,  and  the  southern  part  named  Union- 
ville.  ilr.  Lusk,  the  treasurer,  reported  to  have  received 
during  the  year  $1957.54  in  lax  money,  and  §485  25  from 
all  other  sources.  All  this  money  had  been  by  him  dis- 
bursed, and  the  county  was  then  owing  the  treasurer  $13.61. 

SIXTH  BOARD — 1824  TO  1825. 
In  August,  1824,  Hail  Mason,  John  Howard,  and  Benja- 
min Stedman  were  elected  county  commissioners  ;  Nathaniel 
Buckmaster,  sheriff;  Joshua  Delaplain,  coroner ;  Joseph 
Conway,  state  senator,  vice  T.  W.  Smith,  who  had  resigned  ; 
Curtis  Blakeman  and  George  Churchill,  re-elected  members 
of  the  General  Assembly,  together  with  William  Ottwell  as 
third  member,  in  the  place  of  Emanuel  J.  West.  The  agi- 
tation on  the  slavery  question  had  grown  into  serious  dimen- 
sions during  the  preceding  session  of  the  state  legislature, 
and  E.  J.  West,  of  Madison  county,  had  become  one  of  the 
leaders  of  the  pro-slavery  faction,  whose  object  now  was  to 
call  a  state  convention  with  a  view  of  making  Illinois  a 
slave  state.  After  a  most  outrageous  proceeding  in  the 
house  of  representatives,  which  is  a  matter  of  state  history, 
the  pro-slavery  men  succeeded  in  passing  a  resolution,  au- 


thorizing the  people  of  the  state  to  vote  on  the  proposition  to 
call  a  convention  to  amend  the  constitution  at  a  general 
election  to  be  held  on  the  first  ^londay  of  Augu-t,  1824. 

Governor  Reynolds,  himself  a  pro-slavery  man  at  the 
time,  speaks  of  tiie  action  of  the  liouse  in  procuring  a  ma- 
jority for  the  resolution,  in  "My  Own  Times,"  thusly : 
"This  proceeding  in  the  General  Assembly  looked  revolu- 
tionary, and  was  condemned  by  all  honest  and  reflecting 
men.     This  outrage  was  a  death  blow  to  the  convention." 

The  auti-slavery  or  anti-convention  of  the  assembly,  led 
by  Governor  Coles,  now  published  an  address  to  the  people 
of  Illinois,  to  unmask  the  purposes  of  the  conspirators  to 
make  a  slave  constitution.  The  address,  undoubtedly 
penned  by  the  governor,  was  an  impassioned,  masterly  ap- 
peal to  the  people  to  rise  up  in  their  might  and  save  the 
state  from  the  greatest  shame  and  disaster  that  could  ever 
be  visited  upon  any  people.  Speaking  of  slavery,  it  says  : 
"  What  a  strange  spectacle  would  be  presented  to' the  civil- 
ized world,  to  see  the  people  of  Illinois,  yet  innocent  of  this 
great  national  sin,  and  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  all  the 
blessings  of  free  government,  sitting  down  in  solemn  conven- 
tion to  deliberate  and  determine  whether  they  should  intro- 
duce among  them  a  portion  of  their  fellow-beings  to  be  cut 
off  from  those  blessings,  to  be  loaded  with  the  chains  of 
bondage,  and  rendered  unable  to  leave  any  other  legacy  to 
their  posterity  than  the  inheritance  of  their  own  servitude  ! 
The  wise  and  the  good  of  all  nations  would  blush  at  our 
political  depravity.  Our  professions  of  republicanism  and 
equal  freedom  would  incur  the  derision  of  despots  and  the 
scorn  and  reproach  of  tyrants.  We  should  write  the  epi- 
taph of  free  government  upon  its  tombstone."  The  closing 
words  of  this  address  contain  the  following  eloquent  appeal : 
"  In  the  name  of  unborn  millions,  who  will  rise  up  after  us, 
and  call  us  blessed  or  accursed,  according  to  our  deeds — in 
the  name  of  the  injured  sons  of  Africa,  whose  claims  to  be 
equal  with  their  fellow-men  will  plead  their  own  cause 
against  their  usurpers  before  the  tribunal  of  eternal  justice, 
we  conjure  you.  fellow-citizens,  to  ponder  upon  these  things." 
— E.  B.  Wuthb ami's  Sketch  of  Edward  Coles, 

This  appeal  was  signed  by  fifteen  members  of  the  senate 
and  the  house,  Blakeman  and  Churchill,  of  Madison,  among 
them.  T.  W.  Smith,  the  senator  of  that  county  ;  and  Ema- 
nuel J.  West,  the  third  representative,  were  convention  and 
pro  slavery  men.  George  Cadwell,  formerly  of  Madison, 
and  frequently  mentioned  in  our  historical  sketch,  signed  the 
appeal  as  senator  of  Pike  and  Greene  counties,  "  daughters  " 
of  Madison. 

George  Churchill,  who  had  been  most  prominent  during 
said  session  in  the  struggle  against  slavei-y,  was,  together 
with  his  friend,  Risdon  Moore  of  St.  Clair,  burned  in  effigy 
in  his  own  (Madison)  county,  because  of  his  labors.  Never- 
theless, the  majority  of  the  people  of  ^Madison  county  saw  fit 
to  re-elect  him  in  1824. 

The  pro-slavery  men  were  not  slow  in  coming  before  the 
people  with  a  public  address,  drawn  up  by  a  committee  com- 
posed of  the  most  talented  men  of  the  state, — T.  W.  Smith 
and  Emanuel  J.  West  of  Madison  among  them.  "  The  con- 
test raged  in  fury  throughout  the  state.     The  pro-slavery 


142 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


men  had  defiantly  thrown  down  the  gauntlet,  and  the  anti- 
slavery  men  took  it  up  with  equal  defiance.  The  conflict 
was  long  and  bitter  and  no  quarter  was  given  on  either  side. 
There  were  not  only  the  strong  men  of  both  parties,  orators, 
judges,  lawyers,  but  the  rank  and  file  of  the  people  entered 
into  the  struggle  with  a  violence,  a  zeal,  and  a  determination 
alike  without  limit,  and  without  example  in  the  state 
There  was  a  perfect  avalanche  of  personaliiies,  threats,  and 
denunciations,  and  Governor  Ford  well  says,  that,  had  not 
the  people  made  allowance  for  all  the  exaggerations  and 
falsehoods,  the  reputations  of  all  men  would  have  been  over- 
whelmed and  consumed.  Newspapers,  handbills  aud  pamph- 
li^ts  were  scattered  broadcast.  These  missive  weapons  of  a 
fiery  contest  were  scattered  everywhere,  and  everywhere 
they  scorched  as  they  flew.  Almost  every  slump  in  every 
county  had  its  bellowing,  indignant  orator  on  one  side  or  the 
other,  and  the  whole  people,  for  the  space  of  months,  did 
scarcely  anything  but  read  uewspapers,  hindbills  and 
pamphlets,  quarrel,  wrangle  and  argue  with  each  other, 
whenever  they  met  together  to  hear  the  violent  harangues 
of  their  orators." — Ford's  History. 

There  were  two  weekly  newspapers  published  in  Madison 
county  at  that  time :  the  Eepublican,  a  pro-slavery  orgm  under 
the  direction  of  Theo.  W.  Smith,  Erainuel  J.  West  and  Judge 
McRiibsrts  (subsequently  U  S.  senator);  and  the  Spec- 
tator,  a  decidedly  anti-convention  organ,  managed  by  Hooper 
Warren.  "  The  c  jntroversy  between  the  two  papers  in 
Edwardsville,  representing  convention  and  anti-convention, 
was  waged  with  great  violence.  State  Senator  Theophilus 
W.  Smith,  afterwards  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  editor 
of  the  Repvhlican,  undertook  to  cowhide  Hooper  Warren,  of 
the  Spectator.  Failing  in  his  purpose,  he  drew  a  dirk  on 
him  ;  Warren  then  pulled  out  his  pistol,  when  the  combat- 
ants were  separated,  aud  nobody  hart."  —  Washburne  on 
Gov.  Coles. 

The  convention,  or,  more  properly,  pro-slavery  scheme, 
was  defeated  at  the  polls  on  the  first  Monday  of  August, 
1824:,  by  a  vote  of  4950  in  favor  of,  and  of  6822  against  it, 
Madison  county  polled  914  votes,  351  for,  and  563  against, 
convention. 

Among  the  papers  of  Samuel  McKitrick,  then  a  citizen  of 
Madison  county,  now  dead,  was  found  the  following  ticket  of 
that  memorable  election : 

people's  ballot. 

For  new  constitution. 

Fur  article  prohibiting  banks. 

For  excluding  negroes  and  mulattoes. 

No  right  of  suffrage  or  office  to  negroes  or  mulattoes. 

For  laws  excluding  negroes  and  mulattoes  from  coming 
into  and  voting  in  this  state. 

For  congressional  apportionment. 

The  reader  will  perceive  how  artfully  the  people's  ballot 
■was  prepared.  There  was  scarcely  a  dozen  men  in  the 
county  who  would  not  have  voted  for  the  2d,  3  I,  4th,  5ih 
aud  Gth  clauses,  hence  it  was  thought  the  first  clause  would 
be  voted  for  also,  as  it  was  allied  to  good  or  at  least  popular 
measures.     The  political  sense  of  the  voters  of  18-4  how- 


ever, was  peer  to  the  artful  designs  of  intriguers  who  were 
ignoniiniously  defeated.  This  ticket  was  given  into  the 
custody  of  the  Historical  Society  of  Chicago  by  Hon.  Joseph 
Gillespie  of  Edwardsville,  and  is  kept  there  as  a  memento. 

The  legislature  elected  in  August  1824,  strange  as  it  may 
appear,  was  not  anti  slavery,  for  instead  of  electing  Gov. 
Edward  Coles  senator  of  the  U.  S.,  as  was  generally  ex- 
pected, they  chose  a  strong  and  violent  proslavery  man, 
Elias  Kent  Kane  of  Kaskaskia  to  succeed  John  McClean. 

The  reader  will  excuse  the  digression  in  which  the  writer 
has  indulged.  The  all  absorbing  question  of  the  day  had  seized 
upon  all  people  and  officers,  to  such  a  degree  that  the  public 
business  was  neglected.  The  records  of  the  county  commis- 
sioner' s  court  of  1 824,  do  not  even  state  if  taxes  had  been 
collected  during  the  year.  From  a  private  memorandum 
made  by  the  treasurer  of  the  county  and  placed  into  the 
hands  of  the  clerk  in  1845  (twenty-one  years  later)  it  ap- 
pears however  that  the  total  revenue  collected  in  the  years 
1821  and  1S25  amounted  to  $4,511.61,  and  that  the  county 
authorities  had  signed  warrants  amounting  in  the  aggregate 
to  SS,031.SJ:  in  the  same  period  of  time. 

The  building  of  the  donation  court-house  progressed  but 
slowly.  The  court  kept  urging  the  committee  to  finish  the 
work,  or  had  their  clerk  to  .stir  them  up.  We  give  here  a 
specimen  of  Hail  Mason's  laconic  letters  : 

Messrs  John  T.  Lusk,  Joshua  Atwater  and  Paris  Mason, 
Court-house  Commissioners, 

Gentlemen,  you  are  requested  to  meet  the  commissioners 
court  now  in  session,  on  the  26th  instant  aud  inform  them 
what  progress  you  are  making  (if  any)  in  the  discharge  of 
your  duties.  I  am  respectfully  yours  etc.. 

Hail  Mason,  Clerk. 

The  commissioners  had  repeatedly  prayed  the  court  to 
grant  them  further  time,  to  get  that  "  donation  house  com- 
pleted. Finally  however,  the  court  released  them  altogether. 
The  records  of  March  10,  1825,  contain  the  following  entry: 
Court  will  give  up  to  J.  T.  Lusk,  Paris  Mason  and  Joshua 
Atwater  their  bond  if  they  donate  to  the  county  the  new 
brick  court-house  situated  on  the  public  square  as  far  as  it  is 
finished,  and  level  off  the  surface  of  the  earth  for  a  dirt 
floor  all  over  except  a  space  of  12  feet  wide  across  the  N- 
W.  end  of  the  lower  story,  which  shall  be  floored  for  the 
judge's  bench,  and  transfer  to  the  county  all  material  intended 
for  the  courthouse  and  all  the  unpaid  subscriptions,  this  to  be 
done  so  that  the  circuit  court  may  convene  there  on  Monday 
nest. 

The  court-house  was  taken  formal  possession  of  on  the 
25th  of  June,  1835.  In  speaking  of  this  building,  the 
Madison  county  Gazetteer  has  the  following :  Nor  could  the 
brick  court  house  and  jail  built  a  few  years  afterward  (i.  e. 
after  the  building  of  the  primitive  log  cabin  c.  h.)  be  called 
a  great  improvement.  When  the  eccentric  Lorenzo  Dow 
came  to  Edwardsville  to  preach  some  years  afterward  and 
was  shown  the  court-house  as  the  place  of  meeting,  he  re- 
fused to  preach  in  it,  saying  "  it  was  only  fit  for  a  hog  pen." 
It  had  not  yet  a  floor  except  a  very  narrow  staging  for  the 
Court  and  Bar.    There  were  no  stairs  to  reach  the   upper 


HISTORY  OF     MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


143 


floor,  and  it  was  painful  to  see  old  men  serving  as  jurors 
climb  up  a  steep  and  fragile  ladder. 

The  first  public  school  district  of  the  county  was  organ- 
ized by  this  board  in  June,  1825.  It  was  named  the  "  Alton 
district,"  commencing  on  the  Mississippi  at  the  mouth  of 
Wood  river,  thence  up  that  river  to  where  the  section  line 
between  18  and  19,  Town  5,  Range  9,  intersects  it,  thence  east 
on  said  section  line,  to  the  line  between  sections  IG  and  17, 
thence  north,  on  said  line  to  the  north  boundary  of  said 
township  5-9,  thence  west  to  the  river,  and  south  to  the  place 
of  beginning. 

The  school  districts  Edwardsville,  Silver  Creek,  Wood 
river,  Ebenezer  in  4-8  and  East  Fork  in  4-5  were  organized 
soon  after. 

J.  T.  Lusk  was  appointed  assessor  and  also  commissioner 
of  census.  Neither  assessment  nor  census  rep  rts  have  been, 
preserved. 

Prices  of  road  labor  were  as  follows  :  Each  4  horse  wagon, 
50  cent*,  each  pair  of  horses,  50  cents ;  each  yoke  of  oxen, 
50  cents;  each  cart,  25  cents;  each  plow,  ISl  and  each  hand 
with  tool,  50  cents  per  day.  The  county  was  subdivided 
into  the  following  road  districts,  placed  under  the  manage- 
ment of  the  following  supervisors: 

Six  Mile,  with  Joseph  Squire;  Edwardsville,  with  Nathan 
Scarritt ;  Long  Lake,  with  John  Waddle  ;  Hoxey,  with  E. 
Hoxey ;  Coles,  with  Robert  Aldrick  ;  Indian  Creek,  with 
John  Estabrook  ;  Piasa,  with  Isaac  Scarriit ;  Wood  river, 
with  Sam.  W.  Rhodes  ;  Alton,  with  Ephraini  Marsh ;  Sugar 
Creek,  with  Benaiah  Gullick  ;  Silver  Creek,  with  William 
Paikiuson  ;  Troy,  with  Josiah  Caswell  ;  Saline,  with  James 
Pearce  ;  Ridge  Prairie,  with  Joseph  Bartlett ;  Unionville, 
■with  Ezra  Post  and  Marine  with  Matthew  C.  Garey  as 
supervisor. 

SEVENTH    DISTRICT    1825-26. 

John  Howard,  Benjamin  Stedman  and  Daniel  A.  Lanter- 
man  (new  members). 

Joseph  Conway  resigned  his  office  as  clerk  of  the  county 
commissioners,  court  on  the  10th  of  December,  1S25,  where- 
upon the  court  appointed  Hail  Mason  in  his  place. 

1826,  April  29.  The  court  ordered,  that  Hail  Mason  and 
Emanuel  J.  West  be  appointed  commissioners  to  sell  the  old 
courF-house  for  cash  to  the  highest  bidder,  also  to  let  out  to 
the  lowest  bidder  the  building  of  a  flight  of  stairs  on  the 
new  court-house  and  finishing  two  rooms  for  clerk's  offices, 
and  to  report. 

This  report  has  been  preserved,  in  words  as  follows  ; 

To  the  Hon. :  County  Commissioners  of  Madison  county 
now  in  session  : 

The  undersigned  appointed  by  the  Hon.  county  commis- 
sioners at  their  special  term  in  April,  1826,  to  contract  for 
the  finishing  of  two  rooms  in  the  second  story  of  the  court- 
house and  for  erecting  a  flight  of  stairs  in  said  court-house 
and  to  sell  to  the  highest  bidder  for  cash  the  old  log  court- 
house, report : 

That  in  conformity  with  the  authority  vested  in  them 
by  the  court,  they  proceeded  according  to  previous  public 
notice   to  sell   and   did   sell  the  old  court  house  to  Isaac 


Prickett  for  155  dollars  cash,  which  was  paid,  and  that  they 
contracted  with  Samuel  Thurston  for  finishing  the  rooms 
and  make  the  flight  of  stairs  aforesaid,  except  plastering 
for  the  following  sums,  $60.00  to  be  paid  in  cash  when  the 
work  is  finished  according  to  contract,  that  is  on  the  1st 
day  of  August,  1826,  and  S60.00  in  an  order  on  the  county 
treasury,  or  its  equivalent  in  state  paper  ;*  of  the  above 
sums  the  undersigned  will  be  able  to  pay  the  first  amount 
in  ca.sh,  (i.  e.  state  paper)  out  of  the  funds  in  auditor  war- 
rants in  the  hands  of  Hail  Mason  and  the  proceeds  of  the 
old  court-house  in  like  manner  deposited. 

The  undersigned  have  it  not  in  their  power  at  present  to 
say,  if  any  or  what  balance  will  remain  in  their  hands  after 
furnishing  the  materials  for  the  improvements,  to  make 
which  they  were  appointed  by  your  honors. 

June  Term  1826.  Hail  Mason,  Emanuel  J.  West,  Agents, 

Thurston  was  paid  $60.00  in  county  paper  of  SI. 00  each, 
by  order  of  court  during  the  term. 

The  following  were  the  successful  candidates  at  the 
August  election,  1826. 

Joseph  Conway,  reelected  state  senator ;  George 
Churchill,  reelected  representative  ;  David  Prickett,  elected 
representative;  William  Montgomery,  Emanuel  J.  Leigh, 
Samuel  Seybold,  county  commissioners ;  Nathaniel  Buck- 
master,  sheriff;  Jacob  C.  Bruner,  coroner;  Hon.  Ninian 
Edwards  was  elected  governor  of  the  state  at  the  same 
election  ;  Joseph  Duncan  was  elected  in  the  same  year  iu 
place  of  D.  P.  Cook,  member  of  congress. 

EIGHTH   BOARD    1826-27. 

William  Montgomery,  Samuel  Seybold  and  Emanuel  J. 
Leigh. 

This  administration  ordered  the  following: 

SUBDIVISION   OF   COUNTY   INTO    ELECTION    DISTRICTS. 

In  pursuance  of  "An  act  to  provide  for  the  election  of 
justices  of  the  peace  and  constables,  approved  December  .']0, 
1826,  requiring  the  county  commissioners  of  each  county  in 
this  state,  at  their  June  term,  to  divide  their  respective 
counties  into  a  convenient  number  of  districts,  not  less  than 
two  or  more  than  eight,  distinctly  defining  the  boundaries  of 
each  district,  giving  to  each  a  name  to  appoint  a  place  there- 
in for  holding  elections  hereinafter  mentioned,  and  to  cause, 
the  same  to  be  rendered  of  record  in  their  respective  courts. 
It  is  therefore  ordered  that  the  county  of  Madison  be  laid  off 
into  seven  districts  in  the  following  manner,  to  wit: 

Edwardsville  district  bounded  as  follows:  Commencing  at 
Cox's  old  bridge  on  Cahokia  creek  and  running  eastward  so 
as  to  include  Samuel  Judy,  thence  northeast  to  the  line  be- 
tween towns  three  and  four,  thence  east  to  the  line  between 
ranges   seven  and  eight,  thence  northerly  so  as  to  include 

*  The  depreciations  01  county  orders,  ''state  paper,'  liad  brought 
about  a  most  deplorable  state  of  afiUirs.  State  paper  was  then  worlh 
30  cents  per  i^l.OO,  and  county  orderii  G63  cents  in  state  paper  or  20 
cents  in  specie.  State  paper  was  "  legal  tender,"  the  collector  had  to 
take  it  in  payment  for  taxes,  and,  in  that  year,  was  instructed  to  receive 
county  orders  in  lieu  of  state  jiaper  at  33,^  cents  off.  T.ie  revenue  of 
1826,  .?4,74.5.29,  had  a  specie  valuaiion  of  §l,423.5S. 


144 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


Joseph  Hartlett's  and  Clark's  old  place,  thence  to  Silver 
Creek,  thence  up  the  west  fork  of  said  creek  to  the  county 
line,  thence  west  along  said  line  to  Cahokia  creek,  thence 
down  said  creek  to  John  Newman,  thence  west  so  as  to  in- 
clude said  Newman,  thence  southwest  so  as  to  include  the 
widow  Davidson,  thence  to  the  beginning.  Tiie  election  to  be 
holden  at  the  court  house  in  jthe  town  of  Edwardsville,  on 
the  first  Monday  in  August  next,  and  Edmund  Fruit,  Isaac 
Prickett,  and  Joshua  Atwater  are  hereby  appointed  judges 
of  the  same. 

Six  Milf,  District  bounded  as  follows  :  Bsginning  at  Charles 
Dejailais  on  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi  running  south  with 
the  county  line  to  the  south  line  of  the  county,  thence  east 
with  said  line  to  Cahokia  creek,  thence  up  said  creek  to 
Cox's  bridge,  thence  west  to  the  beginning.  The  election  is  to 
be  held  at  the  dwelling-house  of  Barbara  Laughlin.  Thomas 
Giilham,  James  Brier,  and  Henry  Hayes  are  hereby  ap- 
pointed judges  of  election  to  be  held  on  the  Grst  Monday  of 
August  next. 

Indian  Creek  District  bounded  as  follows:  Beginning  at 
Cox's  bridge  on  Cahokia  creek,  thence  along  said  creek  so  as 
not  to  include  George  Harlan,  thence  northeast  to  the  widow 
Davidson,  but  not  to  include  the  widow,  thence  east  to 
John  Newman  on  Cahokia,  thence  up  said  creek  to  the 
county  line,  thence  along  said  line  opposite  the  east  fork  of 
Wood  river,  thence  down  said  river  so  as  not  to  include 
Little  and  Tichnells,  and  down  the  same  to  PuUiam's  old 
ford,  and  thence  to  the  beginning.  The  election  to  beholden 
at  William  Montgomerys.  William  Ogle,  John  Collet  and 
Oliver  Livermore  were  appointed  judges  of  the  same. 

Silver  Creek  District  bounded  as  follows:  Beginningat  the 
county  line,  where  the  line  dividing  sections  27  and  28  in- 
tersect it,  in  town  three  north  and  runniug  north  six  miles, 
thence  to  the  upper  bridge  on  the  west  fork  of  Silver  creek 
80  as  to  include  Caleb  Gouterman,  thence  up  said  creek  to 
the  count}'  line,  thence  east  along  said  line  three  miles,  thence 
southwardly  to  the  south  line  of  the  county  in  the  middle  of 
Looking  Glass  prairie  so  as  not  to  include  Abraham  and 
Joseph  Howard,  and  to  include  John  Herron,  thence  west  to 
the  beginning.  The  election  is  to  be  holden  at  the  meeting 
house  in  the  Marine  settlement  on  the  first  Jlonday  in 
August  next,  with  William  Parkinson,  Isaac  I  ergusou  and 
Jonah  Caswell  as  judges. 

Sugar  Creek  District  bounded  as  follows  :  Commencing  at 
the  southeast  corner  of  the  county  and  running  west  along 
said  county  line  to  the  middle  of  Looking  Glass  prairie, 
thence  north  so  as  to  include  Abraham  and  Joseph  Howard, 
thence  north  to  the  county  line,  thence  east  to  the  northeast 
corner  of  said  county,  thence  south  to  the  beginning.  The  elec- 
tion is  to  be  held  at  the  dwelling-house  of  Joseph  Duncan, 
with  Joseph  Duncan,  James  K.  Good  and  Joseph  Howard  as 
judges. 

Collinsville  i)i'.s^cic<  bounded  as  follows:  Beginningat 
Cox's  old  bridge  on  the  Cahokia  creek,  thence  east  along  the 
south  side  of  Samuel  Judy's  farm  to  the  bluff,  thence  north- 
east to  the  township  line  between  three  and  four  north, 
thence  along  said  line  to  the  range  Hue  between  range  seven 


and  eight,  thence  northeast  so  as  to  include  Samuel  ]McKitt- 
ricks  to  the  section  line  running  through  the  center  of  range 
seven,  thence  south  along  said  line  to  the  county  Hne,  thence 
west  along  said  county  line  to  Cahokia  creek,  thence  up  said 
creek  to  the  beginning.  The  election  is  to  be  held  at  Collins- 
ville with  Dempsey  Guthrie,  John  Hall  and  Elihu  Mather 
as  judges. 

Greenfield  District  houniei  SIS  follows:  Commencing  at 
Cox's  bridge,  thence  west  to  Dejailais  ferry,  thence  up  the 
river  to  the  county  line,  thence  east  with  said  line  to  the 
east  fork  of  Wood  river,  thence  down  said  river  to  where 
it  passes  through  the  blufi"  so  as  to  include  Tiohnell  and 
Little  to  the  place  of  beginning.  The  election  is  to  be  held 
at  Alton,  with  William  More,  Oliver  Foster,  and  David 
Smith  as  judges  of  the  same. 

Cahokia  District,  to  be  bounded  as  follows  :  Commencing 
at  the  southwest  corner  of  section  36,  town  six  north,  range 
eight  west,  thence  north  24  miles,  thence  east  20  miles, 
thence  south  24  miles  on  the  line  of  Montgomery  county, 
thence  west  to  the  place  of  beginning.  The  elections  are  to 
be  held  at  the  dwelling  house  of  Stephen  Wilcox,  Sr.,  with 
Ephraim  Beet,  David  Swett,  Telemachus  Camp,  as  judges. 
This  was  the  largest  precinct  of  the  county  at  that  period  of 
time,  containing  480  square  miles. 

The  sheriff  as  collector  of  revenue  was  instructed  to  re- 
ceive county  orders  in  payment  of  taxes  atadiscount  of  33:V. 
It  is  truly  painful  to  observe  that  the  county  authorities  had 
thus  to  dishonor  the  county's  paper.  The  county  debt  at 
that  particular  time  was  less  than  $5000,  as  will  appear 
hereafter,  and  by  jaroper  management  matters  could  certainly 
have  been  arrainged  in  a  more  satisfactory  manner. 

The  law  of  1826  above  mentioned  gave  the  people  the  long 
desired  privilege  to  elect  their  justices  of  peace  and  constables, 
a  boon  that  had  been  withheld  for  nearly  a  decade.  The 
following  justices  of  the  peace  were  elected  on  the  first  Mon- 
day of  August,  1827,  to  wit:  Joseph  Duncan,  Moses  Seeds, 
Thomas  Giilham,  (the  one  that  had  bought  the  silver  knee- 
buckles  at  a  public  sale  mentioned  on  a  previous  page)  Jar- 
rot  Dugger,  James  Pearce,  Roger  Snell,  Emanuel  J.  West, 
Samuel  Seybold,  Julius  L  Barnsback,  Ephraim  Mar  h, 
Daniel  Meeker,  Samuel  W.  Rhodes,  Jesse  Starkey,  Wil- 
liam Ogle,  Isham  A'incent,  Justus  D.  Selhorst  and  John 
Claypole. 

The  following  are  constables  elected  at  the  same  time  to 
wit:  William  Cummings,  Nicholas  Kile,  Peter  Branstetter, 
Daniel  Funderburk,  John  C.  Dugger,  Josiah  Seybold, 
Josiah  Little,  William  Newman,  Samuel  H.  Denton,  Jesse 
Huffaker  and  Amos  H.  Squire.  Joseph  Bartlett  was  ap- 
pointed treasurer  and  assessor,  succeeding  J.  T.  Lusk,  re- 
signed. 

The  records  under  date  of  December  1827,  contain  a 
lengthy  financial  statement  of  the  county,  which  is  here  in- 
troduced. It  refers  to  a  statement  published  in  December, 
1S25,  stating  that  there  had  then  been  a  balance  against  the 
county  (floating  debt)  of  §3,783  62,  whereas  the  records  of 
that  terra  state  that  their  debt  had  amounted  to  §4,937.311. 
This  diflereuce  is  not  explained. 


HISTORY   OF  MAD  ISO  y    COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


145 


STATEMEST. 

The  expenditures  of  the  coiiuty  during  the  two  years  end- 
ing December,  1827,  were  as  follows,  on  account  of: 

Road!!. ^  548.22 

Elections cS4.0() 

Compensation  of  county  commissioners 2G8.66 

Boarding  prisoners 22  00 

Compensation  of  county  clerks 100.10 

Selecting  school  lands IS.66 

Support  of  paupers 836.22 

Stationery 66.25 

Office  rent 90.33 

SheriS's  attendance  of  court 329.8I 

Jail  repairs 31.25 

Courthouse  repairs 251.29 

Fees  in  criminal  cases 46452 

Compensation  of  assessor 166.49 

E.t-officio  salary  of  clerks 203.86 

Salaries  of  constables 107.33 

Attorney's  fee  County  vs.  Ed.  Coles 2o0.00 

$3645.05 
Floating  debt,  December,  1875 3,783.«2 

§7,428.67 
The  receipts  had  been  : 

Taxes  for  1826 $2,086.94 

Licenses  and  fines,  1826 113.64 

County  tax  1S27 1.532.16 

Licenses  and  fines,  1827 151.00 

$4,745.29 
Present  floating  debt ?2,683.38 

NIXTH    BOARD,  1827-1830. 

E.  J.  Ivcigh,  George  Smith  and  David  Swett.  The  court- 
house troubles,  like  the  ghost  in  Hamlet,  would  not  down. 
This  board  was  beset  from  all  sides  to  have  this  incubus 
finished,  and  in  February,  1828,  the  court  contracted  with 
Daniel  Wise  to  complete  the  donation  Court  House  at  the 
expense  of  8565.00.  A  few  months  liter  Daniel  Wise  wrote 
and  subscribed  the  following  document : 

"  It  is  hereby  understood  and  agreed  that  I  will  deliver  up 
and  have  the  contract  canceled,  which  I  have  lately  entered 
into  with  the  county  commissioners  of  Madison  County  re-  i 
specting  the  court-house,  and  deliver  up  all  the  materials  ' 
which  I  received  from  the  county,  provided  the  court  which 
is  to  be  called  by  judge  Lee  (means  Leigh)  on  Monday  nest, 
shall  consent  to  receive  the  same. 

Edwardsville,  Aug.  5,  1828.  Daniel  Wise."         i 

The  commissioners  conducted  the  affairs  of  the  county  in   ! 
a   strictly  economical  style,  the  total  expenditures  of  the 
year  1828  did  not  exceed  the  sum  of  S 1200,  while  the  income 
collected   and  in   process  of  collection   amounted  to   over 
$3000.00. 

The  election  of  1828    was   a  very  quite    one.     George   i 
Churchill  was  again  elected  to  the  legislature  in  company   ' 
with  old  brother  Williams  Jones,  who  had  again  come  down 
from  the  shelf,  where   he  had  been  resting  for  years.     The 
19  ' 


revenue  of  1829  was  S2792.84,  and  it  cost  the  county  S209  06 
to  collect  it.  The  court  fixed  the  rates  for  ferries  and 
taverns,  making  no  changes  except  a  slight  advance  in  the 
price  to  be  charged  for  whiskej'  or  brandy.  A  new  ferry 
had  been  established  in  1828,  and  Matthew  Kerr  located  it 
at  the  present  site  of  the  town  of  Venice  ;  his  annual  license 
wa.?  fixed  at  $20  00. 

The  board  employed  Cyrus  Ei wards  and  David  Prickett 
tobringsuit  against  Joseph  Bartlett,  ex-treasurer,  superseded 
March  30, 1830,  by  the  appointment  of  Isaac  Cox.  In  June 
following,  Joseph  Bartlett  brought  suit  against  the  county, 
but  found  it  unprofitable  to  prosecute.  The  county  subse- 
quently obtained  judgment  against  Bartlett,  who  took  an 
appeal  to  the  Supreme  Court.  Decree  of  court  below  was 
affirmed,  and  Bartlett  paid  $797.90  to  David  Swett,  agent 
of  the  county,  in  March,  1834,  in  liquidation  of  the  suit. 
Bartlett's  securities,  Matthias  Handlon  and  Julius  L.  Barn- 
back  had  previously  served  a  notice  on  the  court,  asking  to 
be  relieved  as  no  immediate  steps  were  taken  to  obtain 
judgment. 

The  term  of  this  board  ended  in  August,  1830,  when 
Thomas  Gillham,  Robert  Aldrich  and  David  Swett  were 
elected.  Joseph  Conway  was  reelected  state  senator,  and 
George  Churchill  representative.  Madison  and  part  of 
Macoupin  formed  a  representative  district,  entitled  to  two 
members  of  the  house.  The  second  member  elected  was 
John  B.  E.  Canal,  whose  residence  is  not  mentioned  in  the 
records.  Nathaniel  Buckmaster  was  again,  the  sixth  time 
in  succession,elected  sheriff,  and  James  G.  McGriffii  coroner. 

TENTH   BOARD.       1830-1833. 

Thomas  Gillham,  Robert  Aldrich  and  David  Swett 
The  board  at  its  October  special  term  requested  Jud^e  T. 
W.  Smith  to  invite  Hon.  S.  D  Lickwood  to  attend  the  next 
term  of  the  Madison  county  circuit  court,  and  to  preside 
during  the  trial  of  the  case  against  Joseph  Bartlett. 

At  the  December  term  William  Meads,  an  old  revolu- 
tionary soldier,  appeared  before  the  court,  in  order  to  secure 
for  himself  the  pension  to  which  he  was  entitled  under  vari- 
ous acts  of  congress.  There  were  quite  a  numbsr  of  the 
heroes  of  1776  living  in  the  county,  as  related  in  another 
chapter.  The  application  of  Meads  has  been  preserved.  It 
runs  thus : 

St.\te  of  Illinois,  \ 
Madison  County,    j 

On  the  6th  of  December,  183),  personally  appeared  in 
open  court,  being  a  court  of  record  for  the  said  county  of 
Madison,  William  Meads,  resident  in  said  county,  aged 
ninety  one  years,  who  being  first  duly  sworn  according  to 
law,  doth  on  his  oath  make  the  following  declaration  in 
order  to  obtain  the  provisions  made  by  the  act  of  congress 
of  the  18th  of  March,  1818,  and  the  1st  of  May,  1820,  that 
the  said  William  Meads  enlisted  for  the  term  of  three  years 
in  the  year  1775,  as  well  as  he  recollected,  in  the  state  of 
New  Jersey,  in  the  company  commanded  by  Captain  Dicker- 
son,  in  the  lineof  the  state  of  New  Jersey,  in  the  regiment  com- 
manded by  Colonel  Dayton ;  that  he  continued  to  serve  in  the 


146 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


same  corps  until  he  was  discharged  in  the  state  of  New  Jersey ; 
that  he  enlisted  again  in  the  same  regiment  and  company  in 
the  year  1778  ;  that  his  name  is  not  on  any  state  roll  except  in 
the  state  aforesaid.  And  the  following  are  the  reasons  for  not 
making  earlier  application  for  a  pension.  He  says  that  he  has 
made  application,  but  was  told  ihat  he  had  been  returned  as 
a  deserter  on  these  grounds  :  that  he  had  been  taken  prisoner 
during  the  battle  on  Long  Island  ;  that  he  had  deserted  from 
the  British  prison-ship  at  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  and 
joined  General  Green  at  High  Hills,  not  being  able  to  get 
to  his  own  regiment;  and  while  with  General  Green  was  at 
the  battle  of  the  Eutaw  Springs,  and  was  wounded  ;  that  he 
was  left  with  the  wounded  at  Santee  under  the  care  of  Gen- 
eral Sumpter,  (?)  and  was  unable  to  travel  to  join  his  regi- 
ment at  the  time  it  was  discharged ;  and  that  these  facts 
have  never  been  laid  before  the  government,  and  that  he 
has  no  other  evidence  now  of  his  said  services  in  his 
possession  or  power  than  his  own  oath.  And  in  pursuance 
of  the  act  of  1st  of  May,  I  do  most  solemnly  swear  that  I 
was  a  resident  citizen  of  the  United  States  on  the  18th  of 
October,  1818,  and  that  I  have  not  since  that  time  by  gift, 
sale  or  in  any  manner  disposed  of  my  property  or  any  part 
thereof  with  intent  thereby  to  diminish  it  so  as  to  bring 
myself  within  the  provisions  of  an  act  to  provide  for  certain 
persons  engaged  in  the  land  and  naval  service  of  the  United 
States  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  passed  on  the  ISth  day  of 
March,  1»18,  and  that  I  have  not,  nor  has  any  person  for 
me,  any  property  or  securities,  contracts  or  debts  due  to 
me,  nor  have  I  any  income  other  than  what  is  contained  in 
the  schedule  hereunto  annexed  and  by  me  subscribed.  My 
occupation  is  that  of  a  farmer  ;  my  ability  to  pursue  it  is 
very  limited;  none  of  my  children  are  living  with  me,  so 
that  I  am  dependent  on  other  persons  for  a  support. 

Schedule. — I  have  nothing  but  the  clothes  that  I  wear,  at 
the  value  of  seven  or  eight  dollars  or  thereabouts. 

This  application  was  a  failure ;  Mr.  Meads'  name  does 
not  appear  on  the  pension  rolls. 

The  preceding  board  had,  as  stated  before,  been  very 
rigid  in  cases  of  economy.  The  pauper  accounts  in  1830 
were  less  than  §170.00;  the  elective  cost,  only  $66.20; 
roads  and  bridges  about  as  much,  so  that  on  the  9lh  of 
December  all  the  outstanding  county  orders  had  been  re- 
deemed, and  yet  a  balance  of  §746.15  remained  in  the  trea- 
sury. Measures  were  now,  April,  1831,  taken  to  finish  the 
"  donation  "  at  public  expense.  Charles  Sloper  contracted 
to  furnish  material  and  fini.sh  the  following  work  by  the  1st  of 
October,  1831,  to  wit:  a  desk  for  the  judge,  with  the  front 
neatly  paneled,  with  a  shelf  and  cornice,  and  two  doors,  four 
jury  boxes,  five  seats  for  lawyers  and  suitors,  balustrading 
to  enclose  the  bar  and  jury  boxes;  in  the  upper  story  to 
put  up  a  standing  partition,  base  and  surbase,  two  paneled 
doors;  to  finish  laying  the  floor,  suitable  for  two  jury  rooms  ; 
to  make  and  hang  six  pairs  of  "  Venetian"  window-blinds, 
etc.,  all  the  work  to  be  done  in  a  good  substantial  manner, 
and  of  first-class  material,  for  all  which  the  county  promises 
to  pay  said  Sloper  the  sum  of/o«c  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
in  specie. 

The  plastering  of  the  court-house  was  contracted  for  in 


September,  with  George  G.  Nevitt,  at  twenty-eight  cents  per 
square  yard,  to  be  measured  according  to  the  customary 
rules  among  plasterers.  Mr.  Nevitt  was  paid  8182  511  for 
his  work.  The  donation  courthouse  was  now  completed — 
ten  years  after  its  corner-stone  was  laid.  Ex-governor  Ninian 
Edwards,  who  had  once  made  the  most  liberal  offer  in  re- 
ference to  the  county  buildings,  was  now  a  resident  of  Alton. 
In  September,  1831,  he  received  and  paid  $12.00  for  a  li- 
cense to. retail  merchandise  at  Lower  Alton. 

Hail  Mason  resigned  the  ofiice  of  county  clerk  on  the  8th 
of  September,  1831,  when  J.  T.  Lusk  was  appointed  his 
successor.  David  Prickett,  who  had  been  appointed  com- 
missioner of  school  lands,  declined  to  serve,  and  J.  T.  Lusk 
was  appointed  to  this  place  also.  The  court  was  ordered  to 
loan  school  funds  in  sums  of  one  hundred  dollars  or  less,  at 
twenty-five  per  cent.,  and  larger  amounts  at  twenty  per 
cent,  annual  interest.  Money  must  still  have  been  very 
scarce,  and  people  who  had  to  pay  such  outrageous  charges 
for  their  loans  could  scarcely  be  expected  to  prosper.  The  finan- 
cial report  of  1831  does  not  mention  the  balance  of  $746. 15 
reported  to  have  been  in  the  treasury  in  December,  1830> 
and  it  may  be  presumed  that  the  amount  was  converted  into 
specie  to  pay  off  Sloper's  claim  of  $450.  The  expenditures 
of  the  county  are  again  on  the  increase,  and  exceed  the  in- 
come, leaving  on  said  1st  of  December  the  county  in  debt 
to  the  amount  of  forty-four  cents. 

Francis  Roach,  an  old  soldier  of  the  war  of  independence, 
appeared  before  the  court  to  have  his  pension  secured  for 
him.  He  said  he  was  born  in  Fairfax  C.  H.,  Virginia, 
1739 ;  enlisted  in  Joseph  Session's  Co.,  Col.  Richard  Cas- 
well's regiment  of  the  North  Carolina  line  for  three  months, 
in  1779  ;  again,  in  1780,  with  Captain  Dougherty  on  the 
frontier,  for  one  year;  then  went  with  his  captain  in  the 
service  under  Gen.  Rogers  Clark,  in  1782  ;  and  served  again 
for  seven  weeks  with  his  old  captain,  under  Gen.  Benjamin 
Logan,  against  the  Indians  in  1786  ;  was  then  (1832)  ninety- 
three  years  of  age;  had  lived  from  1787  to  1806  in  the 
counties  of  Mercer,  Lincoln,  Washington,  and  Livingston, 
Kentucky;  and  in  1806  came  to  Madison  county,  then 
a  part  of  St.  Clair  county,  Illinois.  Rev.  John  Barber  and 
George  Kinder  gave  testimony  in  reference  to  the  claim  of 
Roach  and  his  character.  The  old  gentleman  lived  long 
enough  to  see  his  application  granted,  and  to  enjoy  the  pay 
as  member  of  this  American  Legion  of  Honor.  The  amount 
drawn,  viz:  $74.01,  shows  that  he  survived  three  years  ex- 
actly, as  his  annual  allowance  was  only  $24.67. 

This  legion  had  22  members  in  this  county,  and  the  annual 
pension  paid  to  them  amounted  to  $1,397.71.  These  annual 
pensions  ranged  from  $20.00  paid  to  Laban  Smart,  and  $97.- 
50,  paid  to  Joseph  McAdanis. 

In  August,  1834,  Cyrus  Edwards  and  James  Semple  were 
elected  members  of  the  legislature,  and  N.  Buckmaster  was 
reelected  sheriff. 

The  expenditures  of  the  county  during  the  year  amounted 
to  $1887. 09i,  of  which  $741. a3.}  went  towards  supporting 
paupers. 

In  March,  1833,  the  court  contracted  with  George  Nevitt 
for  the  building  of  the  clerk's  office  on  the  public  square, 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILIINIOS. 


147 


the  building  to  be  fifty  feet  long  and  twenty  feet  wide,  of 
brick,  one  story  of  ten  feet,  f.iundation  to  be  of  stone,  eighteen 
inches  below  the  surface  aud  twelve  above;  outside  walls  to 
be  fourteen  inches ;  eight  windows  of  twenty-four  lights,  l'2x 
12  each;  two  outside  doors,  sill  of  outside  doors  and  win- 
dows to  be  of  stone ;  to  be  done  by  November  1st,  1833,  for 
$')00.  And  with  Charles  Sloper  to  do  the  carjionter  and 
glazier  work,  and  furnish  materials,  for  $337.00.  These 
buildings  are  still  in  existence,  serving  now  as  school-rooms 
for  the  children  of  the  numerous  negro  population  of  the 
district. 

During  the  official  term  of  this  court,  a  number  of  peti. 
tions,  praying  for  suppression  of  grog  shops  in  the  towns  of 
the  county,  were  laid  before  the  members.  One  of  these 
petitions,  signed  by  a  large  number  of  Altonians,  gave  a 
most  graphic  description  of  the  condition  of  afifairs  in  Alton, 
saying :  "  Your  petitioners  have  of  late  been  led  to  reflect 
much  upon  the  nature  and  effects  of  ardent  spirits,  as  eshib- 
iied  in  the  character  and  condition  of  those  who  are  habitu- 
ally addicted  to  their  use, — the  result  of  which  is  a  settled 
conviction  in  their  minds,  that  they  are  not  only  totally  use- 
less as  a  means  of  supporting  thcys-tem,  or  giving  lasting  en- 
ergy to  any  foculties  of  themind, — but  decidedly  injurious  to 
both  ;  and  that  they  have  for  years,  in  common  witl)  many 
of  their  fellow  citizens,  deplored  the  wide-spreading  desola- 
tion of  intemperance,  without  the  power  of  interposing  any 
effectual  barrier  to  stay  its  progress ;  and  that  too  often  have 
they  been  compelled  to  witness  the  alienation  of  affection, — 
the  subversion  of  principle,  and  the  brutal  ferocity  of  the 
senseless  inebriate  in  his  descent  from  respectability  or  com- 
parative affluence,  down  the  precipice  of  intemperance,  to 
the  abodes  of  wretchedness  and  want ;  and  that  they  have 
frequently  witnessed  the  contaminating  influence  that  is 
■wielded  by  the  congregating  of  these  loathsome  objects  in  a 
mixed  population,  when  method  and  fixed  principles  have 
not  by  their  perfect  establishment  become  the  law  of  indivi- 
dual or  corporate  action;  and  they  have  often  leflected  upon 
the  happy  consequences  that  would  result  from  a  total  sup- 
])ression  of  this  degrading  vice  in  their  village;  and  believing 
as  they  do,  that  the  principal  cause  of  the  evil  is  to  be  traced 
to  thenumerous  dram  shops  that  disgrace  our  towns  through- 
out the  land  ;  and  that  no  step  that  can  be  taken  will  be  as 
likely  to  bring  about  a  permanent  change  in  the  habits  of  a 
community  in  this  respect  as  to  remove  the  cause  of  the  evil ; 
they  are  constrained,  from  a  sense  of  duty  they  owe  to  them- 
selves and  to  the  rising  generation,  to  ask  of  your  honors 
that  the  assistance  which  your  official  station  commands  may 
be  directed  to  aid  them  in  suppressing  the  degrading  vice, 
and  that  you  will  refuse  to  grant  any  licenses  to  sell  ardent 
spirits  in  the  town  of  Alton  the  present  year  It  is  not, 
however,  designed  to  prevent  the  licensing  of  respectable 
houses  for  the  entertainment  of  travelers  now  at  Alton,  or 
that  may  become  really  necessary  for  the  accommodation 
of  travelers,  but  only  those  which,  under  the  bonds  of  inn- 
keepers, serve  not  to  accommodate  the  weary  traveler,  but 
to  afford  facilities  for  drunkenness. 

In  making  this  request,  your  petitioners  are  not  conscious 
of  being  influenced  by  any  other  motives  than  those  which 


spring  from  a  desire  to  benefit  their  fellow-beings.  They  do 
believe  that  patriotism  and  benevolence  are  the  moving 
principles  that  have  induced  them  to  lay  before  you  this 
petition.  In  proof  of  this,  they  appeal  to  its  nature  and 
spirit.  What  is  it  that  they  ask  ?  It  is  that  the  floodgates 
of  dissipation  may  be  closed — that  the  highway  to  destruc- 
tion may  be  blocked  up — that  the  avenues  of  vice  may  be 
stopped — that  the  seeds  of  disease  and  death  be  blasted  — 
that  the  foundations  of  pollution  and  wickedness  may  be 
cleansed — that  the  causes  of  contention  and  strife  may  be 
removed — that  the  drafts  on  reason  and  common  sense  may 
be  protected — that  the  sorrows  of  the  widow's  heart  may  be 
soothed— that  the  wife's  distracting  anxiety  may  be  allevi- 
ated— that  the  nakedness  of  the  children  may  be  covered — 
that  peace  may  take  the  place  of  tumult — order  of  confusion 
— virue  of  vice.  These  are  the  things  that  they  ask  ;  and 
they  appeal  to  your  honors  as  men  possessing  a  perfect 
knowledge  of  the  existence  and  cause  of  these  evils,  whether 
their  request  is  not  a  reasonable  one — if  it  is,  ought  it  not  to 
be  granted?  Is  there  one  weighty  reason  why  it  should  not 
be?  Your  petitioners  are  fully  of  the  opinion  that  there  is 
not.  They  do  not  believe  that  the  trifling  sum  that  annually 
accrues  to  the  count)'  treasury  from  the  avails  of  licenses  to 
sell  spirits  ought  to  have  any  influence  in  deciding,  even 
upon  the  expediency  of  granting  this  petition,  when  all  ex- 
perience testifies,  that  a  license  to  retail  spirits  is  nothing 
less  than  a  license  to  fit  men  for  acts  of  desperation  and  vio- 
lence; they  cannot  perceive  any  consistency  in  those  meas- 
ures which,  in  the  first  place,  impose  a  severe  penalty  on 
the  transgressors  of  the  law,  and  then,  for  a  few  shillings, 
authorize  the  existence  of  a  grogshop,  whose  sole  business  it 
is  to  dethrone  reason  and  to  drive  the  unhappy  victims  to 
trample  under  foot  all  law.  If  the  object  of  granting  licenses 
is  confined  to  the  raising  of  revenue,  your  petitioners  are 
decidedly  of  the  opinion  that  it  is  the  worst  po.ssible  scheme 
for  accomplishing  this  object  that  could  have  been  devised. 
They  do  not  believe  that  the  county  could  ever  be  made  rich 
by  such  means  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  they  do  believe  that 
it  is  the  surest  and  quickest  way  of  bringing  upon  us  poverty 
with  all  its  evils.  They  believe  that  the  tendency  of  grog- 
shops is  to  produce  pauperism,  and  that  ten  times  the 
amount  received  from  licenses  in  the  county  would  not  de- 
fray the  expenses  of  the  paupers  that  may  be  manufactured 
in  one  year  by  a  single  grog  shop.  Your  petitioners  think 
that  it  would  not  be  difficult  for  them  to  prove,  that  where- 
ever  these  nurseries  of  vice  exist,  they  do  operate  as  a  bur- 
densome and  oppressive  tax  upon  the  community,  and  that 
this  tax  is  very  unequally  borne.  That,  in  consequence  of 
crimes  committed  against  the  laws  of  the  state,  which  have 
their  origin  in  scenes  of  dissipation,  they  are  called  upon  as 
peace  officers,  or  good  citizens,  to  attend  long,  tedious  trials 
before  a  court,  and  freciuently  without  compensation  for 
time  lost  or  money  expended. 

These  are  not  imaginary  grievances  but  real,  your  peti- 
tioners have  felt  them  and  will  continue  to  as  long  as  whis- 
key can  be  had  at  every  corner  of  their  streets,  at  all  hours 
of  the  day  and  night  by  any  one  who  can  command  a  six- 
pence, be  he  drunk  or  be  he  sober.     But  setting  aside  the 


148 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


consideration  of  profit  or  loss  there  is  one  view  of  the  subject 
to  which  more  particularly  they  wish  to  draw  your  atten- 
tion, and  that  is,  the  pernicious  influence  that  is  exerted  by 
a  grog  shop  jwpulation  to  break  down  and  destroy  the  prin- 
ciples of  morality  and  religion  in  their  immediate  neighbor- 
hood. Whoever  saw  a  man  fresh  from  his  cups  with  a  heart 
glowing  with  love  to  God  and  good  will  to  man  ?  Whoever 
heard  of  the  accomplishment  or  happy  progress  of  any 
scheme  for  bettering  the  condition  of  the  world,  either  by 
penetrating  the  darkness  of  pagan  superstition  opening  to 
the  mind  the  beauties  of  the  gospel  or  instructing  the  rising 
generation  in  those  principles  that  are  best  adapted  to  their 
circumstances  as  moral  and  accountable  beings,  that  had  its 
origin  in  a  community  of  tipplers?  But  on  the  contrary 
who  has  not  witnessed  the  contemptuoj-is  sneer,  the  fiend-like 
rage  of  the  grog  shop  haunter,  when  subjects  of  this  char- 
acter are  introduced  in  his  presence.  Intemperance  is  a 
vice  that  seldom,  if  ever,  goes  single  handed  ;  it  is  invaria- 
bly attended  by  a  host  of  others.  In  such  a  community  the 
children  are  daily  witnessing  the  grossest  and  most  wicked 
violations  of  those  precepts,  that  they  have  been  taught  as 
coming  from  the  Creator,  and  designed  for  their  good,  the 
tendency  of  which  is  to  familiarize  their  minds  with  sin  and 
thus  early  learn  to  tread  its  thorny  paths.  That  the  exis- 
tence of  dram-shops  in  a  community,  but  more  especially  in 
one  made  up  of  laboring  men,  does  operate  to  counteract 
the  exertions  of  benevolent  enterprise  is  a  truth  not  to  be 
denied  ;  that  they  are  not  unfrequently  the  scenes  of  discord 
and  contention,  and  that  where  they  are  the  most  numerous 
these  scenes  are  of  most  frequent  occurrence,  are  truths  ac- 
knowledged by  all.  Why  then  suffer  them  to  exist  ?  Why 
not  banish  them  at  once  and  rid  us  of  an  evil  that  is  so  de- 
structive to  all  that  is  desirable.  Your  petitioners  feel  that 
now  is  the  time  for  action,  and  that  much  is  depending  on 
the  result  of  this  effort  in  relation  to  the  character  their 
village  is  to  sustain.  They  feel  the  importance  of  laying  the 
foxnidations  of  their  villar/e  on  temperance  principles  from  the 
consideration  that  it  is  much  easier  to  prevent  evils  than  to 
remove  them,  when  once  incorporated  into  the  habits  of  so- 
ciety. They  therefore  pray  your  Honors  that  this  their 
petition  be  granted. 

Signed  by  Ephraim  Marsh,  William  Miller,  C.  W.  Hunter, 
Solomon  E.  Moore,  D.  A.  Spaulding,  Samuel  Wade,  Samuel 
p.  Stratton,  R.  G.  Euox,  John  W.  Slaten,  Henry  Boothby, 
John  Haine,  Henry  Evans,  Joel  Finch,  Samuel  Abiz,  John 
Buchanan,  Mark  Pearson,  Josiah  Rees,  Alexander  G.  Mel- 
rose, W.  T.  Meacham,  Winthrop  L.  Gilman,  John  Lee, 
Nathan  Barrett,  Curtis  Nobbs,  John  Walker,  H.  Davis,  L. 
J.  Clawson,  William  Harrison,  Samuel  Delaplain,  Simon 
Peters,  Enoch  iLang,  W.  _G.  Pinckard,  George  W^.  Fuller, 
John  Manning,  Thomas  Lippincott,  Benjamin  T.  Lang, 
Stephen  Griggs,  "W.  Manning  Jr.,  Alviu  Bailey,  Samuel 
Bush,  J.  C.  Hayes,  Henry  Watts,  William  Hayden,  E. 
Hayden,  W.  A.  Robertsjn,  G.  N.  Morgan,  H.  S  Summers 
E.  P.  Long,  John  Camp  and  Hail  Mason.  Andrew  Miller 
had  also  signed  this  petition,  but  his  name  is  blotted  out- 
Andrew  INIiller  was  elected  sherifl'  of  Madison  county  after- 
wards. 


The  court  ordered  the  above  petition  to  be  placed  on  file, 
where  it  remained  for  fifty  years.  The  penmanship  of  the 
petition  is  splendid,  and  seems  to  have  been  the  work  of 
either  D.  A.  Spaulding,  Mark  Pearson  or  Hail  Mason.  The 
Altonians  were  undoubtedly  displeased  with  the  disposal 
made  of  their  eloquent  petition  of  February  23,  1832,  and 
now  on  the  7th  of  May,  1832  they  reported  to  the  county 
authorities  that  they  had  incorporated  their  town.  This 
document  was  made  a  matter  of  record  ;  it  says  : 

Lower  Alton,  May  7th,  1832. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Alton  held  this  day  at  the 
Union  Hotel  for  the  purpose  of  taking  the  sense  of  the  in- 
habitants in  relation  to  incorporating  the  town,  Stephen 
Griggs  was  chosen  president  of  the  meeting  and  W.  S. 
Gilman  appointed  clerk. 

The  officers  were  duly  sworn,  and  having  ascertained  that 
the  town  contained  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  inhabitants, 
and  that  ten  days  previous  public  notice  of  this  meeting  had 
been  given  according  to  law,  they  received  the  following 
votes : 

In  favor  of  incorporating  the  town :  John  Lee,  William 
Miller,  Ephraim  Marsh,  S.  E.  Moore,  Z-  Low,  Charles  W. 
Hunter,  M.  C.  Garey,  Stephen  Griggs,  S.  T.  Kendall,  Wm. 
Manning,  jr.,  Samuel  Airs,  John  Quigley,  W.  S.  Emerson, 
Samuel  Wade,  W.  S.  Gilman. 

No  votes  were  given  in  the  negative. 


Stephex  Griggs,  President. 


W.  S.  Oilman,  Clerk. 


The  names  of  Alton  and  Upper  Alton  were  officially  re- 
cognized soon  after,  as  the  old  precinct  of  Greenfield  was 
subdivided  into  two  election  districts,  March  1833,  to  be 
called  Alton  and  Upper  Alton.  The  "  poll  "  for  the  former 
was  located  at  the  house  of  Andrew  Miller. 

The  election  of  1834  gave  to  Cyrus  Edwards  a  seat  in  the 
state  senate,  in  place  of  Joseph  Conway,  and  sent  Nathaniel 
Buckmaster  and  Jesse  B.  Thomas,  jr.,  to  the  house  of  rep- 
resentatives. Thomas  G.  Lofton  was  chosen  sheriff,  and 
James  Wilson  coroner.  Madison  county  had  since  1^533 
formed  a  part  of  the  first  congressional  district,  and  was  rep- 
resented by  Charles  Slade  of  Clinton  county. 

ELEVENTH    BOARD  1834-1836. 

David  Swett,  Robert  Aldrick  and  John  Newman. 

A  special  election  was  held  in  October  1834  to  elect  a 
member  of  congress  in  place  of  Charles  Slade,  who  on  his 
way  home  from  Washington  had  fallen  a  victim  to  cholera, 
then  raging  through  the  United  States.  Governor  Reynolds 
was  elected  to  fill  this  vacancy,  and  reelected  at  the  con- 
gressional election  in  November  following,  for  a  full  term 
in  the  24th  congress,  1835  to  1837. 

Nathaniel  Buckmaster,  who  had  been  sheriff  since  1822, 
made  final  settlement  at  the  June  term  and  was  allowed 
$44.5.50  "  back  "  pay  in  full  of  his  fees  for  serving  notices 
to  road  supervisors,  grand  and  petit  jurors  and  judges  of 
election  during  those  12  years — Jurors   received  a  compen- 


HIS  TO  BY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


149 


sation  of  50  cents  each  day  by  order  of  court— August 
special  term  1835. 

The  couuty  revenue  of  the  year  1835,  was  84,262.86  and 
the  expenditures  amounted  to  84  079.40,  of  which  81,163, 
60  had  been  paid  towards  supporting  paupers.  The  balance 
reported  in  treasury  in  1834  is  not  mentioned. 

Isaac  Co.x  was  appointed  commissiouer  of  census  in  1835. 
The  returns  have  not  been  preserved. 

James  Wilson,  coroner,  was  appointed  sheriff' in  place  of 
T.  G.  Lofton,  resigned  June  10,  1836.  Ordered  by  the 
court  that  the  county  be  kid  off  into  ten  electioa  precincts, 
to  be  called  Edwardsville,  Collinsville,  Marine,  Sugar  Creek, 
Silver  Creek,  Cahokia  Creek,  Monticello,  Alton,  Upper 
Alton  and  Six  Mile. 

The  first  stone  bridge  built  in  the  county,  across  Shield's 
branch,  was  contracted  for,  Alton  to  pay  81000,  and  the 
county  8500.— 1836.  July  23.  Joseph  Conway,  former 
clerk  of  this  court,  presented  a  claim  of  $489.67i  "  back" 
pay,  but  was  refused  and  told  that  he  had  received  830.00 
per  annum  ex-ofBcio  salary,  and  that  the  county  was  not  re- 
sponsible for  work  he  had  done  for  |)rivate  individuals. 

August  1836.  Elected  John  Hagau,  James  Temple  and 
Robert  Smith  members  of  the  house  of  representatives, 
Nathaniel  Buckmaster  sheriff,  and  Robert  Aldrick,  Abel 
Moore  and  S.  W.  Robbins,  county  commissioners. 

TWELFTH  BOARD-1836-1838. 

Robert  Aldrick,  Abel  Moore  and  S.  W.  Robbins.  The 
court  appointed  William  Ogle  treasurer  March  term,  1837, 
in  place  of  Isaac  Cox,  resigned. 

The  era  of  bridge  building  was  inaugurated  by  this 
board,  who  at  said  term,  ordered  a  substantial  bridge  to  be 
erected  across  Wood  river  at  Milton.  This  bridge  was  built 
by  Samuel  Grub,  and  completed  in  December  1837  at  an 
expense  of  85,125.00.  It  should  be  born  in  mind  that  the 
total  revenue  of  1837  amounted  to  but  65579.47. 

The  clerk  was  ordered  to  pay  into  the  treasury  all  amounts 
received  by  this  court  and  its  predecessors.  From  this  order 
it  would  appear,  that  balances  due  by  outgoing  treasurers 
had  been  paid  into  court  instead  of  to  the  incoming  treas- 
urers. The  amount  paid  over  in  consequence  of  the  above 
order  was  stated  to  have  been  81,205.25. 

The  tavern  rates  were  raised  during  this  administration 
to  twice  the  amount  previously  fixed  ;  a  meal  cost  now  fifty 
cents,  and  half  a  pint  of  whiskey,  twenty-five  cents. 

The  various  county  offices,  heretofore  filled  by  appoint- 
ment, were  made  elective  by  acts  of  the  10th  General  Assem- 
bly—1830  to  1838. 

William  T.  Brown  was  elected  county  clerk,  William 
Ogle  trea.«urer,  John  T  Lusk  school  commis.sioner,  and 
Benaiah  Robinson  surveyor, — at  the  August  elections,  1837. 

A  financial  transaction  of  some  magnitude,  considering 
the  resources  of  the  county,  took  place  during  this  adminis- 
tration. The  State  legislature  had,  by  law,  located  the 
State  penitentiary  at  Alton,  in  accordance  with  an  act  passed 
some  ten  years  previously,  by  which  Shadrach  Bond,  W.  P. 
McKee  and  Gershom  Jayue  had  been  appointed  commis- 


sioners to  select  a  suitable  place  on  the  Mississippi  river  at 
or  near  Alton,  for  a  site.  The  county  seems  either  to  have 
promised  a  bonus  of  85,000  as  a  subvention,  or  to  have 
pledged  the  faith  and  credit  of  the  county  for  the  payment 
of  that  amount  by  others.  Among  the  files  of  the  ounty, 
the  writer  found  two  drafts,  one  for  83,000,  dated  iMay  26, 
1837,  and  the  other  for  82,000,  dated  August—,  1837.  The 
phraseology  of  these  drafts  is  peculiar,  as  will  be  seen  from 
the  following: 

Dollars,  3,000.  Altox,  May  20,  1837. 

Five  days  after  demand,  pay  to  the  order  of  George  Smith, 
Samuel  C.  Price  and  J,  R.  Wood,  inspectors  of  the  peniten- 
tiary, three  thousand  dollars,  with  ten  per  cent,  interest  per 
annum  from  the  date  hereof  until  paid — payable  at  the 
Branch  of  the  State  Bank  of  Illinois  at  Alton,  and  a  notice 
in  writing  left  by  the  holders  hereof  with  the  teller  of  said 
bank  shall  be  deemed  sufficient  notice  and  demand  of  pay- 
ment,— being  on  account  of  Madison  county  bond. 


To  Messrs.  J.  M.  Krum,  C. ) 
W.  Hunter,  A.  Cawles,  Rob- 
ert Smith,  John  Hogan  &  Co., 

Aldrich  & ,  Clawson   - 

&  Cook,  N.  Buckmaster,  J.  A.  i 
Townsend,  J.  C.  Bruner,  Cook  | 
and  Fifield  S.  Griggs.  J 


Abel  IMoore,       | 
l.  w.  robbi.ss,   1 


Two 

county 
cornmi-s- 
siouers. 


The  draft  was  accepted  by  those  parties,  and  so  endorsed  in 
writing  across  the  face  of  said  draft. 

A  marginal  remark  contains  the  following,  written  in  red 
ink :  "  Demanded  payment  at  Alton  Branch,  Bank  of  Ill- 
inois, November  21st,  1838;  payment  refused  by  a  clerk." 

The  draft  was  formally  protested  on  the  29th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1838,  before  John  H.  Sparr,  notary  public,  at  the  re- 
que.st  of  the  Branch  of  State  Bank  of  Illinois  at  Alton,  and 
holder  of  the  original  acceptance,  who  exhibited  said  bill  or 
acceptance  at  the  counter  of  the  Alton  Branch  of  State 
Bank  of  Illinois  and  demanded  payment  thereof,  whereui.to 
the  answer  was  made  through  a  clerk  of  said  Branch  Bank 
that  said  acceptance  could  not  be  paid,  as  funds  for  that  pur- 
pose had  not  been  furnished. 

The  protest  papers  contain  on  the  reverse  side  the  follow- 
ing words  written  in  lead  pencil:  "Ask  Sparr  if  at  any  time 
since  demand,  funds  have  been  provided  for  the  payment  of 
said  draft — Ask  if  demand  was  made,  also  by  whom  " — and  : 
Jones — 

"  Upon  the  ground  that  it  is  novel  instrument  and  no 
action  can  be  sustained  upon  it." 

Action  or  no  action,  the  county,  nevertheless,  paid  the  full 
amount,  interest  included,  by  issuing  county  orders,  amount- 
ingin  the  aggregate  to  85,666.67,  at  the  September  term,  1839-,. 
payable  to  the  inspectors  of  the  penitentiary,  and  bearing 
ten  per  cent,  annual  interest  from  date  of  issue  until  paid. 
These  orders  were  paid  during  E.  >I.  West's  term  of  office 
as  treasurer  of  the  county,  and  it  appears  that  the  fixst  pay- 
ment, to  wit:  8100  00,  was  made  on  the  12th  of  September,. 
1839,  and  the  last,  being  the  thirtieth,  $525.00,  on.  thfi  lOtln 


1.30 


HISTORY    OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


of  June,  1841.  These  thirty  payraeuts  aggregate  86,50484. 
The  funds  in  discharging  this  debt  were  raised  by  a  spe- 
cial tax. 

But,  to  return  to  our  subject  matter:  in  June,  1838,  the 
old  precinct  name  of  "  Cahokia,"  liiie  the  beautiful  designa- 
tion of  "  Gosheu  "  heretofore,  was  now  blotted  out,  Swett's 
Prairie  having  been  substituted  for  it.  Sugar  Creek  was 
changed  into  Highland,  and  a  new  precinct,  "Madison," 
organized  north  of  Six-mile. 

The  result  of  the  August  election  of  1838  was  as  fallows : 
George  Churchill,  State  Senator ;  William  Ottvrell,  George 
Smith  and  Robert  Smith,  members  of  the  House;  John 
Adams,  Sheriff;  Henry  P.  Rundall,  Coroner,  and  Hiram 
Arthur,  Edmund  Fruit  and  Thomas  J.  Waddle,  County 
Commissioners. 

THIRTEENTH   BOARD,    1838-39. 

The  tenure  of  office  of  County  Commissioners  was  changed 
by  act  of  the  Tenth  General  Assembly.  The  Commiseion- 
ers  elected  in  August  1838  were  to  hold  their  terms  for  one, 
two  and  three  years  severally,  as  determined  by  lot.  Hiram 
Arthur  through  the  three  years,  Edmund  Fruit  the  two 
years,  and  Thomas  Waddle  the  one  year's  term. 

Ex-Sheriff  Buckmaster  was  represented  to  the  court  to  be 
in  default  with  the  County  revenue  to  the  amount  of 
S2598.75.  An  investigation  was  held  before  the  court,  who 
thereupon  entered  judgment  against  Buckmaster  for  $751.29 
due  and  S  168.78  penalty. 

A  new  town  named  Fitz  James  is  mentioned  in  connection 
with  a  grocery  license  granted  to  one  Alexander  Shaffer. 
Fitz  James  is  the  present  Grant  Fork  in  Saline  township. 
Highland  is  mentioned  also  for  the  first  time  as  a  town  in 
T.  3-5,  and  John  Zimmermann  and  Moritz  Huegy  were 
licensed  to  keep  taverns,  because,  the  court  says,  they  are 
respectable  men,  and  will  probably  keep  orderly  houses 
The  court  divided  the  county  into  nine  assessors'  districts^ 
with  Thomas  Gillham,  Ebenezer  Huntington,  Daniel  A. 
Lanterman,  Erastus  Wheeler,  Joseph  Bartlett,  Kobert 
Aldrich,  Abel  Olive,  J.  L.  Ferguson  and  James  Reynolds, 
as  Assessors.  Fragments  of  their  returns,  made  in  June, 
l.'*39,  are  still  in  existence,  but  the  writer  found  it  impossible 
to  compile  any  interesting  or  reliable  information  from 
them.  The  County  paid  §181. 00  for  the  work,  of  which 
Huntington  drew  $48.00,  the  largest  amount  paid,  while 
Robert  Aldrich  contented  himself  with  $8  00. 

Lands  were  no  longer  classed  as  of  first,  second  and  third 
quality,  but  assessed  according  to  actual  value.  The 
revenue  of  the  year  was  collected  by  John  C  Dugger,  ap. 
pointed  by  the  court,  as  the  law  required.  Dugger  reported  to 
have  collected  in  taxes  $4135.71  ;  in  merchants'  licenses, 
$175.75  ;  in  tavern  licenses,  $31200  ;  fines,  41.00,  and  in  jury 
and  docket  fees,  $118.00— total  $4781.86.  The  County  ex- 
penditures were — County  officials,  $1214.40 ;  roads  and 
bridges,  $1464.25;  paupers,  $982.04;  courts,  jurors  and 
stationery,  539.50  ;  jail,  court-house  and  prisoners,  $319.62; 
.sundries,  $2.00,  and  to  Joseph  Conway,  ex-clerk,  $406.63. 
Wr.  Conway  had  taken  an  appeal  on  his  case,  and  received 
now   his  •'  back"   pay,   although  the  court  had   previously 


paid  him  $3). 01  per  annum  for  his  official  work.  E  Ivvards- 
ville  was  made  a  road  district,  because  the  town  trustees  had 
resigned  in  body  and  given  up  the  corporate  powers  and 
privileges  of  the  old  town,  and  Isaac  Prickett  was  put  in 
charge  of  affairs  as  "  supervisor." 

The  election  of  1839  returned  the  following  County 
officers,  to  wit : — David  Smith,  Commis.sioner ;  W.  T- 
Brown.  County  plerk  ;'T?^dward  M.  West,  Treasurer;  J.  T. 
Lusk,  Recorder  >Benaiah  Robinson,  Surveyor,  and  Matthew 
Gillespie,  Probate  Judge — Recorders,  Surveyors  and  Pro- 
bate Judge.shad  until  then  been  appointed,  not  elected. 

The  names  of  the  justices  of  the  peace,  whose  offices  were 
made  elective  in  1827,  elected  at  the  various  periods  of  time, 
will  be  found  alphabetically  arranged  at  the  close  of  this 
chapter  to  the  period  from  1819  to  1849. 

FOURTEENTH    BOARD,    1839-40. 

Hiram  Arthur,  Edmund  Fruit,  and  David  Smith,  Com- 
missioners. 

William  Ogle,  who  had  been  Treasurer  of  the  County 
since  March,  1837,  came  forward  at  the  first  term  of  this 
court,  September,  1839.  Mr.  Ogle  was  the  first  Treasurer 
of  Madison  County,  who  kept  a  treasurer's  account  book. 
The  book  is- still  in  existence,  and  is  labeled,  ''County 
Treasurer's  Record,  Vol.  1." 

The  first  entry  is  made  on  the  fly  leaf,  to  wit : 

1837.   ■) 
April  5.  j 

To  amount  received  of  T.  G.   Lofton  on  acct.  of  estrays, 

paid  in  County  orders,  $71,564. 

(The  above  orders  were  marked  paid  through  mistake, 
and  the  County  is  still  bound  for  them  to  the  Treasurer.) 

These  lines  are  in  the  well-known  handwriting  of  William 
Tyler  Brown,  who  also  wrote  out  the  following  official  report 
for  Mr.  Ogle  : 

SEPTEMBER    TEEM,   A.    D.,    1839. 

The  undersigned  makes  a  final  report  of  his  actings  as 
Treasurer  of  Madison  County,  showing  the  whole  amount 
of  moneys  paid  into  the  Treasury,  as  also  the  total  amount 
paid  out. 

The  whole  amount  paid  into  the  Treasury  from  different 
sources  from  the  31st  of  March,  1837,  to  this  date  is 

$11,984.94 

The  total  amount  paid  out 
during   same  period  of  time  is  $11,621.59 

Commissions  2  per  cent,  on  $11,723.79     234.46     11,856.05 

Leaving  a  balance  due  to  the  County  of  $128.89 

which  is  herewith  paid  into  court,  and  on  which   a  commis- 
sion is  charged. 

All  of  which  appears  from  my  books  and  papers  this  day 
delivered  over  to  my  successors.  Wm.  Ogle, 

Treasurer. 

This  report  is  introduced  here,  because  it  is  the  oldest 
found  on  file,  and  because  it  is  also,  in  all  probability,  the 
first  one  filed,  as  no  Treasurer's  account  books  had  been 
kept  previously.     Another  reason  for  introducing  it  was   its 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   CO  UN  I  Y,    ILLINOIS. 


151 


laconic  style  and  want  of  detail.  It  reminds  the  writer  of 
an  amusing  incident  in  the  life  of  the  famous  rider — Gen- 
eral Bltiecher,  the  deadliest  enemy  of  Napuleon.  Bluecher, 
a  splendid  and  dashing  trooper,  was  a  wretched  scholar. 
His  king  had  sent  hira  once  as  military  governor  to  Ham- 
burg. At  the  end  of  the  year  the  general  reported  to  the 
Home  Government:  '■  I  have  received  so  and  so  many  dol- 
lars in  public  funds,  and  have  paid  out  so  and  so  many  dol- 
lars on  public  accounts,  leaving  a  balance  of  so  and  so  many 
cents."  The  treasury  people  in  Berlin  refused  to  accept 
this  report  and  returned  it  for  itemizing,  demanding  vouch- 
ers besides.  Bluecher  copied  his  first  report  without  chang- 
ing a  letter.  It  came  back,  of  course,  and  this  time  with  a 
reprimand.  The  old  warrior  grew  furious,  and  when  the 
report  went  to  Berlin  a  third  time,  it  contained  the  follow- 
ing marginal  remark  :  "  I  have  stated  facts  as  they  are  ; 
whoever  says  that  they  are  not  correct  is  a  scoundrel,  and 
my  name  is  Bluecher."     This  ended  the  controversy. 

Wdliam  Ogle's  report  would  not  have  passed  muster  at 
Berlin,  but  then  we  are  not  living  in  old  fossiled  monarchies, 
ours  is  a  grand  Republic. 

The  County  finances  commenced  to  attract  the  attention 
of  men  in  various  parts  of  the  country.  Representative 
George  Smith,  of  Upper  Alton,  called  by  letter  of  Sept.    3, 

1839,  the  attention  of  the  County  Court  to  the  21st  section 
of  the  revenue  law,  which  section  provided  that  the  collec- 
tor should  pay  in  the  Treasury  monthly  all  ta.xes  collected 
by  him.  The  Treasurer's  account  book  of  1839  and  subse- 
quent years  up  to  1849,  prove  that  the  Board  acted  upon 
Mr.  Smitii's  suggestion. 

In  January,  1840,  the  citizens  of  Alton  refused  to  pay 
the  County  Tax,  claiming  ihat  their  city  charter  exempted 
them  from  paying  this  tax.  The  court  submitted  the  matter 
to  His  Honor  Judge  Breese,  who  sustained  the  Alton  claim. 

John   C.  Dagger   was    reappointed    collector   in    March, 

1840.  The  assessors  of  the  county  report  the  total  value  of 
all  taxable  pr.)perty  in  the  county  to  have  been  33,284,.549, 
and  the  collector  reported  that  he  had  failed  to  make  collec- 
tions on  $43.5,940  worth  of  land,  and  $.53,810  worth  of  per- 
.=onal  property,  and  that  $44,5,664  worth  of  city  property 
was  exempt  from  paying  a  county  t;ix.  The  county  levied 
a  tax  of  twenty-five  cents  on  all  property  outside  of  Alton, 
and  a  special  tax  of  fifteen  cents  on  all  property  in  the 
county.  This  special  tax  was  intended  for  raising  funds 
with  which  to  pay  the  penitentiary  orders. 

In  August,  1840,  the  following  ofiicers  were  elected : 
Ephraim  Harnsberger,  county  commissioner  ;  Andrew  Mil- 
ler, sheriff;  Joseph  Gillespie,  Cyrus  Edwards,  and  James 
Reynolds,  members  of  the  house  of  rej)resentatives,  and  II 
C.  Caswell,  coroner.  The  a.s.«essor's  districts  of  the  previous 
year  were  abolished,  and  Orren  Meeker  was  appointed 
county  assessor  for  the  next  year — 1841. 

The  collector's  returns  for  the  year  18-10,  are  ver}'  ac- 
curately made  out,  and  from  them  we  were  enabled  to  make 
the  following  correct  extracts  : 

The  real  estate  outside  of  Alton  was  valued  at  8', 299,979, 
and  the  personal  property  owned  in  the  county,  outside  of 
Alton,  was  assessed  at  $56o,4S7 — total  property  subject  to 


county  tax,  $1,86-5,466.  The  real  estate  of  Alton  was 
valued  at  $621,010,  and  the  personal  property  at  $1.5.5,724, 
or  $777,334  in  the  aggregate,  value  of  all  taxable  property 
in  the  county  in  1840,  $2,(542,880.  Mr.  Duggcr  further  re- 
ported that  he  failed  to  collect  eight  per  cent,  of  the  taxes 
outside  of  Alton,  and  seventeen  per  cent  of  the  taxes  in 
the  city  limits.  1840  was  a  United  States  census  year.  The 
population  reported  in  1830-viz.,  6,221,  had  more  than 
doubled,  and  Madison  ranked  now  in  point  of  population  aa 
the  fourth  of  the  eighty-seven  organized  counties  of  Illinois. 

Morgan  county  led  with  a  population  of  19,1.54  ;  Sanga- 
mon followed,  with  14,716;  Adams  third,  with  14,401,  and 
then  Madi-son,  with  14,433.  Cook  county,  with  Chicago  in 
embryo,  had  then  scarcely  10,000  inhabitants. 

The  live  stock  of  Madison  county  consisted  in  7,036 
horses,  22,139  neat  cattle,  12,608  sheep,  and  54,752  hogs. 
The  poultry  belonging  to  tlie  3,000  families  residing  in  the 
county  was  valued  at  $18,667.  The  farm  products  of  the 
preceding  year  were  reported  as  follows:  165,520  bushels 
of  wheat,  valued  at  62:1  cents  per  bushel=$103,450  ;  44.080 
bushels  of  barley,  rye,  and  buckwheat,  valued  at  20  cents  per 
bushel,=$22,920;  209,800  bushels  of  oats,  valued  at  $41,960; 
1,304,335  bushels  of  corn,  valued  at  20  cents  per  bushel, 
=$260,850;  25,190  pounds  of  w-ool,  valued  at  45  cents  per 
pound=$n,335 ;  654  pounds  of  beeswax  at  25  cents  per 
pound=$161.00;  121,305  bushels  of  potatoes  at  25  cents  per 
bushel =$30,325,00;  6,542  tons  of  hay,  at  $8.00  per  ton, 
=$52,330  ;  25  tons  of  flax  or  hemp,  at  SlOO  per  ton =$2,500  ; 
11,280  pounds  of  tobacco,  at  6  cents  per  pound=$670  00  ; 
35,810  cords  of  wood,  sold  at  $2  00  per  cord=$71,620. 
Value  of  butter  sold,  $38,177;  value  of  fruits  grown  in 
orchards,  $40,775  ;  value  of  domestic  goods,  $33,460;  value 
of  garden  and  nursery  products,  $50,520. 

The  value  of  farming  products,  including  live-stock,  sold 
in  1839,  amounted  to  $2,309,151.80,  or  nearly  100  per  cap- 
ita. In  this  Madi.son  led  all  other  counties  ;  Morgan  county 
followed  with  $1,552,  310.20,  Sangamon  with  1,519,948.90, 
St.  Clair  with  $1,340,130.40;  Gallatin  with  1.216,329.74; 
Fulton  with  $l,lf8,677..50  ;  Adams  with  $1,073,629.00,  and 
Vermillion  with  $1,062,000.26.  The  total  value  of  all  farm 
products  sold  in  the  state  during  said  year  was  $40,. 
738,085.70,  over  one-fourth  of  which  amount  was  made  up 
by  the  above  eight  counties. 

The  average  value  of  livestock  was — horses  and  mules 
$45.00,  cattle  $15  00,  sheep  $2.00,  swine  $3.00. 

The  census  reports  71  stores  in  the  county  with  $464,575 
invested — $6500  per  store.  986  wagons  and  carriages  had 
been  manufactured  during  the  year  in  the  county,  and  their 
average  value  seems  to  have  been  about  $32.00.  The 
flour  turned  out  by  the  mills  was  valued  at  $406,350.  296 
dwelling-houses  had  been  built  during  the  year  at  an  ex- 
pense of  $287  975.  There  were  two  tanneries  in  the 
county  that  turned  out  1650  sides  of  leather,  harnesses  and 
saddles  made  in  the  county  in  1839  were  valued  at  $23,- 
275  ;  3  distilleries  turned  28.300  gallons  of  whiskey ;  the 
products  of  lime  kilns  and  brick  yards  were  estimated  to 
have  been  worth  $17,200,  and  sundries,  skins,  etc., 
had  brought  $44  332. 


15: 


HISTORY   OF  21  AD  I  SON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


All  the  wine  made  in  the  state,  to  wit :  471  gallons,  was  j 
niauufaetureil  in  ^ladison  county.  The  census  does  not  state  in 
what  part  of  the  county  vines  were  grown,  nor  what  the 
stuff  was  worth  per  gallon.  The  writer  has  however,  every 
reason  to  believe,  that  the  quality  was  even  inferior  to 
the  quantity. 

Butchering  and  packing  was  carried  on  to  a   considera-   : 
ble  extent,  in  the  entire  state,   to  wit :  Of  the  money  used 
in  that  business  §741.725 — §421.1)75  was  invested  in  Alton 
alone,    where    over  5333  bjjves    a:id  nearly  53.033    hogs 
had  been  slaughtered  during  the  preceding  year. 

FIFTEENTH    BO.VRD — 1840-1841 

Hiram  Arthur,  David  Smith,  and  Ephraim  Harnsberger 
commissioners. 

Very  little  public  business  was  transacted  by  this  board  ; 
the  51  road-districts  of  the  county  were  reviewed,  named 
according  to  the  fancy  of  the  court,  but  there  is  ijoth'ng 
remarkable  about  those  names.  The  friends  of  Old  Hick- 
ory bad  one  district  named  "  Hermitage "  with  J.  G. 
Smith  as  supervisor  and  Benaiab  Gullick  presided  over 
"  Egypt. " 

The  "  Madison  county  ferry  company  "  represented  by 
William  Gillham,  applied  for  and  oljtained  license  to  estab- 
lish a  ferry  at  Venice  and  to  north  St-  Louis.  This  com- 
pany has  grown  into  a  powerful  and  wealthy  corporation. 

Another  corporation,  the  Alton  and  Mt.  Carmel  railroad 
company  commenced  operations,  but  failed  to  come  up  to 
the  great  and  wild  expectations  of  the  people.  The 
schemes  of  internal  improvements  at  the  expenses  of  the 
state,  resulted  disastrously.  Some  1300  miles  of  railroads 
were  to  be  built  throughout  the  state,  besides  other  im- 
provements, canals,  &c-,  and  the  carnival  lasted  as  long  as 
the  state  could  borrow  money.  The  state  debt  thus  cre- 
ated amounted  to  about  fifteen  million  of  dollars.  Instead 
of  developing  the  grand  resources  of  the  state,  as  asserted 
on  all  the  high- ways  and  by-ways,  in  all  cities,  towns  and 
villages,  a  new  financial  misery  was  brought  about  by  the 
planless  and  senseless  measures  of — let  us  say — enthusiasts 
The  people  of  Madison  county  sufiered  with  the  population 
of  other  counties,  but  they  had  no  reason  to  complain,  in 
as  much  as  her  leading  men  were  as  much  carried  away 
as  others.  It  is  not  the  province  of  the  chronicler  of  a 
county  sketch  to  branch  off  on  this  subject,  and  he  returns 
to  the  county  afl^airs. 

SIXTEENTH   BOARD.      1841-1S42. 

David  Smith,  Ephraim  Harnsbegcr  and  Samuel  Squire, 
commissioners.  This  board  introduced  a  financial  scheme  of 
doubtful  propriety  by  ordering  the  issuing  of  county  orders, 
■which  were  to  be  used  as  money  by  various  supervisors  of 
roads  in  payment  of  improvements  to  be  made.  County 
orders  siiould  only  be  used  in  payment  of  commodities  fur- 
nished to  the  county  or  of  labor  performed  for  the  county, 
and  upon  vouchers  properly  and  legally  audited  and  al- 
lowed. The  system  introduced  by  the  above  board  created  a 
county  debt,  which  it  took  years  to  cancel,  as  will  be  shown 


hereafter.  It  was,  as  the  "  enthusiasts  on  greenbacks"  of 
abater  day  called  it,  "  fiat  money, "and  looked  i^o  harmless 
and  innocent  in  the  beginning,  but,  as  the  appetite  grew — 
and  appetite  will  grow  while  good  things  appear  before  the 
eater — greater  amounts  had  to  be  issued,  until  finally  the 
orders  lost  their  charm,  and  the  purchasing  power  of  this 
fiat  dollar  was  reduced  to  but  a  fraction  of  the  genuine 
dollar.  The  fractional  dollars  had  to  be  paid  by  the  tax- 
payers of  the  county  in  full  and  genuine  dollars. 

John  C  Dagger  was  succeeded  in  the  office  of  county 
collector  by  John  Cooper,  appointed  in  1842,  and  Isaac  Cox 
took  Orren  Meeker's  place  as  county  assessor  in  the  same 
year.  The  Madison  county  Ferry  Company  was  relicensed 
in  1842,  and  its  tax  was  raised  from  810  to  $50  per  annum, 
from  which  fact  the  reader  may  judge  with  what  success  the 
enterprise  was  crowned. 

The  election  of  August,  1842,  returned  George  Smith  to 
the  state  senate,  together  with  James  A  James,  selected  by 
the  voters  of  Madison,  St.  Clair  and  Monroe  counties. 
Robert  Aldrich,  John  Bailhache  and  Curtis  Blakeman  be- 
came members  of  the  house  of  representatives,  Andrew 
Miller,  sheriff  (was  re-elected),  H  S.  Surumers  was  made 
coroner,  and  James  Webb  took  the  place  of  David  Smith 
in  the  board  of  county  commissioners. 

SEVENTEENTH   BOAED.      1812-43. 

Ephraim  Harnsberger,  Samuel  Squire  and  James  Webb, 
commissioners.  This  board  organized  a  new  precinct  to  be 
called  "  Looking-Glass,"  now  St.  Jacob,  with  the  poll  at 
W.  H.  Uzzel's,  and  with  John  Lindley,  Stephen  Hart  and 
J.  G.  Anderson  as  the  first  judges  of  election. 

August,  184:5,  election  of  county  officers:  James  G. 
Anderson,  csunty  commissioner;  George  W.  Prickett,  pro- 
bate judge;  AV.  T.  Brown,  county  clerk;  H.  K.  Eaton, 
county  collector  ;  Daniel  A.  Lanterman,  school  commissioner, 
J.  T.  Lusk,  county  recorder  ;  E.  M.  West,  county  treasurer. 

EIGHTEENTH   BOARD.      1843-44. 

Samuel  Squire,  James  Webb  and  J.  G.  Anderson,  county 
commissioners.  The  county  orders,  the  "fiat  money"  of 
1841,  had  by  this  time  depreciated,  and  orders  were  freely 
offered  at  from  25  to  35  per  cent,  discount,  and  the  court, 
not  being  advised  as  to  the  amount  of  such  orders  afloat, 
ordered  to  fund  them  in  amounts  of  §100,  or  its  multiple,  to 
bear  12  per  cent,  annual  interest  and  to  be  paid  after  three 
years.  Yes,  "after!"  The  last  of  these  orders  was  pre- 
sented twenty-eight  years  later,  in  1871,  and  the  holder,  the 
late  H.  K.  Eaton,  of  this  county,  consented  to  take  a  10  per 
cent,  interest  bearing  bond  in  lieu  of  his  12  per  cent,  paper. 
The  bond  issued  to  Mr.  Eaton,  was,  with  others  converted 
into  G  per  cent,  interest  bonds  iu  1877,  and  forms  to  this 
day  a  part  of  the  indebtedness  of  Madison  county.  "  Fiat" 
money  is  truly  a  grand  institution.  The  8100  of  fiat  money, 
which  in  1843,  had  paid  for  about  -870  worth  of  labor,  has 
cost  the  county  the  following  amounts  in  interest:  12  per 
cent,  from  1848  to  1871,  $336;  10  per  cent  from  1871  to 
1877,  860,  and  0  per  cent,  from  1877  to  1882,  830,  aggre- 
gating §424  in  interest,  $100  to  be  paid  yet,  swelling  the 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


lo3 


original  $100,  which  was  in  fact  worth  only  $70,  to  $524. 
The  process  of"  funding  "  commenced  on  the  14th  of  March, 
1843,  and  continued  to  June,  1855,  during  which  time  626,- 
900  of  fiat  money  were  converted  into  interest  bearing  bonds 
to  be  redeemed  in  specie.  This  was  the  result  of  the  short, 
quiet,  harmless,  innocent  order  made  September  Gth,1841 — 
Ordered  that  S300  in  county  orders,  of  §5  each,  payable  to 

bearer,  be  issued  and  placed  in  the  hands  of and  , 

supervisors,  to  be  used  as  money  in  payment  for  making  a 
road  through  Wet  prairie.  The  spirit  of  internal  improve- 
ments had  seized  upon  the  people  of  the  county  to  such  a 
degree,  that  the  court  was  beset  from  the  first  to  the  last  day 
of  its  term  with  petitions  to  lay  out  new  roads,  etc.,  etc. 
The  county  surveyor,  old  Benaiah  Robinson,  grew  weary  of 
the  work,  the  more  so,  as  he  had  formed  an  idea,  that  many 
of  those  petitions  were  only  presented  to  have  certain  men 
draw  pay  as  viewers.  He  drew  up  the  following  amusing 
document,  found  among  the  vouchers  of  1842,  to  wit : 

"A  little  parley  with  the  Cour^.— Should  the  court  think  it 
most  prudent  to  put  a  stop  to  the  road  petitions  and  their 
consequent  views,  reports,  etc  ,  let  the  following  method  be 
adopted,  which  will  insure  success  with  less  censure  than 
any  other,  as  the  law  appears  in  part  to  favor  the  plan  : 
Let  it  be  once  determined  that  75  cents  a  day  in  county 
orders,  is  all  that  will  be  given  to  chainmen  and  other 
necessarj'  bauds,  out  of  which  they  must  pay  their  own  fare ; 
and  that  the  viewers  shall  have  but  $1.00  per  day,  whether 
they  chain  or  not,  out  of  which  they  must  pay  their  way, 
or  that  the  surveyor  shall  pay  the  whole  bill  of  fare,  where- 
ever  he  may  have  to  direct  the  hands  for  lodging  or  victual- 
ing. Either  of  these  rules,  it  is  believed,  will  greatly  retard 
or  put  a  stop  to  the  present  process  of  road  manufacturing. 
And  it  will  cause  less  complaint  against  the  court  than  any 
other  method  that  can  be  put  in  practice. 

Unfavorable  reports  will  not  reach  the  case,  new  petitions 
will  spring  up  like  the  fabled  Hydra,  changing,  perhajw  a 
little,  routes  formerly  acted  on,  or  new  viewers  will  be  asked 
for,  whose  opinions  are  known  in  advance,  for  the  petitioners 
claim  as  great  a  share  of  wisdom  as  generally  falls  to  the 
lot  of  viewers,  and  frequently  they  have  the  audacity  to 
believe  that  they  know  as  well  where  a  good  wagon  road 
could  be  made  as  your  humble  surve3'or." 

The  valuation  of  taxable  prDperty  in  the  county  was 
stated  to  be  S2,  364,197,  exclusive  of  Alton;  a  tax  of  30 
cents  per  100  should  have  brought  $7,092.60,  but  delin- 
quencies now  amounted  to  over  twelve  per  cent,  and  the  net 
tax  was  only  $5,939.36. 

The  necessity  of  securing  an  asylum  for  the  helpless  pau- 
pers in  the  county,  had  becon^e  apparent,  and  Judge  G.  \V. 
Prickett,  volunteered  to  negotiate  for  James  Ruggles'  house 
as  a  temporary  abode  for  the  unfortunates.  The  house  was 
to  be  furnished  and  put  in  readiness  during  January,  1844, 
and  James  Ruggles  was  appointed  superintendent  with  a 
yearly  salary  of  $250.00. 

Admittance  of  a  free  negro. — Patsey,  alias  Martha  Tyler, 

a  woman  of  color,  formerly  the  slave  of  Samuel  Miller  of  the 

Parish  of  Tensas,  Louisana,  planter,  and  by  him  manumitted, 

brought  evidence  of  her  freedom,  had  those  papers  recorded 

20 


and  gave  bond  as  the  law  required,  whereupon  she  was  per- 
miitcd  to  reside  in  Madison  county. 

1844 — AUGUST  election: 
George  Barnsback,  George  Churchill  and  N.  D.  Strong, 
members  of  the  house   of  representatives  ;  Andrew   Miller, 
sheriff  and   ex-officio   collector   of    revenue,    and   Samuel 
Squire  couuty  commissioner,  (his  2d  term). 

XINETEEXTH  BOARD  1844-45. 

James  Webb,  J.  G.  Anderson  and  Samuel  Squire,  county 
commi.ssioners. 

This  court  became  the  recipient  of  a  handsome  donation 
made  by  Hon.  George  Barnsback,  member  of  the  house  of 
representatives,  accompanied  by  the  following  letter : 

"  Herewith  I  present  you  with  the  sum   of  one   hundred 
and  fifty  dollars  in  auditor's  warrants  which  I  wish  you  to 
appropriate  towards  the  relief  of  the  poor  of  your  county, 
in  such  a  manner  as  you  may  deem  the  most  proper. 
Your  most  obedient  servant, 

George  Bar>sback," 

Edwardsville,  March  4,  1845. 

The  court  acknowledged  the   receipt   by   the  following  : 

1845,  ]\Iarch  Term — Ordered  that  the  thanks  of  the  court 
be  tendered  to  the  Hon.  George  Barnsback,  representative 
from  this  county  in  the  legislature  of  Illinois  for  his  muni- 
ficent donation  of  $150.00  in  auditor's  warrants  to  the 
county  of  Madison,  to  be  applied  to  the  relief  of  the  poor 
of  said  county,  and  that  funds  be  appropriated  as  directed 
by  the  donor,  in  his  communication  to  this  court,  upon  the 
subject,  which  is  ordered  to  be  filed  and  preserved  among 
the  records  of  the  county. 

'^  E.  M.  West,  having  been  appointed  school  commissioner 
in  place  of  Daniel  A.  Lanterman,  resigned,  surrendered  his 
ofiice  as  treasurer,  to  the  board,  whereupon  Matthew  Gillespie 
was  appointed  treasurer,  March,  1845. 

The  county  revenue  for  1844,  amounted  to  $6,583.93,  and 
the  expenditures  to  $7,627.'J8. 

Irwin  B.  Randle  was  elected  county  commissioner  in  place 
of  James  Webb,  whose  term  had  expired. 

TWENTIETH   BOARD    1845-40. 

J.  G.  Anderson,  Samuel  Squire  and  I.  B.  Randle,  com- 
missioners. 

December  term,  1845. — The  court  appointed  two  of  its 
members,  J.  G.  Anderson  and  Samuel  Squire  and  the  sur- 
veyor B.  Robinson  a  committee  to  adopt  a  plan  of  building 
a  tew  jail  and  to  contract  for  the  same.  The  support  of 
the  paupers  in  the  poor  house  cost  the  county  $800  in  1845, 
and  complaint  was  made,  that  the  pauper  expenditures 
throughout  the  county  were  still  very  considerable.  In 
1846  the  order  in  reference  to  contracting  for  a  new  jail  is 
rescinded  and  another  substituted  to  devise  apian  for  en- 
larging the  old  jail.  This  plan  is  abandoned  again,  and  in 
May,  1840,  the  coimty  agents  above  mentioned  contracted 
with  Samuel  Smith  and  Thomas  McNeil  for  the  building  of 
a  new  jail.    This  indecision  of  the  court  was  brought  about 


ir)4 


niSTOEY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


by  the  usual  clamor  against  public  expenditures.  The  con-  | 
tract  called  for  a  brick  building,  thirty-eight  by  twenty- 
eight  feet,  outside  measure,  with  stone  foundation  four  feet 
below  and  one  foot  above  the  surface,  and  to  be  four  feet 
thick.  The  walls  of  the  first  story  to  be  double,  thirteen 
inches  thick,  and  one  foot  apart,  in  which  space  are  to  be 
inserted  perpendicularly  timbers  twelve  inches  s(iuare  and 
of  the  length  of  the  story.  The  rest  of  the  contract  is  in 
keeping  with  the  introdudory  lines,  and  it  would  appear  im- 
possible for  inmates  of  one  of  the  cells  to  break  through. 
The  contract  price  was  $2,900,  to  be  paid  in  county  orders. 
The  contractors  gave  bond,  with  E  M.  West,  H.  K.  Eaton, 
J.  T.  Lusk,  Matthew  Gillespie  and  W.  T.  Brown  sureties 
for  faithful  performance  of  work  as  called  for  in  contract. 
The  building  is  this  day  standing  on  the  old  court-house 
grounds  and  serves  as  a  city  prison  building. 

1846,   AUGUST   ELECTION. 

Joseph  Gillespie,  State  Senator ;  Curtis  Blakeman,  W.  F. 
DeWolf  and  "William  Martin,  representatives,  Andrew 
Miller,  sheriff;  T.  Weed,  coroner ;  W.  B.  Reynolds,  county 
commissioner,  and  H.  K.  Eaton,  probate  judge  in  place  of 
Hon.  G.  W.  Prickett,  who  had  gone  to  fight  the  battlts  of 
the  United  States  on  the  fields  of  Mexico. 

TWEXTY-FIRST    BOARD — 1846-1847. 

Samuel  Squire,  I.  B.  Randle  and  W.  B.  Reynolds,  coun- 
ty commissioners.  The  building  of  the  new  jail  was  now 
in  progress.  W.  T.  Brown,  H.K.  Eaton  and  John  H.  Weir, 
who  had  been  appointed  a  committee  to  superintend  the 
building  of  said  jail,  reported  January  8,  1847,  as  follows  : 

"  That  uuc'er  the  discretion  allowed  them  they  have  made 
several  alterations  and  changes  from  the  original  plan  upon 
which  said  jail  was  to  have  been  constructed.  These  changes 
were  made  by  the  committee  after  consultation  among  them- 
selves, and  are  such  as  were  deemed  to  be  expedient  and 
proper,  and  such  as  are  believed  to  be  an  improvement  upon 
the  original  plan  for  the  construction  of  the  jail ;  all  changes 
that  had  been  made  are  without  any  additional  charge  to 
the  county  on  the  original  contract  except  as  to  two  items, 
one  substituting  a  stone  wall  instead  of  a  brick  wall  in  the 
foundation  which  has  already  been  examined  into  and  acted 
upon  by  the  court,  and  the  other  in  causing  the  jail  to  be 
built  eighteen  inches  higher  than  the  contract  required;  this 
change  was  made  necessary  on  account  of  particularly  sized 
windows  being  required  for  the  upper  story,  which  could  not 
be  placed  therein  without  leaving  the  same  too  near  the 
floor  or  too  near  the  eaves.  For  this  additional  work  on  the 
j)art  of  the  contractors  no  price  was  agreed  upon  with  the 
contractors,  but  the  same  was  made  with  the  express  under- 
standing, that  the  contractors  should  receive  a  reasonable 
price  therefore,  to  be  agreed  upon  between  the  contractors 
and  this  court.  Most  of  the  changes  have  been  in  the 
opinion  of  the  committee,  favorable  to  the  contractors,  still 
tiiey  were  made  with  the  understanding  that  the  contractors 
were  to  have  the  same  pay  as  though  the  jail  had  been  built 
according  to  the  original  contract  and  plan.  The  committee 
have  not  thought  proper  to  name  in  this  report  all  and  every 


change  that  has  been  made  for  the  reason  that  it  would  ex- 
tend the  report  to  a  very  great  length,  and  would  not  ex- 
plain to  the  court  so  satisfactorily  the  changes  as  a  personal 
inspection  of  the  building  by  the  court,  and  a  comparison 
thereof  with  the  original  plan  now  in  the  hands  of  the  clerk. 
The  committee  further  report  that  the  work  required  by 
said  contract  of  Messrs.  Smith  and  McNeil  has  been  com- 
pleted by  them  according  to  the  original  plan  and  the  changes 
that  have  been  made,  with  this  exception,  that  the  floors  of 
the  cells  and  of  the  lower  hall  have  not  yet  been  laid,  but 
the  plank  is  now  in  the  jail  for  the  purpose,  and  it  is  supposed 
by  the  committee  that  the  sum  of  fifteen  dollars  would  be 
amply  suflScient  to  have  the  same  laid,  when  the  plank  be- 
comes seasoned,  for  which  purpose  the  laying  thereof  has 
been  postponed.  Should  the  court  receive  the  job  at  the 
present  term  or  before  the  floors  are  laid,  the  committee 
would  suggest  the  propriety  of  taking  the  obligation  of  the 
contractors  to  have  it  properly  laid  when  it  shall  be  deemed 
that  the  plank  is  snfliciently  seasoned. 

The  committee  farther  report,  that  they  caused  the  con- 
tractors to  put  iron  grates  in  the  transom  windows  over  the 
two  doors  below,  and  for  which  they  will  be  entitled  to  a 
reasonable  and  fair  extra  price  as  these  grates  were  omitted 
to  be  put  in  the  original  contracts.  The  jail  was  soon  after 
''  received  "  and  the  contractors  were  paid  an  extra  compen- 
sation of  S440.00." 

The  friends  of  temperance  at  Upper  Alton,  prevailed  on 
the  court  to  make  the  following  order  :  All  applicants  for 
license  to  sell  ardent  spirits  must  first  produce  a  petition 
signed  by  a  majority  of  the  rendenia  of  the  respective 
justice's  district,  where  such  a  grocery  is  to  be  opened.  This 
order  was  soon  after  so  modified  that  in  case  a  majority  of 
the  voters  of  any  justice's  district  should  file  a  remonstrance 
against  granting  licenses,  then  no  such  license  should  be 
granted. 

The  members  of  the  court  were  leaning  a  little  towards 
the  keepers  of  dram  shops  and  tipplers  by  putting  all  the 
labor  of  getting  the  signatures  of  the  people  on  the  other 
side.  The  citizens  of  Upper  Alton,  220  in  number,  however, 
filed  their  solemn  protest  against  granting  liquor  license  in 
their  town. 

Election  of  1847,  John  A.  Prickett,  recorder;  Henry 
K.  Eaton,  probate  judge  ;  E.  M.  West,  school  commissioner; 
Matthew  Gillespie,  treasurer  and  assessor,  and  James  G. 
Anderson,  county  commissioner. 

The  state  convention  called  by  act  of  lej^islature  for  the 
purpo  e  of  framing  a  new  constitution,  convened  at  Spring- 
field, June  7,  1847;  Madison  county   was  represented   by 
''E.  M.  West,  Cyrus  Edwards,  Benaiah  Robinson  and  George 
T.  Brown. 

The  labors  of  the  delegates  were  completed  by  the 
81st  of  August,  1847,  and  the  proposed  constitution  was  ra- 
tified, by  the  people  at  the  special  election  of  March  6,  1 848. 
Section  40  of  article  III  of  said  constitution  divided  the 
state  into  25  senatorial,  and  54  representative  districts. 
Madison  and  Clinton  counties  formed  the  Gth  senatorial ; 
and  Madison  alone  the  20th  representative  district,  which 
district  was  entitled  to  two  representatives. 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


155 


TWENTY-SECOND   BOARD  1847-48. 

I.  B.  Randle,  W.  B.  Reynolds  and  J.  G.  Anderson, 
county  commissioners.  J.  G.  Anderson  died  soon  after  his 
election ;  he  had  attended  but  one  term  of  the  court.*  At  the 
October  Special  term  of  the  board,  the  following  entry  was 
made  on  the  county  records : 

"  Whereas  J.  G.  Anderson,  Esq.,  one  of  the  members  of 
this  court  has  since  the  last  adjournment  thereof  (Sept.  11, 
1847)  departed  this  life.  Therefore  iu  token  of  respect  and 
regard  for  our  deceased  colleague  and  associate.  Resolved, 
that  while  we  bow  with  humble  submissicm  to  the  will  of 
Heaven  in  the  removal  of  our  colleague  from  our  midst;  we 
deeply  regret  his  untimely  end ;  that  iu  the  death  of  James 
G.  Anderson  the  county  of  Madison  has  lost  an  able,  im- 
partial and  enegetic  officer,  and  the  community  a  valuable 
and  worthy  citizen  ;  that  we  deeply  sympathize  with  the 
family  and  friends  of  the  deceased  in  their  bereavement ;  that 
the  clerk  of  this  court  forward  to  the  family  of  the  deceased 
a  copy  of  these  resolutions  and  also  cause  them  to  be  pub- 
lished iu  the  newspapers  of  the  county." 

The  first  official  report  in  reference  to  the  working  of  the 
poor-house  was  made  in  March,  1847,  as  follows : 

"By  request  of  the  Hon.  County  Commissioners,  I  hereby 
submit  the  following  statistics  of  the  Madison  county  poor- 
house,  in  Edwardsville,  from  each  establishment,  January 
1,  1844,  to  the  present  time,  a  period  of  3  years  and  2 
mouths.  There  have  been  admitted  into  said  house,  and  re- 
ceived medical  treatment,  since  its  establishment,  23  of  in- 
termittent and  17  of  bilious  fever,  15  of  chills  and  fever,  13 
of  primary  or  secondary  syphilis,  8  of  pneumonia,  6  of  conges- 
tive fever,  6  of  typhus  fever,  4  of  fever  sores,  4  of  diarrha>a 
(the  Dr.  wrote  diarea\  4  of  dropsy,  4  of  paralysis,  4  of  rheu- 
matism, 3  of  neuralgia,  3  of  dyspepsia,  3  of  scrofula,  2  of  con- 
vulsions, 2  of  ophthalmia,  2  of  hypochondria,  1  of  nasal  hem- 
orrhage, 1  of  powder  burn  and  1  of  cancer  of  the  stomach ; 
in  all  12C.  Of  these,  83  were  males  and  43  females,  72  were 
Americans,!  19  GermEm,  14Irish,  12  English,  4  Norwegians^ 
3  Africans,  1  Swiss  and  1  Italian.  15  were  under  ten  years 
of  age,  24  between  the  ages  of  ten  and  twenty  year.s,  26  over 
twenty  and  under  thirty,  19  over  thirty  and  under  forty,  .25 
over  forty  and  under  fifty,  12  over  fifty  and  under  sixty,  and 
5  over  sixty  years  of  age.  Of  the  above,  15  have  died  ;  2  of 
pneumonia,  2  of  congestive  fever,  2  of  dropsy,  2  of  diarrhrea^ 
2  of  intermittent  fever,  1  of  syphilis,  1  of  scrofula,  1  of 
cancer  of  the  stomach,  1  of  convulsion  and  1  of  paralysis. 
104  have  been  discharged  and  7  are  at  present  under  medi- 
cal treatment  in  the  house.  Most  of  those  who  died  were 
received  into  the  house  in  the  last  stage  of  their  disease, 

*  James  Squire  wis  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death 
of  J.  G.  Anderson,  November,  1847. 

t  In  1844  and  lS4.i,  in  consequence  of  the  inundation  of  the  Ameri- 
can bottom,  several  families  were  compelled  to  re.sort  to  the  poor  house, 
which  very  much  increased  the  American  paupers.  Since  January  ] , 
1846,  there  have  been  received  into  the  poor  house  22  foreigners  and 
17  American.s,  which  is  about  the  usual  average.  J.  il.  w. 


some  living  only  one  or  two  days  after  their  arrival,  and 
little  or  no  medical  relief  could  be  given  them. 

During  the  last  year— March,  1846  to  March,  1847 — 
forty-three  different  persons  have  found  refuge  in  the  poor 
house,  some  for  a  longer  and  some  a  shorter  period,  staying 
in  all  249o  days.  The  year  average  is  therefore  about  7. 
As  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  at  least  one-half  of  the  whole  num- 
ber received  into  the  poor  house  have  been  brought  to 
th  ir  dependence  directly  or  indirectly  by  intoxicating 
drinks. 

There  have  been  some  complaints'  in  reference  to  the  diet 
in  the  poor  house,  and  here  I  deem  it  due  to  the  superinten- 
dent to  say  that  I  have  found  it  very  difficult  to  restrain 
patients  in  a  convalescent  state  from  over  eating,  and  thereby 
causing  relapses.  Many  are  not  satisfied  if  they  are  not  per- 
mitted to  indulge  freely  in  any  article  of  food  they  desire. 
A  bill  of  diet  was  made  out  two  years  ago,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  county  commissioners  and  since  sanctioned  by 
the  new  commissioneri  and  to  which  the  superintendent  has 
strictly  adhered,  unless  restricted  by  myself  to  patients  un- 
der medical  treatment,  and  as  individuals  are  not  permitted 
to  remain  at  the  house  after  they  have  recovered  their  health, 
there  is,  of  course,  but  a  short  time  that  any  one  can  be  in- 
dulged in  the  free  use  of  food  with  impuuitv,  and  I  am  con- 
fident this  is  the  whole  ground  of  complaint,  and  this  too, 
for  the  '  best  good '  of  the  inmates. 

John  H.  Weir,  A<jenl  P.  H." 
Edmarclsville,  March  1,  1847. 

The  old  election  precinct,  known  as  Indian  Creek  pre- 
cinct, had  its  name  changed  to  Rattan's  Prairie,  with  the 
poll  at  the  "  Bethel  "  school-house,  and  a  new  precinct  had 
been  organized  from  parts  of  Silver  creek,  under  the  name 
of  White  Rock,  June,  1847.  The  county  was,  March,  1848, 
divided  into  fifty-niue  road  districts,  officered  as  follows : 


E.  C.  Hall. 
C.  P.  V.  Ransom, 
B.  W.  Finch, 
W.  Chambers, 
Richard  Young, 
Ab.  Preuitt, 
E.  M.  Doyle, 
Lancaster  Weeks, 
James  Best, 
Samuel  11.  Voiles, 
P.  S.  Greening, 
W.  Thompson, 
Cliris.  Harvard, 
John  Kelt, 
Edm.  Butler, 
Calv.  Hodgman, 
J.  H.  Smith, 
Thomas  Elliott, 
J.  H.  Apple, 
Green  Walker, 
J.  P.  Delaplain, 
John  Moore, 
W.  E.  Newman, 
Conrad  Leseman, 
Henry  Morrison, 


George  Smith, 
S.  B.  Gillham, 
Isaac  Smith, 
W.  T.  Brown, 
Godfrey  Akerman, 
Schuyler  Carlton, 
J.  A.  J.  Hunter, 
J.  S.  Cottrell, 
Joseph  Cooper,  Jr., 
Solomon  KotTer, 
John  Sommerfield, 
W.  Barnsback, 
George  Hedges, 
Henry  Peters, 
Charles  Howard, 
J.  A.  Giltham, 
AV.  Peters, 
J.  A.  Cook, 
J.  B.  Swain, 
John  A.  Keown, 
Ebenezer  Traver, 
Th.  B.  Savage, 
Feli.-ic  Deith, 
J.  W.  Hasler, 
Milton  Hall, 


155 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Prestor  Stephenson, 
J.  T.  Thurston, 
Thomas  Jones, 
Th.  C.  Dunnigan, 


Timothy  Sabin, 
S  M.  Smith, 
Isaac  Tecback, 
Elisha  Keelh, 


P.  S.  Calvin. 

'  During  the  same  term  the  commissioners  bought  forty 
acres  of  land,  near  Edwardsville,  from  Cassius  Heskett,  for 
$350,  intended  for  a  poor-farm.  The  county  levy  for  1848 
was  forty  cents  per  one  hundred  dollars  of  appraised  values. 
The  treasurer's  account  book  of  1848  does  not  mention  any 
revenue  from  taxation,  while  the  records  of  the  court  state 
that  the  collector  had  paid  county  orders  amounting  to 
$3,900.54  into  court-  The  financial  affairs  of  the  county 
were  so  much  entangled  that  it  was  absolutely  impossible 
for  the  writer  to  have  elucidated  a  correct  statement 

The  process  of  "funding"  county  orders  payable  to 
bearer — tiat  money  of  Madison  county — was  going  on,  and 
thousands  of  dollars'  worth  of  these  orders  were  converted 
into  twelve  per  cent,  interest-bearing  obligations. 

The  first  election  since  the  adoption  of  the  constitution  of 
the  county  gave  to  the  county  the  following  officers : 

Hon.  Joseph  Gillespie,  Senator  of  State. 

Edward  Keating  and  Curtis  Blakeman,  Mevihers  of  the 
House  of  Representatives. 

Andrew  Miller,  Sheriff. 

AVilliam  Gill,  Coroner. 

William  Tyler  Brown,  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court.  (The 
first  clerk  who  held  this  office  by  election ;  all  predeceissors 
were  to  be  appointed  by  the  presiding  judges  of  the  court). 

I.  B.  Handle,  County  Commissioner. 

TWENTY-THIRD  (lASt)  BOARD,  1848-9. 

"W.  B.  Reynold,  Samuel  Squire  and  I.  B.  Randle. 

The  labors  of  the  board  are  now  drawing  to  a  close.  The 
constitution  of  1849  had  abolished  the  board  and  substi- 
tuted a  county  court,  to  be  composed  of  a  county  judge, 
entrusted  with  the  probate  business  of  the  county,  and  to- 
gether with  two  associate  justices,  to  conduct  the  county 
government.  These  officers  were  elected  for  terras  of  four 
years  each.  The  county  affairs  were  conducted  by  those 
county  courts  from  December  1,  1849,  to  March  1,  1874. 

Matthew  Gillespie,  for  years  treasurer  and  assessor  of  the 
county,  resigned  these  offices  on  the  7th  of  April,  1849. 
His  resignation  is  worded  so  pleasantly  that  it  deserves  a 
place  in  these  pages  : 

"  Gentlemen :  I  herewith  resign  the  office  of  treasurer  of 
Madison  county,  state  of  Illinois,  and  permit  me,  gentlemen 
to  say,  that  I  wish  that  peace  and  prosperity  may  attend  the 
members  of  the  court  individually  and  collectively. 

"  I  remain.  Gentlemen,  your  obedient  servant, 

"  M.  Gillespie. 

" Edwardsville,  III.,  April  7,  1849." 

The  court  accepted  this  resignation,  and  appointed  E.  S. 
Brown,  treasurer  for  the  balance  of  Mr.  Gillespie's  term. 

The  county  contained  now  (1849)  sixteen  election  pre- 
cincts, to  wit:  Edwardsville,  Alton,  Upper  Alton,  Monti- 


cello,  Madison,  Six  Mill,  Collin.sviIle,  Troy,  Looking  Glass, 
Highland, Saline,  jMarine, Silver  Creek,  Omph  Ghent,  Bethel, 
(formerly  Indian  creek  and  Rattan)  and  White  Rock. 

The  revenue  of  1848,  collected  in  1849,  was  not  paid  into 
the  treasury;  the  sheriff  converted  all  funds  collected  into 
county  orders,  which  he  paid  into  court  direct.  The  taxes 
actually  collected  seem  to  have  amounted  to  §7,728.38,  and 
the  treasurer  reports  to  have  received  in  fines  and  licenses 
$578.00.  making  a  total  of  $8,306.38.  The  city  of  Alton 
contributed  also  $671-52,  her  share  in  the  expenses  of  the 
county  on  account  of  elections  and  courts.  The  general 
impression,  that  Alton  was  exempt  from  helping  to  support 
the  county  government  is  not  based  on  fact-  Alton,  it  is 
true,  paid  no  direct  county  tax,  but  the  county  board  and 
the  city  council  agreed  annually  on  the  proportional  share 
of  the  expense  to  be  borne  and  to  be  paid  by  Alton.  The 
treasurer's  accounts  of  the  county  bear  witness  that  the 
sums  of  money  so  contributed  by  the  city  of  Alton  from 
1849  to  1859,  amounted  in  the  aggregate  to  $9,236.59. 

The  county  which,  at  the  time  of  the  adoption  of  the  state 
organization  in  1818,  had  a  pojsulation  of  less  than  five  thou- 
sand, had  now  at  the  adoption  of  the  new  constitution,  a  popu- 
lation of  nearly  twenty  thousand  inhabitants.  The  public 
expenses  had  increased  with  the  population,  or  had  perhaps 
exceeded  it.  The  financial  chaos  in  1848  and  1849  had 
induced  the  county  clerk  to  venture  on  an  exploration  trip 
through  the  books,  papers  and  records  from  1819  to  1849. 
The  debt  of  the  county  was  very  burdensome,  and  people 
had  become  restive  under  the  load.  The  clerk's  (W.  T. 
Brown's)  work  remained  a  fragment,  and  as  such,  the  writer 
discovered  it.  The  sheet  of  paper  on  which  the  following 
figures  were  written  was  not  intended  for  an  official  com- 
munication, for  it  is  neither  dated,  addressed  nor  signed.  It 
merely  states  the  amounts  received  and  expended,  without 
reference  to  sources,  etc.  We  give  an  accurate  copy,  without 
additions,  changes  or  corrections  : 


I?  625-37 
640  77 
2009.53 
5074.35 
1  105-44 


1,100.24 

25.46 

1,002..57 

2.401.56 

1.44 

5S8-51 

30.05 

4G0-35 

183.46 

3ol.37 
1,131.92 

233.07 
844.80 
340.16 


Year. 

Heceipts. 

PaH  ovt. 

1819  .  . 

.  $1,542  92  .  . 

.  ?2,108  29  . 

1820  .  . 

.  1,763.55  .  . 

.  2,404.32  . 

1821  .  . 

.  1,646.28  .  . 

.  3, 655. 81  . 

1822  .  . 

.  2,130-22  .  . 

.  1,455.87  . 

1823  .  . 

.  2,369.36.  . 

.  1,263  92. 

1824  \ 
1825 ;  • 

.  4,511.61  .  . 

.  8,031.84. 

1826  .  . 

.  4,745.29. 

.  3,645.05  . 

1827  .  . 

.  1,160.35  .  . 

.  1,134.95  . 

1828  .  . 

.  2.141.79  .  . 

.  1,139.22. 

1829  .  . 

.  2,924.61  .  . 

.   523.05 . 

1830  .  . 

.  2,488.16  . 

.  2,489-60. 

1831  .  . 

.  2,475.60.  . 

.  1,887.09  . 

1832  .  . 

.  2,643-06.  . 

.  2,013.01  . 

18331 
1834  /  • 

.  3,207.21  . 

.  2,740.86  . 

1835  .  . 

.  4,262.86  .  . 

.  4,079-40  . 

1836  .  . 

.  5,242.74  .  . 

.  4,886.37  . 

1837  .  . 

.  5,-579.47. 

.  4,447.55  . 

1838  .  . 

.  4,781.86  . 

.  5,015.-53  . 

1839  .  . 

.  5,811.14  .  . 

.  6,65-5.94  . 

1840  .  . 

.  5,269.41. 

.  5,609-60  . 

1841  .  . 

.  6,377.78  .  . 

.  5,767.61  . 

HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


157 


]842 
1843 
1844 
1845 
184G 


6,370.00  . 
6,033.87  . 
6,.5S3.93  . 
8,021.13  . 

S,(;8-2.20  . 


Paid  nut. 

.  5,918.37  . 
.  8,189.72; 
.  7,627.68  . 
.  6,270.04  . 
11,212.01  . 


451.63  . 


1,751.09  . 


Buf^nirr  ngninsi 
treatui  y. 

.    2,155.85 
.    1,043.75 

.    2.530.41 


Tlie  figures  for  1S47  and  1848  liave  been  erased,  and  the 
■work  then  seems  to  have  been  abandoned.  The  additions 
would  show  a  total  income  for  those  twenty-eight  years  of 
8108,767.43,  wliile  the  expenditures  had  amounted  to 
$110,839  30,  thus  leaving  a  debt  of  only  62,071.88.  The 
debt  of  the  county  was  much  greater,  at  any  rate  not  less 
than  §12,000.  The  figures  above  do  not  contain  the  amount 
of  county  orders  issued  and  made  payable  to  bearer,  and 
hence  the  error.  The  thought  that  the  "  fiat "  county  order, 
which  served  as  currency,  was  au  expenditure,  and  ought  to 
have  been  added  to  column  of  "  paid  out,"  never  occurred 
to  Brown,  for  how  could  money  be  a  debt  ? 

THE  COURTS  FROM  1819  TO  1849. 

The  first  constitution  of  Illinois  made  it  the  duty  of  the 
legislature,  in  the  first  place,  to  elect  officers  of  the  Su- 
preme Court,  who  from  that  time  until  1824,  had  to  attend 
the  courts  of  the  judicial  circuits.  The  first  Judges  chosen 
were  Joseph  Phillips,  Chief  Justice ;  Thomas  C.  Browne, 
William  P.  Foster,  and  John  Reynolds,  Associates.  Their 
election  took  place  at  Kaskaskia,  on  the  8th  of  October, 
1818 — some  two  months  before  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States  had  passed  on  the  constitutioti,  under  the  stipulations 
of  which  that  election  had  taken  place. 

The  first  business  of  the  circuit  court  of  Madison  county, 
since  the  organization  of  the  state  government,  was  trans- 
acted in  the 

MAY   TERM,  1819. 

Hon.  John  Reynolds,  on  the  Bench,  Daniel  P.  Cook, 
Attorney  General,  Joseph  Conway,  Clerk,  and  W.  B. 
AVhiteside,  Sheriff. 

The  first  grand  jury  convened  in  the  county  since  the 
organization  of  the  state,  was  composed  of:  John  McKinney, 
foreman;  Abraham  Hyter,  William  ]\Ioutgomery,  Matthias 
Handly,  John  Fiuley,  Jacob  Gonterman,  Thomas  Rattan, 
John  Barber,  Robert  A.  Clair,  William  Ogle,  William  Pur- 
viance,  Joseph  Eberman,  Ephraim  Wood,  Joseph  Barlett 
Abraham  Preuitt,  Joshua  Armstrong,  Joseph  Borough,  and 
Samuel  Gilliiam. 

Joseph  Conway  had  been  appointed  clerk  by  Judge  Rey- 
nolds, on  the  13th  of  April  previously. 

The  grand  jury  indicted  a  number  of  men  for  riot  and 
assault  and  battery  ;  among  the  latter  Hail  Mason.  Paris 
Mason,  supervisor,  was  indicted  for  failing  to  work  the 
road  in  his  district.  One  Peter  Yokum  was  indicted  for 
larceny ;  Jean  Baptist  Coran,  a  Canadian,  was  naturalized — 
having  been  living  in  Illinois  since  1794. 

OCTOBER  TERM,  1819. 

Chief  Justice,  Joseph  Phillips,  on  the  Bench.  David 
Blackwell  officiated  as  prosecuting  attorney  iu  the  absence 
of  the  attorney  general.     Rowland  P.  Allen  presided  iu  the 


grand  jury  room.  George  Sanders  having  been  declared  a 
lunatic  "  by  the  jury,"  his  wife  Hannah  was  appointed  con- 
servator ;  the  personal  property  of  Sanders  was  appraised  at 
82,37600.  Twelve  indictments  for  assault  and  battery,  and 
three  for  being  a  nuisance.  Joshua  Atwater  was  fined 
$100,00.     La  Fayette  Collins  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 

FEBRUARY   SPECIAL  TERM,  1820. 

Presided  over  by  John  Reynolds,  was  called  on  account 
of  a  number  of  robberies  having  recently  been  committed. 
Hail  Mason  was  foreman  of  the  grand  jury  ;  George  Let- 
singer  was  indicted  for  larceny,  having  stolen  from  one 
Ashly  a  linen  shirt,  valued  at  $3.00,  a  pair  of  woolen  pants, 
worth  $5.00,  and  a  book,  viz.,  the  2d  volume  of  the  history 
of  England,  by  J.  Bigland,  valued  at  S5,00.  All  these  ar- 
ticles, with  the  exception  of  the  pantaloons,  had  been  restored 
to  Ashly.  T.  W.  Smith  defended  Letsinger.  His  case  was 
tried  before  a  grand  juiy  composed  of  John  Newman,  Mar- 
tin L.  Lindsley,  D.ivid  Roach,  Daniel  Waggoner,  Drury 
Rowland,  Francis  Colean,  Angila  Loe,  Thomas  Smith, 
Solomon  Watts,  William  Jones,  Samuel  Seybold  and  Enoch 
Jones,  and  found  guilty.  The  Court  rendered  its  ''  opinion  " 
in  the  following  language  : 

"  It  is  the  opinion  of  the  Court,  that  the  said  George  Let- 
singer  receive  thirty-one  lashes  on  his  bare  back,  well  laid 
on.  on  Monday  next,  at  11  o'clock.  It  is  therefore  ordered 
by  the  Court  that  the  sheriflT  of  Madison  county  cause  the 
same  to  be  executed  on  the  public  square,  in  the  town  of 
Edwardsville,  on  Jlonday  next,  at  11  o'clock." 

Willian  J.  Crane  and  Henry  Gears  were  tried  at  the  same 
term  of  court  for  larceny.  They  had  stolen  from  Philip  and 
Elward  C.  Clark  SSOO  in  United  States  notes,  an  alarm 
watch,  worth  S70,  a  "  capped  "  watch  worth  $30,  a  common 
watch  worth  $28,  another  watch  valued  at  $2.5,  nine  brass- 
pocket  compasses,  worth  $18, 8  do.  valued  at  $12,  and  10  mag- 
nets, worth  $7.50,  10  magnifying  glasses,  worth  $5.  The 
watches  and  the  money  had  been  restored  to  the  owners.  The 
defendants  were  found  guilty,  and  the  "opinion"  of  the 
court  was  as  above,  thirty-one  lashes,  each,  on  the  bare 
back,  and  well  laid  on. 

MAY   TERM,    1820. 

Joseph  Phillips,  Chief  Justice,  presiding.  Grand  jury 
returned  39  cases  of  assault  and  battery.  The  usual  fine  in 
such  cases  was  $3  00 — in  exceptional  cases  $25,  $50,  and 
even  $100,  had  to  be  paid.  Ralph  Day,  who  plead  guilty 
to  the  charge  of  assault  and  battery,  was  let  down  very 
easy — his  fine  was  only  6}  cents.  A  case  of  fornication 
presented  at  this  term— the  first  one  in  the  county,  was  im- 
mediately »io^  7jros.  There  were  two  cases  of  selling  liquor 
without  license. — R.  G.  Anderson  was  tried  and  acquitted, 
and  Xatlian  Daniel,  the  other  offender,  noL  pros.  William 
Bidger  had  whipped  Henry  Hay,  John  Wilson  and  John 
Switzer — his  fine  was  heavy,  $105.00.  George  Letsiuger, 
the  pantaloon  thief  of  February  term,  was  indicted  this  time 
for  whipping  John  Shane;  fined  $5.00,  and  given  tea  days 
time  to  pay  fine  and  cost,  and  if  not  paid  within  that  time, 
the  sheriff  was  ordered  to  sell  him,  or  hire  him  to  the  service 
of  any  person  who  would  pay  fine  and  costs ;  the  term  of 


158 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


servitude  was  not  to  exceed  four  months.  George  went  to 
jail,  of  course,  and  as  he  coulJ  not,  and  would  not  pay  the 
fine,  the  sheriff  executed  the  order  of  court.  He  advertised 
and  offered  George  for  sale,  but  failed  to  sell  for  want  of 
bidders,  as  stated  iu  his  return.  The  expenses  of  the  pro- 
ceeding— $5  07,  were  paid  by  the  county  in  1821; — the 
voucher  is  still  in  existence.  Field  Bradshaw  was  another 
fighter;  John  T.  Lusk  held  an  inquest  over  his  body  on  the 
loth  day  of  February,  1821,  without  stating  ho  v  Field 
came  to  his  death.     This  inquest  cost  the  couuty  $13  50. 

Among  the  thirty-nine  fighters  mentioned  above  we  find  the 
Hon.  Theophilus  W.  Smith,  and  also  David  Gillespie, the  father 
of  Hon.  Joseph  Gillespie.  The  latter  had  his  case  tried  before 
a  jury  comprised  of  Thomas  Gillham — the  man  that  sported  a 
fur  hat  worth  $5.00  and  a  pair  of  silver  kneebuckles — Jacob 
Gouterman,  Thomas  Reynolds,  William  Moore,  George 
Kinder,  Andrew  Turner.  HezekialiL.  Harris,  Jesse  Waddle, 
Joseph  B.  Tays,  Henry  Hays,  Thomas  Cox  and  John  Da- 
vidson, who  found  him  guilty,  and  fined  him  $5.00.  Theo- 
philus threw  himself  upon  the  mercy  of  the  court  and  got  off" 
with  a  nominal  fine  of  12i  cents.  Judge  Reynolds  presided 
at  the  next  term — October,  lb20  when  the  first  divorce  case, 
Polly  Bowles  vs  Matthew  Bowles,  was  tried  by  the  following 
jury;  Matthias  Handly,  Isaac  Furguson,  John  Harris, 
Henry  Blanfbrd,  John  Giger,  Ira  Bacon,  George  Barnsback, 
Abraham  Howard,  Samuel  Delaplain,  Alexander  Cawley, 
James  Cray  and  John  Wallace. 

It  was  proved  that  Matthew  had  a  wife  living  in  Kentucky 
when  he  married  Polly.  Divorce  was  granted  and  Matthew 
ordered  to  give  up  to  Polly  all  property  obtained  through 
her  ; — no  fine  or  other  punishment  inflicted. 

Judge  Reynolds  presided  also  at  the  April  and  September 
terms  1821  and  1822.  There  is  nothing  of  interest  to  be  re- 
lated, except  that  W.  L.  May  was  indicted  for  burglary  and 
Jeptha  Lampkins  for  kidnapping,  and  that  James  Foley, 
who  had  stolen  a  shovel  from  Augustus  Anson,  and  Benja- 
man  Roe,  who  bad  stolen  $15.00  state  paper  worth  $6.90  iu 
specie,  from  James  Love  were  publicly  whipped  by  Nathan- 
iel Buckmaster,  sheriflT,  and  successor  of  W.  B  Whiteside. 
Each  received  15  lashes  on  bare  back,  and  well  laid  on. 

Iu  March  1833,  Hon.  Thomas  C.  Reynolds,  chief  justice 
since  August  31st,  1822,  presided.  One  Jacob  Stump  was 
convicted  of  larceny  and  sentenced  to  25  lashes,  and  Charles, 
a  negro,  also  larceny,  to  35  lashes.  His  case  was  re-con- 
sidered on,  the  court  saying :  The  court  not  having  been  ful- 
ly advised  of  the  statute  authorizing  punishment  in 
such  cases,  do  re-consider  the  sentence  passed  ou  said  defend- 
ant, whereupon  it  is  considered  and  ordered  by  the  court  that 
the  sheriff  defer  executing  the  said  sentence  until  one  o'clock 
p.  M.  on  Monday  next,  and  that  the  said  defendant  be 
whipped /ci»<</ lashes  instead  of  thirty-five. — Barbarous  ! 

The  September  term  1 823  —  presided  over  by  Judge  John 
Reynolds,  with  Thomas  Lippincott  as  foreman  of  the  grand- 
jury  brought  several  cases  of  interest,  amongst  which  that  of 
William  Parkinson,  indicted  for  forgery,  created  quite  a  sen- 
sation. Even  Twiss  was  indicted  for  perjury  and  Jeptha 
Lamkins  for  kidnapping.  A  number  of  men  were  indicted 
for  vagrftncy,  several  for  nuisance  and  21  for  fighting.     Sep- 


tember term  1823  was  of  no,  interest.  It  was  soon  after  suc- 
ceeded by  a  special  term,  held  in  January,  1824,  to  try  the 
first  murder  case  in  the  county.  The  particulars  of  this  case 
were  as  follows : 

TRIAL   AND    EXECUTION   OF   ELIPHALET    GREEN. 

First  case  of  infliction  of  capital  punishment  in  the  county. 

A  murder,  committed  on  Christmas  Eve  1823,  had  been 
the  cause  of  great  excitement.  Eliphalet  Green,  a  laborer 
at  Abel  Moore's  distillery  on  Wood  river,  had  a  quarrel 
with  one  William  Wright,  also  in  the  employment  of  Abel 
JVIoore.  Duriug  this  quarrel,  which  ended  in  a  fist  fight. 
Green  was  badly  beaten.  Half-witted,  as  he  was  represented 
to  have  been,  he  became  furiously  enraged,  got  his  gun  and 
deliberately  shot  Wright  down,  as  he  was  retreating  to  the 
house.  Green,  who  had  at  first  ran  away  into  the  forests,  came 
to  the  office  of  Squire  Ogle  and  gave  himself  up.  The  squire 
heard  his  story,  and  after  examining  some  witnesses  com- 
mitted Green  to  jail.  This  paper  and  several  others  refer- 
ring to  the  matter  have  been  preserved,  and  their  contents  are 
here  introduced. 


}, 


State  op  Illinois 
Madison  county 

The  peoi^le  of  the  state  of  Illinois  to  any  lawful  officer, 
greeting  : 

Whereas,  Eliphalet  Green,  distiller  of  Madison  county, 
having  come  forward  before  me  on  the  night  of  the  2-l:th  of 
December,  and  delivered  up  his  body  as  a  prisoner  of  state 
and  acknowledged  himself  to  have  shot  with  a  rifle  at  the 
body  of  one  William  Wright  of  the  county  and  state  afore- 
said on  the  24th  inst.,  about  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  at  the 
premises  of  Abel  Moore,  of  the  county  and  state  aforesaid, 
and  proof  being  made  that  the  said  AV right  is  now  dead  in 
consequence  of  said  wound,  you  are  hereby  commanded  to 
take  into  your  custody  the  body  of  the  said  Eliphalet  Green 
and  him  safely  convey  to  the  jail  of  the  county,  the  keeper 
whereof  is  hereby  required  to  receive  and  safely  keep  the 
body  of  said  Green  until  such  time  as  he  shall  be  discharged 
agreeable  to  law,  fail  not  as  the  law  directs  in  such  cases. 
Given  from  under  my  hand  this  25th  day  of  December,  1823. 

William  Ogle,  Justice  Peace. 

This  commitment  is  briefly  endorsed:  "  Executed,"  N. 
Buckmaster  sheriff!',  no  date.  On  the  28th  of  December  Buck- 
master  addressed  the  following  letter  to  Hon.  John  Reynolds, 
judge,  then  residing  at  Clear  Lake. 

Sheriff's  Office,  Edwardsville,  Feb.  28,  1823. 

Judge  Reynolds  :  Dear  Sir,  Painful  as  it  is  to  me  it  be- 
comes my  duty  to  inform  you  that  there  was  committed  to 
the  common  pri.son  of  this  couuty  ou  the  25th  of  December 
a  man  by  the  name  of  Eliphalet  Green  charged  of  having 
committed  a  murder  on  the  body  of  one  William  Wright.  I 
take  this  opportunity  of  making  the  facts  known  to  you  and 
should  you  think  proper  to  order  a  special  court,  give  timely 
notice  and  I  will  govern  myself  accordingly. 

Yours  respectfully,  . 

N.  Buckmaster,  Sheriff.    ^ 


HISTOEY   01'    MADISON   COUNTY,     ILLINOIS. 


]o9 


N.  B.  :  It  will  be  for  your  consideration  whether  a  speedy 
trial  will  be  to  the  interest  of  the  country  or  not. 

A  special  term  of  the  court  was  ordered  to  be  held  on  the 
13th  day  of  January,  182-i,  when  the  following  freeholders 
of  i\Iadi:>on  county  were  duly  iuipanneled  as  grand  jurors,  to 
wit:  Emanuel  J.  West,  foreman,  Lyman  Gillet  Ephraira 
Wood,  Matthew  B.  Torrence,  William  Hinch,  John  Gonter- 
niau,  Julius  Barusback,  John  Good,  Caleb  Gonterman,Gay 
Paddock,  Jacob  Judy,  John  T.  Lusk,  Low  Jackson,  James 
Watts,  Oliver  Balster,  James  Tunnel,  Erastus  Brown  and 
John  C.  Barnett. 

The  grand  jury  heard  the  testimony  of  William  (^gle, 
James  Dabs,  Susannah  Bradley,  Amos  Bradley,  Fully  Jirad- 
ley,  George  Debaum,  Abel  Moore  and  wife,  and  returned  the 
following  bill  oi  indictment  on  the  same  day,  to  wit: 

State  of  Illinois,  Madison  county.  At  a  special  term  of 
the  circuit  court  begun  and  held  for  the  county  of  Madison 
aforesaid,  in  the  Court  House  in  the  town  of  Edwardsville 
in  said  county,  on  the  13th  day  of  January,  1824,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty- 
four.  The  Grand  jurors  of  the  people  of  the  state  of  Illinois, 
residents  and  good  and  lawful  men  of  the  county  of  Madison 
aforesaid,  impauneled,  sworn  and  charged  to  inquire  for 
the  body  of  the  county  of  Madison  aforesaid  in  the  name 
and  by  the  authority  of  the  people  of  the  state  of  Illinois, 
upon  their  oath  present  that  one  Eliphalet  Green,  late  of 
said  county  of  Madison,  yeoman,  not  having  the  fear  of 
God  before  his  eyes,  but  being  moved  and  seduced  by  the 
instigation  of  the  Devil,  on  the  twenty-fourth  day  of  December, 
in  the  year  of  our  lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
twenty-three,  in  the  county  of  Madison  aforesaid,  with  force 
and  arms  felonously,  wilfully  and  of  his  malice  afore- 
thought did  niake  an  assault  upon  the  body  of  one  William 
Wright,  in  the  peace  of  God  then  and  there  being,  and  the 
said  Eliphalet  Green,  a  certain  gun  of  the  value  of  twenty 
dollars,  then  and  there  charged  with  gunpowder  and  one 
leaden  bullet,  which  gun  so  loaded  and  charged  a^  aforesaid 
he  the  said  Eliphalet  Green  in  both  his  hands  then  and  there 
had  and  held  to,  against  and  njwn  the  said  William  Wright, 
then  and  there,  felonously,  wilfully  and  of  his  malice  afore- 
thought did  shoot  and  discharge  and  the  said  Eliphalet 
Green  with  the  leaden  bullet  aforesaid,  out  of  the  gun  afore- 
said, then  and  there  by  force  of  the  gunpowder  shot,  dis 
charged  and  sent  forth  as  aforesaid,  the  aforesaid  William 
Wright  in  and  upon  the  right  side  of  him  the  said  William 
Wright,  near  the  right  pap  of  the  right  side  of  him  the  said 
William  Wright,  then  and  there  with  the  leaden  bullet 
aforesaid  out  of  the  gun  aforesaid,  by  the  said  Eliphalet 
Green  so  as  aforoi-aid  shot,  discharged  and  sent  forth,  felon- 
ously, wilfully  and  of  his  malice  aforethought,  did  strike, 
penetrate  and  wound,  giving  to  the  said  William  Wright, 
\\\i\\  the  leaden  bullet  afortsaid  so  as  aforcaid  shot,  dis- 
charged, and  sent  forth  out  of  the  gun  aforesaid  b)'  the  said 
Eliphalet  Green  in  and  upon  the  right  side  of  him  the  said 
William  Wright  near  the  right  pip  of  him  the  said  William 
Wright  one  mortal  wound,  of  the  depth  of  four  inches  and 
of  the  breadth  of  two  inches,  of  which  said  mortal  wound 
the  said  William  Wright  then  and  there  instantly  died,  and 


so  the  jurors  aforesaid  upon  their  oath  aforesaid  do  say,  that 
thesaid  Eliphalet  Green  felonously,  wilfully  and  of  his  mal- 
ice aforethought,  him  the  said  William  Wright,  then  and 
there  in  manner  and  form  aforesaid  did  kill  and  murder,  to 
the  great  displeaiwe  of  Almiijlitj  God,  to  the  evil  example  of 
all  others  in  like  cases  ofiending,  contrary  to  the  form  of  the 
statute  in  such  cases  made  and  provided,  and  against  the 
peace  and  dignity  of  the  same  people  of  the  state  of  Illinois. 

James  Turner,  Attorney. 

The  trial  ended  on  the  14th  day  of  February,  1S24,  and 
resulted  in  the  following  verdict:  We  the  jury  hud  the 
prisoner  guilty  of  murder. 

James  Mason,  Foreman. 

This  verdict  is  written  in  lead  pencil  on  the  indictment 
and  has  no  date. 

The  following  is  the  sentence  pronounced  by  the  court. 
It  is  copied  from  a  paper  on  lile  in  the  handwriting  of  Judge 
Reynolds  : 

Wednesday,  January  15, 1824. 

The  court  met  according  to  adjournment,  present :  John 
Reynolds,  judge. 

The  Peoples       ^    plaintiff. 

vs.  y   Indictment  for  murder. 

Eliphalet  Green,  j    defendant. 

The  said  dcfendaut,  Eliphalet  Green,  who  stands  con- 
victed of  murder,  was  led  again  to  the  bar  in  cus- 
tody of  the  sheriff,  and  it  being  demanded  of  him  if 
any  thing  for  himself  he  had  or  knew  to  say  why  the  court 
here  to  judgment  and  execution  against  him  and  upon  the 
premises  should  not  proceed,  he  said  he  had  nothing  but 
what  he  had  before  said.  Therefore  it  is  considered  by  the 
court  that  he  be  hanged  by  the  neck  until  he  be  dead,  dead, 
dead !  and  that  the  sheriff  of  J\Ij,disou  county  to  cause  ex- 
teution  of  this  judgment  to  be  done  and  performed  on  him, 
the  said  Eliphalet  Green,  on  Thursday,  the  12th  February, 
1824,  between  the  hours  of  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  and 
three  in  the  evening  at  some  "  convenient  "  place  near  the 
town  of  Eiwardsville,  and  it  is  furthered  ordered  that 
the  said  defendant  pay  the  cost  of  this  prosecution. 

The  manuscript  of  J  udge  Reynolds  shows  plainly  the  agita- 
tion of  his  mind  in  passing  sentence,  it  contains  many  cor- 
rections and  changes  of  words,  at  a  "  convenient  "  place  near 
the  town  of  Edwardsville  are  interlined  and  undoubtedly 
written  at  a  later  day  or  hour,  the  ink  used  being  of  a  dif- 
ferent hue. 

The  agitation  of  the  judge  was  observed  by  bystanders  and 
may,  together  with  the  "  convenient  place  ''  and  may  have 
been  he  cause  of  the  following  version  of  the  afliiir,  as  re- 
peated by  J.  T.  Hair,  in  iladison  county  Gazetteer,  Alton 
1866. 

It  is  stated  that  the  judge  in  jaassing  sentence  of  death 
upon  the  pri.soner  made  use  of  language  something  like  the 
following  :   Well  j\Ir.  Grccu  the  jury  in  their  verdict  found 


160 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


you  to  be  guilty  of  murder,  and  the  law  says  you  are  to  be 
bangtd.  Now  I  want  you  and  your  friends  down  on  Wood 
river  to  understand  that  it  is  not  f,  that  condemns  you,  but 
the  jury  and  the  law.  Now  I  wish  to  allow  you  all  the  time 
you  want  to  prepare,  so  the  court  wants  to  knowu  at  what 
time  you  would  prefer  to  be  hanged,  etc  The  story  is  continu- 
ed exteisively.  Green  replied  that  any  time  would  suit  him. 
Then  the  Judge  wants  to  know  if  four  weeks  from  this  day 
is  on  a  Sunday  and  the  like.  Next  follows  a  colloquy  between 
Judge  Reynolds  and  the  attorney  general  about  the  pro- 
priety of  endeavoring  to  impress  upon  the  conscience  of  the 
culprit  a  sense  of  his  guilt  and  to  lead  his  thoughts  to  a  seri- 
ous preparation  for  death,  to  which  suggestions  the  judge  is 
said  to  have  replied  as  follows :  Oh,  it  is  no  use  Mr.  Turner, 
Mr.  Green  understands  the  whole  matter  as  well  as  if  I  had 
talked  to  him  for  a  week.  He  knows  he  is  to  be  hanged 
this  day  four  weeks.  You  understand  it  in  that  way,  Mr. 
Green,  don't  you?  " 

The  death  warrant  of  Eliphalet  Green  was  issued  on  the 
11th  of  February,  1824,  signed  and  sealed  by  Joseph  Con- 
■way,  clerk  of  the  circuit  court  of  Madison  county. 

On  the  reverse  side  of  this  warrant  we  found  the  follow- 
ing brief  endorsement : 

"Executed  on  the  12th  of  February,  1824,  at  half  past 
two  of  the  clock,  a.  m. 

N.  BucKMASTER,  Sheriff. 

The  "convenient"  place  selected  by  the  sheriff  was  in  the 
creek  bottom,  near  the  bridge,  on  the  Springfield  road. 
Spectators  had  come  from  a  distance,  and  it  is  related  that 
a  number  of  Indians  had  assembled  to  see  how  civilized 
people  killed  their  fellow  men.  Greeu  died  like  a  man, 
sincerely  repenting  his  wicked  deeds.  The  opinion  of  the 
public  was  divided  in  reference  to  his  crime  and  its  penalty. 
Some  of  ihe  leading  men  had  their  sympithies  aroused  for 
the  poor  fellow.  He  was  buried  near  the  place  of  execu- 
tion. It  is  stated  that  Paris  INIasou  guarded  the  grave 
against  body  snatchers,  and  caused  the  corpse  to  be  taken 
up  and  re-interred  iu  his  (Mason's)  own  graveyard. 

The  sheriff,  about  as  much  agitated  at  the  execution  as 
the  judge  had  been  at  passing  sentence  of  death,  certified 
as  seen  above,  that  he  had  hung  Green  at  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning. 

The  story  would  not  be  complete  if  left  without  the  bill 
of  costs.  The  writer  found  it  among  the  vouchers  of  the 
year  1824.     It  reads  as  follows : 

Itladison  County,  to  X.  Buckmaster,  Sheriff. 
1824,  March  Term. 
Ca.sli  to  Watts  for  making  gallows  antl  coffin  for  E.  Green,  .  ?2.5  .50 

Paid  cash  to  Wliite  for  a  hook  to  hang  hhn  on 2  00 

Cash  to  Pari.'!  ilason  for  a  rope, 1  60 

Cash  for  a  small  rope  at  Pogue's, 50 

Cash  for  digging  grave  and  filling  it,  to  Jarrot  and  Koberts,  .      3  50 

Ca.sli  for  shroud  and  cap 4  18 

Cash  paid  to  Jarrot  fur  driving  wagon  with  coffin  to  place  of 

execution, 50 

Cash  to  Meeker  fo'r  nails  to  make  the  gallows, 1  40 

All  specie, ?30  1'8] 


Illinois  State  paper  now  being  worth  30  cts.  per  dollar,  this  amount 
of  §39.08:;,  in  specie,  is  equal  to  §130.30  in  State  paper. 

K.  B.,  Sheriff. 

1824,  March  Term.  Hon.  John  Reynolds  on  the  Bench. 
Augustus  Laugworthy,  foreman  of  the  grand  jury. 

The  case  of  William  Parkinson,  indicted  for  forgery,  was 
found  guilty  of  the  intent  to  defraud  John  Herrin  to  the 
amount  of  §80.00.  Parkinson  took  an  appeal  to  the  su- 
preme court  and  gave  bail  in  the  sum  of  $6,000.00,  with 
Washington  Parkinson  and  William  Lee  as  sureties.  Wil- 
liam Parkinson,  who  had  brought  a  damage  suit  against 
Herrin  for  assault  and  battery,  obtained  a  judgment  for 
$93.00  against  Herrin. 

The  celebrated  suit  of  Madison  county  versus  Edward 
Coles  was  commenced  at  this  term  of  court.  This  suit  had 
its  origin  in  personal  hatred  and  malice.  We  have  shown 
on  a  preceding  page,  that  W.  L.  May  had  by  a  well  writ- 
ten representation  of  facts  in  the  case,  succeede  1  in  making 
the  county  commissioners  believe  it  to  be  their  duty  to  prose- 
cute Governor  Coles  for  manumitting  his  slaves,  ten  in  num- 
ber. Gov.  Coles  spoke  of  this  suit  in  a  private  letter  to 
Robert  Vaux,  PhiLdelphia,  in  January  1824,  in  the  follow- 
ing manner  :  "  For  having  been  instrumental  in  eflTecdng 
the  defeat  of  the  pro-slavery  convention  plans,  and  also  for 
having  acted  up  to  my  principles  iu  restoring  liberty  to 
certain  slaves  given  to  me  by  my  father,  it  would  seem  I 
am  never  to  be  forgiven,  but  to  be  subject  to  an  unrelenting 
and  cruel  persecution,  which  aims  to  destroy  not  only  my 
political  influence,  but  my  personal  character  and  property. 
After  having  resorted  to  various  means  to  injure  my  standing 
with  the  people  an  eflbrt  is  now  made  to  cripple  my  pecuniary 
resources  and  thus  to  disable  me  from  promoting  the  cause 
of  freedom  and  of  punishing  me  for  what  I  have  done  in 
this  way.  A  suit  has  recently  been  instituted  against  me  to 
recover  the  penal  sum  of  §200,  for  each  negro  emancipated 
and  brought  by  me  to  this  state.  This  suit  has  been  brought 
under  a  law  passed  about  the  1st  of  April,  1819,  which  pro- 
hibited any  person  from  bringing  into  this  state  any  negro 
for  the  purpose  of  emancipation,  unless  he  would  give  bond 
under  a  penalty  of  §1,000,  that  the  negro  should  not  become 
a  county  charge,  and  that  if  the  emancipator  neglected  to 
give  this  bond  he  should  forfeit  the  sum  of  $200,  for  each 
negro  emancipated.  My  negroes  emigrated  to  and  settled 
in  this  state  about  one  month  after  the  passage  of  this  act, 
but  more  than  five  months  before  it  was  printed  or  promul- 
gated. To  the  peculiar  hardship  of  my  case,  from  the  im- 
possibility of  knowing  of  the  existence  of  the  law,  until 
after  I  had  violated  its  provisions  and  incurred  its  penalty, 
is  to  be  added  the  fact  of  my  not  being  content  with  freeing 
the  negroes  in  Virginia,  and  thus  relinquishing  more  than 
one-third  of  the  property  given  me  by  my  father,  but  from 
a  desire  to  promote  their  interest,  removed  them  to  this 
state  at  an  expense  of  between  five  and  six  hundred  dollars, 
and  then  gave  them  as  a  remuneration  for  their  past  services 
and  a  stimulus  to  future  exertion,  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  to  each  one  who  hud  passed  the  age  of  24. 
They  all  behaved  uniformly  well,  and  are  honest,  industrious 
and  prosperous.     And  what  is  truly  farcical  in  this  suit  is. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


IGl 


that  it  has  been  instituted  at  the  instance  of  a  worthless  fel- 
low,* the  tool  of  a  faction,  who  is  destitute  of  property  f  and 
paj's  no  tax,  and  of  course  has  no  direct  interest  whether 
the  negroes  become  a  count}'  charge  or  not.  Never  having 
been  sued  before  I  feel  the  more  mortified  at  being  perse- 
cuted for  violating  the  laws  of  a  state  over  which  the  people 
have  called  me  to  preside." 

Another  passage  in  this  letter  is  so  beautifully  character- 
istic of  this  noble  and  generous  citizen  of  Madison  county, 
that  the  writer  of  this  sketch  feels  it  his  duty  to  copy  it 
also :  "  Having  had  the  good  fortune,  through  everj-  period 
of  my  life,  to  live  in  great  harmony  with  my  fellow-men, 
the  enmity  and  persecution  I  have  lately  had  to  encounter 
have  created  a  new  state  of  feeling  and  cause  me  to  look  into 
my  own  conduct  to  see  vvhether  it  has  been  correct.  In  this 
view  I  have  been  gratified  to  find  that  I  have  not  given  just 
cause  of  offense  to  any  one  ;  but  I  have  been  grieved  to  per- 
ceive with  what  virulence  I  have  been  pelted,  when  the  only 
complaint  against  me  is,  that  I  am  a  friend  to  the  equal 
rights  of  man  and  am  considered  a  barrier  to  my  opponents 
acquiring  the  power  of  oppressing  their  fellow-men.  Under 
this  view  of  my  situation,  I  am  gratified  that  Providence 
lias  placed  me  in  the  vau  of  this  great  contest,  and  I  am 
truly  thankful  that  my  system  is  so  organized  as  to  leave  no 
room  for  doubt,  fear  or  hesitation.  My  opinions  have  long 
since  been  naturally  formed,  and  my  cours^e  deliberately 
taken,  and  is  not  now  to  be  changed  by  destraction,  prose- 
cutions or  threats  of  •convention  or  death.'  " 

They  were  sterling  words.  Honor  to  the  man  who  uttered 
them.  No  wonder  that  the  greatest  American  of  the  age, 
Thomas  Jefferson,  had  honored  Edward  Coles  with  his 
friendship,  love  and  confidence,  and  that  James  Madison 
entrusted  a  highly  responsible  ini.ssion  to  St.  Petersburg  to 
him. 

But  to  return  to  the  suit :  The  case  came  up  for  trial 
during  this  (March  1824)  term  of  court,  but  went  over  to 
the  September  term.  At  this  term  John  Reynolds  pre- 
sided again.  The  plea  of  the  Statute  of  Limitations  and 
several  special  pleas  put  in  by  defendant  to  the  declaration 
of  the  plaintiff  had  been  demurred  to  and  the  demurrer  had 
been  sustained  by  court.  The  defendant  now  pleaded  idl 
debit  (he  does  not  owe  anything).  Issue  was  joined  and 
the  case  submitted  to  the  jury,  Oliver  Foster,  Daniel  Brown, 
William  B.  Penny,  William  Head,  Daniel  Wise,  Thomas 
Bates,  Philip  Penn,  Alfred  Allen,  Julius  L.  Barnsback, 
John  Howard,  Curtis  Blakeman  and  Paris  Mason,  who  re- 
turned a  verdict  against  defendant  for  two  thou.saud  dollars. 
From  a  bill  of  exceptions  taken  during  the  trial  and  spread 
upon  the  records  of  the  court,  it  appears  that  the  defen- 
dant offered  to  give  in  evidence  and  jirove  to  the  jury 
that  three  of  the  negroes  mentioned  in  the  declaration  of 

*  This  fellow  ''was  W.  L.  May,  subsequently  member  of  Congress 
for  the  Springtield  District." 

t  May  was  one  of  the  early  merchants  in  Eilwardsvilk',  but  had 
probably  become  poor.  A.  W.  L.  May  was  indictetl  for  burglary  in 
Edwardsville,  September  term,  1823.  It  is  impossible  to  a.scertain  if 
this  May  and  ihe  one  who  cause!  this  suit  to  be  instituted  are  identi- 
cal. 

•li 


the  plaintiff  had  departed  this  life  before  the  commencement 
of  the  suit,  but  the  court  would  not  permit  the  testimony  to 
be  given,  thus  practically  deciding  that  it  was  necessary  to 
give  a  bond  to  hold  the  county  harmless  from  the  support  of 
'■  dead  negroes."  The  defendant  then  offered  to  prove  by, 
Joseph  Conway,  the  clerk  of  the  County  Commissioners 
Court,  that  the  defendant  had  never  been  notified  or  re- 
quired to  give  bond,  but  the  court  would  not  permit  such 
evidence  to  be  given.  The  defendant  farther  offered  to  prove 
by  Daniel  T.  Cook,  the  attorney  uuder  whose  advice  he 
acted,  the  conversation  he  had  with  him  before  the  date  of 
certificate  of  manumission,  and  that  Cook  advised  him  to 
give  such  certificates  in  order  to  protect  the  negroes ;  and 
also  to  prove  by  said  Cook  all  the  circumstances  and  con- 
versation between  said  witness  and  defendant,  all  of  which 
evidence  was  rejected,  the  record  to  state  that  the  plaintiff 
gave  in  evidence  the  following  certificate: 

"  Whereas,  my  father,  the  late  John  Coles,  of  Albemarle, 
in  the  state  of  Virginia,  did  in  his  last  will  and  testament 
give  and  bequeath  to  me  certain  negro  slaves,  among  others 
Kobert  Crawford  and  his  sister  Polly  Crawford,  the  said 
Robert  being  a  mulatto  man,  aboyt5feet  seven  inches  high, 
and  now  about  twenty-seven  years  of  age  ;  and  the  said  Pol- 
ly being  a  mulatto  woman  about  five  feet  one  inch  high,  and 
now  about  sixteen  or  seventeen  years  of  age.  And  whereas, 
I  do  not  believe  that  man  can  have  a  right  of  property  in 
his  fellow-man,  but  on  the  contrary,  that  all  mankind  are 
endowed  by  nature  with  equal  rights,  I  do,  therefore,  by 
these  presents,  restore  to  the  said  Robert  and  his  sister  Pol- 
ly, that  inalienable  liberty  of  which  they  have  been  de- 
prived ;  and  I  do  hereby  renounce  for  myself  and  my  heirs 
forever,  all  claim  of  every  description  whatever  to  them  and 
their  services,  and  I  do  hereby  emancipate  and  make  free 
the  said  Robert  Crawford  and  his  sister  Polly  Crawford.  In 
testimony  whereof,  the  said  Coles  set  his  hand  and  seal,  ou 
the  10th  day  of  July,  1819." 

The  motion  for  a  new  trial,  which  had  been  made  in  the 
case  at  the  September  term,  1824,  was  not  decided  at  that 
term,  and  the  case  went  over  to  the  March  term,  1825.  At 
this  terraofthecourt  Judge  Samuel  McRoberts  presided,  who 
overruled  the  motion  for  a  new  trial  at  once.  Between  Sep- 
tember 1824  and  March  1825,  the  legislature  passed  an  act 
releasing  all  penalties  incurred  under  the  act  of  1819  (in- 
cluding those  sued  for)  upon  which  Coles  was  prosecuted. 
The  law  required  a  condition  jirecedentto  the  release  of  the 
penalties,  the  execution  of  a  bond  that  the  negroes  should 
not  become  a  charge  upon  any  county  in  the  state,  and  that 
all  the  costs  of  the  suit  and  damages  incurred  should  be 
paid.  To  enable  the  defendant  to  take  advantage  of  this 
act  at  the  June  term,  it  was  moved  at  the  same  time  to  set 
aside  the  verdict  and  judgment  to  enable  him  to  plead  puii- 
ne  darrein  continuance.  McRoberts  proved  equal  to 
this  last  phase  of  the  case ;  he  overruled  the  motion  for  a 
new  trial  and  rejected  the  plea,  holding  that  the  legislature 
could  not  make  a  law  to  bar  the  recovery  of  the  penalty  in 
this  case.  The  judge,  however,  was  not  able  to  prevent  the 
defendant  from  taking  an  appeal  to  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  state.     This  appeal  was  taken  at  the  June  term  of  the 


162 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


court  at  Vandalia,  1826.  The  Judgment  of  the  Circuit 
Court  was  reversed  \ik1  the  cause  remanded  with  instruc- 
tions to  receive  the  defendant's  plea.  The  case  was  argued 
before  the  Supreme  Court  by  Henry  Starr  for  Coles  aud 
Turner  and  Keynolds  for  the  county  of  Madison. 

The  case  was  finally  disposed  of  in  July  term  1?27,  as 
will  be  seen  from  the  following  extract  of  the  records  : 

The  county  commissioners  of  Madison  county  vs.  Edward 
Coles.  On  motion  it  is  ordered  that  the  judgement  of  the 
Supreme  Court  rendered  in  this  cause  be  spread  on  the  re- 
cord of  this  court,  which  is  in  the  following  words,  to  wit : 
"  At  this  day  came  again  the  parties  aforesaid  by  their  at- 
torneys aforesaid,  and  the  court  having  diligently  examined 
and  inspected  as  well  the  records  and  proceedings  aforesaid 
as  the  judgement  given  upon  the  same  and  being  now  suffi- 
ciently advised  of  and  concerning  the  premises.  For  that 
it  appears  to  the  court,  that  in  the  records  and  proceedings 
aforesaid  and  also  in  the  rendition  of  the  judgement  afore- 
said, there  is  manifest  error.  It  is  considered  by  the  court 
that  for  that  error  and  others  in  the  records  aud  proceed- 
ings aforesaid,  that  the  judgement  aforesaid  be  reversed,  an- 
nulled and  entirely  for  nothing  esteemed,  and  that  the 
aforesaid  plaintift'  be  restored  to  all  things  which  he  may 
have  lost  by  reason  of  the  judgement  aforesaid.  It  is 
further  considered  that  the  proceeding  be  remanded  with 
directions  to  the  Circuit  Court  to  receive  the  defendant's 
plea  upon  his  paying  costs,  etc. 

September  term  1824.  This  term  was  held  immediately 
after  the  most  exciting  election  on  the  convention  question, 
and  the  reader  need  not  be  surprised  that  42  cases  of  assault 
and  battery  were  put  on  the  docket.  There  were  3  cases 
of  kidnapping  disposed  of  by  heavy  fines,  to  wit :  S600 
and  various  and  diverse  "  lashes  well  laid  on,  "  ordered  and 
decreed. 

March  term  1825 — Samuel  McRoberts,  judge,  Emanuel 
J.  West,  clerk  by  appointment  of  the  judge,  who  was  not 
at  all  friendly  disfiosed  to  Joseph  Conway,  former  clerk — 
now  superseded. 

Palemou  H.  Winchester,  a  prominent  member  of  the  bar, 
•was  indicted  at  this  term  for  murder,  the  second  case  of 
that  crime  in  Madison  county.  Winchester  had  slain  a 
certain  Daniel  D.  Smith  for  pasquilling  Mrs.  Col.  S :e- 
phenson,  mother-in-law  of  Winchester.  Smith  was  the 
great  caricaturist,  the  Nast  or  Kepler,  of  the  times,  and  his 
cartoons,  pen  or  pencil  sketches  only  had  quite  a  renown. 
In  this  case  his  caricature  had  become  a  pasquil,  by  insin- 
uating criminal  intimacy  between  the  virtuous  and  excel- 
lent lady  mentioned  above  and  Governor  Edwards.  The 
case  was  tried  at  a  subsequent  term.  The  pro.secution  was 
conducted  by  Benjamin  Mills  and  Alfred  Cowles,  the 
defense  by  Henry  Starr  of  Edwardsville  and  the  famous 
Felix  Grundy  of  Nashville,  Tennessee,  formerlj'  chief  justice 
of  Kentucky,  and  later,  1829,  senator  of  the  United  States. 

Winchester  was  acquitted  amidst  the  rejoicing  of  his  fel- 
low citizens,  men  and  women  alike. 

Mrs.  Stephenson  must  have  been  an  exemplary  lady,  for 
it  is  not  often  that  a  son-in-law  will  take  up  the  cudgel  in 
defense  of  a  mother-in-law,  or  even  risk  his  life  to   avenge 


her,  as  Winchester  did.  All  honor  to  Winchester.  AVin- 
chester  subsequently  removed  to  Carlinville,  Macoupin 
county,  where  he  became  the  first  attorney. 

William  Cornelius  was  indicted  and  tried  for  horse  steal- 
ing, the  first  case  on  record — March  terra  182.5,  and  was — 
acquitted,  nevertheless  he  received  his  20  lashes  well  laid  on 
for  some  other  and  minor  offense. 

An  uninteresting  divorce  case — Barbara  Burton  vs.  Wm. 
Burton — on  account  of  desertion  was  tried  before  Judge 
McRoberts  in  August  1825,  at  which  term  the  judge  is  ac- 
cused of  having  persuaded  the  grand  jury  to  indict  Gov. 
Edward  Coles  for  "libel."  The  hatred  of  McRoberts 
against  Coles  was  so  intense  that  his  acts  became  very  in- 
discreet. Washburne,  in  his  sketch  of  Governor  Coles, 
makes  the  following  comments  in  reference  to  this  libel 
matter :  "  In  a  temperate  article  in  a  newspaper  he 
(Coles)  made  a  legitimate  criticism  on  some  of  the  outrageous 
and  indefensible  rulings  of  Judge  ISIcRoberts  in  the  case  of 
Midisou  county  against  him  for  freeing  his  slaves  without 
giving  bonds.  Eagerly  seizing  hold  of  this  publication, 
the  judge  had  the  gross  indelicacy  to  go  before  the  grand 
jury  of  his  own  court,  and  by  virtue  of  his  official  influence 
and  position,  he  procured  an  indictment  for  libel  against 
Governor  Coles.  As  that  was  not  enough,  he  commenced  a 
civil  suit  against  the  governor,  laying  his  damages  at  five 
thousand  dollars.  This  action  of  McR.  was  as  malicious 
as  Has  the  suit  of  Madison  county,  as  the  sequel  proved. 
A  nolle  prosequi,  was  entered  in  the  case  of  indictment,  and 
the  civil  suit  was  never  brought  to  trial.  The  following 
letter  of  the  governor  to  A.  Cowles,  the  circuit  attorney, 
shows  that  he  never  consented  to  the  dismissal  of  the  in- 
dictment, and  that  he  was  detei  mined  to  probe  the  judge's 
conduct  to  the  bottom.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the 
answer  of  the  circuit  attorney  is  not  to  be  found. 

Edwardsville,  August  ItJ,  1826. 

Dear  Sir  :  Believing  that  I  should  have  been  able  to 
prove  that  I  had  not  libt  lied  Judge  McRoberts.  and  explain 
how  the  grand  jury  had  been  induced  to  present  me  for  so 
doing,  it  was  with  great  regret  that  I  heard  you  had  thought 
proper  to  dismiss  the  prosecution.  Fearing  that  some  ma- 
licious per.son  may  misrepresent  this  transaction  at  some 
future  day,  when  those  who  now  understand  it  may  have 
forgotten  many  of  the  details  in  relation  to  it,  or  perhaps 
be  dead,  or  have  removed  from  the  country,  I  have  deter- 
mined to  ask  the  favor  of  you  to  give  me  a  written  answer 
to  the  following  questions  : 

Did  you  summon  or  request  Judge  JIcRoberts  to  appear 
before  the  Grand  Jury  which  presented  me  for  libeling  him  ? 

Did  not  Judge  McRoberts  request  to  see  the  indictment 
before  it  was  delivered  to  the  Grand  Jury,  and  did  he  not 
examine  and  alter  it,  and  if  .so,  what  were  the  alterations 
made  by  him? 

Why  was  not  Judge  McRoberts  returned  as  a  witness  on 
the  back  of  the  indictment  ? 

etc.,  etc.  E.  Coles. 

A  special  grand  jury  of  sixteen  menbers,  Thomas  Lippin- 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


1G3 


cott,  foreman,  indicted  at  the  same  term  one  James  Clark 
for  attempted  rape.  He  was  tried,  found  guilty,  and 
sentenced  to  stand  in  the  pillory  f  )r  two  hours.  His  fine. 
$300,  was  reduced,  on   petition  of  various  citizens,  to  SIO. 

The  succeeding  term,  March  and  August,  1826,  offer  no 
items  of  interest.  The  February  term,  IS'27,  adjourned,  be- 
cause the  county  authorities  had  neglected  to  select  juries 
for  that  term.  A  special  term  was  held  May,  1827,  to  try 
"  Titus,"  a  man  of  color,  for  larceny,  P.  H.  Winchester 
prosecuting  and  Thomas  Ford  defending  him.  "Titus" 
received  sirty  lashes  well  laid  on,  in  the  .settlement  of  liis 
larceny  case.  July  term,  1827,  was  presided  over  by  T. 
AV.  Smith;  Teleraachus  Camp,  a  member  of  the  grand  jury, 
was  discharged  at  the  n  quest  of  the  grand  jury  from  serving 
as  a  grand  juror  during  the  present  term. 

George  Harlan,  Philip  Aldrich  and  Zadock  Newman 
report  the  jail  to  be  in  good  order,  and  suggest  the  necessity 
of  sweeping  the  rooms  of  the  jail  occasionally  !  Nothing 
of  interest  in  subsequent  terra,  in  1827  and  1828. 

June  term,  1829.  The  case  of  the  county  vs.  Nathaniel 
Buckmaster,  sheriff",  for  81928.17}  arrearages,  was  tried 
before  Judge  S.  D.  Lockwood,  and  decided  against  the 
county. 

October  term.  David  Dunlap  indicted  for  murder ;  papers 
lost,  and  case  stricken  from  docket,  October,  18-32.  The 
grand  jury  reported  the  jail  "insufficient"  for  the  safe-keep- 
ing of  prisoners,  the  door  of  one  cell  being  "  destitute  "  of  a 
Jock,  and  a  large  hole  having  been  cut  through  the  door  of 
the  other  cell,  through  which  prisoners  had  escaped ;  the 
security  of  the  jail  was  "jeopardized"  by  the  insecurity  of 
the  prison. — George  Churchill,  foreman  grand  jury.  David 
Thorp,  shame  on  him,  was  indicted,  June  term,  18.30,  for 
Sabbath-breaking  I !  June  term,  1831,  George  Kelley  was 
appointed  clerk.  It  was  afterwards  made  one  of  the  charges 
against  Hon.  T.  W.  Smith,  thejudge  who  appointed  him,  at 
the  judges  impeachment  trial,  January,  1833,  that  Kelley 
was  hired  by  hiui  to  do  the  official  work  for  $25,  and  that 
the  actual  earnings  of  the  office  went  into  the  judge's 
pockets.  At  any  rate,  Kelley  was  superseded  in  1831, 
October  term,  by  the  appointment  of  Jesse  B.  Thomas,  Jr. 

The  records  of  the  court,  June  term,  1831,  contain  the 
following  entry:  "In  consequence  of  the  invasion  of  our 
northern  frontier  by  the  Indians,  it  is  considered  by  the 
court  that  the  juries  be  discharged  from  serving  this  court, 
many  having  volunteered  in  the  service  of  their  country. 
Two  hundred  volunteers  have  gone,  and  the  sheriff"  reports 
that  a  draft  of  two  hundred  more  was  to  be  expected  soon. 
The  court  was  adjourned." 

The  October  term,  1832,  was  adjourned  at  the  request  of 
the  bar,  after  hearing  the  statement  of  governor  and  ex- 
governor  and  several  other  men  of  distinction  about 
malignant  cholera  in  St.  Louis  and  St.  Clair  county,  ap- 
proaching towards  the  "  village."  Nothing  of  interest  until 
May  term,  1834,  when  Daniel  Piper  was  tried  and  convicted 
of  petty  larceny,  and  sentenced  to  fifteen  lashes,  the  last  I 
instance  of  corporal  punishment  of  the  kind  in  ^ladison  | 
county.  A  strange  coincident  would  have  it,  that  this  same 
Piper,  was  at   the  same   term,  sentenced   to  a  three  years' 


service  in  the  penitentiary  at  Alton,  as  the  first  convict  from 
this  count)',  thus  "  blending,"  as  it  were,  the  age  of  pillory 
and  lash  with  that  of  modern  modes  of  punishment. 

William  E.  Starr  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  circuit  court 
April,  183  5.  November  special  term,  1834,  was  the  last 
term  over  which  Judge  T.  W.  Smith  presided,  having  been 
succeeded  by  Hon.  Sidney  Breese. 

By  act  of  legislature,  January  7,  1835,  all  laws  re(iuiring 
the  justices  of  the  supreme  court  to  hold  the  circuit  courts 
were  repealed,  and  it  was  provided  that  there  should  be 
elected  by  the  General  A.ssembly,  five  judges  in  addition  to 
the  one  then  authorized  by  law,  who  should  preside  in  the 
several  circuit  courts  then  or  thereafter  required  to  be  held 
in  the  several  counties  of  the  state.  The  first  term  un<ler 
this  new  arrangement  was  held  in  March,  1835  ;  Hon. 
Thomas  Ford  presided  in  place  of  Hon.  Sidney  Breese,  as 
agreed  between  themselves  ;  Jesse  B.  Thomas,  Jr.  attended 
as  attorney  general,  W.  E.  Starr  as  clerk,  and  Tlioinas  G 
Lofton  as  sheriffs  L.  S.  Wells  was  foreman  of  the  grand 
jury.  No  cases  of  interest  tried.  From  August  term,  1835, 
Hon.  Sidney  Breese  presided  at  the  various  terms  of  the 
court  for  years,  at  one  of  which,  April  special,  183C,  sheriff" 
T.  G.  Lofton  was  tried  on  an  indictment  for  palpable 
omissions  of  duty,  found  guilty  and  sentenced  to  pay  a 
fine  of  $10.  Lofton  was  terribly  indignant  at  this  verdict 
and  sentence,  and  resigned  his  office  at  once.  The  balance 
of  the  term  was  filled  by  James  Wilson,  coroner,  and  under 
the  law  successor  to  the  office  of  sheriff  in  certain  con- 
tingencies. 

John  T.  Clark,  indicted  for  murder,  name  of  victim  un- 
known to  writer,  found  guilty  of  manslaughter  and  sent  to 
the  penitentiary  for  three  years.  James  F.  Djvier  went 
there  for  two  and-a-half  years  on  being  convicted  of  forgery. 

George  W.  Olney  officiated  as  prosecuting  attorney  in 
1838,  in  place  of  his  father,  Attoruev  General  G.  W. 
Olny.* 

*  It  might  he  stated  here  that  he  wa.s  the  last  resident  of  M.idison 
county  who  hold  a  state  office.  He  resigned  in  1839,  and  since  then  no 
Madisonian  ha,«  graced  an  office  at  the  State  Capitol.  Madison  counly 
gave,  in  the  persons  of  Edward  Coles  and  Niniau  Edwards,  in  1822  and 
1826  two  governors  ;  in  .Samuel  D.  Lockwood  in  1822,  a  secretary  of 
state,  in  him  previously  (1S21):  in  James  Semple,  1833;  Jesse  U. 
Thomas,  jr.,  1835  ;  and  G.  W.  Olney  ( 1835),  attorneys-general.  Three 
of  the  twenty-one  distinguished  United  Stales  senators  from  Illinois,  to 
wit  :  Xinian  Edwards,  Jesse  B.  Thomas  and  James  Semple,  hail  from 
Madison  county.  Robert  Smith  of  Alton  represented  the  congres.sional 
district,  of  which  Madison  forms  a  part,  from  1843  to  1849,  and  from 
1S57  to  18-59-  An  amusing  incident,  characteristic  of  the  parties  con- 
cerned, occurred  lo  Smith  at  Highland  during  his  last  campaign.  He 
had  put  up  there  at  the  well  and  favorably  known  Highland  House, 
owned  by  Jacob  Weber,  Esq-,  an  unHinching  democrat  and  glowing  ad- 
mirer of  S.  A.  Do»igla,s.  Weber  had  learned  that  Smith  wa.s  making 
the  campaign  tiiis  lime  as  a  republican,  and  received  him  rather  indif- 
ferently. Smith,  who  could  or  would  not  understand  why,  kept  talk- 
ing to  Weber  about  his  (Smith's)  many  friends  in  Highland,  and  how 
he  would  like  to  have  (hem  all  there  at  Mr.  Weber's  to  h>ave  a  social 
chat,  and  perhaps  a  social  gla.s3  with  him  ;  bnt  had  no  time  to  remain, 
etc.,  etc.  He  wound  up  by  leaving  a  larger  amount  of  money  on  the 
counter  than  his  legitimate  bill  amounted  to.  Weber  pushed  the  sur- 
plus back,  .saying:  "This  is  a  heap"  too  much.  Smith  insisted  that 
Weber  should  keep  the  money  and  make  it  a  treat  to  those  friends  tluit 


1G4 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


1839.  August  Term.  Judge  Breese  appointed  W.  Tyler 
Brown  clerk  of  the  circuit  court ;  John  Adams  was  sheriff, 
elected  iu  1838.  Adams  died  before  the  expiratiou  of  his 
term. 

^  Solomon  Keopfli,  of  Highland  ;  Dr.  Fred.  Humbert,  of 
Alton  ;  Anthony  Teipel  and  Dennis  Lane  were  naturalized. 

James  W.  Smith,  a  counterfeiter,  was  sentenced  to  four 
years  hard  labor  in  the  penitentiary  ;  William  Bell,  three 
years;  Jeremiah  Doyle,  one  and  a  half  years;  Joseph  Vanie, 
one  year  ;  Reuben  Shuster,  five  years";  and  Julius  Scott,  two 
years,  all  on  charges  of  larceny. 

In  1840,  "Winfield  Shoutts  and  C.  R.  Walter  were  sen- 
tenced to  two  years  and  one  year  respectively  for  similar 
crimes. 

A  larger  number  (nine)  went  to  the  penitentiary  in  1841. 
Wilkinson  Edwards,  for  administering  poison,  five  years  ; 
George  Small,  five  years ;  John  Morgan,  four  years  ;  Henry 
Theile  and  John  Adams,  each  three  years  ;  Nathaniel  How- 
ard, Hiram  Sweezy,  and  Martin  Benson,  each  one  year — all 
thieves ;  and  James  C.  McManneman,  a  burglar,  also,  one 
year. 

In  1842,  William  Hopewell  Henry  Knight  and  James 
Greely,  each  twelve  years,  for  robbery  ;  John  MuKiustry, 
three  years ;  and  James  Keagor,  two  years  and  four  months 
for  larceny. 

1843.   May  Term.     Hon.  James  Semple  on  the  bench. 

The  following  prisoners  were  sentenced  to  the  penitentiary : 
For  burglary — Theodore  Brown,  ten  years;  John  Wilkinson, 
two  and  a  half  years;  and  Tyrell  Hall,  one  year.  For  lar- 
ceny: George  Jones  and  William  Price,  each  five  years. 

In  October,  1843,  and  May  and  October,  1844,  court  was 
held  by  Hon.  James  Shields,  who  sent  W.  J.  Russell,  Lewis 
Williams,  and  Benjamin  Caldwell  each  one  year  to  peniten- 
tiary for  larceny. 

1845.  May  and  October  Terms.  Hon.  Gustavus  Koerner^ 
of  Belleville,  on  the  bench ;  with  W.  H.  Bissell  as  prosecut- 
ing (then  called  circuit)  attorney.  Andrew  Miller,  sheriff. 
W.  J  Anderson  and  W.  W.  Pulliam  were  ■sentenced  to  pen- 
itentiary, each  two  years,  for  passing  counterfeit  paper 
money ;  and  William  Williams  eight  years  fer  larceny. 

1846.  May  Term.  Hon.  D.  Caton  on  the  bench,  as  agreed 
between  him  and  Hon.  G.  Koeruer.  John  Cain  and  Edward 
Hanley  were  each  sentenced  to  five  years  penitentiary  ;  and 
J.  A.  White  one  year,  on  charges  of  larceny. 

1846.  October  Term.  Hon.  Gustavus  Koerner  presiding. 
James  Harris  was  convicted  of  larceny,  and  sentenced  to  two 
years  ;  Israel  Mayfield,  manslaughter,  eight  years. 

The  grand  jury,  presided  over  by  Hiram  Arthur,  Esq., 
presented  an  indictment  for  murder  against  Wilson  Penny, 
Robert  Bailey,  William  Bailey,  Jeremiah  Claypole,  Jack- 
son Pelham,  Jacob  Lewis,  Martin  T.  Kurtz,  Josiah  Pres- 
wood,  William  Matthews,  Stephen  Gaskill,  John  Gaskill, 
John  Cormack,  Daniel  Robinson,  John  Teter,  Luke  Towns- 
end,  George  Morfit,  Daniel  Berkey,  Samuel  Seybold,  Zacha- 
riah  Chance,  Abner  Clark,  Charles  Sjjangler,  James  Clark, 

Smith  had  wanted  to  see,  but  who  had  failed  to  come.  "Ah,"  said 
Wt'her,  '•  tliatis  too  much  'anyhow,'  forvoii  have  not  friends  enough  in 
Ilighhuid  to  drink  it  up  in  a  year." 


William  Norris,  Milton  Blackburn,  James  White,  Duanc 
Nichols,  Andrew  Simpson,  Green  Simpson,  James  Moore, 
Matthew  Nichols,  Samuel  Teter,  Francis  M.  McMahan, 
Samuel  Hall,  Guy  Morrison,  and  W.  T.  Edgar. 

The  files  of  criminal  papers  having  been  destroyed,  as 
heretofore  mentioned,  the  indictment  itself  cannot  be  repro- 
duced. The  circumstances  of  the  case  are  known  to  many  of 
the  older  residents  of  the  county,  and  may  be  briefly  stated. 
A  certain  man  named  Duncan  had  made  his  house  iu  T.  3, 
8,  near  the  blufts  a  rendezvous  for  people  of  lax  morals,  much 
to  the  annoyance  and  chagrin  of  the  respectable  people  of 
the  vicinity.  It  is  said  that  Bob  O'Blennis  of  St.  Louis, 
together  with  other  characters  of  his  ilk,  gamblers  and  worse 
than  gamblers  used  to  celebrate  their  orgies  there  in  common 
with  women  of  the  town.  In  order  to  rid  the  county  of  this 
nuisance,  a  number  of  the  best  citizens  concluded  to  buy 
Duncan's  farm  with  a  view  oi making  him  leave.  An  obliga- 
tionbinding  on  the  subscribers,  was  drawn  up  in  writing  and 
communicated  to  Duncan,  who  was  to  have  his  property  paid 
for,  with  the  understanding,  however,  that  he  had  to  vacate 
the  place  and  the  vicinity  at  a  stated  day.  Duncan  refused 
the  offer,  and  it  is  said  had  his  place  well  supplied  with  arms 
and  ammunition,  and  made  preparation  to  have  it  thor- 
oughly "garrisoned"  on  ^'moving"  day.  In  order  to  avoid 
violence,  the  citizens  on  the  other  hand,  sent  a  delegation  to 
Duncan  Fort  on  a  prior  day.  The  number  of  this  delega- 
tion increased  on  the  way  to  Duncan's  by  volunteers,  falling 
in  line  along  the  road.  Duncan  was  not  found  at  home;  he 
had  gone  fishing  in  company  with  one  of  his  lady  associates. 
The  party  found  them  near  the  lake,  in  the  bottom,  and  sur- 
rounded them.  During  the  parley  the  woman  mentioned, 
drew  a  revolver  and  discharged  it,  however,  without  injuring 
any  one.  The  fire  was  returned  and  Duncan  was  killed. 
It  was  never  ascertained  by  whom.  The  case  remained  on 
the  docket  for  several  years.  Many  of  the  parties  indicted 
were  nol.  pros,  and  remaining  defendants  applied  for 
and  obtained  a  change  of  venue  to  St.  Clair  county.  They 
were  ably  defended  by  Hons.  Lyman  Trumbull  and  Joseph 
Gillespie,  and  finally  acquited. 

The  Mexican  war  had  by  this  time  absorbed  all  public 
interest,  and  there  were  no  cases  of  any  consequence  tried 
for  a  year. 

There  were,  of  course  courts  held,  and  grand  juries  called 
to  see  that  the  laws  -of  the  land  were  respected,  and  not 
being  able  to  capture  larger  game,  thegrand  juries  contented 
themselves  with  indicting  people  for  selling  liquor  without 
license  and  for  similar  offenses. 

In  order  to  show  that  the  memory  of  the  patriots,  who  had 
taken  the  field  against  the  foreign  enemy  was  cherished  at 
home  we  introduce  here  the  proceedings  of  the  circuit  court 
of  Madison  county,  had  on  August  16,  1838,  at  length. 
They  are  taken  from  the  records  verbatim  ei  literatim. 

Madison  County  Circuit  Court — August  Term,  1S47,  Hon.  Gustavus 
Koerner  presiding.  August  16. 

At  this  day  the  attorneys  of  the  court,  by  E.  Keating,  Esq.,  pre- 
sented and  read  to  the  court  the  proceedings  of  ameeting  of  the  mem- 
ber of  the  bar  of  this  court  held  to  take  proper'notice  of  the  death  of 
Franklin  Miles  and  Lauristou  Kobbins,  late  attorneys  and  councillors 


HISTORY   OF    MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


165 


of  this  court,  anil  tlie court  having  been  very  feelingly  and  appropri- 
ately addressed  upon  the  occasion  by  Messrs.  Keating,  Gillespie  and 
Bissell,  and  joining  in  the  sentiments  expressed  in  the  said  proceed- 
ings, that  the  same  be  spread  at  length  upon  the  recoril  in  words  as 
follows  : 

'•Whereas  the  bar  of  the  Madison  County  Circuit  Court  have  re- 
ceived the  painful  information  that  two  of  their  professional  brethren 
have  died  while  in  the  performance  of  the  high  and  noble  duty  of 
volunteer  citizen  soldiers,  the  one.  Captain  Franklin  Miles,  of  the 
Fifth  Kjgiment  of  Illinois  volunteer*,  who  w.is  stricken  down  by 
disease  on  the  21th  day  of  July,  1S47,  upon  his  march  with  his  com- 
pany to  Santa  Fe  ;  the  other,  Lieutenant  L.  Kobbins,  of  the  Second 
Kegiment  of  Illinois  volunteers,  who  was  slain  while  among  the  ad- 
vance of  his  company,  on  the  23d  day  of  February,  1847,  upon  the 
ever  memorable  field  of  Buena  Vista,  and  feeling  that  a  proper  trib- 
ute of  respect  is  due  by  the  bar  of  Madison  County  to  the  memory  of 
those  who  have  been  ornamen's  to  our  profession,  and  who,  in  all 
their  relations  in  life,  have  discharged  their  duties  with  promptness, 
Scrupulous  fidelity  and  signal  ability. 

Therefore  Resolved,  Tivdl  \n  t\vd  death  of  onr  departed  brethren,  the 
profession  of  which  they  were  members  have  lost  those  who  in  life 
well  and  truly  aided  to  sustain  its  character  and  reputation,  and  in 
the  circumstances  attending  their  death,  have  merited  for  it  a  new 
source  of  honor  and  pride.  As  citizens  we  respected  them,  as  friend 
we  loved  them,  as  members  of  our  profession  we  were  proud  of  them, 
and  in  their  death  we  will  ever  cherish  their  memories. 

That  the  duty  in  the  |)erformance  of  which  our  brothers  died,  is  so 
truly  noble  and  worthy  of  the  American  citizens,  that  while  we  ex- 
press our  grief  for  riieir  death,  we  cannot  avoid  giving  utterance  to 
our  feelings  in  knowing  that  the  character  of  our  profession  has  been 
thus  worthily  sustained. 

That  we  deeply  sympiilhize  with  the  bereaved  friends  and  families 
of  the  departed,  and  truly  tender  them  our  condolence  on  account  of 
their  great  and  irreparable  loss. 

That  we  will  wear  the  usual  badge  of  mourning  tliirty  days  in 
honor  of  their  memory. 

That  we  respectfully  a.sk  leave  of  the  Honorable  the  Circuit  Court 
of  MadLson  County,  to  have  this  testimonial  ofourregard  foi  our  de- 
ceased friends  and  brothers  spread  upon  the  records  of  said  court. 

That  a  copy  of  the  proceedings  of  this  meeting  be  transmitted  to 
the  familitsof  the  deceased  by  the  chairman 

(•  That  we  respectfully  reque.st  of  the  Honorable  Judge  of  the  Madi- 
eon  Circuit  Court,  as  a  further  token  of  respect  for  our  departed 
friends  and  brothers,  that  we  adjourn  said  court  until  to  morrow 
morning.  And  in  further  token  of  respect  and  regard  for  the  deceased— 

Ordered,  that  the  court  be  adjourned  until  9  o'clock  to-morrow 
morning." 

Hon.  G.  Koerner  presided  at  the  Circuit  Court  iu  March 
and  August,  1848. 

D.  L.  Heath  was  sent  to  penitentiary  for  larceny — one 
year. 

Guy  Morrison,  Charles  Spangler,  Luke  Towusend,  W.  H. 
Edgar,  Daniel  Berkey,  J  P.  Moore  and  John  Ga.skill,  in- 
dicted for  murder  (Duncan  case)  were  nol.  pros. 

Tlie  August  term,  1848,  was  the  last  term  of  the  period  of 
the  sixty  years  embraced  in  this  sketch. 

Subsequent  proceedings  will  be  treated  on  pages  following 
these. 

It  was  stated  above  that  the  offices  of  Justices  of  the 
Peac2  were  made  elective  in  the  year  1827. 

A  list  of  these  officers,  alphabetically  arranged,  will  also 
be  of  interest  to  the  citizens  of  the  County  ;  it  is  here  intro- 
duced : 


JUSTICES  OF  THE  PEACE— MADISON  COUNTY — 1827,  tO  1849. 

Atwater,  Thomas,  1834.        .         .         .        Official  term.  1  years. 

*Arthur  Hiram,  1835  to  1839.         .        .       1843  to  1848.  9  yeais. 

Allen,  Row!.  P.,  1842  to  1843 1  year- 

*Alwood,  Moses,  1847 1   year. 

*Adam3,  W.  R.,  1847 1  year. 

Barnsback,  J.  L.,  1827  to  1843 Ki  years. 

*Bartlett,  Joseph,  1835  to  1848 13 years. 

Bailey,  S.  G.,  1837  to   1839 2  years. 

Botkin,  Alexander,  1838  to  1841,  resigned 3 years. 

Blakeman,  Curtis,  1839  to  1842,  do.  do 8  years. 

Burk,  Thomas  B  ,  1843  to  1847 4  years. 

^iBrown,  G.  T,  1843  to  1847 4 years. 

Claypool,  John,  1827  to  182S,  resigned 1   year. 

Cox,  Isaac,  1820  to  1835 6  years. 

Caswell,   Josiah,  1831  to  1835 4  years. 

Chilton,  Thomas,  1831  to  1833 2  years. 

Clement,  Samuel  C,  1836,  resigned 

Crownover,  Garrett,  1843  to   1847 4  years. 

Charter,  John,  1844,  died  1845 1   year. 

*Charlton,  Charles,  since  1847 1  year. 

*Cook,  Charles,  since  1847 1  year. 

*Carr,  G.  W.,  since  1847  . 1  year. 

*Cain,  W.  M.,  since  1847 1  year. 

*Duncan,  Joseph,  since  1827 21  years. 

Dugger,  Jarrot,  1827  to  1831 4year8. 

Dugger,  John  C,    1831  to  1839 8  year. 

*Dugger,  Wesley,  since  1847 1  year. 

*Dorsey  N.  M  ,  since   1847 1  year. 

Elliot,  Thomas,  1838  to   1839 1  year. 

Eaton,  H.  K.,  1839  to   1843,  and  from   184G  to  '47 5  years. 

*Edwards,    John,  since  1843 5  years. 

Flagg,  Gersham,  1831  to  183"> 4  years. 

*Ferguson,  John  L.,  since  1843 5  years. 

Gillham,  Thomas,  from  1827  to   1835 8  years. 

Greathouse,  John,  1831  to  1834,  movtd  away 3  years. 

Graham,  George,  1831  to  1835 4  years. 

Garrett,  Robert,  1837  to  1839 2  years. 

Gillespie,  Joseph,  1837  to  1839 2  years. 

Gillespie,  Matthew,  1839  to   1843 4  years. 

*Gilliland,  Alexander,  since  1847 1   year. 

Hudson,  Jonathan,  1832  to  1830,   resigned 4  years. 

Harnsberger,  Ephraim,  1835  to  1841,  when  he  resigned,  was 

re-elected  in  1843  to  1847 10  years. 

Hundley,  J.  B.,  1843  to  1847 4  years. 

Ives,  John,  1839  to  1843 4  years. 

Johnson,  Stephen,  183.5,  resigned  183G 1   year. 

Job,  Mosis,  1840  to  1843 3  years. 

Kell,  William,  1831  to  1839 8  years. 

Kimball,  George,  1838  to  1839 1    year. 

Kill,  Jacob,  from  1839  to  1843,  and    1846,  to  '47 5  years. 

*Look,  Horace,  1828  to  1835,  and  since  1840 14  years. 

Marsh,  Ephraim,   1827  to  1831 4  years. 

Meeker,  Daniel,  1827  to  1831 4  years. 

Miller,  William,  1831    to   1832 1  year. 

Martin,  William,  1835  to  1837,  resigned 2  years. 

Mason,  Hail,  1835   to  1839 4  years- 
Matthews,  Abraham,  1843  to  1847 4  years. 

*Maxey,  J.  A.,  since  1843 5  years. 

*Meeker,  O.,  since  1847 1   year. 

*Moine(?)  Jacob,  since  1847 1   year. 

Ogle,  William,  1827  to  1831 4  years. 

Owen,  J.  P.,  1839   to  1843 4  years. 

Olive,  Abel,  1835  to  1843  and  1815  to   '47 10  years. 

Pearce,  James,  1827  to  1831 4  years. 

Prickelt,  David,  1829  to  1835 6  yeans. 

Pcarcy,  Henry,    1831,   moved  away 


166 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


I'inckard,  "W.  G.,  from  1837  to  1848 -lOyears. 

*Pearce,  William,  since  1847 1   ycai\ 

Renfio,  Jesse,  1828  to  1831  .    .    . 3  years. 

Khodes,  Samuel  W..  1827  to  1831 4  years. 

Kandle,  Barton,  1828,  resigned  1830 2  years. 

Reynolds,  James,  from  1833  to  1839,  and  from  1844  to  '47  .   .8  years. 

*Roseberry,  Robert,  since  183") 13  years. 

Randle,  Jolin  H.,  1836  to  1843 7  years. 

Robbin.s,  S.  W.  1838  to  1839 2  years. 

*Randle,  I.  B.,  since   1850 8  years. 

Renfro,  Sibis,  1843  to  1847 4  years. 

Reynolds,  Renben,  1846  to  1847 1  year. 

ISnell,  Roger,  1827   to  1831 •••....    4  years. 

Suds,  Moses,    do.  do 4  years. 

Seybold,  Samuel,  1827  to   1843 16  years. 

Starkey,  Jesse.  1827  to  1829,   resigned 2  years. 

Selhorst,  Ju.«tus  D.,  1827  to  1828,  resigned 1   year. 

Starr,  W.  E.,  1831  to  183-5,  and  1839  to '43 8  years. 

Smith,  George,  1831  to    1843 12  years. 

Scott,  Cyrus,  183.5  to    1839 4  years. 

*Spau!(ling,  Harry,  since   1835 13  years 

*S'q'iire,  Samuel,  1835  to  1847,  resigned   in    1848 12  years. 

Swett,  David,  1835,  died  in  office ■ 

Smaal,  Aaron,  1836  to   1841 5  years. 

Skillman,  Charles,  1839  to  1843 4  years. 

*Smith,  W.  II,  '  ]  1  year. 

«Scott,  II.  F.,  I  1  year, 

*Sawyer,  S.  T.,  ]  1    year. 

*Skinner,  William,  j.         singe  1S47  .    .    .    .' 1    year. 

*Stuith,  Samuel,  I  1  year. 

*Showalter,  J   G.,  I  1  year. 

*Suppiger   Joseph,  J  1  year. 

Tayloi-,  John  R.,  183.5,   moved  away  1836 1   year. 

*Turner,  Timothy,  since  1S43 5  year.^. 

Vincent,  Isham,  1827,  resigned  in  1828,  was 

re-elected  in  1831  to  1835 5  years. 

West,  Emanuel,  J,  1827,  to  1829,  resigned 2  years. 

"Wilco-x,  Stephen,  Jr.,  1829,  resigned  in  1830 1  year- 
Wright,  James,  1830  to  1831    1   year. 

AVheeler,  Erastus,  1835  to   1846,   resigned 

to  fight  the  Mexicans 11  years. 

AVaddle,  Thomas,  1835  to    1839 4  years. 

Wood,  Cornelius,  1841  to  1843 2  years. 

Winship,  Franklin,  1843  to    1847 4  years. 

Walker,  Benjamin,  1843   to   1847 4  years. 

Webb,  James,  1843   to   1847 4  years. 

■"Warner,  D.  H.,  since  1846 1   year. 

Young,  John  C,  1839  to  1847 8  years. 

Names  marked  by  asterisks  (*)  are  the  namts  of  Justices  in  office 
in  1848,  and  whose  terms  will  expire  in  1851. 

PKOBATE    COUET. 

The  probate  business  of  the  county  was  during  the  first  de 
cade  transacted  by  the  same  authorities,  to  whom  the  govern- 
ment of  the  county  affairs  was  entrusted.  An  act  of  the 
legislature,  February  10th,  1821,  created  a  probate  court 
for  each  county  of  the  state.  The  judges  of  these  courts  were 
chosen  or  appointed  by  the  legislature  of  the  state.  The 
time  had  not  arrived,  when  the  masses  were  thought  com- 
petent to  elect  their  judicial  officers.  It  was  feared  that  the 
dignity  of  the  judiciary  might  be  lost  in  the  vulgar  prac- 
tices of  elections.    . 

Jacob  W.  AValker  was  the  first  probate  judge  of  Madison 
county,  and  held  his  first  term  at  the  house  of  James  Mason, 
in  the  town  of  E  Iwardsvillc,  on  the   7th  of  May,  1821. 


Judge  Walker  was  his  own  clerk,  and  his  records  are  models 
of  accuracy  and  comprehensiveness.  He  resigned  his  oflSce 
in  March,  1822,  being  succeeded  by  Judge  John  York. 
Sawyer,  who  held  his  first  term  on  the  13th  day  of  April, 
1822,  and  his  last  on  the  25th  of  November,  1824.  He  was 
succeeded,  January  26th,  1825,  by  Hon.  Abraham  Prickett, 
who  resigned  in  April,  1827,  succeeded  by  William  Gillham. 
Judge  Gillham  officiated  from  July  1827,  to  February  9th, 
18Jy.  Hon.  David  Prickett  succeeded  him,  aud  presided 
over  the  court  until  September  21st,  1835.  His  successor, 
Hon.  John  M.  Krum,  of  Alton,  held  the  position  not  quite 
four  months.  Hon.  Joseph  Gillespie  was  probate  judge  from 
January  4th,  1836,  to  August  31st,  1839.  During  his  term, 
on  the  25th  of  February,  1837,  the  office  of  probate  judge 
was  made  elective  by  act  of  legislature,  the  tenure  of  office 
being  four  years.  Hon.  Matthew  Gillespie,  a  brother  of  the 
former,  was  elected  in  August,  1839,  and  qualified  on  the 
31st  day  of  that  month.  He  in  turn  was  succeeded  in  Au- 
gust, 1843,  by  Hon.  G.  W.  Prickett,  a  son  of  Hon.  Abraham 
Prickett,  frequently  mentioned  in  this  and  other  chapters. 
George  W.  Prickett  resigned  his  office  on  the  2 1st  of  July, 
1846,  to  take  charge  of  a  company  of  volunteers,  ready  to 
take  the  field  in  the  war  against  the  sister  republic,  Mf'xico. 
Hon.  Henry  K.  Eaton  succeeded  Mr.  Prickett,  and  con- 
tinued in  office  until  1857.  There  were  1455  estates  put 
under  administration  during  this  period;  1819  to  1849;  10 
in  1819;  15  in  18^9;  40  in  1839,  and  109  in  1849.  The 
mortality  in  1849  was  uncommonly  severe  on  account  of  the 
prevalence  of  the  cholera  in  various  parts  of  the  county. 

RETROSPECT. 

During  the  period,  1819  to  1849,  the  county  had  been 
reduced  in  area  to  its  present  size,  about  760  square  miles. 
The  population  of  the  county,  in  its  present  limits,  may  have 
been  4,000  in  1820;  it  iva.i  6,-221  in  1830,  14,433  in  184U, 
and  20,441  at  the  close  of  the  period.  All  the  public  land, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  straggling  forty  acre  tracts  that 
had  been  overlooked,  had  become  the  property  of  indi- 
viduals, and  been  converted  into  thousands  of  productive 
farms.  New  towns  and  villages  had  sprung  up  on  paper, 
and  also  in  reality,  while  others  mentioned  in  the  preceding 
pages  had  ceased  to  be.  Milton,  for  instance,  a  thriving 
and  prosperous  village,  with  mills,  distilleries,  shops,  st'ires 
and  manufactories,  had  gone  out  of  existence,  and  its  lots, 
valued  at  from  three  hundred  to  eight  hundred  dollars  each 
in  1820,  are  not  mentioned  as  lots  any  longer  in  the  tax- 
books  of  the  county.  The  paper  town,  Madison  (laid  out  by 
Allen  in  the  Marine  settlement),  Augusta,  (Parkinson's 
town  in  section  3,  range  6),  Fitz-James,  in  section  4,  range 
5,  or  section  5,  range  5,  Mount  Auburn,  Chippewa,  Gibral- 
tar, at  or  near  the  mouth  of  Wood  river,  had  come  and 
gone. 

Other  towns  laid  out  during  the  period  of  the  sjieculation 
in  town  property  have  remained,  as  for  instance,  Collins, 
ville.  Highland  Marine,  Venice,  Monticello  and  Troy.  Troy, 
Alton,  Venice  and  Edwardsville  were  prominent  enough  in 
1832  to  be  mentioned  by  European  tourists  in  prominent  and 
standard  works.  We  read,  for  instance,  in  Heinrich  Christian 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


1G7 


Gerke's  "  Observations  made  in  North  America,"  the  follow- 
ing: * 

Collinsville  is  also  meiitioneil  by  this  author.  "  It  con- 
sists," said  he,  'of  a  uiill,  a  Methodist  church,  the  dwelling- 
house  of  Mr.  Collins,  a  brother  in-law  of  my  son,  and  the 
farm  house  of  Major  Post,  who  has  a  most  amiable  family, 
and  keeps  tavern." 

The  work  of  H.  C  Gerke,  from  which  these  notes  are  taken, 
contains  innumerable  items  of  interest,  and  the  reader  will 
find  many  more  interesting  quotations  from  it  in  the  chapter 
on  European  Immigration. 

*  I  iipent  a  most  pleasant  winter  (1831-82)  in  E  lward<ville.  The 
town  has  but  one  street,  and  impaved  at  that!  It  is  .situated  on  a 
ridge  alongside  the  Caholiia  river,  has  a  castor  oil  mill,  a  wool- 
carding  machine,  a  llonring  and  saw-mill,  on  theCahokia;  four  At- 
tornies'  ofliccs, — James  Semple,  Thomas,  Prickett  and  Greathonse; 
one  physician, —  Dr.  Edwards,  brother  of  my  friend,  Ninian  Edward.s, 
formerly  governor  of  the  state:  a  po.st-office,  Prickett,  postmaster; 
a  real  esiate  broker's  office, — Lusk,  father  and  son ;  a  newspaper 
office, — Judge  Sawyer,  proprietor  and  editor;  a  United  States  land 
office;  five  stores  of  some  rnagaitude  and  importance,  and  one  tavern, 
with  the  sign,  "  Washington.  During  the  winter  of  my  stay  we  had 
si.x  balls  and  two  soirees,  one  at  Judge  Smith's  and  the  other  at  Mrs. 
Prickett'.s,  and  every  .Saturday  a  meeting  of  the  literary  and  debating 
society.  On  tlie  22d  of  February  the  militia  was  out  on  parade,  and 
inspected  by  the  honorable  and  dignified  Reynolds,  governor  of  the 
ftate,  who  remained  four  days  occupying  ray  room  at  the  tavern. 
Thus  I  got  acquainted  with  the  American  city  or  town  life.  I  spent 
two  months  on  ray  son'.s  farm  in  Marine  settlement,  making  frequent 
visits  among  the  neighbors,  and  thus  posted  mv.self  also  with  rural 
life  in  this  grand  republic  of  .\merica.  I  have  closely  observed 
everything  I  have  h;id  occasion  to  see;  I  have  studied  the  labors  of 
the  American  mechanic  and  agriculturalist  as  diligently  as  po.ssible, 
and  was  favorably  impressed  with  everything  I  saw.  The  most 
striking  feature  of  this  people  in  Illinois  is  their  hospitality  and  their 
uniform  kindness  to  one  another,  and  to  strangers  and  foreigners.  I 
shall  always  remember  with  gratitude  how  I  was  treated  by  those 
people.  lUinoistown  (he  calls)  the  worst  thing  contained  in  the  state, 
and  mentions  it  only  because  the  .St.  Louis  ferries  make  their  land- 
ing there.  Alton  (he  says)  is  situated  on  the  Mississippi  river,  some 
twelve  miles  north  of  Edwardsville.  The  town  is  growing  wonderfully. 
During  my  stay  (one  year)  it  increased  its  number  of  dwelling-houses 
from  five  to  fifty.  Its  future  growth  may  be  materially  influenced  by 
the  location  of  the  national  road,  the  terminus  of  which  is  to  be  either 
Alton  or  St.  Louis.  Alton  is  situated  on  lirae-rock  formation,  sloping 
west  towards  the  river.  The  town  site  belongs  to  Mayor  Hunter  and 
Mr.  Russell,  who  at  first  gave  lots  away  for  forty  or  fifty  dollars,  but 
now  they  get  two  hundred  dollars  or  more  for  e:ich  lot.  Most  of  the  town 
is  still  a  dense  forest ;  but  if  the  national  road  is  located  to  Alton,  it  will 
greatly  enhance  the  values  and  open  a  fine  field  for  speculation.  The 
farms  of  Mayor  Hunter,  William  Lowe,  Widow  Morri.s,  William 
Montgomery  and  others,  are  for  sale,  and  will  soon  become  high- 
priced.  Mr.  Rus.=ell  has  lately  bought  some  ci^hly  quarter  sectivns 
of  woodland,  near  Alton,  and  these  lands  are  also  in  the  market. 
On  the  blufT,  near  Alton,  at  an  elevation  of  two  hundred  feet  above 
the  river,  stands  the  state  penitentiary,  and  fron)  this  place  one  can 
s?e  the  Mississioi,  the  Mi.s.souri,  and  also  the  region  of  the  mouth  of 
the  Illinois  river.  On  the  side  of  this  blufi;  painted  on  the  rock,  are 
found  two  figures,  representing  the  Good  and  the  Bad  Alanitou,  si.xty 
feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water.  One  seems  to  represent  the  body 
of  a  large  goo>e,  head  turned  b.ackward.s,  and  arranging  feathers  with 
beak,  the  other  ha.s  four  dragon  heads.  Indians  make  their  appear- 
ance here  quite  frequently,  and  in  large  numbers,  to  worship.  It  is 
remarkable  that  the  red  c"lor  of  the  Manitou  never  fades. 


The  towns,  described  by  Garke  as  he  found  them  in  1831, 
were  then  the  only  towns  in  the  county  existing  in  reality, 
and  they  have  remained  the  leading  towns  of  the  county  to 
this  day.  At  the  close  of  the  period  1840,  tlie  towns  had  of 
course  grown  and  developed  in  keeping  with  the  general 
progress.  During  this  period — 1818  to  1840 — th3  county 
was  represented  in  the  state  senate  by  George  Cadwell,  1818 
to  1822,Theophilus  W.  S  Smith,  1822  to  1826,  Jo.seph  Con- 
way, 1826  to  18;i4,Cyrt's  Edwards  18,S4  to  1838,*  George 
Churchill  1838  to  1842,  George  Smith  1842  to  1846,t 
and  Joseph  Gillespie  from  184G  to  1850.  In  the  house  of 
representatives  we  find  John  Howard,  Abraham  Prickett 
and  Samuel  Whiteside  from  1818  to  1820  ;  Joseph  Borough, 
Nathaniel  Buckmaster,  William  Ottwell,  1820  to  1822. 
Curtis  Blakeman,  George  Churchill  and  E  J.  West,  1822 
to  1824;  Curtis  Blakeman,  George  Ciiurchill  and  William 
Ottwell  1824  to  1826.  George  Church  ill  and  David  Prickett 
1826  to  1828  ;  George  Chtirchill  and  William  Jones  1828  to 
1830 ;  John  B.  E.  Canal  and  George  Churchill  1830  to 
18)2  ;  (part  of  Macoupin  and  Madison  counties  forming  then 
one  representative  district)  Cyrus  Edwards  and  James  Sem- 
ple 1832  to  1834  ;*'\Nathaniel  Buckmaster,  James  Semple 
and  Jesse  B.  Thomas  Jr.  1834  to  1836.  John  Hogan,  James 
Scrapie  and  Robert  Smith  1836  to  1838;  Williatn  Ottwell, 
George  Smith  and  Robert  Smith  1838  to  1840;  Cyrus  Ed- 
wards, Joseph  Gillespie  and  James  Reynolds  1840  to  1842. 
Robert  Aldrich,  John  Bailhacheand  Curtis  Blakeman  1842 
to  1844  ;  George  Barnsback,  George  Churchill  and  N.  D. 
Strong  1844  to  1846;  Curtis  Blakeman,  W.  A.  De  Wolf  and 
William  Martin  1846  to  1848.  Names  of  Senators  and 
Representatives  after  the  adoption  of  the  constitution  of  1848 
will  appear  hereafter. 

Madison  county  was  represented  in  the  constitutional  con- 
ventions of  1818  by  Benjamin  Stephenson,  Joseph  Borough 
and  Abraham  Prickett,  and  in  that  of  1847,  by  Cyrus  Ed- 
wards, E.  M.  West,  Benaiah  Robinson  and  George  T.  Brown. 

1849  TO  1882. 
The  year  1849  found  the  county  subdivided  into  sixteen 
precincts  to  wit  :  Highland,  W.  W.  Ramsey,  Joseph  Suppi- 
ger  and  Oliver  Hoy t,  judges  of  elections;  Saline,  John 
Giger,  J.  W.  Coventry  and  Christian  Waage ;  Looking 
Glass,  Wesley  Dugger,  Joseph  Miller  and  John  Lindley  ; 
Murine,  W.  W.  McLain,  Lewis  L.  Judd  and  R.  P.  Allen ; 
Silver  Creek,  Lewis  Ricks,  J.  R.  Prickett  and  Abel  Olive ; 
Troy,  George  Churchill,  Jesse  Reufro  and  Jubilee  Posey; 
Omph  Ghent,  Samuel  L.  Miller,  Samuel  Sanner  and  Moses 
Barber;  White  Rock  Henry  H.  Snell,  Archibald  Lamb  and 
Ale.xander  Fleck ;  CoUinsville,  Horace  Look,  J.  J.  -Fisher 
and  George  MofBt ;  Edwardsville,  Samuel  Smith,  G.  N. 
Kerr  and  Joshua  Dunnagan  ;  Bethel,  Isaac  Cox,  Joel  U. 
Sturkey  and  PZdward  J.  Dorsey ;  Upper  Alton,  Isaac  War- 

*  Madison,  St.  Clair  and  Monroe  counties  were  entitled  under  the  ap- 
portionment of  1,S36  to  an  additional  senator.  John  D.  Whiteside 
was  elected  in  August  1.836,  but  resigned  March  5,  1837,  when  James 
B.  Moore  was  elected  to  fill  vacancy  to  1S3.8. 

t. lames  .\.  Tames,  of  Monroe  was  the  a<ldilional  sen.ator  for  Madi- 
son, St.  Clair  and  Monroe  counties  1842  to  1846. 


1G8 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


nock,  John  A.  Maxey  and  George  Smith  ;  Six  Mile,  Hiram 
Sippy,  Hiram  Arthur  and  J.  W.  Delaplain  ;  Maduon,  P.  S. 
Day,  J-  R-  Gillham  and  Jesse  Rhodes;  Alto7i,  William 
Hayden,  John  Chaney  and  ^lark  Dixon;  3fonticello, 
Timothy  Turner,  Aaron  P.  Mason  and  Jusiah  Randle. 

The  county  was  dfficered  as  follows :  Henry  K.  Eaton, 
county  judge,  wilh  I.  B.  Randle  and  Samuel  Squire  associ- 
ates. Under  the  state  constitution  of  1848,  the  couutyjudge 
was  ex-officio  probate  judge,  and  he,  with  the  associates  were 
entrusted  with  the  civil  government  of  the  county. 

John  A.  Prickett,  was  county  clerk ;  Andrew  Miller, 
sheriH";  William  Gill,  coroner^  E.  S.  Brown,  treasurer;  E. 
/  M.  West,  school  commissioner  j'^Benaiah  Robinson,  surveyor; 
and  W.  Brown,  clerk  of  the  circuit  court  and  recorder.  Hon. 
W.  H.  Underwood,  of  St.  Clair,  was  judge  of  the  second 
judicial  circuit  of  which  Madison  formed  a  part. 

GOVERNMENT   OF  THE  COUNTY — FIRST  COUNTY  COURT  1849 

TO  1853. 

Henry  K.  Eaton,  judge,  I.  B.  Randle  and  Samuel  Squire 
associates. 

One  of  the  first  measures  of  this  court  was  to  bring  order 
into  the  financial  chaos,  mentioned  on  a  former  page  in  this 
chapter.  The  judge  caused  the  following  order  to  be  enter- 
ed, to  wit:  The  subject  of  borrowing  money  or  levying  a 
special  tax  in  view  of  the  depressed  state  of  the  county 
finances,  and  the  depreciated  value  of  the  county  orders, 
having  been  frequently  submitted  to  the  consideration  of  the 
court  by  many  of  the  tax  paying  citizens  of  the  county,  and 
the  court  being  desirous  to  pursue  such  a  course  in  the 
premises  as  a  wise  and  prudent  policy  would  dictate,  have 
this  day  appointed  Fred.  T.  KraSV,  Esq.,  an  agent  to  make 
inquiry  and  obtain  information  on  the  following  points,  to 
wit :  From  whom  money  can  be  borrowed,  the  amount  from 
each  individual,  at  what  rate  of  interest  from  each,  for  what 
length  of  time  the  loan  from  each  can  be  had,  and  to  make 
his  report  at  the  March  term,  1850.  The  report,  if  ever 
made,  was  not  recorded  and  cannot  be  found  among  the  files. 
It  is  to  be  presumed  that  Mr.  KraflT;  reported  verbably  that 
no  money  could  be  had  except  at  ruinous  rates  of  interest,  for 
the  court  raised  the  tax  rate  to  75  cents  on  the  assessed  value. 
The  appointment  of  a  fiscal  agent  was  of  very  questionable 
propriety  at  any  rate,  for  it  created  a  new  office,  for  which 
no  provision  had  been  made  by  the  fundamental  law.  The 
officers  authorized  by  law  should  attend  to  the  public  affliirs 
and  if  the  controlling  officers  attend  strictly  and  diligently 
to  their  duties,  confusion  and  financial  misery  need  not  be 
feared.  The  sj'stera  of  "  financial  agents  "  of  the  county  has 
been  the  cause  of  great  losses  to  the  county.  As  long  as  the 
"  fiscal  agent "  was  an  outsider,  no  harm  came  from  the 
system,  but  in  later  years  it  became  the  practice  that  the 
controlling  officer — the  county  judge — made  himself  the 
fiscal  agent,  to  borrow  money  for  county  purposes  and  dis- 
burse it  together  with  the  revenue  raised  by  taxation.  The 
system,  with  some  interruptions,  existed  for  24  years. 

The  court,  in  1849,  aided  the  construction  of  a  plank-road 
from  Edwardsville  to  Venice  by  granting  to  the  plank-road 
company   the   right   of  way,  22  feet   ofi"  of  the  right  hand 


side  of  the  county  road,  free  from  charge  and  al>o  the  use 
of  the  embankment  across  Wet  Prairie,  and  of  the  county 
bridges,  on  the  condition  that  the  company  keep  the  bridges 
across  Cahokia  and  Long  Lake  in  repair.  In  case  that  new 
bridges  became  necessary,  the  company  were  to  pay  each 
one  half  of  the  costs. 

At  the  March  term,  1850,  large  claims  for  taking  care  of 
paupers  were  presented,  and  Judge  Eaton  caused  the  fol- 
lowing to  be  spread  on  the  record  :  The  court  do  conclude 
and  adjudge  that  these  claims  cannot  be  allowed,  for  the 
reason,  that  the  county  finances  are  not  in  condition  to  war- 
rant it,  that  the  allowance  of  them  and  many  others  of  the 
kind,  which  have  been  presented  to  the  court,  would  open 
the  door  for  such  a  flood  of  claims  for  pauper  services, 
as  if  paid  would  nearly,  if  not  entirely,  exhaust  the 
whole  revenue  of  the  county.  The  court  have  furnished  a 
Poor  House  for  such  paupers  with  a  view  of  lessening  the 
county  expenses  for  taking  care  of  them,  and  if  persons 
will  make  heavy  bills  on  account  of  paupers  apart  from  the 
Poor  House,  they  must  do  it  at  their  own  risk. 

The  Collinsville  Plankroad  company  obtained  the  same 
privileges  granted  to  the  Edwardsville  company. 

1850    JUNE   TEEM. 

W.  W.  Jones,  who  had  contracted  with  the  county  for 
keeping  the  Poor  House,  was  released  and  a  new  contract 
entered  into  with  Robert  Stewart,  who  was  to  have  $624  per 
annum,  for  keeping,  feeding,  clothing  and  nursing  the  in- 
mates, i)rovided  their  average  number  was  not  more  than 
six.  For  every  additional  one,  Stewart  was  to  be  paid  $2  00 
per  week. 

1850-JULY   TERM-DEATH   OF    E.    S.   BROWN. 

At  a  special  term  of  the  county  court  of  Madison  county, 
held  on  the  18th  of  July,  1850,  the  following  preamble  and 
resolutions  were  adopted : 

"  Where.\s  since  the  last  adjournment  of  this  court,  it  has 
pleased  the  all  wise  and  merciful  Creator  of  the  universe  to  re- 
move from  our  midst  our  esteemed  associate,  Edward  S.  Brown, 
late  treasurer  and  assessor  of  Madison  county ;  and  Whereas 
we  are  desirous  of  rendering  a  tribute  of  respect  to  the 
memory  of  our  deceased  friend  who  has  endeared  himself  to 
us  by  his  many  virtues  and  manly  deportment,  therefore  be 
it 

Ee-iolved,  That  while  we  humbly  submit  to  the  decrees  of 
God,  we  deeply  deplore  the  untimely  death  of  our  friend  and 
fellow  citizpn  Edward  S.  Brown  ;  that  in  his  death  the 
county  of  Madison  has  lost  an  able,  impartial  and  faithful 
officer,  and  the  community  a  valuable  and  worthy  citizen  ; 
That  we  deeply  sympathize  with  the  bereaved  family  and 
friends  of  the  deceased  in  their  sad  affliction  ;  and  That  the 
clerk  of  this  court  present  to  the  family  of  the  deceased  a 
copy  of  these  resolutions  and  also  cause  the  same  to  be  pub- 
lished in  all  the  public  newspapers  of  the  county. 

The  grand  jury  of  the  county  memorialized  the  court  on 
the  subject  of  dramshop  licenses  in  the  fall  of  1850  as  fol- 
lows; That  they  (the  grand  jury)  find  a  number  of  those 
who  become  inmates  of  the  jail  and  the  poor  house  addicted 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


1G9 


to  the  use  of  ardeut  spirits,  and  in  consequence  become 
charges  to  the  county,  they  believe  the  granting  of  license 
to  keep  groceries  at  the  usual  low  rates  is  the  cause  of  much 
intemperance  and  crime,  and  recommend  to  the  court  that 
hereafter  no  grocery  licenses  be  granted  for  less  than  §100, 
believing  that  if  the  rates  shall  be  materially  raised,  there 
will  be  fewer  groceries  and  less  intemperance,  poverty  and 
crime  in  our  county.  The  court  acted  promptly  on  this  sug- 
gestion by  raising  the  license  to  SI 00. 

The  autumn  election  of  1850  resulted  in  the  election  of 
Andrew  Miller  and  N.  G.  Edwards,  as  members  of  the  House 
of  Representatives,  Fred.  T.  Krafft,  Sheriff,  William  Gill. 
Coroner,  and  Thomas  W.  Yates,  Treasurer,  in  place  ofE.  S. 
Brown,  deceased. 

At  the  close  of  the  yesrr  the  court  caused  the  clerk  to  pre- 
pare a  statement  of  the  outstanding  county  orders,  from 
which  statement  it  appears  that  this  floating  debt  amounted 
to  about  $35,078.17  ;  "about"  because  a  large  number  of 
county  orders,  supposed  by  W.  T.  Brown,  former  clerk,  to 
have  amounted  to  S1700,  were  paid  and  destroyed  in  1843 
without  being  canceled  on  the  books.  Mr.  Prickett  had  re- 
ported $30,778.17  as  unpaid,  and  then  the  court  deducted  the 
above  amount  of  §1700,  leaving  an  apparent  debt  of  S35.- 
078-17. 

The  county  revenue  of  1850  was  $17,550.44,  and  the  ex- 
penditures— Roads  and  bridges.  §6.987.79;  Courts  and  offi- 
cers 84..599.71 ;  Paupens,  82.797  15;  Jail,  8439.11 ;  Election, 
$12740.  Interest,  81868.86,  amounting  to  816820  02;  leav- 
ing a  surplus  of  $730.42.  The  court  had  trouble  with  the 
deputy  assessors  on  account  of  their  "  unheard  of"  charges, 
and  ordered  that  hereafter  their  officers  should  i)resent 
itemized  accounts,  duly  authenticated  and  certified  by  the 
county  assessor.  The  clerk  was  instructed  to  make  settle-  i 
inents  and  report  what  he  had  done  Mr.  Prickett  reporied  in 
March  1851  that  he  had  paid  87.38.00  for  the  assessment  of 
1850,  which  report  was  sanctioned  by  the  court. 

A  ludicrous  error  occurred  about  the  Alton  assessment. 
Lewis  Kellenberger,  appointed  deputy  county  assessor  for 
Alton,  was  at  the  same  time  the  assessor  of  the  city,  and  had, 
as  such  to  make  two  assessments,  one  for  city,  and  the  other 
for  state  purposes.  As  city  assessor  he  found  the  Alton 
taxable  property  to  be  worth  $1,082,549,  while  as  deputy 
county  assessor  he  found  the  same  property  to  be  worth  only 
$771.5.56,  a  diflerence  of  8310.993.  He,  however,  made  by 
mistake,  return  of  the  city  assessment  to  the  clerk,  who  pro- 
ceeded to  extend  state  taxes  on  city  valuations,  and  in  this 
manner  the  state  tax  of  Alton  was  about  30  per.  ct.  higher 
than  Kellenberger  had  intended  it  to  be.  Doctors  are  said  | 
to  dislike  taking  their  own  medicine,  but,  nevertheless,  it  1 
may  sometimes  be  well  to  do  so. 

The  first  report  of  the  county  school  commission  was  filed 
in  the  court  on  the  5th  of  March,  1851,  from  which  it 
appeared  that  there  were  then  65  school-houses  in  the  county, 
that  2753  children  had  attended  the  schools  during  the  year, 
that  the  township  school  funds  amounted  to  §4000, — and 
that  there  were  four  school-libraries  in  existence,  at  Alton, 
Upper  Alton,  Edwardsville  and  Colliusville.  The  tax  levy 
for  the  year  was  again  75  cts.  per  $100,  of  Which   4-15  was 


appropriated  towards  reducing  the  county  debt.  The  as- 
sessed value,  Alton  property  excluded,  amounted  to  82  784.- 
775.  A  subsequent  report  of  the  county  debts  shows  an 
actual  reiluction  of  $5,765  02.  The  measures  of  economy  of 
this  court  were  in  many  cases  too  rigorous  and  at  times  un- 
just. As  an  instance  it  may  be  related  that  the  treasurer 
of  the  county  in  1851  was  allowed  a  compensation  of  $10.00 
only,  because  the  collector  had  made  his  returns  to  the 
county  court  direct,  instead  of  through  the  t rea.su rer,  who 
ought  to  have  known  that  the  law  gave  him  1  per.  cent, 
both  on  receipts  and  disbursements.  Mr.  Yates  should  have 
received  8356.40  instead  of  $10.  A  grand  jury  report  in 
reference  to  the  poor  house  was  submitted  to  the  court,  in 
which  the  examining  committee  recommended  to  the  court, 
that  more  attention  be  bestowed  upon  this  institution  (poor- 
house)  by  their  honorable  bodj'  (meaning  the  court)  by  vis- 
iting frequently  the  institution  and  seeing  that  the  persons 
employed  perform  their  duties  and  secure  a  little  more  com- 
fort to  the  unfortunates  confined  there. 

The  county  bought  100  acres  of  land  in  section  4,  town- 
ship four,  range  eight,  of  B.  J.  Head,  two  miles  west  of  the 
court-house,  intending  it  for  a  poor-farm,  and  ordered  the 
forty  acres  heretofore  bought  for  that  purpose  to  be  sold  at 
public  sale  ;  Mr.  KraflPt  became  the  owner  of  that  tract  and 
paid  for  it  in  jNIarch,  1853.  The  poor  house  expen.'ies,  with 
an  average  number  of  thirteen  inmates,  amounted  to  82  074, 
or  about  $160  per  capita.  This  is  a  great  deal  of  money, 
much  greater  than  it  should  have  been,  and  it  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at  that  the  county  authorities  contemplated  a 
change  in  the  system.  Many  claims  presented  to  the  court 
for  allowances,  bear  evidence  of  the  court's  displeasure;  we 
will  here  introduce  a  few  marginal  remarks  in  the  unmis- 
takable handwriting  of  Judge  Eaton.  A  county  printing 
office  had  presented  a  bill  of  $50  for  two  plain  record  books- 
The  following  sentence  is  endorsed  on  this  bill :  "  The  court 
allows  this  claim,  although  it  looks  upon  it  as  an  extortion.' 
A  store  account  of  $41.25  is  endorsed  by  Eaton  as  follows; 
"$41.25  allowed,  but  members  of  the  court  do  complain  of 
the  excessive  amounts  for  medicines,  an  unheard  of  charge 
until  last  year,  also  of  whisky  for  the  poor  house  at  82  per 
gallon  !  of  brooms,  what  can  the  county  want  with  a  dozen 
of  brooms  at  one  time  ?  Some  of  the  articles  of  stationery 
for  the  court-house,  such  as  blotting-paper  at  40  cents  a 
quire,  and  so  many  quires  (10)  at  once,  etc." 

At  the  June  term,  1852  Joseph  Suppiger,  F.  Ryhiner, 
Garritt  Crownover,  Christian  Kuhnen  and  W.  Fisher,  all 
citizens  of  Highland,  presented  the  following  memorial  to 
the  court : 

''  The  untler.'iigned,  a  committee  .ippointed  at  a  meeting  of  the  citi- 
zens of  Highland,  held  on  the  11th  of  June,  for  the  purpose  of  making 
fiome  regulations  for  the  purpose  of  nursing  and  attending  the  sick  and 
burying  the  dead,  in  case  our  place  should  again  be  visited,  as  in 
1849,  by  cholera,  respectfully  urge  the  Hon.  County  Court  to  appoint 
an  overseer  of  the  poor  for  (he  Highland  district.  Some  symptoms  of 
this  dreadful  scourge  have  made  their  appearance  amongst  us,  and 
can.sed  us  to  hold  the  meeting  mentioned  above.  Generally,  in  the 
spring,  and  until  the  latter  part  of  July,  the  greatest  number  of  immi- 
grants arrive ;  and  those  coming  in  June  and  July  are  more  apt  to 
carry  the  seed  of  sickness  in  their  system.     The  influx  of  immigration 


170 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


cannot  be  stopped ;  there  are  no  laws  proliibiting  strangers  to  settle 
among  us,  nor  Jo  we  wish  for  any  siicli  laws ;  but,  of  course,  we  have 
to  take  the  bad  consequences  together  with  the  good,  and  a  wise  com- 
munity ought  to  prepare  in  time  to  avoid  the  worst,  and  to  alleviate 
the  sufferings  of  our  fellow  beings.  It  is  not  only  these  new  comers, 
but  very  often  poor,  single  individuals,  who  have  been  living  for  some  ! 
time  among  ns,  that  are  taken  suddenly,  and,  having  no  relatives  or 
friends  to  lake  proper  care  of  tiiem,  are  sent  adrift,  and  for  want  of 
care  sufiTer  often  dreadfully,  even  beyond  description,  and  if  they  have 
the  good  luck  to  die,  there  is  nobody  to  have  them  deceatly  buried. 
In  such  emergencies  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  have  an  overseer  of 
the  poor  ready  to  attend  to  the  business.  There  were  cases  here  where 
fuch  duties  were  denied  for  some  lime.  And  it  is  another  important 
requirement,  besides  the  appointment  of  such  over.«eer,  that  such  over- 
seer be  not  restricted  in  the  manner  in  which  the  order  of  the  County 
Court  of  the  27th  of  December,  1850,  did  restrict  all  former  overseers. 
There  is  no  possibility  in  most  of  the  cases  to  make  timely  application, 
and  if  it  should  be  in  time,  and  the  paiients  could  be  brought  to  the 
poor  liouse,  we  presume  that  llie  citizens  of  Edwardsville  would  object 
to  such  importations,  and  more  so  for  dead  bodies  than  only  sick  per- 
sons. Whenever  it  comes  to  such  a  pass,  even  the  most  benevolent 
families  will  refuse  to  receive  the  victims  into  their  houses.  And  if 
there  is  no  overseer  of  the  poor  to  act  in  such  cases,  whose  duty  is  it  to 
act?  Several  applications  have  been  made  these  last  three  or  four 
weeks  to  the  former  overseer,  who  does  not  consider  himself  empower- 
ed to  give  any  orders,  and  made  only  arrangements  with  the  provisi , 
that  the  agent,  hereafter  to  be  appointed  by  your  honors,  would  ratify 
the  measures  taken.  It  is  impossible  to  apply  to  the  County  Court  in 
such  emergencies, — the  distance  forbids  any  such  attempts  and  princi- 
pally in  cases  of  death,  where  putrefaction  sets  in  quicker  than  in  all 
other  di.«eases.  The  committee  would  respectfully  recommend  Doctor 
Theophilus  Bruckner,  as  a  fit  and  proper  subject  for  such  an  over- 
seer, he  being  a  young  physician,  and  able  to  make  the  necessary 
discrimination  ;  and,  as  neither  sickness  nor  death  waits  for  conveni- 
ence, and  as  there  is  at  no  other  .season  of  the  year  the  same  necessity 
as  at  present,  they  would  urge  to  the  Hon.  Court  the  absolute  needful- 
ness of  immediate  action,  and  to  send  out  the  appointment  of  such  an 
overseer, — and,  further,  to  make  such  orders  and  not  restrictions  as 
would  directly  annul  all  the  benefits  intended  by  the  framers  of  the 
.statute  of  our  state.  All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted  to  your 
Hon.  body." 

The  court  appointed  Dr.  Bruckner  at  once,  as  Joseph  Sup. 
piger  had  peremptorily  refused  to  act  The  fears  of  the 
citizens  of  Highland  were  too  well  founded.  The  plague 
made  its  appearance,  and  a  dreadful  mortality  ensued. 

The  county  revenue  of  1851  was  larger  than  ever  before, 
amounting  to  $23,342.93,  and  quite  an  amount  was  appro- 
priated in  the  support  of  the  dying  and  friendless  immi- 
grants at  Highland. 

The  tax  levies  were  not  lowered  in  subsequent  years ; 
tliey  amounted  to  §27,506.57  in  1852,  and  to  §27,114  53  in 
1853. 

T.  W.  Yates  was  re-elected  treasurer  in  1851,  and  J.  R. 
Woods  succeeded  Mr.  West  as  school  commissioner. 

In  1852,  Joseph  Gillespie  was  re-elected  to  the  state  senate, 
S.  A.  Buckmaster  and  Thomas  J  udy  became  members  of  the 
lower  house,  C  A.  Murray  sheriff,  and  S-  W.  Eobbins  coro- 
ner. Hon.  W.  H.  Bissell,  of  St.  Clair,  was  re-elected  repre- 
sentative of  the  first  congressional  district  of  Illinois. 

SECOND  COUNTY  COUET  1853-1857. 

Henry  K.  Eaton,  county  judge,  and  D.  D.  Collins  and 
Joseph  Chapman,  associate  justices.     John  A.  Prickett  wad 


re-elected  county  clerk,  J.  W.  Terry  was  elected  school 
commissioner,  T.  W.  Yates  treasurer  and  W.  E.  Wheeler 
county  surveyor,  with  Joseph  Burnap  as  surveyor  of  the 
western  district  of  the  county. 

The  building  of  the  present  courthouse  was  the  principal 
public  work  done  during  this  administration.  The  people 
of  the  county  were  greai ly  agitated  about  it,  a  large  number 
making  strenuous  efforts  in  opposition.  The  question  of 
dividing  the  county  was  again  mooted,  and  this  very  agita- 
tion nerved  the  court  in  its  proceeding  to  build,  in  order  to 
put  a  quietus  on  the  opposing  element.  Petitions  pro  and 
con.  poured  in  from  every  part  of  the  county,  and  we  shall 
here  introduce  two  samples,  to  wit :  "  The  petition  of  the 
voters  of  Madison  county  respectfully  sheweth  :  That  they 
regard  with  feelings  of  lively  emotion,  all  measures  which 
have  for  their  object  the  advancement  of  the  welfare  of  the 
community  of  which  they  form  a  part ;  while,  on  the  other 
hand  they  deprecate,  as  injurious,  all  schemes  that  tend,  by 
undue  agitation,  to  di.<turb  public  tranquillity,  or  on  slight 
pretences,  to  destroy  the  order  of  long  established  institutions. 
Of  this  latter  character  they  deem  all  attempts  to  dismember 
the  old  and  respectable  county  of  Madison.  They  have 
learned  with  regret,  that  it  is  in  the  contemplation  of  some, 
to  divide  and  form  a  new  county  by  cutting  off  a  large  por- 
tion of  Madison.  They  believe  that  such  a  measure  would 
be  injurious  to  all  concerned;  it  would  destroy  the  political 
importance  of  both  the  counties,  while,  as  a  matter  of  ex- 
penditure, it  would  increase  the  cost  to  the  whole  people. 
Two  sets  of  buildings  would  have  to  be  erected  in  the  first 
instance,  and  in  all  future  time  there  would  be  rendered 
necessary  an  increased  taxation  for  county  purposes. 

"  With  a  view  to  quiet  this  matter  and  secure  the  solid 
advantages  of  certainty  and  repose  to  every  part  of  our 
county,  they  deem  it  politic  and  proper  to  erect,  on  a  scale 
commensurate  with  the  wants  of  the  people,  the  convenient 
administration  of  justice,  the  safety  of  the  public  records, 
and  the  growth  of  a  free  and  prosperous  people,  suitable 
public  buildings  at  the  present  county  seat.  As  yet,  the 
people  of  this  county  have  expended  little  or  nothing  for 
public  buildings,  the  court-house  now  in  use  having  been 
erected  at  the  expense  of  the  citizens  of  Edwardsville.  These 
buildings  are  unsafe,  inconvenient,  uncomfortable  and  un- 
worthv  of  the  county ;  and  in  our  opinion,  the  period  has 
arrived  when  they  should  be  replaced  with  others  of  a  more 
permanent,  convenient  and  substantial  character. 

'The  undersigned,  therefore,  pray  the  Honorable  County 
Court  to  take  such  measures,  as  in  its  wisdom  shall  seem 
best,  to  cause  the  erection  of  suitable  public  buildings,  on  a 
scale  calculated  to  serve  the  present  and  future  wants  of  the 
people  of  this  county."     And  now — audiatur  et  allera  pars. 

We,  the  undersigned  tax-payers  of  Madison  county, 
respectfully  remonstrate  against  the  recent  order  of  the 
county  court  in  relation  to  building  a  new  court-house. 
Believing,  as  we  do,  that  the  building  cannot  be  prosecuted 
as  contemplated  by  the  court  without  creating  a  large  interest 
bearing  debt,  which  will  have  to  be  met  by  an  increased 
rate  of  taxation,  and  believing  this  to  be  bad  policy  at  any 
time,  and  more   especially  in  the  present  condition  of  the 


COURT  HOUSE. 

PUBUC BU/LDINGS,  MADtsoN  county,  edwardsville,  ill. 


HISTORY   OF   21 A  D  ISO  N   CO  UN  IT,    ILL  I XO  IS. 


171 


money  matters  of  the  county ;  we,  therefore,  respectfully 
request  your  Hon.  Body  to  suspend  the  execution  of  the 
orders  referred  to  for  the  present  season,  etc.,  etc 

This  petition  was  presented  by  J.  T.  Debam,  who  added 
the  following  postscript :  There  have  32  tax-payers  signed 
this  remonstrance.  Every  man  that  saw  it,  signed  it,  and 
if  any  person  could  have  had  time  to  have  gone  around  and 
presented  it,  every  man  that  has  to  pay  taxes  would  opi)Ose 
the  building  of  a  new  court-house.  In  Montieello  precinct, 
I  have  no  fears  of  vouching  for  Josiah  Raudle,  etc  ,  etc., 
mentioning  every  man  in  the  towuship! 

The  court  itself  was  not  unanimous,  as  will  be  seen  by  the 
solemn  protest  of  the  member  from  the  western  part  of  the 
county,  the  Hon.  Joseph  Chapman,  in  words  as  follows: 

Madison  county  court,  March  term  18.55;  whereas,  con- 
trary to  the  wishes  of  a  large  majority  of  the  people  of  this 
county,  as  the  undersigned  believes,  the  majority  of  this 
court  at  this  term  has  passed  an  order  to  build  a  court- 
house in  the  town  of  EJwardsville,  and  whereas,  there  is  no 
recourse  left  to  ihe  undersigned  but  to  protest  against  the 
said  order,  therefore  the  undersigned  asts  that  his  protest 
may  be  placed  upon  the  record  of  this  court. 

•     JcsEPH  Chapm.vn. 

The  order  against  which  Mr.  Chapman  protested  was 
very  brief:  That  the  court  appoint  Joseph  Gillespie, 
Michael  G.  Dale,  Wm.  T.  Brown,  Fred.  T.  KrafTc  and  Jno. 
A.  Prickitt  a  committee  to  decide  upon  the  best  plan  of  a 
court-house  suitable  for  the  county,  and  that  a  new  court- 
house be  built. 

It  is  said  that  it  took  a  great  deal  of  argument  and  reasoning 
to  get  the  Hon.  D.  D.  Collins  to  vote  "  aye.  "  In  fact,  the 
members  of  the  court  were  subjected  to  very  bitter  and  ven- 
omous censure.  The  plans  for  the  court-house  were  made 
by  Charles  H.  Pond,  who  also  became  the  contractor.  The 
price  agreed  upon  was  §34,846.00,  which  amount  was  paid 
in  10  per.  cent,  interest  bearing  county  bonds,  the  greater 
part  of  which  was  a  portion  of  the  interest  bearing  county 
debt,  refunded  in  1877. 

The  court-house  was  completed  in  September  18.57,  and 
was  placed  in  charge  of  the  sheriff"  with  instructions  to  have 
the  different  rooms  locked  and  to  keep  intruders  out.  Polit- 
ical conventions,  agricultural  and  mechanical  societies  had 
standing  permission  to  hold  their  meetings  in  the  court 
room,  others  had  to  get  special  permission  from  the  county 
court. 

A  new  precinct,  Alhambra,  was  established  ]\Iarch  18-5.5, 
with  poll  at  the  house  of  W.  J.  Lowrey,  and  the  precinct 
of  Bethel,  formerly  Rattan's  prairie,  received  the  name 
Bethalto. 

The  poor  farm  bought  in  1852,  was  sold  to  J.  R.  Mel- 
drum  and  others  in  1855.  Whenever  a  county  undertakes 
to  raise  corn  or  potatoes,  it  is  sure  to  pay  too  much  for  the 
whistle,  as  the  immortal  Benjamin  Franklin  would  say. 
During  this  term  a  substantial  bridge  across  Cahokia  creek 
on  the  Springfield  road  near  Edwardsville  was  built  under 
contract  \\ith  the  county  by  D.  P.  Wentworth  for  $3,150. 
00.     The  county  revenue  during  these  four  years  amounted 


to  $27,183  52;  in  1854,  $30,779.98,  in  1855,  $29  598.46,  in 
1856,  830,092.40.  One  of  the  collectors  during  that 
period  failed  to  settle  his  accounts  in  full.  George 
Churchill  and  John  Edwards  made  good  the  deficiency 
which  amounted  to  $2,2.50  37.  The  last  payment  was  made 
April  16,  1859,  and  the  whole  debt,  including  interest  and 
damages,  amounted  to  -52,583.91. 

The  fiscal  statements  made  during  those  four  years  have 
not  been  preserved.  The  writer  happened  to  find  a  state- 
ment of  1858,  published  in  a  Highland  newspaper.  The 
county  debt  was  stated  to  have  been  as  follows : 

12  per  cent,  intere.st  bearing  county  orders $2.401100 

8  per  cent,  interest  bearing  county  orders 5,800.00 

6  per  cent,  interest  bearing  county  orders 1,200.00 

10  per  cent.  int.  bearing  court-house  bond.-; 32  846.3;') 

Floating  debt-county  orders 7,893.00 

Total  §.50,139.3.") 

Election  returns  of  1S54 : 

G.  T.  Allen  and  Henry  S.  Baker,  members  of  the  legis- 
lature, John  R.  Swain,  sherifl  and  W.  G.  Pinckard  coroner. 

Of  1855.  O.  C.  Drake,  school  commissioner  and  B.  D. 
Berry,  treasurer.  Of  1856.  Joseph  Gillespie,  senator, 
Lewis  Ricks  and  Aaron  P.  Mason,  representatives,  Z.  B. 
Job,  sheriff,  W.  G.  Pinckard  coroner  and  T.  O.  Springer 
clerk  of  the  circuit  court.  Of  1857.  John  Weaver  school 
commissioner,  B  D.  Berry  treasurer,  M.  G  Dale  county 
judge,  E.  M.  Morgan  and  George  Stocker  associates  and 
John  A.  Prickett,  county  clerk. 

TUIED  COUNTY  COURT,  1857  TO  1861. 

M.  G.  Dale,  Judge,  E.  M.  Morgan  and  George  R.  .Stocker 
associate  justices. 

The  affairs  of  the  county  were  conduc'ed  with  great  pru- 
dence and  rigid  ceremony.  The  tax  rates  were  not  increas- 
ed although  there  was  an  additional  expenditure  of  over 
S'5,000  interest  on  court-house  bonds.  The  court  succeeded 
not  alone  to  meet  all  current  expenses  of  the  county  but 
even  to  materially  reduce  the  interest  bearing  debt.  The 
revenue  of  18.58  was  $32,623,37,  of  1859  833,477.37,  of 
1860  $32,954.67,  and  of  1861  .§31,376. 12.  Taxes  were  paid 
promptly  and  tax  dodging  was  not  allowed  to  cripple  the 
administration. 

The  taxable  property  of  the  county  in  1858  was  assessed 
at  $8,712,283,  of  which  §2,182,208  worth  of  property 
within  the  corporate  limits  of  Alton  was  exetnpt  from  pav- 
ing a  direct  county  tax.  Alton  took  charge  of  the  jiaupers 
in  its  corporation,  and  paid  its  proportional  share  of  the 
other  county  expenses  out  of  the  city  treasury,  as  agreed 
upon  by  the  county  court  and  city  council.  The  total  tax 
for  the  state,  county  and  school  purposes  amounted  in  1858 
to  $90,995,67.  In  1859  these  valuations  amounted  to  $8,- 
823,797,  including  railroad  valuations,  mentioned  above  for 
the  first  time,  to  wit :  $272,137;  lands  were  asses.sed  at  $3,- 
998,085;  city  and  village  proi^orty,  $2,128,809;  and  per- 
sonal property,  $2.433,766 ;  the  total  taxes  amounted  to  $94,- 
152,72. 


172 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


In  1860  valuation  had  increased  to  S8,932,153  and  the 
taxes  to  $94,952  71.  In  1861  the  assessor  returned  but  S8,- 
390,411  of  taxable  property  ;  the  property  in  Alton,  assess- 
ed at  82311,217  in  1859,  decreased  in  1861  to  $1,794,036,  a 
depreciation  of  24  per  cent.  The  taxes  levied  amounted  to 
$91,270.14.  ( 

Results  of  election  in  1858  :  Sarauel  A.  Buck  master ;>5 
State  Senator  ;  Z.  B.  Job  and  Joseph  H.  Sloss,  members  of 
the  House;  W.  T  Brown,  sheriff; and  James  Hand, coroner. 
Philip  B.  Fouke,  of  St.  Clair,  was  elected  representative  of 
the  8th  congressional  district,  and  re-elected  in  1860. 

A  vote  on  the  introduction  of  township  organization,  J 
ordered  in  consequence  of  the  petition  of  V.  P.  Eichmond,  ! 
resulted  adversely  to  township  organization. 

1859:  B.  D.  Berry  assessor  and  treasurer;  1860:  Cyrus 
Edwards  and  Garrett  Crownover,  members  of  the  House  of 

Representatives  ;  Julius  A.  Barnsback,  sheriff; Allen, 

coroner;  and  T.  O.  Springer,  clerk  of  the  Circuit  court. 
1861 :  M.  G.  Dale,  re-elected  county  Judge  ;  Constantine  Ril- 
lietand  W.  B.  Hundley,  associate  justices;  Joseph  Chap- 
man, county  clerk;  Nelson  D.  Sweeny,  surveyor;  W.  P. 
Eaton,  school  commissioner  ;  B.  D.  Berry,  treasurer  ;  Solo- 
mon Koepfli  and  Samuel  A.  Buckmaster,  delegates  to  the 
constitutional  convention. 

J        FOURTH  COUNTY  COURT,  1861  TO  1865. 

M.  G.  Dale,  county  judge;  Constantine  Rilliet  and  W. 
B.  Hundley,  associate  justices.  Mr.  Rilliet  died  in  1862, 
and  was  succeeded  by  Xavier  Sutter.  He  was  held  in  high 
esteem,  and  his  sudden  death  was  deplored  by  all  who 
knew  him.  He  was  a  foreign  born  citizen  of  distinction. 
Mention  is  made  of  him  in  the  chapter  on  European  immi- 
gration. The  records  of  the  county,  December  term  1862, 
containing  the  following  resolutions,  spread  upon  the  record 
of  the  county  court  by  its  order. 

"  Whereas,  It  has  pleased  the  Allwise  Ruler  of  the  Uni- 
verse to  remove  from  our  midst,  since  the  last  meeting  of 
the  court,  our  associate  justice,  Constantine  Relliet, 

Besolved,  By  the  members  of  the  court,  that  we  have  re- 
ceived with  deep  regret  the  intelligence  of  his  death  ;  That 
we  bear  our  heartfelt  testimony  to  the  strict  integrity, 
gentlemanly  demeanor  and  devotion  to  duty  which  marked 
his  character  ;  That  we  tender  to  his  family  and  friends 
the  sincere  tribute  of  our  sympathy." 

The  civil  war  was  now  raging  throughout  the  United 
States.  Young  men  and  men  of  families  rushed  to  the  field 
in  defense  of  the  integrity  of  the  Union,  and  it  became  the 
duty  of  the  court,  to  see  that  the  families  of  our  patriotic 
men  were  properly  provided  for.  Money  had  to  be  raised 
at  once,  as  the  slow  process  of  tax-collecting  could  not  meet 
the  emergency.  The  court  called  on  E.  M.  West,  G  W. 
Phillips,  Joseph  Gillespie  and  John  Suppiger  as  members 
of  a  committee  to  aid  in  providing  funds  and  distributing 
the  same  judiciously  and  economically.  Large  and  larger 
amounts  were  needed  as  time  went  on,  bounties  bad  to  be 
paid  in  order  to  fill  the  ranks  thinned  out  by  death  on  the 
field  of  battle,  or  in  the  dreaded  hospital.  Every  order 
of  the  court   to  borrow  money  was  immediatly  succeeded 


by  another  order  to  levy  a  special  tax  in  discharge  of 
temporary  debts  .'lo  created.  While  many  other  counties 
throughout  this  and  other  states  loaded  themselves  down 
with  permanent  war  debts,  under  which  some  are  groaning 
to  this  day,  Madison  county  had  raised  by  taxation  funds, 
amply  sufficient  to  pay  off  every  dollar  of  its  war  debt, 
even  before  the  war  had  ended  !  It  was  a  difficult  task,  but 
prudent  government  and  ready  tax  paying  accomplished  it. 
The  war  taxes  collected  in  Madison  county  amounted  to 
$108,292.-59.  Hon.  E.  M.  West  managed  the  financial  part 
of  this  work.  The  moneys  were  disbursed  in  support  of 
families  of  volunteers,  in  payment  of  bounties,  interest  on 
moneys  borrowed  and  other  expenses. 

Turning  to  the  regular  county  expenses  during  the  second 
term  of  Judge  Dale's  administration  we  find  them  to  have 
been  fully  met  leaving  even  a  surplus,  with  revenues  as  fol- 
lows :  1862,  $32,981.18;  1863,  $33,409.05;  1864,  $35,. 
098.22 ;  and  in  1865,  $37,397  80.  It  should  be  borne  in 
mind  that  the  current  money  of  the  land  had  been  greatly 
depreciated,  the  greenback  dollar  of  1863,  1834  and  1865 
being  at  times  scarcely  worth  50  cents  in  coin.  The  credit 
of  the  county  was  good  and  the  8  per  cent,  county  war  loan 
mentioned  above  was  readily  taken  at  par. 

The  debt  of  the  county  was  reduced  to  $3.5,066.50  in  bonds 
and  $10,421.71  in  unpaid  county  orders,  as  per  statement 
of  June,  1864,  the  balance  of  revenue  of  1863  then  in 
process  of  collection  was  stated  to  have  amounted  to  $25,- 
871.43,  amply  sufficient  to  redeem  the  floating  debt  above 
mentioned. 

Officers  elected  in  1862 :  W.  H.  Underwood,  Senator  of 
the  5th  district— Madison  and  St.  Clair,  Samuel  A.  Buck-  / 
master  and  William  Watkins,  representatives  of  the  16th 
district  (Madison  and  Bond),  W.  E.  Wheeler,  sheriff,  and 
St.  W.  Gaskill,  coroner.  William  R.  Morrison,  of  Monroe 
county,  was  elected  member  of  Congress  for  the  12th  con- 
gressional district  of  Illinois. 

In  1863  :  K.  G  H.  Knowles,  surveyor,  with  D.  A.  Spauld- 
ing — who  had  been  county  surveyor  in  1823  -  as  surveyor 
for  the  western  district,  and  James  B.  McMichael,  assessor 
and  treasurer. 

In  1864  :  Julius  A.  Barnsback  and  Hiram  Dresser,  repre- 
sentatives ;  George  Ruegger,  sheriff;  Wm.  T.  Brown,  clerk 
circuit  court,  and  P.  G.  Regan,  coroner;  Jehu  Baker,  of  St. 
Clair,  was  elected  member  of  Congress  and  re-elected  in 
1866. 
!  In  1865:  Thomas  R.Wilson,  surveyor;  W.  P.  Eaton, 
school-commissioner,*  and  James  B.  McMichael,  treasurer. 

I  FIFTH  COUNTY  COURT,  1865  TO  18G9. 

David  Gillespie,  ceunty  judge,  Edmond    D.    Keirsey  and 
1   Anthony  Suppiger,   associates;  C.  W.  Dimmock,  clerk. 
1        The  times  succeeding  the  war  have  always  been  considered 
I    very  prosperous,  the  land   was  flooded  with   currency  and 
j   all  expenditures,  public  and  private,  increased  perceptibly. 

]  *  Mr.  Eaton  resigned  in  1S67,  and  was  succeeded  by  \V.  J.  Rose- 
berry.  Ro.seberry  died  during  his  term,  and  Joseph  W.  Van  Cleve 
was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy. 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


173 


The  tax  levies  of  Madison  county  were  as  f)llows:  in  1866, 
«39,693.1»G;  in  1867.  $73,599  96;  in  1868,  $72,709  35,  and 
in  1869,881,841,32. 

These  amounts  did  not  suffice  to  meet  the  current  ex- 
penses of  the  county.  Temporary  loans  made  at  various 
times  to  save  the  county  from  losses  apprehended  by  a  de- 
preciation of  county  orders,  became  a  permanent  debt.  At 
the  end  of  this  administration,  December  6,  1869,  the  in- 
terest-bearing debt  of  the  county  was  as  follows  : 
Old  interest  bearing  co.  orders  of  1843.         ...        $     915  ."lO 

Court-house  bonds,  1856,  balance 26,.346  35 

Bounty  bonds  of  1865,  balance 4,O0U  00 

*Promissory  notes  for  temporary  loans  made  to  meet  cur- 
rent expenses  of  the  county 22,604  59 

*David  Gillespie  at  various  times  pledged  his  personal 
credit  to  keep  county  orders  at  par,  wliich  they  had  never 
been  before  and  maintained  them  at  par  during  his  ad- 
ministration. When  settling  hi.s  fiscal  agency  in  1870, 
the  county  was  found  indebted  to  David  Gillespie  to  the 
amount  of  over  ^3,000  for  moneys  advanced  by  him. 
Upper  Alton,  Roelv  Road  purchase.  .  .  .  .  §  4,-500  00 
Jail  bonds  issued 33,000  00 

?91,366  44 
From  which  deduct  jail  bonds  turned  over  to  the   succeed- 
ing administration,  leaving  the  bonded  debt.  .        .   591,366  44 
Less         .  .        .     33,000  00 

Leaving  absolute  indebtedness v'.58,366  44 

The  county  had  been  at  very  great  expense  in  building 
bridges  and  raadj.  A  new  jail  had  to  bs  erected.  The  order 
in  reference  to  the  building  of  this  jail  is  as  follows  :  It  is 
ordered  by  the  county  court  that  a  new  jail  be  erected  at  a 
cost  not  to  exceed  the  sum  of  §30,000  on  such  lot  of  ground 
as  may  be  determined  by  the  agent  appointed  for  that  pur- 
pose, due  regard  being  had  to  the  best  interest  of  the  county. 
And  it  is  further  ordered  by  the  court  that  David  Gillespie, 
county  judge,  be  and  he  is  hereby  appointed  agent  for  the 
county  to  make  contract  for  the  purchase  of  ground  to  be 
selected  by  him  for  the  location  of  said  jail,  and  also  to  con- 
tract for  plans,  specifications  and  the  building  of  said  jail, 
and  to  have  a  general  superintendence  in  the  construction  of 
the  same,  and  have  power  and  authority  to  mike  all  contracts 
in  the  building  thereof  Thesaid  agent  to  determine  theloca- 
tion  of  said  jail  and  also  the  place  and  specification  for  the 
building  and  to  make  all  necessary  deeds  to  the  county  for  the 
ground  purchased  and  to  make  all  necessary  contracts  and 
arrangements  for  raising  the  necessary  funds  under  an  act  of 
the  legislature  ofthe  state  of  Illinois,  approved  February  'l-d, 
1867,  authorizing  the  county  court  of  JIadison  county  to 
issue  $50,000  bonds  for  the  erection  of  a  jail  for  said  county. 
During  the  preceding  administration  it  had  become  neces- 
sary to  erect  proper  buildings  for  the  increasing  number  of 
helpless  paupers.  An  order  of  court  had,  however,  provi- 
ded for  the  necessar}'  funds  for  tiiis  purpose,  which  were 
to  be  obtained  from  the  sale  of  swamp  lands  belonging  to 
Madison  county.  A  few  words  in  reference  to  these  lands 
\\\\\  here  be  in  proper  place. 

County  Swamp    Lands. — Under    acts    of   Congress,     ap- 
proved September  28,   1850,  and  June   22,   1852,  Madison 


county  had  come  in  possession  of  1480  acres  of  swamp  and 
overflowed  lands,  situated  in  townships  3-9  and  4-9.  M.  G. 
Dale  had  been  appointed  agent  to  sell  these  lands.  From 
his  reports  and  the  county  treasurer's  statements  it  appears 
that  840  acres  of  this  land  were  sold  in  1865  and  that  the 
county  received  a  net  income  of  $3498.30  from  said  i-ale. 
$2,040  of  this  money  had  been  expended  in  the  erection  of 
the  county  poor  house.  The  balance  on  hand  December  5, 
to  wit,  $1458.30,  were  ordered  by  the  county  judge  to  be  ap- 
plied in  the  erection  of  an  addition  to  the  county-poor- 
house.  The  balance  of  the  swamp  lands,  to  wit,  640  acres 
were  sold  by  order  of  the  court  in  1873.  The  amount  rea- 
lized was  $1920,  vo  that  the  whole  amount  received  by  the 
county  for  the  lauds  in  question  aggregates  $5,418.30.  It 
was  thought  at  the  time  of  this  last  sale  that  the  county  had 
a  claim  against  the  federal  government  for  a  larger  quantity 
of  land,  and  the  authorities  of  the  county  entered  into  a 
contract  with  James  A.  Dickenson  and  others  to  prosecute 
the  claims  of  the  county.  This  contract,  made  and  signed 
December  11th,  1873,  was  subsequently  declared  null  and 
void  by  the  board  of  county  commissioners,  and  no  steps 
were  taken  to  investigate  the  merits  of  the  claim. 

Elections  in  1866. — A.  W.  Metcalf,  state  senator;  John 
H.  Yager  and  J. F.  Alexander,  house  of  representatives; 
Joseph  G.  Robinson,  sheriff;  and  W.  B.  Wright,  coroner. 
Jehu  Baker,  of  St.  Clair,  was  chosen  representative  to  Con- 
gress from  this  district ;  F.  E.  Schell,  of  St.  Clair,  member 
state  board  of  equalization.  In  1867  Nelson  D.  Sweeny 
and  T.  W.  Long,  surveyors;  W.  J.  Roseberry,  superinten- 
dent of  schools ;  and  Thomas  H.  Kennedy,  assessor  and 
treasurer.  1868 :  Willard  C.  Flagg,  state  senator,  and 
Daniel  Kerr  and  Samuel  H.  Challis,  members  of  the  house! 
L.  W.  Moore,  sheriff;  Jonathan  Quarton,  coroner;  H.  H. 
Kuhlenbeck,  clerk  of  the  circuit  court,  and  C.  W.  Dim- 
mock,  Jr.,  county  clerk  to  fill  vacancy;  Irwin  B.  Randle, 
member  state  board  of  equalization  ;  and  J.  B.  Hay  of  Belle- 
ville, member  of  Congress.  1869 :  Win.  T.  Brown,  coun- 
ty jud^'e ;  George  R.  Stocker  and  Henry  C.  Gerke,  associ- 
ates; B.  E.  Hoffman,  county  clerk;  John  Weaver,  school 
superintendent,  and  Thomas  H.  Kennedy,  treasurer. 

SIXTH  COUNTY  COURT,  1869  TO  1874. 

Win.  T.  Brown, judge;  George  R.    Stocker  and  Henry  C. 
Gerke,  a.ssociate  justices. 

This  adrainistrati)n  has  frequently  been  critized  for  its 
measures  of  introducing  a  system  of  e.vpensive  internal  iiu. 
provements.  The  flush  times  induced  the  people  at  first  not 
only  to  look  upon  lavish  expenditures  with  indifference,  but 
even  to  urge  the  court  to  make  greater  and  more  expensive 
improvements.  Petitions,  signed  by  the  heaviest  tax  payers 
poured  in,  asking  for  the  building  of  bridges,  the  purclia.sing 
of  plank  roads,  the  making  of  rock  roads,  etc,  etc.  Incor- 
porated towns  solicited  and  obtained  aid  in  constructing  ex- 
pensive roads,  planked  and  rocked,  leading  to  and  through 
their  incorporated  limits.  When  told  by  the  authorities 
that  there  were  no  funds  for  such  appropriations  the  ans«er 
was  almost  invariably:  "Let  future  generations  help  to 
pay  " — a  cry  so  often  h»ard    when  an   incredibly  huge  na- 


174 


HISTORY   OF  MADISOJ^    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


tional  debt  was  created  in  an  incredibly  brief  space  of  time 
— there  is  a  plenty  of  money  to  be  had,  go  and  "  borrow!  " 
The  very  first  act  of  the  court  was  to  make  a  temporary 
loan. 

The  expenditures  of  the  first  year  exceeded  the  revenue 
nearly  S60,000,  although  the  tax  levy  of  the  year  1870,  to 
wit  :  $86,034.50,  Wii  over  §4,000  higher  than  ever  before. 
The  people  in  the  southeast  part  of  the  county,  the  frugal 
and  vigilant  natives  of  the  Swiss  Republic  showed  signs  of 
uneasiness  at  this  state  of  afl!liirs  as  early  as  December,  1870. 
They  remonstrated  in  a  respectful  but  decided  manner 
against  the  system  of  creating  a  large  and  permanent  debt. 
The  signers  of  the  remonstrance  were  invited  to  attend  court^ 
and  have  an  explanation.  Louis  Vnllirt,  John  Balsiger 
and  C.  P.  Chipron  were  the  only  ones  to  answer  this  invita- 
tion, which  had  more  the  appearance  of  a  summons.  The  re" 
cords  of  March  14th,  1871,  contain  the  following  entry: 
"  Whereas,  a  remonstrance  has  been  presented  against  the 
action  of  the  county  court,  and  said  parties  having  been 
duly  notified,  that  the  same  will  be  heard  this  day  :  L.  Vul- 
lirt,  John  Balsiger  and  C.  P.  Chipron,  three  of  the  parties 
appeared  in  court,  and  said  remonstrance  was  duly  and  fully 
considered,  and  the  court  having  shown  that  there  were  no 
good  reasons  for  complaint  really  existing,  as  said  parties  in 
person  and  by  letter  admitted,  the  said  remonstrance  is 
laid  on  the  table  indefinitely." 

Petitions,  numerously  signed,  praying  for  a  vote  on  the 
adoption  of  township  organization,  were  presented  from  year 
to  year,  but  the  measure  was  in  each  case  defeated  by  large 
majorities,  showing  that  the  court  enjoyed  the  confidence  of 
the  people,  and  that  its  actions  were  endorsed.  Good  roads 
and  safe  and  substantial  bridges  were  highly  appreciated, 
and  the  more  so,  as  there  was  no  increase  in  the  tax  rate. 
The  values  of  lands  and  other  property  were  constantly  in- 
creasing, and  the  higher  prices  obtained  for  all  agricultural 
productions,  led  many  tax  payers  to  forget  that  those  many 
so-called  temporary  loans  would  mature  andhave  to  be  met. 

Speaking  of  the  constant  enhancement  of  values,  it  is 
proper  to  state  that  the  taxable  property  of  the  county  was 
assessed  in  1873,  as  $24,981,571,  nearly  three  times  as 
much  as  in  186.3— to  wit:  $^,390,41 1.00. 

The  lands  of  the  county  were  assessed  at  $13,052,816; 
the  town  and  city  property  at  |5,11 2,954  ;  personal  property 
at  §3,407,383;  and  railroad  property  at  83,408,418.  The 
taxes  were  as  follows:  State,  $89,9.33.65;  county,  $137,398. 
G3  ;  city  and  town,  $77,373.42  ;  district  school  tax,  $94,948. 
90;  road  tax,  $24  981.57,  or  §424,636.17  in  the  aggregate. 
This  was  an  enormous  tax  for  a  population  of  scarcely  45, 
000  inhabitants  ;  $9.00  per  capita  ! 

Lavish  as  were  the  expenditures  in  reference  to  the  im- 
provements, they  might  still  be  considered  moderate  in  com- 
parison with  the  extravagant  pauper  expenses,  which  in 
1873,  reached  the  enormous  amount  of  $42,000  ! 

The  oft  repeated  orders  in  reference  to  borrowing  certain 
limited  amounts  of  money,  were  now  followed  by  a  more 
dangerous  and  wholly  arbitrary  one  of  December  14,  1872: 

"  Ordered  by  the  county  court,  that  upon  any  person  pre- 
senting to  W.  T.  Brown,  county  judge,  who  is  appointed 


agent  of  the  county  in  the  premises,  orders  of  Madison  coun- 
ty, to  the  amount  of  five  hundred  dollars  or  upwards,  the 
said  county  judge,  as  agent  of  the  county,  is  authorized  to 
issue  to  the  holder  of  orders,  county  bonds  in  lieu  thereof, 
with  teii  per  cent,  interest  per  annum,  payable  semiannually, 
and  said  bonds  to  run  for  such  period  of  time  not  to  exceed 
ten  years,  as  may  be  deemed  advisable  by  said  agent." 

This  was  a  dangerous  order.  It  opened  the  flood  gates 
to  financial  ruin  ;  there  was  no  limit  any  longer  ;  millions  of 
dollars  might  have  been  borrowed  under  it.  And  yet,  this 
''  order"  was  not  original  with  the  court.  Turning  back  a 
few  pages  in  this  chapter,  to  1843  and  1844,  the  reader  will 
find  a  funding  order,  in  substance  and  bearing  the  same  as 
the  one  above.  Judge  Brown  had  been  county  clerk  during 
that  period,  and  some  of  these  funded  orders  or  bonds  of 
1843,  made  out  by  him  when  clerk,  were  presented  for  pay- 
ment and  paid  during  his  administration  as  judge. 

The  tax  levies  during  this  period  were  as  follows:  in 
1870,  *86,034.50;  in  1871,  $10.5,0.57.00;  in  1872,  $130, 
287.35 ;  and  in  1873,  162,380.20.  The  taxes  were  not  as 
closely  collected  as  in  former  years.  Some  taxpayers  fell 
behind,  and  these  delinquencies,  amounting  to  only 
$2,302  32,  in  1869,  reached  their  height  in  1876,  when  they 
amounted  to  $161,104.26;  $54  691.75  of  which,  were  due  to 
Madison  county,  as  part  of  the  county  levies  of  prior  years. 
In  speaking  of  the  county  debt  and  "  bewailing"  its  magni- 
tude, this  item  of  delinquent  taxes  has  never  been  mentioned. 

The  current  expenditures  of  the  county,  together  with 
accrued  interest  of  county  debt  amounted  in  these  four 
years  to  $776,447.58.  The  gross  receipts  from  tax  levies, 
grocery  licenses,  sale  of  .swamp-lands  and  all  other  sources 
amounted  to  $462,734.51  and  $il4.23l.l07  were  raised  by 
loans.  The  interest  bearing  debt  of  Madison  county,  was 
now — 1874  $485,460.17  to  wit: 

Old  coiirthouse  bonds ?26.000 

Jail  bonds $50,000 

Bonds  issued    in  payment  of   prior  debts,  and   temporary 

loans  made  during  this   term ?314.934.28 

Notes  and  interest  bearing  county  orders 21.401.44 

S412.33.3.72 
From  whicli  are   to  be  deducted  interest  bearing  assets  .  6.87.J..55 

§40o.4Gal7 

It  should  here  be  stated  that  a  large  number  of  county 
orders  and  unadjusted  claims  amounting  in  the  aggregate 
to  nearly  ."jO  000  formed  a  heavy  floating  debt — March  1, 
1874.  The  tax  levy  for  the  current  year,  to  wit:  $148  280- 
98  was  then  in  process  of  collection,  and  as  not  a  dollar  of 
it  had  been  expended  or  paid  into  the  treasury  at  that  date, 
the  above  mentioned  floating  debt  of  $50,003  is  not,  nor 
ought  it  to  be  made  part  of  the  exhibit  of  the  county  in- 
debtedn  ss,  and  further  it  should  be  stated  here,  that,  on  a 
later  day,  the  administrators  of  the  estate  of  Wm.  T.  Brown 
deceased,  paid  $19. 975.83  of  the  assets  of  his  estate  into  the 
county  treasury  in  payments  of  a  judgment  of  nearly  $49.- 
000  obtained  by  the  county  against  the  late  W.  T.  Brown. 
This  amount  was  afterwards  applied  towards  paying  otf  a 
part  of  the  county  debt. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


The  death  of  Judge  Brown  was  one  of  the  saddest  events 
in  the  county  history.  In  making  himself  the  financial 
agent  of  the  county,  and,  in  a  measure  the  superintendent  of 
public  improvements  also,  he  added  so  many  labors  to  his 
official  duties  as  county  Judge,  that  he  broke  down  under 
the  load.  The  very  fact,  that  his  financial  agency  was  out 
of  place  and  had  forced  him  into  a  false  position,  weighed 
heavy  on  his  mind,  clouding  an  intellect  as  bright  and  bril- 
liant as  but  few  mortal  are  blessed  with.  Whoever  has 
seen  our  lamented  judge  in  the  last  days  of  his  life,  tottering 
under  that  load  of  fearful  responsibility  will  ever  remember 
with  grief  and  sorrow  that  picture  of  hopelessness  and  de- 
spair. All  know  how  he  put  an  end  to  his  troubles  and 
sorrows.  Judge  J.  G.  Irwin,  his  successor  in  office,  caused 
the  following  entry  to  be  made  in  the  records  of  the  probate 
court  of  April  1874.  As  a  token  of  respect  to  the  memory  to 
AViiliara  Taylor  Brown,  late  judge  of  this  court  who  departed 
this  life  on  the  2.1.  of  Jlarch  1874,  his  successor  in  office  has 
caused  to  be  spread  upon  the  pages  of  ihU  record,  the  follow- 
ing brief  outline  of  the  career  of  the  deceased  as  a  public 
man. 

"  He  was  born  April  26,  1817.  The  whole  period  of  his 
manhood  save  an  interim  of  seven  years  was  spent  in  tiie 
public  service  of  the  people  of  Madison  county,  from  1837 
to  iSoC  he  held  the  office  of  clerk  of  the  circuit  court,  and 
during  the  first  ten  years  of  that  period  als'i  discharged  the 
duties  of  clerk  of  the  county  court.  In  1858  he  was  elected 
sheriff  and  filled  this  office  for  one  term  of  two  years.  In 
1864  he  was  again  elected  clerk  of  the  circuit  court  in  which 
position  he  served  until  autumn  1868.  In  November  1869 
he  was  elected  Judge  of  this  court,  and  continued  to  serve 
the  people  in  that  capacity  until  his  death,  having  been  re- 
elected in  November  1873  for  a  second  terra." 

These  facts  are  the  best  testimonials  of  the  esteem  in  which 
the  deceased  was  held  as  a  public  officer. 

His  has  been  a  career  of  honor  and  success  unparalleled 
in  the  lives  of  the  public  men  of  this  county.  Although 
possessed  of  many  public  and  private  virtues,  the  chief  orna- 
ment of  his  character  was  his  generosity  and  charity.  He 
was  incapable  of  saying  "  No  "  in  the  presence  of  want  and 
misery  and  his  charity  regarded  neither  creed,  race,  nor  col- 
or. If  the  earnest  and  sincere  prayers  of  the  poor  of  this 
earth  may  smooth  the  pathway  of  the  traveler  on  his  jour- 
ney from  this  world  to  the  bourne  from  whence  no  traveler 
returns,  let  us  trust  and  believe  that  his  has  been  a  happy 
exit. 

The  authorities  of  the  county  being  of  the  opinion  that 
the  large  amounts  of  monej'  borrowed  by  the  late  Judge 
Brown,  had  not  all  been  satisfactorily  accounted  for,  made 
a  proposition  to  the  administrators  of  his  estate  to  effect  a 
speedy  and  amicable  settlement.  They  appointed  a  com- 
mittee of  investigation,  composed  of  the  Hon.  A.  W.  Met- 
calf,  and  Jlessrs.  Cyrus  Leverett  and  Otto  Brodtbeck,  to  act 
\\ith  the  administrators  in  examining  persons  and  papers 
with  a  view  of  settling  the  atiliirs  without  going  to  court. 
The  administrators  declined  to  enter  into  the  proposed  ar- 
rangement, preferring  to  have  the  claim  of  the  county,  if 
one  really  existed,  adjusted  before  the  probate  court.     The 


county  employed  Hon.  A.  W.  Metcalf,  as  attorney,  while 
Messrs.  Krome  and  Hadley  appeared  for  the  estate.  The 
trial  ended  in  a  judgment  against  the  estate,  as  mentioned 
above. 

Election— 1869  to  1873.  At  a  special  election  heM  for 
the  purpose  of  electing  two  delegates  to  the  constitutional 
convention — 16th  representative  district — Madison  and 
Bond  counties;  C.  F.  Springer,  of  Edwardsville,  a  republican, 
and  H.  W.  Billings,  of  Alton,  a  democrat,  were  chosen. 

1870. — House  of  representatives :  D  B.  Gil'ham,  A.  F- 
Rogers  and  Theodore  Miller.  Sheriff,  R.  W.  Crawf  ird, 
and  coroner,  T.  J.  Irish.  1871.— Treasurer,  T.  H.  Ken- 
nedy; surveyor,  N.  D.  Sweeny.  1872.— State  senate,  J.  H. 
Yager ;  house  :  Henry  Weinheimer,  B.  R.  Hite  and  Thomas 
T.  Ramey ;  sheriff",  J.  T.  Cooper;  clerk  of  the  circuit  court, 
John  D.  Heisel ;  county  attorney,  E.  B.  Glass,  and  coroner, 
W.  H.  Greipenberg.  1873. — AV.  T.  Brown,  county  judge  ; 
B.  E.  Ilofl^man,  county  clerk  ;  T.  H.  Kennedy,  treasurer; 
A.  A.  Suppiger,  school  superintendent;  N.  D.  Sweeny, 
surveyor :  W.  E.  AVheeler,  W.  W.  Jarvis  and  T.  W.  Kin- 
der were  elected  county  commissioners. 

The  former  system  of  county  government,  the  so-called 
county  court,  was  abolished  by  the  new  constitution,  sub- 
stituting a  formerly  tried  system  of  county  commissioners, 
with  a  three  years'  tenure  of  office  for  members  elected  after 
the  year' 1873.  Those  elected  in  1873  had  to  draw  lots  fir 
respective  terms  of  one,  two  and  three  years.  Owing  to  an 
imperfection  in  the  law,  introducing  the  system,  the  com- 
missioners ciuld  not  take  charge  of  public  affairs  until 
January  24th,  1874. 

BOARD   OF   COUNTY   COMMISSIONERS,  JANUARY    24,  1874  TO 
APRIL,  1876. 

First  Year. — W.  E.  Wheeler,  chairman  ;  W.  W.  Jarvis 
and  T.  W.  Kinder,  members.  This  board  took  charge  of 
the  county  affairs  under  very  unfavorable  circumstances. 
The  finances  of  the  county  were  in  confusion,  and  a  large 
interest  bearing  debt  made  the  semi-annual  payment  of 
interest  a  heav}'  burden.  Besides,  there  were  county  orders 
and  unadjusted  claims  amounting  to  nearly  fifty  thousand 
dollars  to  be  met,  with  not  a  dollar  of  available  funds  in  the 
treasury.  The  tax  books  for  the  year  were  in  the  hands  of 
the  collector,  but  no  effort  at  collection  had  been  made. 
The  law  provided  for  the  c  llection  of  the  revenue  in  the 
first  quarter  of  the  year,  but  usage  had  made  the  third 
quarter  of  the  year  the  tax  gathering  quarter  for  Madison 
county.  The  great  commercial  crisis  of  1873  began  to  be 
severely  felt  in  the  west  about  this  time,  and  at  last,  the 
railroad  companies  combined  to  have  the  tax  collectors  en- 
joined from  collecting  all  taxes  levied  on  railroad  proj)erty. 
The  prospect  was  gloomy,  but  the  members  of  the  board 
proved  equal  to  the  task  allotted  to  them.  Firmly  resolved, 
not  to  allow  the  public  debt  to  be  increased  another  dollar; 
the  board  set  to  work  to  ascertain  in  the  first  place,  what 
the  net  revenue  for  the  year  would  amount  to.  All  san- 
guine views  were  banished  and  stern  reality  bravely  met. 
It  was  resolved  that  the  expenditures  of  the  county  should 
be  kept  within  the  revenues  derived  from  taxation,  and  this 


176 


HISTORY   OF   HAD  IS  01^   COUNTY,    II  LINO  IS. 


resolution  was  rigidly  adhered  to.  A  number  of  county 
bonds  were  maturing  during  the  year,  and  of  course,  they 
could  not  be  paid  out  of  a  crippled  revenue.  The  board, 
however,  succeeded  in  protecting  the  credit  of  the  county  by 
finding  purchasers  of  the  bonds,  and  at  lower  rates  of 
iinterest  at  that. 

The  heavy  and  unheard-of  pauper  expenses  were  reduced 
to  a  minimum,  despite  bitter  words  and  rude  threats. 

The  new  order  of  things  did  by  no  means  please  all,  and, 
in  some  instances,  it  became  necessary  that  the  firmness  of 
mind  was  aided  by  strength  of  muscle  and  pluck. 

The  current  expenses  of  the  county,  exclusive  of  interest, 
during  the  year,  amounted  to  §89,088.45.  The  interest  piid 
during  the  year  amounted  to  $30,1)2.5.04. 

The  second  county  board,  with  T.  W.  Kinder  as  chairman, 
and  R.  W.  Crawford  as  new  member,  conducted  the  affairs 
pretty  much  on  the  same  plan  and  with  similar  success. 

The  current  expenses  of  the  county  during  the  year  1875 
amounted  to  §90,987.62.  The  tax  levy  of  the  year  was 
$115,531.85.  The  voters  of  the  county  adopted  township 
organization  at  the  November  election,  1875. 

John  Bardill,  who  had  been  elected  member  of  the  board 
as  successor  to  W.  W.  .Tarvis,  served  from  December  1, 
1875,  to  April,  1876,  when  the  county  commissioners  board 
was  superseded  by  the  board  of  supervisors. 

The  districting  of  the  county  under  the  new  order  of 
things,  was  an  easy  task, — the  congressional  townships  in  all 
but  one  instance,  forming  non-political  corporations  named 
as  follows  : 

Town  3  Range  -5  Helvetia.                Town  ."  Range  8  Colhnsrille. 

"  4  "  .S  Edwarc-lsville. 

"  .5  "  8  Fort  Russell. 

"  6  "  8  Moro. 

"  3     ''  9  Nameoki. 

"  4  "         9  1 

«  4  '1  in  ■  tJiioiiteaii. 

''  6  "  9  Wood  river. 

''  C  "  9  Fo.^terburg. 

"  3  "  10  V'enice. 

"  5  "  10  .\lton. 

''  G  "  10  Godfrey. 

The  first  board  was  composed  of  John  A.  Prlckett,  of  Ed- 
wardsville,  chairman,  1876  and  1877:  H.  M.  Thorp,  Hel- 
vetia ;  Jones  Tontz,  Saline  ;  Daniel  Ruedy,  Leef;  Andrew 
Jackson,  New  Douglas;  F.  S.  Pike,  St.  Jacobs;  J.  L.  Fer- 
guson, Marine;  R.  D.  Utiger,  Alhambra;  James  Olive, 
Olive — chairman  in  1879;  Ignatius  Riggin,  Jarvis ;  J.  B. 
McKee,  Fin  Oak ;  W.  A.  Mize,  Hamel ;  James  Kell, 
Oraph  Ghent ;  B.  R  Hite,  Collinsville  (chairman  1880-82) ; 
J.  B.  Gibson,  Fort  Russell ;  E.  K  Preuitt,  Moro  ;  Philip 
Bradon,  Nameoki  (T.  J.  Irish,  of  Nameoki,  was  chairman  in 
1878);  Amos  Atkins,  Chouteau  ;  S.  B.  Gillham,  Wood  river 
(chairman  in  1'81);  Edmund  Dooling,  Fosterburg  ;  R.J. 
Brown,  Venice  ;  Henry  C  Sweetzer,  Ed.  Woodman,  J.  M. 
Tonsor,  and  C.  A.  Herb,  Alton  ;  and  John  ]M.  Pearson,  of 
Godfrey. 

This  board  found  the  financial  affairs  of  the  county  in  a 
lietter  shape  than  the  first  board  of  county  commissioners 
had  found  them  in  1874.  Other  diflicuUie.«,  however,  had 
meanwhile  arisen  between  the  county  commissioners  and  the 


4     " 

5  Saline. 

h    " 

5  Leef. 

()     " 

.5  New  Douglas 

3     " 

6  St.  Jacobs. 

4     " 

6  Marine. 

5     " 

C  Alliambra. 

()     " 

ti  Olive. 

3     " 

7  .Tarvis. 

4     " 

7  Pin  Oak. 

r>     " 

7  Hamel. 

6    " 

7  Omph  Ghent. 

collector,  whose  office  had  been  declared  "  vacant "  by  a 
majority  of  the  commissioners.  This  order  had  no  other 
effect  but  to  delay  the  collection  of  the  much  needed  revenue, 
thus  compelling  the  new  board  of  supervisors  to  begin  its 
official  life  with  another  "  whereas,"  and  an  order  to  borrow 
$19,000  to  meet  the  payment  of  interest  of  the  county  debt 
due  June  10,  1876. 

Before  the  expiration  of  the  first  year  the  board  ordered  to 
have  a  vote  taken  on  the  question  :  "  Shall  the  present 
interest  bearing  debt  be  refunded,  and  will  the  people  con- 
sent to  the  issuing  of  $400,000  of  6  per  cent,  interest 
bearing  bonds  to  replace  existing  10  per  cent,  and  8  per 
cent,  bonds  ?"  The  legality  of  the  bonds  issued  by  former 
authorities,  was  questionable  and  as  the  new  or  prosiiective 
bonds  would  be  legalized  beyond  per  adventure  by  an  affir- 
mative vote  of  the  people,  it  was  hoped  that  the  county  debt 
could  be  refunded  at  a  much  lower  rate.  The  voters  of 
Madison  county  bore  witness  by  a  decided  majority,  that 
they  looked  upon  the  county  debt,  as  just  and  again  endors- 
ed by  an  affirmative  vote,  to  approve  the  measures  taken  by 
their  representatives  in  office.  The  board  immediately  re- 
solved to  have  the  financial  transactions  of  the  county 
authorities  from  December  6,  1869  to  April  24,  1876  over- 
hauled, and  a  committee  of  five  members,  to  wit:  John  B- 
Gibson,  chairman,  B.  R.  Hite  H.  M.  Thorp,  S.  B.  Gillham 
and  J.  A.  Prickett  appointed,  to  investigate  the  matter. 
This  committee  called  Hon.  A.  W.  Metcalf  and  Hon.  J. 
G.  Irwiu  to  their  assistance  and  after  a  laborous  and  search- 
ing investigation,  lasting  many  days  an!  weeks  reported  in 
substance,  that  all  outstanding  bonds  of  the  county  were 
issued  for  a  valuable  consideration.  That  all  moneys  raided 
by  taxation,  by  loans  and  from  other  sources  during  that 
period  of  time  amounted  to  $1,18=!,512.12,  and  that  the  dis- 
bursements, properly  authenticated,  together  with  the 
amounts  of  judgments  recovered  against  the  financial  agent 
and  the  county  treasurer  amounted  to  $1,188,512  14  or  two 
cents  more  than  the  receipts. — ■ 

This  report  was  published  in  phamphlet  form  and  freely 
distributed  over  the  county,  as  well  as  spread  on  the  county 
records  at  length;  —  hence  it  is  deemed  superfluous  to  re- 
peat said  report  in  full. 

The  interest  bearing  debt  of  the  county,  subject  to  be 
called  in  and  converted  into  6  per  cent,  bonds,  amounted, 
according  to  the  report  of  the  clerk,  June  5,  1877  to  $392,- 
500. 

The  condition  of  the  treasury  was  such,  that  the  board 
felt  justified  in  ordering  the  payment  of  §7,500  in  money, 
leaving  $385,000  to  be  refunded.  This  then  was  the  debt 
of  the  county  in  1877.  The  reduction  $20,000  of  interest 
bearing  bonds,  and  $50,000  unpaid  claims  and  county 
orders,  $70,000  in  the  aggregate,  had  been  efiected  without 
resorting  to  special  tax  levies.  The  amount  of  money  re- 
ceived from  the  estate  of  William  T.  Brown,  to  wit: 
$19,975.83  and  §22,743.79,  back  taxes  collected  under  the 
new  system,  making  a  snug  total  of  $41,719.62,  have  mate- 
rially aided  in  the  reduction,  but  the  prudent  economy  ot 
the  board  should  be  credited  with  the  balance  of  said  re- 
duction. 


HISTORY    OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


177 


The  county  debt  at  present,  June  1,  1882,  amounts  to 
8316,000,  witii  balance  of  846,589.28  cash  in  the  treasury. 
The  present  financial  system  of  the  county  was  inaugurated 
by  the  fir.-t  board  of  County  Commissioners,  and  it  is  but  just 
to  state  that  the  presiding  ofBcer  of  the  board,  with  whom 
the  plan  of  reform  had  matured  before  entering  upon  the 
duties  of  his  oflSce,  was  ably  and  earnestly  supported  by  his 
colleagues. 

The  succeeding  boards  have  strictly  adhered  to  the  plan 
which,  after  all,  maybe  couched  in  the  brief  expression , 
"  Live  within  your  income."  The  tax  levies  since  adoption 
of  township  organization  have  been  S15o,628.27  in  1«76; 
8137,058.88  in  1877;  8151,714.90  in  1878;  8151,654.58  in 
1879 ;  8137,902.95  in  1880,  and  8122,300.33  in  1881. 

The  current  expenses  of  the  county,  including  disburse- 
ments made  by  township  officers  on  account  of  roads, 
bridges,  assessments  and  elections,  and  exclusive  of  interests 
paid  or  bonds  redeemed,  appear  to  have  been  as  follows : 

1876 ?90,60".08 

1877 91,194.75 

1878 106,769.20 

1879 96,911.28 

1880 87,098.15 

The  disbursements  made  by  the  county  direct  in  1880 
were  as  follows  : 


Court  of  assessment  and  tax  books 

Panpers   \  ^""^^  ^"'"^ 96,f>oOM 


82.609.86 


} 

I  Sll 


supported  elsewhere 8,221  2.5  $lo, 

Courts   and  jurors 6, 

Elections 1 

Jail   and  dieting  prisoners 2, 

Stationery 2 

Court-house 2 

Inquests 

Roads 

Inspection  of  mines 

Salaries  of  county  officers ' 

Sundry    expenditures 


Yag;pr,  and  coroner,  C.  S.  Yourie  A  constitutional  amend- 
ment adopted  in  1880,  changed  the  tenure  of  office  of  sheriff 
and  treasurer,  and  also  the  years  of  holding  elections  for 
other  county  officers,  hence  no  election  took  place  in  1881, 
the  judge,  clerk  and  treasurer  holding  over  one  year,  and 
the  superintendent  being  reappointed  by  the  board  of  super- 
visors. 

ADDENDA. 

The  census  of  1880  fixes  the  population  of  the  county  at 
50,141  ;  and  the  agricultural  statistics  made  by  the  town- 
ship assessors  for  the  same  year  give  us  the  following  reports. 

The  figures  are,  as  a  matter  of  course,  not  absolutely  cor- 
rect, but  may  safely  be  taken  as  a  criterion  of  the  rich  agri- 
cultural resources  of  the  county.  According  to  reports  we 
find  : 


8;5,-',0O 

130  7.50 

14,1 -50 

6,.580 

112 

40 

1,160 

14  .500 

3,150 

3,.'530 

2,900 

1  410 


Total  143  272.23 

The  interest  matured  and  paid  during  the  yearamounted  to  §23,615.00. 

Elections  1S74,  State  senator,  W.  H.  Krome ;  House  of 
Representatives,  F.  S.  Pike,  G.  H.  Weigler  and  George  A. 
Smith;  Sherifl",  J.  T.  Cooper,  and  coroner  J.  A.  Miller, 
1875.  Hugh  E.  Bayle  trea.surer  and  AValton  Rutledge  sur- 
veyor. 1876.  House  of  Representatives,  Samuel  A.  Buck-''''^ 
master,  F.  M.  Pearce  and  John  S.  Dewey ;  sheritf,  James 
T.  Cooper  ;  clerk  of  the  circuit  court,  John  D.  Heisel ; 
states  attorney,  C  L  Cook,  and  coroner  C  S.  Yourie.  1877 
^M.  G.  Dale,  county  judge,  H.  E.  Bayle  county  clerk,  Adolph 
Ruegger,  treasurer,  B.  F.  Sippy,  school  superintendent  and 
W.  Rutledge,  surveyor.  1878.  State  senator,  A.  J.  Parkin- 
son; House  of  Representatives,  W.  R.  Prickett,  J.  M. 
Pearson,  and  John  S.  Dewey ;  sheriff,  James  T.  Cooper  and 
coroner,  C.  S.  Yourie.  1879.  A.  Ruegger,  treasurer.  1880. 
House  of  Representatives,  Henry  ().  Billings,  John  M. 
Pearson  and  Jones  Tontz ;  sheriff,  J.  T.  Fahnestock  ;  clerk 
of  the  circuit  court,  William  Daech  ;  states  attorney,  J.  H. 
23 


acres  of  corn,  producing  2,752,100  bushels. 

"  "  wheat,        "        3,374,300  bushels. 

"  "  oats,  "  261,000  busliels. 

"  "  apple  orchard,  producing  190,250  bushels  of  apples. 

"  "  peach        "        producing      1,480      *'    of   peaches. 

"  "  pear  "         producing  38      "        of   pears. 

"  "  vineyard  producing  146,000  gallons  of  wine. 

''  "  timothy  meadow  producing  15,350  tons  of  hay. 

"  "  clover  "  ''  2.7-50  tons  of  hay. 

"  ''  prairie         "  "  4,300  tons  of  hiiy. 

"  "  Hungarian  and  millet  producing  2,580  tons  of  hay. 

"  ''  rye  produciag    19,600  bushels. 

"  •'  buckwheat  producing  180  bushels. 

"  ''  Irish  potatoes  producing  490.000  bushels. 

''  "  Sweet  potatoes        "  7,200  bushels. 

"  "  broom  corn  producing  580,000  pounds. 

"  "  sorgho  producing  20,000  gallons  of  syrup. 

''  ''  turnip  producing  $5,000. 

"  ''  fruits  and  berries  producing  ?  1 5,000. 

"  "  other  crops. 

''  "  pasture. 

"  ''   wood  land. 

"  "  uncultivated  land. 


One  hundred  sheep  killed  by  dogs,  valued  at  8450.00, 
111  pounds  of  wool  shorn,  2,400  sheep  sold,  weighing 
264,000  pounds,  6,750  cows  kept,  20-',500  pounds  of  butter 
sold,  31,70)  pounds  of  cheese,  and  5,200  gallons  of  cream, 
637,000  gallon  of  milk  sold,  750  colts  foaled,  300  horses  died, 
1,6  lO  fat  cattle  weighing  1,763,000  pounds  sold,  21,05;)  fat 
hogs,  weighing  4,210,000,  sold,  1,300  hogs  died  of  cholera, 
131,400  pounds  in  weight;  3,920,000  pounds  of  grapes 
produced. 

Statistics  in  reference  to  births  and  deaths  in  the  county 
are  omitted,  because  the  reports  are  incomplete,  and  statis- 
tics based  on  such  reports  would,  of  course,  be  wholly  worth- 
less. The  county  records  show  that  13,040  marriages  were 
solemnized  in  the  county  since  1812. 

.  The  county  of  Madison  was  represented  in  the  state 
senate  after  the  adoption  of  Jie  constitution  of  1846,  under  the 
name  of  6th  senatorial  district  by  Joseph  Gillespie  from  1848 
to  1858.  Under  the  apportionment  of  1854  Madison,  Bond 
and  Montgomery  counties  formed  the  21st  senatorial  district, 
and  were  represented  by  Samuel  A.  Buckma.ster  fro.J  1858 
to  1862.  The  apportionment  of  1861  formed  the  6th  sena- 
torial district  out  of  Madison  and  St.  Clair  counties.     This 


178 


BIS  TOBY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Sth  district  was  represented  by  W.  H.  Underwood  of  St. 
Clair  from  1862  to  1864,  by  A.  W.  Metcalf  of  Madison, 
from  1864  to  1868,  by  Willard  C.  Flagg  of  Madison,  from 
1868  to  1872,  and  W.  H.  Underwood.  Since  1872  Madison 
county  has  formed  the  41st  senatorial  district,  and  was 
represented  by  Senators  John  H.  Yager  1872  to  1874,  W. 
H.  Krome  1874  to  1878,  and  by  A.  J.  Parkinson  from  1878 
to  1882. 

The  county  being  designated  the  20th  representative 
district,  from  1848  to  1854,  was  represented  by  Edward 
Keating  and  Curtis  Blakeman,  1850,  by  Andrew  Miller  and 
N.  G  Edwards;  the  latter  resigned  during  his  term, Samuel 
A.  Buckniaster  fil'ing  vacancy  1850  to  1852;  by  Samuel  A. 
Bui^kniaster  and  Thomas  Judy  1852  to  1854;  and  £s  the 
14th  representative  district  1851  to  1862  by  G.T.Allen 
and  Henry  T.  Baker  1854  to  1856;  Lewis  Ricks  and  Aaron 
P.Mason  1856  to  1^58;  Z  B.  Job  and  Joseph  H.  Sloss 
from  1858  to  1860;  and  Cyrus  Edwards  and  Garrett  Crown- 
over  1860  to  1862.  In  1862  Madison  and  Bond  counties 
formed  the  16th  lepresentative  district,  and  were  represeiited 
in  the  23d  General  Assembly  by  Samuel  A.  I'luckmaster 
and  N.  Watkins  from  1862  to  1864;  Buckmaster  was 
elected  speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives  and 
became  famous  for  his  energetic  administration.  The 
civil  war  was  raging  and  passions  ran  high.  On  one 
occasion  Buckmaster  cried  out:  "I'll  have  order  in  this 
hou.'^e,  even  if  I  should  use  a  shot  gun  for  a  gavel ! "  The  very 
man,  who  caused  Buckmaster  to  burst  out  in  this  exclamation 
of  wrath,  was  Speaker  of  the  house  at  a  later  period,  and  was 
then  very  much  in  need  ot  a  Gatlin  gun  or  "  Mitrailleuse"  to 
preserve  order  against  the  very  element,  which  he  represented 
in  1862.  By  Julius  A.  Barnsback  and  Ilirani  Dresser  from 
1864  to  1866;  by  John  H.  Yager  and  Jediah  F.  Alexander 
from  1866  to  1868,  and  by  Daniel  Kerr  and  Samuel  H. 
Challis  from  1868  to  1870.  From  1870  to  1872  Madison 
county  formed  the  26th  representative  district  with  Daniel 
B.  Gillhara,  A.  F.  Rodgers  and  Theodore  Miller  as  members, 
and  since  1872  the  county  has  formed  the  41st  district,  and 
was  represented  by  Henry  Weinheimer,  B.  R.  Hite,  and  T. 
T.  Ramey  from  1872  to  1874  ;  by  Franklin  S.  Pike,  George 
H  "Weigler  and  George  A.  Smith,  from  1874  to  1876;  by 
Samuel  A.  Buckmaster,  F.  M.  Pearce  and  J.  S.  Dewey 
from  1876  to  1878  ;  by  W.  R.  Prickett,  J.  M.  Pearson  and 
J.  S.  Dewey  from  1878  to  1880;  and  by  H.  O.  Billings, 
Jones  Tontz  and  J.  M.  Pearson  from  1880  to  1882. 

In  the  constitutional  convention  of  1862  the  county  was 
represented  by  Samuel  A.  Buckmaster  and  Solomon  Koepfli. 
The  constitution  proposed  by  this  convention  was  rejected 
by  the  people  at  an  election  held  June  17,  1862.  The 
county  was  represented  in  the  convention  of  1870  by  Charles 
F.  Springer  and  Henry  W.  Billings. 

I.  B.  Randle  represented  the  county  in  the  state  board  of 
equalization  from  1868  to  1872;  George  Hunter  of 
Macoupin,  from  1872  to  1876;  Frederick  Sunckel  of  St. 
Clair,  from  1876  to  1880,  and  John  E.  Coppinger  of  Alton, 
since  1880. 

Among  the  state  officers  during  this  period,  1849  to  1882, 
there  is  not  one  Madison  county  name  to  to  be  found. 


The  county  was  represented  as  part  of  the  Ist  congres- 
sional district  of  Illinois  from  1849  to  1855;  by  Hon.  W.  H. 
Bissell  of  St.  Clair,  as  part  of  the  8th  district  by  Lyman 
Trumbull,  and  after  his  election  to  the  U.  S.  Senate,  by  J. 
L.  D  Morrison  of  Belleville  from  1855  to  1857;  by  Hon. 
Robert  Smith  of  Alton,  from  1857  to  1859;  by  P.  B. 
Fouke  of  Belleville,  from  1859  to  1863;  as  part  of  the  12th 
district  by  W.  R.  Morrison  of  Monroe,  from  1863  to  1865; 
by  Jehu  Baker  of  St.  Clair,  from  1865  to  1869  ;  by  J.  B.  Hay 
of  Belleville,  from  1869  to  1873,  and  as  part  ol  the  17th 
congressional  district  by  W.  R.  Morrison  of  Monroe,  since 
1873. 

■The  state  legislature  of  1882,  rearranged  the  congression- 
al districts  of  the  state,  and  Madison  county  together  with 
the  counties  of  St  Clair,  Bond,  Washington  and  Monroe 
forms  now  the  18th  congressional  district  of  the  state  of 
Illinois. 

The  Presidential  Electors,  chosen  for  the  congressional 
district  of  which  Madison  county  formed  a  part,  were  the 
following:  Michael  Jones,  1820;  A.  P.  Field,  1824;  John 
Taylor,  1828;  Abner  Black,  183- ;  (Daniel  Stookey  seems 
to  have  cast  the  vote  for  Mr.  Black)  John  Pearson,  1840 ; 
Willis  Allen,  1844;  William  Martin,  1848;  John  A.  Mc- 
Clernand,  1852;  W.  A.  J.  Sparks,  1856;  Thomas  G.  Allen, 
1860;  H.  S.  Baker,  1864;  Charles  F.  Springer,  1868;  John 
I.  Rinaker,  1872  ;  Cyrus  Happy,  1876  ;  and  W.  T.  Mortou, 
1880. 

CIRCUIT   COURT   NOTES,    1 849  TO    1855. 

Hon.  W.  H.  Underwood,  presiding — At  this  term  52  in- 
dictments for  larceny  were  returned  into  court,  resulting  in 
22  convictions,  aggregating  77  years,  4  months  penitentiary, 
2  for  arson,  1  conviction,  John  Sullivan,  2  years ;  3  fur 
forgery,  no  conviction  ;  1  for  bigamy,  not  convicted  ;  2  for 
pasing  counterfeit  money,  both  James  Ryan  and  Henry 
Hughes,  convicted  and  sent  to  penitentiary  1  and  5  years 
respectively  ;  1  for  libel,  no  conviction  ;  3  for  murder,  John 
Schnagler,  convicted  of  manslaughter  and  sentenced  for  two 
years  ;  5  for  manslaughter,  1  conviction,  pardoned  by  Gov- 
ernor ;  and  1  for  rape,  not  tried. 

1855  TO  1857. 

Hon.  Sidney  Breese,  presiding,  W.  H.Snyder,  prosecuting 
attorney. — Hon.  S  Breese  presided  over  three  terms,  during 
which  32  cases  of  larceny,  3  of  passing  counterfeit  money, 
6  of  illegal  voting,  3  of  murder  and  1  of  swindling  were 
placed  on  the  criminal  docket.  11  persons  were  tried  and 
found  guilty  of  manslaughter  and  sentenced  to  the  state 
penitentiary  for  24  years  and  4  months  in  the  aggregate. 
William  Mitehen,  indicted  for  murder,  was  convicted  of 
manslaughter  and  sent  to  the  penitentiary  for  one  year. 

1857  to  1861.  Hon.  W.  H.  Snyder  on  the  bench.  P.  B. 
Fouke,  Spencer  M.  Case,  A.  W.  Me  calf  and  J.  B.  Hay, 
State  attorneys. 

The  number  of  criminal  cases  placed  on  the  docket  dur- 
ing the  eight  terms  presided  over  by  Hon.  W.  H.  Snyder 
was  enormouly  great.  There  were  77  cases  of  larceny,  5  of 
manslaughter,  1  of  arson,  1  of  rape  and  11  of  murder.  ■  6 
persons  were  convicted  of  larceny,  and  their  penalty  fixed  at 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


179 


90  years  and  6  months  penal  servitude  in  the  aggregate.  A 
rapist  was  sent  up  for  five  years:  Johann  Ludwig  Friister, 
Fred.  Welner  were  sentenced  three  and  five  years  respec- 
tively, for  manslaughter ;  E.  Aldred,  indicted  for  murder,  ob- 
tained a  change  of  venue  to  Bond  county ;  and  Peter  Han- 
son was  found  guilty  of  arson  and  sent  up  for  seven  years. 

The  trial  of  George  Gibson,  Edward  Barber  and  Joseph 
Watson,  for  the  murder  of  one  Barth  a  peddler  and  resi- 
dent of  the  county,  created  the  most  intense  excitement 
throughout  the  county.  These  men  were  indicted  on  the  IGth 
of  May,  1857,  by  the  following  grand  jurors,  to  wit:  Fred. 
T  Kraf}"(,  foreman,  James  L.  McLanahan,  James  Whiteside, 
Aaron  Rule,  Jacob  Leder,  William  McCain,  John  J.  Par- 
ker, James  Kell,  Josiah  K.  Gillhani,  Benjamin  L.  Dorsey, 
L.  S.  Wells,  Lancaster  R.  Weeks,  John  Mason,  Collier 
Brown,  John  Cox,  George  Moifitt,  G.  W.  Layman  and 
Jacob  B.  Cox. 

The  trial  commenced  on  the  21st  of  May,  1857.  The 
parties  were  defended  by  S.  T.  Sawyer,  F.  S.  Rutherford  and 
John  Trible,  before  the  following  jury :  J.  H.  Williams, 
S.  W.  Tindall,  George  Hedges,  William  Sandbach,  George 
G.  Wilson,  Jacob  Preiiitt,  Abram  Preuitt,  Benjamin  Heus- 
tis,  Ignatius  Sweeriugen,  I.  B.  Randle,  William  Keirsey  and 
Francis  Agnew,  who  found  the  defendant.s  guilty  of  murder. 
One  of  the  murderers,  a  mere  youth,  had  his  death  sentence 
commuted  by  executive  clemency,  into  penitentiary  for  life, 
and  was  pardoned  out  during  the  civil  war.  He  enlisted  in 
the  service  of  the  U.  S.  and  served  faithfully  to  the  end  of 
the  war.  It  is  said  that  he  now  resides  in  St.  Louis,  and  is 
engaged  in  business  there.  The  two  others  endtd  their  lives 
on  the  gallows,  which  had  been  erected  on  the  grounds  of  the 
county  poor  farm,  south  of  Edwardsville. 

The  indignation  of  the  people  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
county,  where  the  murder  was  committed  and  where  the  poor 
victim  was  at  home,  was  very  great,  and  at  times  it  was 
feared  that  the  murderers  would  be  mobbed.  In  fact,  an 
organized  body,  composed  of  five  hundred  men,  headed  by 
Savage  and  Smiley — a  strange  combination  of  names — all 
mounted,  appeared  in  the  streets  of  Edwardsville  a  few  days 
after  the  murderers  had  been  jailed,  with  the  avowed  pur- 
pose of  taking  the  prisoners  from  jail  and  hanging  them  at 
the  very  place  where  Barth  had  been  so  foully  murdered. 

Z.  B.  Job,  then  sherifi'  of  the  county,  aided  by  all  the 
prominent  men  of  Edwardsville,  succeeded  in  quieting  the 
mob  The  late  John  S.  Wheeler,  as  plucky  as  strong,  and 
Z  B.  Job,  tore  the  leaders  from  their  horses  and  secured 
their  persons.  Speeches  were  made  by  Hon.  Joseph  Gilles- 
))ie,  the  late  F.  T.  KrafJl  and  the  late  Solomon  Koepfli,  of 
Highland,  to  quiet  the  infuriated  masses.  The  latter,  having 
learned  what  was  contemplated,  hastened  to  Edwardsville 
to  give  the  alarm.  The  authorities  of  the  county  sent  to 
Alton,  requiring  the  two  Alton  Guards  to  come  to  Edwards- 
ville at  once.  This  summons  was  promptly  obeyed,  and 
while  they  remained  in  charge  of  the  prison  for  about  10 
days,  the  citizens  of  Edwardsville  organized  a  military  com- 
pany, officered  by  J.  H.  Sloss,  captain,  and  J.  G.  Robinson, 
lieutenant.  This  company  acted  as  guard  and  police  on  the 
day  of  the  execution.     The  town  was  thronged  with  thous- 


ands of  people  from  all  parts  of  the  county,  who  had  como 
to  attend  the  "  hanging." 

The  sheriff,  one  of  the  most  kind-hearted  men  of  the  day, 
performed  the  dreadful  duty  of  an  execution  with  firmness, 
but  when  he  struck  and  cut  the  rope  which  held  the  plat- 
form in  position,  he  sank  to  the  ground  from  sheer  emotion. 

1861  TO  1873. 

Hon  Joseph  Gillespie  on  the  bench,  J.  B.  Hay,  Joseph 
D.  Manners,  R.  A.  Halbert  and  E.  Breese  Glass  prosecu- 
ting attorneys.  This  period  excelled  all  previous  and 
all  subsequent  terms  in  the  number  of  murder  cases, 
some  of  which  may  be  traced  to  the  violent  passions  pre- 
valent during  the  civil  war,  while  a  majority  of  them 
were  the  out-cropping  of  depravity.  There  were  twenty- 
four  murder  cases  and  eight  of  manslaughter  placed 
on  the  criminal  docket  of  the  circuit  court;  other  crime.", 
principally  against  property,  were  also  very  numerous. 
Seventy  five  persons  were  sent  to  the  penitentiary  for  larce- 
ny, burglary,  and  robbery,  their  penal  servitude  aggregating 
-ol  years;  two  dealers  in  counterfeit  money  received  four 
years  each,  one  rapist  ten  years,  one  forger  one  year  and  one 
arson  one  year.  Murder  and  manslaughter  cases  resulting 
in  convictions.  William  Rounds,  sentenced  for  life,  October 
term,  1863.  Albert  Rose,  convicted  of  manslaughter,  sen- 
tenced for  fifteen  years.  Rose  had  killed  one  Samuel  Legett, 
November  28,  1864.  George  Harrison,  manslaughter,  six 
years  Harrison  had  killed  John  Newton  in  a  fight  by 
stabbing  him  with  a  knife,  Dtc.  2,  1866.  Ht  nry  Margraf, 
murderer,  life  sentence.  The  murder  committed  by  Margraf 
was  one  of  the  most  atrocious  crimes  on  record  in  the  coun- 
ty. He  lived  as  a  farm  hand  with  Christian  Wrisse,  enjoy- 
ing the  confidence  of  his  employer  to  such  a  degree  that  he, 
in  cases  of  absence  of  the  family,  was  left  in  full  control  of 
the  house  and  every  thing  in  it.  Once  again  left  there,  with 
no  one  except  little  Henry,  a  son  of  Mr.  Wrisse,  he  robbed 
the  house,  choked  the  poor  child  to  death  in  a  horrible  man- 
ner, secreted  the  body  of  his  victim  on  the  premises  by 
covering  it  up  with  two  bags  of  wheat,  and  fled.  The  ter- 
rible crime  was  soon  discovered  and  Margraf  arrested.  He 
was  put  ujjon  his  trial  in  May,  1S69,  and  taking  advantage 
of  a  statutory  proviso — that  the  death  penalty  could  not  be 
V. sited  on  a  murderer  upon  a  plea  of  guilty — plead  guilty. 
His  Honor,  in  sentencing  him  for  life,  expressed  his  regrets, 
that  he  could  not  have  sent  the  monster  to  the  gallows, 
which  he  had  deserved  so  much.  Margraf  is  still  in  the 
penitentiary,  but  very  recently  had  the  audacity  to  ask 
residents  of  the  county  to  sign  a  petition  for  his  pardon. 
AVilliam  Bell,  accused  of  the  murder  of  Hermann  Wendell 
by  shooting,  Nov.  1,  1X68,  was  at  the  May  term,  1869 
indicted  for  murder  by  the  following  grand  jury. 

H.  K.  Eaton  foreman,  Leander  McLean,  Hilley  T.  King, 
Malachi  A.  Kline,  Lewis  Ricks,  Anthony  Beck,  C.  P. 
Richmond,  David  Rinderer,  Xavier  Suter,  Frank  J.  Haag, 
Joseph  G.  Robinson,  Alonzo  Foster,  Jacob  W.  Terrv,  .lohn 
Suppiger,  Edward  Ellifl!',  Charles  Edwards,  John  H.  Kuhlen- 
bcck,  Samuel  Cough,  William  Bond,  Wesley  Reaves  and 
George  L.  Whaling. 


180 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,     ILLINOIS. 


He  was  tried  at  the  October  term  1S69  —  before  the  fol- 
lowing jury  , 

William  Jagemau,  William  McNeilly,  Thomas  Hogg,  A. 
Cowan,  Jr.,  T.  M.  Tartt,  Sidney  Robinson,  Samuel  McKin- 
ny,  James  N.  Sandbach,  J.  W.  Scarborough,  O.  D.  Oberlin. 
Jacob  Deck  and  William  E.  Lehr,  who  gave  the  following 
verdict:  "  We  the  jury  find  the  defendant  guilty  and  re- 
commend the  death  penalty"  —  Oetober  19,  1869.  Bell 
was  sentenced  on  the  following  day  and  executed  on  the  r2lh 
of  November  A.  P.   1869  at   the  old  jail  iu  Edwardsviile 

George  Matthews,  indicted  for  murder  at  the  October 
term  1871,  plead  guilty  of  manslaughter  and  was  sentenced 
to  one  year  penitentiary. 

George  Gropp  was  indicted  at  the  same  term,  and  tried  in 
October  1872.  He  was  found  guilty  of  manslaughter,  and 
sent  to  penitentiary  for  a  term  of  six  years.  Gropp,  who 
was  keeping  saloon,  "  had  shot  and  killed  a  guest,"  jNIichael 
Loughliu,  iu  1869.  Executive  clemency  shortened  his  term 
of  penal  servitude. 

William  Hiigedick,  indicted  for  an  assault  with  intent  to 
kill,  was  sentenced  to  14  years  penitentiary.  He  had  clubbed 
his  wife,  and  thinking  her  to  be  dead,  threw  her  helpless 
body  under  the  hoofs  of  his  mules,  so  as  to  escape  suspicion. 
AVhile  iu  jail  awaiting  trial,  Hiigedick  seemed  as  unconcern- 
ed as  though  he  had  not  done  any  wrong.  His  ideas  ou  the 
question  of  woman's   rights  smacked  of  barbarian  ages. 

The  assassination  of  President  A.  Lincoln  —  April  14, 
1865 — caused  the  grand  jury  of  Madison  county  to  pass 
the  following  resolution  which  was  spread  on  the  records  of 
the  circuit  court  of  the  county,  to  wit : 

MADISON  COUNTY,  CIRCUIT  COURT,  MAY  TERM  1 865. 

The  grand  jury  came  into  open  court  by  Edward  M.  West, 
their  foreman,  and  presented  to  the  couit  risoluticns  on  the 
death  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  late  jiresident  of  the  United 
States,  as  follows,  to  wit : 

Whereas  we  have  heard  by  official  announcement  of  the 
Secretary  of  War,  that  Abraham  Lincoln,  pre.-ident  of  the 
United  States,  was  assassinated  in  Washington  City  ou  the 
14th  day  of  April  last,  therefore  : 

Resolved,  by  grand  jury  of  Madison  county,  Illinois,  at  the 
^lay  term  of  the  circuit  court  of  said  county — that  we  .deeply 
deplore  the  sad  event  which  has  has  taken  from  our  country 
iu  the  prime  of  life  and  in  the  midst  of  his  usefulness  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,  president  of  the  United  States   of  America. 

Resolved,  that  we  cannot  express  with  words  our  utter  ab- 
horrence of  the  dark  and  diabolical  deed  which  has  deprived 
the  nation  of  its  chief,  and  our  detestation  of  the  fiendith 
perpetrators  of  the  crime. 

Resolved,  that  while  we  bow  to  the  mysterious  providence 
of  heaven  in  this  national  affliction,  we  feel  an  increased 
determination  to  aid  in  preserving  the  union  of  states  and 
upholding  the  constitution  and  flag  of  our  country. 

Passed  unanimously  May  4,  1865  :  E.  M.  West,  foreman, 
Wm.  Krome,  John  Baird,  Richard  Mawdsley,  Jacob 
Mumme,  Charles  Schoeck,  William  Jlize,  Richard  Benbow, 
William  Eaves,  Madison  Williams,  D.iniel  S.  Sanders,  AVm. 


Frazier,  W.  J.  Ro.seberry.   Joshua  Woods,  Thomas  Woods, 
0.  H.  P.  R.  Spring  and  Conrad  Leseman. 

1873  TO  1879. 

Hon.  W.  H.  Snyder,  Judge ;  E.  B.  Glass  and  Cyrus  L. 
Cook,  state  attorneys. 

The  transactions  of  this  court  are  of  recent  dates,  and  may 
be  briefly  stated  as  follows  :  There  were  fourteen  murder 
cases  placed  on  the  criminal  docket — James  Egan  was  con- 
victed of  manslaughter,  sentenced  to  one  year ;  George 
Bark,  on  plea  of  guilty  of  murder,  sentenced  for  life;  Geo. 
and  Lawrence  Peipert,  indicted  for  murder  obtained  a 
change  of  venue  to  St.  Clair  county  ;  Walter  Pierce,  under 
similar  indictment,  obtained  change  of  venue  to  Bond  coun- 
ty, where  he  was  sentenced  to  penitentiary  for  life  ;  Baptist 
Masa,  indicted  for  fratricide,  was  tried  and  found  insane. 
William  White  was  sentenced  to  a  14-3'ears'  term,  October, 
1879.  Besides  these  there  were  seventy-eight  persons  tried 
and  convicted  of  various  felonies.  These  penalties  aggre- 
gated 183  years  in  penitentiary.  The  severest  sentence  fell 
upon  William  Hasemann  for  incest,  who  received  twenty 
years  and  one  Charles  Meyers,  a  burglar,  who  was  sen- 
tenced for  14  years. 

An  act  of  the  legislature  in  1877  divided  the  state  into  13 
judicial  circuits  with  three  judges  for  each  district.  Madison 
county  forms  a  part  of  the  3d  district.  The  judges  elected 
in  June,  1879,  are  Hon.  W.  H.  Snyder,  of  Belleville  :  Hon. 
Amos  Watts,  of  Nashville;  and  Hon.  G.  W.  Wall,  of  Du 
Quoin. 

Hon.  J.  H.  Yager,  of  Alton,  is  at  present  county  attorney, 
having  succeeded  C.  L.  Cook  in  1880.  The  proceeduigs 
of  the  court,  during  1879,  80  and  'Si  are  of  too  late  a  date 
to  be  mentioned  in  these  pages. 

PROBATE  COURT,  1819  TO  1882. 

The  court  was  presided  over  by  the  late  Hon.  H.  K.  Eaton 
from  1849  to  1857 ;  by  Hon.  M.  G.  Dale,  1851  to  1865  ;  by 
the  l^ite  Hon.  David  Gillespie,  from  1865  to  1869;  by  the 
late  Hon.  W.  T.  Brown,  from  1869  to  1874.  Browu  died 
March  2d,  1874,  in  the  first  quarter  of  his  second  term.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Hon.  J.  G.  Irwin,  April  1874.  Judge  Ir- 
win's seat  was  successfully  contested  by  Hon.  M.  G.  Dale,  wl.o 
filled  the  rest  of  the  oflicial  term  to  which  Brown  had  been 
elected.  Hon.  M.  G-  Dale  was  re-elected  in  1877  and  is  still 
presiding  The  number  of  estates  administered  on  since  1812 
IS  4086.  Assuming  that  one  out  of  eyery  7  persons  deceased 
was  the  head  of  the  family,  leaving  an  estate,  we  arrive  aj 
the  conclusion  that  about  30,000  weary  heads  have  been 
laid  to  rest  in  this  county  since  1812. 

CONCLUSION. 

The  civil  history  of  Madison  county  commences  with  the 
year  1812,  and  iucludes,  therefore,  the  events  of  but  70 
years.  We  have  endeavored  to  give  a  succinct  and  accu- 
rate account  of  these  events  as  they  occurred  from 
the  day  when  John  G.  Loftou,  Jacob  Whiteside  and  Thomas 
Kirkpatrick,  ihe  pioneer  county  oflicers,  assembled  in  the 
log  cabin  of  Kirkpatrick's  to  "hold  court"  until   to  day 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


181 


when  in  1882  men  elected  the  representatives  of  23  town- 
ships, each  of  them  representing  many  times  the  wealth  and 
population  of  the  whole  county  in  1812,  assembled  in  the 
stately  court-house,  to  continue  the  work,  bi^gun  by  the  ven- 
erable men  mentioned  above.  Madison  county  has  pros- 
pered from  the  day  the  first  white  men  built  their  huts  in 
what  they  so  aptly  called  "  Goshen.  "  Fifty  millions  of  dol- 
lars would  not  suffice  to  purchase  the  property  owned  to- 
day by  the  50,000  inhabitants  of  the  county.  Seventy  years 
is  but  a  brief  period  in  the  life  of  nations,  and  yet  how  lim- 
ited is  the  number  of  those  who  have  seen  the  county  in  its 
infancy,  and  have  watched  its  wonderful  progress. 

An  Indian  trail,  here  and  there,  in  1800,  an  only  road 
from  Ed  wards  ville  to  Cahokia  in  1812,  were  the  means  by 
which  the  scattered  settlements  were  kept  in  communication 
with  one  another.  How  great  was  tiie  joy  of  the.se  people, 
when  some  ten  years  later  the  fir.-<t  stage  coach  carae  thun- 
dering through  the  county.  The  days  of  the  stage  have 
passed  by,  and  the  cherry  sounds  of  the  driver's  bugle  are 
almost  forgotten. 

The  county  is  dotted  with  prosperous  and  growing  cities 
and  towns.  Stately  school-houses  are  found  everywhere 
throughout  the  countj',  and  numerous  church  spires,  point- 
ing upwards,  seem  to  indicate  that  the  thoughts  of  this  peo- 
ple are  not  entirely  bent  on  things  that  perish. 

Railroads  traverse  the  county  in  various  directions,  and 
telegraphs  connect  almost  every  town  of  the  county  with 
the  remotest  places  on  earth.  Such  is  Madison  county  now. 
Specu'ations  as  to  how  it  will  be  found  70  or  100  years 
hence,  are  idle.  There  is  a  limit  to  all  things  The  build- 
ers of  the  tower  at  Babel  learned  this  by  their  own  sad 
experience,  and  the  Titans,  though  powerful  enough  to  pile 
mountains  on  mountains,  could  never  reach  the  sacred  heights 
of  Olympus. 

CHAPTER  X. 


THE  BEXCir  AND  BAR. 


V  l^/^^r^^  ^  HROUGH  the  rapid  growth  and  immense 
^^P*3><ril  f  .  .1  ;  development  of  the  state  in  population 
business  and  wealth,  numerous  changes 
have  been  rendered  necessary  in  its  ju- 
dicial system,  an  outline  of  which  is 
given  below.  By  the  constitution  of 
1818  the  judicial  power  of  the  state  of 
Illinois  was  vested  in  one  supreme  court 
and  such  inferior  courts  as  the  General 
Assembly  should  from  time  to  time  establi.-h.  The  supreme 
court  consisted  of  a  chief  justice  and  three  associate  justices, 
and  was  vested  with  appellate  jurisdiction  only,  except  in 
cases  relating  to  the  revenue,  cases  of  mandamus,  and  such 
casej  of  impeachment  as  might  be  required  to  be  tried  before 
it.     The  justices  of  the  supreme  couit  and  the  judges  of  the 


inferior  courts  were  chosen  by  joint  ballot  of  the  General 
Assembly,  and  were  to  hold  their  offices  until  the  end  of  the 
session  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1824  ;  and  were  required 
to  hold  such  circuit  courts  in  the  several  counties,  and  exer- 
cise such  jurisdiction  as  the  General  Assembly  should  b}' 
law  prescribe. 

The  state  was  divided  into  four  judicial  circuits,  within 
which  the  chief  justice  and  the  associate  justices  of  the 
supreme  court  performed  circuit  duties  till  1824.  On  the 
28th  of  December,  1824,  an  act  was  passed  requiring  the 
appointment  by  the  General  Assembly  of  five  circuit  judges, 
to  continue  in  office  during  good  behavior,  and  dividing  the 
state  into  five  judicial  circuits.  The  performance  of  circuit 
duties  was  now  wholly  assigned  to  the  circuit  judges.  On 
the  12th  of  January,  1827,  the  act  of  18.i4  was  repealed, 
and  the  s'ate  was  again  divided  into  four  judicial  circuits, 
in  which  the  chief  justices  were  again  required  to  per- 
form circuit  duties.  By  act  of  January  8,  1879,  a  fifth 
judicial  circuit,  north  of  the  Illinois  river,  was  created,  and 
a  circuit  judge  was  elected  by  the  General  Assembly  to 
preside  in  that  circuit,  the  justices  of  the  supreme  court 
performing  the  judicial  duties  of  the  other  four  circuits.  By 
act  of  January  7,  1835,  a  sixth  judicial  circuit  was  created 
five  additional  circuit  judges  were  elected,  and  the  justices 
of  the  supreme  court  were  again  relieved  from  judicial 
duties  in  the  circuit  courts.  In  18'}7  a  seventh  circuit  was 
created,  and  an  additional  judge  elected,  and  in  1839  the 
eighth  and  ninth  circuits  were  formed  and  provided  with 
judges.  In  1841,  by  act  of  the  10th  of  February,  the  ac- 
establishing  the  circuit  courts  was  repealed,  and  the  General 
Assembly  elected  five  additional  justices  of  the  supreme 
court,  who  with  the  chief  justice  and  the  three  associates  just 
tices  then  in  office,  were  to  constitute  the  supreme  court- 
By  the  same  act  the  justices  of  the  supreme  court  were  to 
perform  circuit  duty  in  the  nine  circuits  into  which  the 
state  was  at  that  time  divided.  A  re^organization  of  the 
judiciary  took  place  in  1848.  Up  to  that  time  the  circuit 
courts  had  only  a  legislative  existence.  But  by  the  consti- 
tution of  1848  the  judicial  system  was  to  consist  of  one 
supreme  court,  circuit  courts,  county  courts,  and  justices  of 
the  p"ace,  and  such  courts  of  uniform  organization  and 
jurisdiction  of  civil  and  criminal  cases  in  the  cities  of  the 
state  as  the  General  Assembly  should  establish.  The  su- 
preme court  consisted  of  three  judges,  one  of  whom  was 
elected  for  the  term  of  nine  years  by  the  people,  in  each  of 
three  grand  divisions  into  which  the  state  was  divided  by 
the  new  constitution  for  that  purpose.  Appeals  and  writs 
of  error  could  be  taken  from  the  circuit  court  of  any  county 
to  the  supreme  court  held  in  the  diusion  including  such 
county,  or  by  consent  of  parties,  to  the  supreme  court  in  the 
next  adjoining  division.  The  state  was  divded  into  nine 
judicial  circuits,  but  the  General  Assemblj'  increased  their 
number  from  time  to  time  until  there  were  thirty  circuits 
created  under  the  constitution. 

One  circuit  judge  was  elected  by  the  people  in  each  cir- 
cuit for  the  term  of  six  years  and  until  his  successor  should 
be  elected  and  qualifed.  The  first  election  for  justices  of 
the  supreme  court  and  judges  of  the  circuit  courts  was  held 


182 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


on  the  fir^t  Monday  in  September,  1848,  and  afterwards  on 
the  first  Mondaj'  in  June,  1855,  and  every  six   years  there-    ! 
after  for  county  jud^^es.     All  vacancies  in  the  supreme  court    j 
or  the  circuit   courts  were  to  be  filled  by  election  by  the 
people,    unle.<s   the   unexpired    term    did   not  exceed    one    | 
year,  when  it  might  be  filled  by  executive  appointment.    Two   \ 
or  more  terms  of  the  circuit  court  were  to  be  held  annually   ! 
in  each  county,  and  that  court  had  jurisdiction  of  all  cases 
in  law  and  equity,  and  of  appeals  from  all  inferior  courts. 

The  constitution  of  1870  vested  the  judicial  power  in 
one  supreme  court,  circuit  courts,  justices  of  the  peace, 
police  magistrates  and  such  courts  as  may  be  created  by  law 
in  and  for  cities  and  incorporated  towns.  The  supreme  court 
consists  of  seven  judges,  and  has  both  appellate  and  orignal 
jurisdiction.  One  of  the  number  is  chief  justice,  and  the 
concurrence  of  four  judges  is  neces.=ary  to  a  decision.  There 
are  three  grand  division  for  holding  supreme  court. 

One  judge  is  elected  from  each  of  the  seven  districts  into 
which  the  state  is  divided  for  that  purpose.  The  election 
occurs  on  the  fir^t  Monday  in  June,  and  the  term  of  office 
is  nine  years.  The  supreme  court  in  each  grand  diviiou  has 
a  reporter  and  oue  clerk,  whose  terms  of  office  are  each  six 
years ;  the  former  being  appointed  by  the  court  the  latter 
elected  by  the  people  of  his  division. 

The  legi.-ilature,  in  1877,  in  accordance  vith  the  constitu- 
tion of  1870,  cr.  ated  four  appellate  courts,  with  appellate 
jurisdiction  only,  and  provided  districts  of  follows  :  First, 
Cook  county ;  second,  all  the  northern  grand  division  ex- 
cept Cook  county  ;  ihird,  the  central  grand  division  ;  fourth 
the  southern  grand  division.  Three  circuit  judges  a'C  as- 
signed to  each  appellate  court  by  the  judges  of  the  supreme 
court  for  a  term  of  three  years.  The  concurrence  of  two 
judges  is  necessary  to  a  decision,  and  certain  cases  may  be 
apptaled  to  the  supreme  court. 

The  cnnstitutioi  s  of  1870  provides  that  circuit  courts  shall 
have  original  jurisdiction  of  all  cases  in  law  and  equity,  and 
such  appellate  jurisdiction  as  may  be  provided  by  law.  The 
judges  are  elected  by  districts  for  tix  years. 

In  1873  the  legislature  divided  the  state  into  twenty-six 
judicial  circuits  and  in  1877  the  general  assembly  divided 
it  into  thirteen  districts,  with  three  circuit  judges  for  each 
district.  The  circuit  judges  not  assigned  to  the  appellate 
courts  perform  circuit  duty  in  the  districts  for  which  they 
were  respectively  elected.  Cook  county  is  a  unit  in  the  ju- 
diciary system  of  the  state  ;  it  forms  a  judicial  circuit,  and 
the  supreme  court  holds  one  or  more  sessions  therein  annu- 
ally. The  circuit  court  of  that  county  consists  of  five 
judges,  who  hold  office  for  five  years.  Their  number  may 
be  increased  by  adding  one  for  every  five  thousand  inhabit- 
ants over  the  above  a  population  of  four  hundred  thousand. 
The  superior  court  of  Cook  county  may  also  be  increased  in 
number  in  the  same  manner  until  the  court  shall  be  com- 
composed  of  nine  judges. 

Ic  accordance  with  that  provisions  of  the  constitution, 
four  additional  judges  were  elecled  at  the  November  elec- 
tion in  1880.  The  above  is  an  outline  of  the  judiciary 
system  of  the  state.  As  it  is  intended  for  the  general  reader 
and   not   to   furnish    professional    information,   all    details 


must  be  sought  in  the  statutes  and  in  the  decisions  of  the 
courts. 

THE    BENCH. 

From  1813  to  1818,  the  territory  of  Illinois  was  divided 
into  three  Judicial  districts,  as  set  forth  in  the  following  act  ■" 
"  Be  it  known  that  under  an  act  of  Congress,  entitled  an 
act  regulating  and  defining  the  duties  of  the  Uuited  States 
Judges  for  the  territory  of  Illinoss,  it  is  alloted  to  Jesse  B. 
Thomas  to  preside  in  the  first  circuit;  to  William Spriggs 
to  preside  in  the  second ;  and  to  Thomas  Fowles  to  pre- 
side in  the  third  circuit.  " 

Under  this  regulations,  Jesse  B.  Thomas  presided  over 
the  circuit  court  of  Madison  county,  between  the  dates 
already  mentioned.  He  was  appointed  territorial  Judge  in 
1809,  and  on  the  admission  of  Illinois  as  a  state  in  1818,  he 
was  elected  to  the  United  States  Senate,  and  in  1823  was  his 
own  successor,  serving  in  that  capacity  till  1829.  In  his 
senatorial  career  he  gained  considerable  notoriety  from  hav- 
ing originally  suggested  the  line  of  thirty-six  degrees  and 
thirty  minutes  as  the  basis  of  what  is  known  as  the  Missouri 
Compromise.  He  strongly  advocated  the  recogition  of 
slavery  in  our  state  constitution,  but,  in  this,  his  eflbrts 
were  thwarted  by  the  spirit  of  freedom  that  prevailed  in  our 
first  constitutional  convention.  Daring  part  of  his  official 
life,  he  was  a  resident  of  Edwardsville.  About  the  year 
1829,  he  removed  to  Ohio,  where,  in  1850,  he  died. 

In  1818,  in  March  term,  Daniel  P.  Cook  held  court  in 
Edwardsville,  He  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  on  the 
removal  of  the  capital  of  Illinois  from  Kaska^kia  to  Van- 
dalia,  commenced  the  practice  of  law  in  Edwardsville.  He 
was  sub.=equently  elected  to  Congress,  and  made  Chairman 
of  the  Committee  of  Ways  and  Means,  in  which  position  he 
gained  great  notriety.  At  the  bar,  on  the  hustings,  and  in 
the  hall  of  Congress,  he  was  a  most  accomplished  orator- 
He  was  also  a  very  amiable  and  popular  man.  In  the  pre- 
sidential election  of  1824,  the  popular  vote  of  Illinois  was 
in  favor  of  Adams  ;  but  two  of  the  three  electors  were  for 
Jackson,  and  the  third  for  Adams.  When  the  election  went 
to  the  House  of  Representatives,  Mr.  Cook  boldly,  but  ho" 
nestly  cast  the  vote  of  Illinois  for  Adams.  This  act  defeated 
his  re-election  to  Congress,  and  he  soon  afterwards  died  at 
his  old  home  in  Kentucky.  He  was  pre-eminently  a  self- 
made  man,  brilliant  lawyer,  and  eminent  jurist. 

The  July  term  of  the  JNIadison  circuit  court  in  1818,  was 
held  by  Judge  John  Warnock,  who  was  succeeded  in  the 
fall  term  of  the  same  year,  by  John  Reynolds  one  of  the 
Supreme  Judges  of  Illinois.  Judge  Reynolds  was  of 
Irish  extraction.  He  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  February 
2()th  1788,  and,  at  an  early  age,  removed  with  his  parents 
to  Tennessee,  where  he  received  his  primary  education.  In 
18U0  he  came  to  Illnois,  and  settled  at  Kaskaskia.  He 
subsequently  took  a  two  years'  course  in  Latin  and  the 
sciences,  and  in  1810  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the 
office  of  John  McCampbell,  Kuoxville,  Tennessee.  In  1812 
he  was  examined  at  Kaskaskia  before  Judge  Thomas  and 
Sprigg,  U.  S.  territory  Justices,  and  admitted  to  practice. 
He  received   the    appointment   of  Judge   Advocate    from 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


183 


Governor  Edwards,  and  in  1S14  opened  a  law  office  at  Ca- 
hukia  in  St.  Clair  county.  O.i  the  admission  of  the  state  in 
1818,  he  was  elected  one  of  the  associate  Justices  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Illinois  by  the  general  assembly,  ^Vhich 
then  held  its  session  at  Kaskaskia.  In  1830,  he  was  made 
Governor  of  Illinois,  and  in  1834  was  elected  to  Congress. 
He  was  seven  years  in  Congress,  and  in  1846  was  elected 
to  the  general  assembly  of  Illinois,  becoming  speaker  of  the 
House.  He  wa.s  always  a  staunch  adherent  of  the  principles 
of  the  democratic  party,  and  during  the  late  civil  war  mani- 
fested a  deep  sympathy  with  the  South.  He  was  a  plain, 
blunt  man,  without  any  of  the  social  refinements  character- 
istic of  the  more  modern  bench.  He  died  at  Belleville 
in  186.5. 

Samuel  McRobert.?  was  born  April  12th,  1793,  in  what 
is  now  Monroe  county,  Illiaois.  He  received  an  English 
education  only,  from  a  private  tutor.  .  At  the  age  of  twent)' 
he  was  appointed  circuit  clerk  of  Monroe  county.  Two 
years  later  he  entered,  the  law  department  of  Transylvania 
University,  at  Laxingtou,  Kentucky,  and  graduated  after 
three  full  courses  of  lectures.  In  1824,  he  was  at  the  age  of 
twenty-five,  elected  by  the  legislature  in  the  second  circuit, 
one  of  the  five  circuit  judges  of  the  state.  On  the  12th  of 
January,  1827,  the  act  providing  for  the  appointment  of 
circuit  judges  was  repealed,  and  the  office  of  circuit  judge 
then  ceased  to  exist.  On  all  political  questions,  he  was, 
while  on  the  bench,  strongly  partisan.  In  defiance  of  a 
release  by  the  Legislature,  he  assessed  a  fine  against  Gov- 
Coles  for  settling  his  emancipated  slaves  in  Madison  county 
without  giving  a  bond  that  they  should  not  become  a  public 
charge.  In  1828,  he  was  elected  state  senator;  in  1830, 
was  appointed  United  States  District  Attorney  for  the  state; 
in  1832,  receiver  of  public  moneys  at  the  Danville  land 
office ;  in  1839,  receiver  of  the  General  Land  Office  at 
Washington.  He  was  elected  L^nited  States  Senator,  Decem- 
ber 16th,  1840.  On  his  route  home  from  Washington,  he 
died  at  Cincinnati,  March  22d,  1843. 

Judge  McRoberts  was  succeeded  in  this  circuit  by  Theo- 
PHILUS  W.  Smith,  who  was  Supreme  judge  of  Illinois,  from 
1825  to  1842.  He  was  a  native  of  New  York,  and  was  regard- 
ed as  one  of  the  most  talented  of  the  Supreme  judges  of  his 
time.  Many  of  his  decisions  are  found  in  Scammon's  Supreme 
Court  Reports,  and  they  compare  favorably  with  the  opinions 
of  any  of  the  judges.  He  was  the  presiding  judge  of  this 
circuit  from  1827  to  183-5.  At  the  request  of  Judge  Smith, 
Judge  Samuel  D.  Lockwood  presided  at  the  June  terms 
of  1829  and  1831.  He  was  born  in  New  York,  and  came 
to  Illinois  in  1818.  In  1821  he  was  elected  attorney-general 
of  the  state.  He  was  successively  secretary  of  state,  receiver 
at  the  land  office  in  Edwardsville,  and  was  elected  Supreme 
judge  in  182.i,  and  retained  his  office  till  1848.  He  died  at 
his  home  in  Batavia,  Illinois,  in  1874. 

Judge  Tho.mas  Ford  presided  in  the  Madison  circuit 
court  at  the  March  term,  184r).  He  was  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania. In  1829,  Gov.  Reynolds  appi)i;ited  him  prosecu- 
ting attorney.  In  lh31,  he  was  re  appointed.  Afterwards 
he  was  four  times  elected  judge  by  the  L"gia]alure;  twice 
circuit  judge;  judge  of  Chicago,  and  associate  judge  of  the 


Supreme  Court.     He  was  subsequently  elected  Governor, 
and  died  at  Peoria,  in  18-50. 

In  1835  Sidney  Breese  was  appointed  Circuit  Judge  of 
this  circuit.  This  eminent  Judge  and  statesman  was  born 
in  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.,  July  15,  1800.  At  the  early  age  of 
fourteen  he  entered  Hamilton  College.  In  1816  he  waa 
tran^ferred  to  Union  College  where,  in  1818,  he  graduated, 
third  in  a  class  of  64.  He  soon  removed  to  Illinois,  and  en. 
tered  the  law  office  of  his  old  friend  and  school-fellow,  Elias 
Kent  Kane.  In  1820,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and 
commenced  his  professional  career  at  Brownsville, 
Illinois,  where  he  was  so  unsuccessful  in  conducting 
a  ciise  before  a  jury  that  he  determined  to  abandon  the  prac- 
tice of  law  forever.  He  returned  to  his  profession,  however, 
and  in  1822,  was  appointed  attorney  of  the  second  circuit, 
which  position  be  filled  fir  five  years  with  honor.  In  1831, 
he  compiled  Breese's  Report  of  the  Supreme  Court  deci- 
sions, the  first  law  book  in  the  state.  In  the  Black  Hawk 
war  he  served  as  LieutCol.,  in  1835,  was  elected  judge  of 
the  second  circuit  and  in  18  Jl  was  chosen  one  of  the  su- 
preme judges  of  the  state.  The  next  year  he  was  elected  to 
the  U.  S  Senate.  At  the  expiration  of  his  term,  he  was 
elected  to  the  Legislature,  and  was  made  Speaker  of  the 
House.  In  1S57,  he  was  again  elected  circuit  judge,  and 
two  years  later  was  again  elected  circuit  judge,  and  two 
years  later  was  again  called  to  the  Supreme  bench,  in  which 
position  having  been  chief  justice  two  terms,  he  remained 
till  his  death,  which  took  place  on  the  28th  of  June,  1878,  at 
his  home  in  Carlyle,  Illinois.  In  1843,  Judge  Jame.s  Sem- 
PLE,  who  was  then  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
held  the  May  term  of  the  Madisun  Circuit  Court.  He  had 
previously  been  Brigade  General  in  the  Black  Hawk  war, 
two  termsspeaker  of  the  house,  minister  to  "  Bogota,"  and  cir- 
cuit judge.  Soon  afterwards  he  was  appointed  U.  S.  Sena- 
tor.    He  died  at  his  residence  near  Elsah,  111.,  in  1866. 

James  Shiklds,  whose  remarkable  career  has  been  the 
subject  of  wide  comment,  was  born  in  Ireland,  and  was 
elected  one  of  the  Supreme  Judges  of  Illinois  in  1843.  From 
October  of  that  year  until  May  1845,  he  held  the  circuit  in 
Madison  county.  He  was  U  S.  Senator  from  Illinois,  Min- 
nesota and  Missouri  On  June  1st,  1879,  he  died  at  Ot- 
tumwa,  Iowa. 

GusTAVus  KoERNER  is  a  native  of  Germany  where  be 
commenced  the  practice  of  law,  and  in  1833  emigrated  to  the 
United  States.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Illinois  in 
1835.  In  1845  he  was  elected  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court. 
He  retained  his  position  till  1849,  during  which  time  he  per- 
formed the  duties  of  circuit  judge  in  the  Madison  county 
circuit  court.  In  18.52  he  was  elected  Lieut-Gov.  Duiing 
the  Rebellion  he  served  on  the  staffs  of  Gens.  Fremont  and 
Hal  leek.  He  has  been  honored  with  other  high  positions, 
and  is  still  living  in  a  serene  and  honored  old  age  at  Belle- 
ville, Illinois. 

By  agreement  with  Judge  Koerner,  Judge  John  Caton 
presided  in  the  Madison  circuit  court  at  the  May  term,  1846. 
Judge  Caton  came  from  New  York  to  Chicago,  when  the 
latter  was  but  a  village  in  a  swamp,  and  commenced  the 
practice  of  law  there  under  the  most  adverse  circumstances. 


184 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


In  1842,  when  only  thirty  years  of  age,  he  was  appointed  by 
Gov.  Carlin,  jiulge  of  the  supreme  court.  He  was  repeatedly 
elected  to  the  same  position  until  1864,  when  he  resigned  his 
seat  upon  the  bench,  having  served  nearly  twenty-two  years  in 
that  capacity.  He  has  bv  successful  business  ventures  be- 
come very  wealthy  He  has  al.-o  traveled  over  a  large  part 
of  Eurojie,  and  now  in  vigorous  old  age,  enjoys  the  reward 
of  his  labors.  The  circuit  court  of  the  circuit  comprising 
Madison  county,  was  held  six  years  and  a  half  from  1848  to 
1855,  by  Judge  Wm.  H.  Uxderw'ood,  who  was  a  native  of 
New  York.  In  1840  he  removed  to  Belleville.  He  was 
elected  and  re-elected  State's  attorney,  member  of  the  legis- 
lature, and  in  1848  circuit  judge;  he  was  afterwards  for  two 
terms  a  member  of  the  State  Senate,  and  was  a  delegate  to 
the  constitutional  convention  of  1870.  He  is  also  author  of 
the  highly  valuable  work,  "Underwood's  Construed  and 
Annotated  Statutes  of  Illinois." 

In  1857,  after  Joseph  Breese  had  ceased  to  perfirra  the 
duties  of  circuit  judge,  the  Hon.  Wm.  H.  Snyder,  of  Belle- 
ville, 111.,  was  elected  circuit  judge  of  the  twenty-fourth  cir- 
cuit, serving  till  June,  1861.  In  1870  he  was  elected  dele- 
gate to  the  Constitutional  convention  of  Illinois.  He  had 
previouslj'  been  for  two  terms  a  member  of  the  Legislature. 
In  1873,  he  was  again  elected  circuit  court  judge,  and  still 
holds  that  position. 

The  Hon.  Joseph  Gillespie  was  born  in  the  city  of 
Kew  York,  and  at  the  age  often  years  removed  to  Ed  wards- 
ville.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1837.  In  1836  he 
was  elected  probate  judge,  and  in  1840,  was  a  member  of  the 
lower  House  of  the  Legislature,  and  subsequently  was  a  nitm- 
ber  of  the  State  Senate  for  a  period  of  eight  years.  In  1861 
he  was  elected  circuit  judge  of  the  twenty-fourth  judical  dis- 
trict, comprising  the  counties  of  Bond,  St.  Clair  and  Madison. 
He  served  on  this  circuit  for  twelve  years.  He  is  still  re- 
siding in  Edwardsville,  crowned  with  the  honorable  and  af- 
fectionate regards  of  all  that  know  him. 

On  the  16th  of  June,  1879,  Geo.  W.  Wall,  of  Du  Quoin, 
was  elected  one  of  the  judges  of  the  third  judicial  circuit, 
embracing  Ma'lisou  Co.  Joseph  Wall  is  a  native  of  Chillic  )- 
the,  Ohio.  He  graduated  from  Michigan  University  in  1858, 
and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  Illinois  in  1859.  He  was 
for  many  years  attorney  for  the  Illinois  Central  R.  R. ;  was 
a  delegate  to  the  Constitutional  convention  of  1862.  In 
ltt64  he  was  elected  State's  Attorney  for  the  third  judicial  dis 
trict,  in  1868  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic  National 
Convention  and  also  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1870, 
and  in  1872  was  a  Democratic  candidate  for  Congress.  He 
is  an  able  and  impartial  judge. 

Judge  Amos  Watts  was  born  in  St.  Clair  county,  in 
1825.  His  early  education  was  obtained  under  a  private 
tutor,  who  gave  him  instruction  in  the  evening  after  the  day's 
work  on  the  farm  had  been  done.  This  was  all  the  educa- 
tion he  ever  received  with  the  aid  of  a  teacher.  In  1847,  he 
was  elected  county  clerk  of  Washington  county,  and  was 
twice  re-elected.  In  1854,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He 
was  elected  State's  attorney  in  1857,  and  in  1860  was  re- 
elected. From  1866  to  1573  he  was  an  assiduous  student  of 
the  law.     lu  1873  he  was  elected  judge  of  the  United  States 


circuit,  and  has  shown  himself  a  learned  and  accomplished 
jurist. 

the  bak. 

Non-resident  Lawyers. 

Madison  county  has  always  had  so  many  resident  attor- 
neys that  those  from  other  counties  have  never  had  very 
extensive  practice  in  her  courts.  However,  by  a  thorough 
examination  of  the  court  records  and  considerable  question- 
ing of  old  residents,  the  names  of  quite  a  number  who  oc- 
casionally practiced  at  the  bar  of  this  county  have  been 
obtained.  Several  of  those  menti  )ned  below  are  known  to 
have  been  resideuts  of  other  counties;  the  others  were 
either  non-residents  or  were  simply  admitted  to  practice 
here. 

Among  the  former,  were  William  Mear?,  a  native  of 
Ireland,  who  appeared  as  an  attornej'  at  the  Madison  county 
courts  at  an  early  day.  He  came  from  Pennsylvania  to 
Cahokia,  and  was  the  third  lawyer  at  that  place,  John  Rice 
Jones,  being  the  first,  in  1790  ;  and  Isaac  Darnielle,  the 
second,  in  179 1.  In  1814,  Gov.  Edwards  appointed 
Mears  attorney-general  of  Illinois  Territory.  He  had 
some  knowledge  of  law,  and  made  a  fair  living  at  his  prac- 
tice. He  died  in  1826,  at  Belleville,  whither  he  had  gone 
on  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  of  St.  Clair  county  from 
Cahokia  to  that  place. 

Alexander  P.  Field,  a  nephew  of  Nathaniel  Pope, 
lived  at  Vandalia,  but  practiced  in  the  court-j  of  this  county 
at  an  early  day.  He  was  a  Kentuckian  by  birth,  and  was 
originally  a  Jackson  Democrat,  but  became  a  Whig.  He 
was  a  man  of  strong  feeling,  and  was  very  ultra  in  the 
avowal  of  his  political  sentiments;  was  an  able  politician 
and  a  good  stump  speaker,  but  owing  to  his  being  on  the 
Weak  side  c  luld  not  attain  the  distinction  to  which  his 
merits  entitled  him.  During  the  ten  years  he  resided  at  St. 
Louis,  whither  he  had  gone  on  leaving  Vandalia,  he  became 
eminent  as  a  criminal  lawyer.  Just  before  the  opening  of 
the  Rebellion,  he  removed  to  New  Orleans,  and  lived  there 
for  a  number  of  years,  although  during  the  war  he  was 
often  in  danger  of  losing  his  life  on  account  of  his  being  an 
outspoken  Union  man.  He  held  the  office  of  Attorney- 
general  for  the  State  of  Loui=iana,  and  claimed  to  have  been 
elected  to  Congress  from  the  New  Orleans  district,  but,  on 
account  of  some  irregularities  in  election  matters,  was  not 
allowed  to  take  his  seat. 

William  H.  Eissell  was  born  in  1811  at  New  York, and 
there,  after  acquiring  a  good  common  education,  studied 
medicine.  After  removing  to  Monroe  county.  111.,  he  prac- 
ticed a  few  years  ;  but  having  no  liking  for  the  irofession  he 
had  chosen,  he  abandoned  it  for  the  law,  for  which  he  had  a 
great  fancy.  In  a  very  short  time  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar,  and  was  soon  thereafter  appointed  prosecuting  attorney. 
As  a  prosecutor  he  was  so  successful  that  it  soon  came  to  be 
considered  a  hopeless  task  to  defend  where  he  was  the  oppos- 
ing counsel.  He  served  in  the  Mexican  war,  as  a  colonel, 
and  evinced  a  very  high  order  of  military  talent.  After  the 
war,  he  served  two  terms  in  Congress;  and,  in  1856,  mas 
elected  Governor  of  Illinois  on  the  Republican  ticket.     He 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


180 


died  March  18,  1860,  ten  months  before  his  term  of  ofBce 
expired.  The  following  sketch  is  given  in  the  language  of 
Judge  Joseph  Gillespie,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  much 
of  the  early  history  of  t  he  bar  : 

"Benjamin  Mills  was  a  son  of  an  eminent  Presbyterian 
divine  iu  Massachusetts,  but  was  not  very  godly  himself 
He  was  gifted  with  a  wonderfully  retentive  memory  and 
had  a  happy  faculty  of  extricating  himself  from  difficulties 
and  embarrassing  positions  whatever  their  nature  might  be. 
When  a  boy,  he  was  required  to  copy  all  his  father's  sermons, 
and  they  were  stamped  upon  his  memory.  When  quite  a 
young  man  Ben,  with  a  young  companion  by  the  name  of 
Wa'te,  a  famous  singer,  started  west.  They  ran  out  of  money 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Richmond,  Va. ;  and,  in  order  to  raise 
the  amount  necessary  to  carry  them  on  their  journey,  Ben  gave 
out  that  they  were  missionaries  going  to  Illinois.  Ben  was 
requested  to  preach  in  Richmond.  He,  with  great  unction, 
delivered  one  of  his  father's  best  sermons,  which  accompa- 
nied by  Waite's  singisg,  took  Richmond  by  storm.  Their 
exchequer  was  soon  replenished,  and  Ben  and  Waite  went 
on  their  way  rejoicing.  Ben  settled  in  Greenville,  Bond 
county,  established  a  law  office  there,  and  was  elected  justice 
of  the  peace.  At  that  time  the  law  of  Illinois  authorized  a 
J.  P.  to  impose  a  fine  of  one  dollar  upon  any  one  guilty  of 
using  profane  language  in  his  presence,  but  the  fine  might 
be  remitted  on  the  production  of  evidence  of  deep  contrition 
on  the  part  of  the  offender.  Ben  and  one  Squire  Enlow 
were  discoursing  one  day,  and  Ben  indulged  in  some  pro- 
fanity. After  a  few  minutes'  absence,  Ben  rejoined  Enlow, 
when  the  latter  said:  '■S(juire,  you  know  it  is  my  duty  to 
impose  a  fine  upon  you  for  swearing."  Ben  said  :  "Brother 
Enlow,  I'm  a  little  ahead  of  you.  I've  been  to  ni_v  office 
and  entered  a  fine  against  myself,  and  am  now  considering 
the  propriety  of  remitting  it." 

Mr.  Mills  was  one  of  the  most  witty  and  brilliant  orators 
ever  known  iu  this  part  of  the  state.  -He  made  a  famous 
speech  at  Vandalia  against  Theophilus  W.  Smith,  during 
the  impeachment  trial  of  that  gentleman  ;  and  with  the  at- 
torney-general, Alfred  Cowles,  prosecuted  P.  H.  Winchester 
for  the  killing  of  Daniel  D.  Smith, — Felix  Grundy,  the 
eminent  criminal  lawyer  of  Tennessee,  being  attorney  for  the 
defense. 

Mr.  Mills  moved  to  Galena  and  was  nominated  for  Con. 
gress  on  the  whig  ticket  for  the  northern  district  of  Illinois, 
but  was  defeated  at  the  election  by  Wra.  L.  May. 

John  S.  Greatiiouse  was  one  of  the  lawyers  who,  in 
past  years,  came  from  Carlinville  to  attend  cases  in  the 
Madison  county  courts  He  was  a  forcible  speaker  and  a 
good  lawyer.  While  in  this  state  he  had  an  extensive  prac- 
tice, and  his  services  were  always  in  good  demand.  In  1843 
he  removed  to  Kentucky,  where  he  resided  until  the  time  of 
his  death  in  1860. 

GusTAVU.s  KoERXER,  of  Belleville,  ex-lieutenant-gover- 
nor, has  at  times  been  engaged  as  counsel  at  the  Madison 
county  bar,  and  is  a  lawyer  of  considerable  ability.  A  great 
deal  of  his  time  has  been  spent  in  public  offices,  but  when 
not  so  engaged  he  has  given  his  attention  to  his  profession. 

Sketches  of  the  lives  of  James  Semple,  Samuel  D.  Lock- 
24 


wood,  and  Samuel  McRoberts,  will  be  found  in  the  article 
on  The  Bench. 

The  names  of  the  following  persons  are  found  on  the  re- 
cords of  the  courts  of  this  county,  but  they  never  figured 
conspicuously  in  law  circles,  and  we  have  been  unable  to 
obtain  data  of  their  live?  with  the  exception  of  the  year  in 
which  the  names  were  recorded  :  John  Cook  and  Edward 
Hen)pstead  (1816);  Thomas  Reynolds  (1817);  La  Fayette 
Collins,  Robert  Farris  (1819);  Nicolas  Hin.«on  (1820); 
Alfred  W.  Calvary,  David  Blackwcll  (1822) ;  Duff  Green 
(1825);  Gustavus  Bird,  Joshua  T.  Bradley  (1S28) ;  Wm. 
Wiochell  (1829)  ;  Theodore  N.  W.  Narcik  (time  unknown) ; 
Aaron  Woodman  (1833)  ;  L.  M.  Olden  and  John  'Si.  Stiin- 
tou  (time  unknown) 

FORMER  RESIDENT  LAWYEliS. 

NiNiAN  Edwards  was  born  in  Montgomery  Co.,  Jlaryland, 
in  177.5.  His  parents  being  wealthy,  he  was  enabled  to  get  pri- 
vate instructions,  and  up  to  the  time  of  his  entering  ci)llege, 
was  the  pupil  of  Rev.  Mr.  Hunt.  When  only  nineteen 
years  old,  he  left  college  without  completing  his  course  and 
went  to  Kentucky.  He  was  a  young  man  of  firm  mind, 
great  energy,  and  rare  intellectual  gifts,  and  fast  rose  to 
prominent  public  positions,  becoming  at  a  very  early  age 
Attorney-General  of  Kentucky.  At  thcage  of  twenty-eightt 
he  was  appointed  Chief  Justice  of  the  High  Court  of  Appeal. 
He  held  that  office  till  Cnief  Justice  B  lyle  of  Kentucky 
was  appointed  first  Governor  of  Illinois  Territory,  in  1809. 
Mr.  Edwards  preferred  to  be  Governor  of  Illinois ;  Mr. 
Boyle,  to  be  Chief  Justice  of  Kentucky.  All  j)arties  being 
pleased  with  the  exchange  of  appointments,  President  Madi- 
son sent  Edwards  out  as  the  first  Governor  of  Illinois  Terri- 
tory. He  held  this  office  till  1818,  when  he  was  elected  to 
the  U.  S.  Senate.  At  the  end  of  his  term  as  Senator,  he  was 
re-elected.  In  1812,  Gov.  Edwards  established,  by  procla- 
mation, the  counties  of  Madison,  Pope,  Johnson  and  Galla- 
tin. Edwards  county  and  Edwardsville  were  named  in  his 
honor. 

While  serving  as  U.  S.  Senator,  he  was  appointed 
Minister  to  Mexico,  by  President  Monroe.  In  1826,  he  was 
elected  Governor  of  Illinois,  and,  after  serving  his  terra  of 
office,  remained  at  Belleville  till  his  death,  July  20, 1833. 

James  W.  Whitney,  familiarly  known  as  "  Lord  Coke," 
came  from  Providence,  R.  I.,iu  1811,  and  settled  at  Upper 
Alton.  He  practiced  law  in  Madison  county  till  about  1830, 
vh  u  he  removed  to  Quincy,  Illinois.  He  died  some  ten 
years  ago  at  an  advanced  age,  in  Pike  county,  Illinois.  He 
was  a  man  of  remarkable  memory,  a  law  library  in  himself, 
hence  his  title  of  "  Lord  Coke."  He  always  wore  a  cue. 
During  the  sessions  of  the  Legislature  he  was  always  chosen 
Speaker  of  the  "  Legislative  Lobby,"  the  "  Third  House," 
which  was  an  assembly  of  citizens  and  legislator  for  the  dis- 
cussion of  public  questions.  Whitney  lacked  application, 
so  that  notwithstanding  his  admitted  ability,  he  never 
attained  a  leading  position  in  his  profession. 

Henry  Starr  came  from  the  east  and  settled  at  Edwards- 
ville  about   1818.     He   remained  here  till  1827  or  1828, 


186 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


■when  he  removed  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio.     He  was  a  profound 
]aw)'er,  and  rose  to  distinction  in  his  profession. 

In  1820,  Chester  Ashley  opened  a  law  office  in  Ed- 
■wardsville.  He  was  a  man  of  stylish  dress,  and,  in  this  re- 
spect, he  was  distinguished  as  theouly  man  in  these  parts  that 
wore  knee  breeches  and  white  top  boots.  He  was  a  brilliant 
man  and  a  profound  lawyer.  In  later  years  he  moved  to 
Arkansas,  from  which  state  he  was  elected  to  the  U-  S. 
Senate. 

Jesse  B.  TnonrAs  settled  at  Edwardsville  about  the  year 
1840,  and  remained  here  in  the  practice  of  law  some  six  or 
eight  years.  He  then  moved  to  Springfield,  and  thence  to 
Chicago.  Mr.  Thomas  was  a  man  of  fine  personal  appear-  i 
ance  and  commanding  presence,  and  his  legal  attainments 
■were  of  the  highest  order. 

For  a  short  time  Gov.  TnoiiAS  Fokd  was  a  member  of  | 
the  Madison  bar.  This  was  about  the  year  1830.  While  I 
here  he  married  a  Miss  Hambaugh.  He  was  a  very  able  I 
man  and  a  good  lawyer. 

Geo.  T.  M.  Davis  removed  from  the  state  of  New  York 
to  Illinois  in  1832.  He  was  a  good  lawyer,  and  for  several  i 
years  had  an  extensive  practice.  He  remained  in  Alton  till 
1846,  when  he  became  private  secretary  to  Gen.  Shields,  on 
whose  staff  he  continued  throughout  the  Mexican  war.  Soon 
after  the  close  of  the  war  he  became  associate  editor  of  the 
Louisville  Journal,  then  edited  by  the  celebrated  George  D. 
Prentice.  Davis  was  a  man  of  versatile  talents  and  a  very 
fluent  writer.  From  Louisville  he  went  to  the  city  of  New 
York  and  became  interested  in  the  Goodyear  Rubber  Com- 
pany. He  still  lives  in  that  city,  and  has  accumulated  a 
magnificent  fortune.  He  has  three  grandchildren  now  re- 
siding at  Alton. 

About  the  year  1832,  William  Martin  came  from 
Utica,  New  York,  and  made  his  home  in  Alton.  He  studied 
law  with  George  T.  M.  Davis,  and  commenced  practice  in 
Alton  in  1833.  He  was  a  man  of  great  professional  industry, 
and  was  an  able  lawyer.  He  continued  to  practice  here  till 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  March,  18-55.  He  was  for 
several  years  judge  of  the  municipal  court  of  Alton. 

In  1834,  John  M.  Krum  removed  from  New  York  to  Il- 
linois, and,  on  his  arrival  at  Alton,  formed  a  partnership 
with  Geo.  T.  M.  Davis  for  the  practice  of  law.  He  was  a 
well-read  and  skillful  lawyer.  During  his  residence  in  Alton 
he  dissolved  partnership  with  Davis,  and  was  for  some  time 
a  partner  of  Alfred  Cowles.  He  was  the  first  mayor  of  Al- 
ton. In  1834  he  removed  to  St.  Louis.  After  his  removal 
to  St.  Louis  he  was  elected  circuit  judge,  and  afterwards 
became  mayor  of  that  city.  He  is  still  a  resident  of  St. 
Louis. 

Henry  F.  Sedgwick  came  from  Albany,  New  York,  to 
Alton,  about  1834.  After  practicing  here  for  a  short  time, 
he  returned  to  New  York. 

J.  Russell  Bullock  was  born  in  Rhode  Island,  and  re- 
moved to  Alton  about  1835.  He  was  an  excellent  lawyer. 
He  practiced  in  Alton  till  1840,  when  he  returned  to  Rhode 
Island  and  became  a  judge  of  the  supreme  court.  While  in 
Alton  he  was  partner  of  Edward  Keating.  Judge  Bulkck 
is  still  living  in  Rhode  Island. 


Edward  Keating  removed  from  Maine  to  Alton,  111.,  in 
183.5.  He  was  a  brilliant  lawyer,  and  was  for  some  time  a 
partner  of  J.  Russell  Bullock.  Subsequently,  he  entered 
into  partnership  with  the  distinguished  lawyer,  U.  F.  Linder. 
For  a  considerable  period,  he  was  financial  agent  for  the 
Chicago  and  Alton  R.  R.  Go's.  During  a  business  visit  to 
New  York,  and  while  his  family  was  residing  in  Alton,  he 
died,  March  10,  1857.  Mr.  Keating  was  a  man  of  fine 
social  qualities. 

Samuel  G.  Bailey-,  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  came 
to  Alton,  from  Pennsylvania,  in  1836.  He  was  a  fair 
lawyer  and  practiced  in  Alton  until  his  death,  which  took 
place  about  1846.  But  little  is  now  known  of  an  attorney 
by  the  name  of  Wm.  L.  Sloss  who  came  to  Upper  Alton  in 
1836.     He  died  in  St.  Louis. 

Wm.FD  Wolf  was  born  in  Bristol,  R.  I.,  April  21, 
1811.  He  completed  a  course  of  study  in  Brown  Univer- 
sity, Providence,  R.  I.,  received  the  degree  of  Master 
of  Arts  from  that  institution  in  1831,  and  four  years  later 
had  conferred  on  him  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws.  He 
studied  law  with  Hon.  Theron  Metcalf  of  Massachusetts, 
and  afterwards  with  Hon.  Thomas  Burgess  of  Providence, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  Rhode  Island  bar  in  1834.  He 
practiced  law  in  partnership  with  Mr.  Burgess  till  the  fall 
of  1836  when  he  removed  to  Illinois  and  located  at  Alton. 
Af  er  practicing  at  Alton  eleven  years  he  was  elected  (in 
1847)  to  the  Legislature  as  a  member  of  the  House.  Soon 
after  his  first  term  as  Representative,  he  moved  to  Chicago, 
where  he  now  resides.  He  has  served  the  city  of  his  resi- 
dence as  City  Treasurer  and  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  now,  - 
at  the  age  of  seventy-one,  has  retired  from  active  business. 
John  W.  Chickring,  formerly  a  resident  attorney  of 
Alton,  came  to  that  place  in  1835  from  the  East.  In  1843 
he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  still  resides. 

Alex.\nder  M.  Jenkins  was  born  in  one  of  the  South- 
ern States,  Kentucky  most  probably,  but  removed  to  Illinois 
and  settled  in  Jackson  county,  where  he  married  a  Miss 
Brush,  an  Eastern  lady.  Jenkins  was  by  trade  a  carpenter, 
but  turning  his  attention  somewhat  to  politics  he  was  elected 
Lieutenant  Governor  of  this  State  in  1834,  which  office  he 
filled  very  creditably,  and  was  afterwards  appointed  in  1836 
to  the  office  of  Receiver  of  Public  Moneys  at  Edwardsville, 
Illinois,  which  office  he  retained  until  1838.  During  his 
residence  here  he  studied  law,  and  when  he  left  returned  to 
the  Southern  part  of  the  State  and  became  an  excellent 
lawyer  and  was  soon  elevated  to  the  bench,  which  place  he 
filled  very  acceptably  for  many  years.  Gov.  Jenkins  was  a 
remarkable  man.  He  attained  a  respectable  position  in 
the  legal  profession  solely  by  dint  of  his  assiduity  backed 
up  by  a  large  stock  of  natural  ability  and  good  tommon- 
sense.  He  had  no  extraneous  aid  whatever  in  climbing  the 
hill  of  fame.  His  dependence  was  solely  upon  himself 
His  reputation  was  that  of  an  honest  lawyer  and  judge. 

Henry  W.  Billings  came  from  the  East  at  a  compara- 
tively early  day  and  settled  at  Cairo,  111.,  where  he  remained 
a  few  years  and  then  removed  to  Monroe  Co  ,  111.  About 
1845  he  established  himself  in  the  practice  of  law  at  Alton 


HISTOBY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


187 


and  continued  to  practice  there  till  bis  death  in  1872.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  constitutional  convention  of  1870  from 
the  16th  district,  composed  of  Madison  and  Bond  counties. 
He  was  a  very  able  and  excellent  speaker,  and  was 
greatly  above  the  average  aad  was  able  to  compete  on 
equal  terms,  with  the  most  eminent  of  his  profession  in 
the  state.  He  conducted  his  cases  in  the  circuit  court  with 
great  adroitness,  and  was  not  often  excelled  in  the  prepara- 
tion and  nianagenieut  of  business  in  the  higher  courts.  He 
was  in  partnership  while  in  Alton  with  Lewis  B.  Parsons, 
now  of  Clay  county  Illinois,  and  the  firm  was  considered  one 
of  great  strength  and  reliability.  Billings  was  a  man  of 
remarkably  engaging  manners  and  splendid  presence,  and 
was  exceedingly  popular  with  both  bar  and  people. 

David  Jewett  Baker  was  born  atEast  Haddam,  Conn  , 
September  7th,  1792.  He  was  the  oldest  son  of  Bayze  and 
Johanna  Baker.  His  maternal  grandfather  was  Captain 
Miner,  who  commanded  a  vessel  in  the  Revolutionary  War  ; 
and  his  paternal  grandfather  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier 
who  died  in  New  York  City  while  a  British  captain.  His 
father  removed  to  West  Bloomfield,  X.  Y.,  in  1800,  and  set- 
tled on  a  farm.  David  had  no  taste  for  farm  work,  and 
eirly  determined  to  go  to  coljege.  He  prepared  himself,  and 
entered  the  Sophomore  class  of  Hamilton  College,  from  which 
Institution  he  graduated  in  1816.  He  decided  upon  the  law 
as  his  profession,  and  for  several  years  devoted  bis  entire 
time  and  attention  to  fitting  himself  for  the  work  —After 
being  admitted  to  the  Bar  he  removed  to  Illinois,  the  journey 
being  made  down  the  Ohio  river  in  a  flat-boat  as  far  as 
Shawneetown,  thence  on  horseback,  to  Kaskaskia,  then  the 
capital  and  largest  town  in  the  State.  He  entered  upon  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  but  did  not  use  it  as  a  stepping- 
stone  to  political  preferment.  He  was  made  Judge  of  the 
probate  court  of  Randolph  county,  and  held  the  office  for 
several  years.  In  1829  he  was  appointed  United  States 
Senator  from  Illinois  by  Governor  Edwards.  While  in 
Congress  he  successfully  carried  through  the  measure  for  dis- 
posing of  public  lands  in  tracts  of  forty  acres,  making  a 
great  change  in  the  old  laws  of  the  disposition  of  lands,  and 
one  that  greatly  benefited  settlers.  In  1833  he  was  ap- 
pointed United  States  Attorney  for  Illinois  by  president 
Jackson,  and  was  re-appointed  in  1837  by  president  Van  Bu- 
ren.  In  18-18  he  ran  for  Judg;  of  the  Suprema  court  of 
Illinois,  but  was  defeated  by  Judge  Lyman  Trumbull.  Judge 
Bdker  was  one  of  the  earliest  and  leading  Republicans  in 
the  state.  He  was  with  Owen  Lovejoy  and  others  in 
1854  when  the  party  was  organized.  He  was  a  bitter  and 
unrelenting  advocate  of  the  prohibition  of  slavery.  When 
it  was  attempted  to  introduce  the  iniquitous  traffic  in  this 
state  he  turned  his  whole  power  against  it.  For  his  bold 
utterances  he  was  attacked  in  the  streets  of  Kaskaskia  by 
Gov.  Reynolds  of  Missouri.  The  marks  of  the  bludgeon 
used  by  Gov.  Reynolds  on  Judge  Baker's  head  were  carried 
by  him  to  his  dying  day.  As  a  lawyer  he  was  distinguished 
and  eminent,  and  a  majority  of  the  important  cases  in  the 
Supreme  court  reports  up  tothetimeof  his  retirement  from  the 
profession  will  be  found  to  be  connected  with  his  name.  In 
1841  on  account  of  the  wonderful  overflow  of  the  Mississippi 


River,  he  removed  to  Alton,  where  he  continued  the  practice 
of  his  profession  until  the  year  1854  when  he  retired  from 
its  active  duties  and  devoted  the  remainder  of  his  daj's  in 
beautifying  and  ornamenting  his  home  in  Middletowu. 
Judge  Baker  was  married  twice.  His  first  wife  was  Miss 
Sara!)  Tenney  Fairchild,  of  Geneva,  N.  Y.  She  died  May 
4th,  1859.  He  was  united  to  his  second  wife,  Miss  Elizabeth 
Swanwick,  of  Chester,  Ills. 

Judge  Baker  died  at  Alton,  on  the  6th  of  August,  1869,  at 
the  age  of  77  years.  At  the  January  term  of  1870  of  the 
Supreme  court,  resolutions  were  placed  upon  the  record  of 
the  court  commemorative  of  Judge  Baker.  Chief  Justite 
Breese,  who  had  known  Judge  Baker  from  boyhood,  in 
closing  his  remarks  upon  the  resolutions  said  :  "  In  a  few 
words  he  was  a  ripe  scholar,  a  genial  gentleman,  a  faithful 
friend,  a  true  patriot  and  a  Christian,  and  well  worthy  of 
the  honors  this  day  done  to  his  memory." 

Daniel  Kerr  was  in  former  years  a  practicing  attorney 
of  Edwardsville.  He  is  of  Scotch  descent,  and  possesses  the 
industry  and  thrift  that  are  characteristic  of  the  Scotch 
people.  He  married  a  daughter  of  John  Estabrook,  an 
old  and  wealthy  citizen  of  Madison  county,  and,  some  years 
ago,  removed  to  western  Iowa.  Mr.  Kerr  is  a  well  read 
lawyer,  of  good  promise  ;  is  attentive  to  his  busine.^s  and 
faithful  to  his  clients.  JoHX  Fitch,  who  lived  at  Edwards- 
ville a  number  of  years  ago,  wasa  lawyer,  but  never  figured 
extensively  in  the  courts.  He  was  engaged  as  editor  of  a 
spirited  newspaper  about  the  beginning  of  the  rebellion  • 
entered  the  military  service  of  the  United  States ;  wrote 
and  published  some  very  interesting  reminiscences  of  the 
war;  and,  since  peace  was  declared,  has  resided  at  Chicago. 
Lyman  Trumbull,  a  former  lawyer  of  Madison  county, 
was  originally  from  Connecticut.  From  his  native  state,  he 
moved  to  Georgia,  and  thence  to  Illinois,  locating  at  Belle- 
ville, where  he  practiced  about  ten  years.  He  resided  next 
at  Alton,  aud  while  there,  was  appointed  Secretary  of  State 
by  Gov.  Carliu.  In  1848,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the 
Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois,  and  held  that 
position  for  a  long  term  of  years,  and  in  lSo8  was  elected 
to  Congress,  but  before  taking  his  seat  in  the  House  was 
chosen  United  States  Senator.  He  is  a  very  able  and  suc- 
cessful lawyer ;  exceedingly  diligent  and  ambitious  to  win 
his  cases;  thoroughly  versed  in  orgauic  and  statute  law  ; 
aud  when  on  the  bench,  was  one  of  the  most  acute  and  dis- 
crimiuating  judges. 

Lewis  B.  Parsons  is  a  member  of  the  celebrated  Par- 
sons family  of  Massachusetts.  He  emigrated  somewhere 
about  1835  or  '36,  and  settled  in  Alton,  and  soon  became  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Billings  &  Parsons.  He  had  the 
reputation  of  being  a  very  sound  and  industrious  lawyer. 
His  forte,  however,  consisted  in  his  remarkable  business  ca- 
pacities. At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  of  the  rebellion 
he  was  selected  for  commissary  of  subsistence  of  the  west, 
and  he  discharged  its  multifarious  and  complicated  duties 
with  transcendent  ability,  and  gained  a  world-wide  reputa- 
tion. Since  the  close  of  the  war  he  engaged  extensively  in 
farming  in  Clay  county,  Illinois,  where  we  believe  he  now 
resides.     Parsons  when  at  the  bar  was  always   confided  in, 


li 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


as   an    enterprising    attentive,    successful,    and    honorable 
member  of  the  profession. 

John  York  Baavyer,  came  here  from  Vermont  and  set- 
tled in  E  iwardsville  as  early  as  1817,  and  commenced  prac-  j 
ticing  law.  He  was  very  soon  however,  placed  upon  the 
circuit  bench,  which  he  occupied  when  he  died.  He  mar- 
ried a  Miss  Ground  of  this  county,  who  survived  him,  but  by 
whom  he  never  had  any  children.  But  little  was  known 
of  him  as  a  lawyer,  though  he  was  reputed  to  be  a  good  judge. 

John  G.  Cameron,  was  born  in  New  York  and  removed 
to  Edwardsville,  where  he  opened  a  law  office  or  rather 
occupied  the  office  of  James  Semple.  He  was  soon  placed 
in  the  office  of  receiver  of  the  land  office,  which  he 
filled  from  1845  till  184',  when  he  removed  to  the  southern 
portion  of  Illinois,  where  he  practiced  his  profession  for  some 
years,  and  then  removed  to  and  settled  in  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
He  was  the  brother-in-law  of  Alexander  M  Jenkin«,  who 
held  the  office  of  register  of  the  land  office  in  Edwardsville 
for  many  years,  and  who  removed  or  rather  returned  to 
southern  Illinois  and  read  law,  and  was  elected  to  a  judge- 
ship, which  position  he  occupied  we  believe  until  his  death. 
Cameron's  practice  was  but  slight  here,  owing  to  his  soon 
engaging  in  political  life,  but  he  was  considered  by  those 
who  knew  him  intimately,  to  be  a  well-read  lawyer.  He 
died  in  St.  Louis  not  many  years  since. 

William  A.  J.  Sparks,  now  member  of  Congress  from  the 
Carlyle  district,  was  formerly  a  resident  of  Edwardsville. 
He  is  an  ludiauian  by  birth,  and  removed  with  his  parents 
to  Illinois  in  1836.  In  early  life,  being  dependent  upon 
his  own  exertions,  he  labored  on  a  farm,  and  at  intervals 
attended  the  country  schools.  He  afterwards  taught  school, 
^nd  in  1820  graduated  at  McKendree  College.  Studied 
law  with  Judge  Breese,  and  in  1851,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar,  began  practice  at  Carlyle,  and  in  1853  was  appointed 
by  President  Pierce,  United  States  land  receiver  for  the 
Edwardsville,  (111.)  land  office,  and  held  the  office  until  1856. 
He  has  represented  his  district  several  times  in  Congress. 
Mr.  Sparks  is  a  ready  speaker,  fine  debater  and  very  popu- 
lar in  his  congressional  district. 

Joseph  H.  Sloss,  practiced  for  a  time  in  partnership 
with  Col.  Rutherford.  He  was  an  easy,  graceful  speaker, 
and  good  lawyer.  Mr.  S.  is  a  native  of  Florence,  Alabama, 
where  he  received  a  good  education.  He  left  here  about 
1861,  and  went  south,  subsequently  was  elected  to  Congress 
from  Alabama,  and  is  now  one  of  the  prominent  and  well 
known  men  of  that  state,  is  a  Republican  and  at  present  U- 
S.  Marshall  for  the  northern  district  of  Alabama  ;  now  a  res- 
ident of  Huntsville. 

David  Prickett,  was  the  son  of  Elisha  Prickett,  and 
brother  of  Absalom,  Isaac,  Jacob,  John,  George  and  Elisha 
Prickett,  former  residents  and  prominent  citizens  of  Madi- 
son county.  Ills.  David  studied  law  at  an  early  day,  and 
practiced  in  conjunction  with  Thomas  Atwater  with  very 
good  success.  Atwater,  however,  soon  removed  to  the 
northern  part  of  the  state,  and  David  Prickett  became  judge 
of  probate  of  this  county,  which  office  he  filled  until  his  re- 
moval to  Springfield,  where  he  married  a  Miss  Lamb,  a 
connection  of  the  family  of  Thomas  Mather,  President  of 


the  State  Bank  of  Illinois.  Prickett  we  believe  withdrew 
from  the  profession,  when  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Spring- 
field. The  firm  of  Prickett  and  Atwater  was  regarded  as  a 
reliable  one.  Prickett  died  in  Springfield,  leaving  a  widow 
and  several  children. 

Alfred  Cowles,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  on  coming  to 
Illinois  settled  first  at  Belleville,  and  removed  thence,  in 
1839,  to  Alton.  While  serving  as  Attorney-general  he  and 
Benjamin  Mills  prosecuted  P.  H.  Winchester  for  the  kill- 
ing of  Daniel  D.  Smith,  a  citizen  of  Pike  county.  111.  In 
this  celebrated  case,  which  was  tried  at  Edwardsville  about 
1824,  Henry  Starr,  of  Edwardsville,  and  that  eminent  crim- 
inal lawyer,  Felix  Grundy,  of  Tennessee,  were  attorneys 
for  the  defense.  The  trial,  which  was  a  battle  of  legal 
giants,  resulted  in  the  acquittal  of  Winchester.  Mr.  Cowles 
spent  the  last  years  of  his  life  in  Oregon.  He  was  a  man 
of  acknowUdged  legal  ability,  and  was  considered  a  very 
safe  and  reliable  lawyer. 

Francis  B.  Murdock  was  an  attorney  of  Madison  county 
for  several  years  preceding  1841,  at  which  time  he  removed 
to  St.  Louis.  He  afterward  went  to  California,  and  there 
died.  He  was  engaged  in  general  practice  and  was  called  a 
good  lawyer. 

Horatio  Bigelow  came  to  jSIadison  county  in  1837,  and 
began  the  practice  of  law.  He  was  appointed  assignee  in 
bankruptcy  for  Madison  county,  when  the  county  was 
laboring  under  financial  embarrassment  in  the  40's.  Mr. 
Bigelow  removed  to  Boston  some  years  ago,  and  still  resides 
there. 

David  H.  Brigham,  formerly  a  resident  of  Alton,  had  a 
legal  education  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  but  never 
devoted  much  time  to  practice.  He  engaged  in  speculations, 
and  after  living  here  a  few  years  went  to  Iowa  in  1850. 

Usher  F.  Linder  lived  in  this  county  some  three  or 
four  years;  came  about  1837.  He  was  a  very  brilliant 
lawyer,  and  had  a  good  practice.  On  leaving  this  county 
he  went  to  Chicago,  where  he  died  a  few  years  ago. 

Palemon  H.  Winchester  settled  in  Illiueis  about   1819 

or  1820,  and  was  united  in  marriage  to  a  daughter  of  Col. 

Benjamin  Stephenson,  of  Edwardsville.     He  practiced  law 

here  until  his  trial  for  the  killing  of  Daniel  D.  Smith,  in 

1824,  for  which  he  was  tried  in  this  county  and  acquitted. 

He   was  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and   was   def  nded   by  the 

^   celebrated  Felix  Grundy  of  that  state.     He  lived  here  a 

!   few  years  after  bis  trial  and    then  removed  to  Macoupin 

!   county,  in  this  state. 

From  1«35  to  1840,  there  lived  at  Edwardsville  a  young 
attorney,  named  Junius  Hall.  He  was  an  accomplished 
lawyer  and  had  a  fine  practice  for  those  times,  but  became 
discouraged,  as  it  seemed  to  him  that  the  West  was  making 
very  slow  progress,  and  returned  to  Boston,  whence  he  had 
come  only  a  few  years  before.  He  was  a  partner  of  Newton 
D.  Strong,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  who  removed  to  Easton, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  studied  law  with  his  brother^ 
'  William  Strong,  late  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States.  He  came  to  Edwardsville  about  1835,  and 
while  here  he  married  a  daughter  of  Hon.  Cyrus  Edwards. 
After  his  marriage  he  returned  to  Easton,  and  there  engaged 


HISTORY  OF     MA  DISO  N  CO  UNT  Y,  IL  L I  NO  IS. 


189 


in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  Shortly  after  the  death  of 
his  wife  at  Eiiston,  he  again  came  west  and  located  at  St. 
Louis,  where  he  died  Mr.  Strong  was  a  man  of  marked 
ability,  a  finished  scholar,  and  as  a  lawyer  had  few  equals. 
He  ouce  represented  Madison  county  in  the  Illinois  Legisla- 
ture ;  his  style  of  addressing  the  court  was  purely  Websteriau 
— never  using  a  word  too  many  nor  a  word  too  few. 

Franklin  Niles,  who  was  a  young  lawyer  from  Easton, 
Penna.,  came  to  Edwardsville  about  1840  and  opened  an 
office  with  Judge  Joseph  Gillespie.  He  left  his  practice  to 
engage  in  the  Mexican  war  under  Col.  Doniphan,  who  after- 
wards became  a  general,  but  died  at  the  commencement  of  \ 
the  march  at  110  mile  creek.  He  was  an  excellent  lawyer, 
and  was  remarkable  for  the  facility  with  which  he  could  pre- 
pare his  papers  and  for  the  accuracy  of  his  pleadings.  Had 
Mr.  Niles  lived  he  would  have  become,  in  all  probability,  an 
eminent  lawyer. 

Wm.  S.  Lincoln,  a  son  of  Gov.  Levi  Lincoln,  of  ilassa- 
chusetts,  lived  in  Alton  from  about  183-5  to  1840.  He  had 
a  fair  share  of  the  law  practice  in  this  county  in  those  times, 
and  had  he  remained  would,  perhaps,  have  become  one  of 
the  leading  lawyers  of  this  section,  but  becoming  discouraged 
by  the  hard  times  that  set  in  here  about  1840  he  returned  to 
his  native  state.  His  brother,  John  W.  Lincoln,  was  a  law- 
yer here   about  the  same  time,  but  never  practiced  much- 

Nelson  G.  Edwards  came  with  his  father,  Hon.  Cyrus 
Edwards,  to  Illinois  when  a  mere  child.  Having  completed 
his  literary  education  at  Shurtlett' College,  Upper  Alton,  111., 
he  began  the  study  of  law  under  the  supervision  of  his 
father.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  when  quite  young,  and 
formed  a  jjartnershij)  with  Levi  Davis  of  Alton.  He  was  a 
lawyer  of  good  promise,  and  would  no  doubt  have  at'ained 
considerable  prominence  in  his  profession  and  in  political 
life  as  well,  had  he  not  died  a  few  years  after  his  admission 
to  practice.  He  was  a  man  of  rare  gifts,  and  was  exceed- 
ingly popular  and  engaging  in  his  manners ;  was  zealous  and 
indefatigable,  and  had  the  entire  confidence  of  the  public 
for  integrity  and  ability-  Perhaps  no  other  young  man  in 
this  country  made  a  more  favorable  and  lasting  impression 
upon  acquaintances  and  friends  than  did  Nelson  G.  Ed- 
wards. 

Alexander  AY.  Jones,  an  eccentric  man,  but  well  edu- 
cated and  a  good  lawyer,  located  in  Jladi.son  county  in  183G. 
He  was  appointed  register  of  the  land  office  at  Edwards- 
ville about  1841  or  1842  by  President  Tyler,  and  died  at 
that  place  some  years  afterward. 

Lauresten  Kobbins,  who  resided  at  Alton  from  1830  to 
1846,  prei)ared  himself  for  practice  under  the  direction  of 
Hon.  Seth.  T.  Sawyer  of  Alton  ;  as  also  did  Foster  Fletcher, 
who  came  to  the  county  in  1842  and  remained  here  till  184.5, 
■when  he  removed  to  Carrollton,  111  Neither  of  these  gen- 
tlemen practiced  very  extensively,  and  both  went  into  the 
Mexican  war  and  were  killed  at  the  battle  of  Buena 
Y  ista. 

James  W.  Davis,  was  a  young  man  who  was  admitted  to 
practice  just  before  the  beginniii:^  of  the  rebellion.  He  en- 
listed in  the  Union  army,  served  out  his  term  (jf  enlistment. 


and  returned  to  Alton,  but  soon  went  west  and  settled  in 
the  vicinity  of  O.naha,  where  he  has  since  lived 

Joseph  Conway  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Illinois. 
He  came  from  Kentucky  to  this  state  as  early  as  1812,  per- 
haps earlier.  AVhen  Illinois  became  a  state  he  was  appoint- 
ed clerk  of  the  circuit  court  for  the  county,  and  held  that 
position  till  1825.  In  1828  he  was  elected  to  the  state  sen- 
ate from  Madison  county.  At  the  close  of  his  service  as 
state  senator,  or  shortly  thereafter,  he  removed  to  Rock 
Island,  111.,  and  while  residing  there,  fell  from  the  upper 
to  the  lower  deck  of  a  steamboat,  thereby  sustaining 
injuries  from  which  he  died. 

John  Tbibble  came  to  Alton  in  1852,  opened  a  law  office, 
and  was  engaged  in  the  duties  of  his  profession  till  the  be- 
ginning of  the  late  war,  when  he  entered  the  Union  army. 
AVhile  serving  his  country,  he  was  so  badly  wounded  that 
he  was  sent  home  to  Alton,  where  he  died  of  his  injuries. 

Friend  S.  Rutherford  was  a  resident  lawyer  of  Ed- 
wardsville, and  afterwards  of  Alton,  from  1856  till  the 
opening  of  hostilities  between  the  north  and  the  south,  when 
he  enlisted  and  became  colonel  of  an  Illinois  regiment.  He 
served  throughout  the  war  as  a  soldier,  and  at  its  close 
came  back  to  this  county,  where  he  died  a  few  years  later. 

George  T.  Brown,  of  Alton,  who  died  some  years  ago  ,w  as 
an  attorney,  but  he  did  not  give  his  attention  so  much  to 
law  as  to  jjolitics,  in  which  he  played  an  important  part  in 
Madison  and  the  adjoining  counties. 

B.  F.  Lucas,  who  came  from  Pennsylvania,  opened  an 
office  at  Edwardsville  in  1876,  and  after  remaining  about  a 
year,  removed  to  Missouri. 

Charles  Newman,  a  native  of  Madison  county,  graduated 
from  St.  Louis  Law  School  iu  1874,  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  Illinois;  and  after  practicing  a  year,  closed  his  office  and 
engaged  in  farming. 

Charles  F.  Springer,  a  cousin  of  Wm.  M.  Springer, 
M.  C.  from  Springfield  district,  was  born  in  Sullivan  county, 
Indiana,  Aug.  10,  1834,  and  emigrated  to  Illinois  iu  1848. 
He  graduated  with  honor  at  Asbury  University,  Greencas. 
tie,  Ind.,  in  1858,  and  soon  after  completing  his  collegiate 
course  began  his  legal  education  in  the  office  of  Judges  David 
and  Joseph  Gillespie  at  Edwardsville.  Upon  his  admission 
to  the  bar  in  1859,  he  became  the  par'ner  of  Judge  David 
Gillespie,  and  the  remaining  years  of  his  life,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  iutervals  during  which  he  was  called  to  public 
duties,  were  devoted  to  his  profession.  He  was  a  man  of 
splendid  presence  and  pleasing  address,  and  at  once  con. 
vincel  those  with  whom  he  came  in  contact,  of  his  sterling 
integrity.  He  was  a  profound  thinker,  a  good  lawyer,  a 
shrewd  politician,  and  was  eminently  gifted  as  a  speaker. 
He  was  one  of  the  prominent  members  of  the  Constitutional 
Convention  of  1870.  His  death,  which  occurred  November 
15,  1370,  filled  with  deep  sorrow  the  hearts  of  his  numerous 
friends  and  admirers. 

Frank  W.  Burnett,  a  former  resident  attorney  of  Ed- 
wardsville, was  born  in  Michigan  in  1849.  His  literary 
education  was  acquired  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
state  and  in  Germany.  He  received  his  legal  education  at 
the  University  of  ]\Iichigan,  from  which  institution  he  gra- 


190 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    IL 1 1  NO  IS. 


duated  in  1873.  In  the  same  year  he  was  examined  and 
licensed  to  practice  in  Illinoi;^,  and  soon  after  was  admitted 
to  partnersliip  with  ]\[e.ssrs.  Dale  and  Burnett  of  Edwards- 
■ville.  Judge  Dale  withdrew  from  the  firm  in  1876,  on  ac- 
count of  his  election  to  the  office  of  county  judge,  leaving 
George  B.  and  Frank  W.  Burnett  to  continue  the  business. 
In  1S77  the  brothers  dissolved  partnership,  each  establishing 
a  law  office  for  himself.  After  practicing  alone  for  some 
mouths,  Frank  W.  became  a  law  partner  of  B.  R.  Bur- 
roughs. He  was  associated  with  Mr.  Burroughs  till  1881, 
when  he  removed  to  Springfield,  Ills.  He  still  remains  at 
that  place  in  the  practice  of  his  profession. 

Judge  David  Gillespie  was  born  in  Edwardsville,  Sep- 
tember oO,  1828.  In  the  absence  of  public  schools  at  that 
early  day,  he  received  a  rudimentary  education  in  the  pri- 
vate schools  of  his  native  town,  and  afterwards  continued  his 
studies  for  a  time  at  Shurtleft' College.  While  yet  a  lad,  he 
entered  the  office  of  his  uncle,  Joseph  Gillespie,  and  applied 
himself  diligently  to  the  study  of  law.  He  afterwards  at- 
tended a  course  of  law  lectures  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  on 
attaining  his  majority  in  1849  was  examined  and  admitted 
to  practice  in  Illinois.  He  immediately  became  the  law 
partner  of  his  uncle  Joseph,  the  style  of  the  firm  being  J.  & 
D.  Gillespie.  This  partnership  continued  till  1861,  when 
Joseph  Gillespie  was  elected  circuit  judge,  and  David  be- 
came the  law  partner  of  Charles  F  Springer,  with  whom  he 
was  associated  till  the  death  of  the  latter  in  1870.  He  prac- 
ticed by  himself  from  1870  to  1872,  when  he  took  Cyrus 
Happy  into  partnership  with  him.  Mr.  Happy  was  his 
partner  till  1879,  after  which  time  and  till  his  death,  Aug. 
1,  1881,  he  had  an  office  by  himself.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  one  of  the  noted  lawyers  of  Illinois,  aud  was 
well  worthy  of  the  high  reputation  which  he  bore  among  the 
legal  fraternity. 

His  eminent  success  as  a  lawyer  was  due  chiefly  to  his 
wonderful  powers  of  mental  abstraction.  While  engaged 
in  the  consideration  of  questions,  he  seemed  oblivious  to 
everything  else.  He  was  a  man  of  logical  miud  and  of  re- 
markably retentive  memory.  His  devotion  to  the  cause  of 
his  clients,  of  whom  he  always  had  a  great  number,  was 
constant  aud  untiring.  He  was  a  most  conscientious  attor- 
ney, never  advising  to  bring  suit  unless  fully  satisfied  of  the 
justness  of  his  cause.  He  was  a  large-hearted,  generous 
m  in,  bestowing  benefactions  upon  the  needy  and  the  frieiid- 
less  wherever  he  met  them.  His  great  professional  ability 
was  always  at  the  command  of  the  poor  as  well  as  of  the 
rich  ;  and  fees  were  of  minor  consideration  to  him  in  defend- 
ing the  right  or  exposing  the  wrong.  His  wonderful  power 
over  a  jury  consisted,  not  in  the  ordinary  method  of  appeal- 
ing to  their  sympathies,  but  in  presenting  the  facts  of  his 
case  with  such  sincerity  aud  clearness  as  to  produce  convic- 
tion in  the  minds  of  all  intelligent  hearers.  In  his  conduct 
of  cases  he  made  no  attempt  at  oratorical  display,  but  every 
sentence  he  spoke  raiig  with  true  eloquence. 

He  was  naturally  averse  to  political  life,  and  scorned  the 
many  petty  schemes  and  intrigues  by  which  men  often 
rise  to  official  position.  Consequently  he  held  no  political 
office  except  that  of  county  judge  of  Madisoa  county,  for 


one  term.  Prior  to  his  election,  Madison  county  orders  had 
always  been  at  a  discount,  and  consequently  the  medium  of 
unjust  speculation,  greatly  to  the  detriment  of  the  county's 
credit ;  but  during  his  term  of  office  he  borrowed  money  on 
his  own  account,  paid  off  the  county  orders,  and  brought 
theraJo  par,  where  they  have  since  remained,  thereby  saving 
large  amounts  of  money  to  the  county.  Judge  Gillespie 
was  a  man  of  the  finest  morals ;  was  very  plain,  aud  some- 
what careless  in  dress.  He  was  exceedingly  fond  of  his 
family.  He  was  very  fixed  in  his  likes  aud  dislikes,  but  was 
never  disposed  to  antagonize  anybody.  Like  Fabricius  of 
old,  he  could  not  more  easily  be  turned  from  honesty  than 
the  sun  from  its  course.  He  was  everybody's  friend,  but  to 
the  poor  and  unfortunate  his  sympathy  and  services  were 
especially  extended.  His  death,  in  the  prime  of  his  noble 
manhood,  has  left  in  the  community  a  void  that  can  not 
soon  be  filled. 

PRESENT  MEMBERS  OF  THE  BAR. 

Seth  T.  Sawyer  is  the  oldest  practicing  lawyer  in 
Madison  county,  aud  is  one  of  the  oldest  active  members  of 
the  profession  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  He  was  born  on  the 
19th  of  August,  1806,  at  Reading,  Windsor  Co.,  Vt.  His 
early  education  was  obtained  first  in  the  common  schools  of 
his  native  state  and  in  Chester  Academy  of  Windsor  county. 
In  1830,  he  commenced  reading  law  in  the  office  of  Nathan 
Sawyer  at  Medina,  Orleans  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  continued  there 
till  October  9,  1831,  when  he  removed  to  Illinois,  reaching 
Alton,  October  29.  He  at  once  resumed  the  study  of  law  in 
the  office  of  Hon.  James  Semple,  who  was  then  practicing  at 
Edwardsville.  He  r^-mained  in  Judge  Semple's  office  till 
the  spring  of  1*^32,  when  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and 
became  a  partner  of  his  preceptor.  He  thus  practiced  till 
183(5,  when  the  partnership  dissolved  aud  he  removed  to 
Alton,  where  he  has,  since  that  time,  had  an  office.  He  has 
been  a  notary  public  for  twenty  years.  In  1836,  he  was 
appointed  State  printer,  vice  his  brother,  .lohn  Sawyer, 
deceased.  Since  1855,  he  has  been  U.  S.  Commissioner. 
Although  engaged  iu  a  general  practice  he  has  been  best 
known  as  a  real  estate  lawyer.  He  has  also  had  an  extensive 
practice  in  the  federal  courts.  His  practice  in  this  state  has 
been  mainly  in  the  first,  second  aud  third  judicial  circuits. 
Mr.  Sawyer,  notwithstanding  his  advanced  years,  still  con- 
ducts cases  in  the  courts  with  much  of  tje  vigor  and  energy 
of  his  younger  days. 

Among  the  ranks  of  the  present  veterans  and  dis- 
tinguished lawyers  of  Illinois,  no  one,  perhaps,  is  better 
known  or  more  illustrious  thau  Judge  Joseph  Gillespie  of 
pAlwardsville.  This  eminent  jurist  was  born  in  New  York 
in  the  year  1809,  and  as  there  were  few  schools  at  that 
day,  he  received  his  early  education  under  the  direction  of 
his  mother,  who  was  a  woman  of  superior  intellectual 
ability.  In  1819  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Illinois,  aud 
settled  on  a  farm  iu  Madison  county  About  the  year  ls30 
he  became  acquainted  with  the  Hon  Cyrus  Edwards,  then  a 
distinguished  retired  lawyer  of  this  county,  who  saw  iu 
young  Gillespie  indications  of  true  mental  worth,  and  invited 
him  to  become  his  student  of  law. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


191 


After  two  years  of  diligent  application  to  his  legal 
studies  in  the  office  of  his  gfcercus  patron,  Mr.  Gillespie 
attended  a  course  of  lectures  on  law  at  the  Transylvania 
University,  of  Kentucky.  In  1837  he  was  examined  and 
admitted  to  the  bar,  and  during  the  same  year  opened  a  law 
office  in  Edwardsville,  where  he  has  since  continued  in 
active  practice.  In  1840  he  was  elected  to  the  lower  House 
of  the  State  Legislature,  and  there  made  the  acquaintance 
of  Mr.  Lincoln,  w'hich  afterwanis  ripened  into  a  life-long, 
intimate  friendship.  In  1847,  Mr.  Gillespie  was  elected  to 
the  State  Senate,  and  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  that  body 
during  the  next  eight  years.  In  1861  he  was  honored  with 
the  election  to  the  circuit  bench  of  this  district,  and  filled 
with  distinction  that  position  till  1873.  Asa  citizen,  lawyer, 
legislator,  or  jurist.  Judge  Joseph  Gillespie  stands  in  the 
ranks  of  the  distinguished  men  of  our  great  commonwealth, 
and  is  one  of  the  few  survivers  of  those  noble  sons  of 
Illinois  who  for  the  last  half  century,  both  in  field  and 
forum,  have  won  their  way  to  fame  and  distinction. 

Henuy  S.  Baker,  son  of  Judge  David  J.  Baker, 
was  born  at  Kaskaskia  111.,  November  10,  1824.  He  re- 
ceived his  preparatory  education  at  Shurtleff  College, 
Upper  Alton,  HI.,  and  in  1843  went  to  Brown  Univer- 
sity, at  Providence,  R  I.  He  graduated  at  Brown  in 
1847,  and  studied  law  with  his  father  at  Alton,  during 
the  next  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  was 
admitted  to  practice.  He  was  in  partnership  with  his 
father  for  some  time,  but  when  the  latter  retired  from 
active  practice  he  formed  a  copartnership  with  Wm.  B. 
Gilbert,  his  nephew,  who  is  now  a  prominent  attorney  at 
Cairo,  III.  This  firm  lasted  until  183o,  when  Mr.  Gilbert 
left  Alton.  In  the  same  year  he  was  elected  judge  of  the 
city  court  of  Alton.  He  held  this  office  until  1881,  a  period 
of  sixteen  years,  although  he  was  a  Republican  and  the  city 
strontrly  Djmocratic.  In  March,  188 1,  he  was  defeated  for 
the  office  by  Judge  A.  H.  Gambrill,  a  Democrat.  He  then 
formed  a  partnership  with  John  J.  Brenholt,  of  Alton,  and 
the  firm  at  once  took  a  leading  place  among  those  of  the 
Madison  county  bar,  and  is  still  in  successful  continuance. 
Judge  Baker  has  had  little  to  do  with  politics,  although  a 
popular  man  and  a  pleasing  public  speaker;  yet  he  has 
from  time  to  lime  been  honored  by  his  party  by  being  chosen 
member  of  State  and  National  Republican  conventions  ; 
notably  the  Republican  convention  held  at  Bloomington  in 
1856;  the  Republican  State  convention,  of  1876,  of  which 
he  was  president,  and  in  the  same  year,  the  Republican  Na- 
tional Convention,  at  Ciuciun  Iti. 

Another  able  and  prominent  member  of  the  Madison 
county  bar,  and  one  long  identified  with  the  profession,  is 
the  Hon.  A.  W.  Metcalf,  of  Edwardsville. 

Mr.  ]\retcalf  was  born  in  Guernsey  county,  Ohio,  August 
6th,  1828,  and  received  his  literary  education  at  Madison 
College  in  his  native  county,  from  which  institution,  having 
completed  the  classical  course,  he  graduated  in  1846.  He 
afterward  studied  law  three  years  in  the  office  of  Evans 
and  Scott  at  Cambridge,  Ohio,  and  in  1850,  having  passed 
the  required  examination,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  his 
native  state.     In  January,  1851,  he  went  to  Appleton,  Wis- 


consin, where,  in  company  with  George  H.  Myers,  he 
opened  an  office  and  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion. 

Having  remained  there  a  year,  he  in  1852  went  to  St. 
Louis  and  came  thence  to  Edwardsville,  whence,  after  stop- 
ping a  few  months,  he  went  to  Alton  to  transact  the  legal 
business  of  George  T  Brown  and  to  perform  the  duties  of 
reporter  for  the  Alton  Courier. 

In  January,  1853,  he  returned  to  Elwardsville,  opened  a 
law  office,  and  has  here,  ever  since,  continued  in  active  prac- 
tice. In  18.59  he  was  appointed  state's  attorney  by  Gov. 
William  H.  Bissell,  and  served  one  year  in  that  capacity. 
In  1864,  he  was  elected  to  the  state  senate  from  the  district 
composed  of  Madison  and  St.  Clair  counties,  and  took  a 
leading  part  in  the  deliberations  of  that  body  till  the  expi- 
ration of  his  term  in  1868.  In  1872,  he  was  a  delegate  to 
the  national  Republican  convention  which  met  at  Philadel- 
phia, and  which  nominated  Gen.  Grant  for  re-election  to  the 
Pre.-<i(lency.  In  1876  he  was  a  lay  delegate  from  the  south- 
ern Illinois  conference  to  the  national  iSIethodist  conference, 
which  held  its  session  that  year  at  Baltimore,  Md.  He  was 
also  a  delegate  to  the  national  Republican  convention  which 
met  at  Chicago  in  1880  and  which  nominated  Gen.  Garfield. 

During  the  last  twenty  years  he  has  been  a  tru.-^tee  of 
McKendree  College,  and  in  that  capacity  has  done  much  to 
advance  the  interests  of  that  institution. 

Mr.  Metcalf  has  always  taken  a  deep  and  active  interest 
in  the  Sunday-school  cause,  attending  most  of  the  State 
Sunday-chool  conventions  and  otherwise  contributing  to  the 
advancemeat  of  that  work  throughout  the  state.  He  was 
for  one  j'ear  the  law  partner  of  Judge  John  G.  Irwin 
and  had  for  several  years  a  branch  office  at  Greenville,  III. 
J.  F.  Alexander  being  in  charge  of  the  office  at  that  place. 
In  1874  Mr.  Metcalf  formed  a  partnership  with  William 
P.  Bradshaw,  which  firm,  under  the  style  of  Metcalf  and 
Bradshaw,  still  continues,  and  is  one  of  the  leading  law 
firms  in  this  part  of  the  state. 

JuDUE  Alexander  H.  Gambrill  was  born  in  the  city 
of  Annapolis,  Md.  His  paternal  ancestors  were  among  the 
earliest  settlers  of  Maryland  ;  those  on  his  mother's  side 
settled  in  Virginia  at  an  early  day  and  were  prominent  citi- 
zens of  that  state.  He  was  educated  at  St.  John's  College 
in  his  native  city,  and  graduated  from  that  institution  hav- 
ing c  impleted  the  full  classical  course  of  study.  He  then 
studied  law  with  Hon.  Alexander  Randall  of  Annapolis, 
Md. ;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  that  State  in  1850; 
and  practiced  law  till  October,  1855,  when  he  removed  to 
Alton,  111.,  where  he  immediately  opened  a  law  office  by  him- 
self. He  has  never  been  in  partnership  with  any  one.  In 
1857  he  was  elected  city  attorney  of  Alton,  and  was  after- 
ward re-elected  to  the  same  position  for  several  consecutive 
terms.  At  that  time  the  office  of  city  counsellor  had  not 
been  established,  and  he  therefore  performed  the  duties  jjer- 
taining  to  both  offices  during  his  successive  terms  of  office 
as  city  attorney.  For  several  years  prior  to  1881,  he  was 
Master  in  Chancery  of  the  city  court  of  Alton,  and  in  dis- 
charging the  duties  of  that  office,  so  fully  demonstrated  his 
fitness  for  the  position  of  Judge  of  that  court  that  he  was 


102 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


elected  to  that  office  in  1881.     His  administration  has  been   I 
marked  by  ability  and  integrity. 

Hon.  John  H.  Yager  was  born  in  Germany,  Oct.  12, 1833.  j 
He  attended  school  in  various  places  when  a  boy,  but  finish-  j 
ed  his  littrary  education  in  the  St.  Louis  high  school.  He 
read  law  with  Hon.  A.  W.  Metcalf ;  and,  subsequently, 
with  T.  L.  Dickey  of  Chicago,  now  one  of  the  Justices  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Illinois.  AVhile  in  the  office  of  the  latter, 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  in  April,  1857  ;  and  in  June  of 
the  same  year,  he  removed  to  Alton,  111.,  where  he  has  since 
remained  in  the  practice  of  law. 

He  has  held  several  important  oflSces  since  locating  in 
this  county  ;  among  them  the  following  :  elected  Enrolling 
and  Engrossing  Clerk  of  Illinois  House  of  Representatives 
in  1861 ;  appointed  Surveyor  of  Customs  for  Port  of  Alton 
by  President  Lincoln,  in  1861;  elected  member  of  the 
House  of  Representatives,  in  18G6;  in  April  1871,  appoint- 
ed Collector  of  Internal  Revenue  for  the  12th  District  of 
111.,  by  President  Grant;  in  November  1872  elected  State 
Senator  from  the  41st  District  of  Illinois  ;  and  in  1880  elect- 
ed State's  Attorney  for  Madison  Co.,  111.,  the  duties  of  which 
office  he  still  very  ably  performs.  He  is  a  sound  lawyer  and 
a  useful  man. 

Ikwix  B.  Randle  was  born  in  Stewart  county,  Tennes- 
see, March  24th,  1811,  and  came  with  his  parents  in  1815 
to  Illinois,  and  settled  near  Edwardsville.  His  early  educa- 
tion was  acquired  in  the  public  schools  of  Madison  county, 
Illinois,  and  a  High  School  in  Christian  county,  Kentucky. 
In  1834  he  removed  to  Upper  Alton,  and  in  1839  com- 
menced the  study  of  law.  In  1859  he  was  examined,  and 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  Illinois.  Immediately  aft  r  obtain- 
ing license  to  practice,  he  opened  a  law  office  in  Upper  Al- 
ton, and  was  there  engaged  in  legal  business  till  1870,  when 
he  removed  to  Edwardsville,  where  he  has  since  been  en- 
gaged in  the  work  of  his  profession.  From  1845  to  1853,  Mr. 
Randle  was  a  member  of  the  county  court  of  Madison 
county.  On  October  24ih,  1881,  Mr.  Randle  and  wife  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding,  and  on  this  occasion  the  other 
members  of  the  Madison  county  bar  showed  in  what  high 
regard  they  held  him  and  his  estimable  lady,  by  presenting 
to  them  a  cushion  covered  with  white  satin,  upon  which 
were  placed  twenty-eight  gold  dollars,  so  arranged  as  to 
form  the  number  50.  The  tweutv-eight  gold  dollars,  repre- 
sent twenty-eight  members  of  the  present  Madison  county 
bar.  This  was  an  honor  and  an  occasion  long  to  be  remem- 
bered by  Mr.  Randle,  his  family,  and  their  posterity. 

George  B.  Burnett,  one  of  the  prominent  lawyers  of 
the  Madison  county  bar,  was  born  in  Ontario  county.  New 
York  He  pursued  his  legal  studies  under  the  supervision 
of  his  father,  Benjamin  F.  Burnett,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1860.  From  1860  to  1862,  he  practiced  law  at 
Aledo,  Mercer  county,  Illinois.  In  1862  he  came  to  Ed- 
wardsville, and  began  the  practice  of  law,  by  himself,  and' 
thus  continued  till  1866,  at  which  time  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  Judge  Dale,  which  lasted  till  1876,  his  brother, 
Frank  W.  Burnett  being  admitted  to  the  partnership  in 
1873.  In  1876,  Judge  Dale  was  elected  county  Judge,  and 
withdrew  from  the  firm.     The  brothers,  Baructt,  continued 


their  partnership  about  a  year,  and  then  dissolved,  each 
establishing  a  practice  for  himself.  Quite  early  in  life  i\Ir. 
Geo.  B.  Burnett  gained  considerable  distinction  as  a  criminal 
lawyer  He  has  been  for  twelve  years  past  the  attorney  for 
the  St.  Louis  Branch  of  the  Wabash,  St.  Louis  and  Pacific 
Railroad.  He  is  a  fine  lawyer,  and  excels  as  an  advocate. 
Judge  M.  G.  Dale  is  a  native  of  the  city  of  Lancaster, 
Pennsylvania,  and  received  his  early  educdtion  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  city.  In  1832  he  entered  Pennsylvania 
college  at  Gettysburg,^ and  graduated  in  full  course  in  1835. 
He  had  the  honor  of  being  salutaturian  of  his  class,  and 
delivered  his  graduating  oration  in  Latin.  His  legal  educa- 
tion began  in  the  office  of  Judge  Champney,  at  Lancaster, 
and  in  1837  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  On  coming  to 
Illinois  in  1838,  he  settled  at  Greenville,  Bond  county,  and 
opened  a  law  office.  From  18S9  to  1853  he  served  as  pro- 
bate judge  and  county  judge  of  that  county,  and  washy 
President  Pierce  appointed  register  of  the  land  office  at 
Edwardsville,  to  which  place  he  removed.  On  the  removal 
of  the  land  office  from  Edwardsville,  he  was  elected  county 
judge  of  iladison  county,  in  which  capacity  he  served  eight 
years.  At  the  close  of  his  term  as  judge  he  resumed  the 
practice  of  law,  and  continued  it  till  seven  years  ago,  when 
he  was  again  elected  county  judge  of  Madison  county,  which 
office  he  still  holds.  Judge  Dale  is  a  very  affable  and  cour. 
teous  gentleman,  and  an  excellent  county  judge,  as  is  shown 
by  his  successive  elections  to  that  office. 

Hon.  Levi  Davis,  Sk  ,  of  Alton,  Illinois,  is  a  native  of 
Maryland,  having  been  born  in  that  state  in  May.  1808.  Ou 
coming  to  Illinois  he  located  at  Vaudalia.  In  1835  he  be- 
came Auditor  of  State,  and  removed  to  Springfield,  where 
he  remained  till  1846,  when  he  came  to  Alton,  where  he  has 
since  been  engaged  in  general  practice.  He  ii  considered 
one  of  our  best  lawyers,  one  to  whom  some  of  the  best 
lawyers  of  the.  country  have  said  they  could  entrust  their 
cases  with  a  feeling  of  security,  a  feeling  that  whoever 
might  be  the  opposing  counsel,  he  would  have  hard  work  to 
gain  the  case  against  Mr.  Davis,  if  the  latter  had  justice  on 
his  side.  Davis  is  pre-eminently  trustworthy  on  account  of 
his  accuracy  and  extent  of  legal  knowledge,  but  also  by  reason 
of  his  integrity.  He  has  been  conspicuous  during  his  life  as 
a  peace-maker ;  his  advice  to  his  clients  was  invariably  to 
keep  out  of  the  law,  or  if  in,  to  compromise  their  cases,  if 
they  could  do  so  consistently  with  their  h>nor.  Davis  and 
Nelson  G.  Edwards,  formed  at  one  time  one  of  the  most 
successful  and  popular  law  firms  in  the  county  of  Madison. 
He  is  now  living  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  character  of  which 
any  ipan  may  be  proud. 

Charles  P.  Wise,  one  of  the  leading  lawyers  of  this 
county,  is  a  native  of  ifaryland,  and  was  born  at  Emmet^- 
burg,  in  that  state,  in  1839.  His  education  was  acquired 
principally  at  the  University  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where 
he  pursued  the  classical  course  till  some  time  during  his 
junior  year,  when  he  left  college  to  prepare  for  entering  the 
legal  profession.  He  first  read  law  in  the  office  of  Levi 
Davis,  Sr.  at  Alton,  during  the  years  1 858-59 ;  his  legal  studies 
were  further  prosecuted  at  the  Albany  Law  School,  from 
which  institution  he  received  his  degree  of  LL  B.  in  1861. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


19.'; 


In  the  same  year  he  was  licensed  to  practice  law  in  the 
State  of  New  York,  also  at  the  bar  of  Illinois,  and  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  year  opened  a  law  office  in  Alton,  where 
he  was  soon  in  successful  practice.  In  18C8  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  Judge  Henry  W.Billings;  this  partnership 
was  dissolved  in  1871,  and  Mr.  AA'^ise  continued  practice  by 
himself  from  this  time  till  1880,  when  he  and  Levi  Davis, 
Jr.,  formed  a  partnership  which  still  exists.  He  is  engaged 
in  a  practice  which  embraces  all  branches  of  the  bar. 

He  was  for  two  years  city  attorney  and  for  the  same 
length  of  time  city  councilor   for  the   city  of  Alton.      In 

1878  he  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  Supreme  court  of 
the  United  States.  He  is  also  one  of  the  attorneys  for  the 
Chicago  and  Alton  Railroad  Company,  has  a  large  and 
lucrative  practice,  and  ranks  high  as  a  councillor  and 
practicing  attorney. 

G.  M.  Cole  is  a  native  of  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio  ;  born 
in  1834.  His  early  school  years  were  spent  in  Kingsvillc 
Academy,  in  his  own  native  county.  About  the  year  1854, 
he  came  west,  and  during  the  ne.Kt  fifteen  years  was  employed 
as  principal  of  various  graded  scliools  of  Illinois,  being  a 
part  of  the  time  principal  of  the  Edwardsville  schools.  In 
18()3,  under  the  instruction  of  George  B.  Burnett,  he  began 
to  prepare  himself  for  the  practice  of  law  ;  was  examined  in 
1864,  and  admitted  to  the  bar.  During  the  next  two  years 
he  was  a  partner  of  George  B.  Burnett,  his  preceptor,  since 
which  time  he  has  practiced  law  by  himself     From  1873  to 

1879  was  Master  in  Chancery  of  Madison  county. 

Judge  John  G.  Irwin  was  born  in  Edwardsville,  Illinois, 
January  2lst,  1842,  and  passed  his  boyhood  days  in  the 
public  school  of  his  native  town.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
three  commenced  reading  law  in  the  office  of  Judge  David 
Gillespie,  at  Edwardsville.  In  December,  1866,  he  was 
examined,  and  in  January  following,  received  license  to 
practice  law.  Shortly  after  his  admission,  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  Hon.  A.  W.  Metcalf,  which  continued 
about  a  year,  when  he  formed  a  partnership  with  W.  H. 
Krome,  which  continued  till  April,  1874,  at  which  time  he 
was  elected  county  judge,  to  succeed  the  late  Judge  William 
T.  Brown,  at  a  special  election  held  in  April,  1874;  was  de. 
clared  elected  by  one  majority  by  the  board  of  canvassers.  M. 
G.  Dale,  one  of  his  competitors,  contested  his  election,  upon 
trial  HI  the  circuit  court ;  the  cojitest  was  decided  in  his  favor, 
but  upon  appeal  to  the  supreme  court  the  judgment  of 
the  circuit  court  was  reversed,  and  Judge  Dale  declared  to 
have  been  elected.  The  only  questions  involved  in  the  case 
■were  irregularities,  which  were  the  result  of  mistakes  of  the 
judges  of  election,  due  to  a  lack  of  familiarity  with  the 
election  law  which  had  been  changed  shortly  before  the 
election.  The  most  important  case  decided  by  Judge  Irwin 
was  that  of  Madison  county  vs.  the  estate  of  the  late  Judge 
AVilliam  T.  Brown,  and  as  some  difference  of  opinion  was 
expressed  in  regard  to  the  matter,  we  append  a  brief  synopsis 
of  the  theory  of  the  decision.* 

♦  Tliere  was  no  dispute  a.s  to  the  funds  he  received  a.s   financial 

agent  of  the  county.    The  law  cast  upon  his  administration  the  burden 

of  accounting  for  the  funds  so  received,  and  the  judgment  rendered 

represents  the  difTerence  between  the  whole  amount  he  received  and 

25 


Judge  Irwin  served  the  county  as  judge  two  years,  and  at 
the  expiration  of  that  time  formed  a  law  partnership  with 
Edward  C  Springer.  Jlessrs.  Irwin  &  Springer  are  engaged 
in  a  prosperous  general  practice  of  their  profession,  and 
the  firm  is  one  of  the  most  prompt  and  reliable  in  the 
county.  Judge  Irwin  is  justly  regarded  as  a  man  of  pro- 
found cast  of  mind,  and  a  deeply  read  lawyer.  He  carefully 
investigates  and  analyzes  every  subject  or  case  presented  for 
his  consideration,  and  exhibits  his  side  with  remarkable 
clearness  and  force.  His  forte  is  in  his  masterly  presentation 
to  the  court  of  the  legal  propositions  in  his  ca.se.  In  addition, 
he  is  known  to  be  actuated  by  the  highest  sentiments  of 
honor. 

Levi  Davis,  Jr.,  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  was  born  at 
Springfield,  Xov.  2,  1842.  He  received  a  thorough  com- 
mon school  education  in  the  public  school  of  Alton  and 
afterward  pursued  a  course  of  collegiate  study  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  St.  Louis,  Mo.  Being  thus  prepared  for  profes- 
sional study  he  began  to  read  law  in  the  office  of  his  father 
at  Alton,  in  1865,  and  after  studying  there  one  year  entered 
the  Albany  Law  School  at  Albany,  N.  Y.  Soon  after  his 
graduation  from  that  institution  in  18IJ7.  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  of  Illinois  and  opened  an  office  with  his  father 
at  Alton.  He  remained  associated  with  the  latter  till 
1871,  when  he  joined  the  ranks  of  the  profession  in  St. 
Louis,  where  he  practiced  till  1879,  at  which  time  he  re- 
turned to  Alton  and  formed  a  law  partnership  with  Charles 
P.  Wise,  with  whom  he  is  still  connected  under  the  firm 
name  of  Wise  &  Davis.  He  has  twice  been  city  attorney  of 
Alton  ;  is  a  man  of  ability,  and  is  in  every  sense  a  sound  and 
successful  lawyer. 

Captain  Anton  Neu.stadt,  one  of  the  enterprising 
foreign-born  citizens  of  this  county,  received  his  literary 
education  at  the  University  of  Prague,  subsequently  emi- 
grated to  America,  and  settled  in  Madison  county,  Illinois. 
He  studied  law  under  the  direction  of  Gillespie  &  Springer, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  August,  1867.  He  began 
the  practice  of  law  in  Collinsville,  where  he  has  since  con- 
tinued to  reside,  and  has  been  successfully  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession. 


the  aggregate  amount  of  credits  proved.  The  proceedings  were 
pending  about  eighteen  months,  and  every  opportunity  was  given  to 
the  administrators,  as  respects  time  and  otherwise,  to  make  as  full 
and  complete  a  defense  as  it  was  possible  to  make,  and  neither  they, 
nor  their  counsel  were  in  any  degree  negligent  in  the  performance  of 
their  duties;  they  had  access  to  all  public  records  and  were  aided  by 
the  county  clerk.  They  also  had  the  private  books  and  memoranda 
of  the  deceased,  and  preserved  as  vouchers  a  great  many  papers  per- 
taining to  public  affairs,  and  obtained  credit  for  them  ;  among  these 
were  $84,850.67  cancelled  coupons  paid  by  the  deceased  and  preserved 
by  him  as  vouchers.  In  these  reports  counsel  for  the  estate  had 
advantages  which  counsel  for  the  county  did  not  possess.  A  written 
opinion  was  rendered  and  placed  on  file,  and  from  an  inspection  of  this 
document  it  will  be  found  that  the  estate  got  the  benefit  of  all  the  doubts, 
besides  the  estate  liad  the  right  of  appeal  and  trial  dc  nova,  aud 
although  an  appeal  was  taken,  the  only  question  raised  on  the  trial  of 
the  appeal  was  as  to  the  correctness  of  the  ruling  of  the  probate  court 
in  the  classification  of  the  claim.  The  circuit  court  affirmed  the 
decision  of  the  probate  court  in  this  respect. 


194 


HISTORY    OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Cyrus  L.  Ccok  was  born  and  rfared  in  Madison  county,   j 
Illinois.     He  entered  Shurtlefl'  College,  at  Upper  Alton,  in    i, 
1856,  and  graduated  from  that  institution  in  1862,  in  full    [ 
classical  course.     His  legal  education  was  acquired  by  taking   | 
private  lessous  and  attending  law  lectures  in  the  University   i 
of  Michigan.     About  the  year  1867   he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  Illinois,  and  established  himself  in  the   practice  of 
law  at  Edwardsville,  where  he  has  since  continued  in  active 
practice.     During  the  late  war  he  was  a  member  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Thirty-third  Illinois  Infantry.     In  1876, 
he  was  elected  Slates'  Attorney  of  Madison  county,  and  filled 
the  office  with  emiuent  ability  till  the  election  of  his  succes- 
sor in  ISSO.     His  opinions  on  legal  points  are  sound,  and 
evince  a  thorough  knowledge  of  law.     He  is  a  most  genial 
gentleman,  an  eloquent  advocate,  and  a  lawyer  of  the  finest 
scholarly  attainments. 

Cyrds  W.  Leverett  was  born  at  Upper  Alton,  Illinois^ 
in  1841.  His  literary  education  was  received  at  ShurtlefT 
College.  He  pursued  his  legal  studies  in  the  ofiice  of  Levi 
Davis,  Sr.,  of  Alton,  and  in  the  law  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan.  Since  his  admission  to  the  bar,  about 
1867,  he  has  been  engaged  in  an  extensive  practice  at  his 
native  place. 

Henry  O.  Billings  has  been  for  several  years  in  the 
practice  of  law  at  Alton.  He  was  elected  in  1880  a  member 
of  the  Illinois  legislature,  as  the  democratic  candidate  of 
Madison  county. 

Hon.  William  H.  Krome,  was  born  in  July,  1842,  at 
Louisville,  Kentucky.  In  1848  he  left  that  city  with  his 
parents  and  came  to  St.  Louis.  Two  years  later  his  parents 
removed  to  Madison  county,  111.,  and  settled  on  a  farm  nine 
miles  south  of  Edwardsville.  Mr  Krome  received  a  com- 
mon school  education  in  the  public  schools  of  this  county, 
and  in  the  fall  of  1858  entered  McKendree  College  for  the 
purpose  of  better  preparing  himself  for  the  battle  of  life. 
He  took  a  classical  course  and  graduated  in  June,  1863. 
In  1865,  he  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of 
Judge  Dale  of  Edwardsville,  and  remained  a  student  in 
that  office  till  the  fall  of  1866,  when  he  entered  the  law  de- 
partment of  the  Michigan  University,  Ann  Aibor,  Mich., 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1868.  He  had  been  examined 
with  reference  to  bis  legal  quaifications  in  June,  1867,  and 
had  been  admitted  to  practice  in  Illinois  but  did  not  open 
an  office  till  April,  1868,  when  he  and  John  G.  Irwin  of 
Edwardsville  formed  a  partnership  the  firm  name  being 
Iiwiu  and  Krume.  This  firm  continued  till  1874, 
when  Mr.  Krome  entered  into  a  partnership  with  W.  F.  L. 
Hadley  ;  the  firm  Krome  and  Hadley  still  continues.  Mr. 
Krome  was  a  member  of  the  State  Senate  from  1874  to  1878, 
and  served  as  mayor  of  the  city  of  Edwardsville  from  1873 
to  1875.  He  is  an  able  lawyer,  a  good  pleader  and  a  sue. 
cessful  advocate. 

John  J.  Brenholt,  is  a  native  of  Missouri,  born  in  the  city 
of  St.  Louis,  in  1843.  He  acquired  a  thorough  scholastic  edu- 
cation at  Illinois  College,  Jacksonville,  111.,  graduating  in 
1856,  and  then  entered  the  Albany  Law  School  at  Albany,  N. 
Y.,  from  which  institution  he  received  his  diploma  in  1867.  In 


the  same  year  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  New  York,  and 
in  the  following  year  was  examined  and  received  his  license  to 
practice  in  Hlinois.  In  1873  he  began  the  practice  of  law 
in  Chicago,  where  he  remained  two  years  ;  he  then  removed 
to  Alton,  opened  an  office  and  at  once  engaged  in  the  gener- 
al practice  of  his  profession.  From  April  1879  till  April 
1881  he  was  corporation  counsellor  for  the  city  of  Alton. 
In  the  latter  year  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Judge  H. 
S.  Baker,  with  whom  he  is  now  associated  in  general  prac- 
tice under  the  firm  name  of  Baker  and  Breuholt.  In  1878 
Mr.  Brenholt  was  appointed  by  Gov.  Cullora  a  member  of 
his  staff  with  the  rank  of  Colonel,  and  still  holds  that  posi- 
tion.    He  is  a  clear-headed,  active,  painstaking  lawyer. 

Alexander  W.  Hope,  was  born  at  Alton,  111.,  July  10, 
1848.  He  spent  bis  youth  in  gaining  a  thorough  education 
and  graduated  from  the  University  of  Virginia  in  1868, 
having  taken  the  full  classical  course  of  that  institu- 
tion. After  completing  his  collegiate  course  he  attended 
the  law  department  of  his  Ahna  Mater,  and  at  the  end  of 
two  years  received  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  He  was  imme- 
diately admitted  to  the  bar  of  Illinois  and  opened  an  ofiice 
in  Alton,  where  he  has  since  remained.  He  was  for  three 
terms  city  attorney  of  Alton,  and  has  been  elected  mayor 
twice.  Mr.  Hope  has  been  engaged  in  many  important 
cases,  and  is  regarded  as  a  very  promising  member  of  the 
profession. 

Robinson  S.  Sawyer,  was  born  in  Alton,  III.,  in  1845. 
After  acquiring  a  preliminary  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  city,  he  attended  Shurtleff  College  one  year. 
In  the  fall  of  1867  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office 
of  his  father,  Seth  T.  Sawyer,  and  read  till  1870,  when 
having  successfully  passed  examination  he  received  license 
to  practice.  In  January,  1871,  he  entered  into  partnership 
with  his  father  for  the  general  practice  of  law,  the  firm  name 
being  S.  T.  and  R.  S.  Sawyer. 

E.  Breese  Glass,  Master  in  Chancery  for  Madison 
county,  is  a  native  of  St.  Clair  county,  111.  Having  com- 
pleted the  studies  pursued  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
county,  he  entered  Shurtleff  College  at  Upper  Alton  in  1864 
and  took  a  four  years'  Latin  course.  After  leaving  college 
he  studied  law  one  year  at  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  and  soon 
afterward  entered  the  law  office  of  Levi  Davis,  Sr.,  (Upper 
Alton,  111. )  with  whom  he  studied  till  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1870.  Mr.  Glass  first  opened  a  law  office  in  Upper 
Alton,  but  upon  being  elected  States  Attorney  in  1872  re- 
moved his  office  to  Edwardsville  where  he  has  since  remained 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  was  appointed  Master 
in  Chancery  in  1879,  and  still  holds  that  office  by  re-appoint- 
ment. 

William  H.  Jones  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  in  1849.  When 
twelve  years  old,  he  graduated  from  the  academic  depart- 
ment of  the  Washington  University,  St.  Louis,  jNIo.,  and 
shortly  afterward  attended  Columbia  College,  New  York. 
In  1868,  under  the  direction  of  Judge  David  Gillespie  of 
Edwardsville,  he  commenced  reading  law  and  after  a  thorough 
course  of  study  was  examined  and  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1871.  Mr.  Jones  is  attorney  for  the  Toledo,  Cincinnati  and  St. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


19.5 


Louis  R.  R,  Company,  and  has  had  a  good  general  practice 
of  law  at  Edwardsville  since  1 878. 

W.  F.  L.  Hadlev  was  born  in  Madison  county,  Illinois, 
June  lo,  1847.  Mr.  Hadley  attended  the  district  schools  of 
his  native  county  until  the  fall  of  1863,  when  he  entered 
McKendree  College  at  Lebanon.  He  graduated  from  that 
institution  in  1867,  in  the  scientific  coarse,  including  Latin. 
In  1870,  he  entered  the  law  department  of  Michigan  Uni- 
versity, at  Ann  Arbor  ;  graduated  in  the  spring  of  1871,  and 
in  the  following  fall  opened  a  law  office  in  Edwardsville. 
He  practiced  by  himself  till  May  1S74,  when  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  Hon.  Wm.  H.  Krome.  He  is  a  successful 
lawyer,  and  rauks  among  the  leading  attorneys  at  the  Madi- 
son county  bar. 

Thomas  J.  Richard.«ox  received  his  early  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  Clinton  county.  111.,  and  also  attend- 
ed Shurtlefl"  College  two  years.  He  read  law  privately,  and 
subsequently  took  a  law  course  in  the  University  at  Louis- 
ville, Ky.  After  his  admission  to  the  bar  of  Illinois  in  1870 
he  began  practice  at  Carlyle,  Clinton  county,  and  was  Mas- 
ter in  Chancery  for  that  county  from  1871  to  October  1874, 
at  which  time  he  resigned  and  removed  to  St.  Louis  to  prac- 
tice law.  In  August,  1878,  he  returned  to  Illinois  and  loca- 
ted at  Highland,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  a 
general  practice.  Mr.  Richardson  is  an  industrious,  careful 
lawyer,  and  a  man  of  good  abilities. 

Edward  Phillips,  a  native  of  Madison  county,  received 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Edwardsville  and  at 
Shurtleff  College,  Upper  Alton,  Having  decided  to  adopt 
the  legal  profession  as  his  life  work,  he  entered  the  law  office 
of  Hon  A.  W.  Metcalf  of  Edwardsville  in  1869,  and  after 
studying  a  year  was  admitted  to  practice.  Since  his 
admission  to  the  bar  he  has  continued  in  the  practice  of  law 
with  the  exception  of  five  years,  during  which  time  he  was 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business. 

Jons  D.  Heisel  a  native  of  Germany,  came  to  America 
at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  and  settled  in  Burlington  county. 
New  Jersey,  in  1!^5.3;  after  living  there  five  years  he  came 
west,  and  in  1870  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  I. 
B.  Randle  of  Edwardsville.  In  1»71  he  was  licensed  to 
practice  law  in  the  courts  of  Illinois,  and  immediately  formed 
a  partnership  with  his  former  preceptor,  I.  B.  Randle. 
This  partnership  lasted  till  1872,  when  Mr.  Heisel  was  elect- 
ed Circuit  Clerk  of  JIadison  county,  and  served  two  terms. 
In  1880,  he  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession. 

Cyrus  Happy  was  born  near  Du  Quoin,  111.  In  1864 
when  only  nineteen  years  old  he  enlisted  in  the  18th  Illinois 
Infantry  and  served  his  country  as  a  soldier  till  he  was  mus- 
tered out  at  the  close  of  the  war.  He  entered  McKendree 
College  in  the  fall  of  1860,  and  inJJune  1869  graduated  from 
that  institution,  having  taken  the  scientific  course,  including 
Latin.  He  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  September  1869 
in  the  office  of  Gillespie  &  Springer,  and  continued  a  stu- 
dent in  the  office  till  1871,  when  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
Soon  after  his  admission  he  entered  into  partnership  with 
Judge  David  Gillespie,  one  of  the  law  firm  with  whom  he 
had    studied.     This    partnership   lasted  till  1S79,  when   he 


opened  a  law  office  by  himself.     In  1881,  he  and  Mr.  C.  N. 
Travous  formed  a  partnership,  which  still  continues. 

Mr.  Happy  is  a  man  of  acknowledged  ability,  a  good 
lawyer  and  an  able  speaker. 

Wm.  p.  Bradshaw  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  his  father 
having  emigrated  to  this  State  in  1812.  He  attended  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  county  (Wayne),  and  finished 
his  literary  education  at  McKendree  College,  Lebanon,  111., 
graduating  from  that  institution  in  1869.  While  on  his 
father's  farm  prior  to  his  entering  college,  he  devoted  his 
evenings  to  the  study  of  law,  afterward  continued  his  legal 
studies  under  Prof  H.  H.  Horner,  of  McKendree  College, 
and  in  1869  entered,  as  a  student,  the  law  office  of  Dale  & 
Burnett,  at  Edwardsville,  where  he  remained  two  years. 
In  1871,  admitted  to  the  bar,  he  immediately  opened  an 
office  in  Edwardsville  and  practiced  by  himself  till  1874, 
when  he  became  the  partner  of  Hon.  A.  W.  Metcalf,  the 
style  of  the  firm  being  Metcalf  &  Bradshaw,  which  still 
continues.  Mr.  Bradshaw  was  an  active  and  influential 
member  of  the  State  Republican  Central  Committee.  He 
is  engaged  in  a  general  practice,  but  especially  excels  as  a 
jury  lawyer,  in  which  capacity  he  has  few  equals  of  his  age 
in  this  part  of  the  State. 

Clay  H.  Lynch  received  a  common  school  education  in 
the  district  schools  of  his  native  county  (Madison),  and  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the 
office  of  Hon.  David  Gillespie.  Having  read  law  two  years 
in  1870  he  entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of 
Michigan,  from  which  institution  he  graduated  in  1871. 
Soon  after  finishing  his  course  he  opened  a  law  office  and 
practiced  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  quit  law 
and  engaged  in  the  grain  trade.  In  January,  1881,  he 
resumed  his  legal  practice,  and  now  bids  fair  to  make  a 
successful  attorney. 

John  W.  Coppinger  was  born  at  Alton  in  18.52.  He 
received  his  elementary  education  in  the  cathedral  schools  of 
his  native  city.  From  1864  to  1866  he  was  a  student  in  St. 
Mary's  College,  at  Perry ville.  Mo.  He  then  attended  the 
University  of  Notre  Dame,  at  Notre  Dame,  Ind.,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  the  scientific  course.  From  1870  to 
1872  he  read  law  in  the  office  of  John  H.  Yager  at  Alton, 
and  during  a  portion  of  the  time  attended  the  St.  Louis 
Law  School.  In  1872,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  com- 
menced the  practice  of  law. 

Henry'  S.  Pettingill,  now  engaged  in  the  practice  at 
Edwardsville,  was  born  in  Madison  county,  111.,  April  25th, 
1850.  When  fifteen  years  of  age,  he  entered  Shurtlefl' College, 
at  Upper  Alton,  111.,  to  take  a  four  years'  scientific  course. 
During  his  senior  year  he  left  college  and  entered  the  law 
office  of  Dale  &  Burnett,  at  Edwardsville,  and  there  applied 
himself  to  his  studies  till  1869,  when  he  entered  the  law  de- 
partment of  the  University  of  Michigan.  After  his  gradua- 
tion in  law,  in  1873,  he  opened  an  office  in  Peoria,  but 
after  remaining  there  only  a  few  months  he  went  west,  and 
traveled  through  the  western  states  and  territories  till  1877, 
at  which  time  he  returned  and  opened  a  law  office  in  Carroll- 
ton,  Illinois.     In  1878  Mr.  Pettingill  removed  his  office  to 


196 


HISTORY   OF    MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


Edwardsville,  where  he  has  since  been  successfully  engaged 
in  the  practice. 

Thomas  Fawcett,  of  Venice,  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  and 
received  his  literary  education  at  the  Polytechnic  Institute, 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  He  studied  law  with  the  celebrated 
James  T.  Brady,  of  New  York  City,  and  L.  H.  Hite,  of 
East  St.  Louis.  In  1874  he  was  admitted  to  practice  at 
Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  and  in  1876,  became  a  member  of  the 
Madison  county  bar.  He  prefers  the  practice  of  criminal 
law. 

John  F.  McGinnis  was  born  in  Ireland,  September  15th, 
1849.  When  he  was  two  years  old,  his  father  emigrated 
to  America,  and  settled  at  Alton,  Illinois.  He  was  sent  to 
the  cathedral  schools  of  Alton,  till  he  was  prepared  to 
begin  the  study  of  law,  when  he  entered  the  office  of  N.  A. 
Mortell,  Esq.,  St.  Louis.  In  1874  he  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice in  the  courts  of  both  Missouri  and  Illinois,  and,  at  once 
opened  an  office  in  Alton,  where  he  has  since  continued  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession,  being  a  part  of  the  time  city 
attorney, 

James  E.  Dunnegan  was  born  in  1853,  at  Alton,  111. 
His  early  education  was  acquired  in  the  cathedral  schools  of 
that  city.  At  a  comparatively  early  age  he  began  to  read 
law  in  the  office  of  John  Orr  Lee  in  St.  Louis,  and  after  ac- 
compliirhing  a  full  course  of  study,  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  St.  Louis,  in  1873.  After  remaining  there  two  years  he 
removed  to  Alton,  and  opened  an  office.  He  has  since  that 
time  been  engaged  in  a  successful  general  practice  of  his 
profession.  He  is  at  present  city  attorney  of  Alton,  and 
bids  fair  to  gain  an  enviable  reputation  among  his  brethren 
of  the  bar. 

Edward  C.Sprixger,  who  was  born  in  Edwardsville,  111., 
May  7,  1854,  received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  city.  On  arriving  at  manhood,  he  decided 
to  make  the  practice  of  law  his  life  work,  and  entered  the 
office  of  Messrs.  Irwin  &  Krome  in  1874.  During  1875 
Mr.  Springer  passed  one  term  in  the  Ann  Arbor  law  school, 
Ann  Arbor,  Michigan,  and  in  1876  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
on  passing  examination  before  the  supreme  court  at  Mt. 
Vernon,  Illinois.  Mr.  S.  commenced  practice  in  June, 
1876,  and  immediately  formed  a  partnership  with  Judge 
Irwin,  of  Edwardsville.  He  is  still  a  member  of  the  firm 
known  as  Irwin  &  Springer ;  is  engaged  in  a  general  prac- 
tice, and  has  a  good  prospect  for  a  rich  reward  for  labors  in 
his  chosen  profession. 

Benj.  R.  Burroughs,  a  native  of  Charles  county,  Mary- 
land, received  private  instruction  till  1864,  when  he  was 
sent  to  Charlotte  Hall  college,  St.  Mary's  county,  Maryland, 
which  institution  he  attended  three  years,  and  graduated  in 
the  Latin  and  scientific  course.  From  1873  to  1875  he  pur- 
sued the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Krorae  &  Hadley,  at 
Edwardsville,  and  in  the  fall  of  1875  entered  the  .senior 
class  of  the  Union  college  of  law  at  Chicago.  In  June, 
1876,  he  received  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  from  that  institu- 
tion, and  immediately  opened  a  law  office  at  Edwardsville, 
where  he  continued  to  practice  alone  till  1878,  when  he 
entered  into  a  law  partnership  with  Frank  W.  Burnett.  The 
firm    of  Burroughs   and   Burnett    continued    in    business 


till  1881,  at  which  time  Mr.  Burnett  removed  to  Springfield, 
Illinois.  Mr.  Burroughs  has  since  practiced  alone.  He  is 
considered  a  good  lawyer. 

Thomas  E.  Fruit  was  born  in  Madison  county,  Illinois. 
He  received  his  early  education  in  the  district  schools  of 
this  county,  and  in  1872  entered  Lincoln  University  at  Lin- 
coln, Illinois,  taking  a  Latin  and  scientific  course,  gra- 
duating in  June,  1877.  The  same  year  he  entered  the  law 
office  of  Messrs.  Irwin  &  Springer,  Edwardsville,  andwas 
examined  in  February,  1880.  Having  passed  the  examina- 
tion required,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  June,  1880. 
Immediately  after  his  admission  Mr.  F.  opened  a  law  office 
in  Edwardsville,  Illinois,  with  Hon.  David  Gillespie  (not  in 
partnership),  and  continued  with  him  till  the  death  of  the 
latter,  August,  1881,  since  which  time  he  has  been  in  prac- 
tice by  himself  In  April,  1881,  he  was  elected  city  attor- 
ney, and  still  holds  that  office.  Mr.  Fruit  is  engaged  in  a 
general  practice  of  law,  and  his  prospects  for  an  extended 
practice  are  good. 

Herman  Bitter  received  his  education  in  the  University 
at  St.  Louis ;  read  law  with  Gillespie  and  Happy,  and  at- 
tended the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan. 
After  completing  his  law  course  at  Ann  Arbor,  in  1878,  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Illinois,  and  has  since  been  en- 
gaged in  practice  at  Edwardsville. 

George  F.  McNulta  was  born  in  Alton,  111.,  in  1859. 
He  attended  the  schools  of  Alton  till  he  was  fourteen  years 
old,  when  he  was  sent  to  Notre  Dame  University  at  Notre 
Dame,  Indiana,  where  he  took  the  scientific  course  of  study. 
From  1876  to  1879  he  read  law  in  the  office  of  Charles  V. 
Wise,  and  then  attended  the  St  Louis  Law  School,  graduat- 
ing in  1880.  In  the  same  year  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
of  Missouri  and  also  that  of  Illinois.  He  immediately 
opened  a  law  office  in  Alton. 

C.  N.  Tr.wous,  a  young  lawyer  of  Edwardsville,  until 
nineteen  years  old  lived  on  a  farm  near  Shiloh,  St.  Clair 
county,  111  ,  and  there  received  his  preliminary  education. 
During  the  four  years  preceding  his  study  of  law  he  taught 
school  in  Madison  county.  In  June,  1879,  he  entered  the 
law  office  of  Gillespie  and  Happy,  at  Edwardsville,  and  de- 
voted the  next  two  years  to  the  preparation  necessary  for 
his  admission  to  practice.  He  was  examined  before  the  Su- 
preme court  at  Mt.  Vernon,  in  February,  1881,  and  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar.  Since  June,  1881,  Mr.  Travous  has  been 
associated  with  Mr.  Cyrus  Happy  in  the  practice  of  law  at 
Edwardsville. 

John  Berry  was  born  in  Huntingdon  county,  Penna.,  in 
1853.  He  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Wm.  S.  Skeech 
of  Baltimore,  Md.,  four  years,  and  in  1877  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  of  that  state.  In  1878  he  was  liceused  to  practice  in 
Pennsylvania.  He  afterwards  opened  an  office  in  Baltimore 
county,  Md.,  and  remained  there  till  1881  when  he  came  to 
Collinsville  111.,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  a  gen- 
eral   practice. 

The  liiit  of  prosecuting  attorneys  of  this  county  with  the 
dates  of  their  respective  terms  of  office,  will  be  found  in  the 
chapter  on  Civil  History. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


197 


CHAPTER  XI. 


TEE  PRESS. 


Edward-iv'Ue  Spectator,  The  Star  of  (he  Wed,  Illuwis  lie- 
publican,  Illinois  Corrector,  The  Crinis,  Illinois  Advocate, 
Western  I'lovghhoy,  Alton  Spectator,  Alton  Telegraph,  Tn- 
Weekly  Telegraph,  Daily  Telegraph,  Alton  Telegraph  and 
Democratic  Review,  Alton  Telegraph  and  Madison  County  liec- 
ord,  Alton  American ,  Alton  Observer,  The  Illinois  Temperance 
Herald,  Alton  Commercial  Gazette,  The  Altonian,  Western 
Pioneer  and  Baptist  Standard  Bearer,  Voice  oj  Illinois,  The 
Sucker,  The  Western  Weekly  Mirror,  Sovereign  People,  The  Star 
of  Bethlehem  and  Candid  Examiner,  The  Proti'stant  Monitor, 
Alton  Mirror,  The  Presbytery  Reporter,  The  Madison  Record, 
The  Alton  Courier,  The  Alton  National  Democrat,  Madison 
County  Enquirer,  The  Weekly  Madison  Press,  Mwlison  County 
Advertiser,  Madison,  County  Ontrier,  The  Sucker  Life  Boat, 
The  Vowarls,  Illinois  Beobachter,  Freie  Presse,  Missouri  Cum- 
berland Preebylerian,  Ladies'  Pearl,  The  Good  Templar,  The 
Alton  Banner,  Western  Cumberland  Presbyterian,  Cumber- 
land Presbyterian,  Our  Faith,  Erzaehler,  Highland  Bote, 
Madison  County  Bote,  The  Intelligencer  The  Uninn,  High- 
land Union,  Edwardsville  Rfpubliean,  The  Coliinsidlle  Ar- 
gus, Liberal  Democrat,  Our  Times  Edwardsville  Times,  The 
Temperance  Banner,  Alton  Democrat,  Daily  Democrat,  The 
Troy  Weekly  BulUtin,  The  Morning  NeW't,  The  Christian 
NeWi,  Qui  Vive,  College  Review,  ColUnsville  Weekly  Herald, 
Madison  County  Sentinel,  The  Little  Eyicopalian,  Banner  of 
the  Cross,  Madison  County  Anzeiger,  Edwardsville  Demo- 
crat, The  Highland  Herald,  The  Collinsville  Star. 


,AN  finds  his  greatest  good  and  highest 
happiness  in  associations  with  his  fellow- 
men.  His  constitution  demands  com- 
panionship, and  history  teaches  that  in 
fi^0'^:-rp"^j^^\A  all  ages  and  in  all  parts  of  the  earth, 
^  >;  '"  ;,  >  f  men  have  grouped  themselves  into  fami- 
^  -..'-■ '  .  i  lies,  clans  and  nations.  Protection  has 
not  been  the  sole  object  of  these  com- 
pacts and  has  not  often  been  their  chief 
incentive,  for  society  is  not  man's  crea- 
tion but  his  divinely  instituted  state.  The  reasons  for  its 
existence  antedate  Adam's  birth,  and  are  manifested  in  those 
primitive  instincts  which  guard  and  potentially  guide  in  the 
formation  of  human  character. 

The  power  to  think  is  the  grandest  of  God's  creations,  and 
the  ability  to  communicate  thought  is  scarcely  less  noble. 
These  capabilities  are  distinctively  human  attributes,  and  in 
exercising  them  the  race  has  attained  its  present  degree  of 
civilization.  Society  presupposes  two  parties,  one  to  influence 
and  one  to  be  influenced.  The  thinking  portion  of  a  com- 
munity is  its  motive  power,  and  when  thoughtful  leaders  can 
readily  impart  a  proper  understanding  of  their  deductions 
they  secure  unanimity  of  purpose  and  harmony  of  action 


from  their  followers.  Indeed,  he  only  is  worthy  of  leader- 
ship who  can  communicate  to  others  the  good  that  is  in  him- 
self and  who  is  constantly  accumulating  a  supply  of  that 
which  is  good  to  communicate. 

There  must  be  a  medium  between  him  who  directs  and 
those  who  are  guided ;  a  communicator,  or,  transmitter. 
Language  is  the  transmitter  of  thought.  Early  in  his  exist- 
ence man  learned  to  associate  sounds  and  ideas,  to  group 
sounds  expressive  of  ideas,  to  make  the  former  symbols  of 
the  latter.  Another  progressive  step  was  taken  when  aibi- 
trary  sounds  became  conventionally  the  exponents  of  ideas, 
and  words  became  their  signs.  These  are  the  footprints  of  the 
child'smastery  of  speech,  and  vestiges  of  the  method  by  which 
humanity  came  into  possession  of  a  vocal  language. 

Primeval  man  could  not  send  the  products  of  his  reflective 
faculties  beyond  the  limit  of  his  voice,  which  was  his  chief 
instrument  of  language.  "Necessity  is  the  mother  of  inven- 
tion," and  the  demand  for  a  medium  which  would  carry 
thought  farther  than  mere  vocal  utterance  and  retain  it 
longer,  led  to  the  use  of  visible  representation  of  ideas. 
Undoubtedly  these  at  first  were  ideographic,  that  is  pictorial 
and  .symbolic.  Gradually  the  pictures  and  symbols  were 
abridged  both  in  delineation  and  numbers,  as  a  matter  of 
convenience,  and  these  abbreviated  forms  became  conven- 
tional signs  of  spoken  language.  Thus  originated  phonetic 
writing,  that  in  which  the  elementary  sounds  of  language 
are  represented  by  distinct  and  distinguishable  characters 
called  letters  These  letters  arranged  in  their  customary 
order  constituted  the  alphabet. 

The  Egyptians  ascribe  the  introduction  of  writing  toThoth, 
their  god  of  intelligence ;  the  Greeks  assigned  the  honor  to 
Cadmus,  the  mythical  founder  of  Boostian  Thebes,  and  the 
Scandinavians  claim  the  discovery  as  belonging  to  their  god, 
Odin.  While  its  authorship  is  thus  traditional  and  fabulous, 
no  one  doubts  that  the  art  was  carried  from  Egypt  to 
Phoenicia  and  thence  to  Greece  and  other  states.  The 
Egyptians  could  never  entirely  disassociate  the  idea  and  its 
symbol,  but  the  Phoenicians,  rejecting  the  ideograms,  retained 
the  symbols  and  modified  them  so  as  to  represent  elementary 
sounds,  and  devised  the  first  alphabet,  which  was  centuries  in 
advance  of  hieroglyphics,  and  when  fairly  comprehended 
furnished  a  facile  instrument  of  communication. 

Men  naturally  desire  the  preservation  of  their  best 
thoughts,  and  instinctively  seek  those  instruments  which  are 
available  and  in  themselves  pleasing.  Thus  only  can  the 
rise  of  sculpture,  painting  and  literature  be  accounted  for, 
and  a  nation  which  does  not  possess  these  arts  is  essentially 
barren  of  culture.  The  innovation  of  letters  facilitated 
authorship  by  removing  much  of  the  toilsome  and  time-con- 
suming labor  of  literary  composition.  The  introduction  of 
the  alphabet,  called  for  a  reading  public,  and  the  combination 
rendered  erudition  popular  and  potential.  From  this  point 
literary  progress  was  comparatively  rapid  ;  books  multiplied 
somewhat  speedily,  and  the  knowledge  of  the  few  leavened 
the  intelligence  of  the  ma.sses.  There  were  book  stores  in 
Athens,  at  least,  as  early  as  the  Peloponnesian  w.ir,  J31-464 
B.  c;  and  ruling  prices  were  reasonable  since  bookmaking 
was  largely  the  product  of  slave  labor.     There  were  famous 


198 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


libraries  in  ancient  as  in  modern  times  Pisistratus,  the 
Athenian  tyrant,  560  B.  c,  is  credited  with  having  collected 
a  vast  library  which  he  generously  opened  to  the  public, 
and  the  famous  Alexandrian  library,  instituted  by  Ptolemy 
Soter,  is  a  matter  of  hitory.  Towards  the  end  of  the  Roman 
republic,  books  cost  little  if  any  more  than  at  present,  and 
libraries  of  from  30,000  to  60,000  volumes  were  not  uncom- 
mon. Civilization  kept  pace  with  literature.  The  Greeks 
learned  never  to  do  anything  too  much,  and  in  language, 
art  and  eloquence,  they  have  never  been  excelled.  A 
Roman  citizen  was  better  than  a  barbarian  king,  because 
such  citizenship  was  a  pledge  of  the  resources  of  the  empire 
in  defense  of  Rjman  liberty,  a  pointed  illustration  of  the 
highest  function  of  any  governmental  policy. 

The  onward  march  of  human  progress  was  rudely  checked 
when  hordes  of  northern  and  Asiatic  barbarians  invaded 
Rome's  dominions,  sacked  her  capitals,  destroyed  her  collec- 
tions of  literary  and  artistic  culture,  despised  her  refinement 
in  manners  and  living  as  types  of  effeminacy,  and  ruth- 
lessly demolished  the  landmarks  of  the  race's  growth. 
Europe  but  slowly  recovered  from  these  devastations.  For 
cenluries  she  loitered  on  the  borders  of  barbarism,  and  so 
debased  was  her  condition  that  men  speak  of  the  Dark  Ages 
as  the  saddest  in  history.  It  was  during  this  period  that 
Roger  Bacon  wrote  "  Slowly  has  any  portion  of  the  philoso. 
phy  of  Aristotle  come  into  use  among  the  Latins.  His 
natural  philosophy  and  his  metaphj'sics  were  translated  in 
my  time  and  interdicted  at  Paris  up  to  the  year  1237, 
because  of  their  assertion  of  the  eternity  of  the  world  and 
of  time.  Without  mathematical  instruments  no  science 
can  be  ma.stered,  and  these  instruments  are  not  to  be  found 
among  the  Latins,  and  could  not  be  made  for  two  or  three 
hundred  pounds.  Thescientifio  works  of  AristotleofAvicenna 
of  Seneca,  Cicero  and  other  ancients  cannot  be  had  without 
great  cost ;  their  principal  works  have  not  been  translated 
into  Latin,  and  copies  of  others  cannot  be  found  in  ordinary 
libraries  or  elsewhere.  I  could  never  find  the  works  of  Seneca, 
though  I  made  diligent  search  for  them  twenty  years  and 
more." 

This  was  the  seed  time  of  modern  civilization.  A  pious 
zeal  for  rescuing  the  Holy  Sepulchre  from  the  infidel  Turks 
led  to  the  Crusades,  which  although  they  failed  to  effect 
that  for  which  they  were  planned,  planted,  the  humanizing 
germs  of  commercial  intercourse,  constitutional  liberty,  and 
spiritual  growth.  The  development  and  expansion  of  these 
germs  helped  to  clear  the  murky  intellectual  atmosphere  of 
its  almost  universal  cloud  of  ignorance,  and  men  began  to 
step  into  the  light  of  reason,  justice  and  charity.  Then 
were  seen  the  streakiugs  of  the  morning  light  of  modern 
history,  and  the  dawn  followed  when  the  skilled  copyist  of 
abbey  and  niona-tery  gave  way  to  the  printer  and  his  art. 
The  invention  of  printing  is  encircled  with  uncertainty.  A 
pretty  Dutch  tradition  tells  us  that  Laureutius  Coster,  a 
worthy  Hollander  of  Haarlem,  in  idle  amusement  carved 
some  letters  on  a  piece  of  bark  or  wood,  and  admiring  his 
handiwork  wrapped  it  in  a  piece  of  paper  and  laid  it  aside 
while  he  slept.  On  awakening  he  found  that  rain  had 
moistened  the  paper  and  that  the  letters  he  had  cut  on  the 


wood  had  been  impressed  upon  the  paper.  This  happy  ac- 
cident suggested  a  principle  and  its  practical  application, 
and  ere  long  Coster  invented  a  process  for  taking  impres- 
sions from  blocks,  upon  each  of  which  the  contents  of  a  page 
were  engraved.  The  story  asserts  that  at  Coster's  death  his 
apprentice,  Johann  Gutenberg,  stole  a  part  of  the  office, 
transported  it  to  Mentz,  and  there  commenced  business  after 
securing  the  friendship  and  partnership  of  Johann  Faust, 
a  wealthy  goldsmith.  German  authorities  deny  the  truth 
of  this  tradition,  and  claim  that  Gutenberg  was  the  real 
inventor.  They  assert  that  he  had  an  ofBce  in  Strausburg  as 
early  as  1436,  and  movable  types  n  it  later  than  1438. 

The  introduction  of  a  beneficieut  reform  is  slow  and  dis- 
couraging; it  has  to  overcome  lack  of  facilities,  bigotry  and 
prejudice.  Printing,  or  to  be  more  exact,  typography,  de- 
manded another  art,  that  of  paper  making.  It  is  true  that 
paper  was  known  and  manufactured  in  Europe  two  hundred 
years  or  rao-e  before  typography  was  invented,  but  the 
quantity  was  insufficient  for  the  printer's  demands,  and  the 
quality  was  ill  adapted  to  his  art.  Parchment  and  vellum 
were  commonly  used  by  copyists,  but  have  never  been  popu- 
lar with  printers,  since  they  wear  types  rapidly,  and  stub- 
bornly resist  ink.  In  addition  to  these  drawbacks  it  is  to  be 
remembered  that  these  materials  were  very  expensive  and 
their  sources  limited.  We  are  told  that  the  first  printed 
Bible  required  the  skins  of  more  that  three  hundred  sheep 
The  church  was  the  patron  of  literature,  and  was  most 
powerful  in  moulding  public  opinion.  A  no  inconsiderable 
source  of  revenue  was  book-making,  the  work  of  training 
copyists  and  illuminators  who,  in  the  main,  were  monks. 
These  monks  did  not  of  course  surrender  their  pleasant  and 
lucrative  employment  unwillingly,  and  uncomplainingly,  and 
did  not  hesitate  to  prejudice  the  masses  agains  the  innova- 
tion of  printing.  But  the  most  serious  impediment  was  the 
lack  of  an  intelligent  and  reading  public.  Many  kings 
even  could  not  read,  and  not  a  few  bishops  and  archbishops 
could  not  sign  their  own  promulgations.  Indeed,  the  scri- 
vener's art  was  in  such  ill  repute  that  the  crusaders  exposed 
to  public  ridicule  the  peas  and  ink-itands  they  found  in  Con- 
stantinople, when  that  city  fell  into  their  hands,  as  the  igno- 
ble arras  of  contemptible  students. 

Slowly  the  new  art  male  its  way  ;  educators  enlisted  its 
cooperation  ;  authors  sought  its  aid  in  the  presentation  and 
disseminationof  their  best  thoughts;  gradually  men  appre- 
ciated its  merits  and  usefulness.  Through  these  instrumen- 
talities intelligence  spread ;  the  man  of  book  learning, 
from  being  an  object  of  contempt  became  an  object  of 
emulation;  men  became  readers  as  well  as  doers  ;  theacquisi- 
sition  of  knowledge  was  considered  fashionable,  and  grew  into 
a  necessity.  Thus  did  the  press  act  upon  the  people,  but 
the  reaction  was  a?  great ;  the  thirst  for  knowledge  was  only 
intensified  by  acquaintance  with  the  products  of  the  world's 
master  minds,  and  as  men  saw  that  the  lessons  of  the  past 
might  be  used  in  the  management  of  the  present,  they 
rightly  concluded  that  the  knowledge  of  the  living  would 
be  as  beneficial  as  the  formal  and  abstruse  theories  of  the 
departed.  Thus  current  literature  followed  classical,  and 
whetted  the  mental  appetite  for  knowing  events  as  soou  as 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


199 


possible  after  their  occurrence.  To  meet  this  demand  is  the 
special  province  of  journalism,  whii-h  differs  essentiall)'  from 
that  of  literature  ;  it  is  less  exacting  as  to  dignity  of  state- 
ment and  polish  of  expres.-ion  ;  is  freer  in  the  selection  of 
topics,  and  more  colloquial  in  their  treatment ;  aims  to  be  a 
reflex  of  man's  daily  life,  as  literature  seeks  to  present  him 
at  his  best.  The  press  was  abreast  of  these  social  changes. 
From  beinga  mere  manufiietory  of  books,  the  printing  office 
became  a  receptacle  of  fresh  information,  a  resort  for  the 
witty  and  the  learned,  a  medium  between  the  wise  and  igno- 
rant. Its  influence  grew  as  its  circle  widened,  and  when  the 
people  were  ready  for  weekly  and  daily  publications,  they 
were  forthcoming  in '  obedience  to  the  law  of  supply  and 
demand. 

The  newspaper  is  the  organ  of  journalism  ;  its  authentic 
history  dates  from  the  days  of  Republican  Rome.  The  first 
of  which  we  have  an  account  was  the  Acta  Diurna,  a  manu- 
script record  of  the  proceedings  in  the  Roman  senate.  It  is 
frequently  mentioned  by  contemporary  authors,  and  seems 
to  have  had  subscribers  in  distant  cities.  Cicero  speaks  of  it 
as  furnishing  city  news  and  gossip.  Alexander  Andrews,  in 
his  "History  of  British  Journalism,"  thus  tersely  describes 
the  origin  and  growth  of  newspapers  in  England  :  "  First 
we  have  the  written  news  letter,  furnished  to  the  wealthy 
aristocracy  ;  then,  as  the  craving  for  information  spread,  the 
ballad  of  news,  sung  or  recited  ;  then  the  news  pamphlet, 
more  prosaically  arranged  ;  then  the  periodical  sheet  of 
news,  and  la,stly  the  newspaper." 

The  first  well  authenticated  and  regularly  issued  English 
newspaper  was  entitled.  The  Wceldij  Ktws,  from  Italy,  Ger- 
many, etc.,  1622,  and  Nathaniel  Butler  is  regarded  as  the 
father  of  newspaper  enterprises.  Parliamentary  reports  were 
first  published  in  1641,  and  the  first  advertisement  was  in- 
serted in  a  newspaper  about  1648.  For  a  long  time  the 
government  exercised  a  strict  and  persecuting  censorship, 
over  the  press,  which  was  not  remitted  till  the  accession  of 
William  and  Mary.  France  had  newspapers  as  early  as 
1605,  and  Italy  as  early  as  1570.  There  is  in  the  British 
Museum  a  copy  of  a  printed  Italian  newspaper  bearing  the 
above  date.  Germany  had  irregular  news  publications  in 
1594,  and  a  regular  weekly  newspaper  was  established  in 
1615.  Peter  the  Great  helped  to  establish  the  first  Russian 
journal  in  1703,  and  for  centuries  China  has  had  a  court 
newspaper  called  by  Europeans  the  Ptkin  Gazette. 

In  our  country  the  first  newspaper  was  issued  at  Boston 
September  25th,  1690.  Only  one  copy  is  known  to  exist,  as 
the  paper  was  immediately  suppressed.  That  copy  bears 
the  title,  "Public  occurrences  both  Foreign  and  Domestic," 
gives  the  names  of  Richard  Pierce  as  printer  and  Benjamin 
Harris  as  publisher,  and  is  now  preserved  in  the  State  paper 
office  in  London.  The  Boston  News  Letter,  published  by 
John  Campbell,  appeared  fourteen  3'ears  later,  April  24th, 
1704,  and  was  regularly  issued  till  1776.  It  is  commonly 
but  erroneously  considered  the  first  American  newspaper,  and  ' 
was  at  first  a  half  sheet,  eight  by  twelve  inches,  with  two 
columns  to  the  page.  The  News  Letter  was  followed  by  the 
Boston  Gazette,  December  21st,  1719.  In  1721  James  j 
Franklin  issued  the  first  number  of  the  New  England  Cou-   ! 


rant,  which  soon  engaged  in  a  heated  controversy  with  Rev. 
Increase  Mather  and  others  on  the  subject  of  inoculation. 
So  hearty  was  its  criticism  of  public  men  and  measures  that 
the  following  year  the  Massachusetts  legislature  forbade 
James  Franklin  any  longer  to  issue  the  C'ourant  or  to  pub- 
lish any  pamphlet  or  paper  of  like  nature  without  its  being 
first  supervised  by  the  secretary  of  the  province.  The  name 
of  James  Franklin  was  taken  from  the  paper  and  that  of 
Benjamin  Franklin,  his  brother  and  apprentice,  then  six- 
teen years  of  age,  put  in  its  place.  The  oldest  living  news- 
paper in  the  United  States  is  said  to  be  the  New  Hampahlre 
Gazette,  first  published  in  1756,  and  since  issued  without  in- 
termission or  any  radical  change  of  name.  The  Pennsylva- 
nia Packet  or  the  General  Advertiser  (Philadelphia),  now 
North  Americin,  1784,  was  the  first  daily  paper,  and  the  next 
year  was  followed  by  the  New  York  Daily  Advertiser.  In 
1776  thirty-seven  papers  were  iniblishedin  the  colonies;  in 
1810  the  number  had  increased  to  359,  of  which  twenty-seven 
were  dailies;  in  1840,  the  number  was  1631 ;  1850,2526; 
1861',  4501  ;  1870,  5871  ;  and  from  the  most  recent  reliable 
authorities  the  number  at  present  is  6232. 

The  newspaper  history  of  Illinois  is  as  interesting  and 
checkered  as  that  of  the  race  or  nation.  The  first  paper  is- 
sued in  the  State  was  the  Illinois  Herald,  established  by 
]\Iathew  Duncan,  at  Kaskaskia,  the  then,  territorial  capital, 
at  or  about,  according  to  Reynolds' History,  1809.  In  this 
Reynolds  is  mistaken.  The  Herald  was  the  first  paper  es- 
tablished in  Illinois.  Mathew  Duncan  was  the  editor  and 
publisher.  The  first  issue  was  made  September  7th,  1814. 
Inform  it  was  a  three  column  folio,  wide  columns.  It  retained 
that  form  until  in  the  latter  part  of  1816,  it  was  enlarged  to 
a  four  column  paper.  Messrs.  Robert  Blackwell  and  Daniel 
P.  Cook  purchased  the  paper  and  office  in  the  latter  part  of 
1816.  Two  years  later  Mr.  Elijah  C.  Berry  bought  an  in- 
terest and  the  name  was  changed  to  Illinois  Intellir/encer. 
The  office  was  moved  to  Vandalia  in  1820  in  consequence 
of  that  place  becoming  the  State  capital. 

The  second  paper  in  the  State  was  The  Enxigrant,  which 
was  published  at  Shawueetown  by  Henry  Eddy  and  Single- 
ton H.  Kininiel,  who  issued  its  first  number  in  the  fall  of 
1818.  Mr.  KimmeFs  successor  was  Judge  James  Hall,  who 
was  a  Philadelphian  by  birth,  had  served  in  the  war  of 
1812,  and  had  recently  settled  at  Shawueetown.  He  was  a 
lawyer  by  profession,  but  spent  much  time  in  literary  work, 
and  ultimately  obtained  more  than  local  fame  as  an  author. 
Among  his  writings  are  Legends  of  the  West,  Border 
Tales,  Life  of  General  William  Henry  Harrison,  History 
of  the  Indian  Tribes,  (in  the  preparation  of  this  work  he 
was  associated  with  Thomas  L.  McKenny.  This  history 
was  republished  in  London),  The  Wilderness  and  The  War 
Path,  etc.  Judge  Hall  was  a  contributor  to  the  North 
American  lieview,  The  Philadelphia  Port  Folio,  The  Knicker- 
bocker, was  the  founder  and  editor  of  the  Illinois  Magazine, 
which  was  published  ut  Vandalia  for  some  years  and  after- 
wards moved  to  Cincinnati,  where  its  name  was  change,  to 
TheWe4ern  Monthly  Magazine.  When  we  add  to  this  long 
list  of  labors,  the  editorial  duties  connected  with  several 
newspapers — The  Illinois  Gazette,  The  Illinois  Intelligencer, 


200 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


etc.,  it  will  be  readily  admitted  that  few  men  have  done  so 
much  for  Western  civilization"  and  the  intellectual  improve- 
ment of  the  country'  at  large. — Allihone. 

Judge  Hall  held  the  office  of  prosecuting  attorney,  circuit 
judge  and  State  treasurer.  He  died  at  Cincinnati,  1868,  hav- 
ing removed  thither  in  1833.  In  the  memorable  convention 
of  1824  the  Emigrant  was  a  powerful  opponent  to  the  intro- 
duction of  slavery  ;  and  its  editors,  particularly  Mr.  Eddy, 
struck  not  a  few  herculean  blows  against  the  pro  slavery 
champions  and  sentiments  of  that  campaign. 

The  journalistic  hi.story  of  Madison  county  begins  with 
the  establishment  of  the  third  newspaper  in  the  State. 

For  facts  and  dates  relating  to  it  and  the  early  press  we 
desii-e  especially  to  acknowledge  our  indebtedness  to  Hon. 
Joseph  Gillespie,  of  Edwardsville,  Illinois.  He  has  fur- 
nished us  much  information  drawn  from  his  inexhaustible 
storehouse  of  knowledge  of  the  early  history  of  the  state- 
He  was  for  many  years  a  prominent  actor  and  central  figure 
in  the  political  history  of  the  state.  A  lawyer  by  profes- 
sion with  a  large  and  extensive  practice,  a  judge  upon  the 
bench  and  a  prominent  member  of  the  Legislative  bodies  of 
the  state,  together  with  domestic  cares  and  provisions  for  a 
competency  in  the  future  has  made  his  life  an  unusually 
busy  one  but  withal,  he  has  found  time  to  store  his  mind 
with  much  valuable  information  embracing  a  wide  range  of 
subjects  and  including  a  knowledge  of  art,  science  and 
literature.  Although  ripe  in  years  his  vigorous  memory 
retains  all  the  freshness  and  retentiveness  of  youth,  and  with 
a  singular  fidelity  to  fiicts  it  leaps  back  and  spans  the  half 
century  gone  by,  and  calls  up  incidents  the  narration  of  which 
in  muiute  detail  and  embellishment  seems  to  bear  the  im- 
press of  but  yesterday.  He  has  indeed  come  down  to  us 
from  a  former  generation  bringing  with  him  the  history  and 
incidents  of  the  past. 

We  also  desire  to  extend  our  thanks  to  the  members  of  the 
press  of  Madison  county  for  favors  shown,  and  information 
given,  and  esj)ecially  to  Mr.  W.  T.  Norton  of  Alton,  publish- 
er and  editor  of  the  Telegraph,  who  kindly  placed  files  of 
that  paper  at  our  disposal  from  which  we  gleaned  much 
valuable  information  concerning  the  press  of  forty  years  ago. 
We  also  desire  to  return  thanks  to  Rev.  Washington  Leveritt, 
Librarian  of  Shurtlcff  College, Upper  Alton,  and  totheofficers 
of  the  Illinois  State  Historical  Society  for  files  of  old  papers 
published  in  Edwardsville  sixty  years  ago,  by  the  aid  of 
which  we  were  enabled  to  obtain  correct  dates.  We  have  also 
taken  the  liberty  of  quoting  from  Hon.  E.  B.  Washburne's 
"  Sketch  of  Edward  Coles,"  "  Tanner's  Life  of  Lovejoy,"  and 
using  information  (where  absolutely  correct)  obtained  from 
Madison  County  Gazetteer,  published  some  fiftten  years 
ago.  From  these  and  other  sources  we  have  been  enabled  to 
trace  the  history  of  the  press  from  its  first  establishment  in 
Madison  county  in  1819,  to  the  present  time  ;  and  present 
it  in  a  manner  which  we  hope,  will  be  acceptable  to  our 
readers.  Prior  to  the  establishing  of  a  newspaper  in  the 
county,  the  people  of  this  section  of  the  country  were 
dependent  upon  the  Missouri  Gazette,  published  in  St. 
Louis,  for  the  news  from  the  outside  world.  Occasionally  a 
stray  copj'  of  Illinois  Emigrant,  pnhViahei.]  at  Shawneetown, 


or  the  Illinois  Herald,  Mathew  Duncan's  paper,  printed  at 
Kaskaskia,  found  their  way  here.  The  third  newspaper 
published  in  the  state  was  founded  by  Hooper  Warren  at 
Edwardsville.  It  was  the  first  paper  printed  in  the  county. 
It  was  called  the 

EDWARDSVILLE  SPECTATOR. 

The  first  issue  was  made  May  23d,  1819,  less  than  one 
year  after  the  State  was  admitted  to  the  Union.  In  form 
it  was  a  five  column  folio  neatly  printed  and  ably  edited. 
Few,  if  any  newspapers  were  ever  established  in  the  west, 
that  at  once  took  a  more  prominent  position,  or,  in  so  short 
a  time,  commanded  and  wielded  a  greater  influence  t^ian  the 
Spectator.  It  was  in  its  day,  the  most  potential  newspaper 
west  of  the  Allegheny  mountains. 

In  looking  through  volumes  one,  two,  three  and  four,  we 
judge  that  the  paper  was  a  success,  financially,  provided  it3 
patrons  paid  up  promptly.  About  one-half  of  the  paper 
was  taken  up  with  home  and  foreign  advertisements.  Some 
of  the  local  "Ads."  are  unique,  and  at  the  present  day 
would  appear  quite  odd.  For  example :  A  druggist  in 
Edwardsville  advertises  a  large  stock  of  "  Elegant  Medi- 
cines," and  calls  particular  attention  to  his  "  Castor  Oil 
which  is  a  real  pleasure  to  take." 

The  Spectator  made  its  appearance  before  the  days  of  rail- 
roads and  telegraph,  consequently  news  from  Washington  or 
even  from  the  seat  of  the  State  government  was  from  ten 
days  to  three  or  four  weeks  in  reaching  Edwardsville,  but 
it  was  news  nevertheless.  In  the  meantime  the  columns  of 
the  paper  were  much  occupied  by  essays  on  every  conceiva- 
ble subject  in  which,  generally,  no  one  had  any  interest  ex- 
cept the  writer.  This  was  especially  the  case  in  '•  off"  years 
when  there  was  no  political  excitement  or  elections.  In 
times  of  great  political  excitement,  or  in  presidential  cam- 
paigns, the  editorials  were  exceedingly  lengthy  and  of  a  pon- 
derous character,  though  usually  possessing  literary  merit. 
As  news  became  the  dominant  idea  of  the  newspapers  the 
heavy  leaders  were  dropped,  and  paragraphing  became  popu- 
lar. Mr.  Warren,  Editor  and  founder  of  the  Spectator,  was  a 
practical  printer.  He  worked  at  the  "case"  in  the  office  of 
the  Missouri  Gazette,  and  while  there  set  up  and  published, 
under  an  assumed  name,  a  series  of  articles  upon  public  and 
political  questiocs  aftecting  the  weal  of  the  State  which 
attracted  the  notice  of  the  leading  statesmen  of  Missouri, 
and  called  forth  replies  from  Thomas  H.  Benton  and  others 
of  equal  reputation  and  ability.  All  with  singular  una- 
nimity agreed  in  attributing  the  authorship  to  men  iu  high 
position  in  the  State.  The  articles  in  question  were  evi- 
dences of  the  writer's  profound  knowledge  of  the.  subjects 
discussed  and  were  written  in  that  bold  vigorous  style  that 
carried  weight  and  conviction  to  the  reader. 

When  Mr.  Warren  established  his  printing  office  in 
Edwardsville  he  was  fortunate  in  securing  the  services  of 
George  Churchill,  who  was  a  practical  printer  and  a  writer 
of  well-known  ability,  and  who  subsequently  became  one  of 
the  prominent  men  of  the  State.  These  gentlemen  edited 
and  "  set-up  "  the  pa^jcr  the  first  year.     The  Missouri  Com- 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


201 


promise  was  then  the  great  absorbing  and  leading  political 
question,  and  in  its  discussion  they  dealt  heavy  blows  against 
the  institution  of  slavery  and  its  acquisition  of  new  territory. 
After  the  first  year,  and  when  the  Sjiedator  was  firmly 
established,  Mr.  Warren  conducted  the  paper  alone  or 
at  least  assumed  its  entire  management  and  cditoria' 
control. 

As  before  stated,  he  was  a  bold,  able  and  aggres-ive  writer. 
His  editorials  were  never  written  upon  paper,  but  standing  at 
the ''case  "he  would  compose  and  at  the  same  time  put 
them  in  type.  In  the  Convention  times  of  l'<24  he  took  a 
bold  and  nianlj'  stand  and  did  much  to  defeat  the  schemes 
of  the  slavery  party  who  sought  to  make  Illinois  a  Slave 
State.  In  182o  he  sold  the  Spectator  to  Thomas  Lippin- 
cott  and  Jeremiah  Abbott,  the  former  editor  and  the  latter 
printer.  Before  dismissing  the  Spedifor  under  Mr.  Warreu's 
management,  it  is  proper  to  speak  of  the  many  able  con- 
tributors to  its  columns.  In  order  to  better  understand  the 
position  of  the  paper  at  that  time  it  is  necessary  to  state  that 
the  leading  question  which  then  agitated  the  public  mind  of 
the  State  was  whether  a  convention  should  be  called  the 
object  of  which  was  to  change  the  constitution  so  as  to  admit 
and  legalize  slavery.  Upon  this  question  the  people  were 
divided.  The  leaders  of  the  dominant  party  in  the  State 
■with  few  exceptions,  were  in  favor  of  the  Convention,  and 
many  able  and  plausible  reasons  were  put  forth  by  them  in 
justification  of  their  position  and  in  proof  of  its  great 
advantage  and  benefit  to  the  commonwealth.  "  A  great 
cause  beget-!  great  leaders."  Opposed  to  the  Convention  were 
those  who  said,  God  helping  them,  the  State  of  Illinois 
should  never  be  ptdhited  and  cursed  by  that  monster  .«in  and 
crowning  evil  of  the  century,  slavery.  Of  these  was  Edward 
Coles,  then  Governor  of  the  State  and  the  recognized  leader 
of  the  Auti  Convention  party,  whose  facile  and  powerful 
pen  wrote  column  after  column,  denouncing  the  schemes  of 
the  leaders  of  the  pro-slavery  party,  and  urging  the  voters  of 
the  State  to  stand  firm  against  the  encroachments  of  the 
slave  power.  He  contributed  many  articles  io\.\\Q  Spectator, 
and  had  much  to  do  in  sustaining  the  high  character  of  that 
journal.  He  was  the  heart  and  brains  of  the  Anti-Conven- 
tion party,  and  entered  into  the  contest  with  a  determination 
to  succeed.  He  organized  the  forces  of  freedom  throughout 
the  State,  traveling  from  one  distant  point  to  another,  mak- 
ing speeches,  writing  for  the  newspapers  and  urging  the 
friends  of  the  cause  to  come  out  and  by  their  ballot  forever 
settle  the  question  of  the  admission  of  slavery  into  the  free 
State  of  Illinois.  He  was  a  thorough  and  intense  hater  of 
the  system  of  slavery.  He  lived  long  enough  to  see  it  go 
down  amidst  the  thunders  of  war,  though  drenched  and 
baptized  in  the  blood  of  pure  patriotism.  He  was  by  nature 
a  chivalric,  high-toned  gentleman,  and  a  pute  practical 
philanthropist  who  desired  and  labored  for  the  amelioration 
of  his  species.  He  is  dead.  To  day  among  the  present 
inhabitants  of  Illlinois,  little  is  known  of  him  ;  but  for  h's 
great  service  to  the  State  he  deserves  to  live  in  the  grateful 
memories  of  her  people,  an^  his  noble  acts  and  deeds  should 
be  written  with  a  pen  of  steel  upon  columns  of  brass  that 
they  might  be  as  enduring  as  truth  and  justice,  the  grand 
26 


characteristics  tha";  d  >raiDated  and  controlled  every  action  of 
the  1  fe  of  Governor  Coles.* 

JMorris  Birkbi-ck  wai  another  contributor  to  the  Specta- 
tor during  the  "Convention  times."  "He  was  an 
Englishman  by  birth,  and  received  a  thorough  cla.«sical 
education,  after  which  he  devoted  himself  to  the  study  of 
agriculture,  and  soon  enjoyed  a  wide  c^-lebrity  as  being  one 
of  the  best  practical  as  well  as  theoretical  farmers  in  Eng- 
land. He  came  to  America  in  1817  and  S' ttled  in  Illinois. 
He  was  an  intense  hater  of  the  system  of  slavery  as  it 
existed  in  the  United  States,  and  when  the  election  was 
called  to  decide  the  question  of  calling  a  convention  to 
change  the  constitution  he  continued  busily  cniplr)ycd  writing 
p:imphlets,  communications,  letters,  etc.,  in  opposition  to  it. 
He  contributed  a  series  of  letters  to  the  Spectator  over  the 
nom,  de  plume  of  "  Jonathan  Freeman."  which  were  widely 
copied  and  extensively  read.  They  were  written  in  a  plain 
and  pleasing  style,  full  of  facts  and  embellished  by  homely 
but  apt  illustrations.  It  is  conceded  that  jMr.  Birkbeik 
contributed  more  and  did  more  valuable  .service  through  the 
ai<l  of  his  pen  to  defeat  the  Convcniion  party  than  any 
other  man  in  Illinois.  His  services  were  such  as  to  entitle 
him  to  the  lasting  gratitude  of  the  people  of  Illinois." 

Among  other  able  contributors  to  the  Spectator  were 
George  Churchill,  Judge  Samuel  D.  Lockwood,  Daniel 
Blackwell,  Jonathan  H.  Pugh,  Daniel  P.  Cook,  Thomas 
Lippincott,  Henry  Eddy,  Thomas  Mather,  George  Forquer 
and  others.  Quite  an  array  of  able  men,  and  all  were 
writers  of  acknowledged  ability.  It  must  be  reniembere<l 
that  the  struggle  continued  through  a  period  of  eighteen 
months,  from  the  pass-age  of  the  Bdl  and  the  election,  which 
was  set  for  August  5th,  1824.  In'o  the  canvass  was  injected 
a  bitterness  and  malignity  which  the  a-ita  ion  of  the  slavery 
question  only  could  produce.  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  on 
the  side  of  the  convention,  these  writers  met  no  mere  pig- 
mies, but  men  wi  rthy  of  their  intellectual  steel.  There  were 
indeed  giants  in  those  days.  The  pajjcrs  in  Illinois  advoca- 
ting the  side  of  the  convention  were  the  JiepiibUcan  Advocate 
at  Kaska-skia,  edited  and  managed  by  Elias  Kent  Kane, 
afterward  United  States  Senator,  and  the  Illinois  Republican 
(of  which  we  shall  speak  hereafter)  at  Edwardsville.  The 
real  editors  and  managers  and  contributors  to  these  pap  rs 
were  the  leading  and  prominent  men  of  the  state,  among 
whom  were  ex-Gov.  Bond,  and  six  gentlemen  who  after- 
ward became  United  States  Senators,  viz  ,  Je.sse  B.  Thomas, 
John  McLean,  Elias  Kent  Kane,  John  31  Robinson,  Samuel 
McRoberts  and  Richard  M.  Young.  The  other  principal 
writers  and  contributors  were  Chief  Justice  Phillips  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  William  Kinney  and  Zadoc  Casey  subse- 
quently Lieut.  Governors  of  the  state.  Gen.  Hargrave, 
Emanuel  J  West,  John  Reynolds,  afterwr.rd  known  as  the 
"Ranger  Governor"  of  Illinois,  and   Alexander  P.  Field. 

These  gentlemen  endeavored  to  make  their  side  of  the  ques- 
tion presentable  to  the  people,  an<l  perhaps  no  other  men  in 
the  nation  could  have  argued  a  bad  cause  more  cogently  or 
eloquently  than   they,   but  despite   their  labors   and    vast 

'  Washburn's  sketch  of  Geo.  Coles. 


202 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


amount  of  ability  brought  to  their  aid,  the  earnestness,  su- 
perior tactics  and  above  all  the  justness  of  their  cause,  en- 
abled the  Anti-Convention  parly  to  win.  The  newspapers 
of  that  day  were  in  a  great  measure  mediums  througli,  and 
by  which  the  people  were  reached,  and  had  probably  more 
influence  in  shaping  and  crystaliziug  popular  opinion  than 
ever  before  or  since.  When  the  contest  was  over  and  the 
result  determined,  then  indeed,  was  seen  the  power  of  the 
press.  We  very  much  doubt  if  any  newsjiaper  published 
since  in'  the  west  had  such  an  array  of  talent  and  able 
contributors  to  its  columns  as  the  Spectator  of  sixty 
years  ago. 

The  history  of  the  Spectator  would  be  incomplete  without 
a  short  sketch  of  Messrs.  Warren  and  Churchill,  its  editors, 
and  the  pioneer  printers  of  the  west.  Hooper  Warren  was 
a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  born  in  1790,  and  while  yet 
in  his  infancy  the  farailj-  removed  to  Vermont.  AVhile  still 
a  youth  he  was  apprenticed  to  the  printing  trade  in  the  of- 
fice of  the  Rutland  Herald,  Vermont.  In  1814  he  removed 
to  Delaware,  and  three  years  later  to  Kentucky,  where  he 
worked  in  a  printing  ofBce  with  Amos  Kendall  who,  subse- 
quently, became  Postmaster-General.  In  1818  he  came  to 
St.  Louis  and  worked  at  the  case.  In  March,  1819,  he  came 
to  Edwardsville,  Madison  county.  111.,  and  in  May  follow- 
ing founded  the  Edtvardsville  Spectator,  and  coniinued  its 
editor  and  publisher  forsi-^c  years.  In  his  salutatory  to  the 
public  he  avowed  his  anti-slavery  principles,  and  ever  after 
remained  true  to  them,  and  advocated  them  with  all  the  zeal 
and  energy  of  which  he  was  capable  ;  and  that,  too,  through 
one  of  the  most  exciting  and  fiercest  palitical  contests  ever 
known  in  the  state  or  country.  His  bold  and  able  champ- 
ioning of  the  cause  of  the  anti-convention  party  a'.id  his 
strictures  upon  the  acts  of  the  leaders  of  the  opposition 
called  down  upon  him  the  wrath  of  the  opposition,  and 
particularly  that  of  Senator  Theophilus  W.  Smith,  who  un- 
dertook to  publicly  cowhide  him.  Failing  in  his  purpose 
he  drew  a  dirk,  but  Mr.  Warren  drew  his  pistol,  which 
proved  a  most  excellent  and  effective  peace  restorer.  After 
he  sold  his  paper  Mr.  Warren  went  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and 
there  edited  the  Xattohal  Crisis.  One  year  later  he  returned 
to  Edwardsville  when  from  some  cause  unknown  to  the  writer 
the  oflBce  of  the  Spectator  fell  back  into  his  possession.  He 
removed  the  type  and  material  to  Springfield,  Illinois,  and 
there  published  for  two  years  the  Somgamo  Spectator.  In 
1829  he  removed  to  Galena,  when  in  company  with  two 
other  gentlemen  he  established  the  Galena  Advertiser  and 
JJltper  Mississippi  Herald.  In  1S31  he  removed  to  Henne- 
pin, where  for  five  years  he  filled  the  offices  of  clerk  of  the 
circuit  court  and  county  commissioners'  court  and  justice  of 
the  peace.  In  1836  he  went  to  Chicago  and  published  the 
Commercial  Advertiser.  In  1850  he  published  the  Bureau 
Advocate  sXVnnccioQ.  One  year  later  he  returned  to  Chi- 
cago, and  in  connection  with  Z.  Eastman,  for  three  years, 
published  the  Free  West  and  Western  Citizen,  after  which 
he  retired  to  his  farm  in  Henry  county.  He  died  August 
22d,  1834.  Such  is  a  brief  sketch  of  one  of  the  pio- 
neer publishers  of  Illinois.  He  was  eminently  a  man  of 
work  as  well  as  thought.     He  rarely  took  time  to  write,  but 


standing  at  the  case  he  composed  and  set  up  the  thoughts  as 
they  came  crowding  from  the  brain.  He  was  the  most  taci- 
turn of  men, and  in  that  particular  was  truly  remarkable — 
rarely  speaking — and  then  in  monosyllables  and  never  using 
a  superfluous  word.  He  was  a  quiet,  calm,  good  listener  to 
any  proposition  or  question  propounded  or  addressed  to  him, 
and  gave  his  assent  or  dissent  in  the  fewest  words  possible. 
In  politics  he  was  libf  ral,  yet,  when  after  mature  delibera- 
tion he  formed  his  opinions,  he  was  inflexible  and  immova- 
ble. He  was  the  advocate,  and  in  warm  sympathy  with  the 
rights  of  the  mass,  and  a  staunch  friend  of  the  natural  and 
God-given  rights  of  all  men,  and  all  races,  and  hence  was 
the  bitter  and  unrelenting  foe  of  human  slavery. 

George  Churchill,  the  co-worker  and  partner  of  Hooper 
Warren  in  the  publication  of  the  Spectator,  when  first  estab- 
lished, was  born  at  Hubbardtown,  Rutland  county,  Vermont, 
October  11th,  1789.  He  received  a  good  education  in  his 
youth.  As  he  grew  to  manhood  he  imbibed  a  taste  for  liter- 
ary work,  which  induced  him  to  learn  the-printer's  trade. 
In  February,  1806,  he  entered  the  office  of  the  Albany  Sen- 
tinel as  an  apprentice,  served  his  time,  after  which  he 
worked  as  a  "jour"  printer  until  he  had  accumulated  suffi- 
cient funds  to  purchase  a  half  interest  in  a  small  printing 
office.  Business  being  dull,  he  sold  at  a  loss,  went  to  New 
York,  and  worked  at  the  case  for  five  months,  then  came 
west.  On  his  way  he  spent  some  time  in  Philadelphia, 
Pittsburg  and  Louisville.  In  the  latter  city,  he  worked  in 
the  Courier  office,  then  owned  by  Nicholas  Clarke.  He 
afterwards  worked  in  the  office  of  the  Correspondent,  owned 
by  Col.  Elijah  C.  Berry,  subsequently  a  well-known  citizen 
of  Illinois,  and  auditor  of  public  accounts  of  the  state.  In 
June,  1817,  he  came  to  St.  Louis,  and  while  there  made  fre- 
quent trips  across  the  river  to  Illinois.  Seeing  the  rich  and 
fertile  soil  of  the  state,  he  determined  to  abandon  the  prin- 
ter's trade  and  engage  in  agricultural  pursuits;  and,  with 
this  idea  in  view,  he  selected  the  northwest  quarter  of  section 
eight,  in  township  three,  range  west,  and  entered  it, and  there 
made  himself  a  home  and  resided  until  his  death,  which 
latter  event  took  place  in  the  summer  of  1872.  In  order  to 
fence  and  improve  his  farm,  he  found  it  necessary  to  work  at 
his  trade,  in  order  to  earn  the  money  to  make  the  necessary 
improvements.  In  the  spring  of  1819  he  worked  in  the 
office  of  the  Missouri  Gazette  in  St.  Louis,  then  conducted 
by  Joseph  Charless.  At  that  time  arose  the  famous  "  Mis- 
souri Question"  in  Congress.  The  citizens  of  the  territory 
petitioned  Congress  for  an  "  Enabling  Act,"  by  which  the 
people  could  elect  delegates  to  meet  in  convention  and  form 
a  constitution  f)r  a  state  government,  with  a  view  of  admis- 
sion into  the  Union.  The  act  passed  the  House  of  Kepre- 
seutatives,  with  the  proviso,  that  the  "  Introduction  of  sla- 
very, or  involuntary  slavery,  be  prohibited,"  etc.  When  it 
reached  the  Senate,  that  body  struck  out  the  proviso,  and 
the  House  refused  to  concur ;  therefore,  the  bill  failed  to 
pass  that  session.  The  action  of  the  anti-slavery  men  in 
Congress  created  the  most  intense  excitement  in  the  territory, 
and  more  particularly  in  St.  Louis.  Every  man  who  could 
wield  a  pen  rushed  into  print.  The  columns  of  the  papers, 
especially  the   Gazette,  were  crowded  with  denunciations  of 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


203 


the  proposed  curtailment  of  wlmt  was  deemed  tlieir  vested 
rights, — aud  Iciigtliy  and  ponderous  arguments  were  made, 
designed  to  prove  the  uncjnstitutionality  of  the  proposed 
restriction.  Believing  that  something  could  be  said  in  favor 
of  the  bill  as  amended  by  the  House,  Mr.  Churchill  wrote 
an  article,  the  authorship  of  which  was  kept  secret,  and  it 
was  published.  Its  appearance  had  much  the  same  effect 
upon  the  excited  multitude  as  a  red  flag  would  have  upon 
an  enraged  bull.  The  mob  howled,  and  denunciations  were 
poured  thick  and  fast  upon  the  head  of  the  'Farmer  of 
St  Charles  County,"  the  nonidc  jjlione  under  which  Churchill 
wrote.  The  authorship  of  the  inflammable  articles  was  de- 
manded, and  their  publication  ordered  to  cease.  But  Jlr. 
Cbarless  was  a  lover  of  fair  pla}'  and  free  discussion,  and  he 
would  neither  divulge  the  authorship  nor  stop  their  publica- 
tion. 

After  Mr.  Warren  started  the  Spectator  in  Edwards- 
ville,  Mr.  Churchill  acceded  to  the  former's  request,  and 
came  here  and  assisted  him  in  getting  a  start.  He  was  con- 
vinced that  Mr.  Warren  was  unalterably  opposed  to  slavery, 
and  therefore  they  could  work  iu  liarmony.  He  remained 
■with  him  one  year,  then  returned  to  his  farm.  In  1822 
Mr.  Churchill  was  elected  to  represent  Madison  county  iu 
the  General  As.sembly.  In  the  succeeding  session  of  that 
body  it  was  sought,  as  stated  before,  to  call  a  convention  to 
amend  the  constitution  so  as  to  admit  slavery.  It  was  in 
that  struggle  that  the  great  abilities  of  Mr.  Churchill  shone 
out.  His  pen,  during  the  entire  controver.<y,  was  busily  em- 
ployed in  writing  caustic  articles  that  burned  through  the 
cuticle  of  ignorance  and  sophistry,  and  left  in  their  stead 
the  healthy  cicatrice  of  reason  and  common-sense.  In  1824 
he  was  reelected  as  an  anti-convention  caLdidate,  and  con- 
tinued to  be  elected  for  several  succeeding  terms.  In  1838 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  State  Senate  from  Madison 
county,  and  iu  1844  again  elected  to  the  legislature. 

He  was,  to  quote  from  one  who  knew  him  well,  "a  thorough- 
paced abolitionist  all  his  life,  firm  and  unyielding  in  his  con- 
victions of  what  he  knew  to  be  right.  In  the  matter  of  politi- 
cal knowledge  he  was  a  walking  encyclopfdia  of  information, 
aud  it  was  as  dangerous  to  attack  him  on  any  question  of 
political  knowledge  as  it  was  John  (^uincy  Adams.  He  was 
always  ready,  and  could  at  a  moment's  notice  draw  upon 
his  vast  storehouse  of  information,  and  woe  be  to  the  man 
who  presumed  upon  his  ignorance  of  any  fact  or  point  in  the 
political  history  of  this  or  any  other  country.  His  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  point  in  question,  or  its  history,  would 
confound  his  antagonist,  while  his  dry  logic  and  plain  mattcr- 
of-tact  statements  would  leave  him  without  any  foundation 
to  stand  upon.  He  was  accounted  the  best  working  man  in 
the  legislative  body.  He  toiled  like  a  dray-horse,  but  never 
made  a  speech  exceeding  five  minutes  in  length ;  but  in  that 
time,  however,  he  said  all  that  ought  to  be  said  upon  the 
question." 

Thomas  Lippincott,  the  purchaser  of  the  Spectator,  con- 
tinued the  publication  of  the  j)aper  until  1827,  when  he 
entered  the  Presbyterian  ministry,  and  became  a  shining 
light  in  that  Christian  denomination.  He  was  a  native  of 
Salem,  Xew  Jersey,  aud  was  born  February  G,  1791.     His 


parents  were  Quakeis;  while  he  was  quite  young,  the 
family  became  very  much  scattered.  In  1S02  he  went 
to  Philadel|)hia  aud  resided  with  his  maternal  uncle, 
and  soon  after  became  a  merchant's  clerk.  In  1813  he 
volunteered  fir  the  defence  of  the  city,  when  threat- 
ened by  the  Briti  h  forces.  He  married  Patty  Swift,  in 
1816,  and  in  1817  came  west.  In  18-0  he  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Edwardsville,  and  here  made  his  home  until  1832. 
Iu  1822  he  was  elected  secretary  of  the  state  senate.  On 
the  8th  of  October,  1828,  he  was  licensed  to  preach  the 
gospel  by  the  Presbytery  of  Missouri,  and  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  in  that  sacred  calling.  He  is  better 
known  in  the  pioneer  Ecclesiastical  History  of  the  county 
than  in  its  journalism.  But  yet  in  the  Convention  times 
he  did  good  aud  noble  work  for  the  cause  of  freedom,  through 
the  medium  of  his  fertile  pen.  j\lr.  Lippincott  was  a  man 
of  pleading  deportment,  friendly,  intelligent  but  of  a  serious, 
meditative  mien.  He  was  a  good  author,  an  honest  public 
officer,  an  upright  citizen  and  a  devout  aud  pious  minister. 
The  whole  aim  of  his  life  was  to  aid  aud  make  permanent 
that  which  was  good  aud  true. 

THE   ST.\E   OF   THE    WEST 

Was  the  second  candidate  for  journalistic  favors  in  Madison 
county,  and  the  fourth  paper  published  in  the  state.  In  Au- 
gust, 1822,  Mr.  Miller  and  son  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  came 
west,  seeking  a  location  to  establish  a  printing  office.  They 
brought  a  press  and  type  with  them.  They  stopped  in  Ed- 
wardsville, and  here  were  induced  by  promises  of  support  aud 
patronage,  to  remain  and  commence  the  publication  of  a 
newspaper.  Their  arrival  was  opportune,  as  an  organ  of  the 
Convention  party  was  wanted  and  needed  to  counteract  the 
force  of  the  Spectator.  Arrangements  were  made  with  some 
of  the  leading  citizens  to  furnish  the  necessary  capital  with 
which  to  purchase  paper,  ink  and  other  incidental  expenses 
contingent  upon  the  starting  of  a  newspaper.  Among  those 
whs  sup])lied  the  necessary  cash  were  Hon.  Theophilus  W. 
Smith,  Emanuel  J.  West  and  others.  The  interest  of  the 
contributors  was  represented  by  Mr.  Stine.  The  firm  was 
Miller  &  Stine,  and  under  their  management  the  first  issue 
was  made,  the  date  of  which  was  September  14,  1822.  They 
conducted  the  paper  for  six  months,  when  it  passed  into  the 
possession  of  Thomas  J.  McGuire  &  Co.  They  changed  the 
name  to  the 

ILLINOIS   REPUBLICAN, 

The  first  issue  of  which  was  made  April  12,  1823.  The 
mission  of  the  liepublican  was  to  advocate  the  cause  of  the 
convention  party,  and  it  was  their  recognized  organ.  The 
company  was  correctly  supposed  to  be  composed  of  the  follow- 
ing named  gentleman,  ami  leaders  of  the  pro  slavery  party  : 
Hon.  Theophil  us  W.  Smith,  the  senator  from  Madison  county ; 
Emanuel  J.  V>^est,  member  from  Madison  in  the  Legislature, 
and  William  Kinney,  senator  from  St.  Clair.  Senator  Smith 
was  the  reputed  editor  and  furnished  the  leading  editorials. 
He  had  prior  to  his  coming  west  considerable  journalistic 
experience  in  New  York,  and  from  that  fact  it  was  suppposed 
possessed   the    necessary    qualifications   to    cope   with    his 


204 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


formidable  rival  and  opponent,  Hooper  Warreu,  and  his 
corps  of  able  contributors  to  the  Spectator.  But  the  sequel 
proved,  however  luueh  ability  he  possessed,  bis  cause  was  not 
just,  and  I'reeddni,  right  and  justice  prevailed.  Mr.  Smith 
was  a  smooth,  jjlausibie  writer.  His  articles  read  well,  but 
there  was  a  vein  of  sophistry  running  through  them  that  was 
apparent  to  the  honest  seeker  after  the  truth.  It  can  be  said 
of  him  that  they  possessed  literary  merit.  Had  he  chosen 
to  take  the  other  side  of  the  question,  and  his  action  been 
dictated  by  honesty,  he  would  have  been  a  foimidable  oppon- 
ent to  meet  in  a  pen  controversy.  He  afterwards,  as  is  well 
known  to  all  students  of  Illinois  history,  occupied  positions  of 
high  trust,  representing  the  county  in  the  State  Senate,  and 
was  also  one  of  the  justices  of  the  s-uprtme  court  of  the  state. 

The  publicatiou  of  the  RepaUkan  was  continued  until 
July  28,  1824.  a  few  days  before  the  election  which  by  a 
large  majority  decided  that  freedom  was  the  normal  condition 
of  the  state  of  Illinois,  and  must  forever  remain  free  and 
uncontaminated  by  the  influence  of  slavery  within  her 
borders.  The  mission  of  the  paper  was  ended  and  its  sus- 
pension was  sudden,  and  it  was  never  afterwards  revived. 

In  1823,  Mr.  Robert  K.  Fleming,  one  of  the  vetn-an 
printers  of  Illinois  and  among  the  first  newspaper  publishers 
in  the  state,  established  the  R^'pubUean  Advocate  at  Kas- 
kaskia.  It  was  the  mouth  piece  and  exponent  of  the 
principles  "f  the  convention  party  in  that  section  of  the 
state,  and  during  the  contest  was  edited  by  Elias  Kent  Kane. 
After  the  election  and  defeat  of  the  party  it  ceased  publica- 
tion. The  press  and  type  were  removed  to  Vandalia,  and 
there  the  publication  was  revived.  In  the  summer  of  1827, 
Mr.  Fleming  removed  the  press  and  fi-vtures  to  Edwardsville 
and  on  the  14th  of  October,  1827,  issued  the  first  number 
of  the 

ILLINOIS   CORRECTOR. 

It  was  in  form  a  four  C'>lumn  quarto,  Democratic  in 
politics,  and  warmly  supported  General  Jack.son  for  the 
presidency.  It  was  published  every  Monday  morning. 
Price  per  annum  S2.50.  It  was  an  exceedingly  neat  publi- 
cation, and  its  form  was  entirely  new.  All  other  papers 
published  in  the  west  at  that  time  were  folios.  The  Corrector 
was  not  a  success  financially,  but  it  lingered  along  until 
November  20ih,  1828,  when  it  suspended.  Mr.  Fleming 
moved  the  material  back  to  Kaskaskia,  and  there  published 
the  Recorder,  until  the  spring  of  18o3,  then  removed  to 
Belleville,  in  St.  Clair  county,  where  he  continued  iu  the 
printing  business  until  his  death. 

THE  CRISIS, 

Was  the  fourth  paper  established  in  Madison  county.  Its 
founder  was  Samuel  S.  Brooks.  The  date  of  the  first  num- 
ber was  April  14,  1830.  It  was  a  four  column  paper,  pub- 
lished every  Saturday,  in  Edwardsville.  Thirty-four  num- 
bers were  published,  when  its  named  was  changed  to  ihe 

ILLINOIS    ADVOCATE. 

Eighteen  numbers  of  the  paper  were  published,  by  Mr. 
Brooks,  when  the  office  passed  into  the  hands  of  Judge  John 
York  Sawyer.     The  latter  gentleman  had  established  the 


WESTERN   PLOUGgBOV, 

in  Edwardsville,  November  1,  1830,  and  continued  the  pub- 
lication one  year,  when  he  came  into  possession  of  the  Advo- 
cate, and  the  two  papers  were  consolidated  under  the  name 
of  the  Illinois  Advocate. 

Soon  after  the  consolidation,  Mr.  J  Angevine  secured  a 
half  interest  in  the  paper.  Four  months  later  he  sold  out 
to  William  Peach,  but  he,  too,  soon  retired,  and  Judge  Saw- 
yer was  left  iu  undisputed  possession  of  the  journal.  la 
1832  Mr.  Sawyer  was  elected  state  printer,  and  he  removed 
all  of  the  material  to  Vandalia,  then  the  seat  of  the  state 
government.  The  Advocate  was  not  a  success ;  its  columns 
were  little  sought  after  by  advertisers,  consequently  it  had 
more  space  for  essays  and  miscellaneous  matter,  and  per 
consequence  enjoyed  some  reputation  on  account  of  its  good 
selections  and  literary  merit. 

In  1832,  Alton  began  to  loom  up  as  a  city  of  con- 
siderable commercial  importance,  and  some  few  of  her  san- 
guine citizens  had  great  hopes  of  her  out-rivaling  her  sister 
city— St.  Louis.  Alton  was  then  the  chief  commercial  and 
mercantile  emporium  of  Illinois.  Her  citizens  became  im- 
bued with  a  desire  to  excel.  Enterprise  waved  her  magic 
wand  over  the  city,  and  at  once  she  spread  out  and  extended 
her  lines  of  commerce,  and  placed  ne*  territory  under  her 
commercial  dominion.  A  newspaper  was  needed  to  speak 
for  her  flattering  promises  of  future  greatness.  To  supply 
this  want,  O.  M.  Adams  and  Edward  Breath,  two  enterjjris- 
ing  young  men  of  Alton,  started  a  newspaper  at  Upper 
Alton,  called  the 

ALTON   SPECTATOR. 

The  first  number  made  its  appearance  January  21st,  1832. 
The  firm  of  Adams  &  Breath  was  dissolved  April  20th, 
of  the  same  year.  On  the  20th  of  October,  1832,  the  office 
of  the  Spectator  was  removed  from  Upper  Alton  to  Alton 
City.  ISIr.  Breath  continued  the  publication  until  Septem- 
ber 20th,  1834,  when  he  sold  the  prtss  and  material  to  J. 
T.  Hudson,  who  conliiiued  Editor  and  publisher  until  June 
24th,  1836,  when  W.  A.  Beatty  became  Editor  and  pub- 
lish^-, and  held  control  until  November  25th  of  the  same 
year,  after  which  D.  Ward  published  eight  numbers.  On 
the  Iflth  of  February,  18'17,  the  office  passed  into  the  hands 
of  William  Hessin,  who  on  the  17ih  of  October  of  the  same 
year  sold  a  half  interest  to  Seth  T.  Sawyer.  The  latter 
continued  with  the  paper  but  a  short  time.  Mr.  Hessin  re- 
mained sole  proprietor  until  December,  1838,  when  he 
sold  the  Spectator  office  to  J.  Clark  Virgin,  and  soon  after 
its  publication  was  suspended. 

Mr.  Brraih,  the  pioneer  printer  and  publisher  of  Alton, 
soon  after  his  retir.  ment  from  the  Spectator,  went  to  Oroo- 
miah,  Persia,  where  a  mission  had  been  established  by  Dr. 
Grant,  and  there  printed  a  paper,  and  engaged  in  mission- 
ary work,  and  remained  there  until  his  death  iu  1864. 

The  Spectator  was  originally  a  five  column  folio;  subse- 
quently was  enlarged  to  a  seven  column,  same  form.  From 
an  old  copy  we  gather  much  of  its  history  and  that  of  Alton. 
Its  columns  were  well  tilled  with  home  advertisements,  from 
which  we  judge  that  in  its  first  years  it  was  a  paying  invest- 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


205 


meiit.  Its  edilorial  culuiuus  were  taken  up  with  diseu.-;- 
sious  of  the  banking  system  of  the  eouutry,  which  tlieu 
seemed  to  be  the  leading  question.  In  politics  it  advocated 
the  principles  of  the  Whig  party.  At  its  mast-head  it 
floated  the  names  of  James  W.  Stephenson  lor  Governor, 
John  S.  Hacker  for  Lieut.  Governor,  John  M.  Krum  for 
Seuator  for  Madiiou  county,  and  Robert  Smith  for  the 
Legislature.  Before  the  suspension  of  tiie  Spcciuior  a  rival 
had  sprung  uj),  which  provtd  to  be  the  tifst  permanent 
newspaper  esiablifhcd  in  Alton,  and  which  is  still  iu  exis- 
tence.    We  relcr  to  the 

ALTON   TELEGRAPir. 

It  was  for  a  time  the  contemporary  of  the  Spectator,  and 
then  its  successor.  It  was  fouiidid  by  Kichard  M.  Tread- 
way  and  Lawsou  A.  Parks.  The  first  issue  was  made  Jan. 
loth,  1836.  From  the  start,  it  gave  a  warm  and  cordial 
support  to  the  whig  party.  A  few  months  after  the  paper 
was  established  Samuel  G.  Bailey,  E,-q.,  was  admitted  to  the 
firm,  which  was  then  known  as  Trcadway,  Parks  &  Bailey. 
In  the  winter  of  1836,  the  great  question  arose  in  Congress 
as  to  the  "  Right  of  Petition,"  which  had  fur  its  able  cham- 
pion John  Quincy  Adams,  who,  singlehauded,  defended  the 
right  of  freemen  to  petition  the  executive  or  legislative  bo- 
dies iu  behalf  of  any  measure  or  in  redress  of  their  griev- 
ances. 

The  Telegraph  was  the  only  western  journal  that,'stood  by 
Mr.  Adams  and  supported  him  in  that  measure.  The  cir 
culation  of  the  paper  increased  rapidly,  and  its  subscription 
listi  embraced  residents  as  far  south  as  Cairo,  and  as  far 
north  iis  the  village  of  Chicago.  On  the  8th  of  January, 
1837,  Mr.  Tread  way  died.  The  paper  was  continued  by  the 
remaining  partners  for  a  short  time;  then  Mr  Parks  pur- 
chased Mr.  Bailey's  interest.  In  May,  1837,  he  sold  a  half 
interest  to  John  Bailhache.  The  latter  took  charge  of  the 
editorial  department,  and  soon  after  became  .sole  owner  of  the 
Telegraph.  He  remained  editor  until  April  3d,  1841,  when 
from  reasons  of  ill  health,  he  resigned,  and  his  place  was 
taken  by  George  T.  M.  Davies,  a  writer  of  unusual  brilliancy. 
He  had  charge  of  the  editorial  columns  for  several  years 
and  was  a  contributor  for  many  years  afterward.  His  letters 
from  ''the  seat  of  war'  in  Mexico,  in  lS47-'8,  publijhtd  in 
the  Telegraph,  were  widely  copied.  In  May,  1838,  he  sold 
a  half  interest  to  S.  R.  Dolbie,  who  was  a  practical  printer. 
On  the  4th  of  April,  1840,  William  A.  Btatty  purchased  an 
interest  in  the  Telegraph.  He  took  charge  of  the  mechanical 
department.  He  died  October  8th,  1840.  The  firm  of  Bail- 
hache &  Dolbee  continued  without  change  until  January  Isf, 
1850,  a  period  of  twelve  years  ;  then  Dolbee  was  succeeded 
by  William  H.  Bailhache,  a  son  of  the  editor.  The  firm 
name  then  became  John  Bailhache  and  Sou.  In  1852,  Mr. 
E.  L  Baker  became  associated  with  the  pape  r,  and  soon 
after  purchased  an  interest  in  it  The  firm  name  was  then 
changed  to  John  Bailhache  and  Co.  Prior  to  that  time, 
however,  the 

TRIWKEKLY   TELEGItAPII 

was  i.ssued.  In  1852,  with  the  date  of  Mr.  Baker  coming 
into  the  firm,  was  coninicuced  the 


DAILY    TELEcnAni. 

On  the  10th  of  July,  1854,  Mr.  Parks,  one  of  the  original 
pr.'prietors  of  the  Telegraph,  purchased  Mr.  Bailhache"s  in- 
terest, and  from  that  date  until  May  loth,  18.15,  the  business 
was  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of  E.  L.  Baker  and  Co. 

In  1854,  the  agitation  produced  by  the  passage  of  tb© 
Kansas-Nebraska  bill  and  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Com- 
promise had  a  startling  efiect  upon  the  people  and  political 
parties  of  the  country.  The  agitation  continued  until  it 
overthrew  and  broke  up  the  Whig  organization,  and  that 
party,  with  its  splendid  records  of  the  past,  was  entirely  dis- 
membered, and  sank  to  rise  no  more.  The  Telegraph  then, 
as  from  the  date  of  its  first  issue,  was  a  strong  advocate  of 
the  emancipation  theories  of  the  time,  as  advocated  by 
Henry  Clay,  who  was  its  beau  ideal  of  practical  and  lofty 
statesmanship.  It  took  firm  ground  against  the  repeal  of  the 
Missouri  Compromise  and  the  opening  up  of  new  territory 
for  the  acquisition  of  the  slave  jjower.  Upon  that  subject  it 
was  the  most  outspoken,  bold  and  aggressive  journal  in  the 
west.  The  Courier,  of  which  we  shall  speak  hereafter,  the 
democratic  j)aper,  took  the  same  position  as  the  Telegraph, 
and  o|)po3ed  the  introduction  of  slavery  into  the  territories, 
as  did  many  other  able  newspapers  of  that  party  in  the 
north.  The  discussion  upon  the  Kansas  Nebraska  bill  took 
a  wide  range  and  was  productive  of  much  bitterness,  and 
became  so  absorbing  as  to  totally  destroy  one  party  and 
rend  the  other  in  twain.  The  final  result  was  the  reorgani- 
zation of  parties  into  two  great  bodies — the  one  in  favor  and 
the  other  opposed  to  the  further  introduction  and  spread 
of  slavery. 

The  two  papers.  Telegraph  and  Courier,  that  started  and  ad- 
vocated widely  different  political  principles  were  thus  by 
the  whirligig  of  politics  brought  to  occupy  the  same  political 
bed,  and  in  the  fight  for  free  soil  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder. 
There  was  not  room  for  two  newspapers  on  the  same  side. 
Under  the  circumstances  overtures  were  made  with  a  view 
of  consolidating  them,  and  after  some  negotiation  the  pro- 
prietors of  the  Telegraph  sold  their  subscription  lists  to  the 
publishers  of  the  Courier.  Mr.  Bailhache  and  Mr.  Parks 
continued  to  carry  on  the  job  printing  business  until  the 
death  of  the  former,  which  took  place  in  the  fall  of  1857. 
As  Mr.  Bailhache  was  one  of  the  pioneer  printers  of  Madison 
county,  and  was  also  an  able  journalist,  and  the  first  to 
establish  the  press  permanently  iu  Alton,  we  append  a  brief 
biography  of  him. 

John  Bailhache  was  born  in  St.  Ouen  in  the  Isle  of 
Jersey  iu  the  British  Channel,  May  8,  1787.  He  was  the 
son  of  John  and  Mary  ( De  La  Perrille)  Bailhache.  In  his 
youth  he  possessed  remarkable  aptitude  for  learning.  Being 
delicate  in  health  his  friends  piedicted  for  him  a  premature 
death.  The  French  was  hi?  mother  tongue.  He  studied 
English  and  made  proficiency  in  Latin  and  Greek.  He 
served  an  apprenticeship  of  five  years  at  the  printing  busi- 
ness. At  the  r<  quest  of  Rev.  Peter  Sarchet,  who  had  chiL 
dren  in  this  country,  he  accompanied  him  to  the  United 
States  in  1810,  and  settled  in  Cambridge,  Ohio.  He  became 
a  half  owner  of  the  Fredoiiian,  a  paper  published  at  Chilli, 
cothe,  Ohio,  and  a  few  months  later  became  sole  proprietor. 


206 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Ill  August  1815  lie  purchased  the  Sciota  Gazette  and  united 
it  with  the  Fredonian,  wiiich  then  bore  the  name  of  the 
Sciota  Gazette  &yi<\.  Fredonian  Ckroniele.  A  few  years  later 
he  sold  the  jiapers,  and  was  elected  State  Printer.  He 
moved  to  Columbus,  and  soon  after  became  the  proprietor  of 
the  State  Journal.  He  continued  his  connection  with  the 
journalism  of  Ohio  for  twenty  years,  and  in  that  time  tooii 
an  active  part  in  the  politics  of  the  state.  In  1836  at  the 
solicitation  of  friends  he  came  to  St.  Louis.  Failing  to  se- 
cure an  interest  in  the  Missouri  Republican,  he  came  to 
Alton  and  purchased  a  half  interest  in  the  Telegraph,  and 
took  charge  of  its  management  May  1st,  1837,  and  continued 
with  the  paper  under  the  various  changes  stated  above.  Hi^ 
editorial  life  reached  over  a  period  of  forty-two  years.  The 
great  a-ini  of  his  journalistic  life  was  to  contribute  to  the 
elevation  of  the  tone  and  character  of  the  Western  press, 
by  advocating  and  upholding  whatever  was  innocent  and 
pure,  and  discountenancing  all  vice  and  immorality  in  what- 
ever guise  it  might  appear.  The  peculiar  views  of  all  were 
treated  with  fairness  and  courtesy.  As  a  writsr  of  poliiical 
editorials  he  was  far  above  the  average  journalist  of  his  day. 
He  was  well  educated,  a  ripe  scholar  of  fine  literary  attain- 
ments, and  a  student  all  his  life.  His  mind  was  well  stored 
with  useful  information  mainly  obtained  from  books  ;  there- 
fore in  the  actual  and  business  afiliirs  of  life  he  was  not  as 
practical  as  others,  nor  did  he  succeed  as  well  as  some 
who  had  less  literary  and  intellectual  capital.  He  was  a 
man  who  had  many  warm  personal  friends  who  were 
attached  to  him  as  by  "  hooks  of  steel.  "  He  held  various 
offices  of  honor  and  trust,  in  both  this  state  and  Ohio.  In 
1841  he  represented  Madison  county  in  the  State  legislature. 
His  death,  which  was  the  result  of  an  accident,  occurred 
September  2d,  1857.  He  was  a  devout  believer  in  the  prin- 
ciples of  Christianity,  and  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  church,  in  which  belief  he  lived  and 
died. 

After  the  death  of  Mr.  Bailhache,  Mr.  Richard  Ennis 
formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  L.  A.  Parks  in  the  job- 
printing  business.  Mr.  Ennis  soon  retirel,  and  his  place 
was  taken  by  J.  T.  Beem.  The  firm  of  Parks  &  Beem 
continued  until  the  spring  of  1861,  when  the  Courier 
ceased  publication.  Then  L.  A.  Parks,  J.  T.  Beem  and 
Samuel  V.  C'rossman  associated  themselves  together,  and 
revived  the  publication  of  the  Telegraph.  The  firm  con- 
tinued until  Mr.  Beem  volunteered  and  entered  the  service. 
Parks  &  Grossman  continued  to  publish  the  Telegraph  until 
186-1,  when  Grossman  retired^  and  Thomas  S.  Pinckard 
became  his  successor.  The  latter  withdrew  from  the  firm, 
February  1st,  1866.  Mr.  Parks  remained  editor  and  sole 
proprietor  until  August  10th  of  the  same  year,  when  Charles 
Holden  purchased  an  interest  in  the  paper,  and  the  firm  of 
L.  A.  Parks  &  Co.  was  formed,  and  continued  unchanged 
until  August,  1867,  at  which  time  W.  T.  Norton  secured  a 
third  interest,  the  firm  name  remaining  and  continuing  the 
same  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Parks,  which  event  occurred 
April  1st,  1875.  Then  Messrs  Holden  and  Norton  purchased 
Parks'  interest,  and  continued  the  publication  of  the  paper 
until  May  1st,  1880,  when  Holden  retired,  and  Mr.  Norton 


became  sole  owner,  and  has  continued  to  the  present  time. 
The  paper  was  started  under  the  name  of  the  Telegraph. 
On  the  17th  of  April,  1841,  its"  name  was  changed  to  the 
Alton  Telegraph  and  Democratic  Review.  In  the  year  1853 
the  words  "Democratic  Review"  were  dropped,  and 
"  Madison  County  Review"  substituted.  It  was  then  pub- 
lished as  the  Alton  Telegraph  and  Madison  County  Record, 
which  name  it  retained  until  its  suspension,  or  until  the 
time  when  the  subscription  lists  were  sold  to  George  T. 
Brown  of  the  Courier. 

Mr.  Lawson  A.  Parks,  one-of  the  original  founders  of  the 
Telegraph,  was  born  and  raised  in  Mecklenburg  county. 
North  Carolina,  April  15th,  1813;  in  1833  he  came  to  St. 
Louis,  and  worked  in  the  offi33  of  the  Missouri  Republican- 
On  the  8th  of  January,  1836,  he  came  to  Alton,  and  there 
in  connection  with  R'chard  M.  Treadway,  founded  the 
Telegraph.  He  was  a  practical  printer,  and  at  the  time  of 
his  death  was  perhaps  the  oldest  printer  and  publisher  in 
Illinois.  In  his  youth  he  had  but  little  opportunities  for 
receiving  an  education,  but  by  long  continuance  at  the 
case,  and  in  the  newspaper  business,  he  gained  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  practical  questions  of  the  day.  He  was  a 
strong,  bold,  rather  than  an  ornate  writer.  His  editorials 
read  well,  and  never  left  the  reader  in  doubt  as  to  his  posi- 
tion upon  any  question.  He  was  eminently  a  self-made 
man,  possessed  of  a  strong,  vigorous  mind.  He  formed  his 
own  opinions,  uninfluenced  by  others.  Although  reared  in 
a  slave  state,  and  under  slavery  influence,  he  early  imbibed 
a  hatred  against  the  system,  and  as  soon  as  practicable  came 
north  to  the  free  state  of  Illinois,  where  he  could  speak  and 
write  unmolested  and  unrestrained,  of  that  foul  blot  and 
enormous  sin  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

Mr.  Norton,  the  present  editor  and  proprietor  of  the 
Telegraph,  is  a  native  of  Alton,  and  a  son  of  Rev.  A.  T. 
Norton,  a  Presbyterian  minister,  and  for  many  years  the 
editor  of  the  Fresbijlerian  Reporter.  He  graduated  from 
Shuitleft' College  in  1866,  and  soon  after  obtained  an  inter- 
est in  the  Telegraph,  and  adopted  journalism  as  a  profession. 
The  Telegraph,  under  Mr.  Norton's  administration,  sus- 
tains the  high  character  given  by  his  predecessors.  He  is 
a  smooth,  fluent  and  pleasant  writer,  and  a  gentleman  whose 
acquaintance  it  is  a  real  pleasure  to  make. 

The  office  is  fitted  up  in  a  superior  manner.  The  presses 
are  run  by  a  Bachus  water  motor  of  three  horse  power. 
The  motor  is  simple  in  construction.  It  contains  within 
the  iron  case  a  wheel  provided  with  buckets  It  is  con- 
nected with  the  sheet  mains  by  a  supply  pipe ;  the  di- 
ameter of  the  nozzle  entering  the  motor  is  not  larger  than 
a  lead  pencil,  but  the  expansion  of  the  water  is  so  great 
tliat  after  it  enters  the  motor,  a  four  inch  waste  pipe  is  re- 
quired. The  stream  from  a  supply  pipe  striking  the  buckets, 
causes  the  wheel  to  revolve  rapidly,  furnishing  the  necessary 
power  to  run  all  the  presses.  It  has  great  advantages  over 
steam  power  in  cheapness,  durability  and  cleanliness. 

TUE   ALTOX   AMERICAN, 

Wa?  the  nara3  of  afivecolumn  paper  established  in  Allon 
November  8th,  1833.     Its  founder,  J.    S.  Buchanan,  was  a 


HISTORY   OF  MAD  IS  01^    COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


207 


■writer  of  some  merit-  It  was  devoted  to  the  agricultural, 
mechanical  ami  mercantile  interests  of  L^jwer  Alton  and 
Ticiuity.  It  had  a  brief  existence.  The  paper  was  a 
monthly  publication  printed  at  Alton  by  Jlessrs.  Braley  & 
Parks,  and  edited  by  Kev.  T.  Lippincott.  It  was  a  religious 
but  not  denominational  newspaper. 

THE   ALTON    OBSERVER, 

Ha3  a  tragic  history,  which  can  best  be  told  in  a  sketch  of 
Elijah  Parrish  Lovejoy,  its  editor  and  proprietor.  For  the 
facts  herein  contained  we  are  indebted,  and  quote  largely 
from  "Tanner's  Life  of  Lovejoy."  Wr.  Tanner  was  an  old 
resident  of  Alton,  and  was  one  of  the  fciV  so-called  abolition- 
ists of  the  time  who  stood  manfully  by  Mr.  Lovejoy  in  his 
efforts  to  establish  a  free  press  and  free  speech  on  the  free 
soil  of  Illinois. 

Mr.  E.  P.  Loveji\y  was  born  in  Albion,  Maine,  Xovember 
8,  1802,  and  was  thirty-five  years  old  lacking  a  day  wheo 
he  was  foully  murdered.  He  was  the  son  of  Rev.  Daniel  C. 
Lovejoy,  a  Congregational  minister.  Soon  after  his  gradua- 
tion from  Watertown  College,  he  drifted  to  St-  Louis,  where 
he  first  became  a  schoi  1  teacher,  and  subsequently  editor  of 
the  Si.  Loitii  Times,  a  Whig  paper.  lu  1832,  the  whole 
current  of  his  life  was  changed  by  a  sudden  conversion  to 
the  Christian  faith.  His  fervency  and  zeal  in  the  cause  of 
liis  Redeemer  demanded  that  he  should  put  aside  other  du- 
ties and  prepare  himself  to  preach  the  gospel.  With  that 
idea  strongly  dominating  all  others  he  entered  Princeton 
Theological  Seminary,  pursued  his  studies  diligently  and  un- 
ceasingly, and  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1833.  It  was  known 
that  he  was  a  ready  and  apt  writer,  and  he  was  put  iu  edito- 
rial charge  of  the  St.  Louk  Obxerv  er,  which  was  then  the 
organ  of  the  Presbyterians  iu  Missouri  and  Illinois.  He 
had  no  sooner  taken  control  than  he  made  the  paper 
the  vehicle  for  the  conveyance  of  his  opinions  regarding  the 
institution  of  slavery,  which  then  existed  in  all  the  Southern 
states.  He  was  from  the  start  its  bitter  and  unrelenting  foe, 
and  dealt  it  powerful  blows.  The  right  to  discuss  this 
question  in  all  its  bearings  was  dcniel  him.  So  bitter  and 
extreme  had  his  invectives  become,  that  the  original  proprie- 
tors of  the  Observer  thought  it  best  to  muzzle  him,  so  to 
speak;  but  their  counsels  were  divided,  and  they  gave  him 
a  half-hearted  consent  to  continue.  With  the  issue  of  June 
21st,  1836,  was  announced  the  intention  of  Mr.  Lovejoy  to 
remove  the  press  and  material  of  the  office  to  Alton,  Illinois. 
A  few  days  afterwards  it  was  boxed,  but  befuie  it  could  leave 
much  of  it  was  destroyed  and  thrown  into  the  river.  What 
was  left  of  the  press  was  shipped  to  Alton,  and  unfortunate- 
ly unloaded  on  the  wharf  before  daylight  on  Sunday  morn- 
ing, where  it  lay  all  day  for  the  inspection  of  the  crowd  of 
idlers  and  evil  disposed  persons,  and  before  the  next  morn- 
ing it  was  destroyed  and  cast  into  the  river.  Nothing  daunted 
Lovejoy  procured  a  new  press  which  arris'cd  September  8, 
1836,  and  a  few  days  later  the  first  number  of  the  Alton 
Observer  was  issued.  Its  publication  cintinued  regularly 
until  Augu.st  17th,  1837,  when  it  again  became  the  subject 
of  mob  violence.  During  the  summer  of  the  latter  year  the 
country  was  excited  to  fcvtr   luat   by  the  discussions  upon 


slavery.  The  Observer,  owing  to  its  decided  stand  upon 
that  subject  had  risen  in  power,  and  had  more  than  doubled 
its  circulation.  He  published  June  29th,  1837,  the  "call" 
for  signatures  to  petitions  for  the  abolition  of  slavery  in  the 
District  of  Columbia.  It  provoked  great  opposition,  which 
was  measurab'y  increased  the  following  week,  when  he  pulv 
lished  his  reasons  for  forming  without  delay  an  "  Illinois 
State  Anti-Slavery  S)ciety. "  The  editorial  was  evidently 
written  on  the  4th  of  July,  the  natal  day  of  our  inde- 
pendence. We  quote  from  the  article,  "  This  day  (the  4th), 
reproaches  our  sloth  and  inactivity.  It  is  the  day  of  our 
iu  lependenee.  Even  as  we  write  crowds  are  hurrying  past 
our  window  in  eager  anticipation,  to  the  appointed  bower, 
to  listen  to  the  declaration  that  '  all  men  are  born  free  and 
equal ; '  to  hear  the  orators  denounce  in  manly  iudignati  )n 
the  attempt  of  England  to  lay  the  yoke  up  >n  the  shoul- 
ders of  our  fathers  whteh  neither  they  nor  their  children 
ciuld  bear.  Alas,  what  bitter  mockery  is  this?  We  a.ssem- 
ble  to  thank  God  for  our  own  freedom,  and  to  eat  and  drink 
with  joy  and  gladness  of  heart  while  our  feet  are  up  )n  the 
necks  of  nearly  three  million  of  our  fellow-men.  Not  all  our 
shouts  of  self-congratulation  can  drown  their  groars — even 
that  very  flag  of  freedom  that  waves  over  our  heads  is 
formed  from  materials  cultivated  bv  slaves  on  a  soil  moist- 
ened with  their  blood,  drawn  from  them  by  the  whip  of  a 
republican  taskmaster." 

Two  days  after  the  appearance  of  the  paper  containing 
the  above  editorial  anonymous  handbills  were  posted  about 
the  cit)'  calling  upon  those  who  disapproved  the  course  of 
the  Observer  ''to  meet  at  the  Public  market  July  11,  1837." 
At  the  meeting  resolutions  were  drawn  up  and  passed  de- 
nouncing the  paper.  A  committee  was  appointed,  whose 
duty  it  was  to  get  into  shape  the  "  sense  of  the  meeting," 
and  convey  it  in  some  tangible  shape  to  Mr.  Lovejoy.  It 
was  done,  and  it  called  forth  from  the  editor  his  celebrated 
editorial  entitled  "  What  are  the  doctrines  of  the  Anti- 
Slavery  Men  ?"  The  action  of  the  market-house  meeting 
led  naturally  to  a  mob,  which  first  attempted  to  a.ssault  Love- 
joy, then  on  the  same  night,  August  21st,  1837,  broke  into 
the  office  of  the  Observer  and  destroyed  the  press  and  type. 
The  friends  of  Lovejoy  and  free  speech  at  once  held  a  meet- 
ing and  decided  that  the  paper  should  be  re-establifhed. 
Money  was  obtained  with  which  to  purchase  another  press. 
The  order  was  made  and  filled,  and  the  new  press  and  mate- 
rial arrived  at  Alton,  September  21st,  1837.  It  was  the 
third  press  for  the  Observer  office.  Mr.  Lovejoy  was  absent 
upon  its  arrival.  His  friends  placed  it  for  safe  keeping  in 
a  warehouse,  and  a  constable  was  posted  at  the  door  to 
guard  it  until  a  certain  hour  iu  the  night,  after  which  it  was 
supposed  it  would  not  be  molested.  After  the  official  re- 
tired twelve  men  broke  down  the  door,  entered  the  building, 
rolled  the  press  out  to  the  river  bank,  broke  it  up  and  cast 
it  into  the  river.  A  new  press  was  immediately  ordered, 
and  a  public  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Alton  called,  at 
which  the  right  of  a  free  press  and  free  speech  were  insisted 
upon.  Resolutions  were  offered,  demanding  that  protection 
be  afforded  Mr.  Lovejoy  and  his  property,  "  on  the  ground 
of  principle  golely  and  altogether  disconnected  from  appro- 


208 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


bation  of  his  sentiments."     The  adoption   of  tliese   resolu- 
tions were  opposed  by  the  pro-shivery  men   in   the  meeting- 
A  committee  was  appointed  to  draft  resolutions  embodying 
the  sense  of  the  meeting.     They  asked  until  the  next  day  to 
make  their  report.     W-   S.   Oilman,   a  friend   of  Lovejoy, 
offered  certain  resolutions  declaring  in  substance  "  the  right 
of  every  citizen   to  speak,  write,  or  print  his  opinions  on 
any  subject,  being  responsible  for  the  abuse  of  that  right  to 
the  law  administered  through  and  by  its  regular  tribunals."   1 
It  was  lost.     The  next  day  the  committee  reported  the  fol- 
lowing set  of  resolutions."     (1.)  That  it  was  expedient   to   i 
abstain  from  a  discussion  of  principles  in  themselves  deemed 
right  and  of  the  highest  importance.     (2)  That  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  properly  conducted  religious  paper  would  be 
desirable  and  approved  by  the  people  of  Alton.     (3.)  That 
without  desiring  to  restrain  the  liberty  of  the  press   in  gen- 
eral, it  was  indispensable  that  Mr.  Lovejoy  should  not  be   ! 
allowed  to  conduct  a  paper,  and  that  he   ought   to    retire 
from  the  charge  of  the  Alton   Observer."     Mr.  Oilman,  one 
of  the  committee,  protested  against  the  passage  of  the  in- 
famous resolutions  as  reported,  but  he  was  alone.     We  can- 
not forbear  to  give  a  few  extracts  from  the  speech  of  Love- 
joy who   was  present   at  the    meeting.     He  replied  :  "  Mr. 
Chairman,  I  have  not   desired  any   compromise.     I   have 
asked  for  nothing  but  to  be  protected  in  my  rights  as  a  citi- 
zen, rights  which  Ood  has  given  me,  and  which  are  guaran- 
teed to  me  by  the  constitution.     Havel,  sir,  been   guilty  of 
any  infraction  of  the  laws?     Whose  good  name  have  I  in- 
jured?    When  and  where  have  I  published  anything  injuri- 
ous to  the  reputation  of  Alton  ?     What,  sir,  has  been  my 
offense?     Put  your  finger  upon  it,   define  it,   and   I  stand 
ready  to  answer  it.     If  I  have  committed    any  crime   you 
can  easily  punish  me  for  it.     You  have  public  sentiment  in 
your  favor     *     *     *     *     I  plant  myself  down  on  my  un- 
questionable rights,    and    the   question    to    be    decided   is, 
whether  I  shall  be  protected  in  the  exercise  and  enjoyment 
of  those   rights.     That  is   ihe   question,  sir.     Whether  ray 
property  shall  be  protected,  whether  I  shall  be  suffered  to 
go  home  to  my  family  at  night  without  being  assailed  and 
threatened  with  tar  and  feathers  and  assassination  ;  whether 
my  afflicted  wife,  whose  life  has  been  in  jeopardy  from  con- 
stant alarm  and  excitement,  shall,    night   after   night,   be 
driven  from  a  sick  bed  to  the  garret  to  save  her  life  from  the 
brickbats  and  violence  of  the  mobs.     That,  sir,  is  the  ques- 
tion."    Here  he  was  overcome  by  the  memory  of  his  be- 
loved wife's   afflictions,   and   he  broke  down   and  sobbed. 
In  conclusion  he  siid,  "I  cannot  leave   here  and  go  else- 
where.    I  have  no  more  claim  upon  the  protection  of  any 
other  community  than  I  have  upon    this,  and   I  have  con- 
cluded, after  consultation   with   my  friends  and  earnestly 
seeking  counsel  of  Ood,  to  remain  at  Alton  and  here  to  in- 
sist on   protection  in  the  exercite   of  my  rights.     If  the 
civil  authorities  refuse  to  protect  me  I  must  look  to  Ood, 
and  if  I  die  I  have  determined  to  make  my  grave  in  Al- 
ton."    While  speaking,  an  eye-witness  says,  "  his  manner 
was  calm  and  serious,  though  firm  and  decidtd" 

The  fourth  press  for  the  Observer  office  was  shipped  from 
Cinciunat',  and  received  at  Alton  on  the  night  of  the  6th  of 


November,  1837,  by  the  friends  of  Mr.  Lovejoy.  It  was 
stored  away  in  the  warehouse  of  one  of  the  largest  and 
most  respectable  firms  in  Alton.  Some  sixty  well-armed 
mm  were  prepared  to  receive  and  guard  it.  The  night 
passed,  and  the  next  day,  and  there  was  no  appearance  of  a 
mob.  As  the  night  of  the  7th  approached,  the  friends  and 
defenders  of  the  press  gathered  in  the  warehouse,  but  about 
nine  o'clock,  there  being  no  appearance  or  evidence  of  a  mob, 
members  of  the  company  began  to  disperse  to  their  homes, 
some  fe*  of  the  number,  at  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Oilman, 
remaining  with  him  through  the  night.  One  hour  later,  some 
signs  of  disturbance  were  noticed,  and  it  was  evident  that 
the  mob  was  gathering  by  preconcerted  signal.  The  leaders 
of  the  mob  approached  the  building  and  informed  the  guard 
that,  unless  the  press  was  g  ven  up,  the  building  would  be 
burnt  over  their  heads.  The  request  was  refused.  The  mob 
then  attempted  to  force  an  entrance  to  the  building,  when 
the  besieged  were  ordered  to  fire,  which  they  did,  and  killed 
one  of  the  attacking  party.  Attempts  were  ihen  made  to 
fire  the  building,  and  in  order  to  prevent  this  a  sortie  was 
made  by  three  of  the  inside  guard,  at  whose  head  was  E.  P. 
Lovejoy  ;  as  they  emerged  from  the  building  into  the  bright 
moonlight  they  were  fired  upon  by  a  portion  of  the  mob, 
stationed  near  the  building,  and  hid  from  sight  by  a  pile  of 
boards.  Five  balls  entered  the  body  of  Lovejoy,  and  the 
other  two  men  were  seriously  wounded.  Lovejoy  ran  back 
up  the  stairs  and  into  the  counting  room,  where  he  fell  into 
the  arms  of  friends;  he  was  laid  upon  the  floor,  and  a  few 
moments  afterwards  expired.  Thus  ftll  the  first  martyr  in 
the  defense  of  the  cause  of  the  freedom  of  a  race,  free 
speech,  and  a  free  press,  foully  murdered  by  a  mob,  whose 
hate  and  malignity  was  aroused  and  put  in  motion  by  the 
leaders  and  men  of  the  pro-slavery  party.  "  His  virtues  will 
plead  like  angels,  trumpet-tongued  against  the  deep  damna- 
tion of  his  taking  off,  and  pity,  like  a  new-born  babe  strid- 
ing the  blast,  or  heaven's  cherubims,  horsed  upon  the  sight- 
less couriers  of  the  air,  shall  blow  the  horrid  deed  in  every 
eye,  that  tears  shall  drown  the  wind." 

The  press  was  surrounded,  taken,  and  broken  up,  and  it, 
too,  cast  into  the  Mi'ssi.-sippi  river.  Mr.  Lovejoy  possessed 
dauntless  courage  and  heroic  will,  and  no  amount  of  abuse 
or  threats  could  drive  him  from  what  he  conceived  to  be 
plain  duty.  "  With  him  principle  was  everything,  life  nothing 
when  thrown  into  the  scale  with  duty."  He  wielded  a 
powerful  pen,  and  there  was  an  earnestness  about  his  writing 
that  carried  conviction  with  it.  He  was  not  only  at  times 
forcible,  elegant,  smooth  and  cogent,  but  also  a  fine  descrip- 
tive writer,  as  the  following  extract  from  a  letter  dated 
Alton,  February  9th,  1S37,  and  published  in  the  Christian 
Mirror,  will  show  :  "  If  the  wisdom  of  the  schools  can  not 
teach  you  the  true  character  of  slavery,  come  with  me  and 
let  us  interrogate  yonder  illiterate,  untaught  slave  ;  he  is  just 
returning,  faint  and  weary,  from  the  toils  of  the  day  ;  he  is 
an  aged  man,  and  has  had  fur  many  years  a  practical 
acquaintance  with  slavery  ;  let  us  hear  his  reply  to  the  ques. 
tion.  What  is  slavery  ?  It  is  to  have  my  back  subjected 
to  the  cowhide  or  the  cartwhip  at  the  will  or  caprice  of  my 
master  or  any  of  his  family.     Every  child  has  a  right  to 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


209 


kick,  or  curse  or  cuff  the  old  man.  It  is  to  toil  all  day 
beneath  an  almost  vertical  sun,  with  the  bitter  certainty 
always  before  me,  that  not  one  cent  of  what  I  earn  is,  or 
can  be  my  own.  '  It  is  to  depart  from  my  hut  in  the  morn- 
ing with  the  sickening  fear  that  before  my  return  at  night  it 
■will  be  visited  by  the  slave-dris-ing  fiend.  It  is  to  return  at 
night  and  find  my  worst  fears  realized,  my  first-born  son> 
denied  even  the  poor  privilege  of  bidding  his  father  fare- 
well, is  on  his  way,  a  chained,  manacled  victim,  to  a  distant 
market,  there  to  be  disposed  of  in  shambles,  where  human 
flesh  is  bought  and  sold.  It  is  to  enter  into  my  cabin  and  see 
my  wife  or  daughter  struggling  in  the  lustful  embraces  of  my 
master  or  some  of  his  white  friends,  without  daring  to  at- 
tempt their  rescue,  for  should  I  open  my  lips  to  remonstrate, 
a  hundred  lashes  would  be  the  consequence ;  and  should  I 
raise  my  hand  to  smite  the  brutal  wretch,  nothing  but  death 
could  atone  for  the  sacrilege.  But  above  all  to  be  a  slave, 
is  to  be  denied  the  privilege  of  reading  the  gospel,  to  have 
no  control  over  my  own  children  and  consequently  to  be  de- 
prived of  the  power  and  means  of  educating  them  in  the 
principles  of  morality  and  religion.  In  one  word,  to  be  de- 
graded from  man  to  a  brute,  to  become,  instead  of  a  free 
moral  agent,  a  thing,  a  piece  of  property  and  to  be  used  as 
such,  to  be  deprived  of  all  personal  and  all  civil  rights,  to 
be  shut  out  from  all  enjoyment  in  this  world  and  all  hope 
in  the  next.'  " 

The  Observer  was  afterward  printed  in  Cincinnati,  by 
Elisha  W.  Chester  and  sent  to  Alton  for  distribution.  Rev- 
T.  B.  Hurlburt  acted  as  agent,  and  attended  to  furnishing 
some  local  news.  That  arrangement  was  continued  for  a 
few  years  and  then  abandoned. 


THE      ILLIKOIS     TLMTEEAKCE    DEEALD, 

Was  a  monthly  publication,  the  first  number  of  which  was 
issued  June  1st,  1836,  at  Alton.  A.  \V.  Corey  was  the 
editor,  assisted  by  Timothy  Turner,  a  noted  temperance 
worker  and  orator.  It  was  a  four  column  folio,  published 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
Illinois  Temperance  Society.  It  reached  a  circulation  of 
from  six  to  eight  thousand  copies.  It  was  discontinued  in 
the  latter  part  of  1842. 

THE  ALTON  COMMERCIAL  GAZETTE, 

Founded  by  Samuel  S.  Brooks  and  John  H.  Pettit,  March 
12tii,  1830.  It  was  an  ably  conducted  journal,  Democratic 
in  politics.  It  suspended  publication  in  March  1840,  but 
was  revived  in  May  of  the  same  year,  and  did  good  service 
in  the  presidential  campaign,  at  the  close  of  which  it  again 
suspended. 

THE  ALTONIAX, 

No.  1,  of  Vol.  1,  made  its  appearance  April  6,  1838.  L.  A. 
Parks  and  Edmund  Breath  were  the  editors  and  publishers. 
It  was  a  four  (wide)  column  folio.  Whig  in  politics,  and 
supported  Henry  Clay  for  the  presidency.  In  the  third 
number  the  editors  say,  "  We  feel  highly  flattered  at  the 
reception  our  paper  meets  with,  but  the  mere  approval  of 
27 


those  who  agree  with  us  in  sentiment  will  not  support  us. 
We  desire  more  substantial  proofs  of  their  good  will  for  we 
cannot,  like  the  chameleon  '  feed  on  air. '  Our  paper  at  pre- 
sent contains  more  reading  matter  than  any  other  paper  in 
I  the  state,  and  the  cost  of  publication  is  consequently  consid- 
)  erable.  As  yet  we  have  not  received  a  sufficient  number  of 
subscribers  to  cover  expenses,  and  have  determined  to  sus- 
pend operations  until  we  secure  six  hundred.  We  shall 
issue  an  extra  whenever  we  have  matter  sufficiently  impor- 
tant to  communicate."  The  above  tells  but  the  story  of  its 
rise  and  fall. 

WESTERN    PIONEER    AND    BAPTIST  STANDARD  BEARER. 

The  Pioneer  was  established  at  Rock  Spring,  St.  Clair 
county,  Illinois,  in  January  1829.  It  was  the  organ,  and  was 
published  under  the  auspices  of  the  Rock  Spring  seminary, 
a  Baptist  school  founded  by  John  M.  Peck.  In  1836  the 
press  was  removed  to  Alton,  and  the  first  number  of  the 
Western  Pioneer  and  Baptist  Standard  Bearer  issued  Sept. 
14,  1536.  It  was  edited  by  Rev.  John  M.  Peck,  E.  Rogers 
and  Rev.  Washington  Leverett.  With  the  commencement 
of  the  2d  volume  the  words  "  Baptist  Standard  Bearer" 
were  dropped,  and  it  was  then  known  as  the  Western  Pio- 
neer. It  was  the  organ  of  the  Baptist  church  throughout 
the  west,  and  was  the  pioneer  religious  paper  west  of  Ohio. 
That  it  was  ably  conducted,  it  is  sufficient  to  know  that 
John  M.  Peck  was  its  controlling  genius  and  supporter.  He 
was  a  strong,  vigorous  writer,  and  eminently  qualified  to 
establish  the  first  religious  journal  in  Illinois. 

VOICE  OP    ILLINOIS 

Was  a  campaign  paper,  published  by  the  Whig  Executive 
Committee  for  Jladison  county.  It  was  a  four  column 
folio.  The  first  number  was  issued  jNIay  19th,  1838.  It 
supported  Cyrus  Edwards  for  Governor,  AVilliam  H.  David- 
son for  Lieut.  Governor,  and  George  Churchill  for  senator. 
It  suspended  at  the  close  of  the  campaign. 

THE  SUCKER, 

was  established  in  Alton,  January  5,  1840.  It  was  publish- 
ed by  Messrs.  Parks  &  Beatty  and  edited  by  "Ourselves," 
who  were  understood  to  be  William  S.  and  John  Lincoln, 
sons  of  Levi  Lincoln,  Governor  of  JMassachusetts  and  Junius 
Hall.  On  the  2 1st  JIarch  of  the  same  year  it  was  merged 
with  the  Telegraph.  It  was  a  Whig  paper,  and  supported 
Harrison  for  the  presidency.  The  following  is  the  valedic- 
tory of  the  editors. 

"The  Sucker,  from  a  temporary  wandering  in  this  mun- 
dane sphere  is  about  to  become  immortal.  The  nature  of  our 
engagements  is  such  that  we  cannot  without  serious  loss  to 
ourselves  and  a  neglect  for  higher  duties,  superintend 
the  publication  of  a  weekly  paper.  There  are  a  thousand 
little  troublesome  details  connected  with  the  issue  of  a  news- 
paper of  which  the  world  has  no  knowledge,  and  of  vvhich 
naturally  enough  in  the  commencement  of  our  enterprise, 
we  made  no  account.  Wisdom  however  is  better  than  riches, 
and  we  cannot  say,  therefore,  but  that  we  have  received  a 
consideration  for  our  money.     We  have  several  items  of  ex- 


210 


HISTORY   Of"  MADISOJ^    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


perience  laid  up  in  our  memories  which  we  have  acquired  in 
a  similar  manner,  and  which  we  consider  among  the  best 
capital  \vc  have. 

THE   WESTERN   WEEKLY   MIRROR 

was  established  at  Edwardsville  by  James  Ruggles  iu  May, 
1838.  He  was  editor  and  proprietor.  The  Mirror  was  de- 
voted to  the  introduction  and  propagation  of  a  universal 
language  by  which  the  whole  human  family  could  hold  con- 
verse with  one  another  and  be  understood.  It  was  a 
•worthy  mission,  but  the  feeble  effort  of  its  progenitor  fell  still- 
born. It  continued  until  the  spring  of  1840,  when  its 
name  was  changed  to  the 

SOVEREIGN  PEOPLE. 

It  continued  until  the  summer  of  1841,  when  it  suspended. 

THE    STAR    OF    BETHLEHEM    AND   THE   CANDID    EXAMINER. 

A  semi-religious  paper  printed  at  Alton  and  edited  by  A. 
Doubleday.  In  the  prospectus  the  editor  says  :  "  Its  mission 
was  to  reveal  to  the  world  much  light  and  hold  in  one  hand 
the  key  to  unlock  the  mazy  labyrinth  of  iniquity  and 
pour  celestial  oil  and  light  on  the  eye-ball  of  reason, 
that  it  may  dispel  the  gloomy  mist  of  superstition  by  hold- 
ing out  the  '  Olive  Branch '  of  amity,  and  saying,  "  Let  us 
reason  together  while  now  and  then  we  will  throw  a  smooth 
stone  at  the  forehead  of  error  so  as  to  enlighten  mankind." 

The  contract  undertaken  by  the  editor  was  entirely  too 
large  for  him.  He  had  but  one  opportunity  of  "  pouring 
oil  and  light  on  the  eye-ball  of  reason,"  and  the  "smooth 
stones  "  gave  out  after  the  issue  of  the  first  number. 

THE  PROTESTANT  MONITOR 

was  established  in  Alton  in  March  1848.  Mr.  John  M. 
McPike  was  one  of  the  publishers.  It  was  devoted  to  Chris- 
tianity, free  discussion,  literature,  agriculture,  general 
intelligence,  the  glory  of  God  and  the  rights  of  man.  On 
the  23d  of  June,  18 48  the  name  was  changed  to  the 

ALTON  MONITOR, 

with  its  religious  mantle  exchanged  for  that  of  Democracy, 
and  the  names  of  Lewis  Cass  and  William  O.  Butler  nailed 
to  the  mast-head  as  its  candidates  for  the  Presidency  and 
Vice  Presidency.  Mr.  McPike  withdrew  from  the  paper.  It 
was  continued  as  a  campaign  paper  a  few  weeks  later,  how- 
ever. The  names  Cass  and  Butler  were  taken  down  and  Mar- 
tin Van  Buren's  substituted.  It  was  then  under  the  editorial 
control  of  John  W.  Buffum.  It  suspended  at  the  close  of 
the  campaign. 

THE   PRESBYTERY  REPORTER 

was  a  religious  magazine  the  first  number  of  which  appear- 
ed May  1st,  1845.  The  first  year  only  two  numbers  were 
issued.  From  May  1847  to  May  1850  it  was  published 
quarterly,  sixteen  pages.  From  May  1850  to  May  1854  it 
was  published  bi-monthly.      The  subscription  list  was  then 


transferred  to  the  Evangelist,  printed  at  Chicago.  In  May 
1855  the  publication  of  the  Reporter  was  resumed  at  Alton, 
and  continued  monthly,  as  the  organ  of  the  Presbyteries  of 
the  Illinois  and  Peoria  synods.  Rev  A.  S.  Norton  is  the 
editor. 

THE   MADISON    RECORD. 

The  first  issue  of  the  above  named  paper  was  made  at 
Edwardsville,  February  14th,  1850.  Messrs.  Dallam  & 
Ruggles  were  the  editors  and  publishers.  In  November  of 
the  same  year,  Dallam  retired,  and  his  place  was  taken  by 
Lemuel  E.  Smith.  Ou  the  19th  of  December  the  firm  un- 
derwent another  change.  Ruggles  retired  and  David  Gillespie, 
Esq.  became  a  partner  with  Smith,  and  editor  of  the  paper. 

Mr.  Robert  H.  Ruggles,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  paper, 
afterward  went  to  Henry,  in  Marshall  county,  Illinois,  and 
there  founded  the  Courier.  The  Record,  under  the  manage- 
ment of  Messrs.  White  &  Gillespie,  continued  until  the 
spring  of  1851,  when  the  latter  withdrew,  and  soon  after  the 
paper  suspended. 

THE   ALTON    COURIER, 

In  its  day,  was  the  most  influential  newspaper  in  Southern 
Illinois.  It  was  established  in  Alton,  and  made  its  first  issue 
June  4th,  1852.  It  was  founded  by  Geo.  T.  Brown,  a  promi- 
nent member  of  the  Madison  county  bar  and  an  enterprising 
and  wealthy  citizen  of  Alton.  Associated  with  him  were 
John  Fitch,  who,  prior  to  his  removal  to  Alton,  had  been 
editor  of  the  CarroUton  Banner,  and  James  Gamble.  The 
Courier  was  issued  as  a  daily,  tri-weekly  and  weekly  paper- 
It  was  an  eight  column  folio.  Politically  it  was  Democratic^ 
and  was  designed  and  regarded  as  the  exponent  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  that  political  organization.  It  was  founded  upon  a 
very  liberal  scale,  and  from  its  very  first  issue,  assumed  a 
commanding  position  among  the  newspapers  of  the  State. 
At  the  close  of  the  first  volume,  Mr.  Gamble  retired.  Mr. 
Fitch  continued  with  the  paper  until  1854,  when  he  dis- 
solved his  connection  with  the  Courier  and  soon  after  became 
editor  of  the  Nationrd  Democrat.  At  the  time  the  Courier 
was  established,  the  Telegraph  was  the  only  paper  published 
in  Alton.  It  was  then  the  organ  of  the  Whig  party  in 
Southern  Illinois,  as  it  had  been  previously  the  leading  paper 
in  the  state.  The  leaders  of  the  Democratic  party  had  long 
felt  the  need  of  an  organ,  and  to  meet  that  want,  the  Courier 
was  established.  It  continued  to  do  valiant  service  for  the 
party  until  1854,  when  the  agitation  of  the  Kansas-Ne- 
braska troubles  commenced.  The  Courier  took  a  decided 
stand  in  favor  of  Free-soil,  which  then  meant  no  farther  ex- 
tension of  slavery.  The  re%rajo A -advocated  the  same 
measures,  and  thus,  though  starting  widely  different,  they,  by 
the  operation  of  politics,  were  advocating  and  aiming  at  the 
same  object.  In  the  campaign  of  1856,  the  Courier  advo- 
cated the  claims  of  John  C.  Fremont  for  the  presidency. 

As  before  stated,  both  the  Courier  and  {telegraph  were 
Free-soil  papers,  and  under  the  circumstances,  it  was  deemed 
advisable  to  have  but  one.  In  short,  there  was  not  room  in 
Alton  for  two  papers  occupying  the  same  ground  and  advo- 
cating the  same  measures.    After  some  preliminary  sparring. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


211 


negotiations  were  opened  between  the  two  papers  which  re- 
sulted in  Mr.  Brown  purchasing  the  subscription  lists  of  the 
Telegraph  and  transferring  them  to  the  Courier.  The  former 
paper  then  ceased  publication,  but  the  material  in  the  office 
remained  intact.  It  was  then  used  as  a  job  office  until  18G1, 
when  the  Telegraph  was  revived.  Mr.  Brown  continued 
editor  and  sole  proprietor  of  the  Courier  until  January  1st, 
1860,  when  he  transferred  it  to  B.  J.  F.  Hanna  and  S.  V. 
Grossman. 

Of  Jlr.  Brown  it  may  be  said  that  he  was  the  ablest  news- 
paper man  in  the  history  of  the  journalism  of  Madison 
county.  He  was  not  only  a  talented  writer  but  was  a  su- 
perior manager,  and  had  he  chosen  to  give  all  his  time  and 
attention  to  the  business,  would  have  achieved  fame  and 
reputation  as  a  journalist.  Contemporaries  and  present  jour- 
nalists of  the  county,  accord  to  him  the  first  place  among  the 
newspaper  managers,  editorial  and  political  writers  of  the 
county.  He  was  a  warm-hearted,  generous  gentleman,  and 
had  a  host  of  admirers  and  friends.  He  was  subsequently 
appointed  sergeant  at  arms  of  the  United  States  senate,  a 
position  he  held  for  a  number  of  years,  and  died  in  Washing, 
ton  in  186-.  The  following  we  quote  from  the  Gazetteer  of 
Madison  county:  "From  its  ver}^  beginning,  the  Courier 
occupied  a  prominent  position  in  the  front  rank  of  journal- 
ism, and  soon  came  to  be  regarded  as  the  leading  paper  in 
Southern  Illinois.  Politically,  it  was  alwa)^s  a  success. 
Financially,  it  was  ultimately  a  failure,  though  for  some 
years  it  was  a  prosperous  and  money-making  enterprise.  The 
causes  which  involved  and  finally  led  to  its  suspension,  are 
well  known  to  those  conversant  with  the  history  of  Alton 
from  the  years  I806  to  1866.  The  Courier  always  pro- 
fessed to  be  Democratic  in  princi|)le  and  spirit,  even  after  it 
had  ceased  to  be  the  organ  of  the  Democratic  party.  In 
1854  it  supported  the  Anti-Nebraska  ticket;  in  1856  it  ad- 
vocated the  election  of  Gen.  Fremont  to  the  presidency,  and 
ever  afterward  was  a  firm,  consistent  and  uncompromising 
Republican  journal. 

A  history  of  the  Courier  would  be  incomplete  without 
some  mention  of  the  building  from  which  it  was  issued 
'during  the  latter  years  of  its  existence.  In  1856  Mr.  Brown, 
finding  the  premises  then  occupied  by  him  much  too  small 
for  his  growing  business,  erected  at  a  very  large  expense,  a 
magnificent  four  story  building,  with  a  basement,  for  his 
use.  This  he  fitted  up  in  the  most  perfect  and  thorough 
manner,  making  it  in  all  respects  a  77io(/£'/  printing  establish- 
ment,— the  finest  in  the  state,  and  almost  without  a  rival  in 
the  West.  The  Republican  office,  in  St.  Louis,  was  the  only 
one  that  could  compare  with  it,  and  even  that  was  inferior 
in  many  particulars.  This  building  was  subsequently  occu- 
pied by  the  Alton  Telegraph,  which  was  revived  upon  the 
suspension  of  the  Courier,  a.\\i\  still  stands,  an  ornament  to 
the  citj'j  and  a  monument  to  the  enterprise  aud  public  spirit 
of  its  builder,  George  T.  Brown.  The  firm  of  Hanna  &  Cross- 
man  continued  the  publication  of  the  Courier  until  May, 
1860,  when  they  a.ssociated  with  them  Btnijamin  Teasdale 
and  B.  F.  Webster.  The  firm  name  was  then  changed  to 
Hanna,  Grossman  &  Co.  They  conducted  the  paper  through 
the  campaign  of  1860.     In  December  of  the  same  year  Mr. 


Webster  severed  his  connection  with  the  Courier,  and  it  was 
continued  by  the  remaining  members  of  the  firm  until  Jan- 
uary 20,  1861,  when  its  publication  was  suspended,  and  it 
sank  to  rise  no  more. 

THE   ALTON   NATIONAL    DEMOCRAT 

was  established  in  1854.  The  causes  that  led  to  its  estab- 
lishment were  briefly  the  agitation  of  the  "  Nebraska  Bill," 
which  was  made  the  test  of  party  fealty,  and  the  desire  of 
the  friends  of  the  bill  to  have  an  organ  that  would  quote 
them  correctly  and  defend  the  measures  of  the  dominant 
wing  of  the  Democratic  party.  The  Courier  had  failed  to 
stand  the  test,  and  gave  unmistakable  evidences  of  going 
over  to  the  enemy.  The  Democrat  was  started  by  George  JI. 
Thomson,  Esq.,  as  publisher  and  proprietor,  and  John  Fitch, 
lately  of  the  Courier,  as  editor.  At  first  it  was  a  five-column 
folio,  but  its  support  was  hearty  and  generous,  and  it  soon 
grew  to  a  double  medium,  and  commenced  a  daily  edition 
Mr.  Thompson,  after  a  few  months,  retired  from  the  pro- 
prietorship, aud  the  paper  fell  into  the  hands  of  its  editor, 
Mr.  Fitch.  Under  his  management  new  presses  and  steam- 
power  were  purchased,  and  the  Democrat  soon  became  one  of 
the  notable  institutions  of  the  city. 

John  Fitch  associated  with  him  T.  S.  Fitch,  his  brother, 
and  together  they  edited  and  managed  the  paper  until 
March,  1859,  when  the  latter  withdrew  from  the  firm,  and 
the  publication  was  continued  by  John  Fitch.  He  erected  a 
new  building  to  accommodate  the  growing  business,  and  into 
it  removed  the  presses,  type  and  material,  and  precisely  one 
week  from  that  time,  June  6,  1860,  the  building,  ])resses, 
type,  steam-fixtures  and  all,  were  totally  demolished  and 
swept  away  by  a  tornado.  That  catastrophe  so  disheartened 
Mr.  Fitch  that  he  announced  his  intention  to  abandon  the 
printing  business.  There  was  a  lapse  in  the  publication  of 
seven  weeks,  then  Robert  P.  Tansey  purchased  a  new  outfit 
of  presses  and  types,  and  resumed  the  publication.  A  few 
mouths  later  the  concern  pa.«s?d  into  the  hands  of  William 
T.  Brock,  and  from  him  to  W.  T.  Dowdall  (at  present  editor 
and  proprietor  of  the  National  Democrat,  Peoria,  Illinois). 
During  the  latter's  administration  Thomas  Dimmock,  now  on 
the  editorial  staff' of  the  M'uasouri  Rcpuhlican,  was  the  editor. 
Mr.  Dowdall  sold  out  the  Democrat  to  John  C.  Dobelbower 
of  Jerseyville,  Illinois.  The  latter  took  possession  Decem- 
ber 1,  1864.  Mr.  Dimmock  coiuinued  editor  of  the  paper 
after  the  change  of  proprietors.  On  the  8th  and  9tli  of 
February,  1866,  the  presses,  type  and  fixtures  of  the  office 
were  destroyed  by  fire.  With  commendable  energy  and 
enterprise  the  publication  of  the  Democrat  was  resumed  by 
its  owner  on  the  17th  of  March  following.  It  was  enlarged, 
and  many  improvements  were  made.  Its  publication  con- 
tinued until  186ct,  when  it  was  removed  to  Lafayette, 
Indiana. 

In  185'3  was  commenced  the 

MADISON  COUNTY    EN'CJUIREK. 

The  date  of  the  first  issue  was  at  Edwardsville,  March  26, 
1853.  Theodore  Terry  was  the  editor.  He  was  not  a  very 
able  writer ;  his  habits  were  none  of  the  best,  aud  he  lost 


212 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


caste  among  the  good  people  of  Edwardsville  and  vicinity. 
His  paper  suspended  iu  185G,  and  from  its  ruius  sprang 

THE   WEEKLY   MADISON   PRESS, 

■which  was  started  by  Theodore  Terry  and  James  R.  Brown, 
at  Edwardsville,  August  17,  1858,  and  was  Democratic  in 
politics.  The  partnership  of  Terry  &  Brown  continued  until 
December  15,  1858,  when  it  was  dissolved.  Brown  retiring, 
and  Terry  continued  the  Press. 

THE   MADISON   COUNTY   ADVERTISER, 

whose  founder  was  James  R.  Brown,  made  its  first  issue 
June  26,  1856.  Mr.  Brown  issued  four  numbers,  when  the 
office  passed  into  the  possession  of  O.  C.  Dake,  Esq.  Subse- 
quently Joseph  L.  Krafft  assumed  control,  and  from  him  it  was 
transferred  to  William  G.  Pinchard,  Jr.  In  1860  the  latter 
sold  it  to  Col.  Frank  Springer,  and  he  in  turn  transferred  it 
to  Thompson  &  Dunnegan.  They  published  the  Advertiser 
for  eight  months,  then  Thompson  got  entire  control  of  the 
office,  and  he  continued  the  publication  until  the  latter 
part  of  the  summer  of  1865,  when  it  passed  into  the  posses- 
sion of  Messrs.  Whitman  &  Crabb.  They  changed  the 
name  from  the  Press  to  the 

MADISON   COUNTY   COURIER, 

The  first  number  of  which  was  issued  at  Edwardsville, 
October  12th,  1865.  Crabb  soon  retired  from  the  partner- 
ship, and  Whitman  continued  the  publication  until  October 
5th,  1869,  when  he  sold  the  material  to  S.  Y.  Crossman, 
editor  and  proprietor  of  the  RepuhUcan.  All  of  the  above 
papers  were  the  continuations  of  the  Madison  Advertiser,  and 
■were  Whig  and  Eepublican  in  politics. 

THE  SUCKER   LIFE   BOAT 

Was  the  name  of  a  small  comic  paper  published  in  Alton, 
the  first  number  of  which  was  issued  in  January,  1855. 
John  T.  Beem,  Martin  Brooks  and  Willbur  T.  Ware  were 
the  editors  and  publishers.  It  suspended  in  July  of  the 
same  year. 

THE   VOR'ft'ARTS, 

The  first  German  newspaper  printed  in  Madison  county,  was 
established  in  Alton,  in  1852,  by  P.  Stibolt  and  V.  Walter. 
It  was  in  form  a  five  column  folio,  well  printed  and  ably 
edited.  It  was  Democratic  in  politics,  and  supported  the 
measures  advocated  by  the  then  rising  statesman,  Stephen 
A  Douglas.  In  1854  the  firm  was  dissolved,  and  Mr.  Stibolt 
removed  the  press  and  material  to  Galena,  Ills.  Subse. 
qently  he  removed  to  Peoria,  Illinois,  and  was  there  one  of 
the  editors  of  the  Deutsche  Zeitung. 

THE   ILLINOIS   BEOBACHTER, 

Was  the  name  of  a  German  weekly  newspaper  started  in 
Alton  in  June,  1856,  by  John  Eeis.  It  was  the  exponent 
of  the  principles  and  German  organ  of  the  Douglas  wing  of 
the  Democratic  party.  Its  founder  continued  its  publica- 
tion until   March,  1863,  when  he  died.     V.  Walter   then 


became  the  editor  and  proprietor.  He  carried  the  paper 
over  to  the  Republicans,  defending  Lincoln's  administra- 
tion, and  giving  a  hearty  support  to  the  war  measures  for 
the  suppre.ssion  of  the  rebellion.  In  the  presidential  cam- 
pain  of  1864,  it  gave  Lincoln  a  warm  and  cordial  support. 
It  had  much  to  do  at  that  time  in  educating  and  sustaining 
the  union  sentiment  among  the  German  portion  of  the  com- 
munity. In  October,  1864,  Mr.  Walter  sold  the  paper  to 
G.  H.  Weigler,  who  continued  the  Beobachter  until  Febru- 
ary Sth,  1S66,  when  the  office,  with  its  contents,  was  totally 
destroyed  by  fire. 

In  the  summer  of  1858,  Dr.  Canesius  and  Christian 
Schneider  established  in  Alton  a  German  weekly  paper, 
which  bore  the  name  of  the 

FREIE   PRESSE. 

With   the"  second    issue  the  paper    was    transferred    to 
i   Schneider,  who  continued  the  publication  for  one  year,  when 
it  was  discontinued. 

THE   MISSOURI   CUMBERLAND    PRESBYTERIAN 

Was  removed  from  St.  Louis,  to  Alton,  in  March,  1855,  and 
there  published  until  the  following  June.  The  subscription 
lists  were  then  sold  and  transferred  to  the  Watchman  and 
Evangelist  at  Louisville,  Kentucky.  It  was  edited  by 
Dr.  J.  B.  Logan,  a  distinguished  minister  of  the  Cumber- 
land Presbyterian  Church.  The  paper  was  originally 
started  in  April,  1852,  at  Lexington,  Miasouri,  where  it  was 
published  for  one  year.  In  April,  1853,  it  was  removed  to 
St.  Louis,  and  on  the  15th  of  March,  1855,  removed  to  Alton. 

THE   ladies'   pearl 

Was  a  monthly  publication,  issued  at  Alton,  and  published 
in  the  intere.st  and  under  the  auspices  of  the  Cumberland 
Presbyterian  Church.  Dr.  J.  B.  Logan  and  Rev.  W.  W. 
Brown  were  the  Editors.  It  was  started  iu  the  summer  of 
1857,  and  continued  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  in 
1861,  when  it  suspended. 

THE   GOOD   TEMPLAR 

Was  established  in  Alton  in  1865,  and  continued  for  three 
years.  It  was  edited  by  B.  H.  Mills.  It  had  been  formerly 
published  in  St.  Louis.  Mr.  Mills  was  an  able  writer,  and 
was  the  author  of  a  work  on  Temperance. 

THE  ALTON   BANNER 

Is  the  name  of  a  German  newspaper  started  in  Alton  in 
May,  1866.  It  was  established  by  the  Pfieflier  Bros.  In 
October  of  the  same  year,  John  Mold,  a  practical  printer, 
purchased  the  paper,  and  continued  the  publication  until 
October  1st,  1868.  Then  the  leaders  of  the  Republican 
party  in  Alton  bought  the  Banner,  and  put  Mr.  V.  Walter 
in  charge  of  it  as  editor.  He  continued  one  year,  when  it 
was  sold  to  Messrs.  Meyer  &  Voss.  In  1870,  Meyer  pur- 
chased Voss'  interest,  and  continued  the  publication  until 
January  6th,  1877,  when  he  sold  the  Banner  to  R.  Boelitz. 
The  latter  continued  editor  and  proprietor  until  July  1st, 


HISTORY   OF  MAD  ISO  I^    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


213 


1881,  then  sold  to  Messrs.  Zechiueister  &  Henzel,  and  they 
continued  to  April  26th,  1S82,  when  Messrs.  Kleinwot 
&  Henzel  became  the  editors  and  publishers.  The  Banner 
is  independent  in  politics.  Mr.  Zechmeister  is  editor.  He 
was  formerly  connected  with  the  St.  Charles  Democrat,  Mo. 
The  Banner  has  a  good  circulation,  and  is  the  most  inde- 
pendent German  newspaper  published  in  the  county. 

WESTERN  COMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN, 

No.  1,  of  Vol.  1,  was  issued  June,  1862,  at  Alton.  It  was 
intended  to  supply  a  demand  occasioned  by  the  sale  and  re- 
moval of  the  St.  Louis  Observer  to  the  east,  leaving  all  the 
northwest  part  of  the  church  without  an  organ  to  properly 
represent  them.  It  was  devoted  to  religion,  morality,  church 
information,  and  religious  news  generally.  It  was  founded 
and  edited  by  Eev.  J.  B.  Logan.  In  1866,  he  sold  the  sub- 
scription lists  to  T.  H.  Perrin,  but  remained  editor  of  the 
paper  until  18G8,  at  which  time  Rev.  J.  R.  Brown,  D.  D., 
bought  a  half  interest  in  the  paper.  Dr.  Logan  then  pur- 
chased the  subscription  lists  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian, 
and  united  with  Dr.  Brown.  The  word  "  Western "  was 
dropped,  and  the  uuitcd  paper  called 

THE  CUMBERLAND    PRESBYTERIAN. 

The  publication  was  continued  until  October,  1874,  when 
the  paper  was  sold  and  removed  to  Nashville,  Tennessee. 

OUR   FAITH. 

A  religious  paper  bearing  the  above  title  was  started  in 
Alton  in  September,  1875.  T.  H.  Perrin  and  Dr.  J.  B. 
Logan  were  the  proprietors.  It  was  published  monthly,  and 
was  designed  as  the  mouthpiece  of  the  Cumberland  Presby- 
terian Church.  It  was  continued  one  year  and  seven  months, 
when  it  was  sold  to  the  St.  Louis  Observer  Co.,  of  which 
paper  Messrs.  Perrin  &  Smith  are  the  proprietors,  and  Rev. 
Benton  Farr,  D.  D.,  editor,  and  Rev.  W.  C  Logan  assistant 
editor.  As  will  be  seen  by  the  foregoing.  Dr.  J.  B.  Logan 
had  an  extensive  connection  with  the  religious  journals  of 
Madison  county.  He  was  a  native  of  Huntsville,  Alabama, 
and  was  born  Dec.  18th,  1820.  He  was  regularly  ordained, 
and  entered  the  ministry  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
Church  while  yet  a  young  man.  He  came  to  the  southwest 
part  of  Missouri  on  missionary  service,  and  soon  after  set- 
tled in  Lexington,  and  from  there  went  to  St.  Louis,  and 
then  to  Alton,  where  he  organized  the  Cumberland  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  was  its  pastor  for  nineteen  years.  Dur- 
ing that  period  he  was  president  of  the  Board  of  Missions, 
and  was  moderator  of  the  General  Assembly,  which  is  the 
highest  office  in  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  organization. 
He  removed  from  Alton  to  Taylorville,  Illinois,  and  there 
died  September  14lh,  1878.  Dr.  Logan  was  a  voluminous 
and  extensive  writer.  Besides  the  great  amount  of  writing 
he  did  for  religious  journals,  he  was  the  author  of  a  number 
of  published  works,  which  had  for  their  object  the  enlighten- 
ment of  the  masses  upon  the  principles  and  tenets  of  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church.  Notably  among  his 
works  are  :  "  Alice  McDonald,"  "  Carrie  Holmes,"  "  Tract 
on  Happiness,"  and  others.    Dr.  Logan  did  not  possess  a  col- 


legiate education,  but  he  was  a  great  student  and  read  ex- 
tensively. He  was  blessed  with  a  naturally  strong  and 
vigorous  mind  and  an  exceedingly  retentive  memory.  As  a 
writer  as  well  as  a  speaker,  he  was  plain  though  forcible. 
Productions  of  his  pen  read  well.  There  is  no  attempt  at 
profuse  elaboration,  but  the  point  aimed  at  is  plainly  dis- 
cernible. That  and  their  literary  merit,  make  them  very 
readable  books. 

The  degree  of  D.  D.  was  conferred  on  him  by  the  Lincoln 
University  at  Lincoln,  Illinois. 

The  first  newspaper  established  in  the  village  of  High- 
land was  the 

ERZAEHLER. 

It  was  founded  and  the  first  copy"  printed  March  26th, 
1859.  The  editors  and  proprietors  were  Rudolph  Stadtmann 
and  John  Harlen.  It  was  printed  in  the  German  language. 
It  was  in  form  a  five  column  folio.  On  the  7th  of  May  of 
the  same  year  its  name  was  changed  to  the 

HIGHLAND  BOTE. 

On  the  25th  of  June  following,  the  office  and  fixtures 
passed  into  the  possession  of  Messrs.  Volege  and  Weis,  who 
continued  the  publication  until  April  1863,  when  Tim- 
othy Gruaz  became  editor  and  proprietor.  The  latter  gen- 
tleman at  once  refurnished  the  office,  putting  in  new  type, 
presses,  etc, and  when  completed  it  was  well  equiped  in  all 
its  appointments.  He  also  gave  the  Bote  a  reputation  as  an 
outspoken,  fearless  Democratic  newspaper.  Believing  that 
the  principles  as  presented  and  advocated  by  that  political 
organization,  if  adopted  would  redound  to  the  advantage  of 
the  whole  country,  he  did  not  hesitate  to  avow  and  proclaim 
them,  notwithstanding  they  met  with  fierce  opposition  from  a 
large  number  of  people.  During  jMr.  Gruaz'  proprietorship 
of  the  Bote  it  was  the  organ  of  the  National  Rifle  Club,  and 
Sharp  Shooters'  Society.  He  continued  the  publication  of 
the  Bote  until  June,  1868,  when  he  sold  out  to  Messrs. 
B.  E.  Hoffman  and  Maurice  Huggy,  who  continued  as  a 
firm  in  the  publication  until  November,  1869,  when  Hoff"- 
man  purchased  Huggy's  interest,  and  moved  the  press  and 
material  to  Edwardsville.  At  the  latter  place  the  name  of 
the  paper  was  changed  to  the 

MADISON  COUNTY  BOTE. 

Mr.  Hoffman  edited  and  published  the  paper  until  1870, 
then  sold  it  to  E.  G.  Wolf  and  Frank  Haag.  They  contin- 
ued until  1873  when  they  failed,  and  the  publication  was 
suspended.  The  presses  and  material  reverted  to  Mr. 
Hoffman  in  consequence  of  default  of  payment  on  the  part 
of  Messrs.  Wolf  and  Haag,  and  he  sold  it  to  Capt.  Anthony 
Neusteadt  of  Collinsville  in  this  county.  In  our  judgment, 
had  Mr.  Hoffman  chosen  to  contiuue  in  journalism  he  would 
have  achieved  success  and  journalistic  fame,  but  from  his 
version  and  statement  of  his  experience,  it  was  a  succession 
of  mishaps,  perplexities  and  financial  loss,  and  in  addition 
he  has  no  kind  of  doubt  but  that  it  was  a  source  of  great  an- 
noyance to  the  public.  We  at  the  present  writing,  have  not 
ascertained  the  opinion  of  the  latter. 


214 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


THE  INTELLIGENCER 

was  f  juiuled  by  James  R.  Brown,  at  Edwanlsville,  October 
24tli,  1802.  It  started  as  a  Democratic  paper  and  has  so  re- 
mained, notwithstanding  the  vicissitudes  through  which 
papers  of  that  political  complexion  have  passed.  Mr.  Brown 
conducted  the  Intelligencer  until  his  death,  which  event  oc- 
curred April  30,  1882.  He  was  a  native  of  England.  He 
came  to  America  while  yet  a  youth,  settled  in  Edwardsville 
in  1853,  and  herelearned  the  printer's  trade.  He  was  quick, 
active  and  industrious,  and  soon  became  an  adept  in  artistic 
printing.  As  a  manager  of  a  newspaper  he  was  considera- 
bly above  the  average.  He  made  his  paper  the  organ  and 
spokesman  for  his  party  under  his  own  dictation.  He  was  a 
man  of  positive  views,  and  exceedingly  strong  will  power  that 
would  brook  no  control,  and  which  could  not  be  dominated 
by  others.  His  positive  views  and  their  too  free  expression 
led  him  into  difficulties  sometimes,  but  all  admitted  his  hon- 
esty while  deploring  his  want  of  tact.  Articles  from  his 
pen  were  short,  on  the  paragraphic  style,  and  partook  some- 
what of  the  nature  of  the  writer.  They  were  spicy,  pun- 
gent, vigorous,  sarcastic  and  not  always  well-timed. 

THE  UNION 

Is  the  name  of  a  German  newspaper  published  at  Highland 
in  Madison  county.  It  was  established  and  the  first  number 
issued  October  2-lth,  1863.  Its  founders  and  originators 
were  some  of  the  leading  representative  men  of  Highland 
and  vicinity,  who  were  in  favor  of  a  vigorous  prosecution  of 
the  war  then  in  progress.  They  desired  to  have  a  journal 
in  their  midst  that  would  uphold  the  Union  cause  and  cul- 
tivate Union  sentiment  among  the  citizens  of  Highland. 
They  subscribed  liberally.  A  company  was  formed,  the 
presses  and  material  purchased  and  the  Union  started. 
Charles  Seybt  was  chosen  editor,  and  continued  in  charge 
until  January  28th,  1865,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  G. 
Eutz.  When  the  paper  was  started  it  was  a  five  column 
folio.  With  number  eight,  of  volume  one,  it  was  enlarged 
to  a  seven  column,  same  form  but  in  volume  second,  it  was 
reduced  to  six  columns,  and  with  number  one  of  volume 
four  it  was  enlarged  to  a  seven  column  folio. 

On  the  28th  of  December,  18G6,  Dr.  Rutz  and  John  S. 
Hoerner  purchased  the  office  and  material  of  the  stock  com- 
pany. On  the22d  of  October,  1868,  the  name  of  the  paper 
was  changed  to  the  Hiyhland  Union,  which  name  it  still  re- 
tains. On  the  same  date  it  was  enlarged  to  an  eight  column 
folio. 

The  firm  of  Eutz  &  Hoerner  continued  the  publication 
of  the  Union  until  March  18th,  1874,  when  Mr.  Hoerner 
purchased  his  partner's  share  in  the  paper,  and  from  that 
time  to  the  present  has  continued  sole  proprietor  and  editor. 
On  the  20th  of  April,  1877,  the  form  of  the  paper  was  en- 
larged to  a  seven  column  quarto. 

The  Union  from  its  first  issue  has  been  Republican  in 
politics.  It  took  high  ground  in  time  of  the  war,  and  ably 
advocated  the  war  measures  of  that  time.  In  later  years  it 
has  become  more  liberal — that  is  to   say   it  might  now   be 


classed  with  the  liberal  Rejiublican  newspapers  of  the 
day. 

In  1875  Mr.  Hoerner  purchased  and  placed  in  the  office 
a  Fairhaven  power  press.  In  1879  he  erected  a  large  two- 
story  brick  building  expressly  to  accommodate  the  printing 
business,  and  fitted  it  up  with  steam  power,  new  presses; 
type,  etc.,  and  it  is  now,  in  all  its  appointments  and  conveni- 
ences for  business,  second  to  no  other  office  in  the  county. 

Mr.  Hoerner  is  a  practical  printer,  and  has  served  twenty- 
five  years  at  the  case  and  in  the  sanctum.  He  learned  the 
trade  in  the  printing  offices  of  Edwardsville,  and  afterward 
worked  in  the  offices  of  the  St.  Louis  papers.  In  18G6  he 
removed  to  Highland  and  became  half  owner  in  the  Union, 
and  subsequently  sole  proprietor,  as  above  stated. 

THE   EDWARDSVILLE   REPUBLICAN 

Was  established,  by  S.  V.  Grossman  a  practical  printer. 
He  was  an  Englishman  by  birth,  and  came  to  America, 
and  learned  the  trade  in  Cincinnati.  In  1854  he  came 
to  Alton,  and  there  was  connected  with  the  publication  of 
different  papers.  He  was  the  foreman  and  superintendent 
of  the  mechanical  department  of  the  Courier  office  for  a 
number  of  years.  He  came  to  Edwardsville  in  1869, 
and  brought  with  him  a  job  office.  With  that  material  he 
commenced  the  publication  of  the  Bepublicun. 

The  first  issue  was  made  July  1st,  1869.  About  the  1st  of 
October  of  the  same  year,  he  purchased  the  material  of  the 
Courier,  a  paper  published  iu  Edwardsville  which  had  sus- 
pended. He  continued  editor  and  proprietor  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  June,  1875.  The  publication  of  the  paper 
was  continued  by  the  "  S.  V.  Grossman  Printing  Company," 
afterwards  E.  B.  Grossman,  then  O.  S.  Reed  &  Co.  The 
latter  firm  continued  until  July  1st,  1879,  when  T.  M.  and 
W.  R.  Grossman  formed  a  partnership  under  the  firm  name 
of  Grossman  Brothers,  which  still  continues.  The  Bepuh- 
lican  in  form  is  an  eight  column  folio.  Politically,  it  has 
from  its  first  issue  been  straight  Republican.  The  office  is 
well  supplied  with  power  and  job  presses,  and  fully  equipped 
with  the  modern  improvements  of  a  country  newspaper  office. 
The  Grossman  Brothers  are  practical  printers.  The  paper, 
under  their  control  and  management,  has  become  one  of  the 
influential  organs  of  the  Republican  party  in  this  congress- 
ional district. 

While  the  Bepuhlican  was  run  under  the  management  of 
Robert  B,  Grossman,  a  daily  paper  was  issued.  It  was  kept 
up  for  a  few  weeks,  then  discontinued  from  lack  of  patronage. 

THE   COLLINSVILLE  ARGUS 

Was  established  in  Gollinsville,  August  12,  1871.  The 
Union  Publishing  Company  were  the  proprietors,  and  A.  W. 
Angier  editor.  At  the  end  of  the  first  volume,  Angier  was 
succeeded  by  L.  D.  Caulk  as  editor.  The  paper  was  then 
owned  by  the  Gollinsville  Publishing  Company,  an  organiza- 
tion of  the  leading  business  men  of  the  village.  Caulk  was 
succeeded  by  Anton  Neustadt,  who  became  both  editor  and 
proprietor,  having  purchased  the  stock  of  the  company.  He 
held    control  until   August,  1878,  when  Connolly  &  John- 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


215 


son  became  proprietors  of  the  Argus-  Connolly  retired  from 
the  partnership  in  January,  1879,  and  A.  W.  Johnson  con- 
tinued the  paper  until  August  of  the  same  year,  when  its 
publication  was  suspended.  The  press  and  type  were  sold 
and  shipped  to  Staunton  in  Macoupin  county.  The  Argm 
was  a  seven  column  folio.  After  Mr.  Angier  retired  from 
the  editorship  of  tiie  Argus,  it  became  Republican  in  tone 
and  so  continued  until  1878,  when  until  its  suspension,  it 
was  run  as  an  Independent  paper.  After  the  Argus  pa.ssed 
from  the  control  of  A.  W.  Augier,  he  commenced  the  pub- 
lication of  a  paper  in  Collinsville  called  the 

LIBERAL  DEMOCRAT. 

The  first  number  was  issued  October  10th,  1872.  It  was 
an  eight  column  paper,  Democratic  in  politics.  The  presses 
and  type  of  the  office  were  removed  to  Edwardsville  in 
1878,  and  on  the  2d  of  October  of  that  year,  was  started 

OUR  TIMES, 

A.  W.  &  J.  S.  Angier,  editors  and  publishers.  It  was  con- 
tinued until  the  latter  part  of  March,  1881,  when  it  was 
sold  to  Messrs.  Price  &  Simcox.  On  the  28th  of  May  1, 1881 , 
the  name  of  the  paper  was  changed  to  the 

EDWARDSVILLE  TIMES. 

Price  withdrew  from  the  firm  June  18, 1881,  and  Mr.  John 
L.  Simcox  continued  the  publication  until  July  16,  when  he 
took  in  as  a  partner,  E.  W.  Anderson.  The  latter  retired 
October  8,  1881.  Mr.  Simcox  remained  sole  proprietor 
until  December  1st,  1881,  then  sold  a  half  interest  to  Joseph 
S.  Umberger.  The  latter  firm  still  continued  until  May  27, 
1882,  when  A.  L.  Brown  purchased  the  paper  and  changed 
the  name  to  the  Edwardsville  Democrat,  and  changed  the 
form  from  a  seven  column  folio  to  a  six  column  quarto  with 
the  sheets  cut  and  pasted.  He  has  refitted  the  office  with 
new  type  and  presses  and  now  has  a  neat  printing  office 
He  is  a  young  man  of  ability  and  seems  to  be  imbued  with 
energy  and  a  desire  to  excel,  and  we  have  no  doubt  but  that 
in  time  the  Democrat  will  become  one  of  the  able  journals 
of  this  section  of  the  country. 

THE  TEMrERASCE  BANXER 

Was  issued  in  Alton.  The  first  number  was  printed  in 
August  1873.  It  continued  until  1875,  then  suspended.  R. 
L.  Smiley  was  editor.  It  was  published  by  Eugene  Smith. 
Its  name  indicated  its  mission. 

In  January,  1875,  J.  N.  Shoemaker  issued  the  first 
Dumber  of  the 

ALTON  DEMOCRAT, 

The  leading  organ  of  the  Democratic  party  in  southern 
Illinois,  was  founded  by  James  N.  Shoemaker  and  Hugh  E. 
Bayle  in  Alton  in  January,  1875.  It  was  then  issued 
■weekly.  During  the  first  year,  E.  J.  Bronson  was  con- 
nected with  its  publication.  Ou  the  17th  of  June,  1876,  the 
daily  edition  was  commenced,  which  has  continued  to  the 
present.  In  September  of  the  same  year  the  paper  passed 
into  the  hands  of  Messrs.  Perrin,  Smith  &.  Co.     The  "Co." 


was  then  D.  C  Fitz  [Morris,  who  was  the  editor,  a  position 
he  still  retains.  Perrin,  Smith  cO  Co.  continued  until  March 
1st,  1878,  when  Fitz  Morris  withdrew  from  the  firm,  but  as 
stated  above,  has  continued  editor  of  the  Democrat.  The 
daily  is  a  seven  column  folio  and  the  weekly  a  six  column 
quarto. 

The  Democrat,  under  the  vigorous  management  of  Messrs. 
Perrin  &  Smith  and  its  able  editor,  has  grown  to  be  one  of 
the  most  potential  political  organs  in  southern  Illinois. 
Both  Messrs.  Perrin  and  Smith  are  practical  printers.  The 
former  is  a  native  of  Alton,  and  learned  the  trade  in  the 
old  Courier  office.  The  latter  served  an  apprenticeship  in 
the  office  of  the  Telegraph.  Both  bring  to  the  trade  a 
practical  knowledge  of  the  business.  The  office  in  all  its 
appointments  is  the  best  equipped  for  doing  all  kinds  of 
business  in  the  county,  and  is  unexcelled  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  state. 

THE  TROY   W'EEKLY  BULLE  TIN, 

The  first  newspaper  issued  in  the  enterprising  village 
of  Troy  in  Madison  county,  was  a  paper  bearing  the  above 
title.  James  N.  Jarvis  was  its  founder,  editor  and  proprietor. 
The  first  number  was  issued  February  22d,  1873.  Mr. 
Jarvis  continued  the  publication  of  the  Bulletin  until  April 
15th,  1881,  when  he  sold  it  to  George  Armstrong  and  Joseph 
S.  Umberger.  They  published  it  until  July  1st,  1881,  then 
sold  it  to  Henry  B.  Morris,  its  present  editor  and  publisher. 
The  Bulletin  is  a  six  column  folio,  independent  iu  politics. 
It  is  neatly  printed,  and  enjoys  a  healthy  circulation. 

THE  MORNING  NEWS 

Was  started  in  Alton,  June  18th,  1876.  It  was  edited  by 
James  J.  Mcfneniey  and  Eugene  J.  Bronson.  It  was  a 
daily,  independent  in  politics.  It  suspended  about  the  let 
of  September. 

THE  CHRLSTIAN  NEWS 

Was  a  monthly  publication  issued  at  Alton  and  published 
in  the  interest  of  the  Congregationalist  Church.  E.  A. 
Smith  was  the  publisher.  The  first  issue  was  made  in  1875. 
At  the  end  of  one  year  it  was  sold  to  the  "  Advance  Com- 
pany," Chicago.  It  was  edited  by  Rev.  Robert  West  of 
Alton,  now  of  Boston,  Mass. 

QUI    VIVE, 

A  college  paper  edited  by  the  students  of  ShurtleS"  College, 
at  Upper  Alton.  No.  1  of  Vol.  1  was  issued  January  8, 1868. 

THE    COLLEGE    REVIEW, 

Another  paper  issued  by  the  students  of  the  above  named 
college,  made  its  debut  iu  September  1879.  Frank  J. 
Merchant  and  John  L.  Pearson  were  the  editors. 

COLLINSVILLE  WEEKLY  HERALD 

No.  1,  of  Vol.  1,  was  issued  September  10th,  1879,  James 
N.  Peers,  editor  and  publisher.  It  was  then  a  five  column 
folio,  afterward   enlarged  to  a  six,  then  a  seven,  and  then 


216 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


changed  to  a  five  column  quarto,  cut  and  pasted.  The 
Herald  is  independent  in  politics.  Mr.  Peers  is  a  practical 
printer,  and  an  adept  in  the  mechanism  of  printing.  The 
office  is  fitted  up  with  a  Campbell  paper  and  job  press,  lun 
by  a  Baxter  steam  engine,  small  press  for  job  work,  mitre 
and  curving  machine,  and  a  complete  stereotyping  appa- 
ratus. In  short  the  Herald  has  the  neatest  and  most  com- 
plete outfit  of  any  small  printing  office  within  our 
knowledge.  Mr.  Peers  furnishes  stereotype  plates  of  ready 
printed  matter  for  a  number  of  papers  in  Illinois.  The 
Weekly  Courier  was  a  six  column  folio  campaign  paper,  pub- 
lished in  Collinsville  by  J.  N.  Peers,  and  edited  by  William 
A.  Garasche.  It  supported  Hancock  for  the  presidency. 
It  suspended  a  week  before  the  election. 

MADISON  COUNTY  SENTINEL 

Was  established  in  Alton  by  J.  J.  Mclnerney,  October  15, 
1879.  The  Sentinel  is  now  in  its  third  volume.  It  is  de- 
voted to  the  general  interests  of  Madison  county,  and  Alton 
in  particular.  It  is  an  eight  column  folio,  independent  in 
politics,  and  is  fast  growing  in  popular  favor. 

THE  LITTLE  EPISCOPALIAN 

Was  a  monthly  journal  edited  and  published  by  Dr.  A.  M. 
Powell  at  Collinsville.  The  first  number  was  printed  in 
March  1880.  On  the  first  of  October  its  name  was  changed 
to  the 

BANNER  OF  THE  CROSS. 

Its  publication  continued  until  December  1881. 

THE  MADISON    COUNTY  ANZEIGER 

Was  the  name  of  a  German  paper  printed  at  Edwardsville. 
The  first  issue  was  made  May  7,  1875.  The  pub- 
lishers were  C.  Lohmann  &  Son,  C.  Lohmann  editor.  The 
Anzeiger  was  at  first  Independent  in  politics,  but  in  the  poli- 
tical campaign  of  1876  it  supported  Hayes  and  Wheeler, 
and  from  that  time  on  until  it  discontinued  it  was  a  Repub- 
lican paper.  H.  C.  Lohmann  retired  from  the  Anzeiger 
May  9, 1878.  It  was  continued  by  Mr.  Lohmann,  senior,  for 
a  short  time  after  and  then  suspended. 

THE      EDWARDSVILLE    DEMOKRAT 

Was  the  name  of  another  German  jwper,  which  was  first 
issued  iu  March,  1880,  by  Gustavus  Hohwendler,  publisher. 
Hon.  B.  E.  Hoffman  was  employed  as  editor.  After  four 
months'  trial  Mr.  Schwendler  was  convinced  that  a  German 
newspaper  in  Edwardsville  would  not  pay,  and  the  i)ubli- 
cation  ceased.     It  was  Democratic  in  tone. 

THE  HIGHLAND  HERALD 

Was  established  in  Highland,  Madison  county,  April  13, 1881. 


The  business  men  of  Highland  wanted  an  English  paper 
published  in  their  midst,  and  for  that  purpose  subscribed 
liberally  to  its  establishment  and  support.  They  selected 
William  H.  Foy  as  editor  and  publisher.  He  contiimed  to 
publish  the  Herald  for  its  citizen  owners  until  June  20  of 
the  same  year.  Then  he  was  succeeded  by  Louis  E.  Kinne 
and  George  Roth,  who  took  charge  for  the  stockholders. 
T.  S.  Richardson  was  selected  as  editor.  That  arrangement 
continued  until  August  24th  following,  when  they  retired 
and  J.  A.  Krepps  and  Charles  Boeschenstein  purchased  the 
paper  of  the  stockholders.  On  the  8th  of  September,  1881, 
Mr.  Boeschenstein  became  sole  proprietor  and  editor.  In 
form  the  Herald  is  a  six  column  quarto.  It  is  independent 
in  politics,  and  devoted  to  the  interests  of  Highland  and 
vicinity.  The  office  is  fitted  up  with  a  new  Fairhaven 
power  press  and  a  fine  supply  of  type  of  tlie  latest  styles 
and  finish.  It  is  a  growing  paper,  and  bids  fair  to  be  of 
great  value  to  the  good  people  of  Highland. 

THE   COLLINSVILLE  STAR 

Is  the  latest  aspirant  for  journalistic  fame  in  Madison  coun- 
ty. The  first  number  wa.s  issued  January  7th,  1882.  Hugh 
A.  Wetniore  is  its  founder,  editor  and  proprietor.  He  is 
not  unknown  to  fame  in  the  journalistic  world.  He  was  for 
a  number  of  years  connected  with  the  newspapers  of  St. 
Louis,  and  by  them  was  employed  as  a  special  reporter  in 
different  parts  of  the  country.  In  that  somewhat  difficult 
capacity  he  sustained  the  reputation  of  an  active,  truthful 
and  able  correspondent-  He  therefore  brings  to  the  business 
experience  and  a  knowledge  of  at  least  one  branch  of  the 
business.  The  mission  of  the  Star  at  present  is  to  get  a 
covered  dirt  road  or  "  shed  road  "  from  Collinsville  to  St. 
Louis.  For  his  laudable  efforts  in  that  direction  we  hope 
posterity  may  "  rise  up  and  call  him  blessed."  The  Star 
is  a  three  column,  four  page  paper,  independent  in  politics. 
The  history  of  the  press  of  Madison  county  has  been  brief- 
ly traced.  There  have  been  a  few  failures,  but  upon  the 
whole  it  has  been  fairly  representative  of  the  business  growth 
of  the  county.  Few  industries  can  show  a  better  record,  or 
number  more  patient,  earnest  and  enthusiastic  workers.  The 
influence  and  character  of  the  press  has  grown  with  the  ma- 
terial wealth  and  intellectual  growth  of  those  they  have 
represented.  The  number  of  newspaper  enterprises  organ- 
ized and  now  in  existence  in  the  county  and  the  character  of 
their  support,  speaks  well  for  the  liberality  of  her  citizens, 
and  unmistakably  shows  the  power  of  printer's  ink  and  edi- 
tor's pen.  To  the  press,  perhaps  more  than  to  any  other  in- 
dustry, belongs  the  credit  of  building  up  and  giving  Madison 
county  her  enviable  standing  among  her  sister  counties  in 
the  great  State  of  Illinois. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


217 


CHAPTER  XII. 


PA  TRIOTISM. 


to  incorporate  iu  her  civil  government   taneously  word  came  of  hostile  demon- 
i  the   best   idea   of  all  ages  and  people,   strations  along  the  Wabash      Murders 
Her  growth  has  been  marvelous,  and  the    were  committed  ;    treaties   were  set   at 
spirit  of  patriotism  has  been  commeu-   nought ;  the  storm  of  war  wa,s  brewing, 
surate  therewith.     To-day  the  proudest  In  the  month  of  April,  1812,  Gomo,  an 
exclamation  of  our  countrymen  is,  "  We   Indian  chief,  heading  a  deputation  made 
commencement   ^^^  Americans  !  "     Wars  may  and  have   upof  representatives  from  various  tribes, 
of  American  liberty   tj^rgatuned  ;  red  battle  may  stamp  her   met  Governor  Edwards,  at  Cahokia,  to 
presaged   the  dawn 
of  a  brighter  period 
in    the   world's  his- 
tory.      The    spirit 
of    freedom    which 


HE 


and,  which  gave  us  a  lofty  rank  amid 
the  empires  of  the  world,  still  animates 
the  b;)som  of  their  descendants.  Liber- 
ty was  the  ringing  watchword  of  those 


fiery  feet,  but  this  nation  emerges  from    negotiate  a  treaty.     The  governor  ad- 
the    crucible,    rejuvenated,    bound    by   dressed  them   in  a  forcible  speech.     He 
stronger  ties,  and  clothed    in  mightier   told  them  he  understood  the  hostility  of 
power.     In  order  to  present  the  patriot- ;  the  Indians  ;  laid  the  blame  at  the  foun- 
ism  of  Madison   county,  it  will  be  ne-   tain  head — with  the  traders  at  British 
prompted  our  ances-   gggj^ry  to  give  brief  sketches  of  the  war   outposts  ;    warned    then    against    their 
tors  to  throw  off  the   ^fi^io,  Black-Hawk,  and  Mexican  wars   councils  ;  claimed  that  Americans  only 
yoke   of  oppression,   ^^^  the  late  Rebellion,  in  each  of  which  j  desired  peace;    told  them   plainly  that 
many  of  her  citizens  participated.  |  the  only  basis  for  a  treaty  would  be  the 

.,  j  delivery  of  murderers  within  their  ranks 

!  (some  present  had  participated  in  the 
This  was  a  struggle  between  the  |  Chicago  massacre)  for  punishment- 
who  tirst  anchored  their  boats  on  a  rock  United  States  and  Great  Britain,  grow- j  The  Indians  in  turn  professed  sorrow 
bound  coast.  Liberty  of  thought  and  j^g  out  of  the  insolent  and  i e>eated  for  wrongs  done;  declared  their  iiiabil- 
speech  caused  thous2.nds  to  forsake  the  overtacts  of  the  latter  government  in  ity  to  deliver  up  the  murderers;  laid 
homes  tbey  loved  so  well  in  the  mother  harassing  the  commerce  of  the  United  the  blame  upon  one  of  the  tribes  (the 
country.  The  sons  of "  merry "  England,  States  by  the  impressment  of  seamen  Winnebagoes)  and  promised  good  be- 
fair  France,  rugged  Scotland,  distressed  from  American  vessels.  The  non-inter-  havior.  Despite  their  earnest  prjtesta- 
Ireland  and  Germany,  the"  faderland,"  course  law  expired  in  1810,  when  the  tions,  and  expressed  desire  f)r  peace,  the 
left  their  homes  for  untried  ones  iu  this  government  of  the  United  States  made  Indians  continued  their  depredations, 
new  Republic.  It  was  an  experiment,  a  proposal  to  both  France  and  England  ^  The  rangers,  for  that  was  the  name  by 
The  results  have  far  outstripped  what  that  if  either  nation  would  repeal  its  which  the  patriots  were  known,  gathered 
the  most  fertile  imagination  could  orders  prohibiting  trade  by  neutral  ves-  their  families  into  block  houses  for  pro- 
have  entertained.  The  new  world  was ,  gels,  the  states  would  revive  the  non-  teclion,  whilst  they  attempted  to  raise  a 
waked  from  its  savage  lethargy  ;  forests  intercourse  law  against  the  other  nation,  little  corn  for  their  subsistence  with 
have  been  prostrated  and  given  way  to  France  accepted  the  proposition,  and  their  guns  hanging  at  their  sides  whilst 
thrift  and  civilization  ;  towns  and  cities  President  Madison  proclaimed  free  com-  plowing,  ready  to  protect  themselves 
have  sprung  into  existence  like  the  flow-  merce  with  France,  but  that  trade  with  again.«t  attack.  Forts  or  block-houses 
ers  of  the  topics  ;  and  the  sweeping  fires,  Great  Britain  be  prohibited.  This  was  were  erected  in  various  parts  of  the 
of  the  prairies  are  scarcely  ranre  rapid  taken  as  a  challenge  by  the  English  frontier,  several  being  situated  in  Madi- 
than  the  increase  of  our  wealth  and  government  to  place  itself  in  an  attitude  son  county.  Fort  Russel,  a  few  miles 
population.  The  powers  of  the  Old  of  hostality.  The  feeling  engendered  north  of  Edwardsville,  was  the  head- 
World  have' ceased  to  look  upon  us  as  a  ,  soon  brought  on  the  war.  As  iu  the  quarters  of  Governor  Edwards  for  mili- 
sudden  flame  that  would  soon  be  extin-  war  with  the  colonies,  the  British  gov- ,  tary  stores  and  munitions  of  war.  Spies 
gnished,  and  now  recognize  our  Republic  ernmeut  soou  made  allies  of  the  Indians,  '  were  instructed  to  pass  daily  between 
as  one  of  the  first  powers  on  either  con-  and  thus  the  settlers  of  the  frontier  were  '  these  forts,  so  as  to  keep  up  a  constant 
tinent.  When  the  originators  of  our  called  upon  to  protect  their  homes  and  i  line  of  communication  throughout  their 
Republic  proclaimed  "That  all  men  are   families  from  the  merciless  savages,  and   length. 

created  equal ;  that  they  are  endowed  several  regiments  of  Rangers  were  soon  Captains  William  Jones,  Samuel 
by  their  Creator  with  certain  inaliena-  organized  and  ready  for  service  against  I  Whiteside,  and  Samuel  Judy,  from 
ble  rights;  that  among  these  are    life,   this  cruel  and  formidable  foe.  |  Madison,  commanded  companies  in  this 

liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness,"        As  early  as  1809,  Nicholas  Jarrot,  of;  border  warfare.     The  following  is  a  ros- 
an  oppressed  world  applauded.     When    Cahokia,  a  French  patriot,  wedded  to  the    ter  of  the  members  of   their  companies 
it  was  proclaimed  that  a  government  was   American  cause,  made  oath  that  the  Brit-   from  this  county  : 
to  be  founded  on   such  principles,    mil-    ish  agents  and  traders  at  Prairie  du  Chien 
lions  were  ready  to  become   sovereigns    were  instigating  the  Indians  to  deeds  of 
and  foresake  Kingdoms  and  empires  for   violence  ;    furnishing  them    with     arms 
the  enjoyment  of  these  inalienable  rights,   and  ammunition,  and  otherwise  prepar 

Thus  was  brought  before  the  attention  of  ing  them  for  warfare  along  the   borders  Ciqdnin. 

the  civilized  world,  a  nation  that  essayed   of  Western  civilization.     Almost  simul- 1  Samuel  Wliiieside. 


Goshen,  Aug.  1st,  1812. 
An     enlistment    of  volunteers   in   Captain 
Samuel  Whiteside's  Company  for  3  months. 


218 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


First  Lieutenant. 
Titas  Gregg. 

Second  Lieutenant. 
John  Swaggart. 

Ensign 
Hei.r,'  Tavlor. 


Privates. 


Bairn,  Elswortli. 
Biirronglis,  Jcseph. 
Bridges,  Allen. 
Briisco,  John. 
Biirges.*,  William. 
Doiris,  Samuel. 
Knochs,  John. 
Ferguson,  Joseph. 
Gregg,  John. 
Gregg,  Azer. 
(iregg,  Harmon. 
Howlin,  James. 
Howard,  William. 
Howard,  Joseph. 
Hoo.ser,  Absalom. 
Howard,  Absalom. 
Howard,  John. 
Hewitt,  Roland. 


Lacy,  John. 
J>ee,  Samuel. 
Marney,  James. 
McFadden,  James. 
Paine,  John. 
Price,  Daniel. 
Poner,  David. 
Pnrsley,  William. 
Pursley,  Daniel. 
Koach,  Matthew. 
Semiile,  David. 
Smeltzer,  Jacob. 
Simp.son,  William. 
Semple,  Benjamin. 
Shelton,  William. 
Thompson.  James. 
Warren,  Harden. 
Wilson,  James. 


Green,  Henry,  Jr. 
Green,  Henry,  Sr. 
Green  John. 
Henson,  Benjamin. 
Henson,  John. 
Hill,  John. 
Hopton,  .John. 
Howard  Wm    (Spy.' 
Higgins,  John. 
Hill  James. 
Hill,  Burrell. 


Tayer,  Bartter. 
Tetrith,  Jacob. 
Tetrich,  Charles. 
Tetrich,  Abrain.   (Spy) 
Tetrich,  Peter- 
Whitley,  Mills. 
W'liitley  John. 
Whitley.  Randolph. 
Whitley,  Klisha. 
White,'Robert. 
W'hite,  David. 


Muster  Roll  of  Captain  Samuel  Judy's 

Company  of  Mounted  Spies,  called  into 

service  by  and   under  the  command  of   „fM„j:,   '  1 

.  -'  ot  Madison  county 

his   Excellency,  JNinian   Edwards,  Oct. ' 


notice,  but  there  remains  no  doubt  but 
the  company  will  be  compleat  before 
this  reaches  you — there  are  70  on  the 
list  now.  The  above  officers  were  elect- 
ed by  a  unanimous  vote. 

Very  respectfully  yours, 

Thos.  Kirkpatrick  I  Judges  of 
G.  Cadw'ell  J  the  Election. 


Invalid  pensioners  among  the  pioneers 


18th,  1812,  to  Nov  12th,  1812. 

Captains. 


■Waggoner,  John. 
A  Muster  Roll  of  a  Company  of 
Volunteer  Infantry  commanded  by  Cap- 
tain William  Jones,  ordered  into  service 
by  his  Excellency,  Ninian  Edwards, 
Governor  of  the  Illinois  territory. 

Chaplain. 
William  Jones. 


John  Springer. 


Thomas  Finlev. 


Lieutenant. 


Ensign- 


First  Sergeant. 
Edward  Reavi.s. 

Second  Sergeant. 
John  Whitley. 

Third  Sergeant. 
David   White,  (Spy.) 

Fourth    Sergeant, 
Robert  Brazle. 

Corporals. 
Solomon  Preuitt.  Matthew  Means. 

Jacob  Gregg.  David  Smeltzer. 

Privates, 
Anderson,  James,  Sr.    Holt,  John. 
Anderson,  James,  Jr.    Howard,  Abrm.  (Spy.) 
Brazle,  William.  Hutlon,  George,  Sr. 

Brazle,  Richard.  Hutton,  George,  Jr. 

Bateman,  Abraham.      Jones,  Martin. 
Brazle,  Valentine,(Spy) Jones,  John. 
Bateman,  William.        Lindly,  Joseph. 


Samuel  Judy. 


Adams,  Calvin. 
Adjoins,  John. 
Cox,  Thomas. 
Clark,  Edward 
Cook.  Henry. 
Cosey,  Pierre. 
Frazier,  Robert. 
Gillham,  Isom. 
Going,  William. 
Gillham,  Samuel. 
Griflin,  William. 


Privates. 


Larmar,  Patrick. 
Lusk,  JohnT. 
Moore,  George. 
Newman,  Joseph. 
Nix,  Ambrose. 
Right.  Tolever. 
Radcliff,  William. 
Reynolds,  John. 
Smith,  Thomas. 
Stockden,  Davis. 
Waddle,  Alexander. 


Several  other  companies  were  formed    f^j, 
at   vaiious   times,   between    1812,    and 


Asa  Brooks,   private,   New   York  volunteers, 
pensioned  July   27,    1819,   pension  com- 
i         menced  Nov.  10th,  1814. 
William  Preuitt,  U.  S.  range,  pensioned  July 
I  1,  1816.  pension  dated  Nov.  2,  1814. 

William  Richards,  private  3d  U.  S.  rifles,  pen 
sioned  January  2,  1818,  pension  dated 
April  24,  ISlo. 

Soldies  of  the  revolutionary  army, 
in  later  years  residents  of  Madison 
county : 

Elihu  Mather,  Sergeant  in  Connecticut  Conti- 
nentals, pensioned  Julv  23,  1821,  died 
September,  1831. 

Brown,  Daniel,  private  and  sergeant  Virginia 
Continentnls. 


Conway,  Jesse,  private,  Virginia  Continentals 
Deck,  Michael,  private  Virginia  Continentals. 


Co.x,  Ephraim 
Chilton,  Matthew. 
ChilioB,  Joshua. 
Chilton,  Jau)e.s,  Sr. 
Chillou,  William. 
Chilton,  James,  Jr. 
Dollarhide,  Aquilla, 
Finley,  Howard. 
Finlev,  Moses. 
Finley,  John. 
Finley,  Jame.s. 
Ferguson.  Isaac. 
Giger,  John. 
Green,  John. 


Lindly,  John 
Lockhart,  Byrd,  (Spy.) 
Lockharr,  William. 
Lindly,  Simon,  Sr. 
Lindley,  Simon,  Jr. 
Lindly,  Samuel. 
Lockhart,  Andrew. 
Preuitt,  Field.s. 
Roberts,  Wm.  (Spy.) 
Roberts.  Andrew. 
Stnhblefield,  Wm.(Spv) 
Stubbledeld,  Easly. 
Smeltzer,  Hermon. 
Tayer,   George,  (Spy.) 


1814,  but  on  account  of  the  destruction  ^T:|)|'=""'  ^°''°'  •"■i^^'^'  S-  C- Continentals. 

...  „    ,  ,  Gillham,  Isaac,  private,  S.  C.  Continentals, 

or  mislaying  of  the   records,  we   are  un-  Harrison,  A.  A.,  private,  Penna.  Continentals, 
able  to  furnish  only  the  above  rosters  of  p'^"'  V™'  ^"Y-  and  serg.,S.  C.  Continentals.' 

^,  ,  ,.  ,.    ,  .  Long,  John,  private,  N.  C.  Continentals, 

the  soldiers  of  this  war.  McAdams,  Joseph,  private,  N.  C.  Continentals. 

The  following  is  a  true  copy,  verbatim  McAdams.  Wm.,  private,  N.  C  Continentals.  ' 

f  i;       J-      *     .1,     r^  e  .1.      .   .  Preuitt,  Martin,  private,  Virginia  Continentals. 

et  hteratim  to  the  Governor  of  the  state  Robinson,  John,  private,  N.  C.  Continentals, 
in  1814,  by  Thomas  Kirkpatrick  :              :  Revis,  Henry,  private,  N.  C.  Continentals. 

■cj„      1-11      c<     .1       1        o(xi_    -I01*   i  Roach,  Francis  private,  N.  C.  Continentals 

Edwardsville,  September  24th,  1814.  E„„di;,  Richard!  priv,  Virginia  Continentals. 

Sir: — This  day  there  was  an  election  Reavis,  Harris,  private,  N.  C.  Militia. 

held   at  this   nlacp  for   a  Cnntain     „,,h    I^a"d'e.  Ishiim,  private,  N.  C.  Continentals, 
neia  at  inis  ptace  tor  a  t..aptain,   ana   j^.^^^t^  l^^i^^^^  private,  N.  C.  Continentals. 

first  and  second  Lieutenants  by  the  vol-    Thoinhill,  Henry ,'priv.  Virginia  Continentals, 
uuteers   that  have  late    been  raised  in  '  ^'^'''  Naibaniel,  priv.  Virginia  Coijtentials.  ' 

Bridges,  Georga,  private,  N.  C.  Mihtia. 
Conseqence   of    your   request   to   Isam 

Gillham  and  J.  G.  Lofton  Esq..  the  com- ;  We  give  below  a  clipping  from  one  of 
pany  detained  the  Election  until  about,  the  county  papers  published  in  1872: 
the  4  of  the  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  in  '  "In  1872  the  following  named  resi- 
hopes.  We  would  have  been  Joined  by  dents  of  this  county  were  soldiers  of  the 
Mr.  Stout  and  a  Party  from  that  neigh-  war  of  1812,  and  were  in  receipt  of 
borhood,  on  being  disappointed.  We  pensions;  Samuel  Seybold,  Jesse  Ren- 
proceeded  to  Elect  John  G.  Lofton,  i  fro,  "William  Shaw  and  Jubilee  Posey  of 
Cajit.,  Thomas  Kirkpatrick  1st  Lieuten- 1  Troy  ;  Andrew  Keown,  Alhambra  ; 
ant,  and  Samuel  G.  Morse  2d  Lieutenant,  Solomon  Preuitt,  of  Fort  Russell ;  John 
and  intend  when  orders  are  received  to  i  Anderson  of  Collinsville;  Abraham 
Elect  the  balance  of  the  officers  so  as  to  '  Howard  and  Philip  Gatch  of  Highland  ; 
di-pose  of  the  officers  in  Each  Settle-  Archibald  Lamb  of  Lamb's  Point,  and 
ment  which  may  Join.  We  assure  your  ;  Aaron  Rule  and  Thomas  Sutton  of  St- 
Excellency  that  the  old  men  have  volun-  Jacobs.  Mrs.  Mary  Barnsback,  widow 
teered  with  a  spirit  that  reflects  an  honor  i  of  Geoi-ge  Barnsback,  and  Mrs.  Cynthia 
on  the  old  veterans  of '76.  Thenoticeol  Keown,  widow  of  James  Keown,  were 
the  Election  was  so  short  in  this  Settle-  also  in  receipt  of  pensions  as  widows  of 
ment  that  the  people  had  not  general   soldiers  of  that  war." 


HISTORY   OF   .MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


219 


JHE    BLACK    HAWK    WAR    IN    1831-32. 

In  relating  some  of  the  incidents  of 
the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  before  enter- 
ing into  details  of  the  causes  and  results 
of  it,  we  gi%'e  our  readers  a  brief  sketch 
of  the  celebrated  warrior,  who  figured 
so  conspicuously  in  those  sanguinary 
campaigns.  Macuta  Mahictah,  is  the 
Indian  name  of  Black  Hawk.  He  was 
born  in  the  Sauk  village,  near  the  mouth 
of  Rock  river,  Illinois,  in  1767,  and  was 
an  Indian  of  more  than  ordinary  sagacity 
and  stability  of  character.  He  possess- 
ed no  hereditary  rank,  but  in  early 
youth  distinguished  himself  as  a  brave, 
which  gave  him  the  confidence  of  his 
tribe.  In  the  many  bloody  conflicts  of 
his  subsequent  life  with  the  Cherokees 
and  Osages,  he  never  lost  a  battle.  In 
comparison,  however,  he  could  hardly 
be  classed  with  the  great  Indian  charac- 
ters, such  as  Philip,  Pontiac,  Logan,  Te- 
cumseh  and  such  illustrious  characters. 
By  the  portraits  of  him,  now  extant,  the 
reader  of  human  character  will  readily 
observe  in  his  large,  high  forehead  and 
the  lines  worn  by  care  in  his  face,  mas- 
sive jaws  and  compressed  lips,  a  char- 
acter indicative  of  more  than  ordinary 
ability.  His  ambition  was  to  distinguish 
himself  as  a  great  warrior;  yet  he  was 
merciful  to  the  aged,  the  women  and 
children.  The  only  road  to  disinction 
for  an  Indian,  is  to  become  great  in  bis 
feats  of  war.  So  soon  as  he  kills  an 
enemy,  he  may  paint  a  bloody  hand  upon 
his  blanket,  which  entitles  him  to  a  seat 
in  the  councils. 

In  1810,  and  1811,  Black  Hawk  and 
comrades  were  "nursing  their  wrath  to 
keep  it  warm  "  against  the  whites.  A 
party  of  Sacs,  by  invitation  went  to  see 
the  prophet  at  Tippecanoe.  They  re- 
turned more  angry  than  ever  against  the 
Americans.  A  party  of  Winnebagoes 
had  massacred  some  whites,  which  ex- 
cited for  murder  the  Sac  band  headed 
Black  Hawk.  A  part  of  his  band  and 
some  Wiunabagoes  attacked  Fort  Mad 
ison  in  1811,  but  were  repulsed.  Black 
Hawk  headed  the  Sacs  in  this  attack.      | 

In  1812,  emissaries  from  the  British 
arrived  at  Rock  Island  with  goods,  and 
succeeded  in  securing  Black  Hawk  with 
500  warriors  to  go  with  Col.  Dixon  to 
Canada.  When  they  reached  Green 
Bay,  there  were  a.sserabled  bauds  of  the 
Ottawas,   Pottawatomies,   Winnebagoes  I 


and  Kickapoos,  under  the  command  of 
Col.  Dixon.  Black  Hawk  and  band 
participated  in  the  battles  of  River 
Raisin,  the  Lower  Sandusky  and  other 
places  ;  but  getting  dissatisfied  with  the 
hard  fighting  and  small  amount  of  spoils, 
he  and  twenty  comrades  left  for  the  Sauk 
Village  at  Rock  Island,  where  he  re 
maiiied  for  many  years  at  peace,  with 
the  exception  of  a  small  battle  on  the 
Quiver  River,  a  settlement  in  Missouri, 
within  the  present  limits  of  St.  Charles 
county,  where  one  white  man  and  an  In- 
dian were  killed. 

The  principal  cause  of  the  Indian 
troubles  in  1831-32,  better  known  as  the 
Black  Hawk  war,  was  the  determination 
of  Black  Hawk  and  his  band  to  remain 
in  their  ancient  village,  located  on  Rock 
river,  not  far  from  its  junction  with  the 
Mississippi.  The  government,  having 
sometime  previously  by  various  treaties 
purchased  the  village  and  the  whole  coun- 
try from  the  Sac  and  Fox  tribe  of  Indians, 
had  some  of  these  lands  surveyed,  and 
in  1828,  a  portion  of  the  land  in  and 
around  the  ancient  village  was  sold  ; 
the  collision  between  the  two  races  pro- 
duced the  first  disturbance  between  the 
Indians  and  the  Government.  Seeing 
that  war  was  inevitable,  the  governor  of 
Illinois  made  a  call  on  the  militia  of 
the  State  for  700  men  on  the  26th  of 
May,  1831,  and  appointed  Beardstown, 
on  the  Illinois  river,  as  the  place  of  ren- 
dezvous. The  call  was  responded  to  with 
that  promptness  characteristic  of  the 
early  pioneers  of  the  state.  Their  habits 
were  such  that  all  were  familiar  with 
the  use  of  the  rifle.  After  traveling 
eight  days,  the  mounted  militia  reached 
a  point  a  few  miles  below  the  Sac  village 
on  the  Mississippi,  where  they  joined  the 
United  States  forces  under  Gen.  Gaines, 
and  enc:tmped  in  the  evening.  The 
next  morning  the  forces  marched  to  an 
Indian  town  prepared  to  give  the  enemy 
battle;  but  in  the  night  the  Indians  had 
escaped  and  crossed  the  Mississippi.  This 
ended  Black  Hawk's  bravado  and  his 
determination  to  die  in  his  ancient  vil- 
lage. The  number  of  warriors  under 
bis  command  was  estimated  at  from 
four  tu  six  hundred  men.  Black  Hawk 
and  his  band  landed  on  the  west  side  of 
the  Mississippi,  a  few  miles  below  Rock 
Island,  and  there  encamped.  General 
Gaines  sent  a   peremptory  order  to  him 


and  his  warriors  that  if  he  and  his  men  did 

not  come  to  Rock  Island  and  make  a 
treaty  of  peace,  lie  would  march  his  troops 
and  give  him  battle  at  once.  *  *  * 
In  a  few  days  Black  Hawk  and  the 
chiefs,  and  head  men  to  the  number  of 
twenty-eight,  appeared  in  Fort  Arm- 
strong, and  on  the  30th  of  June,  1831,  in 
full  council  with  Gen.  Gaines  and  Gov. 
Reynolds,  signed  a  treaty  of  peace." 

THE   BLACK   HAWK   WAR   IN    1832. 

During  the  winter  of  '31  and  '32, 
rumors  were  rife  that  Black  Hawk  and 
his  band  were  dissatisfied,  restless,  and 
preparing  for  further  demonstrations  of 
war.  A  chief  of  the  Winnebagoes,  who 
then  had  a  village  on  Rock  river,  some 
thirty  miles  above  its  confluence  with 
the  Mississippi,  joined  Black  Hawk, 
who  was  located  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  father  of  rivers.  The  chief  had 
great  influence  with  Black  Hawk  and 
his  band.  He  made  them  believe  that 
all  the  tribes  on  Rock  river  would  join 
them,  and  that  together  they  could  bid 
defiance  to  the  whites.  By  this  unwise 
council.  Black  Hawk  resolved  to  re-cross 
the  river,  which  he  did  in  the  winter  of 
1S32.  That  move  proved  to  be  their 
destruction.  Through  his  influence  and 
zeal  Black  Hawk  encouraged  many  of  the 
Sacs  and  Foxes  to  join  him  at  the  head 
of  his  determined  warriors.  He  first 
assembled  them  at  Fort  Madison,  on  the 
Mississippi;  subsequently,  marched  them 
up  the  river  to  the  Yellow  Banks,  where 
he  pitched  his  tent  April  6th,  1832. 
This  armed  array  of  savages  soon 
alarmed  the  settlers,  and  a  general 
panic  spread  through  the  whole  fron- 
tier, from  the  Mississippi  to  Lake 
Michigan.  Many  settlers  in  terror 
abandoned  their  homes  and  farms,  and 
the  governor  decided,  on  the  16th  of 
April,  to  call  out  a  large  number  of 
volunteers  to  operate  in  conjunction 
with  Gen.  Atkinson,  who  was  then  in 
command  of  the  regular  forces  at  Rock 
Island.  The  governor  ordered  the 
troops  to  rendezvous  at  Beardstown  on 
the  22d  of  April.  The  following  is  a 
copy  of  an  address  by  Gov.  Reynolds 
to  the  people  of  the  state,  during  the 
crisis  then  pending: 
"  To  the  3Iititia  of  the  northwestern  section  of  the 

state. 
''  Fellow-Citizexs: 

''  Your  country  re<niires  your  services.     The 


220 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Indians  liave  asBumed  a  hostile  attitude,  and 
have  invaded  the  state  in  violationof  the  treaty 
of  last  Slimmer.  The  British  band  of  Sacs  and 
other  liostile  Indians,  headed  by  Black-Hawk, 
are  in  possession  of  the  Rock  river  country,  to 
the  great  terror  of  the  frontier  inhabitants.  I 
consider  the  settlers  on  the  frontier  to  be  in 
imminent  danger.  I  am  in  possession  of  the 
above  information  from  gentlemen  of  respecta- 
ble standing,  and  also  from  General  Atkinson, 
whose  tliaracter  stands  high  with  all  classes. 
In  po.ssession  of  the  above  facts,  1  have  hesi- 
tated not  as  to  the  course  I  should  pursue. 
Ko  citizen  ought  to  remain  inactive  when  his 
country  is  invaded,  and  the  helpless  part  of  the 
community  are  in  danger.  I  have  called  out  a 
large  detachment  of  militia  to  rendezvous  at 
Beardstown  on  the  22d.  Provisions  for  the 
men  and  food  for  the  horses  will  be  furnished 
in  abundance.  I  hope  my  countrymen  will 
realize  my  expectations,  and  offer  their  ser- 
vices, as  heretofore,  with  promptitude  and 
cheerfulness  in  defence  of  their  countrymen. 
John  Reynolds." 

To  the  stirring  appeal  of  the  gover- 
nor, the  patriotic  citizens  of  the  state 
and  Madison  county  nobly  responded  in 
both  campaigns  of '31-'o2.  Many  of  the 
best  and  most  prominent  men  of  the 
county  enlisted  to  protect  the  frontier 
and  preserve  the  honor  of  the  state,  and 
did  signal  service  iu  the  memorable 
events  of  the  Black  Hawk  war. 

The  force  marched  to  the  mouth  of 
Rock  river,  where  General  Atkinson  re- 
ceived the  volunteers  into  the  United 
States  service  and  assumed  command. 
Black  Hawk  and  his  warriors  were  still 
up  on  the  Rock  river. 

The  army  under  Atkinson  commenced 
its  march  up  the  river  on  the  9th  of  May. 
Gov.  Reynolds,  the  gallant  "Old  Ran- 
ger," remained  with  the  army,  and  the 
President  recognized  him  as  a  major- 
general,  and  he  was  paid  accordingly. 
His  presence  in  the  army  did  much  to- 
ward harmonizing  and  conciliating  those 
jealousies  which  generally  exist  between 
volunteers  and  regular  troops.  Major 
John  A.  Wakefield  and  Colonel  Ewing 
acted  as  spies  for  a  time  iu  the  campaign 
of  '32,  to  discover  the  location  of  the 
enemy,  if  possible,  A  Mr.  Kinney  acted 
as  guide  for  them ;  he  understood  the 
Sac  dialect.  On  the  14th  of  May,  1832, 
Major  Stillman's  command  had  a  sort  of 
running  battle  with  the  Indians  at  or 
near  what  is  now  known  as  Stillman's 
run,  a  small,  sluggish  stream.  In  the 
engagement  eleven  white  men  and  eight 
Indians  were  killed.  Black  Hawk  and 
■      ■  '  I 


warriors  fought  with  the  spirit  born  of 
desperation.  Black  Hawk  says  in  his 
book  that  he  tried  at  Stillman's  run  to 
call  back  his  warriors,  as  he  thought  the 
whites  were  making  a  sham  retreat  in 
order  to  draw  him  into  an  ambuscade  of 
the  whole  army  under  Gen.  Whiteside. 
The  hasty  retreat  and  rout  of  Stillman 
and  his  army  was,  in  a  measure,  demor- 
alizing to  the  entire  forces.  Undoubt- 
edly, the  cause  of  the  defeat  was  a  lack 
of  discipline.  When  Governor  Reynolds 
learned  of  the  disasterof  Major  Stillman, 
he  at  once  ordered  out  two  thousand 
additional  volunteers.  With  that  promp- 
titude characteristic  of  the  old  "  War 
Governor,"  he  wrote  out  by  candle-light 
on  the  evening  of  Stillman's  defeat,  the 
order  for  additional  troops,  and  by  day- 
light despatched  John  Ewing,  Robert 
Blaekwell,  and  John  A.  Wakefield  to 
distribute  the  order  to  the  various  coun- 
ties. The  volunteers  again  promptly 
responded. 

On  the  10th  of  July  the  army  dis- 
banded for  want  of  provisions.  General 
Scott  arrived  soon  afterward  with  a  large 
force  at  the  post  of  Chicago,  to  effect  if 
possible  a  treaty  with  the  Indians. 
Small  detachments  of  Black  Hawk's 
warriors  would  persistently  hang  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  main  body  of  the  army, 
thieve  and  plunder,  and  pounce  upon 
and  kill  the  lonely  sentinel  or  straggling 
soldier.  On  the  15th  of  July  the  soldiers 
were  reviewed,  and  those  incapatle  of 
duty  were  discharged  and  returned  home. 
Poquette,  a  half-breed,  and  a  Winnebago 
chief,  the  "  White  Pawnee,"  were  select- 
ed for  guides  to  the  camp  of  Black  Hawk 
and  band.  Several  battles  and  skir- 
mishes occurred  with  the  enemy,  the 
principal  of  which  was  on  the  banks  of 
the  Mississippi,  where  the  warriors  fought 
with  great  desperation.  Over  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  were  killed  in  the  engage- 
ment, and  large  numbers  drowned  in 
attempting  to  swim  the  river.  After  the 
battle  the  volunteers  were  marched  to 
Dixon,  where  they  were  discharged. 

Immediately  after  their  discharge, 
hostilities  on  the  part  of  the  Indians 
were  reopened,  and  Governor  Reynolds 
called  for  twenty  days'  volunteers  from 
among  the  discharged  men,  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  frontier  settlements.  Many 
promptly  responded,  and  a  regiment  was 
organized,  with  Jacob  Fry  as  colonel  ; 


James  D.  Henry,  lieutenant-colonel  ; 
and  John  Thomas  as  major.  A  part  of 
the  company  of  Captain  A.  W.  Snyder 
made  a  temporarj'  stand  at  Kellogg's 
Grove,  a  small  tract  of  timber  in  La- 
salle  county,  seventeen  miles  northeast 
of  Ottawa.  Near  the  grove  several  sol- 
diers were  killed.  The  facts,  briefly 
stated,  were  :  Captain  Snyder  and  com- 
pany— in  all  twenty-five  men — watched 
the  movements  of  the  Indians,  and  came 
upon  them  when  within  two  or  three 
miles  of  the  grove,  concealed  iu  a  ravine. 
The  company  rushed  on  them  with  cau- 
tion from  tree  to  tree.  A  soldier,  seeing 
one  of  the  Indians  exposed,  prepared  to 
shoot  him,  but  was  too  late.  The  Indian 
shot  first,  and  the  soldier  was  mortally 
wounded.  Vengeance  was  swift,  and  the 
Indians,  five  in  number,  bit  the  dust  A 
litter  was  made,  whereon  to  carry  the 
wounded  men.  Soon  they  complained 
of  thirst.  Drs.  Roman,  Jarrot  and  Cor- 
nelius, with  a  couple  of  soldiers,  started 
down  a  ravine,  in  search  of  water.  On 
their  way  they  were  fired  upon  by  am- 
bushed Indians,  and  the  two  soldiers 
were  killed.  The  Indians  were  so  close, 
that  the  faces  of  the  slain  were  powder- 
burned.  That  the  three  doctors  escaj^ed 
was  really  miraculous.  Before  prepara- 
tions could  be  made  for  wreaking  ven- 
geance upon  the  Indians,  they  had  fled, 
and  on  the  19th  of  June,  1832,  the 
twenty  days'  men  were  discharged.  This 
ended  the  cam^iaign  and  the  Black- 
Hawk  war. 

At  the  battle  of  the  Bad  Axe,  Black- 
Hawk  and  some  of  his  warriors  escaped 
the  Americans,  and  went  up  the  Wis- 
consin river,  but  subsequently  surren- 
dered himself.  Fort  Armstrong,  on 
Rock  Island,  was  the  place  appointed 
where  a  treaty  would  be  made  with  the 
Indians,  but  before  it  was  eflected  that 
dreadful  scourge,  the  cholera  of  '32, 
visited  not  only  the  regular  army,  de- 
pleting its  ranks  far  more  rapidly  than 
the  balls  of  the  Indians  had  done,  but 
it  also  sought  out  its  many  victims  in 
the  dusky  bauds  of  the  Black-Hawk 
tribe. 

On  the  15th  September,  1832,  a  treaty 
was  made  with  the  Winnebago  Indians. 
They  sold  out  all  their  lands  in  Illinois 
and  all  south  of  the  Wisconsin  river  and 
west  of  Green  bay,  and  the  government 
gave  them  a  large  district  of  country 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON   COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


221 


west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  ten  thousand 
dollars  a  year  for  seven  years,  besides 
providing  free  schools  for  their  children 
for  twenty  years,  oxen,  agricultural 
implements,  etc.,  etc. 

September  21st,  1832,  a  treaty  was 
made  with  all  the  Sac  and  Fox  tribes, 
on  which  ihey  ceded  to  the  United 
States  the  tract  of  country,  on  which  a 
few  years  afterward  the  state  of  Iowa 
was  formed.  In  con-sideration  of  the 
above  cession  of  lands,  the  government 
gave  them  an  annuity  of  twenty  thousand 
dollars  for  thirty  years,  forty  kegs  of 
tobacco  and  forty  barrels  of  salt,  more 
gunsmiths,  blacksmith  shop,  etc.,  etc., 
six  thousand  bushels  of  corn  for  imme- 
diate support,  mostly  intended  for  the 
Black  Hawk  band. 

The  treaties  above  mentioned  termi- 
nated favorably,  and  the  security  re- 
sulting therefrom  gave  a  new  and  rapid 
impetus  to  the  development  of  the  state, 
and  now  enterprising  towns  and  villages, 
and  beautiful  farms,  adorn  the  rich  and 
alluvial  prairies  that  before  were  only 
desecrated  by  the  wild  bands  who  in- 
habited them.  Agricultural  pursuits, 
commerce  and  manufactures,  churches 
and  schools,  are  lending  their  influence 
to  advance  an  intelligent  and  prosperous 
people. 

Below  we  append  a  roster  of  the  sol- 
diers of  ihe  Black  Hawk  war  who  enlis- 
ted from  Madison  county. 

Muster  Roll  of  Captain  Julius  L. 
Barnsback'scompany  of  Mounted  Volun- 
teers of  the  First  Regiment  of  the 
Brigade,  under  the  command  of  Gen. 
Whiteside.  This  company  was  orga- 
nized at  Edwardffville.  It  was  mustered 
out  of  the  service  at  the  mouth  of  Fox 
river,  Illinois,  May  28th,  1832.  Dis- 
tance 284  miles  from  the  jilace  of  en- 
listment. 

Cajjtain. 
Julius  L.  Barnsback. 

First  Licu/cnaiif. 
Kylarnl  Ballard. 

Second  Lieutenant. 
Jesse  Bartlett. 

First  Sergeant. 
Jacob  J.  Kinder. 

Scrijeants. 
Mathias  Hanlan.  Stephen  Gaskill. 

Henry  Armstrong. 

Corporals. 
Robert  Murphy.  Isham  M.  Gillham. 

John  E.  Sharp.  Isaac  McLane. 


Pr 
Armstrong,  William. 
Armstrong,  David. 
Barllftt,  Martin  S. 
Bartlett,  Nicholas. 
Bowles,  Stephen. 
Burge,  William. 
Barnsback,  George. 
Bowles,  Austin. 
Colyer,  Charles. 
Cox,  John  B. 
Dove,  John. 
Day,  Faunlleroy. 
Ford,  Aaron. 
Flinn,  Joseph. 
Guthrie,  Henry. 
Gillham,  John  F. 
Hart,  Henry. 
Hart,  John. 

W^eeks, 


ivates. 

Hamilton,  William. 

Hood,  Aaron. 

Johnson,  Charles. 

Johns,  James. 

Knight,  James. 

Kell,  William. 

Merrv,  David  W. 

Motley,  Obcdiah  C. 

Norman,  James. 

Page,  Kobert. 

Ralph,  William. 

Scanland,  Lewis  W. 

Sample,  James. 

Smith,  Levi. 

Smith,  E.  C, 

Van  Hoozer,  John. 

Wall,  John  A. 

Wall,  David. 
,  Robert  W. 


Muster  Roll  of  Captain  Josiah  Little's 

company  of  the   First  Regiment,  com- ! 

manded   by  Col.  John   Thomas  of  the 

Brigade   of  Mounted  Volunteers  of  the  * 

.....  I 

Illinois   Militia,    and    commanded    by 

Brigadier  General  Samuel  Whiteside,  i 
Was  mustered  out  of  the  United  States 
service  at  the  mouth  of  Fox  river,  Illi- 
nois, May  27th,  1832.  The  distance 
from  place  of  enrollment,  Madison 
county,  111.,  284  miles. 

Ca2)taiii. 

Solomon    Preuitt,   elected   April    19lh,   1832, 

elected  Lieut.  Col.  April  2Stli,  1S32. 

First  Lieuteiwut. 
.losiah  Little,  elected  Captain  April  28th,  1832. 

Second  Lieutenant. 
Jacob  Swaggart,  on  furlough. 
First  Sergeant. 
William  Arundell,  elected  Second  Lieutenant 
April  28th,  1832. 

Second  Sergeant. 
Joseph  Squire,  elected  1st  Serg't  Apr.  28,  1832. 

Sergeants. 
James  R  Wood.  James  Sanders. 

Corjwrals. 
Thoma-s  A  kins.  John  Lawrence. 

John  E.  Haukins.         Isaiah  Dunnagan. 


Jones,  Martin.  Walker,  Philip  V. 

Job.  Samuel.  Wood,  Jesse. 

Kirigan,  Edward.  Waddle,  James. 

Whiteside,  Thomas. 

Muster  Roll  of  Capt.  Erastus  Wheel- 
er's Company  of  the  Brigade,  Mountain 
Volunteers,  commanded  by  Gen.  Samuel 
Whiteside.  This  enlistment  was  made 
for  sixty  days'  service,  and  was  muster- 
ed out  at  the  mouth  of  Fox  River,  Illi- 
nois, the  28th  of  May,  1832,  being  295 
miles  from  the  place  of  enrollment. 

Captain. 
Erastus  Wheeler. 

First  Lieutenant. 
'  John  T.  Lusk. 

;  Second  Lieutenant. 

!  Richard  Kandle- 


First  Sergeant. 
William  Tindall. 

Sergeants. 
William  Torrence.         William  G.  Martin. 
John  Montgomery, 

Corporals. 

Henry  H.  West, 
Benj.  Stephenson. 

Privates. 

Montgomery,  William, 
Owens,  John, 
Otwell,  Ceylon  Y., 
Prickett,  John, 


Josia.s  T.  Randle, 
Milton  Gingles, 


P-iva 


Barnctt,  Benj.  F. 

Bridges,  Madison. 

Basy,  Newton. 

Beck,  Sanford. 

Barr,  Zachariah. 

Chapman,  Enoch. 

('ochran,  William  C. 

Chapman.  Joseph. 

Davis,  William. 

Dunnagan,  .loliu  M. 

Dickson,  Thomas. 

Edward-',  Cyrus. 

Evans,  William. 

Fiene,  James. 

(Jillham,  Josiah  R. 

Gillham,  Marcus. 
j  Harris,  Meeds  A. 

Humes,  Willis. 
I  Hodges,  James  II. 
I  Harkleroad,  John. 
j  Job,  Levi. 
'  Jones,  Cieorge. 


Keykendall.  William. 
Lee,  Vinsant. 
Linton,  James. 
More,  Abel. 
Preuitt,  Solomon. 
Palmer,  Sarril. 
Robberts,  .\bsilora. 
Robberls,  Elijah. 
Rose,  Francis. 
Robberts,  William,  Jr. 
Rogers,  Jonath.in. 
Rice,  Elias. 
Sanders,  William. 
Stout,  Christopher. 
Solomon,  John. 
Scarritt,  James. 
Surls,  William. 
Starkcy,  Russel. 
Sowell.  Lewis  C. 
Scanland,  Stephen. 
Sowell,  William. 
Smith,  Elias. 


Adams,  O.  M., 
Beers,  Henry, 
Carey,  Thomas, 
Cochran,  Hugh  E., 
Cleveland,  Lorin, 
Carson,  John, 
Dugger,  Alfred, 
Gillespie,  Joseph, 
Gracey,  James  T., 
Herrington,  Charks, 
Holman,  Nath., 
Hamilton,  Samuel, 
Howard,  Abraham, 
Journey,  Ninian  E.. 
Lusk,  Marquis, 
McCullock,  Samuel, 
McElroy,  J:tmes, 
McMahan,  Kjbert, 


Pearce.  RoKert  P., 
Powell,  Arkansas, 
Randle,  Peter  W., 
Robinson,  Allen, 
Shields,  G.  R., 
Shields,  Ale.\andcr, 
Slice,  Charles, 
Steele,  Jesse, 
Starr,  William  E., 
Vanhooser,  Valentine, 
Vovles,  Ahel, 
Walker,  John  L., 
Yates,  Elijah. 


Muster  Roll  of  Captain  Aaron  Arm- 
strong's Company  of  Mounted  Volun- 
teers, commanded  by  Maj.  Nathaniel 
Buckmaster,  commanding  a  Battalion 
and  stationed  for  the  protection  of  the 
frontier  between  Ottawa  and  Chicago, 
at  Fort  Walker,  Illinois,  290  miles  from 
Edwardsville,  Madison  county,  iu  which 
county  the  company  was  recruited.  It 
was  first  commanded  by  Capt.  N.  Buck- 
master,  of  Alton,  until  the  20th  of  June, 
1832,  when  he  was  promoted,  and  Lieut. 
Aaron  Armstrong  took  command  of  the 
company,  and  received  the  commission 
of  Captain.  It  was  mustered  out  of 
service  July  20th,  1832. 

JI/(i/or. 
Nathaniel  Buckmaster. 


Aaron  Armstrong. 


Capta 


222 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


First  lAeulenant.  The  following  incident  is  furnished  by 

Jacob  Swaggard.     Promoted  to  this  position    Judge   Joseph    Gillespie,   a  member  of 

I  Ciipt.   Erastus   Wheeler's   company  of 


June20tli,  1832 


Secoyid  Lieutenant. 
"William  Timlall.     Promoted  to  this  position 
June20tli,  1832. 

First  Sergeant. 
Samuel  P.  GiUham. 


John  P.  Dyo, 
Henry  Beer, 


Martin  Bridges, 
Calvin  Kinder, 


Sergeants. 

Nicholas  Felker. 

Corporals. 

William  McAnlnch, 
George  Milton. 


Privales. 
Adams,  Washington  F.,Johnson,  Charles, 

William,     Kennedy,  Georgi  F 


mounted  volunteers,  and  afterward  pro- 
moted battalion  paymaster : 

"  The  first  call  for  troops  for  the  Black 
Hawk  war  iu  1832  were  disbanded  at 
Ottawa,  and  volunteers  were  called 
to  remain  and  guard  the  frontier  until 
the  arrival  of  the  second  call.  A  com-  j 
pany  was  made  up  of  these  volunteers 
from  Madison  and  St.  Clair.  They,  to- 
gether with  some  regular  officers  (Maj.  j 
Riley  was  one)  started  to  cross  the  coun- 
ty to  Galena.  We  camped  one  night  at  I 
Kellogg's  grove,  somewhere  between 
Rock  river  and  Galena.  We  occupied 
a  large  barn.  The  night  was  very  dark, 
and  one  of  our  sentinels  was  shot  at  and 
a  horse  stolen.  In  the  morning  a  party 
started  to  try  to  overtake  the  Indians. 
They  were  making  west,  apparently  for 
the  Mississippi  river.  We  followed 
their  trail  for  fifteen  or  twenty  miles, 
when  they  discovered  us  coming  down  a 
long  ridge.  We  did  not  see  them  un- 
til we  were  on  the  ground  where  they 
had  stopped,  and  from  which  they 
A  tribute  here  is  due  to  Gen.  James  j  first  sighted  us.  They  wheeled  around 
D.  Henry,  who  was  once  a  citizen  of,  and  took  nearly  the  back  track.  This 
Edwardsville,  and  afterward  moved  to ;  movement  balked  us  a  considerable 
Springfield.  Among  those  who  dis- 1  time.  We  thought  the  Indians  would 
tinguished  themselves  in  this  war,  none  |  naturally  keep  on  in  the  direction  of 
were  more  efficient  as  an  officer  than  he. :  the  river  to  which  they  had  been  tend- 
It  was  hi.s  f)reiight  and  determination  I  ing.  After  upwards  of  half  an  hour 
that  enabled  the  armv  to  overtake  the  we  again  struck  the  trail,  making  back. 
Indians  at  Fort  Winnebago.  He  was  !  In  a  couple  of  hours  we  discovered  four 
the  chief  officer  in  command  at  the  \  Indians,  more  than  a  mile  ahead  of  us, 
battle  of  the  Wisconsin,  which  followed  '  going  up  a  long  ridge.  We  had  a  very 
the  first  real  victory  of  the  campaign,  j  deep  stream  with  steep  banks  to  cross 
and  the  battle  of  the  Bad  axe,  which  '  before  reaching  them,  and  were  delayed 
practically  closed  it.  An  ardent  ad-  a  considerable  time  in  getting  our  horses 
mirer  of  the  General  says  :  ''  He  was  i  across.  We  however  followed  as  rapid- 
exceedingly  modest  and  retiring  till  his  ly  as  our  horses  would  carry  us.  We 
passions  were  fully  aroused,  and  then  hg  finally  overtook  them,  they  ensconcing 
showed  an  intensitj'  of  feeling  and  iron  |  themselves  in  a  dry  branch  which  had 
will,  which  was  irresistible  so  far  as  he   been  washed  quite  deep  in  wet  weather. 


Armstron 
Avers,  David, 
Atkins,  Eber, 
Brewer,  Rice, 
Bensell,  Charles  E., 
Donev,  Robert, 
Day,  "Philips., 
Fruit,  Franklin, 
Goodwin,  Abner, 
Gillham,  John  F., 
Gillham,  Isom  M., 
Gillham,  William, 
Hank,  Daniel, 
Hart,  Henry, 
Hart,  Pleasant, 
Howard,  Abram, 
Johns,  James, 
Jackson,  Lon, 


McKarland,  William, 
JIurphy,  Robert, 
Mahunin,  John, 
Piper,  William, 
Rice,  George, 
Smith,  .Vsa  G., 
Sampson,  Peter, 
.Svvaggart,  Samuel, 
Shirtlofft,  John, 
Thompson,  AVilliam, 
Taylor,  Elijah, 
Vincent,  John, 
Waddle,  George, 
Whittington,  .James, 
AVashburn.  .John  A., 
Wethers,  Enoch  B., 
Wright,  David. 


had  power  to  act.  The  fear  of  nothing 
but  his  Maker  ever  entered  his  breast, 
and  he  knew  and  cared  as  little  for 
danger  and  death  as  a  marble  statue. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  the  most 
popular  man  in  Illinois,  and  had  he  lived 
he  could  have  been  elected  to  any  office 
in  the  gift  of  the  people."  He  died  at 
New  Orleans  on  the  4th  of  March,  183-1, 


We  surrounded  and  killed  them,  but  iu 
doing  so  fatally  shot  and  killed  a 
mait  from  St.  Clair  county,  named  Mec- 
kerason.  The  Indians  tried  to  surrender, 
but  we,  as  some  of  us  supposed,  very  un- 
mercifully refused  to  accept  their  ofler.  If 
we  had  done  so  Meckemson's  life  would 
have  been  saved.  It  excited  the  sur- 
prise of  some  of  the  men  that  the  In- 


whither  he  had  gone  for  the  benefit  of  |  dians  should  have  taken  the  back  track 
his  health.  after  they  found  that  they  were  about  to 


be  overtaken  ;  and  the  sequel  will  show 
that  they  were  making  for  a  large  party 
of  their  people,  of  whose  vicinity  we 
were  ignorant  where  we  killed  the  Indi- 
ans and  we  were  within  about  three  miles 
from  our  encampment  at  the  grove, 
where  a  large  part  of  our  force  w.is  left 
in  the  morning.  We  made  a  stretcher  on 
which  to  carry  the  wounded  man,  and 
men  were  detailed  to  carry  him.  These 
men  would  give  up  their  horses  and 
guns  to  their  comrades  until  relieved. 
The  men  were  scattered  along  without 
any  regard  to  order  ;  some  were  a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile  ahead  of  those  who  were 
carrying  the  wounded  man,  some  having 
two  guns  and  two  horses,  some  going  to 
get  their  horses  and  guns  after  being 
relieved.  While  things  were  in  this  con- 
dition Meckemson  begged  for  water  and 
two  squads  were  sent,  one  to  each  side 
of  the  ridge,  to  find  something  to  quench 
the  thirst  of  the  dying  man.  The  squad 
that  went  down  on  the  west  side  went 
into  an  ambuscade  and  were  fired  upon, 
and  one  man.  Dr.  Jarrot,  was  wounded. 
The  men  instantly  retreated  to  where 
Meckemson  lay,  the  Indians  following 
with  a  yell,  and  cut  off  his  head  with  a 
tomahawk.  In  the  scattered  and  con- 
fused condition  of  the  men  they  were 
unable  to  protect  the  wounded  man  ;  all 
that  could  be  done  was  to  fall  back  to  a 
cluster  of  men,  who  were  further  ahead 
when  Meckemson  asked  for  water  and 
to  be  laid  down,  which  was  perhaps  a 
quarter  of  a  mile.  There  a  rally  was 
made  and  some  persons  sent  to  the  grove 
for  reinforcements,  and  a  rambling  fire 
took  place  between  us  and  the  Indians 
without  any  damage  to  either  side. 
Neither  side  advanced  to  meet  the  other, 
and  soon  the  redskins  disappeared,  and 
we,  for  fear  of  another  ambuscade, 
declined  to  follow.  We  then  leisurely 
took  up  our  line  of  march  for  our  en- 
campment and  soon  met  Major  Riley 
with  reinforcements,  but,  as  it  was  get- 
ting dark,  we  all  wended  our  way  back. 
Next  morning  we  visited  the  scene  of 
the  ambuscade  and  found  that  there  had 
been  Indians  enough  there  to  whip  us 
out  of  our  boots,  but  they  evidently  ex- 
pected that  we  would  follow  them  into 
the  thicket  where  they  would  have  had 
us  at  their  mercy.  My  connection  with 
I  the  service  ended  soon  after  this,  as  we 
!  were  disbanded  and  returned  home." 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS.  2'23 

BLACK  HAWK  WAR.  toward  the  Fort  with  2,300  men,  and  on  I  Oregon,  south  of  the  usually  travelled 
Two  or  three  other  companies  were  |  the  8th  of  May,  met  the  enemy  under  course.  While  in  California,  in  1846, 
organized  hesides  those  above  given  but  i  the  command  of  Gen.  Arista,  at  Palo  he  heard  that  the  Mexican  commander 
on  account  of  the  records  at  Springfield  1  Alto.  The  Mexicans,  with  a  force  of  in  this  territory  was  raising  a  force  to 
being  imperfect  we  are  unable  to  give  '  6,000  men  were  signally  defeated  and  expel  the  American  settlers  from  that 
their  rosters ;  all  have  been  gleaned  forced  to  fall  back  to  Resaca  de  la ,  province,  and  about  the  same  time  re- 
that  are  accessible.  Those  who  volun- ,  Palma.  They  were  followed  by  Gen.  i  ceived  instructions  from  AVashington  to 
teered  in  1831,  were  substantially  the  i  Taylor's  forces,  and  the  following  day  protect  the  interest  of  the  States  in  Cali- 
same  persons  whose  names  appear  in  the  j  the  armies  again  met,  when  the  Araeri-  fornia.  The  American  settlers  came  to 
rosters  of  1832.  Capt.  Erastus  Wheeler  |  cans  were  victorious,  losing  only  about  the  rescue,  and  after  several  conflicts 
commanded  a  company  in  1831,  and  the  I  100  men,  while  the  Mexicans  sustained  the  Mexicans  were  routed  and  corn- 
names  of  those  who  do  not  appear  in  his  i  a  loss  of  ten  times  that  number.  pelled  to  abandon  the  territory.  At  the 
company  of  1832,  from  Madison  county  1  The  news  of  the  capture  of  Thorn-  advice  of  Fremont  the  settlers  declared 
are  I.  B.  Randle,  Howard  Clark,  and  ,  ton's  party  created  great  excitement  in  ,  their  independence  of  Mexico,  July  5th, 
Elijah  Taylor.     In  the  latter  year  Capt.   the  United  States,  and  on  the  11th  of  1846. 

David  Smith,  from  Alton,  also  com- :  May,  Congress  declared  war  against  Soon  after  the  war  had  actually  begun, 
manded  a  company.  Charles  Sebastian,  Mexico.  Volunteers  were  called  for,  the  authorities  at  Washington  concluded 
of  Edwardsville,  belonged  to  his  com-  and  the  ranks  were  speedily  filled,  to  send  an  army  to  take  the  Capital  of 
pany-  i  Three  campaigns  were  planned  by  the  Mexico.  General  Scott  was  placed  in 
WAR  WITH  MEXICO.  |  United  States  for  the  invasion  ofMexico.  command,  and  early  in  1847,  his  forces 
This  conflict  was  caused  by  a  q^uestion  One  under  Gen.  Taylor  to  operate  on  landed  atVera  Cruz,  and  were  subsequent- 
arising  between  the  United  States  and  i  the  line  of  the  Rio  Grande  from  ISIata-  ly  joined  by  the  main  body  of  Taylor's 
Mexico,  relating  to  the  territorial  boun- ;  moras.  Gen  Kearney  was  to  invade  the  army.  This  was  one  of  the  Mexican 
daries  between  the  two  Republics.  The  Spanish  possessions  of  California  and  strong  holds.  The  city  was  at  once  be- 
United  States'  Congress,  in  the  early  -^'^w  Mexico.  Gen  Wool  to  enter  the  sieged,  and  after  a  furious  bombardment 
part  of  184.5,  passed  a  bill  for  the  an-  northern  states  of  Mexico,  and  conquer  the  castle  and  city  surrendered.  The 
nexation  of  Texas,  then  an  independent ,  "  Cliihuahua."  array  then  began  to  march  to  the  city  of 
Republic.  July  4,  1845,  Texas  ap-  I"  September  of  1846,  Gen.  Taylor,  Mexico,  from  which  time  forth,  the  his- 
proved  the  bill,  and  thus  became  a  part  i  ^^^'h  6  000  troops  moved  against  Mon-  tory  of  the  American  army  was  a  series 
of  the  Union.     But  Mexico  continued   terey.     After  a  four  days'  resistance  the  of  successes  to  the  United  States  troops. 

city  was    surrendered    to    the    Ameri-  At  Cerro   Gordo    the    Mexicans   were 

cans.     The  most  wonderful  feat  of  the  routed ;    Puebla   was   taken    without  a 

tween  those  two  governments,  relative  to   "hole  war,  was  the  battle  in  the  narrow  struggle  ;  Contreras,  Churubusco,  Molino 

the  western  boundary  of  Texas  ;  Mexico   mountain  pass  of  Buena  Vista,  Feb.  23,  del  Rey  and  the  castle  of  Chapultepec, 

claiming  that  the  pretended  Republic  of  1847.     It  was  here  that  Gen.  Taylor's  all  had  to  give  way  before  the  valorous 

Texas  had  never  extended  farther  west   l'''le  army  of  less  than  5,000  men,  met  American  army.     The   Mexicans   were 

than  the  Nueces  river.     The  latter  hav-   ^^^^  enemy  under  the  command  of  Gen.  completely  whipped  and  routed,  and  on 

ing  become  a  part  of  the  United  States,    Santa   Anna,   with   a    force  of  20,000  the   14th   of  September,  1847,  General 

it  devolved  upon  the  government  to  sus-   Mexicans.     The   Americans   were   vie-  Scott,  with  his  forces,  entered  the  Capital 

tain  its  rights.  Accordingly  in  the  sum-  ,  torious,  and  by  this  victory  secured  the  of    the    Mexicans.       This     practically 

mer  of  1845,  General  Taylor  was  order- 1  frontier  of  the  Rio  Grande  to  the  United  ended    the  conflict,  and  was  formerly 

ed    into    the    disputed    territory,    and   States,  and  left  them  free  to  direct  their  closed    by   the    treaty   of  Guadaloupe 

formed  a  Camp  at  Corpus  Christi.  Early   whole  force  against  Vera  Cruz.  Hidalgo,    February    2d,    1848.      This 

iu  1840,  he  raovetl  his  troops  to  the  Rio  ;      Gfen.  Kearney  with  his  troops  march- '  treaty  ceded  to  the  United  States  all  the 

Grande,  opposite  "Matamoras,"  and  con- i  ^'i  overland  one  thousand  miles,   from  territory  now  comprised  in  New  Mexico, 

structed  a  fort.     In  April,  Capt.  Thorn- ;  pl^ce    of    rendezvous  —  Leavenworth,  Utah  and  California.    In  return  Mexico 

ton  was  detailed  to  reconnoitre  up  the    Kansas — to  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico,  and  received  a  compen.sation  of  83,500,000, 

river  with  a  party  of  dragoons,  where  subsequently  started  for  the   California  indemnification  of  private  indebtedness, 

they  fell  into  a  Mexican  ambuscade,  and   settlements,  but  on  the  way  learned  that  and  §15,000,000  to  the  government  of 

were  compelled  to  surrender,  lo.singsix-   California  was  already  in  the  possession  Mexico. 

teen    men.     This  was  the  first  collision,   of  Fremont ;    he,    therefore,  sent   back  Illinois    furnished    six    retriments   in 

and  the  signal  for  the   clash  of  arms,   most  of  his  forces  to  Santa  Ft^,  and  pro-  this  war,   as   follows:    First  ren-iment, 

The    Mexicans,    emboldened     by    this   ceeded  with  a  hundred  mounted  men  to  commanded   by  Col.  John  J.  Hardin  ; 

trivial  success,  soon  afterward  made  an   San    Diego,    Cal.      The     circumstance  Second  regiment,    commanded    by  Col. 

attack  upon  Fort  Brown,  the  main  por-   "uder  which  California  had   been  con-  Wm.  H.  Bissell ;  Third  regiment,  cora- 

tion  of  Gen.  Taylor's  troop  then  being  quored  was  quite  romantic.    Capt.  John  manded  by  Col.  Ferris  Foreman  ;  Fourth 

absent  from  the  garrison.     Learning  of  C.  Fremont  had  been  sent  by  the   go-  regiment,   commanded    by  Edward   D. 

the  attack,  Gen.  Taylor  hastened  back   vernment  to   establish   a  new  route  to  Baker;  Fifth  regiment,  commanded  by 


to  claim  Texas  as  a  part  of  her  territory  ; 
besides,  there  had  existed  a  dispute  be- 


224 


SIS  TO  BY   OF  MADISON-   COUNTY,     ILLINOIS. 


Col.  James  Collins ;  Sixth  regiment, 
commanded  by  Col.  Edward  W.  B. 
Newby.  The  Second  and  Sixth  regi- 
ments were  organized  at  Alton,  Madison 
County.  The  following  is  a  brief  sy- 
nopsis of  the  movements  of  the  Second 
regiment  under  the  command  of  Col. 
Bis.'sell.  It  moved  from  Alton  soon  after 
organization,  June,  1846,  to  New  Or- 
leans, and  went  into  camp  on  the  same 
ground  that  the  battle  was  fought  under 
the  command  of  Gen.  Jackson,  in  the 
war  of  1812.  Not  being  acclimated,  and 
the  season  very  hot,  many  were  obliged 
to  go  into  the  hospital.  After  recruiting, 
crossed  the  Gulf  to  Galveston,  where  it 
joined  other  regiments  under  the  com- 
mand of  Gen.  John  E.  Wool.  Took  the 
boat  down  the  Matagorda  Bay,  and  went 
into  Camp  Irvin,  near  Port  Levaca, 
Texas.  Afterward  marched  to  Victo- 
ria, on  the  Gjadaloupe  river.  This  short ' 
march  was  an  eventful  one  from  the 
fact  that  several  of  the  men  had  con- 
tracted the  measles,  and  the  country 
they  were  passing  through  was  low  and 
marshy,  and  they  were  obliged,  a  part  of 
the  time,  to  wade  in  the  water  middle 
deep,  which  was  anything  but  conducive 
to  the  health  of  the  afflicted.  Some  of 
the  soldiers  became  delirious,  and  would 
straggle  away  from  the  regiment,  seek- 
ing a  dry  place  to  lie  down,  and  suffer 
unattended  by  their  comrades.  The 
well  ones  were  kept  busy  in  gathering 
tliem  up  and  conveying  them  to  the 
wagons.  On  the  second  day  they  reached 
Victoria,  where  they  rested  for  a  few 
davs,  and  then  moved  to  Sau  Antonia, 
Texas.  Went  into  camp  for  several 
weeks.  Moved  to  Presidio  on  the  Rio 
Grande,  and  from  thence  to  Monclova, 
and  through  the  territory  of  Coahuila. 
Went  into  winter  quarters  at  Parras. 
While  here,  the  news  came  that  Santa 
Anna  was  approaching  with  an  army  of 
22,000  Mexicans,  when  orders  were 
given  to  meet  him.  A  forced  march 
was  made  of  four  days  towards  Saltillo 
from  Parras,  making  one  hundred  and 
thirty  miles  within  the  time.  The  main 
body  of  the  army — Gen.  Taylor  then 
commanding — stopped  in  the  pass  of 
Buena  Vista,  and  prepared  to  give  bat- 
tle to  Santa  Anna's  formidable  forces- 
A  detachment  was  sent  back  to  a  point 
where  some  stores  had  been  left  on  the 
march,  and  on  their  way  met  the  ad- 


vance guard  of  Santa  Anna's  army.  [ 
The  American  detachment  (of  whom 
Lieut.  John  A.  Prickett  was  a  member), 
drove  them  back  to  the  very  line 
of  the  Mexican  army.  This  was  the 
first  knowledge  of  Santa  Anna's  ap- 
proach. As  may  be  inferred,  the  de- 
tachment hastened  back  to  the  main 
army  and  reported.  Santa  Anna  soon 
afterward  hove  in  sight,  and  here  was 
fought  the  terrific  battle  of  Buena 
Vista,  which  is  familiar  io  every  reader 
of  history.  Several  of  the  Second  regi- 
ment were  killed  and  wounded  ;  among 
those  from  Madison  county,  who  were 
killed,  were  Lieut.  R.  Ferguson,  Aaron 
Field,  John  Goble,  and  Patrick  Cruise. 
Wounded,  Lieut.  John  A.  Prickett, 
John  Buckmaster,  and  William  Fisher. 
Lieutenant  Prickett  was  so  seriously 
wounded  that  he  was  obliged  to  leave 
the  service.  After  the  battle  the  regi- 
ment moved  to  Saltillo,  where  it  re- 
mained until  ordered  home.*  Appen- 
ded is  the  roster  of  the  men  from  Madi- 
son county,  as  transcribed  and  corrected, 
from  the  archives  of  the  war  depart- 
ment at  Washington. 

Muster  Roll  Company  E. 

Second  Regiment  Illinois  Foot  Volun- 
teers, Mexican  War.  Organized  at 
Alton,  Madison  County,  Illinois,  in  the 
month  of  May,  1846.  Mustered  into 
the  service  of  the  United  States  at 
Alton,  Illinois,  on  the  16th  day  of  June, 
1846,  to  serve  a  term  of  twelve  months 
unless  sooner  discharged.  Mustered  out 
of  service  at  Alton,  Illinois,  on  the  18th 
day  of  June,  1847. 

Captain. 
Peter  Lotz. 

First  Lieutenant. 
John  .\.  Prickett,  absent  at  M.  O.  of  Eeg't  on 
furlough  in  the  U.  S.  on  account  of  wounds 
received  in  battle  Feb.  23d,  (Buena  Vista,) 
1847. 

Second  Lieutenant. 
Aston  Maderia. 
I  Third  Lieutenant. 

William  Kellev,  Pro.  from  Serg't.,   killed  in 
I  battle  at  Buena  Vista,  Feb.  23,  1847.    . 

First  Sergeant. 
John  Catron,  disch.  by  reason  of  re-enlistment. 
John  Roberts. 

Sergeant. 
John  S.  Selden. 

*  For  much  of  the  information  pertaining  to 
I  the  Second  re.E;iment  we  are  indebted  to  John 
A.  Prickett,  William  E.  Whee'er,  Thomas- 
Lewis,  and  others. 


Corporals. 
Joseph  Quigley.  Hardy  R.  Carroll. 

Isaac  E.  Hardy. 

Privates. 

Botkins,  John  B.,  King,  Josephus. 

Burns,  Myron  M.  Keller,  John  P. 

Carpenter,  David  M.     Kennedy,  William. 

Cruise.  Patrick,  killed  at  Buena  Vista. 

Clark,  Samuel.  Lovelace,  Perry. 

Clark,  Thom,xs.  Lewis,  James. 

Davidson,  John.  McGovern,  James. 

Dwver,  John.  Marsh,  Caleb  N. 

Duncan,  John  R.  Maxwell,  W.  R. 

Drury,  Edward  A.        O'Conner,  James. 

Dought,  Isaac  H.  Prickett,  Thomas  J. 

Elweli,  Joseph  S.  Quick,  John. 

Field,  Aaron,  killed  at  Biieaa  Vista. 

Falkner,  James.  Ryder,  John  B. 

Falkner,  William.        Roberts,  George. 

Garrison,  John.  Rilay,  Michael. 

Rodgers,  Andrew  F.,  afterward  Col.  of  80th 
Illinois  Infantry,  late  war. 

Gable,  John,  killed' at  Buena  Vista. 

Hicknev,  James.  Sprague,  William. 

Hill,  Epliraim  P.  Stewart,  Charles. 

Hoffma^ter,  Christ'r.     Stanley,  John  R. 

Hutchison,  Pierson.       Twaddle,  William  A. 

Hill,  George  M.  Wright,  .'ames  H. 

Hatch,  Edwin.  Wiswell,  Benjamin  F. 

Hunter,  Charles.  Wagner,  Rufus  M. 

Jenkins,  Ezekiel.  Warraick,  Frederick. 

Joioe,  William  B.  West,  Hor.ace  B. 

Wright,  William  R.,  Capt.  Co.  B.  SOth  Illi- 
nois Infantrv,  late  war. 

Waldren,  Elias." 

Discliarged. 

Sergmnts.' 
Robert  McFarland,  by  reason  of  re-enli.^tment. 

Privates. 
Brample,  Thomas,  by  reason  of  re-enlistment. 
Brinker,  Clark,  by  reason  of  re-enlistment. 
Griffin,  JohuW.,  by  reason  of  re-enlistment. 
Nettlelon,  James,  by  reason  of  re-enlistraent. 


Sergeant. 
A.  Van  Dugen,  died  at  Camp  Irwin,  Texas,  as 
First  Sergeant. 

Privates. 
Field,  Edwin,  died  at  Saltillo,  March  12,  1847, 

of  wounds. 
Fisher,  William,  died  at   Saltillo,  March  5th, 

1847,  of  wounds. 
Graves,  Janson,  died  in  the  campaign. 
Robinson,  John,  died   at   Saltillo,  March  1st, 

1847,  of  wounds. 
Ryan,  Jas.  murder'd  near  Saltillo,  Mar.  26,  '47 

Master  Roll,  Company  D, 

Second  Regiment  Illinois  Foot  Volun- 
teers, Mexican  War.  Organized  at 
Edwardsville,  Madison  County,  Illinois, 
in  the  month  of  May,  1846.  Mustered 
into  the  service  of  the  United  States  at 
Alton,  Illinois,  on  the  16th  day  of  June, 
1846,  to  serve  a  term  of  twelve  months 
unless  sooner  discharged.  Mustered  out 
of  service  at  Alton,  Illinois,  on  the  llth 
day  of  June,  1847. 

Captain. 
Erastus  Wheeler. 

First  Lieutenant. 
George  W.  Prickett. 


HISTORY    OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Second  Lieuknants. 
Joel  Foster.  William  B.  Reynolds. 

First  Sergeant. 
George  T.  Cochran. 

Sergeants. 
Charles  W.  AVard.         William  Peel. 
William  E.  Wheeler. 

Corporals. 
Constantine  Smith.        William  CaWert. 
Elisha  Axley.  James  A.  Henderson. 

Musician. 
Joseph  Shoemaker. 

Privates. 
Aker,  Stephen.  Lancaster,  James.' 

Bell,  Wiley  H.  Loutner,  Wolf. 

JJirnrighter,  Conrad.     Murphy,  -'olin  D. 
Blake,  Chas.  W.  Murphy,  IJonhani. 

Bartel.«,  Engelhart.        Malry,  Richard  G. 
BiggerstaH",  John  W.     Mings,  Uriah. 
Brown,  John.  Mnir,  Jeflerson. 

Burks.  Richard.  M;issey,  Richard. 

Campbell,  Dennis.        McCoy,  James  S. 
Creed,  Colby.  Parker,  Wilson. 

Douglass,  .VIexander.    Pierce,  Mortimer  R. 
Davis,  Emels  C.  Paynter,  Robert. 

Duff,   Hiram  D.,  detailed   to    artillery    and 

wounded  at  Bueua  Vista. 
Devine,  Charles.  Preg,  .\ndrew. 

Davis,  Joseph.  Paine,  Mo.ses  R. 

Emmer.^on,  James  H.     Robinson,  Jesse  G. 
Fulfcr,  James.  R  imsey,  William  F. 

Goodwin,  Richard.        Ramsey,  Gardner., 
Glaser,  Ludwick.  Robin.son,  James. 

Gayler,  Joseph  E.         Swain,  Andrew,  Jr. 
Savage,  Richard,  died   with  lock]  iw  at  Buena 

Vista.  Sanders,  Marion. 

Gregory,  Lisle.  Sachse,  l..ewis. 

Goodwin,  John.  Sobbie,  Charles. 

Guinther,  George.  Scpiire,  James. 
Short,  Rim;on,  died  at  .San  Antonio. 
Hays,  Andrew.  Taylor,  James  H. 

Hare.  Jeptha.  Ta'rkinton,  Thomas  J. 

Hoop,  Philip.  Thomas,  Leaniler. 

Jackman,  .Vsborne  C.    Updyke,  Ilolcnmbe. 
Jackson,  Andrew.  Van  Shatter,  Elworth. 

Keppy,  Christopher.     Warren,  Hardy. 
L'lwis,  Thomas.  Wingleman,  Edward. 

Discharged. 

Van  Cam.p,  .\aron,  discharged  on  Sergt's  cer- 
tificate of  disability,  March  24,  1847. 

R  )ster  Field  and  Staff,  Second  Regi- 
ment, Illinois  Volunteers,  war  with 
Mexico,  1846  to  1847. 

First  LieiUenant  and  Adjutant. 
Augustus  G.  Whiteside. 

Quartermaster  Sergeant. 
John   Buckmasler,   wounded  Feb.  23il,  1847, 
battle  of  Buena  Vista. 
First  Lieutenant  and   Acting  A.  Q    M. 
George  W.  Prickett. 

Mn-s»er  Roll  Coinpnuy  I. 

Captain  John  H.  Adaois  (late  Niles) 
Company  iu  the  First  Regiment  of  Ill- 
Foot  Volunteers,  commanded  by  Colonel 
Edward  W.  B.  Newby,  called  into  the 
service  of  the  United  States  by  the 
President,  under  the  Act  of  Congress 
approved  May  13,  1846,  at  Alton,  Illi- 
nois, (the  place  of  general  rendezvous) 
29 


on  the  2d  day  of  June,  1847,  to  serve 
for  the  term  of,  during  the  war  with 
Jlexieo,  from  the  date  of  enrollment, 
unless  sooner  discharged.  The  Company 
was  organized  by  Captain  Franklin 
Niles,  at  Edwardsville,  county  of  Mad- 
ison, in  the  month  of  May,  1847,  and 
marched  thence  to  Alton,  111.,  where  it 
arrived  the  second  day  of  June,  a  dis- 
tance of  fifteen  miles.  Discharged  from 
the  United  States  service  the  17th  day 
of  October,  1848. 

Captains. 

Franklin  Niles.  Died  at  110  Mile  Creek,  near 
Fort  Leavenworth,  June  24,  1847. 

.John  H.  Adams  was  1st  Lieut,  from  enroll- 
ment until  July  28,  '47.  Acting  A.  Q.  M. 
in  the  regiment  from  July  4  to  28. 

First    Lieutenant.  j 

Aaron  D.  Treadway.  Pro.  from  2d  Lieut., 
July  28,  '47. 

Second  Lieutenants. 
Thomas  McDowell,       Jacob  Brott.  [ 

First  Sergeant. 
.Alexander  Craig. 

Sergeants. 
William  H.  Sloan.     Appointed  from  Private, 

May  1.  184S. 
SylveUer  W.  Bell.     M.  O.,  Oct.  17,  1848. 
Daniel  W.  Henderson,  "  " 

Corporals. 
William  Harrison,  M.  O.  " 

Lemuel  Southard,         "  " 

.John  Mize,  "  '' 

David  R.  Sparks,  Capt.  Co.,  "L''  3d  Cav.alry, 
late  war. 

Drummer. 
James  Connor. 

Privates, 
.\rnold,  Lsrov,  Herrin,  Ilenrv, 

Caulk,  .Toshuli  C,  Jett,  BenJ.  F.", 

Caldwell.  William  C,  Johnson,  .Samuel, 
Cowell,  Benj.  F.,  Keho,  Joseph, 

Carter,  Daniel,  Laport,  Alowso, 

Delany,  John,  Lamoin,  Elea.ser, 

Dougherty,  John,  Lewis,  Richard  C, 

Davis,  .\lfred  M.,  Lawrence,  .Tames, 

Davis,  John,  Little,  William  A., 

Dixon,  Ambrose,  Little.  Edward, 

Dush,  Geo.  S.,  Loveless,  .Tolin, 

Eldridge,  John,  Marlow,  .\braham, 

Evens,"WiHiam  B.,        Merry.  William  H., 
Eleverthv,  Walter,         PoolHughy, 
Fletcher,' Paulcs  E.,       Potter,  Sherron, 
Foster,  George  J.,  Robbins,  Oliver, 

(Jaskill,  John  Q.  A.,     Sweet,  Veleg, 
Hoilgens,  Henry,  Smith,  James  H., 

Heriington,  Harrison,   Seybold,  James, 
Hodgman,  Amo.s,  (Lieut,  in  10th  Kansas,  late 

war,)     M.  O.  Oct.  17,  1848. 
Humphries,  Charles,    .Scroggins,  William, 
Hartman,  Louis,  Scott,  Joseph, 

Ha.xwell,Ludrick,  Sweeny,  Nelson  D., 
Hnndertmark,  Henry,  Turner,  James  W., 
Herrin,  Gordon,  Walden,  Frederick, 

Hocking,  Ashberry,  Walker,  Newton  .J., 
Herrin,  .John,  Washburn,  Elijah, 

Hamly,  Jacob,  Walker,  Andrew, 

Hocking,  Giles  W.,       Wheeler, William  E. 

Died. 
Blevins,  Elihu,  died  at  Savannah,  N.  At.,  Nov. 
6,  1S47. 

I 


Cook,  John,  died  at  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.,  Nov.  27, 

1847. 
Cave,  John,  died  at  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.,  Jan.  19, 

1848. 
Cowell,  Thomas  D.,  died  at  San  Antonio,  N. 

M.,  Dee.  l.'>,  1847. 
Enstein,  Balsom,  died  at  Santa  Fe,  Oct.  26,  '47. 
Evens,  Ellis,  died  at  Alton,  III.,  June  19,  '48. 
Fetteriing,  Casper,  died  at  .\lbuqucrque,  N.  M., 

Nov.  C,  1847. 
Grant,  Daniel,  died  at  Secora,  N.  M.,  Jan.  6, 

1818. 
Jewett,  John,  died  on  march  to  Santa  Fe,  Sept. 

17,  1847. 
McBrown,  died  at  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.,  Dec.  12, 

1847. 
Miller,  James  C,  died  at  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.,  Feb. 

12,  1848. 
Ossol,  John,  died  at  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.,  Mar.  3, 

1848. 
Purviance,  Samnel,  died  near  Secora,  N.  M., 

Dec.  11,  1847. 
Scroggins,  Jackson,  died  at  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Venson,  .James,  died  at  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.,  Sept. 

24,  1847. 

Discharged. 
Brown,  .James,  disch.  at  Albuquenpie,  N.  M.. 

April  12,  1848. 
Cox,   Peter   IL,  disch.  at  Las  Vegas,  N.  M., 

June  10,  1848. 
Grant,  Dreury  M.,  disch.  at  Santa  Fe,  Aug.  15, 

1848.    Term  expired. 
Henderson,  Benj.  J.,  disch.  at  Santa  Fe,  Oct. 

12,  1847. 
Knight,  William,  disch.  at  Ft.  Leavenworth, 

July  12,  1817. 
Leger,  Gabriel,  disch.  at  Santa  Fe,  Aug.  15, 

1848.     Term  expired. 
Miller,  Jorden,  disch.  at  Las  Vegas,  N.  M., 

Aug.  19,  1848.     Term  expired. 
Pinckhard,  .\m03  G.,  disch.  at  Santa  Fe,  N.  M., 

Oct.  12,  1847. 
Perren,  .John,  disch.  at  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.,  Aug. 

15,  1848      Terra  expired. 
White,  .James  \.,  drummed  out  of  the  service 

at  Sinta  Fe,   Feb.   12,  1847,  by  order  of 

Col.  Newby. 
Weeks,  Robert,"  disch.  at  Las  Vegas,  N.  M-, 

June  10,  '48.  disability. 
Weathers,  Enoch   B.,  disch.   at   Ft.   Leaven- 
worth. July  29,  1847. 
Deserted. 
Bankson,   Stephen,   deserted    at   Ft.    Leaven- 
worth, July  5,  1847. 
Gibson,  Aaron  B.,  deserted  at  Ft.  Leavenworth, 

July  5,  1847. 
McCov,  Thomas,  deserted  at  Alton,  111.,  June 

3;  1847. 
Stewart.  Riley,  deserted  at  Ft.   Leavenworth, 

July  5,  1847. 
Thornborough,  William,  deserted  at  Ft.  Lea- 
venworth, July  0,  1847. 

Li  the  Regular  Army  —  War  with  Mexico. 
Frederick    Kohler,   Capt.  Geo.  C.   Lusk   and 

James  S.  Starr,  and  Smith,  of  this 

county,  had  enlisted  for  six  months'  ser- 
vice, and  joined  the  St.  Lonis  Legion 
prior  to  any  call  for  troops  in  Illinois. 

THE   WAR   OF   TUE   REI5ELLIOX. 

Our  nation  has  passed  through  four 
great  wars,  viz. :  the  Revolutionary  war, 
waged  in  behalf  of  national  indepen- 
dence ;  the  war  of  1812,  in  defence  of 
the  rights  of  American  commerce ;  the 
Mexican  war,  caused  by  the  annexation 
of  Texas ;  and  lastly,  the  war  of  the  Re- 
bellion, whose  rise,  progress  and  results 


226 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


are  well  known  to  every  American  citi- 
zen. To  enter  upon  a  discussion  of  the 
causes  which  plunged  the  country  into 
the  last  of  these  great  struggles, — the 
fiercest  and  bloodiest  civil  conflict  known 
in  ancient  or  modern  times, — would  en- : 
tirely  transcend  the  aim  of  this  chapter. 
It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  when  the  toc- 
sin of  war  rang  through  the  land,  the 
sons  of  Madison  county  crowded  forward 
to  offer  their  swords  to  the  national  gov- 
ernment. There  is  no  page  of  her  history 
so  brilliant  as  that  which  is  glorified  by 
the  record  of  her  deeds.  The  lawyer 
left  his  office,  the  artisan  his  shop,  the 
physician  his  practice,  the  minister  his 
sacred  desk,  the  farmer  the  plow,  and 
marched  away  'neath  flaunting  banners 
and  stirring  martial  music,  in  defense 
of  the  grand  principle  of  nationality. 
Many  of  them  greatly  distinguished 
themselves  in  battle,  and  many  lie 
taking  their  last  sleep  in  a  southern 
clime. 

The  total  number  of  men  furnished 
by  Madison  county  during  the  war  was 
four  thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
one,  being  the  eighth  county  in  the  state 
in  point  of  numbers.  To  the  sketch  of 
each  regiment  here  given  is  appended  a^ 
complete  a  roster  of  the  members  re- 
cruited in  the  county  as  it  is  possible  to 
make  from  the  data  i)reserved.  Taking 
the  regiments  in  numerical  order,  the 
record  begins  with  the 

Seveuth  Infant r>-.    (Tliirc  Ycors'  Serilce.) 

The  Seventh  Infantry,  Illinois  Volun- 
teers, is  claimed  to  be  the  first  regiment 
organized  in  the  state  of  Illinois,  under 
the  first  call  of  the  President  for  three 
monthe'  troops.  The  Eighth  Illinois 
claims  the  same  honor.  The  Seventh 
•was  mustered  into  the  United  States 
service  at  Camp  Yates,  Illinois,  April 
25th,  1861,  by  Capt.  John  Pope,  U.  S. 
A. ;  was  sent  to  Alton,  St.  Louis,  Cairo 
and  Mound  City ;  was  re-organized  and 
mustered  in  for  three  years,  July  25th. 
It  did  duty  in  Missouri  and  went  into 
quarters  at  Fort  Holt,  Ky.  Subse- 
quently companies  A  and  B  were  consoli- 
dated. This  regiment  won  considerable 
distinction  during  its  term  of  service.  It 
did  valiant  service  at  Fort  Donelson, 
Shiloh,  Alatoona  Pass,  and  numerous 
minor  engagements.  They  performed 
noble  service  under  Sherman,  and  were 


in  the  battles  around  Atlanta,  and  with 
him  on  his  memorable  march  to  the 
sea.  A  complete  history  of  this  his- 
torical regiment,  "  The  battles,  sieges 
and  fortunes  it  has  passed,"  has  been 
written  by  D.  Leib  Ambrose,  and  pub- 
lished at  Springfield,  Illinois.  At  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky,  on  the  9th  of  July, 
J  865,  it  was  mustered  out,  and  arrived 
at  Camp  Butler,  Illinois,  July  12, 1865, 
for  final  payment  and  discharge.  ! 

As  will  be  seen  from  the  following 
roster,  Madison  county  had  the  honor  of 
being  represented  in  companies  F  and  I 
in  this  regiment.  ! 

[Roster. 

Adjutants- 
John  S.  Kobinson,  killed  in  action  Oct.  5,  '64. 

Muster  Roll,  Compauy  F. 

Prirates. 
Farr,  John  disch'd  April  18,  1S62. 
Farr,  Newman  vet.  luust'd  out  July  9,  'G5. 
Hanson,  Hans  trans,  lo  V.  R.  C.  May  1,  '64. 
Jackson,  John 
Mathil,  James  vet. 
Midgley,  David  disch'd  July  29,  "64. 

Bccruits. 
Duell,  James  died  at  Nashville, Tenn.  Aug.  28, 

1864. 
Hale,  John  nnist'd  out  July  9,  1805. 
Hale,  Philip  killed   at  Alatoona  Pass,    Ga., 

Oct.  .5,  1864. 
Hederick,  Conrad  must'd  out  July  9,  '65. 
Hanover,  John  J.,  must'd  out  July  9,  '65. 
Kelly,  James  wounded  at  Alatoona,  Ga.,  Oct. 

5,  '65 ;  absent  at  gen.  hosp.  Springfield  III. 
Parker,  George  must'd  out  July  9,  '65. 

Veteran. 
Dell,  John  must'd  out  July  9.  '65. 

Cluster  Roll,  Company  I. 

Bceniils. 
Johnson.   John  vet.  wounded  at  Shiloh  April 

6,  '62;  must'd  out  July  9,  186.3. 
McNeil,  David 

Phelps.  Henry  must'd  out  July  9,  '65. 
Spain,  Patrick  vet.  must'd  out  July  9,  '65. 
Sikes,  Benjamin  I.  must'd  out  July  9,  '65. 

Eighth  Infantry— Three  Years  Serriee. 

This  regiment  was  organized  on  the 
2oth  of  April,  1861,for  the  three  months' 
service,  Col.  Oglesby  commanding. 
During  its  three  months'  service,  it  was 
stationed  at  Cairo,  Illinois,  and  at  the 
expiration  of  the  term  mustered  out.  On 
July  25th,  1861,  the  regiment  was  re- 
organized for  three  years'  service.  In 
October  following  the  regiment  was 
ordered  to  Bird's  Point,  Missouri.  On 
February  2d,  1862,  embarked  for  Ten- 
nessee River  and  took  part  in  the  battles 
of  Fort  Henry  and  Fort  Donelson ; 
also  took  part  in  the  siege  of  Corinth. 
On  the  12th  of  May,  1863,  at  the  battle 
of  Raymond,  this  regiment  did  distin- 


guished service.  On  the  14th  of  May, 
took  part  in  the  capture  of  Jackson, 
and  on  the  sixteenth,  the  hard-fought 
battle  of  Champion  Hill.  May  22,  was 
foremost  in  the  assault  on  Fort  Hill.  The 
Eighth  formed  a  part  of  the  command 
of  Gen.  Sherman  in  the  Meridian  cam- 
paign, and  sustained  its  part  of  skir- 
mishing and  fatigue.  The  regiment  re- 
enlisted  under  general    order   No.  191, 

1863,  and  was  veteranized  March  24th, 

1864,  when  it  was  sent  to  Camp  Butler 
for  veteran  furlough  ;  returning  it  was 
consolidated  June  21, 1864.  The  eighth 
was  constantly  on  the  move,  either  en- 
gaged in  general  battles  or  skirmishing. 
The  regiment  participated  in  the  cam- 
paign against  Mobile  and  Fort  Blakely, 
and  at  the  investment  of  Fort  Blakely 
did  gallant  service.  During  its  term  of 
service  this  command  was  in  Missouri, 
Arkansas,  Mississij)pi,  Louisiana,  Ten- 
nessee, Kentucky,  Alabama  and  Texas, 
and  was  mustered  out  May  4th,  1866,  at 
Baton  Rouge,  Louisiana ;  ordered  to 
Springfield  for  final  payment  and  dis- 
charge, where  it  arrived  May  13,  1866. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  B. 
Transferred   from  Eleventh  Infantry. 

Reck,  Matthew  sub.  must'd  out  Oct.  25,  '65. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  C* 
Transferred  from  EleTeuth  Infantry  Co.  JS., 
Miller,  Peter 

Muster  Roll,  Company  H. 

Mcci-uils. 

Hendrickson,  Jacob  T.,  must'd  out  Feb.  22,  '66. 

Ninth  Infantry— (Three  Years  Seniee.) 

Within  a  week  from  the  issuing  of 
President  Lincoln's  proclamation,  in 
April,  1861,  calling  for  75,000  volun- 
teers, to  serve  three  months,  to  maintain 
and  enforce  the  national  authority,  St. 
Clair  county  sent  six  full  companies, 
Madi.son  county  three,  and  Montgomery 
county  one  company  to  Springfield,  Illi- 
nois. April  25th,  1861,  these  companies 
were  mustered  into  the  service  of  the 
United  States,  for  three  months,  and 
numbered  the  Ninth  Regiment  Illinois 
Infantry  Volunteei-s.  This  regiment,  by 
re-organization  and  re-enlistment,  re- 
mained in  the  service  until  the  surrender 
of  all  the  Confederate  armies.  It  par- 
ticipated in  some  of  the  most  memorable 
and  sanguinary  battles  of  the  war.  It 
led  in  advance  of  Sherman's  march  to 
the  sea,  and  thence  north  to  the  Confe- 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


227 


derate  surrender  iu  North  Carolina ; 
and  it  took  part,  in  all,  in  one  hundred 
and  ten  engagements. 

As  originally  organized,  at  Spring- 
field, it  contained  a  great  part  of  the 
best  youths  of  Madison  and  St.  Clair 
counties.  About  one-half  of  the  regi- 
ment was  German-Americans,  and  the 
others  native  Americans,  with  a  sprink- 
ling of  other  nationalities. 

Immediately  after  the  completion  of 
the  organization  the  regiment  was 
ordered  to  Cairo,  Illinois,  to  forestall 
the  threatened  occupation  of  the  place 
by  Confederate  forces,  and  remained 
there  until  the  end  of  the  first  term  of 
its  enlistment.  It  took  part  in  no  events 
of  importance  during  this  period.  Saving 
occasional  scouts  into  Missouri,  nothing 
occurred  to  break  the  monotony  of  camp 
life.  No  uniforms  were  issued  during 
this  term,  and  the  full  dress  of  the  ofii- 
cers  and  men  consisted  of  such  costumes 
as  their  fancy  suggested,  or  the  patriot- 
ism of  their  home  authorities  had  sup- 
plied. The  time  was  principally  spent 
in  drilling  and  fitting  the  men  for  active 
service.  The  three  months'  term  of  ser- 
vice expired  July  25th,  1861,  and  the 
regiment  was  mustered  out  on  that  day 
at  Cairo.  At  this  time  an  attack  on 
Cairo  was  daily  expected,  and  as  no 
troops  could  be  spared  elsewhere  to  take 
the  place  of  those  discharged,  an  ap- 
peal was  made  to  the  men  mustered  out 
to  remain  and  reorganize  for  three  years' 
service.  This  was  accordingly  done ; 
while  a  part  returned  home,  the  greater 
number  immediately  re-enlisted.  It  was 
mustered  into  the  United  States  service 
for  three  years,  by  Capt.  Pitcher,  U.  S. 
A.,  July  26th,  1861. 

A  uniform  was  now  for  the  first  time 
furnished.  As  the  regulation  blue  could 
not  be  obtained,  a  gray  suit  was  supplied 
by  the  state,  and  worn  until  after  the 
battle  of  Fort  Donelsou,  when  it  was 
discarded  on  account  of  its  similarity  to 
the  Confederate  uniform.  During  the 
three  mouths'  service,  Gen.  Prentiss  had 
been  in  command,  at  Cairo,  but  soon 
after  the  re-organization  General  Grant 
appeared  on  the  scene. 

Sept.  5th,  1861,  the  regiment  was 
ordered  to  Paducah,  where  it  remained, 
and  with  several  brigades  under  com- 
mand of  Gen.  C.  F.  Smith,  held  the  po- 
sition until  the  opening  of  the  camjiaign 


in  February,  1862.  Here  the  time  of  the 
regiment  was  spent  iu  hard  drilling  and 
rcconnoitering  the  surrounding  country, 
which  was  infested  with  hostile  bands 
of  Confederates.  Companies  B,  H,  and 
I,  of  the  9th,  each  filled  up  by  volun- 
teers to  one  hundred  men,  under  com- 
mand of  Maj.  J.  J.  Phillijjs,  embarked 
by  steamer  up  the  Cumberland,  and 
marched  to  Saratoga,  Ky.,  where  at  sun- 
rise they  surprised  and  attacked  a  force 
of  200  rebel  cavalry,  killing  and  wound- 
ing a  number  of  the  enemy,  and  cap- 
tured their  camp,  horses,  a  lot  of  arms, 
and  about  twenty  prisoners.  The  loss 
of  the  9th  was  light;  Captain  Kueflfner, 
of  company  B,  slightly,  and  corporal 
Gribling,  of  same  company,  and  private 
Gatewood,  of  company  K,  severely 
wounded.  This  was  the  first  fight  in 
which  any  part  of  the  regiment  had  been 
engaged. 

In  the  mean  time  Col.  Payne  had 
been  appointed  Brig.  General ;  Lieut. 
Colonel  Mersy,  Colonel  ;  Major  Phillips, 
Lieut.  Colonel,  and  Capt  Kuhn,  Major. 
February  -Ith,  1862,  the  9th  was  ordered 
up  the  Tennessee  river  to  Fort  Henry  ; 
on  the  following  day,  landed  five  miles 
below  the  fort,  and  on  the  6th  marched  i 
up  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  i 
participated  in  the  combined  operations 
of  the  fleet  and  the  army,  which  resulted 
in  the  capture  of  Fort  Henry.  Febru- 
ry  12th,  crossed  the  Tennessee  and  joined  ' 
the  army  in  the  march  against  Fort 
Donelson.  Colonel  McArthur's  brigade, 
to  which  the  9th  regiment  belonged, 
formed  a  part  of  General  C.  F.  Smith's 
Division.  Was  detached  to  the  support 
of  the  First  Division,  commanded  by  | 
Brigadier  General  McCleruand  and  was 
engaged  iu  the  right  of  our  army  dur- 
ing Saturday,  February  15th,  where  the 
most  severe  fighting  took  place.  This 
regiment  had  eight  companies  engaged  in 
this  action,  numbering  about  six  hun- 
dred men  ;  company  "  H  "  being  absent 
on  provost  duty,  and  company  "  A"  de- 
tached to  support  a  battery  on  another 
part  of  the  field.  After  the  uncondi- 
tional surrender  of  the  fort,  which  Gene- 
ral Grant  had  demanded,  the  9th,  to- 
gether with  the  Second  Iowa  regiment, 
was  awarded  the  honor  of  first  entering 
the  Confederate  stronghold.  There  is 
no  mention  in  any  official  report  of  the 
part  Col.  McArthur's   Brigade   took  in 


this  action,  though  it  did  the  fiercest 
fighting  on  the  field. 

The  regiment  lost  in  this  engagement, 
38  men  killed  on  the  field,  and  179 
wounded.  A  number  of  those  wounded 
subsequently  died.  The  following  is  a 
list  of  the  killed  and  wounded: 

Officers. 
Woundetl,  Captains  Joseph  G.  Robinson  of 
Co.  "  I,"  and  Riidolpliiis  Beckier  of  Co.  ''D," 
First  Lieutenants  iluniilton  Lieber  of  Co 
"B,"  William  Britt  of  Co.  "F,"  and  John  S 
Tutton  of  Co.  "G."     Total  5. 

Enlisted  Men. 

Company  "B,"  killed;  corporals  Frank  Zu- 
genbnehler  an<l  John  Dettwciler.  Privates 
killed  :  Martin  Benkert,  Jacob  Eierkuss,  Heu- 
rv  Gonnrrmann,  Henry  Herwig,  Christian 
Koch,  .Albert  Neumann  and  Michael  Zech. 
Wounded  :  sergeants  Louis  Grieser  and  John 
Schmidt,  corporal  Joiin  Sch.iab,  privates 
.\dolph  Aide,  Peter  Bauer,  John  Berger, 
Joseph  Cropp,  Charles  Daehnert,  Albert  Con- 
ner, Michael  Fath,  .foseph  Gantner,  Paul  Geist, 
.Julius  Hofiiuan,  .John  Krieger,  Charles  Lobe, 
Frederick  Menne,  Louis  Messerschmidt,  Her- 
man Moser,  Joseph  Oberfell,  Simon  Pohn, 
William  Schlolt,  Henry  Schneider,  .\nton 
.Schwarzkopf,  Frederick  Sensel,  Henry  Weber, 
Daniel  Werner,  Christian  Wickermann.  Total, 
killed,  9;  wounded,  2S. 

Company  "  C,"  killed :  privates  Lorenz 
Bffirsig  and  Heinrich  Hillmann.  Wounde<l : 
corporal  ("liarlea  King,  privates  Henry  Arndt, 
George  Fichter,  John  Gganss,  Christopher 
Klein,  William  Miller,  John  pietz,  Adam 
Resch,  John  Riedel,  Adam  Summons,  Henry 
Schmidt,  William  V.agt,  Peter  Weis.  Total, 
killed,  2;  wounded,  13. 

Company  "  D."  Nineteen  enlisted  men  in 
this  company  were  wounded  ;  but  a  list  of  the 
same  cannot  be  obtained. 

Company  "E,"  killed:  privates  Cassius  C. 
Atchison  and  J.araes  Dyer.  Wounded :  cor- 
porals .John  A.  Gilmore  and  Frank  M-  Tillot- 
.«on,  privates  John  Bealty,  John  A.  J.  Br.igg, 
Russell  W.  Cool,  David  M.  Durham,  William 
Evans,  Michael  Farley,  John  Fletcher,  Dennis 
C.  Frotliingbam,  James  B.  Gilmore,  George 
M.  Gilmore,  fSimon  Hager,  Joseph  B.  Jones, 
William  P,  Kelley,  John  Kimberlin,  F.  M. 
Moore,  Francis  J.  Murphv,  George  Snvder, 
John  Tell,  William  G.  Triplett.  Total,  killed, 
2;  wounded,  21. 

Company  "  F,"  killed :  privates  David  N. 
Ashton  and  Constant  C  Rowland.  Wounded  : 
sergeants  Thomas  C.  Kidd  and  Andrew  J. 
Webster,  corporal  Andrew  J.  White,  privates 
Harlow  Bossett,  George  W-  Campbell,  Elna- 
than  Cory,  John  W.  Dye,  William  M.  Ellis, 
Joseph  L.  Garnett,  James  Getty,  James  Hickes, 
Nathan  Lynch,  George  McLaish,  John  Rank, 
Eli  T.  Singleton,  Richard  T.  Scott,  Thomas  L. 
Wallace,  Frank  X.  Wagner.  This  is  not  a 
complete  li.st,  the  re<-ords  of  the  company  hav- 
ing been  destroyed.  Total,  killed,  2  ;  womided, 

Comp.iny  "G,"  killed:  privates  Benjamin 
.Ja((jb,  Emsley  Walker,  James  Willielni. 
Wounded  :  privates  Columbus  C.  .Vkin,  N.  (i. 
Brown,  James  M.  Brown,  John  Collier,  James 
Curelon,  William  B.  Dubois,  William  R. 
Gore,  James  M.  ILampton,  William  .!•  Hag- 
ler,  James  E.  M.ison,  Thomas  J.  Pleasant, 
John  A.  Slotlan,  Joseph  11.  Wattev,  Jacob 
Wilhelm,  John  J.  White.  Total,  killed,  3  ; 
wounded,  1.5. 

Company  "H."  Absent  at  Paducah  as 
provost  guard. 


228 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


I,"   killed :  privales  James  M.    the  remainder  of  the  regiment  reformed    mann  and  Ferdinand  Wisshack.    Total  killed 
,T<ilin8on,  Angiistiis  Khige,  (ioorgeW.  Kinder,  I  _  _,_,     t_^^ e :.,  <;.„i „:*: 7  ;  wounded,  33.        


Company 

ohnson,  Augustus  lUuge,yeorgevv.K.nuer,,  distance   from  its  first    position 

Charles   Loniever,  Dennis  Lane,  Alonzo  l^iv-  i      *^  ' 


Cduipauy  ''C."     Killed:   sergeant   Charles 

ingston,  Hugh  McMalian,  John  K.  McKinnev,  I  The  fragment  of  the  Ninth  held  several  Halile,  corporal  George  M.  Lutlier,  privates 
Charles  McDermolt,  George  W.Moore,  Joseph  ,  r.n«itimi«  dnrintr  the  battle  and  William  Klingenberg,  John  L-.mprecht.  Geo. 
P.  Stevenson,  David  Williams.  Wounded :  O^her  positions  during  the  battle,  ana  Lehr,  Michael  Lehr,  Frederick  Lippert,  Henry 
sergeants  George  Woodbury  and  William  !  everywhere  fought  fiercely  and  gallant-  Richter,  Christian  Schenck,  William  Storcli, 
W°Jarvis,  corporals  Kobert' R.  8wain,  John  I  |^  ;V'^!'*','  Wichard.     Wounded:  sergeant   John 

G.  Irwin,  Ferdinand  A.  Cornmann,  privates 
■\Villiain  IJaird,  John  Baird,  Daniel  G.  Brey- 
foglc,  James  G.  Ballard,  Zachariah  Burgess, 
Aaron  C.  Bardon,  Josephus  Crews,  George  AV. 
Clark,  Charles  E.  Dayton,  Emanual  Davis, 
John  Elliott,  Henry  Fitzsimmons,  Theodore 
Fisher,  Heaston  Fuller,  John  Graham,  James 
Hanratty,  Wni.  S.  Helms,  David  Johnson, 
David  Kyle,  George  Lent,  George  Lawson, 
Samuel  Morehead,  James  Mitchel,  Charles  S. 
Patton  Samuel  Head,  John  R.  Vanhooser, 
William  T.  Wilson.  Total,  killed,  12;  wound- 
ed, 24. 

Company  "K."  killed:  corporal  Walter 
Walsh,  privates  Reuben  M.  Anderson,  An- 
drew J. Burton,  Charles  Casebeer,  John  Emery, 
Joshua  Hazlewood,  David  Newcomb;  James 
Patterson.  Wounded  :  sergeants  Andrew  J. 
Snider  and  John  Barber,  corporals  Charles  N. 
Brown,  George  Lincoln,  Samuel  W.  Sloan, 
privates  James  Broadie,  Joseph  N.  Condon, 
Simon  P,  Casey,  WHliaiu  Daily,  Frank  F. 
Goggles,  John  Bibson,  Albert  \V.  Kimball, 
Aaron  Sipe,  .John  Malloy,  Alfred  Mitchell, 
John  Seevers,  William  Thompson  and  Ham- 
ilton C.  Ulen.     Total :  killed,  S  ;  wounded,  18. 


February  22d,  the  Ninth,  with  a  part  j  S^^.^^":^'^ 


y*  M.  vSalzmann,  corporals  Henry  Kissel,  Frede- 

The  severity  of   the  struggle  may  be    rick  Staab,  privates  Adelbert  Arramus,  Anton 

better    understood    when  we    state    that    Becker    Ileury  Behm   Andrew  Bence,  Philip 

Erbe,    Charles    tnedench,     William   Gaebe, 
out  of  26   officers  and    520  enlisted  men    Jacob  Haberkom,  John    A.  Helfrich,  Frank 

who   went   into  battle,    20  officers  and   «!":■'";''•    J^™"^,  ?'-^'"P'"',  Christian    Keith, 

.    .  I  Christian  Macdel,  iM-ank  Moser,  Andrew  ^ad- 

324  men,  besides  11    men   missing,   were    j^r,  Jacob    Randell,    Anton   Suebert,   Charles 

either  killed    or    wounded.     The  proud  ,  S^l'^k,  Frederick  Scheve,   Henry   Schemph, 

IIP         I,    J  I  Peter  Schneider,  ><icholas    bchouller,    John 

regiment  which  two  months  belore,  had  i  gpohnle.    Total,  killed,  11 :  wounded.  2(). 

marched    out   of   Padueah    a  thousand        Company  "  D."     Killed:    corporals   Henry 

,,         ^  .  :  Gois.sel,  Christian  Ralin,  Adam  Reilz,  privates 

men  strong,  could   not  now  muster  one   j.^^^^^  pg^.,.,,^  (_.^„^^j  Goes.el.  Adam  Loebig, 

hundred  men   for    parade.     The  follow- ,  Philip  Sauer,   Jacob  Ritss,  Albert   Schellen- 

,.  .      <.  •.     1  -ii   J        1  A^j    berg,  Frederick  Schuize,  William  Vogelpohl, 

lUgisa  list  of  Its  killed  and   wounded    Henry  Voss.     Wounded:  John   Baehr,   Her^ 

in    this    battle,  which    is  now  generally  i  mann   Bange,   Isodore  Baquet,  Joseiih  Beck, 

called  the  Battle  of  Shiloh  :  !  : William     Beaverson,   Joseph  Eisen- 

vcm^v.  ..    ^  hauer,   Anton  Gartboetlner,  Iredenck  Haver- 

^_  mann,    Conrad    Heidinann,     Charles    Huber, 

'Jn"^'"'^-  \ W^illiam   Sieser,  Charles   Miller,  Geo. 

Killed:  Lieutenant  Frederick  E.  Vogeler  of  I  Metzker.   Charles   Mo*  ninger,  Charles   Roth, 

Co.  "  B.'     Wounded  :  colonel  Augustus  Mer Rod'y,  Oswald  Stocker,  Bernhard  Vo- 

sey,  lieut.  colonel  Jesse  J.  Phillips,  adjutant   gei_  Henrv' Zweibarth.       Total,    killed,   12; 
Henrv  H.  Klock,  assistant  surgeon  Emil  Gue-    bounded,  18. 

lick  captains  Em il  Adam  of  Company ''A.,'- j      g^^  .eg."       Killed:    sergeant    Silas 

William  C.  Ivueflnerof  Company      B,     Ru-    j^^^^^.J^  p^!;^,^,^^  j^,,^  ^„^^^_  j^^^^  (,   ^^^^^ 

nv      1),     Ale.xamier    j,,^,^^^  ^j    Moore,  James  McKenzie,  William 


thence  back  to  Padueah,  preparatory  to 
starting  on  the  expedition  determined 
upon  against  Corinth,  in  Mississippi. 
Went  by  steamer,  disembarking  at  Pitts- 
burg Landing,  thirty  miles  from  Corinth, 
on  the  18th  ult ,  and  went  into  camp  on 
the  west  side  of  the  river  near  the  land- 
lleinforcements   continued  to   ar- 


ing. 

rive  until  the  army  commanded  by  Gen 

Grant  was  about  40,000  strong, 


Company  "  C,' 
Scheel  of  Company 


Edward   Krebs  and  Fred    E  .^^^.^^^^   James  M.  Blake,   Malhew  Brnmhv, 
\\ .  VVimiora  I  Qgjj^gg  H.  Camiibell.  Charles  Drydm.  Michael 


'  D, '  George 


wounded,  19. 


Neal   Vtslal.     Total,  killed,  6;  wounded,  22. 

EnVsicd  Men.  \      Company  "F.  "Killed  :  sergeant  Andrew  J. 

Company  "A."      Killed:    sergeant   Peter   Webster,  corporal  Frank  Patlihart,  Joshua  G. 

Schoppert,   corporal    Joseph    Brown,  privates    Teeart,    privates   John    E.    Charlick,  Thomas 

George  Andrae,  Henry  Gleuk,  Ambrose  Lau-    Cox,  Toliver  Foster,  Joel  Fo.»ter,  Charles  Hill, 

ber  and  William  Hermann.     Wounded :  ser-    Jacob  Kooniz,  George  McLeish,  Duncan  Mc- 

geant  Andrew  Bastian,  corporals  Anton  Hund,    Culloch,  John   G.  Snoufi'er.    Wounded:  ser- 

About  I  Anton   Schwertner,    and    Henry   Burmeister;  '  geants  Joseph  C.Gates,   Rudolph   AV.  Ileim- 


day-break,  Sunday  morning,  April    6th,    P"v«tes     Frederick    Bremenkamp,  Theodore    berger,  corporal  Andrew  J    White,  privates 
J  '  ^  J  D'      I  '    Backly,  Michael  Erann,  Henry  Brenner,  John    M:ircus  Barnes,  Harlow  Bassett,  John  Clieno- 

1862,    the    enemy   who    had    encamped  j  gauer,   Jacob  DuttenhoeflTer,   Erasnms  Friis.    with,     John^H.    Collins,     Jjimes    Duncan, 
within 
evening 


£run-shot    range   of   our  line   the  i  Nicho'"''  Frank,  Anton  Gaulocher,  Ferdinand  Michael    X.Fisher,    James   Getty,    Andrew 

*'  .,   1  Haas,  William  Hall,  Michael  Hartwcck,  Hen-  Gmeliu,  Henry  Gmelin,  James  M.  Hickman, 

T  before  attacked  our  camp  with  |  ^^   J.anke,   Fredtrick    Koch,    James    Loehr,  Jame.s  Hobbs,  John    A.  Lauchly,  William  T- 

sreat  fury     So  extended  was  the  ground  j  Charles  Miller,  Henry  Mueller,  August  Meyer,  Miller,  Joseph  L.Miller,  John   McCarler,  R. 

^  .    ,    '        ,  ^\    L   ^\       ■    i         Jacob  Nicholas.  Christian  Rose,  Charles  Rib-  J.  Simpkins,  James  Rodgers,  John  Stoulfouth, 

occupied    by  the   enemy,  that  the   intor-  '  ^^^  George  Schaefer,  Adam  Schalter,  Andreas  John  M.  Ticknor,  Napoleon   B.  Winters,  Geo. 

mation  of   the  battle,  which   for  several  :  Schuckmann,  Benedict  Straubinger,  William  ;  W.  Warren-     Total,  killed,  12 ;  wounded,  24. 
,            ,11                 ■         Tj       1          1    ,i„    Slahl,  Nicholas  Yonberg,  Jacob  Weiirle,  Mar- i      Compami  "  G.''     Killed:  privaies,  Alpheus 

hours  had  been  raging,  did  not  reach  tHeijj^^y^j^^^^j  Q^^j.gg  ^yi^^p^     Total  killed,  Bascom,  William   H.   Bascom.   David  Jones, 

regiment  until  eight  o'clock.      The  bri- i  6  ;  wounded,  34.  j  Thomas  J.  01ney,Jamfs  Walker.     Wounded: 

J    „   „   ^-.  .„,^*ur  fX,.r>norl  „.ifloi.    /.fvm         Company   "B."     Killed:  sergeants  Albert  sergeants,    William    Hampton,    Nimrod     G. 

gadewas   promptly  formed  under    com- !  H^i^X,  John   Schmidt,   pri^"ales    Edward  Perriue,  John  B.  Russell,  corporal  Edward  B. 

mand  of   Gen.   McArthur,   and  hurried    Deltmar,   Conrad   Maul,  John    Mesh,  Frank  Rhodes,  private  Lewis  R.  A pplegate,  William 

to  the    front.     It    advanced  to    the    ex-  ^'^^l'^*"'^'-.  "enry  Weber.     Wounded  :  sergeant  Addison,  John  W.  Brown,  William  LBro^^ 

.  John    Hallmann,    corporals    Lorenz    Acker-  Nathaniel   G.  Brown,  Henry  Brown,  \\  illiam 

treme  left  of  our   line,  and  the  regiment    mann,  Paul  Martin,  August  Wurmb,  privates  R.  Bradley,  Allen   Edwards,  Simon   P.  Hart- 

took   position  along  the  meauderings  of  Jo-^eph   Ammannn,   Mathias  Arnold,    Jacob  sell   Robert  Mar.shall    John  McCord  Charles 

'  ^       .  J         Bauer,  Morand  Baumann,  George  Betz,  Ctus-  A\  .  Miller,   Daniel    Rvan,   Bennett   Sirottler, 

a  small  ravine,  where  it  was  exposed  to    lay    Blank,    Joseph    Cropp,   Albert    Conner,  Thomas  Strottler,   John   J.   Siripling,  Ana.si- 

a  terrible  fire  by  an  enemy   greatly  su- '  Frederick  Entz,  Arnold   Gerig,  Charles  Grin,  raander  B.  Tulton,  John  J.  Tippy,  Louis  Wise, 

,  J    •  1,         ■•         Conrad  Hellmuih,  Gerhard  Jansen,  Valentin  Jr.,  John  J.  White.  Warren  S.  White.     Total, 

perior  in  numbers,  and  in  a   short  ume    k^j^i,  August  Leopold,   Louis  Linne,  Ignaz  killed,  5:  wouuded,  25. 


nearly    two-thirds    of    the    Ninth    were    Menne,  Sebastian    Pfister,   John  Rafi'el,  Peter        Company  "  H."      Ki.lled:   sergeant  Fram 

,  1-1         1  -11    1        ;  Reppel,  George  Salz.  Henry  Schmidt,  Jacob  D.  Hubbel,  privates  William  R.  Haller,  Dan 

gtrewn  on   the  ground,   either   kiiied  or   g^,'^;^  pi^jU^  g^^j^^   jj^,.^,^^,,,  g^g„,„i^.,„  j^.  c.  White,  Thomas  Wright,    Wounded:  s, 

wounded.    Retreating  from  this  position,    cob  Sulzcr,  Daniel  Werner,  Christoph  Wicker-  geant  Daniel  Pentzer,  Jacob  Miller,  corporals 


rancis 
iel 
ser- 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


229 


Alonzo  F.  MrEwen,  Nicholas  Keller,  James 
W.  Osborn.  Paul  Roberts,  privates  John  G. 
Arney,  William  Baldermann,  Dennis  Bahon, 
Charles  Brienbier.WilliamS  Checny,  William 
A.  Cottingham,  James  A.  Clotfelier,  Daniel  J. 
Carriker.'lra  G.  Dart,  John  Droosch.  (ieorge 
H.  Drv,  Thomas  Frv,  Knismus  Ciaw,  William 
H.  llsiey,  William  Keep,  John  15.  Livingood, 
John  F.  Moore,  Patrick  Moynahan,  Lafayette 
Mason,  James  S.  JlcGuUion,  Edward  Nail, 
Sidney  B.  Philips,  George  Ralph,  John  Salz- 
mann,  Francis  M.  Stiekel,  Almond  D.  Sim- 
mons, Jo-cph  E.  Taulbee,  Moses  H.  Turner, 
Patrick  Whalen.  Total  killed,  4  ;  wounded,  3o. 
Company  '•/."'  Killed:  privates  Nathan 
Abbott,  John  Bass,  Edward  R.  Keegan,  John 
N.  Lawrence,  Frederick  Swarlz.  Wounded  :  , 
sergeant  William  W.  Jarvis,  corporal  George 
AV  Slice,  privates  John  Baird,  Norman  Barber, 
Isaiah  Berrlv,  George  W.  Clark,  Thomas  C. 
(Tillham.  William  Helms,  Thom:is  Haiiskins, 
John  Jaka.  Sidney  B.  Jarvis  Charles  C.  Lewis, 
Albert  Mills,  George  McKinley,  Charles  A. 
Redman,  John  Wilson,  Henry  W'ormyer. 
Total  killed,  5;  wounded,  17. 

Compnnij  "  A'."  Killed  :  privates  William 
Foster,  James  L.  Kriddler,  George  Sloan, 
Thomas  Walton.  Wounded:  corporal  John 
Richmond,  privates  George  W.  Burton,  Sr., 
George  W.  Burton,  Jr.,  John  Burke,  Charles 
W.  Bowles,  Henderson  Cogdell,  J"hn  L.  Creed. 
John  Clifi'ord,  William  A.  Carding,  Francis 
Flaglcs,  John  Horn,  Thomas  J.  Hagler,  Zero 
Jlay,  Samuel  L.  Miller,  Robert  E.  Ramsey, 
Jonathan  Stone,  Sanuiel  W.  Sloan,  Charles  L. 
Tomlinson.     Total,  killed,  4;  wounded,  18. 


General  C.  F.  Smith,  the  old  division 
commander,  an  excellent  officer  of  the 
regular  army,  of  advanced  years,  had 
been  taken  sick  before  the  battle  and 
died.  General  W.  H.  Wallace  had 
succeeded  him  and  was  mortally  wound- 
ed ;  and  he  was  succeeded  by  General  T. 
A.  Daviess.  The  command  of  the  bri- 
gade passed  from  General  McArthur, 
who  had  been  wounded,  to  General 
Richard  J.  Oglesby.  Soon  after  the 
battle  General  Halleck  appeared  to 
take  command  of  the  army  in  person, 
superseding  General  Grant.  Corinth 
still  remained  the  objective  point  of  the 
campaign,  and  heavy  reinforcements 
having  arrived,  with  the  beginning  of 
May  the  long  delayed  movement  against 
that  place  commenced.  The  advance, 
or  siege  of  Corinth  as  it  is  generally 
termed,  was  marked  by  no  events  of 
great  interest- 

During  the  summer  of  1862,  the 
Ninth  remained  in  camp  near  Corinth, 
and  at  Kienzi.  In  September  the  Ninth 
was  re-called  from  Rienzi  to  Corinth,  to 
support  the  garrison,  and  arrived  there 
October  2d,  and  rejoining  its  old  brigade 
under  Gen.  Oglesby,  marched  out  on  the 
morning  of  October  3d,  with  its  division, 
under  command  of  Gen.  Daviess  to  meet 
the  advance  of  the  enemy  at  the  old 
rebel  intrenchments  about  two  and  one- 


half  miles  N.  W.  of  the  city.  In  the 
first  charge  Captain  Britt,  of  Co.  "  F  " 
was  killed,  and  Captains  E.  iNI.  and  G. 
G.  Lowe,  and  Lieutenant  Hughes  and 
Ulen,  and  over  fifty  men  were  captured 
The  regiment  was  engaged  during  the 
whole  of  the  fighting,  sustaining  a  loss 
of  19  men  killed  and  82  wounded.  We 
give  the  names  of  those  killed  and 
wounded  in  this,  the  battle  of  Corinth  : 

Officers  killed :  Captain  William  Britt  of 
Company  "  F."  Wounded :  Major  John  II. 
Knhn,  Adjutant  Ilcnrv  H.  Klock.  Captains 
William  (;.  Kueliiier  i)f  C.  "  B,"  and  Jos.  G. 
Robinson  of  Co.  "  I."  Lieutenants  Gscar  BoU- 
mann  and  Charles  Scheve  of  Co.  "  C,"  George 
W.  Williford  of  Co.  '■  F,"  Isaac  Clements  of  Co. 
"G."  Cvrus  H.  Gilmore  and  Alfred  Cowgill 
';  of  Co.  "H."  Total  killed,  1  ;  wounded,  10. 
Company  "A."  Killed  :  private  Charles  Gil- 
rich.  Wounded  :  Wm.  Fortkamp.  Total 
killed,  1;  wounded,  1. 

Company  "B."  Killed:  Privates,  Joseph 
Cropp,  Jacob  Snlzer.  Wounded:  Sergeants 
John  Eichenberger,  August  Wurmb.  Corporal 
Louis  Fisher.  Privaies,  Paul  Geist,  Edward 
Hofliuan,  George  Jenne,  Nicholas  Meyer, 
Joseph  Noltner,  George  Salz.  Daniel  Werner. 
Anion  Winstroth.  Total  killed,  2;  W(mnded,  U.  j 
Company  "C"  Killed  :  Privates,  John 
Tungeman,  Frederick  Hugenbnrg.  Woimded  : 
Henry  Behm.  Jacob  Herpin.  Christian  Jacob, 
Christian  Maedel,  John  Miller,  Peter  Schnei- 
der, John  Pietz.  Total  killed,  2:  wounded,  7.  ! 
Company  "  />."  Killed  :  Ojrporal  Louis 
Trutlman.  Privates,  Jacob  Berthold,  Henry  | 
Borcherding,  John  Smith,  Christian  Teuting. 
Total  killed,  -5.  A  number  wire  wounded, 
but  their  names  cannot  be  obtained. 

Company ''E."  Wounded:  Corpora!  Francis 
J.  Murphy.  Privales.  John  Beatty,  William 
P.  Kelley!  .John  Liil.  Jame-s  Malone,  William 
F.  Prinilev.  Jack  L.  Stevens,  Neal  Vestal, 
James  F.  Williams.     Total  wounded,  9. 

Company  "F"  Killed:  John  O.  Foushee, 
Frederick  Wiggand.  Wounded  ;  Sergeant 
William  C.  Ilawlev,  Corporal  James  Fiske, 
Private  William  Miller.  Total  killed,  2: 
wounded,  3. 

Company  "  G."  Killed  ;  Alfred  Bartley, 
John  .McCord.  Wounded  :  Henry  Brown, 
Nathaniel  G.  Brown,  William  J.  Ileglar,  Rob- 
ert Marshall,  James  A.  Paregion.  Total  killed, 
2 ;  wounded,  5 

Cowpami  -11."  Killed  :  Samuel  Girsinger, 
.John  15  Livingood,  Sebastian  Swandemann. 
Wounded :  James  Brady,  William  S.  Boone, 
Dennis  Bahon,  Charles  Brienbier,  O.  AV.  Bout- 
well,  William  A.  Cotlingham,  Robert  Finley, 
Israel  Haller,  Venice  C.  Haller,  Charles  H. 
Newcomb,  George  W.  Quails,  William  Beck- 
hart,  Francis  M.  Stickcl,  Ambrose  J  Shellon, 
Joseph  VV.  Warren.  Total  killed,  3  ;  wound- 
ed, 15. 

Compnmi  "I."  Wounded  :  Corporal  Thomas 
Pete.  Privates,  William  Baird,  John  Jaka, 
James  Lang,  Joseph  E.  Stringer-.  Total 
wounded,  5. 

Company ''K."  Killed:  Private  .lames  Uleii. 
Wounded  :  Corporal  George  Meyers.  Pri- 
vates, John  Burke,  Charles  \V.  J5owles,  Joseph 
N.  Condon,  Levi  (jihbs,  Peter  Hall.  Henry 
Stenger,  Samuel  C.  Ulen,  Frank  M.  Winstead. 
Total  killed,  1 :  wounded,  9. 


thereafter  employed  as  Mounted  Infantry 
and  daring  the  remainder  of  the  war,  it 
was  nearly  always  in  the  saddle,  .scouting, 
skirmishing,  recounoitering,  and  raiding, 
almost  invariably  successful,  scarcely 
ever  meeting  with  a  check,  and  becom- 
ing well  known  and  a  favorite  through- 
out the  army  of  the  Tennessee.  We  can- 
not give  a  detailed  account  of  all  the 
movements  of  the  regiment,  but  have 
mentioned  the  leading  battles  in  which 
it  participated,  and  below  we  append  a 
list  of  the  110  engagements: 


The  regiment  remained  near  Corinth,  I 
till  the  spring  of  18G3.  In  March  of  | 
that  year  it  was  mounted  on  mules,  and 


The  following  is  a  list  of  battles  and  skir- 
mishes in  which  the  Ninth  Illinois  Infantry 
were  engaged  during  the  Rebellion  : 

1  Saratoga,  Ky.,  October  26,  '61. 

2  Fort  Henry,  Tenn.,  Feb.  15,  '62. 

3  Fort  Donefson,  Tenn.,  Feb.  15,   62. 

4  Pittsburgh  Lai>ding,  Tenn.,  April  6,  and 
7,  '62. 

5  Siege  of  Corinth,  Miss.,  April  29  to  May 
29,  '62. 

6  Battle  of  Corinth,  Miss.,  Oct.  3  and  4,  '62. 

7  Cherokee,  Ala.,  April  17,  '63. 

8  Lundv's  Lane,  Ala.,  April  17,  '63. 

9  Town"  Creek,  Ala.,  April  1 8,  '63. 

10  BuzKird  Roost,  Ala.,  April  19,  '63. 

11  Goodlow's,  Ala.,  April  21,  '63. 
I    12  Cherokee,  Ala..  April  22,  '63. 

13  Tupelo,  Miss.,  May  4,  '63. 

I    14  Florence,  Ala.,  May  28,  '63. 

15  Hamburg,  Tenn.,  May  30, '63. 

16  Mud  Creek,  Miss.,  June  20, '63. 

17  Jackson,  Tenn.,  July  13,  '63. 

18  Grenada,  Miss.,  Aug.  17,  '63. 

19  Henderson  Station,  Oct.  2,  '63. 

20  Salem,  Miss.,  Oct.  8,  '63. 

21  Wyatt's,  Mibs.,  Oct.  11, '63. 

22  Byhalia.  Miss.,  Oct.  12,  '63. 
2^5  Rocky  Run,  Ala.,  Nov.  -5,  '63. 

24  Athens,  Ala.,  Nov.  13,  '63. 

25  Decatur  Junction,  Ala.,  Nov.  14,  '63. 
2-i  Mooresyille,  Ala.,  Nov.  15,  '63. 

27  Brown's  Ferry,  Ala.,  Nov.  18.  '63. 

28  Limesloue  Creek,  Ala.,  Nov.  24,  '63. 

29  L;imb's  Ferry,  Ala.,  Nov.  27,  'H3. 

30  Ruckeisville,  Ala.,  Nov.  28,  '63. 

31  Shoal  Creek,  Ala.,  Dec.  8,  '63. 

32  Florence,  Ala.,  Dec.  9,  '63. 

33  Lawrencebnrg,  Tenn.,  Dec.  28,  '6,3. 

34  Cvprcss  Creek,  Tenn.,  Dec.  29,  '63. 

35  A'lhens,  Ala.,  Jan.  26,  '64. 

36  Brown's  Ferry,  Ala.,  Jan.  26,  '64. 

37  Florence,  Ala.,  Jan.  28,  '64. 

38  Pi  ides  Ferry,  Ala.,  Jan.  28, '64. 

39  Florence,  .Via,  Jan.  29. '64. 

40  Bainbridge,  Ala.,  Jan.  30,  '64. 

41  Lucas  Ferry,  Ala.,  March  8,  64. 

42  Courthind,  Ala.,  March  9,   64. 

43  Nancy's  Creek,  Ala..  March  10,  '64. 

44  Jloullon,  Ala.,  March  22,  '64. 

45  Somerville,  Ala.,  March  26,  '64. 

46  Flint  River.  Ala.,  March  28,  '64. 

47  Moulton,  -Via.,  March  29,  '64. 

48  Flint  River,  Ala.,  April  3,  '64. 

49  Courtland  Road,  Ala.,  April  9,  '64. 
.50  Siege  of  Decatur,  Ala.,  April  15,  '64. 
ol  Flint  River,  Ala.,  April  18,  '64. 

52  Bear  Creek,  Ala.,  April  21,  '64. 

53  Snake  Creek  Gap,  Ga.,  May  9,  '64. 

54  Resaca,  Ga.,  :M:iy  12,  '64. 

55  Roam  Cross  Roads,  Ga  ,  May  14,  64. 
.56  Uslenoola  Kivtr,  Ga.,  May  19,  '64. 

57  Dallas,  Ga.,  May  28,  '64. 

58  Kene.saw  Mountain,  (Ja.,  June  30,  '64. 
69  Nickajack,  Ga  ,  July  4,  '64. 


230 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


89 
90 
91 
92 
93 
94 
95 
96 
97 
98 
99 
100 
101 
102 
103 
104 
105 
106 
107 
108 
109 
110 


Chaltahooche  River,  Ga.,  July  14, '64. 

Pumpkin  Vine  Creek,  Ga.,  July  17,  '64. 

Decatur,  Ga.,  July  19,  'G4. 

Decatur,  Ga.,  July  22,  '64. 

Utoy  Creek,  Ga.,  July  27,  '64. 

Owl  Rock,  Ga.,  .Vugust  2,  '64. 

Sand  town,  Ga.,  August  h,  '64. 

Near  East  Point,  Ga.,  August  18,  '64. 

Near  Atlanta,  Ga  ,  ,\ugust  22,  '64. 

Lovejoy  Station,  Ga.,  Sept.  2,  '64. 

Jonesboro,  Ga.,  Sept.  3,  '64. 

Van  Wert,  Ga.,  Sept.  27,  '64. 

Cave  Springs,  Ga.,  Oct.  13,  '64. 

Coosaville,  Ga.,  Oct.  17,  '64. 

Coosa  River,  Ga.,  Oct.  23,  '64. 

Cassville,  Ga  ,  Nov.  4,  '64. 

Near  Rough  and  Ready,  Ga.  Nov.  15,  '64. 

Social  Circle,  Ga.,  Nov.  17,  '64. 

Buckhead  Station,  Ga.,  Nov.  19,  '64. 

Park's  Mills,  Ga.,  Nov.  20,  '64. 

Eatonton,  Ga.,  Nov.  20,  '64. 

Near  Milledgeville,  Ga.,  Nov.  23,  '64. 

Buffalo  Swamp,  Ga.,  Nov.  2.5,  '64. 

Near  Sandersville,  Ga.,  Nov.  25,  '64. 

Sandersville,  Ga.,  Nov.  26,  '64. 

Near  Louisville,  Ga  ,  Nov'.  28,  '64. 

Fort  Harrison,  Ga.,  Dec.  7,  '64. 

Monteith,  Ga.,  D»c.  8,  '64. 

Near  Savanali,  Ga.,  Dec.  9,  '64. 

No.  3  Station,  G.  R.  R.,  Ga.,  Dec.  21,  '64. 

Combahee  River,  S.  C,  Jan.  19,  '65. 

Turner's  Creek,  S.  C.  Jan.  31,  '65. 

Whippy  Swamp,  S.  C,  Feb.  1,  '65. 

River  Bridge,  S.  C,  Feb.  2,  '65. 

Little  Salkehatchie,  S.  C,  Feb.  6,  '65. 

South  Edi.sto,  S.  C,  Feb.  8,  '6.5. 

North  Edisto,  S.  C,  Feb.  10,  '65. 

Cannon's  Bridge,  S.  C,  Feb.  11,  '65. 

Congaree  R.  R.  Bridge,  S.  C,  Feb.  14,  '65. 

Saluda  Factorv,  S.  C,  Feb.  16,  '65. 

Broad  River,  S.  C,  Feb.  16,  '65. 

New  Cheraw,  S.  C,  Feb.  2S,  '65. 

Society  Hill,  S.  C,  March  2,  '65. 

Florence,  S.  C,  March  4, '65. 

Near  Darlington,  S.  C,  March  4,  '65. 

Floral  College,  S.  C,  March  8,  '66. 

Fayetteville,  N.  C,  March  10, '65. 

Near  Fayetteville,  N.  C,  March  13,  '65. 

Black  River,  N.  C,  March  1-5,  '65. 

Near  Benlonville,  N.  C,  March  21,  '65. 

Near  Neuse  River,  N.  C,  April  10,  '65. 


The  regiment  was  mustered  out  July 
9th,  1865,  at  Louisville,  Ky. ,  and  ar- 
rived at  Camp  Butler,  July  12, 1865,  for 
final  payment  and  discharge. 

Major  Thomas  J.  Newsham  deserves 
special  mention  for  the  efficient  services 
rendered.  From  the  confidence  reposed 
in  him  by  his  superior  officers  he  was  at 
times  detailed  to  perform  the  duties 
from  the  office  of  major  to  that  of  major 
general.  A  synopsis  of  his  military  'his- 
tory, as  shown  by  the  files  of  the  War 
Department  at  Washington,  will  abun- 
dantly speak  for  itself.  He  went  in  as  1st 
Lieutenant,  Co.  I,  9th  111  Inft.  Vols, 
(three  months'  service)  April  25th, 
1861;  promoted  to  adjutant  May  25th, 
1861;  mustered  out  July  24th,  1861. 
Re-enlisted  July  26th,  1861,  as  1st  Lieu- 
tenant and  Adjutant,  (three  months' 
service).  Promoted  Captain  A.  A. 
General  Vols.  Oct.  3d,  1801.     Major  of 


117th  111.  Vols.  Sept.  19th,  1862.  Re- 
signed April  13th,  1864.  Was  Assistant 
Adjutant  General  on  General  C.  F. 
Smith's  staff;  commanded  a  detach- 
ment at  Fort  Pickering;  Assistant  Adju- 
tant General  Inspector  at  Columbus; 
general  picket  officer  of  5th  division, 
16th  Army  Corps,  and  also  commander 
of  provisional  encampment  at  Fort 
Pickering,  Tennessee.  In  all  these  Gen. 
W.  T.  Sherman,  over  his  own  signature 
says,  that  major  Newsham  was  held  in 
high  esteem. 

Captain  Joseph  G.  Robinson,  raised 
company  I  and  was  elected  its  cap- 
tain and  served  in  the  war  in  that  posi- 
tion. He  was  severely  wounded  at  Fort 
Doiielson,  Shiloh  and  Corinth,  disabling 
him  for  active  service.  Was  transferred 
from  his  regiment  to  the  Fourth  Veteran 
Reserves,  receiving  a  commission  from 
President  Lincoln  as  captain,  and  was 
assigned  to  company  G,  and  statio  ned 
at  Rock  Island,  where  he  acted  as  pro- 
vost marshal  of  prisoners.  He  was  a 
brave  and  efficient  officer. 

Samuel  T.  Hughes  enlisted  as  private 
in  the  three  months'  service,  and  in  the 
three  years'  service  was  made  1st  Lieuten- 
ant. On  the  reorganization  of  the  regi- 
ment he  was  elected  Lieutenant  Colonel. 
He  was  an  excellent  officer,  and  followed 
the  regiment  through  the  whole' .service. 
He  died  a  few  years  ago  from  the  effect 
of  wounds  received  in  the  war. 

Major  John  H.  Kuhn  went  out  as 
Captain  of  company  K,  from  Alton, 
in  the  three  months'  service,  and  upon 
enlistment  in  the  three  years'  service  was 
promoted  to  major  of  the  regiment,  and 
served  until  his  time  expired,  when  he 
returned  home  and  assisted  in  recruiting 
the  144th  Infantry  regiment,  and  was 
promoted  Colonel. 

Captain  Eniil  Adam  went  from  Alton 
as  Lieutenant  in  the  three  months  service. 
Upon  the  advance  'of  John  H.  Kuhn, 
he  was  promoted  to  captain  of  company 
A,  in  the  three  years'  service.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  Adam  was  promoted 
and  remained  in  the  service  of  the  regu- 
lar army.  AVilliam  G.  Pinckard  was 
Regimental  Quarmaster  in  the  three 
months'  .service,  and  was  promoted  to  A. 
Q.  M.,  which  position  he  held  until  he 
was  killed,  Feb.  14,  1864. 

Dr.  Emil  Guelich  joined  the  service 
as  an  enlisted  man  for  three  mouths,  and 


again  for  three  years,  and  was  promoted 
assistant  surgeon  on  July,  1801.  In 
April,  1 862,  he  was  jjromotcd  surgeon, 
in  which  position  he  served  during  the 
remainder  of  the  war,  and  was  greatly 
appreciated  by  the  regiment. 

William  H.  Purviance,  a  brave  and 
gallant  Lieutenant,  was  severely  wounded 
at  Shiloh,  and  disabled  for  service,  and 
was  honorably  discharged,  Aug.  16, 
1862.  George  Woodbury  joined  as  an 
enlisted  man,  and  was  promoted  2d 
Lieutenant  Co.  I,  in  three  years'  ser- 
vice, and  on  reorganization  was  promo- 
ted captain  Co.  B,  and  was  killed  March 
15,  1865. 

Below  is  a  roster  of  the  officers  and 
men  who  served  in  the  regiment.  Only 
those  whowent  from  Madison  county 
are  shown  in  this  list. 

Roster,  ^TUree      Montlis'     Ser^-ice.      Muster 
Roll,  Coiuiinuy    G. 

Captnlll. 
Benjamin  W.  Tucker,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 

First   Lieutenant. 
Gary  H.  H.  Davis,  must'd  out  July  25,  1861. 

Second  Lieutenant., 
Jared  P.  Ash,  mustered  out  July  25,  1S61. 

First  Sergeant. 
1  Samuel  B.  Bruce,  mnst'd  out  July  25,   1861. 

Sergeants. 
Absalom  T.  Ash,  must'd  out  July  25,1861. 
William  G.  Gallion,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 
William  L.  Ash,  must'd  out  July  26,  1861. 

Cor2Mrals. 
Samuel  Boyd,  must'd  out  July  25,  1861. 
Levi  Davis.  Jr.,  mustered  out  Jul}'  25.  1861. 
Benjamin  K.  Dorwart,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 
Edward  A.  Tucker,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 

Musicians. 
Peter  S.  Wolford,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 
Eugene  Lavenue,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 

Privates. 
Barber,  John,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 
Barnhart.  Richard,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 
Bailey,  George,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  '61. 
Bankeman,  Frederick,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 
Bassett,  Harlon,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 
Burmeistpr,  Henry,  must'd  out  July  2-5,  '61. 
Barnett,  Thomas,  nmstered  out  July  25,  '61. 
Barnett,  William  L.,  musi'd  out  July  25,  '61. 
Bolts,  Nathaniel  L.,  must'd  out  July  26,  '61. 
Baker,  Simeon  S  ,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 
Burns,  Archibald,  mustered  out  .July  2.5,  '61. 
Collin-!,  John  II.,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  '61. 
Cheni.weth,  John  B.,  must'd  out  Julv  25,  '61. 
Cull,  William  H.,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 
Campbell,  Ale.xander,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 
Christie,  William  P.,  must'd  out  July  2-5,  '61. 
Caldwell,  William,  mu.si'd  out  Jjily  25,  '61. 
Cronk,  Gilbert,  mu.st'd  out  July  25,  '61. 
Carter,  William  H  ,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 
Draper,  Frederick  R.,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 
Dimond,  Charles  W-,  must'd   out  July  2-5,  '61. 
Driscoll,  Thomas,  mustered  out  .July  25,  '61. 
Davis,  Frank,  mustered  out  July  25,  1S61. 
Dugan,  John,  mustered  out  .July  2.1,  1861. 
Dennis,  Allen,  mustered  out  July  25,  1861. 
Davis,  Benjamin,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON    COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


231 


Fletcher,  Newton,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61.     1 
Force,  William  S.,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 
Garrett,  William,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 
Hodge,  Alexander,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  '61. 
Hughes,  Peter,  must'd  out  .July  25,  18G1.  1 

Hughes,  John  P.,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 
Hawkins,  Royal  W.,  must'd  out  July  2-5,  '61. 
Huffman,  Washington,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 
Hover,  John,  disch.  for  disability,  M,\v  15, '61. 
Hays,  George  M.,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61.     | 
Hartwicb,  James  M.,  mnst'd  out  July  25,  '61.  i 
Harney,  David  M.,  must'd  out  July  25,  '01.      j 
Johnson.  George  E.,  must'd  out  July  2-5,  '61. 
Kulmas,  Benetlict,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 
Kendall,  Jesse  K.,  mu.st'd  out  July  2-5,  1861. 
King,  Charles,  must'd  out  July  25,  1861.  I 

Medley,  John,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 
Murphy,  .lo.seph,  mustered  out  July  2-5,  '61. 
Motley,  Thomas,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  1861. 
Mills,  John  W.,  mustered  out  July  25, 1861. 
Moses,  Hugh,  not  sworn  in. 
McDonald,  William  J.,  must'd  out  July  2.5,  '61. 
McNiel,  David,  mustered  out  July  25,  1861. 
McCormick,  Duncan,  not  sworn  in. 
Pulliam,  James,  mustered  out  July  25,  1861. 
Pembrook,  Wesley,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 
Pembrook,  Wm.  K.,  must'd  out  July  2-5,  '61. 
Kibelin,  John,  mustered  out  July  25,  1861. 
Rees,  Henry,  mustered  out  July  25,  1861. 
Rundell,  Samuel  P.,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 
Sweeney,  Thomas,  must'd  out  July  25,  1861. 
Sniiih.  Henry  C,  mustered  out  July  25,  1861. 
Scofield,  Richard,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 
Schwectner  Anton,  must'd  out  July  2.5,  1861. 
Scott,  Jacob  J.,  mustered  out  July  2-5,  1861. 
Spain,  Patrick,  mustered  out  .July  25,  1S61. 
Teer,  Joshua,  mustered  out  July  25,  1861- 
Thompson,  John,  mustered  out  July  2.>,  '61. 
Wood.-*,  Thomas  L.,  musl'd  out  July  2.5,  1861. 
AVebb,  John,  must'd  out  July  2.5,  1861. 
AVheelock,  John,  nuistered  out  July  2.5,  '61. 
Wright  John,  not  sworn  in. 

Muster  Roll,    Coiupauy  I. 

Oiptmn. 
Joseph   (5.   Robinson,   re-entered  three  years 
service. 

First  Lieutenant. 
Thomas  J.  Jfewsham,  reentered   three  years 
service. 

Second  Lietilennnl. 
Gotthold  Girnt,  re-entered  three  years'  service, 
10th  Illinois  Infantry. 

First  Sergennt. 
Edward  L.  Friday,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 

\Sergeants. 
James  D.  Cobine,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  'Gl. 
John  P.  Lusk,  mustered  out  July  25.  1861. 
George  Lingenfelter,  nmst'd  out  July  24,  '61. 

Corporals. 
John  H.  Gonterman,  must'd   out  July  25,  '61. 
Gustavus  O.  Austin,  must'd  out  .Jidy  2-5,  '61. 
Harmon  W.  Cassady,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 

Mtmcians. 
James  W.  Boyd,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  1861 . 
George  W.  Putnam,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 

Prifalc.% 
Allison,"Wm.,  mustered  out  July  2-5,  '61. 
Altman,  Wm.,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  '61. 
Asbton,  David  N.,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 
Barnsback,  Henry  C,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 
Bishop,  Pelor,  mustered  out  .July  25,  '61. 
Bailhache,  Morgan  H.,  must'd  out  .July  2.5,  '61 
Brendlc,  Simeon,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 
Bauer,  Frank,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  '61. 
Berleman,  Herman,  must  d  out  .July  2-5,  '61. 
Calvin,  James  B  ,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  '61. 
Charlick,  .John,  must'd  out  July  2.5,  '61. 
Comman,  Ferdinand  A.,  mus.  out  July  25,  '61, 
re-enlisted  three  vears. 


Crosby,  James  W.,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61, 
re  enlisted  three  years. 

Calvin,  Robert  W.,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 

Dinsmore,  Wm.  L.,  nmst'd  out  July  2-5,  '61. 

Davis,  George,  must'd  out  July  2-5,  'til. 

Dettmer,  Henry,  mustered  out  July  2-5,  '61.       i 

Deikman,  Ernst  A.,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61.     j 

East,  Thomas  W.,  nuistered  out  July  25,  '61. 

Feisler,  Henry,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61.  ' 

Foreman,  Wm.  A.,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  '61.    : 

Gates,  Joseph  C,  niUi^tered  out  July  2-5,  '61. 

Green,  Jeremiah  V.,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61.     i 

Gillespie,  Joseph  J.,  must'd  out  July  25,  1861, 
re-enlisted  three  years. 

Hanser,  Adolphus  H.,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 

Hohson,  John,  mnst'd  out  July  2,5,  '61. 

Hook,  Bernard,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 

Hamel,  Frederick  W.,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 

Haddly,  John  W.,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 

Hauter,  SamueJ^  mustered  out  July  2.5,  '61. 

Hauskins,  James  R.,  must'd  out  July  2-5,  '61. 

Jarvis,  Wm.  W.,  must'd  out  July  2-5,  '61,  re- 
enlisted  three  years. 

Ivelly,  Michael,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 

Kluge,  Augustus,  mustered  out  July  2-5,  1861, 
re-enlisted  three  years. 

Krebs,  John  V.,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 

Kaufman,  John,  mustered  out  July  2-5,  '61. 

Linderman,  Abraham,  must'd  out  July  25, '61. 

Lott,  Loui.s.  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 

Lemka,  Louis,  mustered  out  .July  2.5,  '61. 

Lauehly,  John  H  ,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 

Lening,  Frederick  W-,  musl'd  out  juiy  25,  '61. 

Lewis,  Francis  M.,  must  d  out  July  2-5,  '61. 

Likart,  John  (j.,  must'd  out  .Julv  25.  '61. 

McCalley,  Eli  A.,  nmst'd  out  July  2.5,  '61. 

Mcr)onald,  William  A.,  mus.  out  July  25,  '61. 

Moore,  George,  mustered  out  July  25,  1861, 
re-enlisted. 

Miller,  Henry,  must'd  out  July  2-5,  '61. 
I  Padon,  William,  mustered  out  July  25,  1861, 
re-enlisted. 

Phildins,  Adolph,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 

Roherkaste,  Ernst  G.,  mu.»t  d  out  .Juh'  2.5, '61. 

Reid,  Christian,  must'd  out  July  2.5,  '61. 

Runge,  Theodore,  uuist'd  out  .July  2.5,  '61. 

.Stinclicomb,  Noah  W.,  mus  out  July  2-5,  '61. 

Scheer,  Joseph,  must'd  out  .July  25,  '61. 

.Smith,  Samuel  F.,  mus-t'd  out  July  25,  '61. 

Schuckmau,  .\ndrew,  must'd  out   July  2.5, '61. 

Sharp,  .Abraham,  musl'd  out  July  2-5,  '61. 

Sauer,  Henry,  must'd  out  .July  2.5,  '61. 

Thompson,  William,  must'd  out  July  2.5,  '61. 

'  Tucker,  Amos,  mu.st  d  out  July  2-5,  '61. 

Wilson.  Tyler,  must'd  out  .July  2-5,  '61. 

West,  John  A.,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 

Woodberry,   George,   mustered   out  July  25, 

I  1861,  re-enlisted. 

I  9Iiister  Roll,  rotnpany  K. 

[  Captain. 

.John  H.  Kuhn,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  1861, 
re-entered  service. 

First  Lieutenant. 
Shutterer,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  '61. 
I  Second  Lieutenant. 

Emil  .\dam,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61,  re-en- 
tered service. 

Firft  Sergeant. 
Fritz  Iloeirert,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 

Sergeants. 
George  Mohr,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 
Jacob  E|)penberger,  must'd  out  July  2-5,  '61. 
Sebastian  Handt,  must'd  out  July  2-5,  '61. 
Joseph  Diete.schy,  mustered  out  July  2-5,  '61. 
William  Schell,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  '61. 
Frederick  Oberbeck,  nmst'd  out  jidy  2.5,  '61. 
Ernst  J.  Weihrich,  mu.st'd  out  July  25,  '61. 

Musicians. 
Henry  Hill,  mustered  out  .July  2-5,  '61. 
John  Linsig,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 


Privates. 
Bremenkamp,  Fred.,  must'd  out  July  25,  '61. 
Buly,  Peter,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 
Brenner,  Henry  ,  mustered  out  .July  25,  '61. 
Betz,  Charles,  mustered  out  J;:ly  25,  '61. 
Bauer,  John,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 
Bachman,  Charles,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  '61. 
Braun,  Joseph,  mustered  out  July  25,' '61. 
Barnes,  Heinrich,  mustered  out  .July  25,  '61. 
Bunse,  William,  mustered  out  .July  25,  '61. 
Berner,  Louis,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 
Castens,  John,  mustered  out  .luly  25,  '61. 
Davis,  .John,  mustered  out  .July  2-i,  '61. 
Dick,  Abraham,  mustered  out  July  25.  '61. 
Faulhaber,  Adam,  mustered  out  July  25, '61. 
Faulstiek,  Henry,  mustered  out  .July  25,  '61. 
Gottlob,  Theodore,  mustered  out  July  2-5,  '61. 
i  Guelich,  Emil,  mustered  out  |July  25,  '61  ;  re- 
entered service  Pro.  Surgeon. 
Geschky,  Baldwin,  mustered  out  July  2-5,  '61. 
Goldbart,  John,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  '61. 
Gudermann,  Frank,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 
Gubrich,  Charles,  mustered  out  July  2-5,  '61. 
1  Hartman,  John,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 

Hutler,  Carl,  mustered  out  July  2-5,  '61. 

Haster,  Bernhard,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 

Horn,  Heinrich,  mustered  out  July  2-5,  '61. 
I  Harris,  Charles,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  '61. 

Hitz,  I-iudolph,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  '61. 
j  Joestmg,  Henry,  nuistered  out  July  25,  '61. 
I  .Joerger,  Albert,  niu.stered  out  July  2.5,  '01. 
]  .Jiisti.  Andreas,  mu.-;tered  out  .July  2.5,  '61. 

Jahncke,  Heinrich,  mustered  out  .July  25,  '61. 
'  Korn,  Gustave,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61 ;  re- 
j  entered  service  Pro.  Q.  M. 

Linsig,  Gottlieb,  mustered  out  .July  25,  '61. 
.  Lebherz,  Theodore,  mustered  out  .July  2.5,  '61. 
^  Morgenstern,  Wilhelni,  mus.  out  July  25,  '61. 

Mueller,  Charles,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  '61. 

Meller,  John,  mustered  out  July  2.'),  '61. 

Nistler,  Robert,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  '61. 

Ott,  Andre.T-s,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  '61. 

Redell,  George,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 

Ruhland,  George,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  '61. 

Radt,  Friederich,  mustered  out  .July  25,  '61. 

Rose,  Christian,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  '(51. 

Schild,  August,  mustered  out  July  25, '61. 

Schrub,  Paul,  mustered  out  July  2-5,  '61. 

Seibert,  John,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 

Selfried,  Alexander,  nuistered  out.July  2.5, '61. 

Salsmann,  John,  mustered  out  .July  25,  '61. 

Schneeberg.  Adolph,  must'd  out  July  2-5,  '61. 

Schopped,  Peter,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 
'  Spies,  Meinard,  mustered  out  July  2-5,  '61. 
I  Schneider,  Martin,  mustered  out  .July  25,  '61. 

Schaffer,  George,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 

Stoer,  Adam,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  '61. 

Sosal,  August,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 

Schoppel,  John,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  'Gl. 

Unze,  Ferdinand,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  '61. 

Vener,  Henry,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  '(31. 

Wendle,  Jacob,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 

Wuchier,  .I(jbn,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 

Weishaar,  George,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 

Weis,  Martin,  mustered  out  .July  25,  '61. 
j  Young,  John,  mustered  out  July  2.5,  '61. 

Zeigler,  Martin,  mustered  out  July  25,  '61. 

Kosttr— Tlire«-|Years'  Senlce. 
I  Staff. 

j  Major. 

John  IL  Kuhn,  term  ex.  Aug.  20,  1864. 

I  AJjutanU. 

Thomas  J.  Newsham,  pro.  to  General  Paine' s 
I  stafl". 

Henry  H.  Klock,  terra  ex.  .lug.  20,  1864. 

Quartermasters. 
Wm.  G.  Pinckard,  pro.  to  capt.  andass't  (jrmr., 

killed  in  Va.,  Feb.  14,  1864. 
Gustav.  Korn,  died  Miiy  6,  1863. 

Surgeon. 
Emil  Guelich,  term  ex.  Aug.  20,  1864. 


232 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Itou-Comiutssloiied  Staff. 

Commissary-Sergeant. 
Ebeii.  11.  Burgess,  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  1S64. 

Mnstrr  Run,  Company  A. 

Oti>tum. 
Emil.  Adam,  term  ex.  Aug.  20,  1804. 

First  Lieiilenant. 
Ernest  J.  Weyrick,  resigned  Dec.  24,  18G1.       '< 

Second  Lieutenant. 
Theodore  Gotlob,  terra  ex.  Aug.  20,  1SG4. 

SerycaiU. 
Frederick  Oberbick,  must'd  out  Aug.  20  '64. 

Corporals. 
Anton  Hund,  must,  out  Aug.  20,  '64,  as  serg't. 
John  Goldbart,  M.  O.  Aug.  20,  '64,  as  sergt. 
Peter  Shoppat,  killed  at  Shiloh,  April  6,  1862. 
Adara  Stachr,  died  March  26,  1862. 
Henry  Vettar. 

Anton  Schwertner,  mus.  out  Aug.  20,  1864,  as 

sergeant.  I 

Joseph  Baun,  killed,  Shiloh,  April  6,  1862.      ! 

JliLsician. 
Henry  Hill,  must'd  out  Aug.  20, 1864. 

Privates. 
Bauer,  Henry,  mu.st'd  out  Aug.  20,  1SG4. 
Bremenkamp,  Fred. 
Burmeister.  Henry. 

Brenner,  Henry,  vet.,  M.  0.  July  9,  1865. 
Berger,  John,  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  1864. 
Bunze,  "tt'm.,  pris.  war,  M.  O.  April  22,  1865. 
Bauer.  John. 

Dammeier,  Christian,  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  '64. 
Erank,  Nicholas. 
Fisher,  Andreas. 

Gilrieh,  Clis.,  killed,  Sliiloh,  April  6,  1862. 
Haber,  .Jacob,  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  1S64. 
Hall,  William. 

Hertweek,  Michl,  tr.  to  Y.  R.  C,  Mar.  29,  '64. 
Harlcr.  Bernhard,  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  1804. 
Horn,  Henry,  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  1864. 
Janke,  Henry,  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  1864. 
Koch,  Fried.,  vet.,  must  d  out  July  9,  1865. 
Korlkamp,  William. 
Linsig,  Gottlieb,  died  Nov.  5,  '62,  at  St.  Louis, 

Mo. 
Luehr,  James  H. 

Miller,  Chas  ,  discharged  Oct.  '62,  wounds. 
Mangels,  Peter,  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  1864. 
Miller,  Henry,  vet.,  M.  O.  July  8,  '05,  as  sergt. 
Ott,  Andreas;  M.  O.Aug.  20,  1804. 
Schoppet,  John,  M.  O.  Aug.  20,  1864. 
Schafer,  George,  M.  O,  Aug.  20,  1804. 
Schuh,  Paul,  M.  O.  Aug.  20,  1864. 
Schartr,  Ephraim,  disch'd  Julv  21,  '62,  dis'ty. 
Schmid,  Christian,  tr.  Jan.  14,  '64  by  G.  O.  21, 

A.  G.  O. 
Wehril,  Jacob,  M.  O.  Aug.  20,  1864. 
"Wei-s,  Martin,  M.  O.  Aug.  20,  1864. 
AVeller,  George,  M.  O.  Aug.  20,  1864. 

Hccruits. 

Brakebush,  Henry,  tr.  to  Co.  D,  as  consolid'd, 

must'd  out  July  !',  '65. 
Bullion,  John,  tran.  to  Co.  D,  as  consolidated, 

must'd  out  July  !•,  '05. 
He.'s,  John,  tr.  to  (,'o.  D,  as  conso'd,  mastered 

out  July  9,  1865. 
Jargener,  August,  tr.  to  Co.  D,  as  cons.,  must'd 

out  July  9,  1805. 
Meyer,  .Jacob,  died  Aug.  29,  '02,  at  Corinth. 
Quast,  John  M. 
Kose,  Christian,  vet.,  must'd  out  July  9,  1865, 

as  sergeant. 
Sosal,  August,  mustered  out  Aug.  20,  '64. 
Tboma,  Stephen,  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  '64. 
Weber,  Benedict,  must'd  out  July  9,  '65. 


ItCiuter  Roll,  Company  B. 

Privates. 
Gantner.  Jo.seph. 
Schab,  John,  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  1864. 

Eecrtiit. 
Hofmeister,  John  Peter,  musl.  out  Aug.  20,  '64. 

Jlluster  Roll  Company  C. 

Sergeant. 
John  M.  Sallzman,  tr.  to  Co.  H,  June  11,  '62, 
vet.  prb  chief  bugler  of  9ih,  as  consolid'd, 
mustered  out  July  9, '05. 

Recruit. 
Mewhouse,   Aug.,   tr.  to  Co.  F,  as  consol'ted, 
mustered  out  July  9,  'o5. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  D. 

Privates. 
Schulze,  Frederick,  killed  Shiloh,  April  6, '62. 
Schulze,  Henry,  tr.  'o  Co.  F,  as  con.,  pris.  war, 
mustered  out  April  14,  1805. 

Muster  R»11,  Company   F. 

Privates. 
Ashton,   David  X.,  killed  at  Fort  Donelson, 

Feb.  15,  1862. 
Barnett,  Thos.,  mustered  out  Aug.  20,  1864. 
Bassett,  Harlow. 

Collins,  John,  mustered  out  Aug.  20,  1864. 
Charlick,  Jolm,  killed  Shiloh,  April  6,  '62. 
Chenoworlh,  John  B.,  died  June  5,  '62,  w'ds. 
Ellison,  Thomas. 
Hadlev,  Ja.s  N.  W.,  pro.  1st  Lieut.  1st  Tenn. 

Art,,  .lug.  13,  1803. 
Hughe.s,  James,  died  Jan.  13,  1863. 
Lynch,  Nathan,  mustered  out  Aug.  20, 1864. 
Lauchlv,  Jolm  H.,  pro.  2d  Lieut.  Ala.  C.  T., 

Feb.  11,  1864. 
Miller,  John  W.,  mustered  out  Aug.  20,  1864. 
Teear,  Josh.  G.,  killed  Shiloh,  April  6,  '62. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  I. 

Captains. 
Jos  G.  Robinson,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C,  Nov.  16,  '63. 
Sam'l  T.  Hughes,  pro.  Lt.  Col.  as  consol.,  M.O. 
July  9, 1865. 

First   Lieutenants. 
Wm.  H.  Purviance,  hon'ably  disch'd  Aug.  16, 

1802.  on  acc't  wounds  received. 
Wm.  Padon,  pio.  Major,  as  ccnsol ,  mustered 

out  July  9,  1865. 

Seeond  Lieutenants. 
George  Woodberry,  pro.  Capt.  Co.  B,  as  cons., 

killed  March  11,  1865. 
James  W.  Crosby,  M.  O.  as  1st  sergeant,  Co.  B, 

cons'd,  July  9,  1865. 

Sergeants. 
William  AV.  Jarvis,  M.  O.  Aug,  20,  1864. 
Wm.  H.  Dunnegan,  M.  O.  Aug.  20,  1864. 

Coi'porals. 

George  Stice  tr.  to  Co.  B  as  consol'dt  pris.  war 
m.  o.  Feb.  2,  186,5,  as  corpoial. 

Manroc  A.  Comman. 

Robt.  R.  Swain,  tr.  to  Co.  B.  as  con.sol'dt ;  m.  o. 
Dec.  IS,  1864. 

John  G.  Irwin,  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  1864. 

Thomas  Pete,  mu.st'd  out  Aug.  20,  1864. 

Alfred  T.  Stanton,  must'd   out  Aag.  20,  1864. 

Ferdinand  A.  Conmian,  killed  at  Moulton, 
March  21,  1804. 

James  B.  Thomas,   must'd  out  Aug.  20,  1804. 

Privates. 
Baird,  John 

Baird,  William,  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  1804. 
Breyfogle,  Daniel  G.,  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  '64. 
Barbel,  Norman  C,  disch'd  on  act.  of  wounds. 
Ballard,  James  G.,  disch'd  on  act.  of  wounds. 


Bass,  John  killed  at  Shiloh,  April  6,  1862. 
Bebrndt,  Charles  F.,  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  '64. 
Burgbe.s,  Zachariah  died  April  3,  '63;  won'ds. 
Borden,  Aaron  C,  must'd  out  .\ug.  20,  '04. 
Boes,  Anthonv  killed  in  an  affray  July  4,  '04. 
Cowell,  Charles,  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  1864. 
Crews,  Jo.sephus 

Collins,  JamesG.,  disch'd'April4, '62;  disiibly, 
Clark,  George  W.,  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  1804. 
Cuppinall,  George  W,  pris.   war ;  must'd  out 

Sept.  3,  1864. 
D.ividsion,  Samuel  E.,  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  '64. 
Dayton,  Chas.  E.,  disch'd  Aug.  10,  '62  wounds. 
Dunnagan,  Joshua  S.,  died  Oct.  20,  1861. 
Elliott,  John,  tr.  to   Co.  B   as   consolidated ; 

mu.st'd  out  Sept.  11,  1864. 
Fuller,  Heaston  disch'd  July  16, 1861 ;  won'ds. 
Graham,  John  died 

Gillham,  Thos.  C,  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  1804. 
Gillespie,   Joseph   J.,   disch'd   June  4,  1802 ; 

disability. 
Hawley,  John  died  March  1802. 
Hays,  Oliver,  vet.,  deserted  July  11,  1864. 
Hammock,  Andrew   J.,  disch'd  Oct.   8,  1862  ; 

disability. 
Hanratty,  James  disch'd  .July  29,  '62 ;  won'ds. 
Helms,  William  S.,  di.sch'd  on  act.  wounds. 
Harker,  Hiram  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  1864. 
Holcomb,  Mahlon  D.,  m.  o.  Sept.  11,  1864. 
Hauskius,  'J'homas  L. 
Irwin,  Samuel  mustered  out  Aug.  20, 1864. 
Jaka,  John  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  1864. 
Jarvis,  Sidney  B.,  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  1864. 
Johnson,  James  N.,    killed   at  Ft.  Donelson, 

February  15,  1862. 
Johnson,  David  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  1864. 
Kluge.  .August  killed,  Ft.  Donelson,  Feb.  15, 

1862. 
Kegon,  Edward' died  April   15, '62;  wounds. 
Kyle,  David  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  1864. 
Kindler,  George  W.,   killed  at  Ft.  Donelson 

Feb.  15,  1862. 
Lohmver,  Charles  killed  at  Ft.  Donelson,  Feb. 

lo,  1862. 
Lent,  George  disch'd  Oct.  15,  '62;  wounds. 
Lawson,  George  disch'd  on  account  of  wounds. 
''.  Lang,  James  pris.  war,  must'd  out  Feb.ll,  '65. 
Lane,  Dennis  killed  at  Ft.  Donelson,  Feb.  15, 

'02. 
Lewis,  .James  must'd  out  .4ug.  20,  1804. 
Lewis,  Charles  C,  m.  o.  Aug.  20,  1804. 
Lawrence,  John  N. 
Livingston,   Alonzo,  killed   at  Ft.  Donelson, 

Feb.  1.5,  '02. 
Mills,  Albert  G  ,  died  April  27,  '62  ;  wounds. 
McKinley,  George  S.  died  Aug.  18,  '62. 
MoMahan,  Hugh  killed  at  Ft.  Donelson,  Feb. 

15,  '02. 
McKinnev  John   K.,   killed  at  Ft.  Donelson, 

Feb.  "1,5,  1862. 
Morthead, Samuel  disch'd  Oct.  14, '61 ;  won'ds. 
McDtrmiit,    Charles  killed   at  Ft.  Donelson, 

Feb.  15,  '02. 
Mitchell  James 

Moore,  George  W.  died  Feb.  15.  '02;  wounds. 
Parker,  Wm.,  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  '64. 
Prentice,  John  E.,  disch'd  Nov.  4,|62  ;  disab'ty. 
Ration,   Charles,   missing   in   action  at   Mud 

Creek,  Miss.,  June  20,  '03. 
Pearl,  Lawford  disch'd   Jan.  I,'e2;  disability 
Reid,  Nicholas 

Readman,  Charles  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  '64. 
Reid,  Charles  Samuel  m.  o.  Sept.  17,  '64. 
Riggin,   William  H.,  must'd  out  Sept.  17,  '64. 
Robertson,  Thomas  R.,  died  Oct.  20,  '61. 
Swartz,  Fred,   killed   at    Shiloh  April  6,  '62. 
Sander.s,  Henry  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  '04. 
Stei)henson.  Joseph  P.,  killed  at  Ft.  Donelson 

Feb.  15,  '62. 
Stallnian,  Frederick,  must'd  out  Aug.    20,  04. 
Stringer,  Joseph  E. 
Smith,  Jacob,  died  Nov.  7,  '01. 
Turner,  .James  D..  must'd  out  20,  '04. 
Vanhooser,  John  R.,  must'd  out  Aug.  20,  '04. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


233 


■\Vebster,  Olander  T.,  diel  Dsc.  15.   1861.  I 

AVilson,  Wiu.  T.,  di-icliM  Aug.  21,  '62  ;  wo'Hs. 
Williams  David,  killed  at  Ft.   DoneUon  Ftb. 

15,  W>-1. 
Willis,  George — deserted. 
WUscn,  Jolin.  killeJ  at  Fort  Donelson 
Wormever,  Henry,  inust'd  out  Aug.  20,  '64. 

EccniiU. 

Bohannon,  James  M.,  tr.  to  Co.  B,  as  consol'dt 

must'd  out  July  9,  '65. 
Corman,  Horatio,  disch'd,  as  serg't  May  28, 

■65.  I 

Cox,  William  T.,  must'd  out  July  9,  1865.         i 
Fowler,  .James,  mus'd  out  July  9,  1865. 
Johnson.  Sidney  L. 
Padon,  James,  mis-sing   in   action   at  Alliens, 

Ala.,  January  26,  1864.  j 

Padon,  Ju''son,  died  Jan,  24,  1864. 
Seybold,  Samuel,  disch'd  as  serg't  May  2S, '65. 
Zanders',  Fred  W.,  disch'd  as  serg't  May  28,  '65. 

^riiitli  Infantry  iRrorgnulzed,!— Muster  Roll, 
Company  B. 

Secruits  subsequent  io  reorganization. 

Barnett,  Jesse,  must,  out  July  9,  '65. 
Brodv,  Peter,  miisl'd  out  July  9,  '65. 
Cussv,  Roger  W.,   must'd  out  .July  9,  1865. 
Douohoe.  William  T.,  niusl'd  out  July  9,  '65. 
Henrv,  August,  must'd  out  July  9,  1865. 
Holmes,  James,  abstnt.sick  at  ui.  o.  of  reg't. 
Morgine,  Martin,  must'd  out  July  9,  '65. 
Morris,  John,  mu.-t'd  out  July  9,  1865. 
Olderson,    William,   must'd  out  July  9,  1865. 
Kigsin,  Jackson,  must'd  out  July  9,  1865. 
Tompkins,  Richard  must'd  out  July    9,  1865. 
Vingard.  Philip  J,  must'd  out   July   9,  1865. 
Voliringer,  George,   must'd  out   July  9,  1805. 
Whitney,  Chas.  B.,  must'd  out  July  9,  1865. 

Unassigncd  liceruilg. 

Harrison,  David,  disch'd  July  1,  1864. 
Kyan,  Daniel. 

Tentll  Infantry,— Tliree  j-cars'  service. 

'Was  organized  and  mustered  into  the 
United  States  service  at  Cairo,  Illinois, 
Apiil  2rth,  1861,  by  Capt.  Pope.  "Was 
composed  of  seven  companies  of  infant- 
ry and  three  of  artillerj'.  This  organ- 
ization was  for  three  months'  service, 
but  at  the  expiration  of  the  time  of  en- 
listment, the  regiment  re-enlisted,  and 
was  again  mustered  into  the  service  for 
three  years,  at  Cairo,  July  29th,  1861. 
At  this  time  the  companies  of  artillery, 
were  transferred  to  the  First  and  Second 
artillery  regiments,  and  the  Tenth  was 
made  complete  with  infantry.  Compa- 
nies D  and  K,  which  aided  in  filling  up 
this  vacancy,  were  mainly  recruited  from 
Madison  county.  It  remained  at  Cairo 
and  Bird's  Point  during  the  winter,  and 
in  January,  1862,  took  part  in  the 
movement  made  by  Gen.  Grant  to  the 
rear  of  Columbus.  Scattered  Jeff.  Thomp- 
son's guerrillas,  aided  by  the  Seventh  Ca- 
valry, March  1st,  at  Skyestown,Mo.,ta- 
kingseveral  prisoners  and  twoguns.  Dur- 
ing the  month  joined  Gen.  Pope's  army  at 
30 


New  Madrid.  Advanced  on  New  Madrid 

on  the  night  of  the  12th  inst.,  driving  in 
the  enemy's  pickets, at  right  shouldershift 
arms,  without  returning  a  shot ;  threw  up 
breast-works  before  morning,  plantiug 
four  guns,  under  fire  from  Forts  Thomp- 
son and  Pillow,  and  five  gun-boats. 
Loss  one  captain  and  two  privates  kill- 
ed. Crossed  the  river  below  New  Mad- 
rid on  the  night  of  April  7th,  and  inter- 
cepted the  retreating  forces  from  Island 
No.  10,  compelling  the  surrender  of 
Gen.  Mackall,  atTiptonville,  with  2,500 
men,  besides  securing  a  large  amount  of 
artillery  and  small  arms.  This  grand 
movement  resulted  in  the  capture  of 
6,000  prisoners. 

At  Fort  Pillow  April  loth,  returned, 
and  landed  at  Hamburg  on  the  24th ; 
took  part  in  all  the  contests  of  Gen. 
Pope's  army  in  moving  on  Corinth ; 
under  fire  at  Corinth,  May  3d  and  Sth  ; 
was  in  the  advance  in  all  the  movements 
which  resulted  in  the  capture  of  Corinth. 
During  the  months  of  June  and  July 
the  regiment  lay  at  Big  Spring.  Ar- 
rived at  Nashville  12th  of  September, 
where  it  remained  during  the  blockade. 
Ass'gned  to  the  Army  of  the  Cumber- 
land and  remained  in  Nashville  until 
July,  1863,  and  was  then  placed  in 
Smith's  Brigade,  Morgan's  Division, 
Granger's  Reserve  Corps.  Reached  Se- 
quatchie "Valley,  Oct.  1st,  and  with  the 
assistance  of  McCook's  Cavalry  Divi- 
sion, drove  Wheeler's  Cavalry  from  the 
valley.  Nov.  24th,  crossed  the  Tenn- 1 
essee  river  on  pontoons,  supporting  Gen. 
Sherman's  attack  on  the  left  of  Mission 
Ridge.  On  the  26th,  captured  20  of 
the  rear  guard  of  Hardee's  retreating 
column  at  Chickamauga  Station  ;  fol- 
lowed the  retreating  army  as  far  as 
Ringgold;  thence  moved  to  near  Knox- 
ville,  and  subsequently  to  Columbus  on 
the  Hiawa.ssie  river.  Removed  to  Chat- 
tanooga, and  went  into  winter  quarters 
in  the  rear  of  Rossville,  Georgia. 

January  1st,  1864,  the  regiment  re-en- 
listed as  veterans.  394  men  started  for 
home  the  11th  of  January,  1864.  It  re- 
turned to  the  field  again,  February  fol- 
lowing, commanded  by  Col.  John  Till- 
son.  April  1st  left  Rossville,  Georgia, 
and  on  the  3d  met  the  enemy  at  King- 
ston, where  General  Phillip  Sheridan 
was  wounded.  From  this  time  forth  it 
was  under  constant  fire  in  the  Atlanta 


campaign.  Its  next  engagement  was  at 
Jonesboro,  Georgia,  in  September,  1864, 
where  it  did  good  service. 

From  January  9th  to  13th,  1865^ 
the  regiment  lay  at  Beaufort,  South 
Carolina,  when  it  moved  with  Mower's 
First  Division  to  Pocotaligo,  on  the 
Charleston  and  Savannah  railroad. 
On  the  20th  and  26th  attempted  to 
cross  the  Salkahatchie  river,  but  failed 
on  account  of  high-water,  and  was 
obliged  to  remain  until  the  30th,  whea 
it  moved  up  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
river,  and  effected  a  crossing  at  River's 
Bridge  on  the  3d  of  February,  with  a 
loss  of  forty  men.  The  Third  Brigade, 
to  which  this  regiment  was  attached,  was 
in  the  advance  and  lost  about  125  men. 
The  crossing  was  difficult,  and  obsti- 
nately contested ;  the  swamp  a  mile 
wide,  and  with  many  streams  to  cross ; 
the  water  ice-cold,  and  from  one  to  five 
feet  deep ;  and  here  the  troops  floun- 
dered from  seven  in  the  morning  until 
dark.  General  Howard,  who  was  pre- 
sent, pronounced  it  "  the  best  thing  of 
the  war."  On  the  9th  of  February 
crossed  South  Edisto,  at  Bickner's 
bridge,  throwing  over  a  pontoon  in  the 
face  of  the  enemy  ;  wading,  after  dark, 
over  one-third  of  a  mile  through  the 
"  lake,"  took  possession  of  the  enemy  in 
the  flank,  drove  them  from  their  en- 
trenchments, and  captured  several  pris- 
oners and  one  caisson.  Passed  with  the 
army  to  Columbia,  Winnsboro  and  Che- 
raw,  skirmishing,  and  destroying  rail- 
road, thence  to  Fayetteville  on  the  11th 
of  March.  Here  the  regiment  was  de- 
tached to  lay  a  pontoon  over  Cape  Fear 
river,  which  was  effected  ;  made  a  forced 
night's  march,  and  took  part  in  the  battle 
at  Bentonville  on  the  20th  and  21st. 
This  was  its  last  battle,  the  regiment 
sustaining  a  loss  of  sixty  men.  The 
enemy  evacuated  during  the  night.  The 
next  day  the  Tenth  moved  to  Golds- 
boro,  thence  to  Raleigh.  After  Johnson's 
surrender  moved  to  Richmond,  and  sub- 
sequently to  Washington,  where  it  par- 
ticipated in  the  Grand  Review.  On  the 
4th  of  June  proceeded  to  Louisville,  Ky. 
Mustered  out  of  the  service  July  4th, 
1865,  and  received  final  discharge  and 
pay  at  Chicago  July  11th,  1865. 

Roster. 

Adjutant. 
James^W-  Allen,  mus.  out  July  4,  1865.  , 


234 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


Nou-commlssloued  Staff. 

Hospital  Steward. 
John  Hobson,  disch,  Oct.  25,  1864;  wounds. 

Principal  Musicians. 
"William  H.  Catts,  must'd  out  July  4,  1S65. 
James  M.  Boyd,  must'd  out  July  4,  1865. 

Muster  Roll  Company  D. 

Capta  ins. 
Samuel  T.  Mason,  term  expired  Sept.  23,  1864. 
Archibald  Burns,  mus.  out  July  4,  1865, 

First  Lieutenants. 
Henry  M.  Scarritt,  resigned  Dec.  11,  1863. 
Peter  Huglies,  mus.  out  July  4,  1865. 

Second  Lieutenants. 
■William  Gallion,  dismissed  June  18,  1863. 
"VVilliam  F.  Howard,  mus.  out  June  4,  1865. 

Sergeants. 
Robert  W.  Calvin,  vet.,  mus.  out  July  4, 1865. 
"Wm.  M.  Smith,  disch.  Nov.  4,  1862;  dis'blly. 

Corporal. 
Sanmcl  E.  Smith,  vet.,  must'd  out  July  4, 186-5, 
as  sergeant. 

Privates. 
Ash,  Wm.  X.,  vet.,  mus.  out  July  15,  1S65. 
Bachelor,  Wm.,  vet.,  must't  out  July  15,  1865. 
Bottoms,   Archibald   G.,   vet.,  mus.  out  July 

15,  1865. 
Brown,  Andrew  F.,  died  Nov.  25,  1861. 
Beck,  John,  vet.,  mus.  out  July  4,  1865. 
Baldwin,  Rolin   E.,  vet.,  tr.  to  Yet.  Engineer 
Eegt.  Armvof  the  Cumbld,  July  16,  1864. 
Bassnett,  Robert,  disch.  Dec.  4,  1862,  to  enlist 

in  4th  U.  S.  Cavalry. 
Bonnell,  William  A.,  vet.,  sick  at  Washington 

since  June  1,  1865. 
Belcher,  Joseph  H.,  vet.,  mus.  out  July  4, 1865. 
Bivens.  Henry,  vet.,  killed  at  Bentonville,  N. 

C,  March  21,  1865. 
Birmingham,  Edward,  vet.,  mus.  out  July  4, 

1865. 
Brown,  Frank,  disch.  Sept.  20, 1862  :  disabl'ty. 
Clifford,  David  A.  J.,  died  Dec.  25,  1861. 
Clark,  Wm.  M.,  disch.  Dec.  22,  1862 ;  disb'lty. 
Croockeston,  Joseph,  vet.  sergt ,  mus.  out  Sept. 

30,  1864. 
Cousley,  Wm.  P.,  vet.,  mus.  out  July  4,  1865, 

as  l.«t  sergeant. 
Clough,  Henry,  vet.,  mus  out  July  4,  1865,  as 

corporal. 
Dickerson,  Ralph,  disch.  Mar.  9,  '65 ;  disbl'ty 
Dugan,  John,  mus.  out  Augu.st  14,  1S64. 
Huglie.^,  William,  died  November  26,  1861.      1 
Hughes,  George,  disch.  Mar.  9,  1862;  disblty.  j 
Il'-finer,  John  H.,  vet.,  mus.  out  July  4,  1865.  | 
Hall,  Charles,  disch.  Feb.  6,  1862;  disability,  i 
Kear,  Archibald  N.,  mus.  out  August  14, 1864.  | 
Lampher,  George,  vet.,  absent  without  leave  I 
July  1,  1864.  1 

Lent,  Philip  S.,  vet.,  killed  at  River  Brides, 

S.  C,  Feb.  3,  1865. 
McNeal,  Thomas. 
McClain,  John. 
McLaughlin,  Mark,  vet.,  mus.  out  July  4, 1865. 

a.s  corporiil. 
Meyers,  John  C,  vet.,  died  May  15,  1864. 
Moore,  Cornelius,  died  March  18,  1862. 
Patterson,  John,  accidentally  killed,  July  25, 

1862. 
Peters,  John,  vet.,  mus.  out  July  4,  1865 
Richards,   Charles,   vet.,   killed    at   Kenesaw 

Mountain,  June  27,  1864. 
Reed,  Sylve,ster  A.,  disch.  Feb.  21,  '62 ;  disb'lty. 
Squire,  Wm.  F.,  vet.,  mus.  out  July  4,  1865. 
Smith,  John  G.,  mustered  out  Oct.  23,  1863 ; 

disb'lty. 
Smith,  William,  vet.,  mus.  out  July  4,  1865. 
Smith,  John,  vet.,  must'd  out  July  4,  1865. 


Sawyer,  Geo.  N.,  vet.,  mus.  out  July  4, 1865, 
as  corporal.  .   ,c,r.n 

Stoddard,  Alexander,  mus.  out  July  4,  ISbO, 
as  sergeant. 

Stafford,  Wilborn,  vet.,  mus.  out^  July  4,  186. 

St.  Andrus,  ''■  ' 

Thumi 


Sergtant. 
Gustavus  O.  Austin,  disch'd   July   14,  1862, 
disabled. 

Corporals. 


I  disabilitv. 

!  Benjamin   F.  Kimball,   vet.,  killed  Aug.  10, 
near  Atlanta,  Ga. 


Tucker, 

Thompson,  John,  mus.  out  Aug.  14,  1864._ 
AVallace,  John,  vet.,  mus.  out  July  4,  I860. 
Walts,  Rodger,  vet.,  mus.  out  July  4,  1865. 
Warren,  Nicholas,  vet,,  wounded  and  sent  to 

hospital  May  28,  1864.  Anderson,  Oliver,  vet.,  must'd  out  July  4,  1865. 

Watson,  John,  vet.,  mus.  out  July  4,  1865,  as    j^rnold,  William,  vet.  must'd  out  July  4,  1865. 


Privates. 


corporal 

Pecruits. 
Allen,  Joseph,  died,  March  21, 1865;  wounds 
Burns,  McClennan,  mus.  out  July  4,  1865. 
Boyd,  Franklin,  mus.  out  July  4,  1865.  _ 
Blessinger,  Louis,  must,  out  July  4,  1865._ 
Calvy,  Dennis,  vet.,  mus.  out  July  4,  1865. 
Clark,  William  M.,  mus.  out  July  4,  1865. 


Burroughs,  Thomas,  must'd  out  Aug.  31, 1864 
Bizer,  Jacob,  must'd  out  Julv  4,  1865,  as  sergt. 
i  Brown,  James  B.,  died  Oct.  31,  1862,  Nash- 
'  ville,  Tenn. 

j  Baker,  John,  must'd  out  Aug.  31,  1864. 
Campbell,  Asbury,  died  May  10,  1862,  w'nds. 
Cassadav,  Wm.  A.,  must'd  out  ,\ug.  31,  1864. 
Craig,  Benj.  F.,  vet.  must'd  out  July  4,  1865. 
Clark,  William  -M.,  mus.  out  juiy  1,  louu.  pj^^  Alvin,  disch'd  Feb.  18,  1862. 

Ellis,  Joseph,  disch.  April-  24,  1865  ;  disb'lty.  1  Eubanks,  John,  vet.,  must'd  out  July  4,  1865. 
English,  Solomon,  killed  at  Atlanta,  Ga.,  Aug.    pahnestock,  George,  vet.,  must'd  out   July  4, 

12,  1864.  1865,  as  sergeant. 

Free,  Isaac,  mus.  out  July  4,  1865.  |  Green.  Austin  O.,  must'd  out  Aug.  31,  1864. 

Griffin,  James,  vet.,  mus.'out  July  4,  1865.        \  n^^s.  Henrv,  vet.,  must'd  out  July  4,  1865. 
j  Hoxev,  Garrett,  wounded;    sent  to  hospital  ]  Jordan,  Michael,  vet.,  must'd  out  July  4, 1865. 

March  21,  1865.  _  '  Jones,  Edward,  must'd  out  Aug.  31,  1864. 

1  Hughes,  Thomas,  mus.  out  July  4,  1865.  Klone,  George,  must'd  out  Aug.  31,  1864. 

I  Hyndman,  William,  mus.  out  July  4,1865.  j  ^elly,  Michael,  vet.,  must'd  out  July  4,  1865. 
Jenkins,  David,  mus.  out  July  4,  ls65.  ;  Kerr",  George. 

Jarman,  William,  mus.  out  July  4,  1865.  _  Lewis,  Wm.  H.,  vet.,  must'd  out  July  4,  I860. 
Long,  George  F.,  wounded;  sent  to  hospital  jj„genfelder,  George,  vet.,  must'd  out  Aug. '64. 
I  March  21,  1865.  Mizger,  Anton,  must'd  out  Aug.  31,  1864. 

Morgan,  Michael,  mus.  out  July  4,  1865.  McLane,  Francis,  disch'd  Mar.  18,  1863. 

j  McEnallv,  John,  mus.  out  May  30,  1865.  Mekles,  John,  disch'd  Jan.  30,  1863,  disabl'ty. 

Motley,  David,  mus.  out  July  4,  1865.       _         Murphy,  Brooker  C,  disch'd  June  18,  1862. 
McPherson,  Thomas,  mus.  out  July  4,  1865  .  -    ...       ^  ..      .  ..-_o,    ioci 


Motlev,  Joseph,  mus.  out  May  27,  1865 
Owens,  Wm.,  must'd  out  Sept.  15,  1865. 
Peacock,  Francis,  must'd  out  May  30,  1865. 
Polk,  James  K.,  must'd  out  May  30,  1865. 
Prather,  Wm.,  must'd  out  July  4,  1865. 
Peterson,  Michael,  must'd  out  July  4,  1865. 
Pierce,  George  H.,  died  June  10,  1864. 
Eutlege,  William. 
Stillwell,  James  P.,  disch'd  Dec. 4,  '62,  to  enlist 

in  Fourth  U.  S.  Cavalry. 
Solomon,  Robert,  must'd  out  June  22,  1865. 
Solomon,  Thomas,  must'd  out  July  4,  1864. 
Smellv,  Jacob,  must'd  out  July  4,  1865. 
Scott,  Jacob  F..  must'd  out  July  4,  1865.  _ 
Stafford,  John  H.,  must'd  out  July  4,  1865. 
Tucker,  George  W.,  died  Sept.  13,  1864. 
White,  Frank. 

Watts,  William,  must'd  out  May  30,  1865. 
■  Willson,  William,  must'd  out  July  4,  1865. 

1  Muster  Roll,  Company  I. 

I  Second  Lieutenant. 

!  William   P.  Couslev,  M.  O.  (as  sergeant  Co 

]         D.)  July  4,  1865, 

[  Muster  Roll,  Company  K. 

I  Captain 

George  C.  Lusk,  must'd  out  Oct.  24,  1864. 


Murphy^  Wm.  P.,  must'd  out  Aug  31,  1864. 
Ma-son,"  Frank,  vet.,  must'd  out,  July  4,  1865. 
Mulligan,  Michael,  vet.,  must'd  out  July  4,  '65. 
Norton,  Michael,  vet.,  must'd  out  July  4,  '62. 
Opdyke,  John  W.,  vet.,  must'd  out  July  4,  '64, 

as  sergeant. 
Rizer,  Martin,  vet.  must'd  out  July  4,  1865. 
Slice,  Wm  ,  died  Jan.  1,  1862.- 
Scully,  Thomas,  vet.,  must'd  out  July  4,  I860. 
Spence,  Jame.s,  vet.,  M.  O.  .\ug.  31,  1864. 
Sublett,  Sam'l  P.,  vet.,  M.  O.  J'ly  4,  IS60,  as 

corporal. 
Smith,  Sam'l  F.,  vet.,  M.  O.  J'ly  4,  lfe6o,  as 

first  sergeant. 
:  Tackett,  Chas.,  M.  O.  Sept.  10,  1864. 

Tadlock,  Wm.  J.,  vet.,  M.  O.  J'ly  4,  I860. 

Thompson,  Wm.  M.,  disch'd  Mar.  18,  1863. 

Whitbread,  Wm.,  disch'd  Feb.  18,  1862. 

Walker,  Arsenith  F.,  M.  O.  Aug.  31,  1864. 

Walker,  John  E.,  M.  O.  Aug.  31,  1864. 

Welker,  John,  Vet.,  M.  O.  J'ly  4,  I860. 

Weeks   Franklin,  vet  ,  disch'd   June  16,  I860. 

Wilson,  George  T.,  M.  O.  J'ly  4.  1865. 

Younghaus,   Henry,   disch'd   Mar.  18,   1863, 
disability. 

Pccruits. 

Anderson,  Noah,  M   O.  J'ly  4,  1865. 
Bartlett,  Geo.  W.,  M.  O.  Oct.  3,  1864. 
Brown,  Cornelius,  vet.,  M.  O.  June  23,  1865. 
Bikill,  George,  vet.,  J'ly  4,  1865. 


George  C.  Lusk,  must'd  out  Uct.  'Zi,  ISO*.  :  Bikill,  George,  vet.,  Jiy  1,  1000. 

Thomas  H.  Kennedy,  must'd  out  July  4,  1865.    Burnius,  Frederick  G.,  sent  to  hospital  Feb.  3, 

First  Lieutenants.  ,  g^j^j^'j^^hn  m.,  M.  O.  J'ly  4,  1865. 

Gotthold  Girnt,  resigned  July  3,  1862.  Buckley,  Thomas  M.,  disch'd  at  Quincy,  HI., 

James  Rogers,  must'd  out  Dec  24,  1864.  disability. 

John  T.  Fahnestock,  must'd  out  July  4,  1865    Cassadav,  Harmon  W.,  vet.,  must'd  out  July 
Second  Lieutenant.  4. '65   a.s  sergeant.  ,  ,     ,   ,(.g 

,    ,     „  . ,  ...      J    /      1  t  Crowder,  Joshua  L.,  must'd  out  July  4,  00. 

Edward    L.  Friday     dismissed    (sentence    of  ^^^°^^    'j^j^^^  ^^„J,^i  <,„j  j„iy  4,  1S6.5. 

court  martial)  June  28   1862.  Donaldson,  Thos.  M.,  must'd  out  July  4,  I860, 

William  Wilson,  must  d  out  July  4,  I860.  ^     ^^  corporal. 

First  Sergeant.  '  Dnffev,  Nicholas  disch.  MaylO,  "65,  disability. 

James    M.  Brown,   died   Feb.   23,   at   Bird's    Eaton,  Wm.  »•.  must'd  out  Oct  _3    1864 
Point  Mo.  Evans,  Geoi^e  L.,  must  a  out  July  ■*,  xaoo. 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


235 


Friday,  William,  vet.,  miist'd    out  July  4,  '65. 
Fruit,  Wra.,  must'd  out  July  4,  1S65. 
Ferguson,  Vincent,  must'd  out  July  4,  '65. 
Gibbons,  John. 

Gillmore,  Wm.  A.,  must'd  out  July  4,  '65. 
Glasser,  Marx,  must'd  out  July  4,  'Go. 
Romberg,  Fredk.  W.,  tr.  to  60th  111.,  mus'd  out 

July  31, 1865. 
Jones,  Chas.,  tr.  to  1st  Neb.  regt. 
Lambkins,   James   M.,    absent  since  Feb.  23, 

1865,  supposed  to  have  been  captured. 
Luttrell,  Jas.  M.,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C 
Mackett,  James  M.,  in  lio.spital  at  Nashville, 

Tenn. 
Morton,  Thos.  J.,  must'd  out  July  4,  '65. 
McDonough,  John  E.,  sent  to  Dry  Tortugas, 

G.  C.  M.,  Dec.  17,  1864. 
Naughton,  Wm.,  must'd  out  July  4,  '65. 
Neville,  Roger,  must'd  out  July  4,  '65. 
Patterson,  Andw.  C,  must'd  out  July  4,  '65. 
Roth,  Joseph,  must'd  out  July  4,  'Go. 
Smith,   Daniel  W-,   must'd  out  July  4,   1865; 

wounded. 
Schwarz,  Edw.  must'd  out  July  4,  '65. 
Schultz,  Henry,  must'd  out  July  4,  '65. 
Schullz,  Ernst  H.,  must'd  out  July  4,  G-o. 
Sanders,  Joseph  W.  W.,  must'd  out  Mav  15, 

1865, 
Sanders,  Benj.  A.,  died  Dec.  21,  1864. 
Watters,  Joel,  vet.,  M.  O   July  4,  '65,  as  corp. 
Wilson,  Geo.  T.,  vet.,  must'd  out  July  4,  '65. 
Wilson,  J;ls.,  tr.  to  1st  Nebraska  regt. 
Weeks,  Philetus,  must'd  out  July  4,  '65. 
Wells,  Thos.  M.  must'd  out  July  4,  '65.  i 

Weaver,  Wm.,  died  Ap.  10,  '65,  at  Goldsboro,  ' 

N.  C.  ; 

AVilliams,  John,  vet.,  M.  O.  July  4,  '65. 

Uiiassiyned  Recruits. 
Ainsworth,  Goolsbury. 
Blakely,  Joseph. 
Greenwood,  Peter  S. 

EHeveuUn    Infantry — TUree    Tears'  Service. 

This  regiment  was  first  called  into 
service  under  proclamation  of  the  Presi- 
dent, April  16,  1861,  and  mustered  into 
service  April  30,  1861.  It  performed 
garrison  duty  mainly,  until  June  30th, 
when  it  was  mustered  out,  but  re-enlisted 
for  three  years. 

RoMter. 

Second  Assistant  Surgeon. 
George  H.  Dewey  resigned  April  1,  1864. 
Master  Roll  Conipany'C. 

Privates. 

Stocker,  Thos.,  tr.  to  Co.  E,  8th  111.,  never  re- 
purled  to  Co. ;  supposed  must'd  out. 

Vernor,  Thomas  J.,  M.  O.  Jan.  30,  18G5,  tr.  to 
Co.  E,  8th  Ills. 

Walsh,  Patrick. 

Fourteenth  Infantry— Tliree  Years'  Servlee. 

This  regiment  was  first  called  into  the 
state  service  for  thirty  days  under  the 
"  Ten  Regiment  Bill."  It  rendezvoused 
at  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  and  was  mus- 
tered into  the  United  States  service, 
May  "iath,  1861,  for  three  years'  service, 
by  Capt.  Pitcher,  U.  S.  A.  Its  history 
is  a  memorable  one,  having  passed 
through  some  of  the  bloodiest  battles  of 
the  late  war.     Among  the  more  promi- 


nent of  which  were  Shiloh,  Corinth, 
siege  of  Vicksburg,  and  with  Sherman 
in  his  grand  march  to  the  sea.  On  the 
2d  of  May,  1864,  it  was  consolidated 
with  the  Fifteenth  Illinois  Volunteers. 
This  regiment  as  consolidated  was 
known  as  the  Veteran  Battalion  of  the 
Fourteenth  and  Fifteenth  Illinois  Infan- 
try. It  was  mustered  out  of  service  at 
Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  September 
16,  1865.  The  aggregate  number  of 
men  who  have  belonged  tj  this  organi- 
zation was  1.080,  and  the  aggregate  mus- 
tered out  at  Fort  Leavenworth  was  480. 
During  its  four  years  and  four  months 
service,  the  regiment  marched  4,490 
miles,  traveled  by  rail  2,330  miles,  and 
by  river  4,490  miles  making  an  aggre- 
gate of  11,670  miles. 

Roster — Muster  Roll  Company  F. 

Privates. 
Bridges,  Geo.  W.,  died  March  15,  1862.  ; 

Noland,  William,  a  recruit.  j 

Muster  ^Roll    Company]  ^G.  ] 

Privates. 
Buehrer,  John,  died  Oct.  24,  1862.] 
Huetter,  George.  | 

Haske,  Ernst. 

Ilofraever,    .\dani,   discharged   Feb.  7,   1862, 
disability. 

Muster  _Roll   Company  II. 

Pr  ivate. 
Clarke,  Charles  W.  W. 

Reorganized. 

Surgeon. 
Henry  W.  Boyd,  must'd  out  Sept.  16,  1SG5. 

Mnster    Roll  Company  A.  ' 

:  Private. 

Riley,  Hugh,  recruit ;  never  reported  to  com- 
pany. 

Muster  Roll  Company    D. 

Privates. 
Johnson,  Benjamin  F.,  mu.st'd  out  Sep.  16,  '65. 
Menne,  John  F.,  mustered  out  .Sept.  16,  1865. 
Zeadon,  George,  absent. 

Muster  Roll  Company  E,    ^ 

Private. 
Dawson,  Samuel  E.,  must'd  out  Sept.  16,  'Go. 

UnasRgned  Becruits. 
Brown,  Benjamin  F.,  must'd  out  June  3,  '65. 
Dillon,  John. 
Finnegan,  Michael. 
Fox,  John. 
Medder,  Richard  D. 
Ray,  Charles. 

Scantlin,  Daniel.  -^ 

Thornton,  George  F. 
Witson,  John. 

Fifteenth  Infantry.— Three  Years'  Service. 
Mnster    Roll  Company  F. 

Pceruits. 
Barry,  John  D.,disch.  June  11,  'C3;  disability. 


Marsh,  Ephraim. 

Nasb,  Richard,   tr.  to  Vt.  Batt.  M.  O.  August 
3,  1864. 

Eighteenth  Infantry. --Three  Years'  Service. 

Unassignrd  Recruits. 
Hughes,  James,  died  at  Little  Rock,  Sep.  2,  '64. 
Plunket,  .Tohn. 
Williams,  Thom.i8. 

Eighteenth  Infantry. — Reorganized.— Three 

Years'  Service. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  F. 

Corporal. 
William  Kaumell,  must'd  out  Dec.  16,  1865, 
as  sergeant. 

Privates. 
Bender,  William,  mustered  out  Dec.  16,  '65. 
Hacker,  George,  died  at  Memphis  Apr.  10,  '65. 
Immer,  .John,  died  at  Little  Rock,  May  10, '65. 
Laage,  Frederick,  mustered  out  Dec.  16,  '62. 
Mitchell,  Robert,  mustered  out  Dee.  16,  '65. 
Mummie,  Jacob,  mustered  out  May  11,  '65. 
Mover,  Philip,  mustered  out  Dec.  16,  '65. 
Modge,  Henry,  mustered  out  Dec   16,  '65. 
Xewbery,  Albin,  mustered  out  Dec.  16,  '65. 
Wilimer,  Frederick,  mustered  out  Nov.  22, '65. 
Witmau,  Henry,  mustered  out  Dec.  16,  '65. 

Twentieth  Infantry — Thee  Years'  Service, 

This  regiment  was  composed  of  com- 
panies from  various  counties,  and  was 
organized  at  Joliet,  Illinois  May  14th, 
1861,  and  mustered  into  the  service  by 
T.  G.  Pitcher,  June  13th,  1861.  Six 
companies  in  the  regiment  were  partially 
supplied  by  recruits  from  this  county. 
It  moved  from  Joliet,  June  18th,  by 
order  of  Governor  Yates,  and  proceeded 
to  Alton,  Illinois.  It  was  first  joined  to 
the  Missouri  department,  and  formed 
part  of  the  1st  Brigade  under  General 
Grant.  During  the  campaign  it  partici- 
pated in  the  battle  of  Fredericktown, 
Mo. ;  assisted  in  the  capture  of  Fort 
Donelson ;  passed  through  the  siege  of 
Vicksburg ;  was  at  Shiloh  ;  Britton's 
Lane;  Magnolia;  Champion  Hill,  and 
Black  river  ;  was  at  Brush  Jlountaiu,  at 
Kenesaw,  and  marched  to  the  sea  with 
Sherman.  Was  mustered  out  July  16, 
1865,  at  Louisville,  Ky. 

Roster— Muster  Roll,  Company  .\. 

Private. 
Kenestrick,  Jacob,  disch.  June  13,  '64. 

Tiew   Company  A. 

Privates. 
Dogal,  Joseph 
Johnson,  Robert 
O'Bryan,  Daniel 
Reynolds,  James,  mustered  out. 
Steward,  George  H. 
Williams,  John 

Mnster  Roll,  Company  B. 

Recruits. 
Carlton,  Wm.  II.,  died  at  Dover,  Tenn.,  Feb. 

16,  1862. 


236 


HISTORY    OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


Carlton,  Andrew  .T.,  killed  at  Alton,  Illinois, 

August  27,  1SG3. 
Smith,  John,  vet.  M.  O.  July  IG,  '05,  as  corp'l. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  C. 

Velcran. 
Hamill,  Owen,  mustered  out  July  16,  1SG4. 

Recrmt. 
Dolan,  Michael,  killed  at  Raymond,  Miss.,  May 
12,  18G2. 

Mlislrr  Roll,    Compauy  D. 

rrivnle. 
Lentz,  Frederick,  died  Feb.  IG,  'G2  ;  wounds. 

Mecmifs. 
Loomis,  Frank,  discli.  May  9,  '62 ;  wounds. 
McFadden,  Joseph,  disch.  May  9,  '1)2 ;  wounds. 

muster  Roll,  Company  E. 

Drafted  aud  Subitlitule  Recruits. 
Dorman,  Henry,  mustered  out  June  5,  '65. 
Eeidker,  Guslavus,  raust'd  out  June  5,  '65. 
Eampf?;  Samuel  died  at  Newbern,  March  16, 

1865 ;  wounds. 
Weiss,  Peter,  mustered  out  June  5,  1865. 

Cluster  Roll  Company  F. 

Recruit. 
Wrede,  Henry,  deserted  Feb.  22,  1802. 
Drafted  and  Substitute  Recruits. 
Miller,  Peter,  mustered  out  June  5,  1865. 
Weakman,  Henry,  mustered  out  June  5,  '65. 

^  Muster  Roll,  Company  K. 

Recruits- 
Broad,  John,  disch.  Nov.  27,  '61 ;  disability. 
Hopgood,  Tliomas. 

TfVenty-Second  Infantry— Three  Years'  Ser- 
vice. 

This  retriment  was  organized  at  Belle- 


there  the  balance  of  the  year.  It  en-  i  eleven  days  and  nights  under  fire  at 
gaged  in  the  battle  of  Stone  River,  Dec.  :  New  Hope  church),  until  the  morning 
31»t,  1862,  and  January  1st  and  2d,  of  the  10th  of  June,  when  all  but  the  re- 
1863,  where  it  lost  199  out  of  342  in  cruits  and  veterans  were  ordered  to 
action.  Lieut.  Col.  Swanswick  was  Springfield,  Illinois,  for  muster  out. 
wounded  and  taken  prisoner,  and  con-  They  were  mustered  out  July  7th,  1 864. 
fined  at  Atlanta  and  Richmond  (Libby),  The  veterans  and  recruits,  whose  term  of 
until  May,  1863.  ;  service  had  not  expired,  were  consolida- 

The  regiment  was  in  camp  at  Mur-  ted  with  the  Forty-second  Regiment  llli- 
freesboro,  and  difierent  points  around  nois  Infantry  Valunteers. 
that  place,  foraging  and  skirmishing  As  will  be  seen  from  the  following 
through  the  winter  and  spring.  Early  |  roster,  Madison  county  furnished  men  in 
iu  June,  marched  southward,  with  the  |  seven  companies,  company  B  being  large- 
army  of  the  Cumberland.  Participated  i  ly  represented. 
in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  Sept.  19th  j  Roster. 

and  20th,  on  the  right  of  the  army  under  ;  Lieuteuant  Colonel. 

Gen.  Sheridan,  and  lost  135  ofiicers  and  :  Harrison  E.  Hart,  died  at  Alton,  111.,  July  25, 
men,  out  of  an  aggregate  of  less  than 


Adjutant. 
Robert  H.  Cleff,  resigned  Dec.  31,  1803. 


300.  This  was  a  severe  engagement,  in 
proof  of  which,  the  regiment  lost  96  men 
in  less  than  ten  minutes,  in  action  on  the 
first  day.  Among  others  the  brave  Maj. 
Johnson  was  very  severely  wounded, 
and  Capt.  French  mortally.  It  remain- 
ed in  and  around  Chattanooga,  suffering 
in  common  with  the  rest  ^of  the  army 
from  exposure  and  want  of  provisions, 
being  frequently  on  less  than  half  rations 
and  almost  destitute  of  clothing,  tents,  j  Captains. 

etc,  until  November  26th,  when    with    John  Seaton,  resigned  June  13, '62. 
the  remainder  of  Gen.  Sheridan's  divi- :  James  N.  Morgan,  term  expired  July  7,  '04 


Nou- Com  missioned  Staff. 

Commissary  Sergeant. 
Charles  W.  H.  Bruden,  disch.  Jan  12,  1862  ; 
disability. 

Principal  Musician. 
Eugene  Laverueux,   reduced  and   assigned  to 
Co.  B.,  tr.  to  Co.  R.  42,  Ills ;  deserted  Sept. 
15,  1865. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  B. 


Fird  Lieutenant. 
Frank  H.  Allen,  resigned  (as  2d  Lieut.)  June 
28,  1862. 

Second  Lieutenant. 
Robert  McKenzie,  term  e.xpired  July  7,  '64. 
Sergeants. 


sion  it  was  engaged  in  storming  Mission 

Ridge,  losing  again  between  30  and  40, 
ville,  May  11th,  1861,  and  mustered  into  ;  out  of  a  mere  skeleton  to  which  they  had 
the  service  at  Caseyville,  Illnois,  by  \  been  previously  reduced.  The  few  re- 
Capt.  T.  G.  Pitcher,  U.  S.  A.,  June  25, !  maining  men  fit  for  duty,  marched  about 

1861.     Moved  to  Bird's  Point,  Mo.,  the  j  the  last  of  the  month   to  the   relief  of  i  Alfred  c.  Piitman,  dis"ch.  Mar.  6, '62  ;  disabfy 
11th  inst.     November  7th,  seven  com-   Knoxville.     The    greater    part  of  the  i  Thomas  C.  Young,  mustered  out  July  7,  1864, 
panics  participated  iu  the  battle  of  Bel-  severe  winter  of  1863-4,  was  passed  in  '        "*  ^"'"^  * 
mont — three   being  left  to  guard  tran-   the  mountains  of  East  Tennessee, 
sports.     In   this  engagement  144  were  I      In    the    month    of   January,    18G4, 
killed,   wounded  and  missing.     Under  j  marched   to   Danbridge   in   pursuit   of 


CorjJorals. 
Henry  D.  Rosseter,  pro.  1st  serg't.,  disch.  Mar. 

26,  '63 ;  wounds. 
George  H.  Love,  mustered  out  April  27,  '6o ; 

pris.  war. 


Gen.  Grant,  Jan.  14,  1862,  reconnoiter- ,  Gen.    Longstreet's  army,  retreating  at  \  Benj.  B.  Gould,  M.  O.  July  7,  '64;  as  .serg't. 

ed    through    Missouri,    April  8,   1802,  |  night  over  terrible  roads  to  Strawberry  !  Akxander^P^Wilson^^ 

moved  under  Gen.  Paine,  to  Tipton  ville:  Plains.  Thence  marched  through  Knox-  '     "       '    ,,    .  . ' 

to   intercept  the  retreating  enemy  from  '  ville  to  Loudon,  Tenn.,  wliere  they  built    ,^(.]ji|jg,_  Lavenne,  M.  O,  July  7,  '04,  as  Pvt. 

Island  No.  10.     On  this  expedition  they  I  log  huts  and  remained  some  weeks,  and  |  '  Privates. 

captured  4,000  prisoners,  two  Generals,  I  here,  March  6th,  1864,  they  received  the  j  y-^^^^^  j,„fj,j,  p  _  ^jg  (opnter  4th  U.  S.  Caval'y. 

and  a  large  quantity  of  stores,  ammuui- !  first  full  rations  since  leaving  Bridge- 1  Aspel' William,  ma^^tered  out  July  7, '64. 

I  .         o  M     •  1  rr\  '    1  Batterton   Paul  1-   died  Sept.  30,  01  ;  wounds, 

tion,  arms,  guns,  etc.  May  3d,  5th,  and  |  port,  being  lull  six  months.     Ihe  regi- :  g^^^^^^  j^^i^^^^  ^^^^^  ^^^j  p^^^  j5_  .gg  .  prjs.  „ar. 

9th,  1862,  skirmished  before  Farming-  J  ment  marched  from  here  to  Cleveland,  i  Butler,  William  A.,  died  at  St.  Louis,  Oct.  13, 
ton,   and  engaged  in  the  battle  at  that !  Tenn.,  where  it  remained  until  the  scanty  g^^j^l«64^.^^^^^_  ^^^^^^,j 
place.  Was  at  the  siege  of  Corinth,  aud  :  remnant  joined  the  grand  army  of  Gen.   Brennan,  James,  killed  at  Chickamauga,  Ga., 
pursued  the  enemy  two  weeks,  in  June. ;  Sherman,    on   the   Atlanta   campaign,  j  ^^^^SepL^^l^V^^^^ 


ville,  arriving  Sept.  11th,  and  remained  j  with  the  exception  of  Rocky  face,  (was  [  Dibble,  Jabez,  mustered  out  July  7 


E  IS  TORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


237 


Dobson,  Stephen,  Pro.  Capt.  in  7th  U.  S.  Col. 

Artillery. 
Dwire,  William. 
Fitzgeralil,  Kobt.,  Corp'l,  absent,  sick  at  M.O.' 

of  regiment. 
Field,  George  F.  H.,  mustered  out  July  7  '04, 

a.s  Wagoner. 
Fitzgerald,  rrederick,  killed  at   Farmington, 

Miss.,  May  9,  18(1.3. 
Frazier,  Robert,  mustered  out  .luly  7,  '64. 
Groves,  Thomas  B.,  died  at  Bird's  Point,  Mar. 

14,  18G1. 
Henne.ssey,  Patrick,  died  Jan.  3,  '63 ;  wounds, 

Stone  River. 
Hutten,  Edward  F.,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C.  Sept.  26,'63. 
Hasler,  James,  diseli.  April  20, '63;  wounds. 
Hornburger,  Jacob  F. 
Johnson,  William  C. 

Johnson,  Ivlward  F.,  disch.  Feb.  20,  '02  ;  dis'y. 
Jefierty,  Geo.,  dis.  to  enter  4th  L'.  S.  Cavalry. 
Kent,  Janie.s,  killed  at  Belmont,  Mo.,  Nov.  7, 

1861. 
Kennedy,  John  P.,  absent,  sick  at  M.  O.  of 

regiment. 
Longton,  Olek,  mustered  out  Julv  7,  '64 
Lincoln,  Thos.  J.,  tr.  to  V.R.C-Sept.  19,  '63. 
Lowe,  William  A.,  tr.  to  26th  HI.,  Nov.  1,  '62; 

M.  O.  July  IS,  '64. 
Lepper,  Jonathan  S.,  muat'd  out  July  7,  '64.      j 
Leak,  John  A. 
Lynch,  Miehad,  died  at  Mound  City,  Illinois, 

Ootober  13,  '61. 
Main,  Charles  H.,  M.  O.  .Jan.  -5,  '6-5  ;  pris.  war. 
Meadley,  James  H. 

Maguire,  Maurice,  mustered  out  July  7,  '64. 
Morran,  .James,  mustered  out  .lulv  7,  '64. 
Miller,  Win.  B.,  tr.  to  V.  B.C.  Aiig..5,  1863. 
Obrine,  John,  absent,  sick  at  M.  O.  of  reg't. 
Otto,  John  F.,  mustered  out  Julv  7.  1864. 
Olden,  KUis  F.,  disch.  June  16,  1863. 
Pete.ss,  Andrew,  killed  at  Belmont,  Mo.,  Nov. 

7,  1864. 
Pedrick,  Fllis,  dis.  Feb.  19,  '62 ;  disability.       i 
Perrin,  .1.  Harrison,  mustered  out  July  7,  '64.    ! 
Parr,  SVm.,  killed  himself  accidentally  Aug. 

27,  1862. 
Strasson,  Martin  D  ,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C.  Oct.  20,  '63. 
Smiley,  Samuel  E ,  M.  O.  Sept.  10,  '64. 
Sackelt,  I'liilander,  killed    at    Chickamauga, 

Sept.  19,  '63. 
Smith,  George  B.,  dis.  Feb.  20.  '62;  disability. 
Smith,  Wm.,  disch.  June  13,  '63 ;  dis  ibility. 
Tomlinson,  Charles  H.,  M.  O.  July  7,  '64. 
Teason,  Henry. 

VanBuren.  Wm.  H,  mustered  out  .July  7,  '64. 
Wilson.  Elijah  B.,  dishonorably  discharged. 
Wendal,  Wm.  H.,  nuistered  out  July  7,  '64. 
AVilliams,  William  W. 
Young,  John  W.,  mustered  out  July  7,  '64. 

Itecruiti. 
Caldwell,  Archibald,  left  in  service,  time  not 

out. 
Dougherty,  William,  mustered  out  .July  7,  '64. 
Herrin,  Junior. 

Jinks,  Charle.s,  mustered  out  July  7,  '64. 
Jones,  John  VV.,  M.  O  July  7,  '64,  as  serg't. 
Jones,  Sanuiel  E.,  mustered  out  July  7,  '64. 
Ochiltree,  James  H.,  nuisi'd  out  Julv  7,  '64. 
Robb,  Louis,  tr.  from  27lh  111.,  died  Jan.  20, 

'i33 ;  wounds. 
Ru3.sell,  Nicholas,  tr.  to  Co.  B.  42d  111.,  died 

December  24,  '6.5. 
Wilson,  George. 
Yates,  George,  tr.  to  12th  111.  Infantry. 

muster  Roll    Company  C. 

Musician. 
Hindell,  Edward,  tr.  to  Regimental  Band,  M. 
O.  July  28,  1862. 

Muster  Roll  Company  D. 

Private. 
McCollum,  Nelson,  must'd  out  July  7,  1804. 


Sloster  Roll  Company  K. 

Privates. 
Hampton,  James  W.  N.,  died  at  Bird's  Point, 

Mo.,  Sept.  19,  1861. 
Votah,  Joseph,  killed  at  Belmont,  Mo.,  Nov. 

7,  1S61. 


.  42d  111.  M.  O. 


Veterans. 
Clark,  Henrv  A.,  tr.  to  Co. 

Julv  is;  186-5. 
Shearer,'  Frank  J.,  tr.  to  Co.  E.  42d  111.  M.  O 

Dec.  16,  1804. 

Recruiti. 


Brennin 

June  3,  180o 


disability. 


Louisville,  Kentucky.  The  following 
day  moved  to  Colesburg,  and  guarded 
the  railroad  until  November  oUth,  when 
it  was  assigned  to  the  Eighth  Brigade, 
Col.  Turchiu  commanding.  Moved  to 
Elizabethtown,  December  olh,  and  re- 
mained till  the  22d,  when  it  marclied  to 
Bacon's  creek,  where  it  remained  until 
February  lOlh,  1862.  With  the  Eighth 
Brigade  in  advance, the  division  marched 
n,  John  B..  died  at  Loudon,  Tenn.,  April  February  lOlh,  1 862,  to  Bowling  Green, 
r,  Samuel,  tr.  to  Co.  E.  42d  111.  dis.  arriving  on  the  14th  inst.,  and  remained 
until  the  24th,  when  it  moved  to  Nash- 
ville. On  March  18th,  marched  to 
Murfreesboro',  where  it  remained  until 
April  5th,  when  the  division  marched 
via.  Shelbyville  and  Fayetteville  to 
Huntsville.  April  11th,  moved  to 
Decatur,  from  which  the  euemy  fled, 
leaving  in  their  hands  C  R.  and  G.  E. 
small  arms  and  ammunition.  From  here 
the  regiment  moved  to  Tuscumbia. 
Crossed  the  Tennessee  April  22,  and 
repulsed  a  charge  of  the  enemy's  cavalry, 
losing  a  few  prisoners,  and  returning  to 
Huntsville  tiie  30th  ult.  Marched  to 
Athens,  May  1st ;  to  Fayetteville,  the 
26th;  crossed  the  Cumberland  to  a  place 
opposite    Chattanooga,    June     1st;    to 


Muster  Roll,  Company  G. 

Recruits. 
Carvel,  Albert,  mustered  out  July  7,  1864. 
Ellis,  Wm.,  disch.  Dec.  14,  '63,  wounds. 
Flaherty,  James  S. 

Gillmore,  William,  mustered  out  July  7,  '64. 
Lamb,  William,  mustered  out  July  7,  '65. 

Muster   Roll   Company  I.  . 

Recruit. 
Ryan,  .James. 

Muster  Roll  Company  K.] 

J^tVs(  Lieutenant. 
Anthony  Young,  term  expired  .July  7,  1804. 

Cnrportd. 
Patrick  McAvoy,  M.  O.  July  7,  '64,  .as  private; 
woimded. 

Privates. 
Dehu,  Andrew,  mustered  out  July 


Hammer,  Andrew,  must'd  out  July  7,  1864,  as   j  Tennessee  and  Bellefonte,  June 

teamster.  i         r     '  > 

McAvoy,  Barney,  mustered  out  .July 


rth,   and    the    11th   ult.,  returned    to 


10,  1803. 

Unassigned  Recruits. 
Bonser,  William  H. 
Mason,  George  S. 
Tlionips(m,  George. 
Wilkins,  Henry  J. 

Tiventy-fourtU  Infantry.— Tl 

Service. 


Salsbv,  Nicholas,  killed   at  Stone  River,  Dec.    Stephenson  ;  from  thence  to  Jasper,  Ten- 
„       .  ne.=see.     At  Kankin  s  J*  erry,  companies 

Dennison,  Henry,  pri:liner  of  war  since  .Sept.    F,  G  and  C,  had  an  engagement  in  which 
■"  Captain  Kovats    and   Lieutenant   Ger- 

hart  and  one  private  were  wounded,  and 

three  were  missing.     The  regiment  next 
I  marched  to  the  mouth  of  Battle  creek, 

and  remained  until  July  11th  ;  then  to 
cars'      Tullahoma,  where  it  guarded   railroad 

stations  on  the  Nashville  and  Chatta- 
This  was  known  as  the  "Hecker  nooga  railroad,  until  September  7th, 
Regiment,"  and  was  organized  at  Chi-  when  with  Gen.  Buell's  aruiy  it  went  in 
cago  and  mustered  into  service  July  8th,  pursuit  of  the  enemy,  arriving  at  Louis- 
1861,  by  Captain  T.  G.  Pitcher,  ft  was  ;  ville,  September  26tb,  1862.  October 
soon  afterward  ordered  to  Alton,  Illinois,  f'th,  it  paiticipated  in  the  battle  of  Chap- 
and  subsequently  to  St.  Charles,  Mo.;  lin  Hills,  near  Perryville,  losing  twenty- 
thence  to  Me.xico,  Mis.50uri.  July  28th,  five  killed,  seventy -seven  wounded,  eight 
it  left  Mexico,  and  moved  via  St.  Louis,  prisoners  and  two  missing.  After  this 
to  Ironton,  Missouri,  where  it  encamped  battle  it  marclied  to  Mitchelville,  Ky., 
until  September  3d.  It  moved  success-  on  the  line  of  the  L.  and  N.  railroad 
ively  on  the  4th  to  Jackson  ;  oth,  to  [  where  it  was  stationed  the  remainder  of 
Fort  Holt;  loth,  by  rail  to  Cincinnati,   the  year. 

with  orders  to  report  at  Wasliington.  The  regiment  was  mustered  out  Au- 
Arrestcd  by  the  accident  that  befell  the  gust  6th,  1864.  The  veterans  and  re- 
Nineteenth  Illinois  Volunteers,  the  regi-  emits  were  consolidated  into  one  com- 
ment remained  at  Camp  Dennison,  Ohio,  pany  known  as  company  A.  This  com- 
until  September  29th,  when  it  moved  to  pany  was  mustered  out  July  31st,  1865, 


238 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  arrived  at 
Camp  Butler  August  1st,  1865,  for  final 
payment  and  discharge. 

Rosteiv-Ma»ter  Roll  C  onipony  A. 

Privates. 
Goiinwalcl,  Matliias,  deserted  Sept.  1,  1861. 
Graff,  Ileinrich,  di.^ch'd  Apr.   6,  '62;  disab'ty. 
Hitter,  Philip,  miist'd  out  Aug.  6,  1864. 
Huttle,  Heury,   captured,  Chickamauga,  Sept. 

20,  IStiS. 
Jaegcl,  Bartliol,  must'd  out  Aug.  6, 1864. 
Louis,  or  Laux,  Charles,  must'd   out  Aug.  6, 

1864,  as  corporal. 
Martin,  Ludwig,  died  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  Dec. 

17,  1861. 
Muller,  Ca.spar,  disch'd  Dec.  29,  1862 ;  disab'ty. 
Ott,  John,  died  at  Bacon  Creek  Ky.,  Feb.  2,  '02. 
Kapp,  Frederick,  deserted  Jan.  1863. 
■\Vinter,  Ferdinand,  must'd  out  Aug-  6,  '64. 

Recruits. 
Kittel,  John,  disch'd  Jan.  4,  1863  ;' disability. 
Wehrly,  Andreas,  died  at  St.  Louis  Oct.  5,  '62. 

SInster  Roll,  rompamy  C. 

Prieaie. 
Pfeifer,    Henry,    must'd   out  Aug.   6, '61;  as 
sergeant. 

Muster  RoU,  Company  E. 

Privates- 
Bauer,  or  Bower,  F.  M.  O.  May  30,  '65,  as  pris. 

war. 
Biiblinger,   Jo.seph,    disch'd,   July   3,    1862; 
Diltv,  Simeon,  must'd  out  Aug.  6,  '64. 
CJruiun.  Christian,  must'd  out  Aug.  6,  '64. 
Knoe,  John,  must'd  out  .'Vug.  6.  '64. 
Kuhnert,  Frank,  di.sch'd  Dec.  31,  '62 ;  won'ds. 
Kniger,   Anton,   vet.,   M.O.July  31,  '65,   as 

sergeant. 

Recruits. 

Buergle,  George,  must'd  out  Aug.  6,  1864. 
Fral/.er,  Jacob^  must'd  out  Aug.  6,  1864. 
Fuss,  John,  must'd  out  Aug.  6,  1864. 
Harvelka,  .\nton,  must  d  out  Aug.  6,  1864.       j 
Klein,  Carl,  vet.,  must'd  out  July  31,   '65,  as 
sergeant. 

Master  Roll,  Compauy  P. 

Recruits. 
Klingsohr,  Theodore,  must'd  out   Aug.  6,  '64. 
Klingsohr,  Julius,  disch'd  Jan.  6,  '63;  disab'ty. 
Schaefer,  Henry,  must'd  out  Aug.  6,  1864. 
Schoeber,  John,  died   at  Chattanooga  Sept.  26, 
1863 ;  wounds. 

muster  Roll,  Company  G. 

Recruit. 
Frost,  Charles,  tr.  to  headquarters,   14   A.  C. 
for  iissignment. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  I. 

Private.^. 
Bucksenstcin,   John,    disch'd  Oct.   3,    1862  ; 

disability. 
Isenthal,  Franz,  deserted  Feb.  1862. 
Kift,  or  Kist,  Anthony,  disch'd  Aug.  21,  1862  ; 

disability. 
Koenig,  Frederick  A.,  deserted  Oct.  8,  1862. 

Recruits. 

Dean,  James,  absent,  sick  at  M.  O.  of  reg't. 
Dietze,  Henry,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C.   Mar.   15,  1864. 
AVeise,  Adam,  nmst'd  out  Aug.  6,  1864. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  K. 

Private. 
Dahlmer,  Charle.«,  disch'd  Feb.  8,  '62  ;  disab'ty. 


T«'enty-slitll  Infantry.— three   years'    ser- 
vice. 

Tliis  regiment  was  mustered  into  the 
United  States'  service  at  Camp  Butler, 
111.,  Aug.  31st,  1861,  and  was  ordered 
to  Quincy,  Illinois,  for  the  protection  of 
that  place.  Afterwards  did  guard  duty 
on  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  R.  R- 
Early  iu  1862,  it  was  ordered  South, 
and  was  assigned  to  Maj.  Gen.  Pope's 
corps.  AVas  engaged  in  action  at  New 
Madrid  ;  took  part  in  the  siege  of  Cor- 
inth ;  did  good  service  at  Farmington, 
losing  five  killed  and  thirty  wounded. 
May  28th,  1862,  was  engaged  near 
Corinth,  sufiering  a  loss  of  four  killed 
and  twenty-five  wounded.  Its  subse- 
quent career  of  hard  fought  battles,  and 
arduous  duty  iu  long  marches,  would 
fill  a  volume. 

January,  1st,  1864,  there  were  but 
515  men  present  for  duty,  463  of  whom 
reeulisted  as  veterans.  Started  home  on 
veteran  furlough.  Jan.  15th  ;  at  the  ex- 
piration of  which  time  returned  to  the  field 
with  ranks  well  filled  with  recruits. 
Did  further  excellent  service,  and  was 
mustered  out  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  July 
20th,  1863. 

Adjutants. 

Samuel  X.  Buckmaster,  jr.,  resigned  April  15, 

1862. 
Edward  A.  Tucker,  disch'd  Jan.  24,  1864. 

Z'nassigned  Recruit. 

Rinaker,  John 


reuth    Infantry. 

service. 


-  Tliree    years' 


Was  organized  August  10th,  1861,  at 
Camp  Butler,  with  but  seven  companies. 
It  was  first  ordered  to  Jacksonville  as  a 
part  of  Brig.  Gen.  John  A.  McCler- 
nand's  Brigade.  .On  September  lit,  1861, 
was  ordered  to  Cairo,  where  it  was 
joined  by  three  remaining  companies 
November  7th,  1861,  it  bore  a  promi- 
nent part  in  the  battle  of  Belmont,  Geu. 
McClernand  commanding,  and  its  loss 
was  severe.  On  the  evacuation  of  Co- 
lumbus, Ky.,  the  regiment  was  sent  to 
that  point. 

March  14th,  1862,  in  company  with 
the  Forty-second  Illinois,  Eighteenth 
Wisconsin  and  parts  of  the  Second  Illi- 
nois Light  Artillery  and  Second  Illinois 
Cavalry,  it  formed  the  "  Mississippi 
Flotilla,"  and  started  down  the  river 
and  remained  duriug  the  siege  of  Island 
No.  10.  The  first  regiment  landing  was 
the  gallant  Twenty-seventh.'  After  cross- 


ing the  river,  moved  to  Fort  Pillow,  but 
was  recalled,  and  ordered  to  Pittsburg 
Landing.  May  9th,  1862,  was  engaged 
in  the  battle  of  Farmington  and  siege  of 
Corinth.  Was  engaged  in  pursuit  of 
the  enemy  to  Booneville,  and  afterwards 
returned  to  Corinth  where  it  remained 
for  some  time. 

"^  In  July  1862,  ordered  to  luka,  and 
afterwards  distributed  along  the  line  of 
the  Memphis  and  Charleston  railroad, 
where  it  remained  until  the  first  of  Sep- 
tember. It  was  soon  afterward  placed 
under  the  command  of  Maj.  Gen.  Palm- 
er, when  it  crossed  the  Tennessee  river, 
at  Decatur,  Alabama,  and  made  a  rapid 
march  for  Nashville,  arriving  12th  of 
September,  where  it  remained  for  a  time 
cut  oiT  from  Northern  communication. 
Was  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Stone 
River,  where  it  particularly  distinguish- 
ed itself  Moved  with  the  army  against 
Shelbyville  and  Tullahoma  ;  thence  to 
Bridgeport,  Alabama.  Moved  toward 
Rome,  Georgia,  and  returned  in  time  to 
take  an  active  part  in  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga.  Was  engaged  in  the 
storming  of  Mission  Ridge,  where  it  did 
good  service.  From  here  it  made  a 
forced  march  to  the  relief  of  Knoxville, 
but  the  enemy  had  been  repulsed  ere  its 
arrival.  January  25th,  1864,  returned 
to  Loudon,  Tenn.,  where  it  remained 
until  the  18th  of  April.  Was  afterward 
ordered  to  Cleaveland,  Tenn.,  and  from 
thence  moved  with  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland  to  the  Atlanta  campaign. 
May  9th,  engaged  at  Rocky  Face  Ridge ; 
at  Resaca,  May  14  ;  near  Calhoun,  May 
16;  Adairsville,  May  17;  from  May 
26  to  June  4,  near  Dallas ;  Pine  Top 
Mountain,  June  10  to  14 ;  battle  of 
Mud  Creek,  June  18 ;  in  assault  on 
Keuesaw  Mountain  ;  skirmished  in  vi- 
cinity of  Chattahoochee  river  ;  July  20, 
was  in  battle  of  Peach  Tree  Creek,  and 
in  the  skirmishes  around  Atlanta. 
August  25th,  1864,  the  regiment  was 
relieved  from  duty  at  the  front,  and 
ordered  to  Springfield,  Illinois,  to  be 
mustered  out.  Portions  of  companies 
D,  F,  and  H,  enlisted  from  Madison 
county.  The  following  is  a  summary  of 
the  casualties  duriug  the  three  years' 
campaign  .•  Killed,  or  died  of  wounds, 
102  ;  died  of  disease,  80  ;  wounded,  328 ; 
discharged  and  resigned,  209 ;  trans- 
ferred, 39. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


239 


Roster.— Mn»ter  Roll  CoiHimiiy  D. 

Captain. 

William  M.  Hart,  resigned  Nov.  28,  1S61. 

First  Lieutenant 

Robert  B.  Murpliy,  in  engineer  corps,  Chatta- 
nooga, Tenn. 

^       Privates. 
Blunt,  Benjamin  F. 


Baker,  David,  disoli'd  Feb.  19,  '62;  disabilitv.  '  Eutlierford,  James, 

Bovd,  GeorKC  W.,  died  at  Cairo,  Oct.   8,  1801.  '  Sliives,  Style,   killed    at  Peach  Tree    Creek 

Caiame,  William    L,  M.  O.  Sept.  20,  1804,  as  '   "     "'    "■ 


Nou-coiMiulssloued    Staff. 

Quartermaster  Sergeant, 
William  H.  Wendall. 

[Master  Roll,  Compauy  A. 

Heeruits. 
Hartley,  James,  k'ld  at  Spanish  Ft.  Mar.  29  '65- 
McFarland,  Je.sse,  nuist'd  out  Nov.  6,  1865. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  C. 

Drafted  and  Sub-recruits. 
Julv  20  1804  Lloyd,  Edwin,  drafted,  disch'd  Aug.  4,  1865. 

Shives,  William,  vet.,  tr.  to  Co.  G,   9,  111.  as    Tiller,  Thomas,  drafted,  disch'd    Aug.  4,  1865. 


Ellis,  Franklin,   wounded,  M.  O.   Sept.  20,  '64. 
Ernest,  Henry  W.  I).  M.  O.  Sept.  20,  1864. 
EnK-ry,  JohnC,  vet.,  died  July  15,  '04,won'd3. 
Gent.  George,  was  pris.,  M.  O.  July  13,  1865. 
Goodall,  Edward,  ni.  o.  Sept.  20, 1864. 
Hewitt,  .\ndrew,  died  at   Murfreesboro'  Tenn., 

March  19,  1804. 
Petts,  John,  died  at  Cairo,  Jan.  18,  1862. 
I  Eobb,  Lewi.s,  tr.  to  22,  111.,  Nov.  1,  1862. 
Robinson,  James  G.  M.  disch'd  Feb.  20,  18,62 
i  disabilitv. 


and  Kenesaw  Mt.,  m.  o.  Sept.  20,  1864. 


corporal 
Coleman,  Nathaniel  P.,  died  at  Cairo,  Oct.  20, 

1801. 
Duross,  Charles,  disch'd  Jlay  23,  1802. 
Felix,  Peter,  tr.  to  V.  R  .  C,  Aug.  25,  1863. 
Filac,  or  Flarv,  Michael, 
Grant,  DrurvM.,  M.  O.  Sept.  20,  1804. 
Huffman,  Peter,  M.  O.  Sept.  20,  1804. 

Kemp,  James,  disch'd  Jan.  30,  '62  ;  disability.    Young,  Robert 
Kirsch,  George,  vet.,  tr.  to  9th  111.,  as  consol'dt  j 

M.  O.  July  13,  1865.  |  Muster  Roll,  Company  H. 

Lamb,  Francis  F.,  killed  at  Farmington,  Miss.  [  ^ 

May  9,  1802.  !  licernd. 

Pogge,  Nathan  F.,   sergeant,  died  March  28,    j^ggj}  Sylvester   \..,  must'd  out  July  21,  1865. 

1863 ;  wounds. 
Profl'et.JohnE.,  disch'd,  July  12, '62;  disab'ty.   Twenty-eiahtu    Infantry    (consolidated),   army  life.     Participated   ill  the  grand 

Page,  James  W.,  M.  O.  Sept.  20,  1864.  i  Three  Years'  Serviee.  .-'  .      ,.  ,,  .^,     ,  Q(,r 

Role,  William,  kcct.  killed,  Sweet  Water,  Feb. '         ,  .   ,    ^         •         .  ''^'''^'^   ^^   Washington,  May   24,  1865, 

20,  1864.  -The   twenty-eighth  regiment  was  or-   ^^^  camped  near  the  city  the  same  day  ; 

Sullivan,  John,  drowned  at  Nashville,  Aug. 31,  ganized  at  Camp  Butler,  III.  in  the  j^fj  ^jjg  y^j^  „f  j^,ng  f^^  Louisville,  Ky., 
Stokes,  Edward,  disch'd  March  13, '63;  disab'y.  I  latter  part  of  the  summer  of  1861.  ^,-^  Parkersburg,  Virginia,  and  was 
Tramel,  Deyirs  A.,  M.  O.  Sept.  20, 1864.  According  to  an  order  of  the  war  de-   mustered  out  of  the   service  at  Louis- 

Wentworth,  Charles,  m.  o.  Sept.  :0.  1804.         i  p^^^^^^^^  ,^^^^g  ^p^il  2d,  1863,  it  was  ^iHe,  July  17,  186.5  ;  arrived   at   Camp 
'"'"'*■  consolidated   into   a   battalion   of  four   gutler    Illinois,  July  20,  and  received 

Cox,  WiHiam,  disch'd  Feb.  19,  1862;  d.sab'ty. .  .^^p^^igs-A,  B,  C,  and  D.    During  its   g^^i  p^y^gnt  and  d'ischarge,  the  27th 


c*    r"'w''.V*^-^^'I"'/  f'r'^'^P   q   Til    a,'  Drafted  ami  Sub-recruits. 

Stratton,  William,  vet,,  tr.  to  Co.   G,  9,  111.,  as  i         ,        ,        ■'  ,j        ^  .        ,j   ,o^- 

consol'dt,  M.  O.  Julv  9,  18(i4.  Bradley,  George  L.,  must  d   out  Aug.  14,  ISbo. 

Sha,  John,  die<l  at  luka'Mi.ss.,  Aug.  0,  1862.      | 

Terry,  Bruce,  M.  O.  Sept.  20,  1804.  ]    Thirtieth  Infantry.— Three  years'  Ser»-lce. 

Waters,  Alphear,  wounded,  at   Mission  Ridge        ^^^^  ^^^.^^.^^^^  ^^^^.^^^^^  ^^^^   organized 

at  Camp  Butler,  Illinois,  August  28, 
1861.  Its  experience  was  varied,  hav- 
ing passed  through  many  hard-fought 
battles,  and  endured  the  fatigues  of  long 
marches,   and     privations    peculiar    to 


Fisher,  Edward  D.,  disch'd.  Nov.  28,  1862,   to 

enlist  in  4ih  cavalry,  U.  S. . v.  I  career  in    the    service,  it    experienced 

Kid,  Thomas,  M  O  Sept.  20  1864  ;  hardships,   and    suffered    severe 

Louck,  George,  tr.  to  Co.  G,  9th    111.  Infantry,  ' '""   j  t    < 

as  consolidated.  i  lo.sses,  as   the    following   summary  will 

McMiisters,  Frank  M.,  disch'd.  Dec.  28,  1863.  \  -.  ._Number  enlisted,  and  recruits, 
McGlaughlin,  William,  killed  at  Kenesaw  Mt.  •' 


of  July,  1865. 


Roster. 

Drafted  and  Sub-Becruits. 
Knowitz,  Chas.,  must'd  out  June  4,  1865. 
-.   ,.,.,,:        T,  .-J      X  c     .  on  >ci   I  ^,       „      ,  Reynard,  John,  must'd  out  June  4,  1865. 

Sowell,  W  illiam  R.,   must  d  out  Sept.  20,   64.    transferred,  etc.,  1061.      The  final  mus-    wAgenbracht,  Valentine,  M.  O.  June  4,  1865. 
Verbel,  William,  discharged.  .  „    ,  .         ,  ,   . 

tering  out  of  the  regiment  occured  in 

March,  1866. 


June  27,  1804. 


1720 ;     killed,     wounded,     discharged. 


Muster  Roll,  Company  F. 

First  Lieutenant. 


Orson,  Hewitt, 

Alfred  H.  Lowe,  term  expired  Sept.  20,  1864. 

Corporals. 


Roll,  Conipony  G. 

Privates. 


William  H.  Babcock,  discharged  Feb.  10,  '62;    ^""j\^i^^,7'  '''""^'"''^  '°  ^''°  ®'""''^'  "^"'^ 
disability.  '  .    ^    ■■  _-        __       __    

Lee  Burnett,  wounded,  M.  O.  Sept.  25,  1864,  as 
1st  sergeant, 


3Iusicians. 


Twenty-ninth  Infantry. 
Service. 


-Tliree  Years' 


Muster  Roll,  Company  B. 

Drafted  and  Sub-Becruits. 

Benar,  Gottleib,  mus  'd  out  June  4,  1805. 
Gulhrie,  Louis,  must'd  out  .Tune  4,  1865. 
Schultz,  John,  must'd  out  June  4,  1865. 
Schultz,  Wm.,  absent,  sick  at  must,  out  of  reg't. 


Muster  Roll,  Company  C. 

Drafted  and  Stib-Beernits. 
Frutte,  Chas.,  must'd  out  June  4,  1864. 


Gottleib,  Joseph,  mustered  out  Mar.  12,  1866. 
Johnson,  John,  died  Jefferson  Barracks,  Aug, 

6,  1863. 
Page,  Jeraison,  must'd  out  Mar.  14,  1866. 
Louson.  L.  Lane  disch'd.  Nov.  30,  '01  ;  dis.        \ 
Fletcher,  AVagner,  wounded,  M.   O.   Sept.  20, 
1864. 

Privates. 
Arnold,   Henry   T.,   il.  O.   Sept.   20,  1804,  as 
corporal. 

Barr',';Z\l.,  disch'd.  April  20,  1862 ;    T.  G.  Pitcher,  U.  S.  A.,  at   Camp   But 

disability.  1  ler,  Illinois,  August  19,  1861.     Saw  ac 

Barden,  Cl.as    B    dis.   Mar.  1,  '62 ;  disability.      .  j      ^     j,^^.^^  ^^^^  j„  jg^^.  \  Avery,  John  G.  AV.,  must'd  out  June  4,  1865. 

Bennett,  David,  trans,  to  V  .  R.  C.  (  tivc  .-i  .  i-      j  ,    Baird,  Edward,  must'd  out  June  4,  I860. 

Cook,    Leonard   N.,   wounded  at  Rocky  Face    ary,  1864,  the  regiment   re-enli.*ted,  and    Uo^man,  James  A.  must'd  out  June  4,  1845. 

Ridge   an.l  Stone  River,  M.  0_  Sep  20  '64.  mustered  as  veterans,  and  July  19,  !  Roach,  James  M.,  must'd  out  June  4,  1805. 

Christy,  (Jeo.  \V.,  disch'd  Jan.  21, '64;  di.sab'tv.  '  ■' . 

Carter",  Wm.  II.,  tr.  to  4,  U.  S.  Cav.  Dec.  3,  '62.   received  veteran  furlougli  from  bpriiig-  duster  Ron,  comqany  ii. 

Belong,  John,   vet.,  tr.   to  Co.  G,  9th  III.,  as    g  |j   j|j      j^ioyed   from  Springfield  for  '  ^    ,    ,       ,  „  ,  d 

consol'dt,  M.  O.  July  9,  1S65.  ,  neiu   xii.     xxy  «  I  Drafted  and  Sub-Becruits. 

Diamond,  Charles  W.,   tr.  to  4,  U.  S.  Cav., '  the  south,  August   22,  18(>4  ;  did  go«d    j^„^„„_  ^y^         .^.j  out  July  17,  1805. 

Dec.  3, 1,802.        _...„.  service,  and  was  mustered  out  JSovember  j^ckel,  Frederick,  must'd  out  July  17, 1865. 


Reinhart,  Frederick,  must'd  out  June  4,  '65. 
Reichart,  Godfrey,  nui.st'd  out  June  19,  1865. 
Roezech,  Gottleib,  must'd  out  June  4,  1865. 
The  Twenty-ninth  was  mustered  into   Winfree,  Robt.,  disch'd  Nov.  13,  '62,  disability 
the  United   States   service  by  Captain  i 

Master  Roll  Company  F. 

Drafted  and  Sub-Becruits, 


Dailey,  Patrick,  m.  o.  Sept.  20,  1804, 

EUi8,'Thomas,  tr.  to  4th  U.  S.Cav.,  Dec.  3,  '62.    6,  l»bO. 


Keim,  Daniel,  must'd  out  June  4,  1865. 


240 


EISTOEY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Tl»lrt)r-Pir8t  Ilrfantry— Thi'ee  Yearg'J 

Service. 

This  regiment  was  organized  at  Cairo, 
Illinois,  on  the  eighth  of  September, 
1861,  by  Colonel  John  A.  Logan,  and 
mustered  into  the  United  States'  service 
by  Captain  T.  G.  Pitcher,  U.  S.  A.  It 
saw  good  service,  having  been  in  thirty- 
one  battles,  skirmishes,  etc.  At  the 
time  of  its  discharge,  July  19,  1865,  it 
numbered  25  officers,  and  677  enlisted 
men.  When  organized  numbered  11-30, 
and  received,  in  all,  700  recruits.  Killed 
in  action,  died  of  wounds,  of  disease, 
and  discharged,  1128. 

Surgeons. 
Gustav  Sulifras,  must'd  out  July  19,  1865. 

First- Assistant  Surgeon. 
David  M.  Dunn,  must'd  out  (as  liospital  stew- 
ard) June  1,  1865,  term  expired. 

Master  Roll  Company  D. 

Drafted  and  Sub-Recruits. 

Scudder,  Edward,  sub.  must'd  out  May  31,  '65. 

Muster  Roll  Company  G. 

Drafted  and  Sub-Hecruits.  [ 

Lickens,  Samuel,  drafted,  never  reported    to 
company. 

Muster  Roll,  rompnnj-  H. 

Drafted  and  Sidj  Becruits.  l 

Allen,  Zacliariah,  died  Jan.  7,  1865. 
Myers,  Theodore,  reported  died  Jan  10,  1865. 

Tlllrty-Sccoud  lurantry — Col.  John  I.ogan 
CommaiHlliig.— Tliree  Years'  Service. 

Madison  county  was  represented  in 
six  companies  of  this  regiment,  as  fol- 
lows :  Companies  A,  D,  E,  F,  G,  and  K. 
Company  F,  was  made  up  almost  en- 
tirely from  Madison,  as  will  be  seen  from 
the  roster  appended. 

This  regiment  was  organized  by  Col. 
Logan,  and  mustered  into  service  De- 
cember 31st,  1861. 

It  bore  a  distinguished  and  honorable 
part  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  losing  forty 
killed  and  two  hundred  wounded.  Was 
engaged  in  the  advance  on  Corinth.  On 
the  5th  of  October,  1862,  fought  in  the 
battle  of  ^letamora.  The  regiment  did 
good  service  here,  seven  killed  and  five 
wounded.  On  the  8th  of  November  in 
a  forced  march  southward  from  La- 
grange surprised  and  captured  over  one 
hundred  rebel  cavalry  at  Lamar,  and 
routed  the  enemy.  After  many  hard 
inarches,  part  of  the  time  being  on  short 
rations,  in  March,  1863,  they  moved  to 
Memphis  and  remained  until  May  11th, 
Avhen  they  moved  to  Young's  Point ;  on 


the  15th  joined  the  division  ten  miles  defense.  Col.  Logan  was  absent  during 
below  Vicksburg-  Thence  to  Grand  these  two  campaigns  on  court-martial 
Gulf,  where  they  were  detained  a  few  duty  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  Capt.  Rider, 
days  as  garrison.  June  12th  the  post  was  afterward  J.iieut.  Col.,  commanded  the 
abandoned,  and  the  regiments  joined  the  regiment.  Took  part  in  the  grand  re- 
division  on  the  lines  around  Vicksburg  ;  view  at  Washington,  May,  21th,  1865. 
engaged  in  the  siege  until  June  27th,  Thence  to  Parkersburg,  Va. ;  thence  to 
when  Col.  Logan,  with  his  regiment, the  Louvi-sville  ;  thence  moved  westward. 
One  Hundred  and  Fourteenth  Ohio,  and  via.  St.  Louis  and  Fort  Leavenworth  to 
one  section  of  artillery,  was  ordered  to  Fort  Kearney,  Nebraska,  arriving  Aug. 
command  the  post  at  Warrenton,  which  13th.  Returned  to  Fort  Leavenworth, 
was  the  extreme  left  of  the  line.     Re-   Sept.  2d. 

joined  brigade  on  July  4th,  and  on  the  |  Sept.  16th  mustered  out  there,  and 
5th  marched  with  Sherman's  army  i  ordered  to  Camp  Butler,  111.,  for  final 
toward  Jackson,  a  very  trying  march,  payment  and  discharge.  It  traveled 
After  hard  service  and  skirmishing,  and  while  in  the  United  States  service  11,- 
the  capture  of  a  battery  of  nine  pieces  000  miles,  and  its  record  makes  glorious 
of  artillery,  it  on  January  3d,  1S64,  a  page  of  the  history  of  the  State, 
moved  to  Vicksburg,  where  it  was  mus- 1  Roster, 

tered  as  a  veteran   organization.     Re-  Major. 

ceived  furlough,  and    on   the  28th  reas-   Smith  Townsand,  mustered  out  Sept.  16,  '82. 
sembled  at  Camp  Butler,  111.,  and  moved  ^  Nou-commissioued  staff. 

to  Bird's  Point,  Mo.      June    12th,  1864,  Principal  Musician. 

siege  of  Kenesaw  Mountain  commenced  ;    Francis  M.  Johnson,  mus.  out  Feb.  13,  '63. 

the   Seventeenth    Corps    occupied    the  Muster  rou,  company  a. 

left  of  the   line  and  the  Thirty-Second  j  Drafted  and  Sub  Becruits. 

Regiment    occupied    the    exposed    posi-    Harlman,  Frederick,  mustered  out  June  3, '65. 
;tion    on    the    advance.      July    2d,     was    Plinsston,  Charles,  mustered  out  June  3  '65. 
i  •   ,  ^   1-"  u      Smith,  August,  mustered  out  July  11, 'DO. 

1  transferred  to  right  of  line,  on  the  s,ernba,  Frederick,  mustered  out  June  3,  '65. 
Uth     and  5th,    and    on    the     5th     when  i  Watt,  James,  mustered  out  June  3. '65 

„         ,   '      .    .  .  ,      1      .1       Weslev,  Frank,  absent  sick  at  M.  O.  of  Keg  t. 

the       Fourth       division       aSSaultea      the,  ■      ^^^^^er  Roll,  company  d. 

enemy's  works  the  Thirty-second  was 
the  first  to  plant  its  colors  on  the  works. 
July  18th  the  regiment  was   transferred 


Private, 

Kuggles,  James  W,  disch.  Sep.  6,  '61  ;  term  ex. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  E. 

to   the   first   brigade,   and    Col.  Logan '  Veteran. 

took  command  of  the  brigade.     While  ,  'Williams,  Edward  L.,  mus.  out  June  17,  '65. 

guarding  supplies  at  Marietta,  a  party  \  Muster  Roll,  company  F. 

of  fifty  men  under  Lieut.  Campbell,  while  •  Captains. 

foraging,  after  a  spirited  re.-istance  were  ;  George  AV.  Jenks,  resigned  Sept.  28,  '62. 

captured,  only  nine  escaping.     On  the  '  Joseph  H.  Weeks,  mustered  out  Sept.  16,  '65. ; 

3d  the   enemy  attacked   the  line  near  |  First  Lieutenants. 

Kenesaw  Mountain,  and  killed  and  cap-   David  Glenn,  resigned  Sept,  21,  '64. 

,    .      ,  m  •         t     „     Jolm  Keck,  mustered  out  Sept.  16,  '6-->. 

tured    twelve    men.     The   regiment  re-  ""  > 

mained  near  Marietta  until  the  "  March  :  Second  Lieutenants. 

to  the  Sea  "  began,  when,  on  Nov.  13th, ;  J^jj^  ^--^^^t:^^'^  «^"''''- 

it  moved  from  that  place,  and  from  At- ' 

lanta  November    15th,    1864.     In  the 

sieM  of  Savannah  four  men  were  wound- 


ed. It  suffered  greatly  from  lackof  food. 
Remained  at  camp' in  Savannah,  Ga  , 
until  December  5th,  1865,  when  it 
embarked  at  Thunderbolt  for  Beaufort. 


First  Sergeant. 
'William  A.  Hildebrand,  mustered  out  Dec.  31, 
'64;  term  expired. 

Sergeants. 
Martin  Holin,  vet.,  mustered  out  Sept.  16,  '6-5. 
John  Beamer,  mus,  out  Dec.  31,  64;  term  ex. 

Corporah. 
Lewis  ninton. 


On  February  3d  the  division   waded   the  Andrew  J.  Johnson,  mustered  out  Dec.  31,  '64; 

Salkahatchie  river,  two  miles  wide  and  }^""^^:    ,  .„   ,    .  ci -i  i     a,,,;!  r.  w 

„       '  -  .  ,  Daniel  Skellv,  killed  at  Shiloh,  April  6,   bi. 

from     two    to   five    feet    deep    in     water  |  Ri^.d^rd  Hand,  discharged  August  — ,  '82. 

ice  cold,  and  after  a  half  hour's  skirmish-  George  Cooper,  mus.  out  Dec  31,'64  ;  term  ex. 

.      ,       ,  11   J  .u  GreenB.White,  vet,  died  Natchez,  Jan.  14, 64. 

ing  on  the  opposite  b^uk,  compelled  the  charles  S.  Christy,  vet.,  mus.  out  Sep.  16,  '65. 

enemy  to  evacuate  their  strong  line  of  Joseph  Hicks,  discharged  Aug.,  1862. 


HISTORY   OF    MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


241 


Musician. 

William  Tabor,  died  at  Memphis,  Mav  2Ij,  '65. 

)  Wagoner. 

Theodore  Scovel,  mus  out  Dec.  31,  '64  ;  terni  ex 

Privates. 

AUgood,  John  W.,  vet.,  mus.  out  Sep.  16,  '65. 

Barllev,  John,  vet. 

Briinton,  .\lexander,  killed  at  Shiloh  Apr.  6,"62. 

Britten,  Isaiah. 

Benson,  George  E.,  vet.,  mus.  out  Sept.  16,  '6-5. 

Brauner,  Robert  D..  tr.  to  V.  R.  C.  Sep.  Ld,  '63. 

Bankson,  Jamep,  died  March  2,  '62. 

Bratcher,  William,  vet. 

Burn.^,  Michael,  vet.,  mustered  Sept.  16,  '6.5. 

Burns,  Patrick,  disch.  Oct.  7,  '62;  disability. 

Bascoin,  Naaman,  d  scharged  June  27,  '62. 

Bryant,  John,  discharged  May  11,  '64. 

Christy,  John 

Casey,  William,  mus.  out  Dec.  31,'64;  term  ex. 

Choate,  Edward,  vet-,  mus.  out  Sept.  16,  '6.5. 

Cboate,  Richard,  vet.,  disc.  July  6, '6-5;  disb'y. 

Dingle,  Samuel,  vet.,  died  May  13,  'fi.). 

Dunn,  Deacon,  died  at  home  June  20,  '62. 

Dunn,  George,  died  at  Warrenlown,  Misr--.,  July 

3,  18G3. 

Graves,  .lames,  died  July  26,  '62. 

Granstafl",  Michael,  discharged  Aug.  27,  '62. 

Grubough,  John,  vet. 

Grubough,  Michael,  died  at  home  Feb.  2,  '62. 

Hensley,  William,  discharged  Jan.  2,  '62. 

Hughes,  Patrick,  vet.,  mus.  out  Sept.  16,  '65. 

Howell,  Franklin,  vet. 

Hall.  Edward. 

Harrison,  Benjamin,  died  at  Pittsburgh  Land- 
ing, .April  2,  '62. 

Ingram,  Pliny. 

John.siH),  Reuben,  vet.,  mus.  out  Sept.  16  '65. 

John,  Patten,  killed  at  Shiloh,  Apr.  6,  '62. 

Jones,  Samuel  T.,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C.  Sept.  15,  '63. 

Ketchum,  David. 

Ketchum,  Daniel,  discharged  Nov.  8,  '62. 

Lee,  Abner. 

Lelchlin,  Jacob,  vet.,  disc.  Jul.  11, '65;  disab'y. 

Little,  Samuel  H.,  mustered  out  Dec.  31,  1864 ; 
term  ex. 

Malkin,  William,  killed  at  Shiloh  Apr.  6,  '62. 

Moore,  Lewis,  died  Oct.  7,  '02. 

Moore,  James  S. 

Mc.A.tee,  James,  vet.,  mus.  out  Sept.  16,  '65. 

McCann,  Andrew  B.,  died  July  21,  '62. 

McAlpin.  John. 

Mullen,  William  H.,  vet.,  mus.  out  Sep.  16,'65. 

McClughen,  James,  died  at  Camp  Butler,  Feb. 
21,  1862. 

McDonald,  James. 

Mahony,  Martin,  vet.,  died  at  St.  Louis,  April 

4,  1865. 

Morrison,  Benjamin,  vet.,  mus.  out  Sep.  16, '65. 
Miller,  James,  vet.,  mus.  out  Sept.  16,  '65. 
Ogle,  William,  vet.,  mus.  out  Sept.  16,  '65. 
Owens,  William  A.,  vet.,  mus.  out  June  22,'65. 
Putero,  Henry,  vet.,  mus.  out.  Nov.  27,  '66. 
Patterson,  Van  Buren,  vet.,  discharged  July  3, 

1865;  disability. 
Patterson,  James,  died  at  Corinth,  May  10,  '62. 
Ransdal,  Richard,  died  at  home  April  25,  '62. 
Robinson,  George. 
Strong,  Legrand. 
Sanks,  .Joshua, 

Short,  Jonathan,  discharged  .July  19,  '62. 
Scoval,  James  F.,  mustered  out  Dec.  31,  '64. 
Teeters,  Eleazer,  discharged  Oct.  4,  '62. 
White,  Franklin,  mus.  out  nec.31,'64;  terra  ex. 
Wilson,  McClain,  disc.  S«p.  17,  '67  ;  disability. 
Wilson,  Ashley  J.,  died  April  2li,  '62. 
Wilson,  James,  vet.,  mustered  out  Sept.  16,  '65. 
Welch,  William,  mus.  out  Dec.  31, '64;  term  ex. 

Rccruils. 

Adams,  John  C,  killed  at  Bentonville,  N.  C, 
Mar.  21,  186.5. 
31 


Baker,  Charles,  absent  wounded  at  mus.  out  of 
Regiment.  j 

Baker,   Isaac 

Book,  Fred.  W. 

Carter,  George  W.,  discharged  Nov.  2,  '65. 

Fodderl,  Charles. 

Jones,  John  C,  disc.  Mar.  15,  '64  ;  disability. 

Jones,  William  K.,  vet.,  died  at  Savauuah,  Ga. 
Dec.  16,  1864.  ; 

Malone,  .John. 

Nichols,  James  V.,  mustered  out  July  6,  '65. 

JH  lister    Foil,    loinpauy    Ci. 

Drafted  and  Sub  Recruits, 

Kellv,  George  W.,  mustered  out  June  3,  '65. 
Kinder,  mustered  out  June  22.  '65. 
Matthews,  Harris  S.,  June  3,  '65. 
Milam,  Jarot  C,  mustered  out  .June. 
McCaw,  Jo-seph,  mustered  out  June. 
Tinsel,  John  A.,  mustered  out  June. 

Muster  Boll,  Tompaiiy  H, 

3Iusiciaii. 
Silas  J.  Garrett. 

Miister    Roll,   Company  K. 

Dm/led  and  Sub  Rr<T<d(s. 
Brown,  Berry,  mustered  out  June  3,  1865. 

Unn,<'signed  Recruit. 
Henderson,  Frederick  W.,  discharged. 

Tliirty-thlrd    Infantry.— Three  Years' 
Service. 

The  Thirty-third  was  organized  at 
Camp  Butler,  Illinois,  in  September, 
1S61,  with  Col.  Charles  E.  Hovey  com- 
mauding,  and  soon  afterward  became  a 
part  of  the  army  operating  in  Missouri 
and  Arkansas  In  1 863  became  a  part 
of  Gen.  Davidson's  corps,  and  subse- 
quently participated  in  the  battles  of 
Port  Gibson,  Champion  Hills,  Black 
River  Bridge,  and  the  sieges  of  Vicks- 
burg  and  Jackson.  On  the  Ist  of  Janu- 
ary, 186-t,  the  regiment  re-enlisted  as 
veterans,  and  March  14  reached  Bloom- 
ington,  Illinois,  and  received  veteran  \ 
furlough.  April  18th,  1864,  the  regi- 
ment was  re-organized  at  Camp  Butler, 
and  proceeded  to  New  Orleans.  It  again 
did  good  service,  and  was  mustered  out 
at  Vicksburg  November  24,  1865. 

Muster  Roll   Company  C. 

Rccruils. 
Dougherty,  Patk.  W.,  tr.  from  124th  111,  M.  O. 

Nov.'24, '65. 
Hays,  Plinv,  tr.  from  124th  Ills.,  mustered  out 

Nov.  24,  '65. 
Riley,  Harvey  C  ,  tr.  from  124th  III,  mu.st'  out 

Nov.  24,  '65. 

Mnstcr  Roll  Company  E. 

Recruits. 
Crook,  William, tr.  from  117th  Ill.,must'd  out 

Nov.  24,  '65. 
Day,  Benjamin,  tr.  from  117th  111.,  must'd  out 
!  Nov.  24,  '65. 

Gillham,  Saml.  C,  miist'd  out  Nov.  24,  '6-1. 
Murphv,  Henry  C,  tr.  from  117tb  III,  M.  O. 
Nov.  24.  '65. 


Ross,  Geo.  W..  tr.  from  117th  III,  must'il  out 
Nov.  24,  '65. 

Muster  Roll  Company  P. 

Veteran. 
Andrews,  Wm.  L.,  must'd  out  July  18,  '65. 

Muster  Roll  Company  *i. 

Recruit 
Wood,  Edwin,  tr.  from  117th  Ills.,  must'd  out 
Nov.  24,  '65. 

Muster  Roll  Company  H. 

Reej-uit-t. 
Hants,  Geo.  B.,  tr.  from  122J  Ills,  inf.,  M.  O. 

Nov.  24,   65. 
Nelson,  Benj.  F.,  tr.  from  122d  Ills,  inf ,  M.  O. 

Nov.  24,  '65. 
Nelson,  William,  tr.  from  122d  111.  inf.,  absent 

since  Nov.  "0,  '65. 

Thlrty-Pourtll  Infantry— TUree  Years' Ser- 
vice. 
Muster  Roll  Company  B. 

Drafted  and  Sub  Recruit. 
Miller,  Amos,  M.  O.  July  12,  1805. 

Muster  Ro  1  Company  P. 

Drafted   and   Sub-Recruit. 
Norris,  Thomas,  never  reported. 

Unass'fjncd  Drafted'  and  Sub-Recruit. 
Connelly,  Michael,  sub. 


Thlrty-Slitli  Infantry— Tliree  Ye 


Sei 


Muster  Roll  Company    D. 

Musicians. 
Henry  T.  Kellom,  vet.,  absent  sick  at  M.  O.  of 

reg't. 
Pyle,  William  T.,  killed  at  Chaplin  'uills,  Ky. 
Oct.  8,  1802. 

Unassigned  Recruits. 
Small,  Alfred. 
Small,  Albert. 

Forty-third  Infantry.— TUree  Years' 
Service. 

Of  this  regiment,  there  were  a  few 
members  of  companies  B,  G,  H,  I,  and 
K,  from  Madison  county.  The  Forty- 
third  was  organized  at  Camp  Butler, 
Chicago,   in   the  month   of  September, 

1861,  by  Col.  Julius  Raith.  On  the  8th 
of  October  it  was  ordered  to  Benton 
Barracks,  St.  Louis,  when  in  January, 

1862,  it  was  joined  with  the  Twenty- 
fifth  Indiana,  and  formed  a  brigade 
under  Gen.  Strong.  Here  companies  I 
and  K  joined  the  regiment.  February 
6th  it  moved  to  the  South,  and  took  an 
active  part  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  where 
it  suffered  heavily,  losing,  in  killed  and 
wounded,  200  men,  several  of  whom  were 
oflBcers.  Afterwards  participated  in  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg,  and  in  June  of  the 
same  year  it  became  a  part  of  the  Army 
of  the  Tennessee.  Throughout  its  ca- 
reer it  did  good  service,  being  always 
actively    engaged.      According    to    an 


242 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


order  of  the  War  Department,  the  regi- 
ment was  consolidated  with  another 
regiment,  Jauuarj'  17th,  1865.  From 
this  time  forward  the  command,  until, 
its  discharge,  w-as  engaged  in  skirmish- 
ing and  doing  garrison  duty.  At  Little 
Rock  it  was  mustered  out  of  service 
November  30th,  1865,  and  arrived  at 
Camp  Butler,  Illinois,  December  14th 
following. 

Roster— Cluster  Roll  Company  B. 

Privates. 
IJreger,  Tlios,  vet.,  tr.  to  Co.  A ,  as  cons.,  M.  O 

Nov.  20,  186'). 
Link,  .John,  disch'd  Sept.  30,  '62,  wounds. 
Schmidt,  Adam,  M.  O.  Sept.  26,  '64. 

]>Iaster  Roll  Company  G, 

Drafted  and  Sub.  Recruits. 
Kohl,  Jos.,  tr.  to  Co  D,  as  consol.,  M  O.  July 

7,  1865,  as  corp'l. 
Kirscli,  Adam,  tr.  to  Co.  D,  as  consol.,  M.  O. 

July  7,  1865. 

Muster  Roll  Company  H. 

Sergeant. 
Martin  Schneider,  killed,  Sliiloh,  April  6,  '62- 

Private. 
Tanner,  John,  killed,  Shiloh,  Ap.  6,  1862. 

DraJ'ttd  and  Siib.  Recniit. 
Israel,  Michael,  tr.  to  Co.  E,  as  consol.,  M.  O. 
July  7,  1865. 

Master  Roll  Company  I. 

Privates. 
Andres,  Franz,  disch'd  Nov.  9,  1862. 
Becker,  Adam,  M.  O.  Dec.  31,  1864. 
Hundsdorfer,  Jos.,  died  at  Little  JRock,  Dec'r 

25,  1864. 
Ladner,  Andrew. 

Bykher,  Chas.,  M.  O.  Dec.  31,  1864. 
Stett,  John,  missing  in  action  at  Shiloh,  April 

6,  1862. 
WoU,  Henry,  M.  O.  Dec.  31, 1864. 
WoU,  Lawrenz,  M.  O.  Dec.  31,  1864. 
Weber,  Fredolin,  M.  O.  Dec.  31,  1864. 
Weitgenaunt,  Chas.,  disch'd  Oct.  26, 1862. 
Zimraerscheid,  Christian,  killed,  Shiloh,  April 

6,  1862. 

Drafted  and  Sub.  Recruit. 
McLain,  John  S.,  tr.  to  Co.  F,  as  consol.,  M.  O. 

July  7,  1865. 

Muster  Roll  Company  K. 

Private. 
Weittner,  Bernhardt,  di.^ch'd  Feb.  3,  1863. 

Drafted  and  Sub.  Recruits. 
Christ,  John,  tr.  to  Co.  G,  as  consol'ted,  M.  O. 

July  7, 1865. 
Probst,  Charles  tr.  to  Co.  D,  as  consol.,  M.  O. 
July  7, 186.5. 

Forty-Tlilrd    ^consolidated)    Infantry— One 

Year  Organization. 

Muster  Roll  Company  K. 

Privates. 
Fluge,  Frederick  R.,  M.  O.  Nov.  30,  1865. 
Galligan,  John  F.,  M.  O.  Nov.  30,  1865. 

Porty-Elgbtli    Infantry— Tllree  Years'  Ser- 
vice. 
Muster  Roll  Company  I. 

Sergeant. 
Pleasant,  Crisp. 


Forty-nlntH  Infantry. — Tliree  Years' 
-SeiTlce. 


Capt.  John  A.  Logan,  of  Richview, 
Washington  county,  and  engaged  in  the 
The  Forty-ninth  was  organized  at  battle  of  Tripoli  July  14th  and  15th, 
Camp  Butler,  Illinois,  by  Col.  Wm.  R.  i  1864.  After  the  expiration  of  the  vete- 
Morrison,  December  31st,  1861,  and  on  ran  furlough,  rendezvoused  at  Centralia, 
the  3 J  of  February  following  was  Illinois,  and  proceeded  via  Cairo  and 
ordered  to  Cairo,  Illinois.  Was  assign-  Memphis  to  Holly  Springs  and  rejoined 
ed  to  the  Third  Brigade,  McClernand's  ,  the  command.  Participated  in  the  Ox- 
Division,  at  Fort  Henry,  the  8th  ult ,  ford  expedition  and  returned  to  Mem- 
and  on  the  11th  inst.  moved  to  Fort  |  phis  August  30.  Arrived  at  Jefferson 
Donelson.  Engaged  the  enemy  on  the  ;  Barracks,  Missouri,  September  30, moved 
loth,  losing  14  killed  and  37  wounded  ;  thence  to  Franklin  and  drove  theentmy 
Col.  Morrison  was  among  the  wounded,  from  the  place,  was  with  the  army  in 
Remaining  at  Donelson  until  March  4th,  pursuit  of  Gen.  Price  through  Missouri, 
it  moved  to  Metal  Landing,  and  two  and  returned  to  St.  Louis  November 
days  later  embarked  for  Pittsburg  Land-  18th,  1864.  From  there  it  moved  to 
ing,  Tennessee.  Disembarked  at  Savan- ,  Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  took  part  in 
nah,  and  on  the  2lst  completed  the  that  battle  December  15th.  On  the 
march.  Participated  in  the  battle  of  24th,  was  ordered  to  Paducah,  Ken- 
Shiloh,  April  6th  and  7th,  losing  17  tucky,  to  muster  out  non-veterans,  and 
killed  and  99  wounded.  Was  in  the  thereafter  the  regiment  did  garrison 
siege  of  Corinth,  and  June  4th,  moved  :  duty.  Was  mustered  out  September 
to  Bethel,  where  it  was  assigned  to  '  9th,  1865,  and  arrived  at  Camp  Butler, 
Brig.-G''n.  John  A.  Logan's  First  Divi- 1  Illinois,  September  15th,  186-5,  for  final 
sion,  Major-Gen.  A.  McClernaud  com- 1  payment  and  discharge.  As  will  be 
manding.  j  seen  from  the  following  roster,  company 

Moved   from   Bethel,   Tennessee,   by  j  G  was  largely  represented  by  men  from 
rail,  March  10th,  1863,  to  Germantown, '  Madison  county. 
and  on  the  12th  to  White  Station,   and  '  „     . 

Roster. 

was   assigned   to   the   Fourth   Brigade.;  Quartermaster. 

Joined    Gen.   F.   Steele's   expedition   to  ;  james  ^y.  Davis,  promoted  captain  and  A.  C. 

Little     Rock,     Arkansas,     at    Helena,  :,         S.,  March,  1863,  by  the  president. 

August    21st,   and    on    the   28th    was    as-  Non-commissioned  Staff. 

signed  to  Col   Triie's  Brigade,  and  Sep-  Quartermaster  Sergeant. 

tember    2d   joined    the    main    army    at    Caleb  Sappington,  must'd  out  Jan.  9,  1865. 

Brownsville,  Arkansas.  November  10th, 

assisted  in  the  capture  of  Little   Rock. 

Ou  the  15th,  moved  by  rail  via  Duvall's  ,  ^^^^^  christian,  di"sch'.  Dec.  6,  1864 

Bluff  to  Memphis,  arriving  November 


Muster  Roll  Company  C. 

I! ecru  it. 


21st,  1863.  January  15th,  1864,  three- 
fourths  of  the  regiment  re-enlisted,  and 
was  mustered  as  veteran  volunteers  and 


Muster  Roll  Company  £. 

Privates. 
Burk,  Patrick,  tr.  to  Mulligan's  Brigade  Jan. 
24,  1862. 


assigned  to  the  Third  Brigade,  Col.  S.  j  Cavenaugh,  James,  tr.  to  Mulligan's  Brigade 
H.    Wolf,    Third   Division,    Brig.-Gen.  I  fjj^]pj^"-jyji^haeir 

A.    J.    Smith,  of  the   Sixteenth   Army  ;  Kelly,  Robert,  vet.,  must'd  out  Sept.  9,  1865. 
r-i  r\      ^t       o-r..i-    ■     i  1    J  i.     :  Moran,  John,  vet.,  must'd  out  Sept.  9,  1865. 

Corps.  On  the  27th  inst.,  marched  to  |  McLean,  John,  vet.,  must'd  out  Sept.  9,  1865. 
Vicksburg,  Mississippi,  and  was  with  ,  Patterson,  William  S.,  must'd  out  Jan.  9,  '65. 
Maj.-Gen.  Sherman  in  the  Meridian  cam- ;  Recruits. 

paign,  returning  to  Vicksburg  March  [  Lyles,  AYilliam,  killed  at  Fort  Donelson,  Feb. 
3d.  Was  assigned  to  the  Red  River  \  pe^brook,  William  K.,  vet. 
expedition,  and  on  March  14th  partici- 
pated in  the  capture  of  Fort  De  Russey, 
Louisiana ;  April  9th,  engaged  in  the 
battle  of  Pleasant  Hill,  Louisiana,  and 
returned  to  Memphis  June  10th,  1861. 

On  the  24th  inst ,  ordered  to  Illinois  for  i  Captains 

veteran    furlough.     The  detachment  of  j  j^^^;^  ^y  jyioQ^e,  term  expired  Jan.  9,  18 
non- veterans  remained,  commanded  by  i  Cyrus  E.  Daniels,  must'd  out  Sept.  9,  186 


Muster  Roll  Company  F. 

IVivatcs. 
Hawkins,  James,  died  at  Paducah,  Kv. 
4,  1862. 

Master  Roll  Company  G. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


243 


First  Lieutenant. 
William  W.  Bliss,  must'd  out  Jan.  10,  1865. 

Second  Lieutenant. 
■William  M.  Whaling,  must'd  out  Mar.  14,  '64. 

Corporah. 
John  Ilullis,  vet,  must'd  out  Sept.  9,  lS6o,  as 

sergeant. 
John  Morgan,  vet.,  must'd  out  Sept.  9,  18G.5. 

Privatea. 
Assman,  William,  vet.,  must'd  out  Sept.  9,  '65. 
Bergs,  Peter,  vet.,  luust'd  out  Sept.  9,  1S65. 
Bartlett,  David,  disch.  March  19,  ISlio. 
Burns,  Patrick,  must'd  out  Jan.  9,  1863. 
Caswell,  John  D.,  must'd  out  Jan.  9,  1S63. 
Ciry,  William  M. 

Champine,  Francis,  vet.,  must'd  out  Sep.  9  '65. 
Caldwell,  L.  P.,  must'd  out  Dee.  28,  1864. 
Durkes,  Valentine. 
Emmereon,  Isaac  M.,  vet.,  must'd  out  Sept. 

9,  186.1 
Elliott,  J.  K.,  disch'd  Feb.  1,  1863. 
Folev,  Patrick,  must'd  out  Jan.  9,  1865. 
Finnv,  John  A.,  vet.,  must'd  out  Sept.  9, 1865, 

as  corporal. 
Holdenbcri;,  Peter,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C  ,  S^pt.  22,  '63. 
Inman,  RiiYus,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C,  July  3,  18iJ3. 
McLoughlin,    Edward,   died   at  Little  Rock, 

Sept.  11,  1863. 
McCarty,  C -melius,  mjsl'd  out  Jan.  9,  186-5, 

a,s  sergeant. 
Melvin,  Edmund,  vet.,  must'd  out  Sept.  9,  '6-5, 

as  corporal. 
McCullum,  M.,  vet.,  must'd  out  Sept.  9,  lS6o. 
Riedmun,  David. 

Sliorader,  Peter,  vet.,  must'd  out  Sept.  9,  65. 
Stacy.  Simeon,  disch'd  Oct.  22,  1862 

W'ilson,  John,  vet ,  must'd  out  Sept.  29,  1865. 
Waters,  James,  awaiting  trial. 

Wilson,  William  H.,  vet.,  mu.st'd  out  Sept.  9, 
1865;  wounded. 

Mecruits. 

Bliss,  William  H.,  mu.st'd  out  Sept.  9,  186-5. 

Daniels.  John  X.,  must'd  out  Sept.  9,  1865,  as 
corporal. 

Duncan,  Jo.«eph. 

l':ikins,  John  M.,  died  at  home  Nov.  20.  1864. 

Elkins,  James  M.,  must'd  out  Sept.  9,1865. 

Epping,  John,  must'd  out  Sept.  9,  1865. 

McKinney.  Samuel,  must'd   out  Sept.  9, 1865. 

M.:Cann,  Thomas. 

Smith,  John  H.,  musfd  out  Sept.  9,  186-5. 

Thompson,  James  P.,  must'd  out  Sept.  9,    65. 

Vinson.  Joseph  B.,  must'd  out  Sept.  9,  186-). 

Whitbread,  William,  must'd  out  Sept.  9,  186-5. 

Wainwright,  George,  must'd  out  Sept.  9,  1865. 

Flftletli  Infantrj-.— iTliree  Year*  Sen-tee.) 
Muster  Roll  Company  II. 

Hecruils. 
McKenzie,  James,  must'd  out  May  30,  186.5. 
Sliepard,  William,  must'd  out  July  13,  1865. 
Fifty-*!-'*  Infantry.    (.TTiree  Years  Service.) 

First  Assistant  Surgeon. 
Francis  W.  Lytle,  pro.  surgeon,  36th  R?gt., 
resigned  April  29,  1865. 

Ultuter  Roll  Company  1. 

Prirate- 

Thener,  Frederick  E.,  must'd  out  Sept.  25. '65. 

SInater  Roll  Company  K. 

Private. 

Holbert,  .Vbram   V.,  disch'd  Feb.   28,  1865 ; 

term  e.xpired. 
Flfty-thlnl  Infantry— Three  Years'  Service- 
Muster  Roll,  Company  W. 
Drajted  and  Sub  Becruit. 
Labey,  Thoma.=,  sub  ,  m.  o.  July  22,  1865. 


Flfty-fonrtU  Infantry— Three  Years'  Service 
—Muster  Roll  Company   D. 

Recruits. 
Martin,  John,  m.  o.  Oct.  15,  186-5. 

Flfly-eigUtU  (^Consolidated)  Infantry- Tliree 
Years'  Service. 

Was  recruited  as  Camp  Douglas, 
Chicago,  on  the  11th  of  February,  18G2, 
and  left  the  camp  for  the  south  on  the 
following  day.  It  saw  hard  service,  and 
was  must*  red  out  at  Montgomery,  Ala., 
the  1st  of  April,  1866. 

Mnster  Roll  Company  F. 

Second  lAeulenant. 
William  Cooper,  m.  o.  as  sergt.  Mar.  2,  1836. 

Corporals. 
Jo.seph  Lamm,  m.  o.  Feb.  26,  1866. 
Jacob  Shad. 


Wagoiier. 
William  H.  Wisenhut,  m.  o.  Feb.  26,  1866. 

Privates. 
Aldrup,  Ilonrv,  died  at  Cairo,  April  26,  1866. 
Burke,  Geo.  W.,  m.  o.  May  29,  1865. 
George,  Eilward. 

Griliin,  Alexander,  m.  o.  Feb.  23,  1866. 
Wallace,  Henry,  absent  at  m.  o.  of  regt. 


Flfty-nlntli  Infantry.  Three  Y'ears'  Service. 

Four  companies,  C,  D,  E  and  F,  were 
represented  in  the  Fifty-ninth  from 
Madison  county— company  D  being 
nearly  full. 

This  regiment  of  Illinois  men  was  first 
accredited    to   Missouri,  Illinois'  quoto 
being  full,  and  was  known  as  the  Ninth 
Missouri  Infantry.     Did  good  service  in 
that  state.      February  12th,  186'2,  the 
name   was  changed   to   the   Fifty-ninth 
Illinois  Infantry.     Was  in  the  battle  of 
Pea  Ridge,  where  it  fought  gallantly  all 
day.     After  marching  and  skirmishing, 
arrived  at  West  Plains  on  the  "iSih  of 
April.   Captain  Ellett,  three  lieutenants 
and    fifty   men  were   ordered  to  report 
for  duty  to  Col.  Charles    Ellett's  ram 
fleet.       After    service    in    Mississippi, 
Tennessee   and    Missouri,    under    Gen- 
.Jeff.  C.  Davis,  and  later.  Gen.  Robert  B. 
Mitchell,  on  September   3d,  left    Mur- 
freesboro,  and  be^an  the  westward  march 
with  Buell,  arriving  at  Louisville,  Sep- 
tember '26th.     On  October  1st,  moved  in 
pursuit  of  Bragg.     October  7th,  engaged 
the  enemy  at   Chaplin  Hills.     On  the 
8lh,  lost  heavily,  lo-sing  113  killed  and 
wounded  out  of  361  going  into  action. 
On  the  10th,- pursued  the  enemy,  and 
on  the  14th,  had  a  severe  skiuuish  at 
Lancai-ter.      Was    in   the  Stone    river 
campaign  with   the  Army  of  the  Cum- 
berland,   and    in   the   Tullahoma   cam- 


paign during  the  siege  of  Chattanooga; 
ttas  constantly  under  fire  of  the  enemy's 
batteries.     November  23d,  1863,  started 
on  Lookout  Mountain  campaign.     The 
Third  brigade,  of  which  the  Forty-ninth 
was  a  part,  was  led  in  the  assault  on  the 
Mission    Ridge  by  this  regiment.     Jan- 
uary 12th,  18G4,  was  mustered  out  as  a 
veteran  organization.     On  Jlay  3d,  the 
Atlanta  campaign  began.     On  the  7th, 
supported  the  attack  upon  Tunnel  Hill. 
Ou  the  8th,  be^an  the  attack  on  Rocky 
Face   Ridge,  being   constantly  engaged 
until  the  loth.  Was  in  action  at  Resaca, 
Adairsville,  at  Kingston,  D.iUas,   Ack- 
worth.   Pine  Top,   Kenesaw,  Mountain, 
Smyrna,  Camp  meeting  grounds.    From 
July    12th    until   August   25th,  it  was 
under  fire  night  and  day  before  Atlanta. 
Fought   at     Lovejoy    Station.       After 
skirmishing  and  doing  arduous  service, 
on   December    1st   reached    Nashville. 
December   loth,  occurred  the  battle  of 
Nashville.     The  Fifty-ninth  was  in  the 
first  line  of  the  assaulting  column,  and 
planted  the  first  colors  on  the  captured 
works.     The  loss  was  terrible,  one  third 
being  killed  or  wounded.     This  was  the 
last  battle  of  note  in  which  the  regiment 
was  engaged.     After  being  on  duty  in 
various  parts  of  the  South  until  Decem- 
ber 8th,  1865,  at  New  Braunfels,  Texas, 
it   was   mustered   out,   and   ordered  to 
Springfield,  Illinois,  for  final  payment 
and  discharge.     Of  its  brilliant  record 
each  member  of  the  Fifty-ninth,  from 
the  colonel  commanding  to  the  humblest 
private,  is  justly  proui.     All   honor  to 
the  Fifty-ninth ! 


Rojter— Muster  RoU  Company  C. 

Veterans. 
.\sendorf,  Henry. 

Cheelev,  John,  m.  o.  Dec  8,  1865. 
Dorsey,  Wm.  M.,  m.  o.  Dec.  8.  18(35. 

Master  Roll  Company  D. 

Captain. 
William  P.  Renfro,  resigue.l  Sept.  3,  1862. 
Orlando  W.  Frazier,  resigned  Feb.  2-5,  1865. 
Emanuel  Mennet,  m.  o.  Dec.  8,  1865. 

First  Lieutenant. 
Warren  D.  Crandall,  pro.  to  ram  fleet. 
Chesley  A.  Mossman,  m.  o.  Dec.  8,  1865. 

Second  Lieutenant. 
John  P.  Anderson,  term  ex.  Jan.  31,  1865. 
Benjamin  F.  Steven.s,  m.  o.  Dec.  8,  1865. 

First  Sergeant. 
William  F.  Howard,  disch.  Jan.  1863;  disb. 

Sergeants. 
Jacob  Hatham,  killed  at  Stone  river,  Dec.  31, 
1862. 


244 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


Franklin  Parker,  tr.  to  Miss,  ram  fleet  Feb.  11,  I 
1803.  \ 

Corporals. 

■\Villiaiii  Pickering,  disch.  Apr.  12,  '62;  dis'y. 

Joliu  W.  Matlock,  m.  o.  Aug.  18,  1804  as  pri- 
vate. 

.Jolin  Mc.\r(lle,  vet.,  in.  o.  Dec.  8, 18G5assergt.  I 

George  Waters. 

Phineas  C.  Eaton,  vet.,  m.  o.  Dec.  8,  lS6o  as  1st 
sergeant. 

Simon  Mor.se,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C,  Feb.  10,  1864. 

James  H.  Evans. 

Wagoner. 
StradlioflT,  John  C,  vet.,  m.  o.  Dec.  8,  1805. 

Privates. 
Arterberry,  James,  m.  o.  Sept.  14,  '04  as  corp'l. 
Arterberrv,  Tliomas,  m.  o.  Sept.  14,  1864. 
Abbott,  Thomas,  killed  at  Perry  ville,  Ky.,  Oct. 

8,  1802. 
Prewer,  Geo.  A. 

Bradley,  James,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C.  Sept.  30,  1863. 
Po.t,   William   P.,   wounded  severely  at    Pea 

Ridge ;  discharged. 
Bateman,  Jnscpb,  m.  o.  Sept.  17,  1804. 
Ciandall,  Eugene,  killed  at  Pea  Ridge,  Ark., 

Mar.  7,  18i>2. 
Cox,  Amer,  died  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Sept.  1,  '61. 
('hasp,  Charles  G.,  killed  at  Kenesaw  Mt.,  June 

27,  1864. 

Daniel,  John  J.,  disch.  Dec.  10,  1862;  disab'y. 
Deadle,  Henry,  disch.  April  2,  1863. 
Ectine,  Fritz.,  vet.,  m.  o.  Dee.  8,  1865. 
Francis,  William,  disch.  Dec.  20,  1861  ;  disab'y. 
Touch,  Ljcurgus,  m.  o.  Sept.  17,  1864. 
Henderson,  Chas.  B.,  vet.,  m.  o.  Dec.  8,  1865. 
Hartman,  Philip,  ni.  o.  Sept.  17,  1864. 
Hinch,  W.  C,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C.  Feb.  16,  1863. 
Kelly,  Johnsnn,  died  Mar    28,  1862;  wounds. 
Lealy,  Dennis,  drowned   at  Hamburg,  Tenn., 

May  22,  1862. 
Mossoman,  Cliisley,  pro.  corp'l,  serg't  and  1st 

lieutenant. 
Miller,  Charles  J.,  m.  o.  Sept.  17,  1864. 
Palmer,  Isaac  W.,  killed  at  Pea  Ridge,  Ark., 

Mar.  7,  1862. 
Potter,  Richard,  m.  o.  Sept.  17,  '64. 
Pinchard,  Joseph  A.,  m.  o.  Sept.  17, '65. 
Ritlman.  John,  disch.  Apr.  2,  '63 ;  dis. 
Rule,  Joseph,  m.  o.  Sept.  17,  '64. 
Rule.  John  H.,  died  at  Syracuse ;  m.  o.  Jan. 

28,  1862. 

Rule,  Moses  E.,  disch.  Apr.  12,  '62  ;  dis. 
Spohn,  Henry,  killed  at  Pea  Ridge,  Ark.,  Mar. 

7,  '62. 
Spohn,  Peter,  vet.,  m.  o.  Dec,  8,  '65  as  corp'l. 
Sutton,  Stephen,  tr.  to  Miss,  ram  fleet  Feb.  11, 

1863. 
Simp.son,   Francis,  discharged  Oct.  18,  1861 ; 

disability. 
Searcy,  Edward  C,  vet.,  m.  o.  Dec.  8,  18(i5  as 

corporal. 
Searcy,  Thomas,  discharged   Feb.   17,    1863; 

wounds. 
Shield,  Andrew  J.,  vet.,  tr.  toV.  R.  C.  .\ug.  1, 

18t3. 
Shemerstedt,  Charles,  m.  o.  Sept.  17,  '64. 
Tobin,  Charles,  m.  o.  Sept.  17.  '64. 
Thomas,  Charles,  disch.  Jan.  15,  '63;  dis. 
WatLs,  Andrew  J.,  killed  at  Stone  river,  Dec. 

31,  '62. 
Williams,  Woodnut,  di.sch.  Apr.  2,  186- ;  dis. 
Walter,  Jo.seph,  m.  o.  Sept.  17,  '64. 
Zimmerle,  Alfred. 

RecruHs. 
Allen,  David,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C  Aug.  1,  '&%. 
Burns,  Thomas  W.,  disch.  Oct.  9,  63;  dig. 
Brywn.  Wm.  D.,  m.  o.  Dec.  8,  '65. 
Been,  Peter  J.,  m.  o.  Dec.  8,  '65. 
Brown,  Charles  N.,  vet.,  m.  o  Dec.  8,  '65. 
Beard,   Samuel  W.,  killed  at    Kenesaw  Mt., 

June  18,  '64. 


Clark,  George  N.,  m.  o.  Dec.  8,  '65. 

Clark,  Walter  H.,  m.  o.  Dec.  8,  '65. 

Carllou,  Silniyler,  ir.  to  V.  R.  C.  Aug.  1,  '63. 

Daniel,  .lolin  J.,  m.  o.  Dec.  8,  '65. 

Elliott,  .James,  m.  o.  Dec. 8,  '65. 

Early,  John  M..  m.  o.  Dec.  8.  '65. 

Hedrick,  Jesse,  di.sch.  Sept.  19,  '63;  dis. 

Hasting.s,  Wm.  J.,  m.  o.  Dec.  8,  '65;  wounded. 

Husong,  Wm.  .V.,  vet. 

Kill,  Johnsen  M.,  died  at  Jefferson  City,   Mo., 

Oct.  1,  '61. 
Lohberg,  Henry,  disch.  July  17,  '62;  dis. 
Marr,  Peler,  m.  o.  Dec.  8,  '65. 
Murray,  John,  disch.  Apr.  28,  '63  ;  dis. 
Oliver,"  Thomas  J.,  tr.  to  Miss,  ram   lleet  Feb. 

11, '03. 
Roberts,  John  B.,  vet. 
Ranch,  Joseph,  died  at  Sugar  Creek,   Ark., 

Feb.  19,  '62. 
Rude,  Moses  E.,  m.  o.  Dec.  .a.  '65. 
Roeggi-r,  Fredk.,  m.  o.  July  29,  '65  and  Sept. 

30,  '65. 
Sackett,  Andrew,  m.  o.  Sept.  11,  '64  as  corpl. 
Simpson,  Francis  M.,  died  at  Louisville,  Ky., 

Sept.  7,  '65. 
Williams,  James  H.,  m.  o.  Dec.  11,  '64  ascorp. 
Warmbrodt,  Jacob,  m.  o.  Dec.  8,  '65  as  musi'n. 
Weber,  Frank  W.,  vet.,  m.  o.  Dec.  8,  '65. 
Young,  William  A.,  m.  o.  Dec.  8,  '65. 
Young,  Benjamin  F.,  disch.  June  22,  '65;  dis. 
Young,  Edward  ]•.,  m.  o.  July  12,  '65. 

Blnstrr  Koll  Company  E. 

Recruils. 
Hefs,  Jacob,  m.  o.  Dec.  8,  '65. 

Bluster  Foil  Company  I. 

Corporal. 
Frederick  Molsta,  killed  at  Champlain  Hills, 
Ky.,  Oct.  8,  '62. 

Musician. 
Henry  P.  Nervions,  m.  o.  Sept.  17,  '64. 

Wagoner. 
John  Wortman,  m.  o.  Sept.  17,  '64. 

Privates. 
Hampe,  Henry  F.,  disch.  June  8,  '63  as  sergt.; 

disability. 
Nervions,  Henry,  m.  o.  Sept.  17,  '64. 

Recruits. 
Delaney,  John,  tr.  to  Miss,  marine  brig.  Feb. 

11," '65. 
Hener,  John  B.,  killed  atChamplaiuHills,  Ky., 

Oct.  8,  '62. 
Ingham,  Chas.  C. 
Jones,  Kichard. 

Moflev,  Albert,  died  at  St.  Louis,  Jan.  12,  '62. 
Paul, "or  Powell,  Wm.  H.,  m.  o.  Sept.  17,  '64. 

Unassigned  Recruits. 

Brandes,  .John. 
Minnahan,  Daniel. 

Slxty-llrst  Infiintry    Three  Years'  Service.— 
Ainster  Roll  Company  C, 

Recruits. 
Jenkins,  Peter,  m.  o.  Sept.  8,  '65. 
Kuykendall,  Simon,  m.  o.  Sept.  8,  '65. 
Kuykendall,  Rodolph,  m.  o.  Sept.  8,  '05. 
Kuykendall,  Lafayette,  m.  o.  Sept.  8,  '65. 

Muster  Boll  Company  D. 

Privates. 
Hughes,  Solomon,  died  at  Savannah,  Tenn. 
Reddish,  William  M.,  m.o.  Feb.  7,  '65  as  sergt. 

Reernit. 
King,  Geo.  W.,  m.  o.  Sept.  8,  '65. 


Muster  Roll  Company  K. 

Recruitsf. 
Stout,  Robt.  C,  m.  o.  Sept.  8,  '65  as  corp'l. 

Sixty-second  Infantry.— Tliree  Years'  Ser- 
vice.—Muster  Roll  Company  B. 

Priva'e.'!. 
Martin,  John  W.,  absent  sick  .it  m.  o.  of  regt. 
Gasteiiecker,  Wm.,  m.  o.  Mar.  (i,  'liij   as  corji'l. 

Recruil. 
West,  Elijah,  m.  o.  Feb.  18,  'liii;  as  corp'l. 

Slity-fonrthlnfantry— Tliree  Years" ServUe. 

First  Ansiftnnt  Surgeon. 
Otto  E.  Rotsch,  m.  o.  July  11,  '65. 

Muster  Roll   Company  E. 

Corporal. 
William  Paul,  vet. 

Muster  Roll  Compaiky  O. 

Privates. 
Dolon,  Patrick,  died  at  Joliet,  111.,  Aug.  21,  "64. 
Small,  Cushman,  died  at  Mound  City,  Sept.  29, 
1864. 

Unassigned  Recruil. 
Clifford,  Henry. 

Sixty-sixth  Infantry.— Three  years'  service. 

Was  first  organized  at  Benton  Bar- 
racks, Missouri,  in  September,  1861,  by- 
John  W.  Birge,  and  was  known  as 
"  Birge's  Sharp  Shooters."  Subsequently 
it  was  mustered  as  the  Fourteenth  Mis- 
souri Infantry  Volunteers,  and  left  for 
the  field  Dec  12th.  1861.  In  Novem- 
ber, 1862,  the  regiment  -was  transferred 
to  the  state  of  Illinois,  and  numbered 
Sixty  sixth  ;  companies  E,  F,  G  and  H, 
being  represented  by  men  from  Madison 
county.  During  the  year  of  186.'^,  it 
was  engaged  in  frequent  skirmishes  with 
the  enemy  at  Tuscumbia  river,  capturing 
10  officers  and  150  men,  the  loss  of  the 
regiment  being  three  officers  and  15  men 
taken  prisoners.  Ordered  to  Burusville, 
Miss.,  November  2d,  I860:  marched  to 
Eastport  on  the  Tennessee,  the  3d  inst ; 
crossed  the  river  on  the  5th,  and  moved 
toward  Pulaski,  Tenn.,  on  the  6th,  ar- 
riving the  12th.  Remained  here  until 
January  1864.  Three  fourths  of  the 
men  having  re-enlisted,  moved  onward 
toward  Illinois  for  veteran  furlough. 
Furloughed  from  Chicago,  Jan.  25th, 
and  on  the  1st  of  March  reassembled 
at  Joliet,  and  again  moved  for  the  field. 
Mustered  out  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  July 
7th,  1865,  and  arrived  at  Camp  Butler, 
111.,  July  9th,  1865,  for  final  payment 
and  discharge. 

Roster. 

Surgeon. 
Joseph  Pogue,  mustered  out  July  7,  18G5. 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


245 


Muster  Roll  Company    B. 

First  LieuUminls. 
Frank  M.  Bingham,  of  Blouiiiington,  miis  out. 

]Uii8ter  Roll  C'oiiiiiaiiy  K. 

Primtes. 
Sems,  Isaac,  tr.  to  Co.  B.  M.  O.  Seiit.  22,  'fi4. 
Snyder,  John,  tr.  to  Co.  B.  M.  O.  Se|il.  22,  't)4. 
Wallace,  Thomas,  vet.,  must'd  out  July  7,  'iio 

Musfcr  Roll  Coiiipauy  F. 

First   Licalenant. 
Cyrus  A.  Lfmon,  dismissed  JCov.  26,  18G2. 

Muster  Roll  Company  O. 

Secniile. 
Clark,  Isaac  AV.,  must'd  out  July  7,  1865. 
Cramp,  Henry  C,  died  at  Rome,  Ga.,  July  10, 

1864. 
Drurv. Franklin  B.  died  at  Pia.sa,  III.,  Dec.  31, 

i864. 
Mofire,  David,  nuLstered  out  July  7,  1865. 
Wilson,  Robert  L.,  mustered  out  July  7,  '65. 

Muster  Roll  Company  H. 

Brrruits. 
Manning,  Thomas  B.,  must'd  out  July  7,  '65, 

as  corporal. 
Morton,  William,  vet.  recruit,  died  June  14, 

'64,  in  hands  of  the  enemy  at  Atlanta,  Ga. 

Slxty-Elgbth  Infantry.— Three  Months'  Ser- 

vlee. 

Mnster  Roll  Company  A. 

Murehead,  James  A. 

Mnster  Boll  Company  F. 

Private. 
Burnett,  Eugene,  mustered  out  Sept.  24,  '62. 

Stity-Nlntli  Infantry Three  Mouths'  Ser- 
vice. 
Muster  Roll  Company  I. 

S<  r(irant. 
Silas  E.  Libhy,  mu.-tered  out  Sept.  27,  1862. 

Privafes. 
Olson,  Nelson,  mustered  out  Sept.  27,  1862. 
Shoop,  J.  H.,  mustered  out  Sept.  27,  1862. 
Smith,  George  F.,  mustered  out  Sept.  27,  '62. 

Seventy-Tlilrd  Infantry.— Three  Years'  Ser. 

Muster    Roll  Company  H. 

Oiptaiii. 
Jo-seph  L.  Morg.m,  mustered  out  June  12,  '6'). 

Eightieth    Infantry.— Three  years'  ser^-ice. 

Was  organized  in  August,  1862,  at 
Centralia,  Illinois,  by  Col.  T.  G.  Allen, 
and  mustered  into  the  United  States 
service  on  the  25th  of  the  same  month, 
for  three  years.  Ordered  to  Louisville, 
Ky.,  September  4th  following,  and  be- 
came apart  of  the  Thirty  third  Brigade 
under  Gen.  Terrell.  Assigned  to  the 
Tenth  Division,  Gen.  Jackson  command- 
ing, and  in  Gen.  McCook's  corps.  On 
the  1st  of  October,  under  Gen.  Buell. 
marched  in  pursuit  of  Bragg.  First 
engaged  the  enemy  in  the  battle  of  Perry 
ville,  October  8ih,  losing  14  killed,  and 
58  wounded,  including  Lieut.  Von  Kem- 


rael  killed.  Lieut.  Andrews  mortally 
wounded,  and  Lieut.  Col.  liodgers,  and 
Lieut.  Pace  severely  wounded.  Gens. 
Terrell  and  Jackson  were  also  killed. 
December  ^Gth  started  in  pursuit  of  the 
enemy  under  John  Morgan.  Jan.  2d, 
1863,  discontinued  the  pursuit.  On  the 
10th  of  the  same  month  was  assigned  to 
the  Fourteenth  Army  C>rps,  Gen  J.  J. 
Reynolds'  Division. 

March  20th  the  Brigade  of  1500  men, 
and  two  pieces  of  artillery,  while  on  a 
scout,  were  attacked  by  John  Morgan 
and  5000  of  the  enemy  ;  but  they  were 
repulsed,  with  heavy  loss.  About  the 
middle  of  April  the  regiment  was 
mounted,  and  soon  after,  while  scouting, 
met  and  repulsed  the  enemy  at  Dug's 
Gap,  and  Sand  Mountain,  at  the  latter 
place  capturing  a  battery  of  two  guns  ; 
loss,  2  killed,  and  16  wounded.  At 
Blunt's  farm.  May  2d,  again  defeated 
the  enemy,  and  May  3d  was  surrendered 
to  a  vastly  superior  force  under  Gen. 
Forrest,  who,  contrary  to  stipulation, 
stole  its  blankets,  watches  and  money. 
The  regiment  was  taken  to  Rome,  and 
paroled  and  sent  to  Atlanta.  From  the 
latter  place  the  officers  were  sent  to 
Libby  Prison.  The  enlisted  men  were 
forwarded  to  Richmond,  arriving  May 
13th,  thence  to  City  Point,  and  Annap- 
oli.",  and  on  the  19th  moved  to  Camp 
Chase,  Ohio ;  June  23d,  was  declared 
exchanged,  and  moved  to  St.  Louis.  Ou 
the  29th  started  for  Nashville,  Ten- 
nessee, Lieut.  J.  A.  Miller  in  command 
of  the  regiuunt. 

Sept.  Sth,  moved  to  Stevenson,  Ala- 
bam^i,  Capt.  Cunningham  in  command. 
On  the  23d  reported  to  Gen.  Howard, 
commanding  Elevtnth  Army  Corps. 
Was  assigned  to  Third  Brigade,  com- 
manded by  Col.  Hecker,  (the  same  was 
apart  of  the  Third  Division,  under  Gen. 
Schurz).  l»lov.  24  and  25,  did  good  ser- 
vice in  the  battle  of  Mission  Ridge.  May 
3d,  1864,  commenced  the  Atlanta  cam- 
paign, and  formed  a  part  of  the  grand 
army  under  Sherman.  Participated  in 
the  battles  of  Dalton,  Resaca,  Adairsvillo, 
Cassville,  Dallas,  Pine  IMountain ,  Kene- 
saw  Mountain,  Marietta,  Peach  Tree 
Creek,  Franklin,  Atlanta,  Jonesboro  and 
!  Lovejoy  Station.  During  the  campaign 
1  the  regiment  captured  150  prisoners,  and 
lost  25  killed,  60  wounded.  Marched 
'  October  3d    in   pursuit   of   Hood,   and 


December  15  and  16  took  part  in  the 
battle  of  Nashville;  this  was  the  last 
engagement  of  any  consequence  in  which 
the  regiment  participated.  The  Eight- 
ieth traveled  over  6,000  miles,  and  en- 
gaged the  enemy  in  over  twenty  battles. 
On  the  10th  of  June,  1865  was  mustered 
out  of  service,  and  proceeded  to  Cam  p 
Butler,  111.,  for  final  pay  and  discharge. 

Roster. 

Oilond. 
Andrew  F.  Rodgers,  honorably  disch.  (as   Lt. 
Col.)  Nov.  25,  lSt!4. 

3Iajor. 
Henry  Zeis,  hon.  discb.  (as  Capt.)  May  1.5,  '65. 

Adjutant. 
James  B.  Newman,  must'd  out  June  19,  '65. 

First  Assistant  Surgeon. 
Ebenezer  Rodgers,  resigned  Feb.  23,  1863. 

Non-Commtssloued  StalT. 

Principal  Musieian. 
John  S.  Culp,  mustered  out  June,  10,  1865. 

Muster  Roll  Company  B. 

Captains. 
George  W.  Carr,  resigned  June  27,  1863. 
John  H.  Smiths,  mustered  out  as  First  Lieut. 

June  10,  1865. 
William  R.  Wright,  must'd  out  June  10,  '65. 

Second  Lieutenants. 
Henry  C.  Smith,  resigned  Jan.  22,  1863. 
Stephen  A.  Albro,  must'd  out  July  20,  1865. 
Conrad  II.  Flick,  M.  O.  as  serg't.  June  10,  '65. 

Sergeants. 
William  Campbell,  disch.  Sept.  10,  '63;  disat'y. 
John  I).  Heisi'l,  reduced  at  his  own  request,  tr. 
to  V.  R.  C  March  23,  1864. 

Corporals. 

William  H.  Clavton,  serg't.,  died  May  5,  '65. 

John  W.  Waldron,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C.  Oct.  1 863. 

Jacob  Yant,  Serg't.,  died  at  Nitshville,  Tenn., 
July  3,  1864;  wounds. 

William  W.  Edwards,  reduced  at  his  own  re- 
quest, mustered  out  July  10,  1865. 

James  P.  Blankenship,  dLscli.  Dec.  29,  1865; 
disability. 

William  D.  Wilson,  tr.  to  Miss.  Marine  Brig. 
Sept.  15,  1863. 

Hiram  Anthis,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C.  Dec.  5,  1864. 

Privafes. 
Barnes,  Ilenrv  W.,  tr.  to  V.R.C.  Mar.  23,  '64. 
Burts.  Rupel  T. 

Beely,  George,  must'd  out  June,  '65;  as  cnrp'l. 
Besscr,  Charles  R.,  mustered  out  June,  1865. 
Bright   Hinson   mustered  out  June,  1865. 
Brownlee,  John  B.  W-,  m.  o.  June,  'tVi:  wounds. 
Chandler,  Henry  D.,  died  Apr.  20,  1863. 
Clifl'ord,  Andrew   (i.,  nuistered  out   June  10, 

1865,  as  1st  sergtant. 
Cummings,  Alfred,  died  at  Marietta,  Ga.,  July, 

1864 ;  wounds, 
t^rawford,  George  M..  must'd  out  May  16,  '65. 
Carter,  Winfield,  dis<-h.  Aug.  21,  1863. 
Dorsey,  Nimroil,  m.  o.  June  10,  '6.5,  as  serg't. 
Deck,  Jacob  S..  m.  o.  June  10,  '65,  as  corp'l. 
Deck,  James  If.,  m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 
Dailey,  John  T.  _ 

Diamond,  Wni.  M.  O.  .June,  10, '65;  wounded. 
Kdwards,  Hardin,  disch.  June  30,  1863. 
Mnley,  Simpson,  diicli.  Nov.  22, 1863. 


246 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Frost,  Nelson,  P.,  ni.  o.  June  10,  '65,  as  corp'l.  | 
Foster,  Francis  M.,  corporal,  (lied  at  Viuing 

Station,  Ga.,  Aug.  10,  18()4  ;  wounds. 
Foster,  William,  mustered  out  June  10,  1865. 
Fenstermann,  John,  musl'd  out  June  10,  '65. 
Gabrile,  Cliarle.*,  musl'd  out  June  10, 1805. 
Grimm,  \Vm.,  mustered  out  June  10,  1865.        | 
Huibcrl,  Amos,  discli.  May  30,  '63  ;  wounded. 
Holland,  John  M.,  mnsttred  out  June  10, '65. 
Huntington,  Henrv  E.,  M.  O.  June  10,  1S65. 
Harris,  Gliatles,  tr.'  to  V.  K.  C.  Sept.  8,  1864. 
Hunt,  David  B.,  disch.  Aug.  21,  lst53. 
Havs,  Matthew,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C.  Sept.  8,  1863. 
Hebner,  Philip,  tr.  to.  V.  K.  C.  Sept.  8,  1863. 
Howe,  Philip  A.,  tr.  to  V.  K.  C.  Dec.  8,  1863. 
Jone.s,  William  M.,  disch.  July  5.  '65  ;  w'ds. 
Kamper,  John  H.,  mustered  out  July  10,  '66. 
Little,  Henrv  B.,  mustered  out  July  10,  1865. 
McDowell,  William  N.,  dis.  Aug.  21,  1883. 
Moore,  Samuel  A.,  mustered  out  July  10,  '65. 
McClain,  Michael,  died  June  3,  '66  ,  wounds. 
Mcintosh,  Francis,  ir.  to.  V'.  K.  C.  Dec.  3,  '63. 
Marshall.  Moses  B.,  died  Nov.  23,  1862. 
Miller,  Henrv,  mustered  out  June  10,  1865. 
Kichols,  Wm!,  M.  O.  June  10,  '65,  as  teamster. 
Patrick,  David,  M.  O.  June  10,  '65,  as  corp'l. 
Roach.  David  G.,  died  Nov.  8,  1862. 
Ricemann,  Frederick,  M.  O.  June  10, 1865. 
Rees,  David,  disch.  Jan.  10,  1863. 
RoUotJ",  John  mustered  out  June  10,  1865. 
Stahl,  Daniel  L  ,  M.  O.  June  10,  '65,  as  serg't ; 

wounded. 
Shafer,  Wm.  H.,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C.  Sept.  8,  1863. 
Snedeker,  Theodore,  died  at  Bridgeport,  Ala., 

April  9,  1864. 
Shafer,  George  D.,  mustered  out  June  10,  '05. 
Sees,  Henry  C,  disch.  March  20, '64;  wounds. 
S  acy,  Joseph,  mustered  out  June  10,  1865 


Slnster  Boll  Company  D. 

Musician. 
Thomas  N.  Harris  mustered  out  June  10, 
Mu8ter  Roll  Company  E. 

Private. 


'65. 


Lyons,  Luther,  disch.  Oct.  25,  '62. 

McShane,  Barnev,  died  in  rebel  prison,  March 

31),  1863. 
McOauley,  Charles  W.,  trans,  to  V.  R.  C.  Sept. 

2,  1863. 
McCauley,  John,  M.  O.  June  10,  '65. 


Eyre    Sylvester,  mustered  out  June  10,  1865,  ,  McUauley,  William,  detached  at  muster  out  of 


regt. 


Oselaud,  Thomas,  mustered  out  June  10,  '65, 


as  corporal. 

Muster  Roll  Company  KL,  1            pris    war. 

fu„,„:„,  1  Owens,  Elijah,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C.  Mar.  25,  '64. 

i^aptaim.  O.seland,  Moroni,  disch.  Oct.  24,  '62. 
Alexander  Hodge,  houorably  discharged.  May    q^^^^^^  y^y.  ■\v.,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C.  .Mar.  25,  '64. 

1^.  1865.  !  Oliver,  J;is.  H.,  M.  O.  June  10,  '65. 

John  A.  Miller,  mus.  out  as  com.  capt.,  June    p^^^i^^  Paschall,  musl'd  out  June  10,  1865,  as 


10,  186 

First  Lieutenant. 
Edmund  D.  Klersey,  resigned  May  12,  1865 
Elias  Preuitt,  mus.  out  June  10,  1865. 

Second  Lieutenant. 
William  Webster,  mus.  out  June  10,  1865. 

First    Sen/cant. 
Wm 

disability 

Sergeants. 
James  Hays,  mustered  out  June  10,   1865,  as 

private. 
John  F.  Thompson,  discharged  Feb.  13,  1865, 
private. 

Corporals. 
James  Ran.sdall,  disch'd  Mar.  7,  1863. 
John  W.  Dorsey,  disch'd  April  10,  1863. 
Lewis,  Ralph,  mustered  out  June  10,  1865,  as 

sergeant. 
Nelson   Starkey,   killed  at  Dallas,   Ga.,  May 
28,  1864. 

Musician. 


sergeant. 
Randall,  Elias,  died  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  Oct. 

8,  1862. 
Robson,  Andrew  E.,  detaclied  at  must  out  of 

reg't. 
Ralph,   William. 
Stringer,  William. 
Starke,  Christian,  disch.  Feb.  13,  '63. 

J.  Robinson,   discharged  March  8,  1803,    Sw«'^'-J-  Wm.,  M.  O.  June  10  '65 

°  Spaulding,  John,  M.  O.  June  10, 'bo. 

Thompson,  Moses,  absent,  sick  at  m.  o.  of  regt. 

Usher,  Wm.,  must,  out  June  10,  '65 

Wenck.  Engelhard,  corpl.,  tr.  to  "V.  R.  C,  May 

2, 1864. 
Wood,  Calvin,  corp'l,  died,  Greenville,  Tenn., 

April  17,  186.5. 
Wood.  Solomon  F.,  serg't,  wounded  June  10, 

'04,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C.  Oct.  20,  '64. 
Wood,  James  H.,  killed  at  Dallas,  Ga.,  June 

2,  1864. 
Young,  Alfred,  mus.  out  June  10,  '65,  .as  Corp., 

wounded. 
Ziska,  Frank,  M.  O.  June  10,  '65. 

Eecruils. 


Stahl,  John  H.,  M.  O.  June  10,  '65,  as  serg't. 

Stafford,  Edwin,  M.  O.  June  10,  '6.5,  as  corp'l.  1  Wm.  H.  Wright,  mus.  out  June  10,  '65. 
ShertV,  Abraham,  mustered  out  June  10,  186.5.  I  r>  •    i 

Sherfv,  Isaac,  M.O.  June  10, '65;  wounded.  J:'nvates. 

Thorp  Edwin  C,  M.  O.  June  10, '65,  as  corpl.    Bigler,  John,  mu.'teied  out  June  10,  bo. 
Underwood'  Lemuel,  dls.  Dec.  29,  1862.  I  Breedlove,  Bales  H.,  tr.  to  38th  111.  inf.,  M.  0. 

Windsor,  Charles,  disch.  Oct.  1,  1863.  I  Mar.  20.  1866. 

Windsor.  Henry,  mustered  out  June  10,  1865.  ,  Buell.  John,  disch  d  Oct.  24,  1862. 
Wisler,  Charles"  disch.  Oct.  1,  1863.  |  Bivens,  Charles  N.,  trans,  to  V.  R.  C,  April  1, 

WilliamsThomas  J.,  M.  O  June  10,  1863.        i  1864.  ^      .     .,,     „ 

Wittle,  Win.,  trans,  to  V.  R.  C.  Feb.  1,  1865.     j  Bogess.  Thomas   H.,  died  at  Louisville,  Ky., 
Weaver.  Edward,  mustered  out  June  10, 186.5.  Oct.  23,  1862.  n,,- 

Yonng,  Francis  M.^  M.O.  June  10. '65,  corp'l.    Carter,  Talbud  P.,  mustered  out  June  10,  ho,    p  r.,,,,..    Tliinoi^   fientember   1862 

Younce,  James,  P.,  tr.  to  Miss.  Marine  Brig.,  !         as  sergeant.  ;  Oamp  Hinler,  illinoi*   toepteruDer,  130., 

Sept  16,  1863  1  Clark,  Matthew  bt.  C.  G.,  tr.  to  3Sth  111.,  M.  O.    jjy  Q^l.  Frederic  Hecker,  and  was  mus- 

Yager,  Cyrus  W.,mus.ered  out  June  10, '65.     ^^^^^^-J'^^O,  _186^.    ^.^^^   ^^  ^^^^.^^^^  ^^    I  ^^^^^j  .^   ^^^^^^^    .33^    jgg^      p^^p^^^^^l 

n,,  „,.,  I         Nov.  13,  1862.  at  Wasliington   City,  November  3d,  at 

licCrUil.  I  r^  ,  ,, ^    .i:.„u,j    c...*    1    'A  I    «.«..«^o*1     I  "  "^      _  _  .  _  , 

and 


Cronan,  Denni.«,  tr.  to  38lli  Ills.,  M.  O.  March 

11,  1860. 
McCaulev,  Geo.,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C,  Sept.  2,  '63,  M. 

O.  Aug.  11,  '6.5. 
Miller,  Mark   P.,  absent,  wounded,  at  m.  o.  of 

regiment. 

EJglity-second  Infantry.  -Three  years'  ser- 
vice. 

The  EiKhtv-.secoad   was  organized  at 


Ingram,  .Tolin. 


Dorsey,Albert.disch'dSept.  1, '64  wounded,  j  j^  . ^        November  9, 

Dillon,  Ell,  on  furlough  at  m.  o.  of  reg  t..  ^iiiUo>-""     lici^nio,    ^  , 

Dillon,  Newton,  corporal,  died  at  Nashville,    was  assigned  to  Siegel's  Division,  A 


Muster  Roll   Company  C. 

Scrijeant. 
Robert  Kaiser,  disch.  Feb.  23,  '63;  disability 

Corporals. 
Heinrieh    Oppermann,  red.  tr.   to  V. 

Jan.  10,  1865. 
George  Flach. 

Private*. 
Braimsfield,  Mathiis,  must'd  out  June  10,  '65.    fiance,  Roswell  B.,  transfd  to  V.  R.  C,  May 
Bruncke,  Friederii-h,  m.isl'd  out  June   10,  '65.  1,  1864. 

Ei^permann,  Adam,  M.  O.  June  ]0,'65,  corp'l.    Howard,  Peter,  mus.  out  June  10,   65. 
Heine.  Wm    ilisch.  Oct.  2-5,  '65  :  disabilitv.         Hadar,  Joseph,  died  at  Murfreesboro,  Tenn  , 
Hansen,  H.nrv  disch.  Dee.  23     63;  disability.  Mar.  20,  1863. 

Holtz  Henrv,  discharged  for  disability.  House,  Chas.,  disch.  Jan.  2.  1863. 

Holt/.'     Louis,  died  at   Richmond,  Va.,  Mar.    Hill,  Wm.,  mustered  out  June  10, '6.3,  as  corp. 


Tenn.,  Dec.  17,  '64,  wounds. 
Dillon,  Jasper,  must,  out  June  10,  '65. 
Deck,  John  W.,  M.  O.  June  10,  '65. 
Dillon.  Levi,  tr.  to  3Sth  111.  inf ,  M.  O.  March 

20,  1866. 
Deroupe,  Hypoliie,  mus.  out  June  10,  '65. 
C    Doyle,  Bryan. 

Ferguson.  Andw.,  muster»^d  out  .June  10,  1865. 
Humphries,  Thos.,  died  at  Atlanta,  Ga.,  Oct. 

5,  1864. 


10,  1864,  while  prisoner  of  war. 
Meyer,  George,  died  at  Murfreesboro,   Tenn., 

Feb.  8,  1803. 
Schmidt.  Nicola.s,  m.  o.  June  10,  "65  ;  as  corp'l. 
W.ilter.  .\nton,  mustered  out  June  10,  1865. 
'VVei^s,  Cliristoph.,  must,  out  June  10.  1865 
Weber,  Frederich,  discharged  June  30,  1863, 

disability. 


wounded. 


assignea  to  »iegei  s  i^ivision,  xi-rmy 
of  the  Potomac,  Gen.  Burnside  com- 
manding. Marched  to  Fairfax  Court 
House,  November  19th ;  to  Stafford 
Court  House,  December  11th  ;  and  was 
attached  to  First  Brigade.  Col.  Schim- 
melfennig ;  Third  Division,  Gen. 
Schurz;  Eleventh  Array  Corps,  Gen. 
Stahl.  The  regiment  participated  in 
Gen.  Burnside's  second  movement 
against  Fredericksburg,  January  20th  ; 
1863.  January  2.5th,  Gen.  Burnside 
was  relieved    by  Gen.    Hooker,  and   the 


Jack.^on.  Jas.  M.,  corp'l,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C,  May  !  Eighty-second  moved  to  Stafford  Court- 

,  f^?*^^-  ^  V  .  T  1  -fl,  .,-  IT.  House,  February  6th.  April  1st,  Gen. 
Lovd.  Clement  C.  disch  Jan  4, '64,  disability.  :  ,        ,  ,     ..\,      r-,  .1 

Linder,  Wm.  H.,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C,  Sep.  1  '63.  j  Howard  took  command  or  the  Eleventh 
Linder,  Riehd.,  tr.  to  V.  R C,  Apr.  10, '64.  (jorpg  .  crossed  the  Rappahannock  and 
Lawrence,  Henry,  mustered  out  June  10,    63,  '  ,•   •      ^    1  ■     41      1    t,i„ 

as  corporal.  ■  Rapidan,  and  participated  lu  the  battle 


EISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


247 


of   Chancellorsville,  May  2d,  1863,  los-  ' 
ing   one   hundred   and  fifty-five  killed, 
wounded  and  missing. 

June  12th  ;  moved  from  camp  on  the 
campaign  which  ended  in  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg,  July  1st,  2d,  and  3d,  1863. 
The  regiment  was  in  the  hottest  part  of 
this  battle,  and  fought  vigorously,  sus- 
taining a  loss  of  one  hundred  and  twelve 
killed,  wounded  and  missing.  Followed 
the  enemy  back  to  Virginia,  and  after  a 
nearly  uninterupted  march  of  two 
mouths,  encamped  at  Walnut  Branch 
Church,  near  Catlett's  Station,  August 
19th,  1863.  Gen.  Tyndaie  took  com- 
mand of  the  Brigade,  July  13th  ;  Sep- 
tember 25th,  1863,  marched  to  Manassas 
Junction,  and  thence  by  rail  for  the  De- 
partment of  the  Cumberland,  arriving 
at  Bridgeport,  Alabama,  October  1st, 
1863.  Col.  Hecker,  at  this  time,  com- 
manded the  Brigade.  The  regiment 
was  transferred,  October  I9th,  to  the 
Third  Brigade,  and  Col.  Hecker  assigned 
to  command  of  Brigade.  Moved  to 
Eussel's  Gap,  October  19th  ;  and  occu- 
pied and  defended  it  during  the  fight, 
in  which  Gen.  Hooker  obtained  posses- 
sion of  a  line  of  hills  near  Lookout 
Mountain,  October  2Sth,  1863.  Mustered 
out  June  9th,  186.5,  at  Washington,  D.  I 
C,  and  arrived  at  Chicago,  June  16th, 
1865,  where  it  received  final  payment 
and  discharge. 

Roster. 
Mnstrr  RoU,  Company  F. 

Privates 
Pope,  .lohn,  tr.  to  2d  Minn.  Vols.,  May  29,  '63. 
Kedman,  Frank,  luiist'd  out  .June  9.  1865. 
Utz,  Frederick,  died  Mar.  29,  '63,  wounds. 
Weniinp,  Bernhardt,  tr.   to  V.  R.  C.,  Jan.  17, 
1804. 

liecTiiit. 
Anerswald,  Alfred  G.,  tr.  to  14  A.  C. 

Muster  Roll  Company  G. 

First  Lieutenant. 
Joseph  Gottlob,  promoted  to  Capt.  Co.  I. 

Sergeant. 
Frederick   W.  Radt,  disch.  Aug.  14,  1803,  as 
private,  wounded. 

Privale.f. 
Gottleib,  Wm.  must'd  out  June  9,  '65  as  corp'l. 
Lehue,  George,  died   at   Stafford    C.  H.  Va., 

Mar.  16,   1863. 
Pabi,  .Joseph,  killed  at  Dallas,   Ga.,  May  2-5, 

1804. 

Master  Roll  Company  H. 

Captain. 
Emil    Frev,  promoted    maj  ,    must'd    out    as 
corp'l,  June  9,  1865. 

First    Lieutenant. 
Johann  Sporre,  cashiered  May  25,  1863. 


Corporah. 
Franz  Tsherner,  must'd  out  June  9,  1865. 
Theodore   Chatodey,   died    in    Andersonville 

prison,  Sept.  18,  1864. 
AVendslin  Trapj),  must'd  out. 

Wagoner. 
Jacob  Limon,  disch'd  Feb.  12, 1863,  disability. 

Privatei. 
Barker,  Jacob,  disch'd  Sept.  30, 1864,  disabl'ty. 
Erisman,  Sanuiel,  must'd    out    from  V.  R.  C, 

June  "JO,  I860. 
Grabert,  Joseph,  died   at   Whiteside,   Tenn., 

Feb.  1,  1.'S'j4. 
Geisbuchler,    Johann,  disch'd    Feb.   7,  1864, 

disobiliiy. 
Hochuli,  J.iccb,  disch'd  Apr.  5,  '63,  disbl'ty. 
Holzgang,  Joseph,  must'd   out  June   9,  186.5, 

wounded. 
Hildebrand,   Edward,  died   Nashville,  Tenn., 

June  11,  1864.  I 

Hilderbramlt,  Johann,  must'd  out  June  9, 1865,  | 

as  sergeant. 
Koch,  (lustav  David,  must'd  out  .June  9,  1865. 
Kurt,  Johann  Ultich,  absent  at  M.  O.  of  reg't. 
Kisstlins,  Johann,  di.^ich'd  Sept.  4,  '63,  disbl'ty. 
Krim,  Johann,  tr.  to  \'.  R.  C.  [ 

Muller,  Heinrich,  disch'd  for  dis-abl'ty. 
Ofl'enheim,  Michael,  must'd  out  June  9,  1865. 
Pfeiffer,  Franz,  must'd  out  June  2H,  1865.  [ 

Seyfried,  Robert,  died,  at    Camp    Butler,  111.  | 

Oct.  24,  1862.  I 

Schneider,  Carl,  disch'd  Jan.  5,  1864.  | 

Vogele,  Wenillin,  musi'd  out  June  9.  '65. 
Witlmar,  Johann,  disch'd  .Vpr.  26, '63,  disbl'ty. 
W'ei.-'Sfnberger,  Ludwig,  musi'd  out  June  9,  '65. 
Wildhaber,  Wilhelm,  mu.st'd  out  June  9,  lSt)5. 
Willischack,  Ernst,  absent,  wounded  at  M.  O. 
AViklhaber,  Justus,  killed  at  Chancellorsville, 
Va.,  May  2,  1863.  1 

Zeigler,  Carl,  nuist'd  out  June  9,  1865.  | 

Zimmerle,  Jacob,  must'd  out  June  9,  '65. 

Master  Roll  Company  K. 

Privates. 
Bertel,  Xavier,  died   at   Camp   Schurtz,  Va., 

Mav  1,  '()3. 
Giintlier,  Xavier,  disch'd  Aug.  12,  '64,  disbl'ty. 
Muller,  Richard,  absent,  sick  at  M.  O.  of  reg't. 
Stooker,  M.athias,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C,  Get.  20,  '63. 
Weber,   Theodore,  tr.  to   Co.  IE,    Nov.  1,  '62, 

must'd  out  June  9,  '6.5,  as  corp'l. 

Ninety-First  Infantry.— Tliree  Years' 

Service. 

Master  Roll  Company  .\. 

Pecruits. 
Bannon,  Michael,  tr.  to  Co.  F.,  28  Ills.,  M.  O. 

Feb.  S,  '66. 
.Masters,  Barton   AV.,  tr.  to  Co.  A..  28  Ills.,  M. 

O.  Mar.  15,  '66. 

Master  Roll  Company  K. 

Musician. 
Milton  B.    Palmer,  died   at    Brazos  Santiago, 
Texas,  July  30,  '64. 


Ninety    Seventh     Infantry.  — Tliree    Tears' 
Service 

This  regiment  was  organized  at  Camp 
Butler,  Illinois,  by  Colonel  Friend  S. 
Rutherford  in  September,  1862,  and  mus- 
tered into  the  United  States  service  the 
16th  of  the  same  month.  October  3d 
it  moved  to  Cincinnati,  and  on  the  17th 
inst.  marched  to  Nicholasville,  and  re- 
mained until  the  10th  of  November, 
when  it  was  assigned  to  the  Division  of 


Brigadier  General  A.  J.  Smith,  and 
thence  it  moved  to  Louisville,  Ky.,  ar- 
riving the  loth.  Embarked  for  Mem- 
phis, Tenn.,  on  the  17th  and  went  into 
camp  the  26th  following.  It  was  here 
assigned  to  the  Second  Brigade  under 
Col.  W.  J.  Landrum  of  the  Ninth  Divis- 
ion, Brigadier  General  A.  J.  Smith 
commanding,  and  was  a  part  of  the 
Thirteenth  Army  Corps  commanded  by 
Major  General  John  A.  ^IcClernard. 
Dtcember  20th,  it  left  Memphis  and 
landed  near  Walnut  Hill,  on  the  Yazoo 
river,  and  occupied  the  extreme  right 
during  the  operation  at  Vickirburg. 
When  the  attack  was  abandoned  on  the 
first  of  January,  1863,  moved  to  Arkan- 
sas Post,  and  participated  in  the  battle 
at  that  place  on  the  11th  following.  On 
the  15th,  it  moved  down  the  river  to 
Young's  Point.  "Went  to  Millikiu's 
Bend  on  the  6th  of  JIarch.  Marched 
to  Grand  Gulf  April  15th,  and  May 
1st,  was  engaged  with  the  enemy  at  Port 
Gibson,  and  the  16th  at  Champion  Hills. 
May  19th,  arrived  in  the  rear  of  Vicks- 
burg  and  participated  in  the  siege  until 
its  capitulation,  July  4th,  1863. 
I  The  regiment  afterwards  took  part  in 
'  General  Sherman's  expedition  to  Jack- 
son, and  returned  to  Yicksburg,  where 
it  remained  until  the  25th  of  August,  at 
which  date  it  embarked  for  New  Orleans, 
with  Brigadier  General  M.  K.  Lawler 
commanding  the  Fourth  Divis-ion,  and 
went  into  camp  at  Carrollton  on  the 
27th.  It  was  mustered  out  of  service 
July  29th,  1865,  at  Galveston,  Texas,and 
arrived  at  Camp  Butler,  111.,  August 
13th,  1865,  where  it  received  final  pay- 
ment and  discharge. 

Roster. 

\  Colonel. 

\  Friend  S.  Rutherford,  hon.  disch.  June  16,  '64. 

]  Quartermaster. 

George  C.  Cockerel,  mustered  out  Jul.  29,  '65. 

Surgeon. 
Charles  Davis,  mustered  out  July  29,  '65. 

Assistant  Surgeon. 
Constantine  M.  Smith,  resigned  March  16,  '63. 

Non-Commlssloned   Staff. 

Q.  M.  Sergean/s. 
William  W.  McKee,  reduced  to  ranks  Co.  \., 

Fet>.  4,  '63;  died  Feb.  2-5,  '63. 
R.  .K.  Hoagland,  mustered  out  July  29,  '65. 

Hospital  Steward. 
James  Rowe,  mustered  out  July  29,  '65. 


248 


EISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Principal  Musician. 

Max  JoaKliimi,  red.  to  ranks  Co.  I.,  Jan.  1,'63. 

Jackson  D.  VVooeirow,  reduced  to  t'o.  D.,  Sept. 

24,  '61;  Fifer  mus.  out  July  29,  '65. 

niuater  Roll,   Caiupau)'  A. 

Musician. 

Perry  Stevens,  disch.  June  5,  '65  ;  disability. 

Hecruits. 

McGraw,  James,  transferred  to  37th  Illinois; 

deserted  Feb.  28,   66. 
Murphy,  John,  disch.  June  2,  '65;  disability. 

Miifiter  Roll,  Compauy  B. 

Recruits. 

Arnold,  Stephen  D.,  transferred  to  37th  Ill- 
inois ;  mustered  out  15,  '66. 

Town.send,  Eli,  transferred  to  37th  Illinois ; 
mustered  out  15,  '66. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  C. 

Recruits. 


Daniel  D.  While,  disch.  Mar.  26,  '63;  disabl'y. 
Samuel  Mathews,  died  Jan.  18,  '63 ;  wounds. 
James  Norman. 
William  Bar,  mus.  out  Jul.  29,  '65,  as  private. 

Privates. 
Al.^op,  William  B.,  discli.  Sep.  6,  '82  ;  disblty. 
Armstrong.  George,  disch.  Feb. — ,  '63  ;  di.sb'y. 
Bishop,  William,  vet.  dis.,  mus.  out  Jul.  29,  '65. 
Boreman,  Howland,  died  at  New  Orleans  Dec. 

5,  1863. 
Bowen,  Henrv,  mus.  out  Julv  29,  '65. 
Brown,  Edward,  disch.  Feb.  — ,  '63 ;  disability. 
Bryant,  Henry,  transferred  to  Uo.  C. 
Davis,  Fred,  mus.  out  Jul.  29,  '6o,  as  Sergeant. 
Dalbee,  John  P. 
Elkins,  Joel  S.,  trans,  to  37th  111.  Inf. ;  died  at 

Columbus,  Tex.,  Oct.  17,  '65. 
Foreman,  Samuel,  mus.  out  July  29,  '65. 
(4reenway,  John  B. 
Hanson,  George,  mus.  out  July  29,  '6.5. 
Hinman,  Arnold,  disch.  Feb.  2-1,  '63;  disabil'y. 
Jones,  William,  trans,  to  Co.  C. 
McCorkle,  Thomas  C,  dis.  Feb.  JO,  '63 ;  disb'y. 
McNulty,  Patrick. 
Mason,  Edward  B-,  trans,  to  Co.  H. 


Groves,  John  H.,  trau.s.  to  37th  Illinois;  dis-    O.sborn,  Xewton  S    trans,  to  Co  I. 

'  .      _  '-_.,-  '  L>..r1.In.>lr      0..m     1.^       I        rt-ttla     rtll  f     .lull 


Paddock,  Orville  j.,  mus.  out  July  29,  '6-5,  as 

Corporal. 
Phinnev,  Henry  R  ,  disch.  for  disability. 
Riggs,  Daniel  t.,  mus.  out  July  29,  65". 
Sinclair,  Maihias 

Stamps,  Henry,  mus  out  July  29,  '65. 
Stanton,   David,  Ckirporal,  killed  at  Blakelv, 

Ala,  April  9,  '65. 
Stillwell,  John,  mus.  out  Jul.  29,  '6-5,  as  musi- 

Gustave   D.  Beadle,  mus.  out  July   29,  '65,  as  ,  stricklTnd,  Samuel  D.,  disch.  Jan.  6,  '63 
Private.  ' 

Scrgexinls. 

David  Radley,  mus.  out  July  29,  '6.5,  as  Priv't. 
James  Bromley,  private,  reduced  at  his  own 
request ;  detached  at  muster  out  of  reg't. 


charged  Jan.  27,  '66  ;  disability. 

Martin,  Joseph,  trans,  to  37th  Illinois;  mus- 
tered out  Miy  15,  '66. 

Keeve-s,  James  R.,  tran.s.  to  37th  Illinois;  mus- 
tered out  May  15,  '66. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  D. 

First   Sergeant. 


Williamson,  William 

Mecruiis. 


Coiyorals. 


Anderson,  John,  trans,  to  37th   III.  Infantry ; 

mustered  out  May  1.5,  1866. 
Brennan,  John,  tr.  to  37lh  111.  Inft.,  must'd  out 

Mav  15,  1866. 


Kichard  ^lore,  private,  died  at  Nicholasville,    Bragg.nan  Her>ry,  tr  to  37th  111.  Inft.,  must'd 
IT-      v,„  iJ  '(59  I  0"'  ^^"^'  1°!  1866. 

^•■'  ^"^-  ^•*>  "^-  -  -  j  Bernard,  Devine,  tr.  to  37th  III.  Inft.,  must'd 

;         out  May  15,  1866. 

:  Callahan  Jolin,  tr.  to  37th  111.  Inft.,  must'd  out 


Gilford  b.  Cornell,  mus.  out  Jul.  29,  '65,  as  pvt. 
Montgomery  M.  Seybert,  mus.  out  J  uly  29,  '65, 


as  private. 

Musician. 

G.  W.  D.  Polk,  accidentally  killed  Nov.  1,  '63. 
Privates. 

Fairbanks,  James  M.,  mus.  out  .July  29,  "65. 
Hodden,  Wm.  H,  disch.  Dec.  22, '62;  disbilt'y. 
Muckler,  Henry,  discharged  for  disability. 
Polk,  James  K.,  mus.  out  July  29,  '65. 
Rowe,  John  W.,  mus.  out  July  29,  '65. 
Stillwagen,  George,  mus.  out  July  29,  '65. 
AVilson,  John  W.,  trans  to  37th  III.  Infantry  ; 
dishonorably  disch.  Feb  21,  '66. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  G, 

Captains. 

John  Trible,  died  Jan.  26,  '63. 

James  W.  Davis,  resigned  July  26,  '''3. 

Frederick  F.  Lewis,  mus.  out  July  29,  '65. 

First  Lieutenant. 
Levi  Davis,  Jr.,  mus.  out  July  29,  '65. 
Second  Lieutenants. 

William  P.  Hazard,  discharged. 
Curios  Colby,  absent  sick  at  mus.  out  of  reg't. 
Sergeants. 

John  T.  Beem   mus.  out  (as  private)  July  29- 
'65,  at  his  own  request,  for  promotion. 


May  15,  1866 
Carcofi;  John,  tr.  to  37th  III.  Inft.,  deserted 

Feb.  18,  1866. 
Carter,  Thomas  M.,  tr.  to  37th  111.  Inft.  must'd 

out  May  15,  1806. 
Carter,  William  T.,  tr.  to  37th  111.  Inft., must'd 

out  Mav  15,  1866. 
Clark,  John  G.,  tr.  to  37th  III.  Inft.,  deserted 

March  14,  1866. 
Clark,  Jo.seph  F.,  tr.  to  37th  111.  Inft.,  must'd 

out  May  1.5,  1866. 
Coons,  F.  A.  M.,  tr.  to  37th  III.  Inft.,  must'd  out 

May  15,  1866 
Depuy,  Frank,  must'd  out  July  29    186-5. 
Dolan,  Bernard.disch'd  Jan.  6, 1865;  disb'lty. 
Davis,  Jo.seph,  ir.  to  37th  111.  Inft.,  must'd  out 

May  15,  1866. 
Dovle  "f  homas  W..  tr.  to  37th  111.  Inft.,  must'd 

■  out  Mmv  15,  1866. 
Doyle,  Henrv,  tr.  to  37th  111.  Inft,,  must'd  out 

May  15,"  1866. 
Duggan,  John,  tr.  to  37th  111.  Inft.,  must'd  out 

May  15,  1866. 
Diggins,  David,  tr.  to  37th  111.  Infty.,  must'd 

out  May  15,  1866. 
Enslow,  Geo.  W.,  tr.,  to  37th  111.  Infl.,  must'd 

out  May  15,  1866. 
Flinn,  Patrick,  tr.  to  37th  III.  Inft.,  must'd  out 

Mav  1.5,  1866. 
Ford,  William  W.,  tr.  to  37th  111.  Inftv.,  must'd 

out  May  15,  1866. 


Samuel  K.  McGregory,  disch.  May   1,  '64,  fori  Framer,  Jeremiah,  tr.  to  37th  III.  Infty.,  must'd 
promotion  in  Cal.  Art.  out  May  15,  1866. 


Funk,  Peter  S.,  tr.  to  37th  III.  Inft.,  must'd  out 

May  1.5,  1866. 
Goodwin,  Nelson,  died  Mar.  29,  1865;  wounds. 
Hall,  Charles  W.,  tr.  to  37th.  111.  Inft.,  disch'd 

March  24,  1866. 
Harris,  Lewis  T.,  tr.  to  87th  111.  Infty.,  must'd 

out  May  1-5,  1866. 
Heath,  Jeremiah,  tr.  to  37th  111.  Inft.,  must'd 

out  May  15,  1866. 
Halev,  Jarae-",  tr.  to  37th  111.  Inft.,  must'd  out 

May  15,  1866. 
Johnson,  Edward,  sent   to  Tortugas   for  two 

years  by  G.  C.  M. 
Johnson.  Charles,  must'd  out  May  22,  186.5. 
Kemp,  Jamis  W.,  tr.  to  37th  111.  Inft.,  must'd 

out  May  15,  1866. 
Lee,  James  M.,  tr.  to  37th  HI.  Inftv.,  deserted 

Feh.  18,  1866. 
Maguire,  James,  tr.  to  37th  111.  Inft.,  deserted 

Feb.  28,  1866. 
Munson,  John,  disch'd  May,  1864. 
Murphv,  John,  tr.  to  37ih  III.  Inft. ,  must'd  out 

May  1.5,  1866. 
Morrison,  Edward,  sent  to  Dry  Tortugas  for 

accepting  bribes  from  rebel  prisoners. 
Racine,  Lewis,  tr.  to  37th  111.  Infty.,  must'd 

out  May  15,  1866. 
Ramsey,  Samuel,  tr.  to  37th  III.  Inft.,  must'd 

out  May  l-'i,  1866. 
Richmonil,  Wiliam,  tr.  to  37th  III.  Inft.,  must'd 

out  May  15,  1866.  as  corporal. 
Robidon,  John,  tr.  to  37th  III.  Inft.,  must'd  out 

May  loth,  1866. 
Williams,  Joseph,  tr.  to  37th  HI.  Inft.,  must'd 

out  May  15,  186.5,  as  corporal. 
Wilson  William,  tr.  to  37th  III.  Inft.,  must'd 

out  May  15,  1866. 
Wigand,  William,  disch'd  Jan.  31,  1863  to  en- 
list in  Miss.  Marine  Brigade. 

Muster  Rail    Company  H. 

Privates. 

Corbet,  John,  accidentally  killed  Nov.  1,  '63. 
Sharkey,  Michael,  must'd  out  July  29, 1865. 
Sovern,  Duncan  L. 

Recruits. 
Evering,  John  L.,  tr.  to  37  III.   Inft.,  m.  o. 

May  15,  1866. 
Faly,  Patrick,  tr.  to  37  111   Inft.,  m.   o.  May 

15,  1866. 
Handv,  James,  tr.  to  37   111.  Ini't.,  m.    o.  May 

15,  1866. 
Kramer,  Henry,  tr.  to  37  111.  Inft.,  m.  o.  May 

1.5,  1866. 
Linderman,  Frederick,  m.  o.  July  17,  1865. 
Rudolph,  Jacob,    tr.  to  37   III.  Inft.,  m.  o. 

May,  15,  1866. 
Smith,  George  A. 
Waggner,  Isidor,  tr.  to  37   111.  Inft ,  m.   o. 

May  15.  1866. 
Waggner,  Damion,  tr.  to  37  111.  Inft.,  m.   o. 

May,  15,  1866. 

Muster  Roll  Compauy  I. 

Captains. 

William  .\chenl.ich,  resigned  M:irch  9,  1864. 
Samuel  R.  Howard,  hon.  disch.  May  15,  1365. 

Second  Lieutenant. 
Ilermap  Kayser,  ra.  o.  a.s  serg't.,  July  29, '65. 

First  Sergeant. 
Philip  Mook. 

Sergeants. 
Daniel  Merrill. 
Charles  Goulding. 
Aquila  Reeves. 

Corporal. 
James  Peterson,  reduced,  died  May  12,  1863. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


249 


John  Burns,  mustcrwl  out  July  2",  1865. 
Nelson  1*.  Lawson,  di.s.  Dec.  9,  '02;  disability. 

Privales. 
Astle,  William,  mustered  out  July  29,  1865. 
Astle,  George,  mu.steredout  July  2U,  1S65. 
Becker,  Jciliii. 

liarnelt,  John,  dis.  Feb.  1803;  aLsability. 
Cure,  H.  F.,  di.scli  Oct.  3,  18(;3:  disability. 
Cloud,  William,  mustered  out  July  29,  1865. 
Cloud,  John,  mustered  out  July  29,  1865. 
Carter,  TJiomas. 

Cliallxcorab,  Henry,  raust'd  out  July  29,  18G5. 
Fratier,   William,  killed  at  Vicksburg,  May 

19,  lS6:i. 

Frazier,  .Jaiues,  mustered  out  July  29,  1865. 

Ferguson,  James,  wounded  in  railroad  acci- 
dent, Nov.  1,  IS(>3;  discliarfjed. 

Oreeling,  .Jacob,  mustered  out  July  29,  1865. 

(ilenn,  Franklin  S.,  must'U  out   July  2i),  1865. 

Ilofiinann,  Charles. 

Ilir.-ley,  Frederick. 

Harper,  Hirarn,  tr.  to 37th  111.  Inf't.,  deserted 
Jan.  1,  1866. 

Howard  Samuel  L.,  ab.sent,  wounded  at  m.  o 
o(  regiment. 

Howard,  J.  B.  S.,  dis.  Mar.  12,  '63  ;  disability 

Henrisiin,  John. 

Joachimi,  Ma.t,  musteretl  out  June  17,  186-5. 

Kerchenberger,  Clauss,  m.  o.  July  29,  1865. 

Lawson,  Jacob,  mustered  out  July  29,  1865. 

Linsig,  George,  mu-^ereil  out  July  29,  1865. 

Lane,  Richard,  died  at  I'aris,  Kv.,  Nov.  1,'G2. 

Mendoza,  Cidos,  mustered  out  May  22,  1865. 

Melton,  Kudolpli.  1st  sergeant. 

Platz,  August,  tr.  to  V.  K.  C.  March  15,  1861 

Parks,  John,  mustered  nut  July  29,  1S65. 

Selzler,  August,  mustered  out  July  29,  1865. 

RccrvLiis. 
AVcihaupt,  J.,  mustered  out  July  29,  1805. 
Johnson,  James,  tr.  to  37  111.  Inf't.,  dis.  April 

20,  1866. 

UnnMtgned  Eecruils. 
Cornwell,  Tliomas  J. 
Cifford,  John. 

Cornell.  C.  C.  died  April  8,  1804. 
Hassan.  Robert  J. 
Jones,  G.  J. 
Ryan,  James, 
Schafer,  Albert. 

AiiiK'ty-EightJi  Iiifhiitrj- — Tlir«-«-  Yoars'Ser- 

Muster  Roll  Company  K. 

Unifsiyned  li'cruhs. 
Cox,  Nicholis. 
Ridgdy,  William  E. 

One     Iliuidrrdlli    Iliftilitry.— iTlirt*     Years' 

Service.) 

The  One  Hundredth  regiment  was 
organized  at  Camp  Irwin,  Joliet,  111., 
ia  August,  1862,  by  Col.  Frederick  A. 
Bartle.<on,  and  mustered  into  service 
August  30th.  September  2d,  the  regi- 
ment moved  via.  Springfield,  Ilinois,  to 
Louisville,  Ky.  It  was  transferred  into 
several  divisions  during  its  service,  made 
several  marches  and  skirmishes,  took 
little  active  duty  on  the  field.  It 
was  mustered  out  June  12,  18G5,  at 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  received  final 
payment  and  discharge  June  15,  1865. 
32 


We  find  a  few  men  in  companies  B  and 
E  from  jNIiidison  county,  whose  names 
are  given  below. 

Muster  Roll  Company    B. 

Corpural. 
William  Wilco.v. 

P,ic:xt:s. 

Comstock,  Elihii  I!.,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C.  Nov.  1,  '03. 
Uallinger,  Iguatz,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C  Aug.  1,  '63. 
Devlin,  Jolin,  discli.  Feb.  3,  '03  ;  dis. 
Dunlap,  John,  m.o.  June  12,  '65. 
King,  Martin   B.,  died  of  wounds  received  in 

battle  of  Franklin,  Tenn.,  Dec.  12,  '64. 
King,  .Vndrew  .1,,  in.  o.  .June  12,  '65  iissergt. 
Morrison,  Lorenzo;  m.o.  June  1'2,  '05. 
Palmer,   Frederick,  m.  o.  .June  12,  '04  as  .sergt, 
Schall,  John,  disch.  Feb.  24,  '03;  dis. 

Muster  Roll  Company  K. 

Corpi)raL 

Horace  Web.ster,  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  Jan. 
20,  '63. 

Piw  ites. 

Leisure,  .John,  disch.  Apr.  14,  '63. 

Leonard,  Alvin,  died  at  Silver  Springs,  Tenn., 

Nov.  17,  '02. 
Paul,  Oliver,  m.  o.  June  12,  '62  as  sergt. 

Recruit. 

Leasure,   Cliesner,    died  at    Nasliville,    Tenn., 
Dec.  23,  '62. 

One    IlltUflred   and  Pifteenlll  Infantry — 
Tllree  Years'  Service. 

AJjuAaid. 

John  II.  Woods,  resigned  April  10,  '63. 

I  Muster  Roll  Company  F. 

Privates. 
I  Huffman,  .Jacob,  drowned  Sept  24,  '63. 
King,  .Jamc.s  T.,  m.  o.  May  22,  '65. 

One    Moudred    and     SeveuteentH   Tuiautry. 
(Three  Years'    Service.) 

The  One  Hundred  and  Seventeenth 
Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers  was  orga- 
nized at  Camp  Butler,  Illinois,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1S62,  by  CjI.  Risdon  M.  Moore, 
and  was  mustered  into  the  United  States' 
service,  September  19th,  by  Captain 
Washington.  Companies  D,  F  and  G 
were  recruited  wholly  from  Madison 
county,  and  a  few  from  company  C  were 
represented.  It  left  Camp  Butler  No 
vember  11th,  and  arrived  at  Memphis, 
Tennessee,  on  the  17th,  where  it  re- 
mained on  duty  until  July  5th,  1863, 
and  was  sent  to  reinforce  Helena,  Ark., 
and  returned  December  25ch ;  pursued 
Forest  in  Western  Tennessee,  losing 
three  meu  killed  in  a  skirmish  at  La 
Fayette. 

With  the  Third  Brigade,  Third  Divi- 
sion,Sixth  Army  Corps,  it  moved  Decem- 
ber 2l)th,  1863,  to  Vicksburg;  was  en- 
gaged  in   the   Meridian  campaign ;  en- 


gaged in  a  skirmish  February  5th,  1864, 
lo.sing  two  killed  and  five  tvounded. 
March  4th  returned  to  Vicksburg.  and 
on  the  10th,  etnbarked  for  the  Red  river 
expedition.  March  I4th,  1864,  assisted 
iti  the  capture  of  Fort  De  Russy ;  April 
9ch,  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Pleasant 
Hill,  and  on  the  11th,  moved  to  Grand 
Ecore.  On  the  14th,  was  sent  to  relief 
of  gunboats  and  transports  at  Campta, 
La.,  and  engaged  at  Cloutierville  aiid 
Cane  river,  at  Bayou  Rapids  May  2d  ; 
at  Gov.  Moore's  platitation  and  Bayou 
Rapids  May  3d,  4th,  5th,  6th,  7th  and 
Uih.  Continued  return  march  to  the 
Mississippi  river  on  the  14th.skirm'.-shing 
daily.  Was  at  the  battle  of  Yellow 
Bayou,  May  18th,  and  reached  the 
Mississippi  on  the  20th,  and  Vicksburg 
on  the  27th.  Participated  in  driving 
Marmaduke  from  Chicot  Lake  and 
Columbia,  Arkansas,  and  arrived  at 
Memphis  Juije  10th,  1864. 
-  June  14th  1><64,  marched  to  relief  of 
Sturges,  and  on  the  23il,  be;ian  the 
Tupelo  campaign.  On  July  14th,  was 
engaged  at  Tupelo,  and  at  Old  Town 
creek  on  the  15th.  Commenced  the 
Oxford  campaign  August  5th,  and  on 
the  18th  and  19th,  was  engaged  at 
Hurricane,  returning  to  Memphis  on 
the  30th.  From  Memphis  the  regiment 
went  to  Jefferson  barracks,  St.  Louis, 
arriving  September  19ih.  was  engaged 
October  1st,  at  Franklin  ;  moved  via. 
Jeti^erson  City,  Sedalia,  Lexington,  In- 
dependence and  Harrisonville,  when  it 
returned  to  St.  Louis,  November  19th. 

Moved  to  Nashville,  Tennessee,  and 
took  position  in  the  works  December  1st, 
1804;  participated  in  the  battle  of  Nash- 
ville, December  5th  and  6th,  and  pur- 
sued Hood,  reaching  Clifton,  January  4, 
1865  ;  went  by  boat  from  East  Fort  to 
New  Orleans,  arriving  January  7th ; 
embarked  at  Chalmette,  March  7th, 
for  Dauphine  Island ;  thence  to  Fish 
river  with  the  Sixteenth  Corps,  Major- 
General  A.  J.  Smith  commanding. 
Engaged  at  Spanish  Fort  from  March 
27th  to  April  2d,  and  at  Blakely  until 
the  !Hh,  taking  part  in  his  capture. 
April  13th,  marched  to  Montgomery, 
and  thence  to  Camp  Butler,  III.,  where 
the  regiment  was  mustered  out,  August 
5th,  1865,  by  Captain  James  Hall,  U. 
S.  A. 

The  regiment  in  its  three  years'  ser- 


230 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,     ILLINOIS. 


vice,  was   engaged   in   six    battles   and 
thirty-three  skirmishes,  marched  2,307 
miles,  traveled  by  water   6,191,  and  by  , 
rail  778  miles. 

Roster.  | 

j\Iajor9.  I 

Tliom.Ts  J.  Ifewsham,  resigned  Apn  13,  '64.       | 
William  P.  Olden,  m,  o.  Aug,  5,  '65.  j 

Chaplain.  1 

Jolin  D.  Gillham,  resigned  May  16,  '64. 
Muster  Roll  Company  C. 
Privates. 
Carter,  John  H.,  disch.  Nov.  26,  '64 ;  dig. 
Honpilev,  James  K.,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  1865. 
Hendrickson,  I'eter  B.,  M.  O.  Aug.  o,  1S66. 
Khoda,  James  F.,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  1S65. 
K..th,  John  F.  ^   ^^^. 

Savage,  Daniel  B.,  M,  O   Aug.  5,  1865ascorp. 
Wliiimore,    Hiram,  M.  O.  Aug.  6.  1S65. 
Muster  Roll  Company  D. 
Captains. 
Abraham  B,  Keagle,  M,  O.,  as  1st  lieut.,  Aug. 
5,  1866. 

First  I/ciitcnant. 
Benjamin  F.  Olden,  M.  O.,  as  2d  lieut.,  Aug.  5, 
1865. 

Second  Lieutenant. 
Sidney  Z.  Robinson,  M.  O.,  as  1st  sergt.,  Aug 
5",  1865. 

Sergeants, 
Thomas  R.  Wilson,  M.  O.  .\ug.  5.  1865. 
Alson  F.  Weaver,  M.  O.  Aug.. 5,  1865,       _        | 
Charlts  P.  Stephenson,  M.  O.  Aug,  6.  I860. 
Charles  E.  Newman,  M.  O.  May  31,  1866. 

Corporals.  | 

William  A.  Wyatt,  sergt.,  died  July  14,  1S65.    ] 
Leroy  P.  Phillips.  M.  O.  June  21,  1865  as  pn.  [ 
Gi  orge  Davis,  M.  O.  Aug,  5,  1865  as  private.      I 
William  A,  Davis,  M.  O.  Aug  5,  1S65  as  prJ. 
William  A,  Smith,  M,  O.  Aug.  6,  1865  as  pn. 
Joseph  Sheckler,  M.  O.  Aug.  5.  1865. 
William  McPherson,  disoli.  Mar.  19,  '63;   dis. 
Jacob  Eldgely,  private,  died  Mar.  28,  1864. 

Musicians. 
Charles  S.  Clark,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  1S65. 
William  H.  Wagoner,  died  June  28,  1865. 

Wagoner. 
Benjamin  McNeil,  M,  O.  Aug  5,  1865. 

Privates. 
Applebv,  John  B.,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  1865. 
Axley,  Isaac,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  186.5. 
Bartlett,  Wm.,  died  Oct,  17,  1863. 
Bowen,  John. 

Bowles,  James,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  1865. 
tasey,  James,  M.  O.  Aug,  5,  1S65. 
Calvin  John,  M.  O,  Aug.  5,  1865. 
Davis,  Isaac,  M.  O.  Aug,  6,  1865  as  sergt. 
Duncan,  William,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  1865. 
Duttey,  James,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  1865, 
Fallon,  John,  M.  O.  Aug,  5,  1865. 
Fi^gv,  Frederick. 
Filler,  Louis,  M.  O.  Aug.  5, 1865, 
Foreman,  Alfred,  M.  0.  Aug,  5,  1865. 
Fiuit,  Ilenrv  C,  M,  O.  Aug.  5,  1865. 
Fieldworlh,  Frederick,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  1865. 
(irant,  Samuel  L.,  M.  O.  Aug  5,  1865. 
Hauskins,  Jame,=,  ab-cnt,  sick  at  M.  O.  of  regt. 
Hall,  Warfield  S.,  disch.  Deo  2, 186.'i ;  disab'y, 
Jesw'aller,  Henrv,  M.  O,  Aug.  6,  1865. 
Kase,  Eherliard,  M.  O,  Aug.  5,  186.5. 
Kimball,  James,  M.  ().  Aug.  5,  1865. 
Klinip,  (jerm.  M.  O,  Aug.  5,  1865. 
LowiU,  Stephen,  Corporal. 
Lamb,  James  P.,  M-  O-  Aug  5,  1865. 


Lamb,  John  E ,  M,  O.  Aug.  5,  1865. 
McNeil,  Marshall,  M.  O,  Aug,  5,  1865. 
Mclherson,  John,  died  Feb.  8,  1863. 
McPlierson,  George,  <lied  Jan,  4,  lii63, 
McLaughey,  Maihias,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  1865  as 

corporal. 
Mason,  I'atrick, 

Millrr,  Frederick,  :M.  O.  Aug.  5,  1865. 
Meir,  J.bn  H.,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  1865  as  corp  1.    , 
Movers,  William,  M.  O,  Aug,  6,  1865. 
i  Mever,  Dietiicli,  M.  ()  Aug.  5,  1865.  j 

I  Miicbell,  Alonzo,  M.  O  Aug.  &,  186.3. 
Murphy,  Wilson,  M.  O.  Aug.  6,_1865. 
I  Orme,  Thomas,  die<l  Jan,  9,  1863. 
i  Olnev,  (;eorge  W  ,  disch.  Sept.  18,  1863. 
Pecti.f  Richard,  disch.  Aug.  2-5,  ls63  ;  disab'y.  ] 
j  Peterson,  George  W.,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  1865  as  | 
corp'l. 
Page,  Robert,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  1865. 
Rvan,  John,  M.  O.  Aug.  b,  1865,as  corpT. 
K'ilev   William,  discli.  Mav  3,  1863;  disab  y. 
1  Rock«cll,  Joseph,  disch.  Feb.  4,  1863;  dis'y. 
jRoilnvell,  William,   M,   0.  Aug.   5,  i860. 
I  Stall  Hiram  E.,  M.  O.  Aug.  5, 1865. 
i  Siillwell,  Willis,  M,  O.  Aug.  5,  1865. 
\  Sharp,  Sanuul,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  i860. 
1  Schulz,  Charles,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  1865. 
'    Sandbach,  John  G,,M.  O.  July  17,  1865. 
Smiih,  David  D.,  died  Dec.  lH,  1862. 
1  Svddell,  Hmrv,  M,  O.  Aug.  5,  186-5. 
Smith,  Henrv,  M.  O.  Aug.  3,  I860. 
Speckman,  Gotleib,  M.  0»  Aug.  5,  1865. 
Smith,  Francis  P.,  M.  O,  Aug.  5,  1865. 
Smi^h,  David  S,,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  I860. 
Smith,  Martin,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  1866. 
Savage,  John  L.,  tr.  to  33d  Ills,  infantry. 
VogUr,  Alfred,  died  Jan.  4,  1864. 
Vieler,  Guirge  W.,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  1865. 
Wa.sman.  William,  M.  O.  Aug,  6,  1865  as  cor 

poral, 
Wilson,  Houstan,  M-  O.  Aug.  5   I860. 
Yostmeir,  Charles,  M.  O,  Aug.  5,  I8O0. 


Recrvils. 
Kell,  William  F,,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  1865. 
Murphy,  Ira  C. 

Muster  Roll  Company  F. 

Captains. 
Jacob  J.  Kinder,  resigned  July  11.  1864. 
Charles  W.  Blake,  M,  O.  Aug.  5,  1865. 

First  Lieutenant. 
Charles  C.  Tread  way,  M.  0.  Aug.  5,  1865. 

Second  Lieutenants. 
Gershora  P.  Gillham,  resigned  Jan.  24,  1863. 
David  Bartlett,  M.  0.,  a.s  sergt,,  Aug.  5,  I860. 

Serc/eants. 

Abraham  Lindernian,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  1865. 
James  P.  Fahnes-tock,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  1865. 
William  Lamborn,  M.  O.  July  1,  1866. 

Corporals. 
Joshua  A.  Springer,  disch.  Mar.  18. 1863;  dis. 
George  W.  Spurr,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  1865. 
William  L  Brown,  M.  O.  May  18,  1865. 
Adolphiis  P.  Wolf,  M,  O,  Aug.  2,  1865. 
George  W.  Mver.s,  M,  O.  as  private, 
.loseph  H.  Wicklille,  tiisch,  Sept.  24,  1863. 
Theodore  S\dell,  disch.  June  14,  1863  ;  dis. 
Joseph  H.  Purviauce,  died  at  Memphis  July 

8,  1863. 

Musicians. 
Beniamin  H  Richards,  dis.  Jan.  20,  '63;  dis. 
Otto  E.  Wolf,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  1866. 

Wagoner. 
John  F.  Edwards,  absent,  sick,  at  muster  out 

of  regt, 

Privitc!. 
Avard,  Henry  11.,  must'd  out  Aug.  6,  1865,  as 

corporal. 


Anderson,  Jas.  M.,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  '6o. 
Anderson,  John  J,,  M.  O,  Aug.  5,  '6o. 
Anischler,  John,  M.  O.  Aug.  5.  '6.5. 
Ballard,    Washington  C,  died   at  Memiihi!", 

July  5,  '63. 
Bak'er,  Samuel,  disch.  Jan.  28,  '63,  dieability. 
Baird,  John  L,  M,  O.  Aug.  5,  '66. 
Baite.-,  Wm.  G„  M.  O.  Aug,  5,  '6o. 
Bair.l,  »atm.el,  di.sch'd  July  28, '63,  disability. 
Barll.lt,  Wm.K.  disch.  Sep   24, '63, disability, 
i  Buitker,  Louis,  M   O,  Aug,  5,  '65. 
BainI,  Wm.  H  ,  M.  O.  Aug.  6,  '65,  as  cojpl. 
Bartlett,  Kobt.  N.,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  66. 
Brewerlnn,  Sidney  S,  disch.  May  31,    6o. 
Briscoe,  Jas.  B.,  M.  O.  Aug.  6,  '6o. 
I  Cox,  Chas.  W.,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  '65. 
1  Cameron,  Alfred,  M.  O.  Aug.  o,  '6o. 
Cole,  Newton  M,,  died  at  New  Orleans,  March 
I         6,  1865. 
Cole,  Allen,  disch.  Jan.  28,  '63,  disability. 
1  Casey,  John.  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  '65. 
1  Clark,  Wm.  P.,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  '65. 
i  DaviilBon,  Wm.  M.,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  '6.o. 
i  Donaphon,  He/.ekiah,  died  at  Moscow,  Tenn., 

Dec  27,  '63,  wounds. 
'.  Eickholi;  1-rcd  k,  M,  O.  Aug.  5,  '65. 
'  Eraser,  John,  drowned  in  Miss,   river,   June 

I  Farmer, Lemuel  J.,  discharg.  April  27,  1865, 
*  disabilitv.  n    io/>- 

iGeeis,  Jacob  M.,  mustered  out  Aug.  5,  Ibfw, 
I  as  corporal.  r    icr-- 

Gillham,  John  A.,  mustered  out  Aug.  &,  18tJ0, 
1  as  sergeant. 

Geers,  vamuel  P.,  M.  0,  Aug.  5,  6o. 
I  Geers  Wm.  S  ,  M.  O.  Aug   5,   65. 
1  Gatis,'  George  W.  C  ,  disch'd  March  18,  1863, 
'  disability.  ^        ,„  ,,.. 

Goodvkoonti,  Noival  AV.,  disch.  June  10,  6o, 

1st  sergeant ;  disability. 
Goodvkoontz,  John  F.,  M.  O.  Aug,  -5,  '6o, 
Hiiglies.  AVm.  A,.  M  O.  Aug.  o,   6o. 
Head,  Wm.  H.,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  '6o. 
Heail    Wm   W.,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  '66,  as  corp  I. 
llo<lgers,  John  S.,  disch.  Dec.  20,   62,  disab'y 
Hettich,  John,  M,  O.  Aug,  5, '6.5. 
lleddes,  Joseph,  died  at  Memphis,  March  11, 

1863,  ^   ,^. 

Horsiman,  Deitrich,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,   6o. 
Kevser,  Ambrose,  M.O.  Aug.  5,  '65. 
j  Ke'rsev,  Harrison  C,  M.  O,  Aug.  5, '65. 
Lav,  William  L.,  disch.  June  11,  '03. 
Look,  O.  C,  trans,  to  Co.  1,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  6o, 

as  corporal, 
McKitrick,  Ers.,  M.  O,  Aug.  5,  65. 
Mun,.ion,  Peter,  M.O.  Aug.  6,  '66. 
Miller,  John,  M.  O,  Aug,  5,  '6o.     ^   ^    ^^ 
Marshall,   John  W,,  transf.  to  V,  R.  C,  May 

1,  1804.  ^.    , , 

Nix,  Wm.,  disch.  Feb.  1,  '63  ;  disab  y. 
O'Brien,  John. 

Oivvell,  Emerv  H..  M.  O.  Aug.  o,  6). 
Pline,  Leonard,  disch.  Feb.  17,  65;  disab  y. 
Purviance,  Wm.  II, ,  M.  O,  Aug.  .5,   6o. 
Handle,  Marion,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,   6o. 
Richards,  William,  disch.  Jan.  27,  63 ;  di.sa- 

bility- 
Ritcher,  Aug.,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  6o,  as  corpl. 
Seidlick,  Jos.,M.O.  Aug.  5, 'tio. 
Stuart,  Charles  J,  corpl,  died  near  Jackson, 

MifS,,  Feb.  5,04;  wounds. 
Stolnaker,  Wm.  L.,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  '65. 
Schidmever,  Henrv,  M.  O   Aug.o,  6o. 
Smilh,  Pliny,  disch.  Dec.  20,  '6o;  disab  y. 
Stout,  Charles. 

Siuilh,  John  M.,  M.  O.  Aug.  o,  '65. 
Tartt,  Thos,  M.,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  '66. 
Tompkins,  John  T. 
Watson,  Sam'l,  M.  O.  Aug.  6,  6o. 
Willoughl.y,  John  H.  B.,  M.  O.  Aug. 5.  6) 
Wright,   James  R.,  disch'd  March  20,  1863; 

disability. 
Yokiim,  James  A.  J  ,  died  at  Camp  Butler, 

Oct.  3,  '62. 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


251 


Recruits. 

Ballard,  Wm,  T..  tr.  to  33.1  Ills. 

Davis,  John  H  ,  tr.  to  33.1  Ills.  j 

Uav,  Benjamin  K..  Ir.  to  33d  Ills, 

Davidsun,  James  J.,  died  at  Memphis,  June 

•10,  1S64. 
Gillham,  Saai'l.  J.,  tr.  to  33  1  Ills. 
Murphv,  Henrv  C,  tr.  to  3^1  Ills. 
Pickett,  Thomas  J.,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  '65. 
Phillips,  Jamts  K  ,  M.  U.  Aug.  5,   Go. 
Ross,  tjeorge  \V.,  iniusr.l  lo  33d  Ills. 
Smith,  James  L.,  trausf  d  to  33d  Ills. 

Aluster  Roll  Company  G. 

Captains. 
Curtis  Blakeman,  resigned  Jan.  23.    03. 
An.lrew  J.  Gregg,  r.  signed  June  23,  '04. 
Liavid  T.  Todd,  iM.  O.  Aug.  5,  'G5. 

First  Lieatenanl. 

Cuiiel  Kerr,  M.  O.  Aug.  -5,  'G5. 

Second   Lieutenants. 

James  G.  F.lliff,  resigned  Jan.  23.  'G3. 
Josephus  Porter,  .M.  O.  (as  serg'i)  Aug.  5,  'Go. 

Sergeditts. 
William  T.  Blakeraju,   di^ch'd  March  2, '63 ; 

disability. 
Oliver  Hockett,  discli.  Jan.  17,  "G4,  as  private ; 

disaliility. 
Alexander  Keown,  M.  O.  Aug.-i,  'Go. 

Corporulx. 

Jarvin  J.  We^t.  disch.  March  14,  'G3,dis'y. 
Jonathan  F.  Murray,  M.  O.  Aug.  o,  18G5,  as 

private. 
James  C.    Brockles,   M.   O     Aug.  .5,  186-3,  as 

sergeant. 
Ri.diard  S.iunders,  m   o.  Aug.  5,  '65.  as  ser; 
Wm.  Emiirev,  ni.  o.  Aug.  5.  l.SGo,  as  serg't. 
James  P.  Frazier,  dis.  Jan.  8,  '63;  disabilit 


Columhus  C   Buckley,  private,  tr.   to  V.  E. 

Jan.  2,  1865. 
John  D.  Himburg,  disch.  Nov.  19,  '64,  ser. 

disubility. 

Musician. 
Thomas  Van  Hooser,  mustered  out  Aug.  5,  '63 


James  F.  Hockett. 


Waffoner. 


Gillott,  Uenrj  K.,  mustered  ont  Aug.  5.  1865. 
Glover,  Kobe'it  F.,  mustered  out  Aug.  5.  1S65. 
Hayes.  Andrew  J.,  died  at  Memphi.s,  Aug.  29, 

18G3. 
Hart,  Alonzo,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  '63,  as  corporal. 
Howey,    Henry,    died  at   Jeflerson    Barracks, 

Sept.  y.  '64. 
Hedrick,  Charles  W.  mustered  out  Aug.  o,  63. 
Hu-^song,  Andrew  B.,  musi'd  out  Aug.  5,  '65. 
Intermaiz,  Samuel,  mnsi'd  out  Aug.  5,  18G.5. 
Kile,  George,  died  at  Memphis,  Feb.  17, 1S63. 
Lank.  August,  M.  O.  May  31,  186-5. 
Motiitt,  Isaac,  M   O.  Aug.  5,  1865. 
Matthews,  William. 

Matthews,  Alfred,  mustered  out  Aug.  5.  '65 
Matthews,  James  A.,  disch.  Ajiril  24,1863; 

disability. 
Mav,  Charle.s  S.,  M.  O   Aug.  5,  1865. 
McClanahau,  James,  M.  O.  Aug.  5,  lS6o. 
Oburn,   Samuel,  died  at  Mendan,  Miss.,  July 

8,  1865. 

Prickett,  Isaac,  mustered  out  Aug.  5,  1865.  _      , 
Pridmore,  Thomas,  must'd  out  Aug.  5,  1865.     i 
Rittraan,  Henry,  mustered  out  Aug.  5, 1865. 
Reeves,  Wilev  G.,  died  at  Memphis,  May  29, 

1863.       '  i 

Roseberry,  James,  mustered  out  Aug.  5,  I860, 

as  corporal. 
Schoti'ier,  Victor,  must'd  out  June  5,  1865. 
Sclimid,  Peter,  dis.  .Mar.  14,  '63  ;  .lisabiKty. 
Shadric,  William,  M.  I>.  Aug.  5,  IS60. 
Schramm,  Augustus,  M   ().  Aug.  5,  1865. 
Slve,  George,  died  Ai.ril  30,  18G1. 
Schafiir.  Washington,  died  at  Memphis,  June 

9.  1863.  ,.    ,  .,. 
Tetrick,  Charles,  disch.  Apr.  1,  '63  ;  disability. 
Taylor,  Kichard,  M.  O.  Aug.  5.  '65,  a.s  corp'l. 
Thorp,  Hale  M..  M.  U.  Aug.  5,  '65,  as  (-orp'l. 

i  Tliorpe,  Benard,  mustered  out  Aug.  5,  1865. 
Van  Hooser,  Henry,  died  at  Memphis,  May  15, 

1SG3. 
Van  Hooser,  Wm.,  nnistered  out  .Aug.  5.  I860. 
West,  Joseph  P.,  disch.  April  24.  '64 ;  disab'ty. 
Williamson   Charles  C,  M   O.  Aug.  5, 1865. 
Watt,  Eli,  died  Jan.  8,  1S65 
Wood.  Francis  E..  dis.  Jan.  15,  '63  ;  disab'ty. 
Wilder.  Henry,  died  Jan.  15, 1865  ;  wounds. 
Wood,  Joel  ,      ,, 

Wright,  James  R.,  dis.  Mar.  20,  '63;  disab  ly. 

Ee'yi-uits. 
Morler.  John  G.,  mustered  out  Aug.  5,  1S65. 
West,  James,  mustered  out  Aug.  5,  1865. 
Woo.l,   E.lwin.  tr.  to  33  111.   Inf.,  must'd  out 
Nov.  21,  I860. 


Whiteside,  Samuel  P.,  dis.  May  12,  '65  ;  wds. 
Zeigler,  George  N.,  mustered  out  Aug.  5, '65. 

Unassigned  TJfc.-uite. 
Hay.s.  William  P,  died  at  Camp  Bull- r,  Ills., 

■  Mav  1,  1SG4. 
Ledaker,  James  A.,  subtr.  to4.')th  III.  Inlantry. 
Williams,  William  C. 

Roster,  One  Huntlreil    and    Twenty  second 

Infanti-)-— (Tliree  Years'  Service.) 

Muster  Roll,  Comimny   D. 

r,ivnt'S. 
Brown,  Charles,  must'd  out  July  15,  1865. 
Howell,  Williams.,  must'il  out  June  7,  1865. 
Hauls,  George  P.,  miistd  out  N'.iv.  24,  1865, 
Nelson,  William,  absent  since  Nov.  9,  1865. 
Nelson,  Benj.  F.,  must'd  out  24,  1865. 


Privates. 
Ainsworth,  Edgar  F..  mus.  out  Aug.  12,  186-5. 
Armstrong,  Thoma.s  J.,  m.  o.  Aug.  12.  1865. 
Aldrich,   Kildrey   P.,   mus;eied  out  Aug.  12, 

1865,  as  corporal. 
Aldrich,  Homer  L.,  died  at  Memphis,  Feb.  27, 

1863. 
Brvant,  John  F. 
Brandenburger,    Mathias,    drowned   Aug.    14, 

1864. 
Brown,  William  II.,  mu^stered  out  Aug.  5,  '65. 
Brown.  Simon,  mu-.t»red  out  Aug.  5.  ISGo. 
Beggs.  Thomas,  mu-t'il  out  Aug.  0,  1865^ 
Barnes.  John,  mustered  out  June  5,  1865. 
Calvin,  Jame-.  H.,  mnsiercd  (mt   Aug.  5, 1865. 
Criner,  Michael,  mustered  out  Aug.  5,  186-5. 
Chanee,  Jonathan,  nmsl'd  out  Aug.  5,  1865. 
Catobin.s,  William. 
Dawson,  Thomas  \V.,  must'd  out  Aug.  5,1865, 

as  corporal. 
Dee.  Hiram,  dis.  Jan.  15,  1863  :  disability. 
Diefenbangh,  Adam,  iinm'd  out  -Aug   5.  1865. 
Embrev.  John,  niu-tered  out  Aug.  5,  1865. 
Ellift".  William  W..  mustered  om  Aug.  5,  '6-5. 
Fitzpatrick,  John  F  .  iniisieretl  out  .Aug  5. '65. 
Fuller,  William  K.,  M   O.  Aug.  5,^6.5.  a-^^sergt. 
Francis,  Joseph,  must'd  out  -Aug.  o,  1865. 
Griiver,  Samuel,  musi'il  out  Aug  5.  1865 
Gruver,  Richard,  mu=i'd  out  Aug.  5,  1865. 


Slnster  Roll,  Company  H. 

Private. 
Eaton,  Willi.^ra  P.,  M.  O.  Aug.  5.  '65,  as  sergt. 

Muster  Roll  Company  I. 

Privates. 
McGuire,  Samuel  G..  must'd  out  Aug.  5    '65. 
Phillips,  James  R.,  tr.  to  F.,  M.  O.  Aug.  '6.5. 
Pomeroy,  George  S.,  tr.  to  D.,  M.  O.  Aug.  o,'6o. 

Master  RoU  Company  K. 

First  Lieutenant. 
James  D.  Cobine,  must'd  out  Aug.  5,  1S65. 

Musicia7i. 
Thomas  Greer,  mustered  out  Aug.  6,  1865. 

Privates- 
Greer,  Oswell  V.,  dis.  Dec  23,  '63 ;  disability. 
Hiv   E<lwar.l  M..  <iied  at  home.  May  S,  '63. 
Hay!  Andrew  J.  W.,  died  at  Jett'erson  Barracks 

■  Nov.  6.  1S64. 
Rule,  .-Vlfnd.  mustered  out  Aug.  5,  1SG5. 
Stephens,  Malcolm  C,  dis    Feb.  11.  •6.5;_disbV. 
Spencer,  George  W.,  musi'd  out  Aug.  5,  1865 
Wallace.  Francis  A.,  died  at  Memphis,  Feb. 
20,  1863. 


Roster,  One    Hundred  and    Twenty-fourtU 
Infanlry  -    Tliiee   Vears'  Service. 

Muster  Roll  Company  C. 

Second  Lieutenant- 
John  L.  Richards,  must'd  out  Aug.  15,  1865. 

Privates. 
Ilavs,  H.  H.,  must'd  out  July  13,  '65;  w'nded. 
Levtreit,  AV.  W.,  disch'd  June  15,  1865,  for 

promotion  in  U.  S.  C.  T. 
Mills,  Cliarles  K,  disch'd  in  1863,  for  promo- 
tion as  hospital  steward  U.  S.  A. 
Recruits. 
Dougherty.  Patrick  W.,  tr.  to  33d  111. 
Hays,  Pliny  C,  tr.  to  33.1  IT. 
'.  Riley,  Henry  C,  tr.  to  33d  HI. 

Roster,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-slxtll  In- 
fantry.—  Iliree  Years'  Service.) 
Master  Roll  Company   C. 

Private. 
B  irt,  Hiit^hinson,  di-.cli's  S;pt-  15,  1S64. 

Unas.<igned  Recruit. 
Gilpin,  William  W. 

Roster,   One  Hundred  and  Thirtieth  Infan- 
try  (Three  Years'  Service.) 

Master  Roll  Company  A, 

Recruits. 
Everett,  H.  H.,  tr.  to  77th  III.,  Co.  C  ;  re-trans- 

f  d  to  130th  as  revived,  m.  o.  Aug.  14,   65. 
Folks,  Matthias,  tr.  to  77th  III.,  Co.  C  ;  re-trst'd 

lo  130th  a.sTevived,  m.  o.  .Vug.  13,  1865. 
Tracv,  J.  T.,  tr.  to77th    III.  Co.  C;  re-trM'd  to 

i30th  as  revived  ;  musi'd  out  Aug.  14,   65. 

Muster  Roll  Company  E. 

Recruits. 
Carrin,  John  B.,  tr.  to  Co.  G,  77th  111.  Inft., 

must'd  out  May  15,  1865. 
Dnjardin,  Noah,  tr.to  Co.  G  77th  III.,  re-trsf  d 

to  130thasrevived,  mus'tout  Aug.  15,  60. 


Muster  Roll  Company  F. 

First  Lieutenant. 
Charles  Ives,  died  June  14,  1863. 
Unassigned  Recruits. 
Martin,  Polander  J.,  substitute. 
Rosier,  Lewis,  substitute. 

Roster,  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-third  In- 
fantry.— One  Hundred  Days'  Service.) 

This  regiment  was  organized  at  Camp 
Butler  May  31,  18G4,  by  Col.  Thaddeus 
Phillips,  and  was  mustered  in  for  one 


252 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


hundred  days;  moved  to  Rock  Island' 
BiiiTacks,  Illinois,  June  3d,  and  was 
U!^>-igni>(l  to  duty,  guarding  prisoners  of 
war.  While  in  service  the  regiment 
performed  its  duty  faithfully  and  effi- 
ciently. Madison  county  furnished  coiu- 
jiany  D  entire,  and  a  part  of  company 
H,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  following 
roster : 

Roster. 

IJtidenant  Colonel. 
John  E.  Moure,  mustered  out  Sept.  2-1, 1864. 

Chaplain. 

"William  R.  .Vdains,  iiuisl'd  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 

?ion-Coinniissioued  Staff. 

Principal  Muxician. 

Tlioma.s  R.  JoneR,  musi'd  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 

master  Roll,  Company  D. 

Captain. 

John  Carstens,  nnistered  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 

Secuinl  Lieutennni. 
John  Packer,  mustered  out  Se|  t.  24,  1864. 

Firal  Sergeant. 
Walton  Riitledge,  luust'd  out  Sept.  24,  1S64. 

Seryeanis. 
Albert  Chamberlain,  niusf  d  out  Sept.  24, 1864. 
ILirk  McLauclilin,  must'd  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 

Corporal!!. 
.James  Miller,  mustered  out  Sept.  24,  18G4. 
Charles  Ilayden,  mu-tered  ocil  Sept.  24,  1864. 
(reorfje  Barkley,  mustered  om  Sept.  'J  I.  isiij. 
Callaway  C.  Nasii,  nuisi'd  out  S,  |,t.  ■_'!,  -ISCA. 
Cvriis  L.  Cook,  mustered  out  Sept.  .1    1^114. 
Benjamin  .\llen,  mustered  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 
James  M.  Stifler,  mustered  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 

Privates^ 
ArrastronfT,  John,  mn-tered  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 
Armstrong.  Harry,  nuisi'd  out  Sept.  24, 1864. 
Beall,  Edward,  inustered  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 
Beach,  Henry  H.,  mustd  out  Sept   24,  1S64. 
Cowen.  Juhn'R.,  musfd  out  Sept.  24.  1864. 
Clarkson.  John  J.,  musi'd  out  Sept  24.  1S64. 
Clement,  Lucian  E.,  musi'd  out  Sept  24,  1864. 
dayman,  Wm.  H.,  must'd  out  Sept.  21,  1864. 
Campbell,  John',  mustered  out  Sept.  24.  1864. 
Cain,  James,  mustered  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 
Crawson,  Charles,  must'd  out  Sept.  24.  1864. 
Crtiig,  Robert,  mustered  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 
Cressey.  Frank  B.,  nuist'il  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 
Cressey,  Eilward  K  ,  must'd  out  Sept  24,  '64. 
Curdie   Robert,  mustered  out  Sept.  24, 18<i4. 
Diinnellv,  James,  musi'd  out  Sept.  24.  1864. 
Dow,  John,  mustered  out  Sept.  24.  1864. 
I'"erguson,  George  R-,  must'd  out  Sept.  24,  '64. 
Fields,  Chauncey  H.,  must'd  out  Sept  24.  '64. 
Fitzgibbons,  James,  mu^t'd  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 
Gaskill,  Sidney,  mustered  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 
Gibhs,  Charles,  mustered  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 
Gibbs,  George,  mustered  oiU  Sept.  24,  1804. 
Hall.  John,  uuislered  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 
Hastings,  Chailes  H.,  musi'd  out  Sept.  24.  '64. 
Huglies,  James,  mustered  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 
Jack,  James,  mustered  out  .Sept.  24,  1864. 
Junnette,  Joseph  F.,  mu.si'd  out  Sept.  24,  '64. 
Kinnan,  John  S.,  must'd  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 
Kendall   Lulher  ().,  must'd  out  .S,pi.  24,  1864. 
Leverett,  Cyrus  VV.,  nuist'd  out  Sept.  24,  1864 
Lowe.  George  T.,  ilied  at  Rock  Island  Barracks, 

Aug.  4,  18(i4,  of  accidental  wounds. 
Iililler,  George  \V.,  must'd  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 
Morgan,  Barney,  nuist'd  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 
McReynolds,  Sanuiel  N  ,  mus.  out  Sep  24. '64. 
Mitchell,  John,  mustircd  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 


Malloy,  David,  mustered  out  Sept.  24, 1864. 
Norton,  Wilbur  T.,  must'd  out  Sept.  24  1864. 
Neil,  John,  nuistered  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 
Neil,  William,  musi'd  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 


Patterson,  William,  must'd  out  Se[>t.  "24,  1864.    ,„„,,*(,„•   ^orvioo 
Read,  Daniel  D.,  mustered  out  Sept.  '24,  1864. 1  "»»"»'"     "Crvite, 


trip  continued  about  six  weeks,  when 
they  returned  to  Camp  Fry,  and  were 
dismissed,    making   in    all    about    five 


;  Se| 
Uigby,  Nicholas  L.,  must'd  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 
Robertson,  Thomas,  must'd  out  Sept.  24,  18t>4. 
Stocker,  Charles  F  ,  musi'd  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 
Smith,  James,  mustered  out  Sept.  24.  1864. 
Soule,  Charles F.,  must'd  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 


In  this  regiment  Madison  county  was 
represented  by  one  whole  company  (K), 
which    was  raised  by  Julius  A.  Barns- 
back,  of  Troy,  who  was  elected  Cajitain 
loan,  Moses  B.,  mustered  o'Jt  Sept.  24,  1864.    i     ^     ,  ,  ■   \        ^         u     i     i  i 

-        -  Sept.  24  1864.    01  the  company,    which    olDce   ne  nelu 


during  its  term  of  service. 


Slitter,  Moses  B.,  mustered  out 

Smith,  George  A.,  must'd  out  Sept   24,  1864, 

Stoner,  -Vndrew  J.,  must'd  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 

Senior,  John,  mustered  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 

Senior,  Henry  G.,  must'd  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 

Solomon,  John,  mus.ered  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 

Sianton,  Samuel,  mustered  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 

Stobbs,  Matthew,  mustered  out  Sept.  '24,  ls64 

Tail,  Boberi,  mustered  out  Sept.  24   lS(i4 

Travis,  James,  mustered  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 

Tindale,  Andrew  J.,  musi'd  out  Sept.  24,  1864 

Wehsier,  Silas  S    muslered  out  Sept  24   1864.  i  ^     j     j,  g     [nger 

Williams,  Daniel  D.,  mu.st'd  out  Sept.  24,  64  ^      * 

Winning,  James   D.,  must'd  out  Sept  24, '64. 

Wihltrman,  James  H.,  nuis.  out  Sept.  24.  '64 

Weir,  Edward  H.,  must'd  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 


lOO 


One  Hiuulred  and  F*ortletlL  Infantry 
Days*   Service. 

Bluster  Roll,  Company  K, 

Captain.. 

Julius  A.  Barnsback  must'd  out  Oct.  29,  '64. 

Firgl   Lieutcmmi. 


Mnster  Roll  Company  G, 

Priratts. 
Clawson,  Lewis  J.,  must'd  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 
(jriftilh,  James  M.,  must'd  out  Sept  24,  1864. 
Maddo.t,  Wilson,  mustered  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 
Rird,.\rchibald,  muslered  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 
Rush,  Patrick  H.,  must'd  out  Sept.  25,  1864, 

Bluster  Roll  Company  H. 

Privates. 
Jones,  Edward  J  ,  mustered  out  Sept.  24.  1864. 


First  Sergeant. 
William  Donaho,  must'd  out  Oct.  29,  1864. 

Sergeants. 

George  H.  Knowles,  musi'd  out  Oct.  29,  1S64. 
Joseph  A.  Dunnagan,  mustd  out  Oct   29.  '64. 
Fred.  G.  Turner,  mustered  out  Oct.  29, '64. 
Kilburn  M.  Snodgrass,  must  d  out  Oci.  29,  '64. 

Corpnralg. 
Charles  E.  Tindall,  must'd  out  Oct   29,  1864. 
William  T.  Donaho,  mustered  oiu  Oct.  29,  '(i4. 
Julius  A.  Barnsback,  Jr.,  mus.  out(tel.29,  64. 
Thomas  Wilkins,  mustered  out  Oct.  29,  '64. 
Samuel  B.  Wonderly,  mustd  out  Oct.  29,  '64. 
John  C.  Davis,  mustered  out  Oct.  29,  '64. 


Malcom,  Samuel  H,  must'd  out  Sept?  24,  '64;    Jf  P''  ^I'.  Siewart,  mustd  out  Oct.  29,  1864. 

Mullin,  John,  mustered  out  Sept.  24,  lSt;4.  ■■" 

Parks,  William  S.,  mu.st'd  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 
Robinson,  David,  mustered  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 
Wendt,  John  F.,  mustered  out  Sept.  24,  1864. 


100  Days'  Service, 
in-commlssioned  Staff. 


Charles  Kimbtrlin,  musi'd  out  Oct.  29,  '64 

Musician. 
Edward  Phillip?,  mustered  out  Oct.  29,   64. 
Wagoner. 

One  HuntU-etl  and   Tlilrty-Plftli    Infantry.    Thomas  Langdon,  mustered  out  Oct.  1864. 

Privates. 
Alderson,  William,  mustered  out  Oct.  '64. 
Principal  Mimcian.  Barnes,  Stephen  G.,  mustered  out  Oct.  '64. 

n         •    AT    T   1  .J       .  Tv-„      lo  10C1      Berrv,  Alpheiis  P.,  mustered  out  Oct   '64. 

Francis  M.  Johnson,  must  d  out  Nov.  12,  1864.    J;      -'f?,  !,.     „      '     .        ,       ./>.   loci 

Bonn.  Philip  C,  mustered  out  Oct.  1864. 

One   Hundred   and  FortletU    Infantry.-  Bridges,  Adolphus  J.,  muslered  out  Oct    '64. 

100  tlays  Service.  Brown,  Alexander,  mustered  out  Oct.  1864. 

Brewer,  Thomas,  died  al  Memphis.  Sep.  16,'64. 

This  regiment  was  organized  at  Lamp  Cobb,  Lviuan,  mastered  out  Oct.  29, 1864. 

Butler,  June   18th,    1846,  and    on    the  i  Deck,  John  W.,  mustered  out  Oct.  29,  1864. 

,    „    ,  .,    n       r~,   ■  ,  Deck,  Asbury  M.,  muslered   out  Oct.  29,  1804. 

same  day  left  by  rail  for  Cairo,  thence  Drake,  Abel'P.,  mu.stered  out  Oct.  29,  1864. 

by  boat  to  Memphis.     From  Memphis  Duesenbury,  Lafayette,  must'd  out  Oct.  29,  '64. 

,     ,   ,     ,,T  1^    .  ,.  ^  n  Ensminger,  John,  mustered  out  Oct.  29,  1864. 

It  marched  to  \>  olf  river,  a  distance  of  E-sterline.  Wallace,  mu.steicd  out  Oct..-29, 1864. 

thirty  miles  east,  and  the  regiment  was  Essex,  Elijah  J.,  mustered  out  Oct.  29,  1864. 

n  J  ■    »      ]■    •  •  11        1     i.  j-»'  Essex,  Truman  B..  mustered  out  Oct.  29,  1864. 

formed  into  divi-ions,  and  placed  at  dif-  j,,^^^,;  j^^^^,,,  m.,' mustered  out  Oct.  29,  1864. 

ferent  points  along  the  line  of  the  rail-  Flood,  Charles  H  ,  mustered  out  Oct.  29,  1864. 

road,   between  here  and   Holly  Springs.  F'arner,  Josephus,  .nt.stered  out  Oct.  29,  LSW. 

'  J      1        o  !•  lagg,  James  E.,  muslered  out  Oct.  29,1804. 

It  remained   here   about   three  months,  Gerdee,  Gerd,  mustered  out  Oct.  29,  1864. 

guarding  the    railroad,    after    which    it  Gray,  Thoma.s  J.,  mustered  out  Oct  29   1864 

=■  ''  ,    ,.  ,  GiUeit,  .■\lberl  P.,  must. red  out  Oct  29,  1864. 

moved  to  Memphis,  and  did  guard  duty  (iUnn,  John  M.,  mustered  out  Oct.  29,  1864. 

until  ordered  to  Camp  Fry,  Chicago,  for  <'»■'■"«,  George,  mustered  out  Oct.  29,  1864. 

,.   ,  1     ,^       1  (iillespie,  Jo.seph  J.,  mustered  out  Oct.  29.  64. 

muster    out,    which    occurred    October  {lasting,  William  G.,  mustd  out  Oct.  29,  '64. 

29th,     1864.     After    having   given     up  Hami.ton,  Thomas,  must'd  out  Oct.  29, '64. 

,     .  ,  1-   -^  J  1       1   1-  Hawlev,  Francis  L.,  musi'd  out  Oct.  29. '64. 

their  arms,  they  were  solicited  by  Adju-  h„„,_  p^,,,;^,  g^  „,^^^,J  „„(  q^j.  .;9_  1^64. 

tant  General  Fuller,  to   reorganize  and  Jones,  Doctor  S. 

,      ,  1     nr-  •     ■  -^     f  Lane,  Martin,  V.  B.,  must'd  out  Oct.  29,  1864. 

march   thr.iugh  Missouri,  in   pursuit  of  u-.vis,  John  S.,  must'd  out  Oct.  29,  1864. 

General    Price,  which     they  diJ.     This  Laturme,  Joseph  M.,  must'd  out  Oct.  29, '64.  - 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


253 


McMahan,  Martin  L.,  must'd  out  Oct.  29,  '64. 
Maj-on,  John  W.,  must'd  out  Oct,  29,  1SG4. 
McLanahiin,  George  C,  must'd  out  Oct.  29, '64. 
Kelson,  William  S..  must'd  oiil  Oct   29,  '64 
Putnam,  William  H.,nnist'd  out  Oct.  29.   64. 
Pulnam,  George  W.,  musi'd  out  Oct.  29,  '64. 
Bosipal,  Joseph,  mnst'd  out  Oct.  29,  '64. 
Reeve.«,  Ltaion  I).,  must  <i  out  Oct.  29,  1864. 
Roach,  David,  must'd  out  Oct.  29,  1S64. 
Shornick,  Samuel,  must'd  out  Oct.  29.  1864. 
Watt,  Harvey  T.,  mustered  out  Oct.  29,  '64. 
"Waggoner,  George,  mustered  out  Oct. 29,  '64. 
Welch.  Johnson  S.,  mustered  out  Oct.  29,  '64. 
Younghans,  Henrv,  mustered  out  Oct.  29,  '64. 
Zanders,  Edward,  mustered  out  Oct.  29,  'G4. 

One  Hundred  and   Forty-Second  Infiintry. 
KIO  Days'  ServUe. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  II. 

PrivaUf. 
Ayers,  Samuel,  mustered  out  Oct.  26.  1864. 
Gere,  Ira  ti.,  musiered  out  Oct.  26,  1861. 

One  Hundred  and   Forty-Third  Infantry. — 
100  Days'  Service. 

This  rpi^inient  was  organized  by  Col. 
Dudley  C.  Smith,  at  Mattoon,  Illinois, 
and  mustered  in  June  11th,  1864.  Mov- 
ed to  IMemphis,  Tenn.,  June  IGth,  and 
on  the  19th  was  assigned  to  the  Fourth 
Brigade,  Col.  Butterick  conimr.ndiiig ; 
and  on  the  12th  of  July  following,  as- 
gigned  to  Col.  John  Wood's  Brigade. 
Ordered  on  the  27th  to  report  to  Briga- 
dier General  Buford,  commanding  the 
district  of  East  Arkansas.  Was  as- 
signed to  garrison  duty  at  Helena,  Ar- 
kansas, where  it  remained  until  Sept. ' 
10th,  when  moved  northward,  ])roceed- 
ing  to  Mattoon,  Illinois,  and  was  mus- 
tered out  Sept.  36,  1864. 

Muster  Roll  Company  K. 

Private. 
Jacobs,  Henry,  mustered  out  Sept.  26,  IS64. 

Muster  Roll  Company  F. 

Second  Lieiilendtil. 
Thomas  Brown,  innstercd  out  Sept.  26,  1864. 

S,T;;m„t. 
Newton  Fletclier.  mustered  out  Sej't.  26,  1864. 

Corporals. 
■yVilliflm  P.  Wallis,  iiiu.>lered  out  Sep.  26,    64. 
Casper  Yakel. 

Musi  inn. 
James  Gullavain,  mustered  out  Oct.  6,  1864. 

Prirales. 
Barrett,  Fleming,  nni-tered  nut  Sept.  26,  '64. 
Bradford,  Wtn.  B.,  musiered  out  Sept.  26,  '64. 
Chambers,  Frank,  njusiered  out  Scpl.  26,  '64, 
I)icker,-on,  All'nd.  mustered  out   Sept.  26,  '64. 
Gurtland,  Cha«.  E.,  mustereil  out  Sept,  26,  '64. 
(jvillo,  Ludger,  musiered  out  Sept.  26,  '64. 
Guyott,  Philo,  mustered  out  Sept.  26,  '64. 
Gould,  HelloK  O.,  mustered  out  Sept.  26,  '64. 
Herrington,  Thomas,  mu.s.  out  Sept.  26,  '64. 
Mathias,  Israel,  musiered  out  Sept.  26,  '64. 
Morgan,  Christopher  R.,  M.  O.  Oct.  24,  '64. 
Pedrick,  Ellis,  mustered  out  Sept.  26,  1864. 
Phipps,  John  II.,  died  at  Memphis,  Aug.  4, '64. 


Pembroke,  .\lton,  must'd  out  Sept.  26,  1864. 
Pepper,  George  I).,  mustered  out  Sept.  26,  '64. 
Smith,  Joseph  A.,  musiered  out  Sept.  26,  '64. 
Vauniard,  Henry,  mustered  out  Sept.  26,  '64. 
Watson,  David  mustered  out  Sept.  26,  '64. 
Young,  Tliomas,  mustered  out  Sept.  26,  '64. 

Muster  Roll   Company  K. 

Citplain. 
Absalom  T.  Ash,  mustered  out  Sept.  26,  '64. 

Second  Lieutenant. 
David  B.  Wells,  mustered  out  Sept.  26,  '64. 

Priiateg. 
Brooks,  John,  musiered  out  Nov.  29,  '64. 
Chandler,  Marlin  B.,  must,  out  Nov.  29,  '64. 
Foster,  Decatur,  must  d  out  Nov.  29,  '64. 
Friend,  William  D.,  absent,  sick  at  muster  out 

of  regiment. 
Gill,  William  W.,  must'd  out  Sept.  26,  '(54. 
Gill,  Charles  H.,  mustered  out  Sept.  26.  '64. 
Golliuer.  Charles,  inus'd  out  Sept.  26,  '64. 
Hinds,  James  U.,  must'd  out  Sept.  26,  '64. 
Hull,  Theodore,  mu.-td  out  Sept.  26,  '64. 
Hopple,  William  A  ,  must'd  out  Sept.  26,  '64 
Hovt,  .Albert   H.,   died  at   Helena,   Arkansas, 

"  Aug.  SO,  1S64. 
Hunt,  Samuel,  unisi'd  out  Sept.  26,  '64. 
Iloffer,  Jiicob,  musi'd  out  St-pt.  26,  '64. 
Knesal,  Louis,  inu»t'd  out  Sept.  26,  '64. 
Kippers,  Fied.,  <lied  at  Cairo,  111,  June  2.5,'64. 
I-ehr.  William  E..  must'd  out  Nov.  29,  '64. 
Miller,  Wilson,  must'd  out  Nov.  26.  '64. 
Nichols,  Jacob,  musi'd  out  Sept.  26,  '64. 
Owen,  Edward  M.,  musi'd  out  Sept.  2(>,  "64. 
Robinson.  Joseph  W.,  must'tl  out  Sept.  26, '64. 
Staggs,  William,  must'd  out  Sept   26,  '64. 
Stobbs,  William,  died  at   Helena,  Ark.,  Awg. 

15.  1864. 
Schlosser,  Henry,  must'd  out  Sept.  26,  '64. 
Treble,  Hiram,  musi'd  out  Sept.  26,  '64. 

One  Hundred  and  Forty — Fourth  Infantry. 
One   Year  Service. 

,       Colonel. 
.John  II.  Kuhn,  must'd  out  July  14,  '6-3. 

Lieiitcnani  Colonel. 
James  N.  Morgan,  nuist'd  out  July  14,  '65. 

Major. 
Emil  Adam,  mustered  out  July  14,1865. 

Quartrrmaster. 
Lee  D.  Covell,  must'd  out  July  14,  1865. 
i  Surgeon. 

Theodore  J.  Elulhart,  mnst'd  out  July  14,  '65. 

Chaplain. 
Irwin  B.  Randall,  must'd  out  July  14,  1865. 

Tkon-CommlBsloned  Statf. 

Quarterma.iter  Seri/eant. 
Henry  C.  Lowe,  must'd  out  July  14,  1865. 

Commissary  Sergeant. 
William  Campbell,  must'd  out  July  14,  1865. 

Hogpital  Steward. 
Seneca  B.  Congdon,  musi'd  out  July  14,  1865. 
j  Principal  Mnsicianis. 

Charles  P.  Siocker,  mustered  out  .July  14,  '65 
Joseph  S.  Elwell,  musiered  out  July  14,  '65. 

I  Muster  Roll  Company  A. 

]  Cap'ain. 

'  George  W.  Carr,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 
First  Lieutenant. 
William  .\.  Lowe. 


jpiv8(  Sergeant. 
James  M.  Finley,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 

Sergeants. 
David  A.  Brunton,  mustered  out  .July  14,  '64. 
Richard  Barry,  must'd  out  July  14.  '64. 
Charles  T.  Clayton,  musi'd  out  July  14,  '65. 
Otis  Shipard,  must'd  out  July  14,  1865. 
James  E.  Waggoner,  disch.  Feb.  2, 1865. 

Corporals. 

Levi  B.  Gleason,  disch.  June  11,  186.5. 
George  Johnson,  mu»l'd  out  July  14,  1865. 
Samuel  S-  Lowe,  must'd  out  .Tuly  14,  1865. 
Michael  Page,  must'd  out  July  14,  1865. 
Robert  P.  Stanley,  musi'd  outJuly  14,  1865. 
Harmon  G.  Tully,  must'd  out  July  14,  1865. 

Priraled. 

.\rnold,  Andrew  J.,  musi'd  out  July  14,  1865. 
Ballard,  Ralph,  must'd  imt  July  14,  186-5. 
Breath,  John  E.,  musi'd  out  July  14,  1865. 
Barber,  Harrv,  must'd  out  July  14,  1865. 
Brown  William  H. 

Bunlen,  Charles  B.,  musi'd  out  .Inly  14,  '65. 
Baldwin.  Samuel  C  ,  nuistd  out  July   14,  '65. 
Benbow,  Wiu.  M.,  nnist  (1  out  July  14,  '6-i. 
Cooper,  Charles  H.,  nuKst'd  out  July  14,  '6.5. 
Campitt,  Jame.s,  disch.  Jan.  28,  1864. 
Carney,  Thomas  A.,  nuis.  out  July  14,  '65. 
l>i(  kens,  Shedraek,  must'd  out  July  14,  '65. 
Digman,  William  J.   nuist'd  out  Julv  1 1, '65 
De  Fry,  Daniel  T.,  must'd  out  Julv  14,  '65. 
Donavau,  Alexander,  M.  O.July  14,  1865. 
Friend,  Christo|)her,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 
Friend,  George  W.,  mus.  out  July  14,  1865. 
Fergu.son,  George,  musi'd  out  May  25,  1865. 
Ferguson,  William  D.,  mu.sl'd  out  July  14, '65. 
Frank.  John. 

Greenawalt,  James  R  ,  died  at  Alton,  111.,  Jan 
IS,  1865. 

Haw.xhust,  James  W  ,  M.  O.  July  14,  186.5. 
Hurlbut,  John,  disch.  Jan.  29,  l(-'65. 
John.son,  Allen  H,  died  at  Upper  Alton,  111., 

Nov.  1,  1864. 
.lohn.son,  Henry,  mustered  out  Jnlv  14,  1865. 

Kcn<lall.  Thomas  S.  S.,  disc.  Jan.  29,  '1865. 

Kendall,  Thomas  C,  discharged   Feb.  3,  1865. 

Lake,  John,  musiered  out  July  14,  1865. 

Lamothe,  George  A  ,  mus.  out  July  14,  1865. 

Lowell,  James,  in  conKnement   S.ate    Prison, 
Mo.,  mustered  out  Sept.  6,  1866,  to  date, 
1         July  14,  1865. 
j  Lingerfelter,  Valentine  D.,mu,s.  out  July  I4,'66. 

Mortley,  Robert  B.,  discharged  Dec.  6,  1864. 

Morgan,  George  F.,  must'd  out  July  14,  1865. 

Moore,  Finley  B.,  must'd  out  July  i4,  1S64. 

Me.sscnger,  David  F.,  discharged  Jan.  29,  1865. 

Moore,  Milton,  died  at  Alton,  111.,  Dec.  18,  '64. 

Martin,  George,  trans,  to  Co.  B.,  M.  O.,  July 
14,  ]8d5. 

Neal,  John  W.,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 

Perkins,  William  W..  mus.  out  July  14.  1865. 

Perkins,  John  S.,  must'd  out  July  14,  1865. 
\  J'crkins,  James  W.,  must'd  out  .July  14,  1865. 
j  Real,  Lewis  A.,  mu.slered  out  July  14,  1S65. 

Reeder,  George  IL,  must'd  out  Jiilv  14,  1865. 

Reeder,  Alfred  W.,  died   at  Alton.'llls.,  Jan. 
30,  1865. 

Stacey,  Peler,  discliarged  Jan.  29,  .805. 

Swift,  Edwin  E.,  musiered  out  July  14,  1865. 

>Sieel.  William  M  ,  must'd  out  July  14.  l.>565. 

Stewart,  Eben  L.  C.,  musi'd  out  July  14,  18C5. 
]  Smith,  Charles  H.,  niust'il  out  July"  14,  1865. 

Staggs,  Alexander,  musi'd  out  July  14,  1865. 

Sanner,  David  G  ,  must'd  out  July  14,  1865 

Thompson,  James  L..  mus.  out  July  14,  1865. 

Will,  John,  musiered  out  July  14,  186.5. 

Willimson,  William,  mus.  out  July  14,  1865. 

West,  Josei  h  P.,  muste'-ed  out  Jnlv  14,  1865. 

Wischi,  \Villiain  C,  must'd  oui  Ju'ly  14.  1865. 

Waggoner,  Wisley  F.,  mustered  out  July  14, 
1865;  as  Corporal. 

Yarbongh,  Edward,  must'd  out  .July  14,  1864. 


254 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Recruits. 
Atkina,  John,  tnnstertd  out  July  14,  ISGo. 
Copley.  George  W.,  iiiiis.  out  July  14.  l.sG-5. 
Ellis,  Orville,  iiuisterwl  out  July  14,  18Go. 
Heilz,  John,  mustered  out  July  14,  1SG5. 
Heiiz,  Frederick  D.,  niust'd  out  July  14,  1865. 
Moore,  Silas,  mustered  out  July  14,  18G5. 
Morgan,  Henry  C,  niust'd  out  July  14,  LS65. 
Morgan,  Christopher  K.,  mus.  out  July  14, '05. 

Muster  RoU  Company  B. 

Captains. 
Charles  J.  Murpliy,  resigned  Dec.  20,  1S64. 
P.  Joseph  Milling,  must'd  out  July  14,  18G5. 

First  Lieutenant. 
Walter  H.  Coggeshall,  hon.  disc.  July  14, 1865. 

Second  Lieutenant. 
Charles  H.  Tomlinson,  mus.  out  July  14, 1865. 

Sergeants. 
John  N.  Caldwell,  mu.st'd  out  July  14,  1865. 
Jame.s  W.  Hobson,  must  d  out  July  14,  1865. 

Corporals. 
Thomas  L.  Clianiberlain,  mus.  out  .July  14, '65. 
Harmon  Dixon,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 
David  Jones,  mustered  out  July  14,  1S65. 
George  .\.  Hickcock,  mus.  out  July  14,  1S65. 
Gecrge  H.  Hollowell,  mus.  out  July  14,  1865, 

Privates. 
Bales,  Amos  A.,  died  at  Alton,  Apr.  30,  1865. 
Corcoran.  Barney,  niust'd  out  May  18,  1865. 
Claffy,  Francis,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 
Djian,  Nicholas,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 
Dunn,  Dennis,  mustered  out  July  i4,  1865. 
Donalioe,  Michael,  mus.  out  July  14,  1865. 
Farrall,  James,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 
Gibson,  George,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 
Ganghian.  Patrick,  must'd  out  Julv  14,  186-5. 
Higgins,  Tully,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 
Heunessy,  Thomas,  must'd  out  July  14,  1865. 
Johnson,  John,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 
King,  John  H.,  mustered  out  .July  14,  1865. 
King,  John  F.,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 
King,  William,  dlsch.  Jan.  29,  1865;  disab"ty. 
Kite,  Daniel,  disch.  Feb.  12,  1865;    disability. 
Kiserfiink,  Lewis,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 
Laire,  Henry,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 
Lyons,  Dennis,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 
Mathews,  Alexander  J.,  nins.  out  July  14.  "65. 
Manchester,  James  E.,  died  at  Alton,  111.,  Jan. 

8,  1865. 
Manchester,  James,  must'd  out  July  14.  1865. 
Murphy,  John,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865, 
McCarty,  John,  mustered  out  July  14, 1865. 
Minard,  Louis,  diseh    Feb.  3,  1865;  disability. 
Eowden,  John  "W.,  died  at  Alton,  111.,  July  6 

1865. 
Reigart,  Christian  B.,  mus.  out  July  14,  1865. 
Smith,  William,  mustered  out  July  14,  I860. 
Sanderson,  John  P.,  niust'd  out  July  14,  1865. 
Turner,  Ezekiel. 

Turney,  Palrick,  must'd  out  July  14,  1865. 
Welch,  William,  niusl'd  out  July  14,  1865. 
Wheeler,  William  R.,  mus.  out  .July  14,  1865. 
Williams,  Janies  L.,  mus   out  July  14,  1865. 
Wren,  William,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 

liecrnits. 
Carroll,  Auguster,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 
Gorman,  Daniel,  mu-^.  out  July  14,'65;  asCor'l. 
Hall'ord,  James,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 
Martin,  George,  mustered  <mt  July  14,  1865. 
Oiis,  Franklin,  tr.  toCo.  K.,  M.O.' July  14,  '65. 
Thompson,  George,  must'd  out  July  14,  1865. 
Wentworth,  William,  inns,  out  Julv  14,  181)5. 
Wissor,  William  Z.,  must'd  out  July  14,  1865. 

Muster  Roll  Coiiipaujr  C. 

Captain. 
Augustus  DeLange,  must'd  out  July  14,  1865. 


First  Lieutenant. 
Charles  Eobideau,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865, 

Second  Lieutenant. 
John  Barnard,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 

First  Serr/cant. 
James  Patterson,  mustered  out  July  14,  18G5. 

Sergeants. 
Kobert  W.  Cowen,  must'd  out  July  14,  186-5. 
John  W.  Mitchell,  must'd  out  July  14.  1865. 
Henry  Simms,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 
Oliver  P.  West,  mustered  out  Jiily  14,  1865. 

Corporals. 

Thomas  Belas,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 
Wm.  Craig,  mustered  out  July  14,  180-5. 
John  H.  Hall,  mu.stered  out  July  14,  1865. 
Thomas  Southworth,  must'd  out  July  14,  1865. 
David  Showalter,  mustered  out  July  14    1865. 
Clem  Turner,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 
Philip  Wells,  mustered  out  July  14, 1865. 
Sylvester  Southworth,  mus.  out  July  14,  1865 

Privates. 

Adam.=,  John  M.,dis.  Feb.  6,  1865;  disability. 

.\shter,  David  M.,  mustered  out  Feb.  10,  1860. 

Barnes,  Thomas. 

Bryant,  Jacob,  died   at   Aune  Arundel,   Md., 
March  21,  1865. 

Butler,  Aaron  G-.  mustered  out  July  14  186-5. 

Bryant,  John,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865 

Carrol,  Harrison,  mustered  out  July  14,  186-5. 

Cabrilliac,  Abe  H.,  must'd  out  July  14.  1805. 

Coals,  Joseph,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 

Clark,  Jerry,  mustered  out  May  25,  1865. 

Clark,  James  H.,  died  at  Alton,  111.,  Jan   25. '65. 

Complon,  Jacob,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 

Collins,  Win.  D.,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 

Coleman,  Jos.  S..  must'd  out  July  14,  1865. 

Davis,  William  J.,  must'd  out  July  14,  186-5. 

Davis,  James  E.,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 

Davis,  Joseph,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 

De  Moss,  Charles,  mu-t'd  out  May  2-5,  1865. 

Edwards,  Alvin,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 

English,  Nathaniel,  disc.  Jan.  11,  '65;  disab'ty. 

Ernest,  Amos,  disch.  Feb.  24,  1865;  disability. 

Evans,  W.  T. 

Ernest,  George,  died  at  Alton,  111.,  Mar.  16,  '6-5. 

Fetter,  George  W.,  must'd  out  July  14,  1865. 

Fike,  Benjamin  F.,  must'd  out  July  14,  1865. 

Fancher,  Lafayette,  must'd  out  July  14,  1865. 

Gear,  Ean.som,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 

Goode,  Presion.  mustered  out  Julv  14,  1865. 

Holmes,  William  H.,  mus.  out  Jiily  14,  1865. 

Haven,  Lawrence,  mu-t'd  out  July  14. 1865 

Hitt,  Thomas  C,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 

Henry,  Patrick  F.,  luusl'd  out  May  2-5,  1865. 

Hele,  Leopold,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 

Hitt,  Eobert  F.,  mustered  out  Jiily  14,  1865. 

Halteman,  Charles,  must'd  ou   July  14,  1865. 

Johnson,  Edward  B.,  inus.  out  July  14,  186-5. 

Jackson,  James  Andrew,  died   at   Alton,  HI., 
December  19,  1804. 

Kennedy,  Eobert  W.,  mus.  out  July  14,  1865. 

Loar,  Frederick  A.,  must'd  out  July  14,  1865. 

Lewis,  Ira  E.,  mustered  out  May  25,  1865. 

Linville,  George  W.;; 

Morse,  Alva  F.,  mustered  out  May  25,  1865 

McCarter,  William,  niust'd  out  July  14,  1805. 

Marlin,  William  H.,  niust'd  out  July  14,  1865, 

Monroe,  Wellin.gton,  must'd  out  July  14,  1865, 

Maxwell,  Allred,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 

Mason,  Marion,  mustered  out  June  16, 1865. 
■  Nolan,  Calvin,  M.  O.  Julv  14,  1865. 

Neilson,  Murrey,  M.  O.  Julv  14.  1865. 

O'Conner,  D.iniel,  M.  O.  Jiiiv  U,  180-5. 

Parker,  Newton,  M-  ().  Julv"  14.  186.5. 

Pile,  Charles,  M.  U.  July  14,  1865. 
I  Perrv,  James  A. 
i  Eile.v,  John. 

Seberl,  Antciine,  M.  O.  Julv  14,  1865. 

Stark,  Alfred.  M.  O.  July  14.  1865. 

Schweitzer,  Frank,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 


Stark,  Abraham  R.,  M.  O.  May  18,  1865. 

Sleimberg,  Frederick  W.,  M,  O.  Julv  14,  I860. 

Slark,  Daniel  K,,  .M.  ().  Julv   14,  1865. 

Stark,  James  II.,  M   O.  Julv  14,  1865. 

Smith,  John  M.,  M.  G-  July  14.  1865. 

Siiioot,  Henry  A.,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 

Tomlinson,  VVilliam,  M.  O.  Julv  14,  1865. 

Taylor,  Theodore,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865, 

Thomp.son,  David,  M.  O.  July  14,   1865. 

Tteson,  Peter,  M.  O.  Julv  14,  1865. 

Travis,  Matthew,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 

Tomlin.son,  James,  M.  O.  Julv  14,  1865. 

Ulman,  Edward,  M.  O.  July  14,  186-5. 

Winlrev,  Eobert  W. 

Whitron,  William  H. 

Recru  its, 

Bell,  John,  M.  O.  Julv  14,  1865. 

Baker,  George  W.,  M."0.  July  14,  1865. 

Byers,George  W.,  M.  O-  May  25,  1865. 

DVaper,  Henry  E.,  M.  O.  Mav  25,  1865. 

Hyle,  John.  M.  O.  Julv  14.  186-5. 

Hall,  Theodore,  M.  0."july  14,  186-5. 

Lewis,  Absalom,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 

Lear,  James,  M.  Q,  May  2-5,  1865. 

Mason,  Isaac. 

McDonald   Barnard,  M.  O.  Julv  14,  1865. 

Pembroke,  Weslev,  M.  O.  Jnly'l4,  1865. 
j  Phelan,  Martin,  M.  O.  Julv  14,  1805. 

Eees,  Jamts  E-,  M.  O.  June  14,  1865. 
i  Sowalter,  William  B.,  M.  O.  Julv  14,  1865. 

Smith,  Jo.seph  F.,  M.  O.  Julv  14,"  1805. 
'  Welch.  Patrick,  M.  O.  Julv'l4,  186-5. 

Walker,  Wm.  D.  L,,  died  at  Alton,  III.,  Apr. 
3,  1865. 

Youngblood,  Jacob,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 

Muster  Roll,   Conipauy  D. 

Captain. 
Albert  Ritter,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 

First  Lieutenant. 
Conrad  Keck,  dishonorably  dismi.-ised  June  3, 

1865- 
Sidney  A.  Newcomb,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 

Second  Lieutenant. 
Edward  F.  John.son,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 

First  Sergeant. 
Napoleon  B.  Clark,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 

Sergeants. 
Augustus  Lee,  M.  O.  Julv  14,  1865. 
Leander  M.  Stillwell.  M-'o.  Julv  14,  1865. 
George  P.  Yokum,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 

Corporals. 

Andrew  Boynd,  or  Boqua,  M.  O.  Julv  14,  '65. 
Samuel  Harris,  M.  G.  July  14,  lsO.5.' 
Miurice  Mann,  M  O.  Julv  14,  1805. 
Edward  H.  Sawyer,  M.  O.'july  14,  1865. 
Aiuasa  Aniliis,  died  at  Alion,  111..  Feb.  11,  '65. 
Jacob  Tiemmel,  M,  O.  July  14,  1865. 
Emanuel  Steriiz,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 

Musician. 
Rufus  L.  Johnson,  M.  Q.  July  14,  1865. 

Privates. 
Anthis,  Sidney  B.,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 
Briggs,  Maithew,  disch.  Feb.  4,  1865  :  disab'y. 
Bierljaum,  Rudolph,  disch.  Feb.  4,  1865  ;  dis. 
Bates,  Henry,  disch.  Feb.  13,  1865;  disab'y. 
Burwell,  Ma"tthew,  M.  O.  Julv  14,  1865. 
Boyd,  John  J.,  M.  O.  Julv  14,  1865. 
Bennett.  Benjamin  M.,  U.  O.  Julv  14,  186-5. 
Black,  'VVilliam,  M.  O.  July  14,  180-5. 
Charle.s,  Wm.  H.,  mustered  out  July  14,  186-5. 
Cecil,  Adon,  mustered  out  July  14,  1805, 
Colonius   Charle.s,  mustered  out  July  14,  1865. 
Casey,  Patrick,  mustered  out  July  14,1805. 
Calame,  Oscar  E.,  mustered  out  Jul,  14,  1865. 
Graham,  John,  mustered  out  July   14,  1&65. 
Gould,  Festus  E.,  died  at  Piiisa, 'ill.,  Feb.  12, 
1S65. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


255 


Gale.  George,  M.  O.  July  14,  18G5. 
Hiiliiert,  Silas,  M.  O.  July  14,  18()."). 
H..lcoiiib,  .)ose()li.  M.  ().  .Tnlv  14,  1S65. 
Howard,  Allien,  M.  ().  Jnlv  14,  1SU5. 
Hensluiw,  Williani.  M.  O.  .Iiilv  14,  1865.  [ 

Ibbtken,  Louis  M.O.  July  l-i.  186.5.  _    ' 

Johnson,  William,  discluirgcd  Feb.  4,  1865; 

disabililv. 
Jolin.-on,  Richard,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 
Joiin-oD,  Win.  II.,  M.  U.  July  14  18Ho.  | 

Julling,  IJfnry,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 
Johiisun,  Warren,  M.  0.  July  14,  1865 
Koch,  William  E.,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865.  ' 

Lorch,  Jacob,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 
Levi,  William  H..  .\I.  O.  July  14, 1865. 
Lambert,  Henry  T.,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 
Leach,  Abrara,"  or  Alex.  H.,  M.  O.  July  14, 

1865. 
Lohr,  Isaiah,  M.  O.  July  14,  18fi4. 
Marke,  Peter,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 
Miles.  Washington,  died  at  .\lton,  HI.,  Jan.  19, 

1865. 
McCorier,  William  W.,  M.  O  July  14.  1865. 
McGuire,  Bernard,  M.  ().  July  14.  1865. 
Mann,  Maurice,  M.  O.  July  14,  '0.5. 
Newcomb,  Sidney  A.,  M.  O.  July  14,  1S65  as 

corporal. 
Penning;,  Evert,  M.  O.  Julv  14,  '65. 
Kied,  O.stMr  v.,  M.  O.  July  14,  '65. 
Kansom.  John  P.,  M.  ().  July  14,  '65. 
Bunzi,  Henry,  M.  O.  July  14,  '65. 
Storey,  George  W.,  M.  O.  July  14,  '65. 
Squire,  James,  M.  O.  July  14,    65. 
Smith,  Wm.,  M.  (),  Julv'U.  '65. 
Sanks,  V/arnn,  di.-,ch.  Jan.  3,  '65  ;  disab'y. 
Tarbell,  Frank  S. 
Thorp.  Samuel,  died  at    Alton,  III.,  May  12, 

1865. 
Weerts,  Weert,  M.  O.  Julv   14,  '65. 
Walker,  Henry  C,  M.  O.  July  14,  '65. 
Wright,  Louis  D,  M.  ().  July  14.  '65. 
Went,  Albert,  M.  O.  July  14,  'Ho. 
Yarauni,  Samuel,  M.  O.  July  14,  '65. 

Remits. 
Broivn,  Ilcnrv,  M.  O.  .July  14,  '05. 
Havne.s,  Lewis.  ,M.  <).  Julv  14,   05. 
Oplyke,  Wm.  L ,  M.  C>.  Julv  14,  '65. 
Kich,  Francis,  M.  O.  July  14,  '65. 

DIngter  Koll  Conipanjr  E, 

Caplain. 
John  Ray,  M,  O.  July  14,  '65. 

Sergeant. 
Philip  Lang,  M.  O.  July  14,  '65. 

Corporals. 
George  RLihr.   M.  O-  Jiilv  14,  '05. 
Henry  Dewerff,  M.  O.  July  14,  '65. 

Privates. 
A=pennorf,  Henry. 

Blanchard,  Clarence  V.,  M.  O.  July  14,  '65. 
Bozel,  William  M.,  M.  O.  .July  14  '65, 
Brown,  William,  M.  O.  July  14,  '65. 
Becker,  John,  M   O.  July  14,  '65. 
Browning,  San:crd,  M.  O.  July  14,  '65. 
Babel,  Joseph,  M.  O.  July  14,  '65. 
Cobeland,  David  E.,  died  at  Bethalto,  111.,  Jan. 

15,  '65. 
Dick,  Jacob,  M.  O.  July  14,  '65. 
Eberle,  John,  mustered  oui  July  14,  '65. 
Farners.  Charles  H.,  mustered  out  July  14,  '05. 
Fahrig,  Jacob   mustered  out  July  14,  '65 
Frank,  Nicholas,  mustered  oui  July  14,  't'o. 
HoH'man,  Stephen,  muslered  out  Julv  14,  '05. 
Hall,  John,  mustered  out  Julv  14,  '65- 
Ht-ison,  John,  mnsiereil  out  July  14.  'Co. 
Huslord,  William,  tr.  to  Co.  G  ;  mustered  out 

July  14.  '05. 
Kaiser,  Thole  B  ,  mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 
Kaiser.  Harbert  B.,  mustered  out  .Julv  14,  '65. 
Koch,  John,  mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 


Mathins,  Julius,  tr.  to  Co.  G ;  disch.  Feb.  13, 

'65;  disability. 
Munson,  William. 
Mahoney,  William. 
Michnewelsch,  .\lbert,  mustered  out  .July  14, 

1865. 
Nauman,  Bernard,  mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 
PoUanl.  Charles   A.,  mustered   out  July    14, 

1865.  _  1 

Proctor,  Benjamin,  mustered  out  July  14,  '05.  ; 
Rhodraeyer,  John  R  ,  mu-^tered  out  July  14,  '65. 
Bidder,  Henry,  mustered  out  July  14,  '05. 
Reese,  or  Dericse,  Jellsche,  mustered  out  July 

14,  '65. 
Re.nl,  Lewis,  mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 
Roesler,  Ferdinand,  mustered  out  July  14, '65. 
Sherfield,  Isaac,  mustered  out  July  1-),  '6.5. 
Stearic,  Charles,  mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 
Schmidt,  Charles,  mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 
Thomas,  Chalks,  mustered  out  July   14,  '65. 
Tarnow,  Henry,  mustered  out  .July  14,  '05. 
Vogel,  Peter,  mustered  out  July  14, '65. 
Vohle,  William,  died   at  St.  Louis,  Mar.  24, 

1865. 
Waterman,  Ernst,  musl'd  out  July  14,  '65  as 

musician. 
Willhening,  Henry,  must'd  out  July  14,  '65. 

liecrui's- 
Bicklev,  Charles,  tr.  to  Co.  G  ;    mustered  out 

July    14,  '65. 
Curtis,  George,  musl'd  out  July  14,  '65. 
Cox,  Wesluy  S.,  must'd  out  July  14,  '65. 
Fellhaur,  John,  musl'd  out  July  11,  '65. 
Gramlich,  Joseph,  musi'il  out  July  14,  '65. 
Hurlman,  John  J.,  must'd  out  June  23,  '05. 
Hick,  Michael,  tr.  to  Co.  D;  must'd  out  July 

14,  '65. 
Hahn,  Edward,  musician. 
Krebs,  Cuur.id. 

Lacherayer,  Reinhardt,  musl'd  out  July  14, '65. 
Moser,  John  J.,  must'd  out  July  14, '65. 
Moser.  Casper,  mus'.'d  oui  July  14,  '65. 
Meyer,  Nicholas,  mu-i'd  out  July  64,  '65. 
Rugger,  Samuel,  must'd  out  July  04,  '65. 
Stutter,  David,  musi'd  out  July  64,  '65. 
Tscharner,  Frederick,  rau^t  d  out  July  14,'65. 

Muster  Roll,  Companj-  F. 

Caplnin. 
Robert  G.  Smith.  M.  O.  July  14,  1805. 
1  First  Lieutenant. 

,  Charles  H.  Thomas,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 
Corporals. 
Charles  B.  Howard,  M.  O.  July  14.  1865. 
Thomas   L.  Radclifi;  M.  O.  Jnlv  14,  '65. 
John  O  Prentice,  M.  O.  July  14,   65. 

3Iu.'ician. 
Gustave  Ortmann,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 

Privates. 
j  Atkins,  John,  tr.  to  Comp'v  A,  mustered  out 
;         Jnlv  14,  1865. 
Brunton,   David  .\.,  tr.  to  Co.  A,  mustered  out 

July  14,  180.5. 
Guldap,  John,  M.  O.July  14,  186.5. 
Hillers,  Julius,  nius.  out  July  14,  1865. 
Junett,  Oliver,  mus.  out  Julv  14.  180.5. 
Rogg,  Diedrick,  mus.  out  July  14, 1865. 
Sherwood,  Eastman   B.,  n>iis.  out  July  14,  '65. 
Warnridg.  Henrv,  mus.  out  Julv  14,  '65. 
I  Wadluw,  Elijah  F.,  mus.  out  July  14,  '65. 
Becrults. 

Carn.  Patritk.  mus   out  July  14,  lS6o. 
Williamson,  I'errv,  mus.  out  July  14,  '65. 
■ 
Miuter  Roll,  Company  G. 

r  Captains. 

Orliindo  W.  Frazier,  res'd  Feb.  20,  1865. 
James  T.  Cooper,  mus  out  July  14,  '65. 


First  Lieutenant. 

.John  W,  Swift,  pro.  Capt.  loOlh  111.  inf. 
D.ivid  Kerley,  mus.  out  July  14,  1865. 

,    First  Sergeant, 

James  P.  Frazier,  mus.  out  July  14,  1865. 

Sergeant. 

Simon  Hiley,  mus.  out  July  14,  1865. 

Corporals. 

George  A.  Ferguson,  M.  O.  Julv  14,  '65. 
Jacob  Howry,  M.  O.  July  14,  65. 
Franklin  Stockton,  M.  O.  July  14,  '65. 
Thomas  Baxter,  M.  O.  July  14,  '65. 

Privates. 

Andrews,  John,  absent,  never  must'd  in. 
Ballaril,  James,  mu.st'd  out  Jiiiy  14,  '65. 
Brain  Richard,  dishonorably  disch'd  Sept.  4, 

186.5. 
Chandler,  William,  must'd  out  July  14,  '65. 
Dickenson.   Ralph  A,  disch'd   I'eby  4,  1865, 

disability. 
Diller,  Henry,  must'd  out  July  14,  1865. 
Eaton,  Henry,  must  d  out  July  14, '65. 
Flippe.  George,  must'd  out  .July  14,  '65. 
Frederick;*,  Ridiard,  musl'd  out  July  14,  '6.5. 
Gilvery,  or  McGilvery,  W.  died  at  Alton,  HI., 

Dec.  30,  1864. 
Gusewell,  Frcil'k,  must'd  out  Jnly  14,  1865. 
Harrison,  Thos.,  must'd  out  July  14,  1866. 
Heriin,  John,  must'd   out  July  14,  186-5. 
Johnson,  Joshua  J.,  must'd  out  July  14,  1865. 
Keys,  Francis,  mu.st'd  out  J'ly  14,  i8()5. 
Lofton,  George  W.,  must'd  out  J'ly  14,  1865. 
Legate,  Wm.  F.,  musl'd  out,  July  14,  1805. 
Myers,  Sam'l  J.,  must'd  out  July  14,  1805. 
McLarn,  or  McCairn,   H.  W.,  died  at  Alton, 

HI.,  April  20, '65. 
Meier,  Frank,  must'd  out  July  14,  1865. 
O'dell,  Philip,  must'd  out  July  14,  'lio. 
Ralekin,  Martin,  died  at  Allon^  III.,  Feb.  3,  '65. 
Rule,  Henry,  mustered  out  July  14,  1805. 
Shuster,  Otto,  niusteied  out  July  14,  1805. 
SchalliT,    William  A.,  died    at    Edwardsville, 

III.,  Jan.  1.5,  180.5. 
Severns,  Highland,  M.  O.  J'lv  14,  1865. 
Webb,  William,  M.  O.  J'lv  14,  1865. 
AVeidner,  Bernhardt,  M.  O".  J'ly  14,  1865. 

Eecruits. 

Andrew,  .John,  died  at  Alton,  111.,  June  11, 

1805,  corporal. 
Brickley,  Charles. 

Breath,  James,  disch'd  Mar.  1,  '05;  disability. 
Hosford,  William,  M.  O.  J'ly  14,  1865. 
Mathias,  Julius,  disch.  Feb.  13,  '65,  disability. 
Reader,  Frank,  M.  O.,  J'ly  14,  1805. 
Younghaus,  Henry,  M.  O.  J'ly  14,  1865. 

Muster  Roll,  Compauy  H. 

[Corporal. 
Tanner,  William  A.,  must'd  out  July  14,  '05. 

Privates. 
Ackerman,  Casper,  must'd  out  July  14,  1S65. 
Angel.  J.  Bird,  discharged,  disability. 
Bulkier,  John,  mnst'<l  out  July  14.   1S6.5. 
Crane,  Asahel,  must'd  out  July  14.  1865, 
(iier,  Martin,  mustered  oiil  Julv  14,  '05. 
Hayler,  Oswald,  M.  O.  July  14,'  1865. 
LeonanI,  Jidin.  must'd  out  July  14  '65. 
McFeer,  Andrew,  must'd  out  July  14,  '6.5. 
Midgelv,  David,  musl'd  out  July'l4,  '65. 
Matlock,  Williani  IL,  M.  O.  Jiily  14,  '65. 
Wade,  Christopher  C,  musl'd  out  July  4,  '6-5. 

j  Peeruils. 

Morris,  John  T.,  must'd  out  July  14,  '65. 
Tishius,  Henry,  mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 


256 


HISTOEY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Muster  Roll)  i*oinp«n3r  I* 

First  Lieutenant. 
Walton,  Eutledge,  mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 

First  Sergtant. 
John  Clarkseiie,  mustered  out  July  H,  '65. 

Sergeants. 
William  H.  dayman,  mu.st'd  out  July  14,  '65. 
Benjamin  .Mien,  mnsl'd  out  July  14,  '65. 
liulus  C.  Barnett.  M.  O.  Julv  14,  18(i5. 
Frank  W.  Lamb,  M.  O.  July  14,  ISGo. 

Chrporal 
Charles  H.  Bartlett,,  nuist'd  out  July  14,  '65. 

Privates. 
Allen,  James,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 
Baur,  Florence,  M.  C.  Julv  14,  18H5. 
Clark,  Manoah,  M.  O.  July  14,  180-5. 
Donivan,  Patrick,  M.  O.  Julv  14,  1865. 
Gray,  Rilev  F.,  M.  O.  July  14,  186.5. 
Gaskill,Sidnev,  M.  O.  July  14,  186-5. 
Huggins,  Wm'.  R.,  M,  O.  julv  14,  1865. 
Harville,  Louis,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 
Ilch,  David,  M.  O.  Julv  14,  1865. 
Junett,  Joseph  J.,  M.  O   Julv  14,  1865. 
Luther,  George,  M    (>.  Julv  14,  1865, 
Morgan,  Birnev,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 
Nash,  Henrv,  M.O  Julv  14,  1865. 
Bees,  Edwaril,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 
Reidv,  Daniel  S.,  M.  O.,  July  14,  1865. 
Smith,  John,   M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 
Smiih,  Theopolis,  M.  ().  July  14,  1865. 
St.tpleton,  Elisha,  M.  O.  Julv  14,  1865. 
Senior,  H.  G.,  i\I.  O.  Julv  14,  186-5. 
Senior,  John,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 
Smith,  James,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 
Tomlinson,  Samuel,  M.  6.  July  14.  1865. 
Wendt,  John  F.,  M.  O  Julv  14,  1865. 
Waggener,  Wm.  W.,  M.O.  July  14,  1865. 
Young,  Robert  S.,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 

.Recruits. 
Collson,  Moses,  M.  O.  Julv  14,  1805. 
Calher,  James  G.,  M   O.  July  14,  1865. 
Fiizgil.bons,  James,  M.  O.  July  14,  186-5. 
Jacobs,  Jo.sepl.,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 
Killinger,  Christopher,  M.  O.  Julv  14,  1805. 
Travis,  James,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  K. 

Captain. 

Anthony  Neu.stadt,  mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 

Sergeants. 

Lonis  Holly,  mustered  out  July  14,  186-5. 
Jame.1  A.  Rullierford,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 

Corporals. 

Thomas  M.  Campbell,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 
Frank  M.  Brown,  M.  O.  July  14,  1805. 
Henry  Kingsbury,   died  at  CoUinsville,  Ills  , 

.     Jan.  9,  1865. 
Henry  Weremeyer,  must'd  out  July  14,  1805. 

Privates. 
Apfell,  AVm.,  M.  O.  July  14,  1865. 
Bell,  James. 

Bohr,  Hart,  M.  O.  Julv  14,  1865. 
Birge,  Nathaniel,  M.  6.  July  14,  1865. 
Boh,  Arasmus,  M.  O,  July  14, 1865. 
Collins,  William,  must'd  out  July  14,  '65. 
Carlton,  Schuyler,  must  d  out  July  14,  '65. 
Clark,  William,  must'd  out  July  14,  '65. 
Compton,  Fraiee  W.,  died  at  Alton,  111.  Jan. 

9,  1865. 
Cameron.  Charles, 

Dill,  Michael,  mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 
Delaney,  William,  muslereil  out  July  14,  '65. 
Eckhorn,  Eged,  mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 
Fletcher,  Charley  E.,  must'd  out  July  14,  '65. 
Greenawalt,  Richard,  must'd  out  July  14,  '65. 
Gesaelle,  Arnold. 


Hines,  Geo.  W.,  died  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  March 

8,  1865. 
Harrington,  Thomas,  must'd  out  July  14,  '65. 
Hartman,  Merman,  must't  out  July  14,  '65, 
Haley  William,  died  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Jan.  10, 

18G5. 
Heepke,  Henry,  mustered  out  .July  14,  '65. 
Houseman,  Adolph,  mu.st'd  out  July  14,  '65. 
Houseman,  Louis,  naist'd  out  July  14,  '65. 
Houseman.  Rudolph,  must'd  out  July  14,  '65. 
Hoffman,  Charles  E.,  must'd  out  July  14,  '65. 
Harnett,  William,  mustered  out  July  14,  '05. 
Jone.s,  David  \V.,  mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 
Knight,  Noah,  died  at  Alton,  III.,  June  2,  65. 
Lampert,  John  R.,  mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 
Morrison,  Henry,  mustertd  out  July  14,  '65. 
McNeal,  David,  mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 
Muth,  Philip,  disch.  Jan.  28,  '65;  disability. 
Mason,  Nelson,  transferred  to  Co.  F. 
Montgomery.  John,  mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 
Pedrick,  Ellis,  mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 
Shauer,  Fred,  mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 
Schmidt,  John,  mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 
Shaunts,  Perry,  drowned  June  11,  '65. 
Smith,  John,  mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 
Squires,  Joseph,  discharged  Feb.  26,  '65. 
Sands,  Alexander,  mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 
Schoppet,  .John,  mustered  out  .July  14,  '65 
Shortridge,  Mill'ord  M.,  must'd  out  July  14, '05. 
Stoner,  Andrew  J.,  must'd  out  July  14,  '65. 
Springer,  Enuinuel,  must'd  out  July  14.  '65. 
Sullivan,  Daniil. 

Taylor,  George  W.,  transferred  to  Co.  F. 
Taylor,  Aaron  M.,  mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 
Viilemore,  Joseph  A.,  niustd  out  July  14,  '65. 
Warner,  Philip,  mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 
Weathers,  Ad<lison  F.,  must'd  out  July  14,  '65. 
Wallace,  George  W.,  must'd  out  July  14,  '65. 
Wattermann,  Henry  J.,  transferred  to  Co.  F. ; 

mustered  out  July  14,  05. 
Wood,  John  P.,  mustered  out  .July  14,  '6-5. 
While,  Alphonzo.died  at  Alton,  lib,  Dec  '8,  '04. 
Williaruson,  John,  mustered  out  July  14,  '65, 

as  Corporal. 

One  Hundred  and  Forty-Plflli  Infantry. 
100  Days'  Service. 

Muster   Roll,    Company    F. 

Pi  imte. 
Chapman,  George  P.,  must'd  out  Sept.  23,  '64- 

One  Hundred  and  Forty-nlntU  Infantry. 
One  year's  Service, 

Muster  Roll,  Company  A. 

Private. 
Snyder,  John,  mustered  out  Jan.  27,  1866. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  H. 

Private. 
Womack,  "William 

Muster  Roll,  Company  1. 

Private. 
Fellhauer,  John.  Mustered  out  Jan.  27,  l.'-'66. 

Mnster  Roll,  Company  I, 

Privates. 

Boliger,  Samuel,  mustered  out  Jan.  27,  '66. 
Baer,  Erwin.  musiered  out  Jan.  27,  '66. 
Blattner,  Daniel,  mus.  out.  Jan.  27,  '66,  as  s'gt. 
Gleyre,  Ferdinand  ni.  o.  Jan.  27,  '66,  as  corp  I. 
Gleyre,  Ileniy,  mus.  out  .Jan.  27,  '66,  as  corp'l. 
Hofl'nuin,  Anton,  mustered  out  Jan.  26,  '66. 
Haegler,  Herman,  musiered  out  Jan.  27,  '06. 
Kinney,  John,  mustered  out  Jan.  27,  '66. 
Kaufman,  Jacob,  mustered  out  Jan.  27,  '66. 
Lang,  John,  mus.  out  Jan,  27,  '66,  as  corporal. 
Lang,  Arnold,  mus.  out  Jan.  27,  '66,  a.s  corporal. 


Mispley,  John,  mustered  out  Jan.  27,  '06. 
Martin,  James,  mustered  out  Jan.  27.  '66. 
Penning,  Henry,  mustered  out  Jan.  27,   06. 
Roth,  George,  m,  o.  Jan.  27,  '66,  tis  corporal. 
Reidlinger.  Henry,  mustered  out  Jan.  27,  '66. 
Sigrist,  Richard,  nuislered  out  Jan.  27,  '(16. 
Schepperly,  Benedict,  mu>t'd  out  Jan.  27,  '66. 
Snilberger,  Christian,  must'd  out  Jan.  27,  '66. 
Schild,  Charles,  mustered  out  Jan.  27, '00. 
Ulric,  Charles,  mustered  out  Jan-  27,  '06. 
Waters,  David. 

Wander,  .Anastas,  mustered  out  .Jan.  27.  '66. 
Wiltherber,  Emil,  musteie<l  out  Jan.  27,  '66. 

One  Huudi-ed  and  FIflietll  Infantry     Three 


This  regiment  was  organized  at  Camp 
Butler,  February  14th,  aud  mustered 
into  service  for  one  year  on  the  same 
day,  and  left  for  the  front  Feb.  18th, 

1865.  On  the  27th  of  the  same  month, 
it  arrived  at  Bridgeport,  Alabama, 
where  it  garrisoned  Forts  Nos.  three 
and  four  and  the  block  house  on  the 
Nashville  aud  Chattanooga  Railroad, 
I'roni  Bridgeport  to  Chattanooga.  De- 
parted from  Bridgeport,  March  24th, 
arriving  at  Cleveland,  Teiin.,  March  2.5, 
thence  to  Dalton  May  3(1,  where  the 
left  wing  of  the  regiraeut  marched  to 
Spring  Place,  Georgia  and  garrisoned 
that  town  until  July  1st,  the  light  wing 
remaining  on  duty  at  Dalton.  July 
7th,  left  Dalton  for  Atlanta,  Ga,, 
where  it  arrived  the  following  dtiy.  It 
subsequently  made  several  marches,  and 
did  guard  duty  until  the  expiration  of 
their   terra    of  service,  January    16ih, 

1866,  when  it  was  mustered  out.  George 
W.  Keener,  was  the  tirst  Colonel  of  the 
regiment,  but  resigned  July  20th,  18b5, 
aud  Lieut.  Col.  Charles  F.  Springer,  of 
Edwardsville,  111  ,  took  command.  Col. 
Springer  first  enlisted  in  the  service  as 
First  Lieutenant  company  K,  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Fortieth  Infantry 
Regiment,  and  served  five  months,  alter 
which  he  enlisted  in  the  150th  Regi- 
ment as  Captain  On  the  24th  of  Feb- 
ruary, he  was  commissioned  as  lieuten- 
ant-colonel, and  was  promoted  and  com- 
missioned as  colonel  the  following  De- 
cember. After  the  close  of  the  war  he 
practised  law  in  partnership  with  Hon. 
David  Gillespie,  in  Edwardsville.  He 
held  several  honorable  positions  in  the 
couuty  and  state.  His  death  occurred 
Nov.  15,  1870,  at  the  age  of  86  years. 

Roster. 

Colonel. 

CharIe^  F.  Springer,  must'd  out  as   Lieut. 
Col ,  Jan.  16,  1866. 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


257 


Major.  i 

William  R.  Prickett,  musl'd  out  Jan.  IG,  'fifi. 

Second  Assistant  Surgeon . 
Charles  H.  Spilman,    riuist'd  out  as  hospital 
steward,  Jan.  10, 1800. 

Nou-Cominlsslo»ecl  StaflT. 

Principal  Mu-s-ician. 
Benjamin  D.  Berrv,  tr.  to  Co.  H  ,  Mav  4,  "63; 

M.  O.  Jan.  10,  1865. 
Joseph  D.  Clark,  mu.st'd  out  Jan.  16,  186G. 
Francis  S.   Ilawlev,  tr.  to  Co.  G.  as  private, 

Aug.  14  ;  M.  6.  Jan.  10,  1800. 

Bluster  Roll,  Compauj-  G. 

Captain. 
John  W.  Swift,  must'd  out  Jan.  10,  'OG. 

First  Lieutenants. 
Harlow  Bas«ett.  resigned  June  21,  1865. 
John  N.  Prickett,  m::st'd  out  Jan.  16,  '66. 

Second  Lieutenant. 
William  M.  Smith,  resigned  June  20,  '65. 

Ser,j.a»t.  I 

Daniel  A.  Lynch,  must'd  out  May  23,  'l>5,  as 
private. 

Corporals. 
John  S.  Fitchenal,   must'd  out  Jan.  10,  1860, 

as  sergeant. 
William  A.  Lewis,  dis.  Oct.  8,  '65,  as  private. 
William  N.  McDowell  miis.  out  Jan.  10,  '65. 
AbestShnlts,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  '65. 
John  L.  Pryor,  musl'd  out  Jan.  16,  '65. 

Privates-  i 

Alsop,  Wiliiam,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  '06. 
Bahr,  Montro.'-e,  died  at  Atlanta,  Ga.,  Nov.  2", 

1865. 
Black,  Isaac,  musl'd  out  Jan.  16,  "65. 
Bentley,  John  L.,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  '(!(>. 
Burns,  Paul,  in  penitentiary  for  two  years,  at 

Milledgeville,  Ga..  sentence  G.  C.  M. 
Bewley,  Axra  B.,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  'GO. 
Crura,  John,  must'd  out  Jan.  10,  '60. 
DriscoU,  Timothy,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  '06.        ] 
Eichalman,  Frank,  mus.  out  Jan.  16,  'GO. 
Eller,  William,  nuist'd  out  Jan.  16,  '65. 
Flagg,  James  E.,  musl'd  out  Jan.  10,  'GO.  [ 

Gaskill,  Joshua  O.,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  60. 
Griffith,  .Tames  M.,  musl'd  out  .Jan  10,  '06. 
Hawley,  Francis  S.,  nnist'd  out  .Ian.  10,  OG. 
Hunt,  Samuel,  musl'd  out  .Ian.  16,  '66. 
Hamilton,  Byron,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  Gfi. 
Howarth,  Jolin  H.,  must'd  out  Jan.  1(>,  '06. 
Henager,  James  W.,  died  at  Bridgeport,  Ala., 

March  27,  1865. 
Huffer,  Jacob,  must'd  out  Jan.  10.  '66. 
Irwin,  John,  musl'd  out  Jan.  10.  '66. 
Jackson,  Charles,  must'd  out  Sept.  15,  '05  as 

sergeant. 
Jackson,  Thomas  K.,  raus.  out  .Ian.  IG,  '66. 
Kinkaid,  William  S.,  must'd  out  Jan.  16.  '66. 
Mcintosh,  George  \V.,  M.  O.  Jan  10,  '06. 
Miller,  Wilson,  musl'd  out  Jan.  16,  '66. 
Mattox,  John  N.,  mu^t'd  out  Jan.  16,  '06. 
Matlox,  Elwin,  must'd  out  Jan.  10, '66. 
Maddox,  Wilson,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  '06. 
Mooney,  Benjamin  F.,  M.  O.  Jan.  10,  66. 
Maddox,  Asa,  absent,  sick  at  M.  O.  of  reg't. 
Mire,  Godfried,  must'd  out  Sept.  25,  'Go. 
Pinney,   Lucius  M.,  absent,  sick  at  M.  O.  of 

regiment. 
Rash,  Patrick,  must'd  out  .June  22,  '65. 
Rossen,  William  F.,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  '66, 

as  corporal. 
Spitce,  Lewis,  must'd  out  .Jan.  16,  66. 
Smith,  Josepli  A.,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  '66. 
Smith,  .lobn  J.,  musl'd  out  Jan.  10,  '66. 
Scott,  John. 

Sanders,  Edward,  must'd  out  Jan.  16.  '66. 
Tick,  Henrv,  musl'd  out  Jan.  16,  '66. 
33' 


Treado,  .lohn,  must'd  out  ,Ian.  10,  '60. 
Tnnget,  Henry,  must  d  out  Jan.  10,  '^00. 
Tunget,  lobn,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  '06. 
Watson,  Warren,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  '66. 
Walker,  J;imes,  musl'd  out  Jan.  16,  '60. 
Willia-i.s,  Frank  M.,  mu>t'd  out  Jan.  10, 'GO. 
Wolf,  John  M.,  must'd  out  Jan.  10,  '00. 

DIu8t«r  Roll,  Company  H. 

Captains. 
H.  D.  Wilson,  resigned  Aug.  19,  1805. 
Charles  H.  West,  musl'd  out  Jan.  10,  '06. 

First  Lieutenant. 
Joseph  E.  Springer,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  'OG. 

Second  Lieutenant. 
John  Gadiicy,  nnist'd  out  Jan.  IG,  'GO. 

First  Sergeant. 
Stith  O.  Bonner,  must'd  out  .Ian.  16,  'GC>. 

Sergeants. 
Geo.  W.  Clark,  musl'd  out  Jan.  16,  'GG,  as  pvt. 
Edward  Ilauskins.  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  '66. 
Frank  A.  Knowlton,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  'Oti. 
Joseph  Schaer,  m\is  'd  out  Jan.  10,  GO. 

Corporals 
Robert  Friday,  on  furlough  at  M.  O.  of  reg't. 
John  Lewis,  inust'd  out  Jan.  16,  '66,  as  pvt. 
John  p.  Bonn,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  '06,  as  pvt. 
Slaton  D.  Rieves,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  '66. 
John  H.  Brown.  M.  O.  Jan.  10,  'OG,  as  pvt. 
William  H.  McXeeley,  M.  O.  Jan.  16,  '06. 
Jo.seph  Berger,  ab.seut  on   furlough  since  Dec. 
10,  ISlio. 

Musician. 
Benjamin  D.  Berry,  must,  out  Jan.  IG, 'GG. 

W'agouer. 
Thomas  . I.  Lewie,  musl'd  out  Jan.  10, 'GO,  as 
private. 

Privates. 
Axley,  .Tames  M.,  mustered  out  Jan.  16,  '66. 
Agios,  John,  mustered  out  Jan.  16, '66. 
Abbott,  John  K.,  must'd  out  Jan.  10,  '66. 
Albricht.  Henry,  mustered  out  Jan.  16,  '60. 
Brown,  William,  Sr.,  must'd  out  Sept.  19,  '05. 
Baker,  Chris.  F.,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  '66. 
Bartleti,  Henry  S.,  musl'd  out  Jan.  10,  '66. 
Bartlett,  George,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  '06. 
Brown,  William,  Jr.,  dropped  as  a  deserter. 
Burk,  James,  nmst'd  out  Jan.  16.  '06. 
Blank,  Henry,  must'd  out  Jan.  10,  'OG. 
Brand,  Thomas  H.,  must'd  out  .Jan.  10,  '06. 
Charlton,   William,  died  at  Springfield,  Ills., 

Feb.  2.5,  1805. 
ChTusev,  James,  nnist'd  out  Jan.  10,  '66. 
Clnrk,  Jusi:di,  musl'd  <nit  Jan.  10,  '06. 
Chiton,  William,  must'd  out  Jan.  10,  'GG. 
Defreese,  Samuel,  mustered  out  Jan.  16,  '6G. 
Detterweigh,  John,  M.  O.  .Tan.  16.  '60. 
1  Dalch,  Francis,  M.  O.  Jan.  16,  '66,  as  corp'l. 
Davis,  James  A.,  mustered  out  Jan.  16,  '66. 
Eberle,  Joseph,  mustered  out  Jan.  16,  '66,  as 

corporal . 
Epping,  Benjamin,  mustered  out  .Ian.  IG,  '06. 
Esterline,  Wallis  L.,  nuistered  out  Jan.  16, '66. 
Foley,  Patrick,  ab.seut,  sick  at  M.  O.  of  reg't. 
Farling,  Michael,  nuist'd  imt  Jan.  16,  '60. 
Geers,  O.scar  N,,  mustered  out  Jan.  !•>,  '60. 
Gillig,  or  Gilling,  Valentine,  M.  O.  Jan.  16,'G5. 
Garnett.  George  S.,  mustered  out  .Ian.  16,  '06. 
Hahn,  Andrew,  mustered  out  Jan.  10,  '66. 
Ilerryman,  Joseph,  M  O.  Jan.  10,  '06,  as  rorp. 
Hall,  Anderson,  mustered  out  Jan.  IG,  '66. 
Hee-ner,  Philip,  mustered  out  Jan.  10,  '66. 
Irwin,  Joseph  F.,  mustered  out  Jan.  16,  '06. 
Jounfhous,  John,  mustered  out  .Ian    16,  '66. 
Johnkoff,  Schortech,  M.  O.  Jan.  16,  '60. 
Koller.  Christopher,  mustered  out  .Ian  10, 'GG 
Killike,  Fritz,  mustered  out  .Ian.  10,  '06. 
Ivaalz,  .\ugust,  mu.stered  out  .Ian.  10,  '60. 


Krehs,  Henry,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  'GO. 
Lawrence,  Nimrod,  musl'd  out  Jan.  10,  'GO. 
Lambein,  Ernst,  must'd  out  Jan.  16, '66. 
Languish,  Henrv.  must'd  out  Jan.  10,  '60. 
Loll,  Louis,  mus-t'd  out  Jan.  IG,  '06. 
Lawrence.  -Martin,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  '66. 
Lynch.  Clay  II.,  must'd  out  .Jan.  10, '66. 
Lining,  John,  mu.sl'<l  out  Jan.  16,  '00. 
Martin,  John,  nuist'd  out  Jan.  10,  '00. 
Mortz,  Joseph,  must'd  out  Jan.  10,  '00. 
Moortield,  Charles  H.,  M.  O.  Jan.  10,  '(ifl. 
McLendlham,  James  R.,  M.  O.  Jan.  10,  '66. 
Mann,  Joseph,  mu.st'd  out  Jan.  16,  '66. 
Morefield,  Samuel,  musl'd  out  Jan.  16,  '66. 
Miurisey.  David,  must'd  out  .Jan.  10,  '06. 
McLaughlin,  James,  mu.st'd  out  Jan.  10,  '66. 
Jlooretield,  Louis  S.,  must'd  out  Jan.  16, '06. 
Phingster,  Gottleib,  must  d  out  Jan.  10,  '66. 
Prickett,  James  N.,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  '66. 
Peter.-on,  Christ.  E.,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  '6t). 
Peterson,  James  A.,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  '66. 
Redmon,  David,  musl'd  out  Jan.  16,  '66. 
Rump,  Stephen,  musl'd  out  Jan.  16,  '66. 
Richard.s,  William,  musl'd  out  Jan   10,  'GO. 
Skaggs,  Richard,  absent  on  furlough  since  Dec. 

15,  180,5. 
Siimmerland,  Melchoir,  M.  O.  Sept.  21,  '65. 
Scott,  James,  musl'd  out  Oct.  30,  '65. 
Stinciicoml),  Noah,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  '66. 
Sundey,  John,  musl'd  out  Jan.  16,  'GO. 
Scheck,  Ludwig,  must'd  out  Jan.  10,  '66. 
Schone,  Harmin,  must'd  out  Jan.  10,  '66. 
Simpson,  Albert,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  '66. 
Story,  John,  absent,  sick  at  M.  O.  of  reg't. 
Toomy,  David,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  '66. 
Tanner,  James  M.,  musl'd  out  Jan.  16,  '66. 
Woodward,  Wiliiam,  must'd  out  Jan.  10,  '66. 
Wallace,  Samuel,  absent,  sick  at  M.  O.  of  regt. 
Whithoit,    Napoleon    S.,    died  at  Nashville, 

Tenn.,  June  10,  '65. 
Wallace,  Jerome,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  '66. 
Wallace,  Michael,  must'd  out  Jan.  16,  '66. 
Zopick,  John,  mus  'd  out  Jan.  10,  '60. 
Zeigler,  Christopher,  musl'd  out  Jan.  16,  'GG. 

Pecruit. 

Down,  Philip,  musl'd  out  Jan.  16,  '60. 
One  Hniidrid  and  Flfty-socond  Infantry— 
One  Vear  Servlee. 

The  1.52(1  Regiment  volunteers  was 
organized  at  Camp  Butler,  Illinois,  by- 
Col.  F.  D.  Stephenson,  and  was  mustered 
in  February  18th,  1865,  for  one  year. 
February  20th,  moved  to  Nasiiville, 
reporting  to  llaj.  Gen.  Millroy,  Feb- 
ruary '28th,  1865.  It  veas  mustered  out 
of  service  September  11th,  1865. 

master  Roll  Company  B. 

ISergeant. 
Geo.  W.  Lee,  nuist'd  out  Sept.  11,  1865. 

Privates. 
Allen,  William,  musi'd  out  May  19,  1865. 
Crain.  Andrew  J.,  must'd  out  S.'pl.  11,  1865. 
Hoogland,  Joseph,  musd  out  Sept.  II,  1865. 
Jackson,   James,   died   at  Tullahoma,  Tenn., 

June  21,  1805. 
Johnson.  Jacob  C. 

Kelling,  Charles,  must'd  out  Sept.  11,  1865. 
Mearns,  Robert,  absent  sick  at  muster  out  of 

re;'t. 
Moorehouse,  James,  must'd  out  Sept.  11,  1865. 
McKinley,  Daniel,    musl'd  out  Sept.  11,  65.  ^ 
McKinloV,  Robert  H.,  must'  out  Sept.  11,  '65. 
Slutitcr  Roll  Company  E. 
Corporals. 
Jiihn  F.  Winger,  must'd  out.  Sept.  II,  1865. 
Chiis   ( '.  Dannar,  on  furlough  at  m.  o.  of  reg't. 


258 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Nobles,  Abraham,  ninst'il  out  June  3,  1865. 
Paul,  Jisse.  naist'd  out  Jul;  27,  ISCo. 
Paul,  Wm.  E.,  luusi'il  out  Sept.  1 1,  18t)5. 
Stark,  David  II.,  luust'd  out  July  27,  1865. 

Miuiti-r  Roll  Company  B. 

Corponda. 

Joliii  F.  Winger,  mus'd  out,  Sept.  11,  1865. 
Cliarks  C.  Dannar,  on  furlough  at  inu.stcr  out 
of  regiment. 

PHtates. 

Graham,  Eobert  H.,  iniist'd  out  Sept.  11,  '65. 
Slohinkan,  Andrew,  niust'd  out  Sept.  11,  '65. 
Ee^-nolds,  William,  mustd  out  Sept.  11,  1865, 

as  musician. 
Wieck,  John,  must'd  out  Sept.  11,  1855. 

One    Hundred  and  Fifiy-fonrth  Infantry. — 
One  year's  Service. 

This  regiment  was  organized  under 
the  call  of  December  19th,  1864,  at 
Camp  Butler  February,  21st,  1865,  for 
one  year's  service.  February  24th,  it 
left  by  rail  for  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  ar- 
rived at  Nashville,  Tennessee,  February 
27th,  and  March  2d,  arrived  at  Mur- 
freesboro.  Here  the  regiment  suifered 
very  much  from  exposure  to  continued 
cold  rains,  and  sickness  prevailed  to  a 
great  extent,  and  many  of  the  men  died 
from  severe  exposure.  Remained  at 
Murfreesboro,  May  14th,  drilling  and 
doing  guard  and  picket  duty,  ■which  was 
its  chief  mission  during  the  remainder 
of  the  terra.  AVas  mustered  out  Sep- 
tember 18th,  1865,  and  September  29th, 
1865,  was  paid  off  and  discharged 

Roster,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fonrtU  In* 
^fautry — One  Year's  Service, 

Chaplain. 
John  E.  Moore,  must  d  out  Sept.  18,  1865. 

Sloster  Roll  Company  C. 

Musicians. 

Henry  Myers,  must'd  out  Sept.  18,  1865,  as 
corporal. 

William  L.  Reed,  private,  died  at  Murfrees- 
boro', Tenn.,  April  14,  1865. 

Wagoner. 
Jason  Lucus,  on  furlough  at  m.  o.  of  reg't. 

Privates. 
Dooley,  Joseph,  must'd  out  Aug.  21,  1865. 
Kru>:er,  Frederick,  nuisl'd  out  Julv  22,  18P5. 
Marshiin,  William,  must'd  out  May  23,  1865. 
Pcriy,  Ebenezer,  must'd  out  8ept.  11,  1865. 
Tonkinson,  David  T.,  must'd  out  Sept  11,  '65, 
as  sergeant. 

Muster  Roll  Company  F. 

Private. 
Maples,  James  S.,  must'd  out  Sept.  11,  1865, 
as  sergeaut. 

Muster  Roll  Company  G. 

Privates. 
Bernlmrdt,  Ernst  S,  must'd  out  Sept.  18,  '65. 
Dodgson,  Joseph  W-,    must'd  out  Sent.  1865. 
Pratt,  Moses,  must'd  out  Sept.  18,  1865. 
Reed,  Joseph  O.,  must'd  out  Sept.  18,  1865. 


Muster  Roll  Company  K. 

Privates. 
Hamilton,  Win.,  must'd  out  July  6,  1SC5. 
Lee,  John,  nuisi'd  out  Sept.  18,  1805. 
Tilman,  Christian. 

Roster,  One   Hundred    and    Fifty-fiflll  In- 
fantry .—One  Year's  Service. 
Muster  Roll  i  ompauy  A. 

Privates. 
Hundorfer,  Anton,  m\isi'd  out  Sept.  4,  1865. 
Rohrer,  Rochus,  must'd  out  Sept.  4,  18G5. 

Muster  Roll  Company  I. 

Captain. 
David  Glenn,  must'd  out  Sept.  4,  1865. 

Wagoner. 
Decob  Donovan. 

Privates. 
Ashlock,  John  N.,  niust'd  out  Dec.  30,  1805. 
Fletcher,  Newton,  must'  out  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Green,  Warien,  niust'd  out  Sept.  30,  1805. 
Lurman,  Hazel,  must'd  out  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Patitrson,  Samuel  T.,  must'd  out  Sept.  30,  '65 
Williams,  Samuel,  must'd  out  Sept.  30,  1865. 

Muster  Roll  Company  K. 

Private. 
Regon,  Daniel,  must'd  out  Sept.  4,  1865. 

Roster,  First  Cavalry  Regiment.— TUree 

Years'  Service. 

Muster  Roll  Company  I. 

Captain. 
Orlando  Burrell,  must'd  out  July  14,  1862. 

First-  Lieutenant. 
Leonard  S.  Ross,  must'd  out  July  14,  1862. 

Second  Lieutenant. 
Frank  Lindsey,  must'd  out  July  14,  1862. 
First  Sergeant. 

William  H.  Johnson,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862, 
as  private. 

Quartermaster  Sergeant. 
Edwin  B.  Emerson,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862, 
as  private. 

Sergeants. 

James  N.  Jordan,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862,  as 

corporal. 
Vincent  Anderson,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Samuel  Thompson,  must'd  out  July  5.  1802. 
Burton  F.  Graham,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 

Corporals. 

Conrad  Miller,  must'd  out  July  5,  162,  as  pri- 
vate. 

Samuel  J.  Fo.ster,  mu.'t'd  out  July  5,  1805,  as 
sergeant. 

Wm.  S.  Newman,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862,  as 
private. 

John  Graham,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 

John  W.  Howell,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 

Frank  Milchum,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 

William  H.  Hatcher,  niust'd  out  July  5,  1862. 

James  T.  Vaught,  must'd  out  July  5,"  1862. 

Musicians. 
Wm.  W.  Quinn,  tr.  to  48th  111.  Inft.,  must'd 

out  Aug.  15,  1865. 
William  R.  Cochran. 

Farrier. 
Asa  Burrell,  must'd  out  July  5,  1802. 

Privates. 
Austin,  Hugh,  must'd  out  July,  1862. 


Bunkley,  Morris  L. 

Blackman,  Henry,  must'd  out  July  5,  1S62. 

Co/.art,    David,   must'd  out  July   5,    1805,   as 

teamster. 
Craw,  .lohn  IL,  must'd  out  July  5,  1802,  as 

sergeant. 
Clark,  Leonard,  must'd  out  July  5,  1802. 
Cherry.  George,  must'd  out  July  5,  1802. 
Cotton,  Wm.  A.,  nirs.'d  out  July  5,  lbO'2. 
Craig,  Geo.  A.,  musi'd  out  July  5,  1862 
Duckworth,  Andersen  C,  must'd  out  July  5, '62. 
Evans,  Thomas,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Emerson,  Clarence  A.,  must'd  out  July  5,  '62. 
Fisher,  Wm.  E.,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Felty,  Albert  L.,  must'd  out  July  2,  1S62. 
Gorbii,  Joseph,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862,  as 

farri?r. 
Hart,  Enos,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Hargraves,  Samuel,  mu.«l'd  out  Julv  5,  1862. 
Hill,  Benj.  C,  must'd  out  July  5,  ]'S62. 
Jilcs,  Frank,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Jiles,  John,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Jamerson,  Wm.  C,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Jamerson,  Robert  M.,  must'd  out  July  5,  '62. 
Kriis,  John,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Kaufman,  Philip,  musi'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Little,  John  M.,  must'd  out  July  5,  1802. 
Metcalf,  Lee,  niust'd  out  July  5,  1862,  as  first 

sergeant. 
Mayors,  or  Majors,  William,  discharged. 
Pomeroy,  Robert,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Pnckard,  John,  musi'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Putnam,  Malison,  musi'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Quails,  James  M.,  niust'd  out  July  5.  1862. 
Sharer,  .Joseph,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Soiithwick,  John  W.,  must'd  out  July  5,  '62. 
Suuthwick,  James  P.,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862, 

as  saddler. 
Smith,  Wm.  J.,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Storm,  Nicholas  L.,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Slinger,  Oliver  P.,  must'd  out  July'5,  1862. 
Swanwick,  William,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862, 

detached. 
Taliett,  Calvin,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Woods,  Winfield  S.,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862, 

as  bugler. 
Wilson,  Je.-ise  B.,  tr.  to  6th  111.  Cav. 
Wilson,  John  T.,  ditd. 
Young,  Heury.  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Zimmerman,  Henry,  must'd  out  July  5,  '62. 

Pecruiis. 

Anderson,  John  S.,  niust'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Austin,  William,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Burrell,  Sidney,  musi'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Barton,  Willis^  must'd  out  July'5,  1802. 
Buck,  Marmaduke,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Brocket!,  James  R.,  niust'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Cochran,  John  S.,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Clark,  John  B.,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Cult,  Thornton,  niust'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Duckworth,  Benj.  R.,  must'd  out  July  5.  '62. 
Douns,  Jonathan,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Devlin,  William,  must'd  out  July  5,1862. 
Dorbin,  Jonathan,  died. 
Emerson,  Wm.  H.,  must'd  out  July  5, 1802. 
Goudy,  Geo.  G.,  musi'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Graham,  Ross,  must'd  out  July  5, 1862. 
Hosick,  William,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Hardin,  Witliara,  must'd  out  July  5, 162. 
Hargiaves,  Jefl'eison,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 

detached. 
Jolly,  John  M.,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Lane,  Richard,  must'd  out  July,  5,  1862. 
Lamp,  Asa,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Loomis,  Edwin  R.,  must'd  out  July  5, 1862. 
Mi.xon,  William  A.,  must'd  out  July  5, 1865,  as 

corporal. 
Movely,  Robert  H.,  must'd  out  July  5, 1862. 
Metcal'f,  Daniel  P.,  must'd  out  July" 5,  1862. 
.Newman,  Thomas  S.,  must'd  out  July  5,  1862. 
Pechard.  Isaac,  dead. 

Quartz,  Andrew  P.,  must'd  out  .July  5, 1862. 
Ross,  John  .J.,  musi'd  out  .luly  5, 1865. 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON    COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


259 


Tuthill,  Luke  S.,  musl'd  out  July  5,  1805. 
Trapp,  John.,  miisi'il  out  July  5,  ISH-i. 
T:ite,  Geo.  H.,  niusi'd  out  July  5,  ISlJo. 
Willi-!,  Jiimes  IS.,  must'd  out  July  5,  1835. 
Woods.  Jo!in,  musi'dout  July  5,  18(35. 
Willis,  Rjbart  C,  disclmrged'. 


Second    Cavnlrj-    Regiment —TUree    jrears' 
service. 

This  regiment  was  raised  from  variou.s 
parts  of  the  state  and  was  mustered 
into  the  United  States'  service  at  Camp 
Butler,  Aug.  12th,  1861,  Col.  Silas 
Noble  commanding.  As  only  company 
D  of  this  regiment  figures  prominently 
in  soldiers  from  Madison  county,  we 
shall  confine  tiiis  brief  history  to  the 
movements  of  this  company. 

It  was  raised  at  Upper  Alton  by  Capt. 
Franklin  B.  Jloore  (afterwards  promo- 
ted to  Maj  )  as  an  independent  Cavalry 
company,  and  was  named  the  "  JIadison 
County  Rangers."  Its  organization 
dates  from  the  memorable  national  holi- 
day, July  4th,  1861.  The  first  of 
August  following  the  company  was  or- 
dered to  Camp  Butler  where  it  was 
mustered  into  the  United  States'  service 
as  company  D  of  the  2d  regiment  of  the 
Illinois  cavalry.  In  November  the  reg- 
iment was  stationed  at  Cairo,  Illinois, 
and  company  D  was  detailed  by  the 
officer  commanding  to  report  at  Cape 
Girardeau,  Mo.  to  look  after  guerrilla 
bands  under  Jeff.  Thompson.  It  was 
here  that  they  first  saw  service.  They  I 
■were  almost  continually  in  the  saddle 
scouting  after  the  guerrillas,  having  hot 
skirmishes,  and  succeeded  in  taking: 
several  of  them  prisoners-  From  this  j 
time  forth  the  history  of  the  company  ' 
was  a  .series  of  continued  scouting  and 
fighting  until  the  expiration  of  the  time 
of  its  enlistment.  It  had  no  particular 
abiding  place,  but  operated  from  the 
northern  borders  of  the  Confederacy  to 
the  Gulf  It  stood  pre-eminently  first  in 
its  services  for  the  Union  cause,  and  in 
justice  ."^houkl  have  appeared  on  the  regi- 
mental roll  as  company  A.  None  in  the 
service  experienced  greater  hardships, 
or  made  a  better  record  than  company 
D-  Indeed,  the  county  may  be  proud 
of  the  valorous  deeds  of  the  "  Madison 
County  Rangers,"  as  the  following 
record  will  demonstrate.  This  company 
alone,  took  over  1,200  prisoners,  killed 
more  than  100  of  the  enemy,  and  cap- 
tured about  1,000  mules  and  horses,  be- 
sides  taking   an    immense   quantity   of 


stores  and  munitions  of  war.  They  once 
swam  New  River,  twice  swam  the  Hat- 
chie,  and  once  the  Obin  river,  and  had 
several  experiences  of  equal  peril  in 
crossing  other  swollen  streams.  For  the 
whole  period  of  its  service,  the  company 
furnished  its  own  horses  and  equipments. 
The  term  of  enlistment  expired  in  July 
1864,  when  it  was  re-organized  and  con- 
tinued in  active  service  until  the  close 
of  the  war.  It  was  mustered  out  the 
22d  of  November,  1865.  Captain  Moore 
was  promoted  to  the  office  of  Major. 
May  3d,  1864.  He  now  resides  at 
Upper  Alton,  and  takes  pleasure  in 
talking  over  the  scenes  of  camp  life. 

Major. 

Franklin  B.  Moore,  mustered  out  Nov.  22,  '05, 
(as  consolidated.) 

JVou-CommUsioned  Staff. 

Saddler  Sergeant. 
Steward  Smith,  died  April  10,  18G2. 
Muster  Roll  Compamy  C. 
Recruils. 

Conley,  Janirs,  tr.  to  Co.  B.  (as  consolidated} 

miisiered  out  Nov.  22,  1805. 
Lony,   Denni;-!,  tr.  to  Co.  B.  (-as  consolidated) 

mustered  out  Nov.  22,  1805. 
Thompson,  G.  A.,  tr.  toCo.  B.  (as  consolidated) 

mastered  out  Nov.  22,  1865. 
Thompson,  John  E. 

Muster  Roll  Conipauy  D. 

Fiisl    Lieutenant. 
George  Lebold,  term  expired  Aug.  12,  1864. 

Second  Lieutenants. 

Thomas  Brown,  resigned  Oct.  1,  18G2. 
William  Manger,  terra  e.Kpired. 

Q.  M.  Sergeant. 

Jacob  Van  Dyke  Cregar,  died  at  New  Madrid, 

mustered  out  Oct.  25,  1862. 
James  Dunlap. 

Sergeants. 

John  T.  Beard,  discli.  Aug.  11,  '64;  terra  ex. 
Jonathan  Akers,  disch.  Mar.  26,  '02  ;  disabil'y. 

Corporals. 

William  P.  Boqua,  vel.,  must'd  out  June  24. 

186-5,  as  Q.  M.  Sergeant. 
Henry  Platl,  disch.  Aug.  11,  1864,  as  Private; 

term  expired. 
John  II.  Lowe,  mustered  out;  term  expired. 
James  P.  Griffith,  trans,  to  Gunboat  Lexington, 

Dec.  10,  1861. 
William   D.  Lawrence,  disch.   Aug.  11,  1804, 

as  private  ;  term  expired. 
Andrew  J.  Dale,  must'd  out  Feb.  13,  1805,  to 

date  Dec.  29,  1844 ;  was  mis-iing  in  action 

Feb.  23,  1804. 
Andrew  Steele,  vet.,  trans,  to  Co.  C.  (a.s  con- 
solidated I ;  mu.s.  out  Nov.  22,  '6-5, as  Cip'l. 
William  R.  Drig>;s,  died  at  Sikeston ;  must'd 

out  April  4,  18(')2. 

liugkrs. 

.Idhn  Rhodemvor,  disch.  .\ug.  II,  '64;  term  ex. 
William  H.  Stoekel,  disch.  Oct.  2,  1801. 


Fan-ier. 

.James  Fortiner,  vet,,  tran^  to  Co.  C.  (as  con- 

solidaled),  must'd  out  Nov.  22,  1805. 

Blaclcsmith. 

Nicholas  Oast,  disch.  Aug.  11,  '64  ;  term  ex. 

Saddler. 

Stewart  Smith,  died  .it  Carbondale,  111.,  March 
10,  1862. 

Wagoner. 

Augustus  L.  Grimsley,  vet,  mustered  out  June 
24,  180-5,  as  Sergeant. 

Privates. 

Alward,  William  A.,  vet.,  trans,  to  Co.  C.  (as 
consolidated),  must'd  out  Nov.  22,  '05,  aa 
Corporal. 

Black,  Chas.,  disch.  Aug.  11,  '05  ;  term  ex. 

Beere,  Charles  P.,  vet.,  trans,  to  Co.  C.  (as  con- 
solidated), Serg't  trans,  to  Co.  F. ;  must'd 
out  Nov.  22,  1805,  Co.  Com.  Serg't. 

Bovd,  William,  disch.  Aug.  11"61,  term  ex. 

Bcnbow,  Thomas  J.,  died  Oct.  0,  '63,  Union 
City,  Tenn. 

Brennan,  Michael,  discli.  Aug,  II,  '04;  I'm  ex. 

Bennick,  George  ,  vet..  Bugler,  tran^^.  to  Co.  C. 
(as  consolidated),  must'd  out  Nov.  22.  '65. 

Baker,  Richard  P.,  disch.  Aug.  11,  '64;  t  ni  ex. 

Cashill,  John  K.,  disch.  Aug.  11,  '04,  as  Cor- 
poral ;  term  expired. 

Carlelon,Thoni-js  J.,  vet.,  trans,  to  Co.  C,  mus- 
tered out  Nov.  22,  1865. 

Corgan,  James  M.,  de.-^erted  July  28,  1802. 

Conimill,  Christian,  killed  at  Cold  Water,  Mi.ss. 

Dolbow,  George  W.,  vet.,  trans,  to  Co.  C.  (as 
consolidated),  must'd  out  Nov.  22. 

Diller,  Franklin  X.,di'ich.  Aug.  11,  '04;  t'm  ex. 

Dale,  Jud.son,  disch..  Mar.  20,  '02  ;  disability. 

Dolehouse,  George,  disch.  Aug.  11,  '04  ;  t'm  ex. 

Donovan,  John,  vet.,  Corp'l,  deserted  May  10, 
1864. 

Deadman,  Adolph  or  Wm.,  disch.  Aug.  1 1,  '64, 
as  Corporal  ;  term  expired. 

Flannigan.  Barney,  vel.,  trans,  to  Co.  C,  (as 
consolidated)  must'd  out  Sept.  4,  1865. 

Fag:in,  Antonio,  disch'd  Aug.  11,  '64  ;  t'm  ex. 

Griffith,  Jolin  B-,  trans,  to  Gunboat  Lexington 
Dec.  10,  1861 ;  sentence  G.  C.  M. 

Galhofer,  Franklin  J.,  disch.  Aug.  11,  '01; 
term  expired. 

Glass,  John,  disch.  Aug.  11,  '04;  term  ex. 

Goodhall,  Harvey  L.,  mu.st'd  out  Aug.  '64,  as 
Serg't;  term  expired. 

Hughes,  William  E.,  vet.,  tr.  to  Co.  C,  (as  con- 
solidated) must,  out  Nov.  22,  1805. 

Hulbere,  Francis,  disch.  Aug.  11,  '64;  t'm  ex. 

Hosp,Chailes, discli.  Mnrcli  1.3, '64;  blindness. 

Humraert.  Frer'.  A.,  disch.  .-Vug.  11, '04;  t'm  ex. 

Jordan,  Albert,  killed  at  Cold  Water,  Mi.ss. 

Kurtz,  Daniel  M-,  disch.  .-Vug.  11, '64;  I'm  ex. 

Kellen,  Clement.*,  disch.  Aug.  11,  64;  term  ex. 

Lane,  Arthur  LeGrand,  vet.,  trans,  to  Co.  E., 
Aug,  1,  '04;  disch.  Nov.  24,  '64,  kenlence 
G.  C.  M. 

Larkin,  Francis,  vet.,  disch.  .Tune  2, '05;  ds'by. 

Lowe,  George  M.,  vet.,  trans,  to  Co.  C.  (as  con- 
solidated), must'd  out  Nov.  22, '05,  asS'gt. 

Lindzey,  James  D.,  honr'bly  disch.  Jan.  10,'03. 

McDavit,  William,  disch.  Aug.ll,'e4  ;  I'mex. 

McCauley,  Eli  A.,  vet.  trans  to  Co.  C.  (as  con- 
solidated), must'd  out  Nov.  22,  '05. 

McKenzie,  .James,  vet.,  trans  to  Co.  C.  (as  con- 
solidated), must'd  out  Nov.  22,  '6-5. 

McICoen,  FrancLs,  disch.  Aug.  11,  '64,  as  Sad- 
dler; term  expired. 

Merritt,  D.iniel  K.,  disch.  Oct.  25,  1862. 

McCunlv,  Alonzo,  killed  June  19,  1863,  at 
Cold  Water,  Mi-s. 

Millard,  Thomas  W,  disch.  Aug.  11,  1864; 
term  exiiired. 

Nott.Charles  W-,  disch.  Aug.  11,  '04  ;  t'm  ex. 


260 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Noels,  Wm.,  discli.  April  10,  1S65;  disability. 

Parsley,  Joseph,  died  at  Fort  Pillow,  Dec.  23, 
lS6'i. 

Keal,  Lewis,  disch.  Aug.  8,  1862;  disaWlity. 

Kyan,  Jolin,  vet.,  Serg't,  tr.  (o  Co.  C.  (as  con- 
solidated 1,  iniist'd  out  Nov.  22,  186.5. 

Stiles,  John,  discli.  for  disability,  Jan.  16,  '63. 

Smith,  James,  disch.  Aug.  11,  '64  ;  term  ex. 

Signoir,  Eli. 

Shay,  Dennis,  vet.,  trans,  to  Co.  C.  (as  consoli- 
dated), must'd  out  Nov.  22,  1865. 

Swatswelter,  Abner,  disch.  Aug.  11,  '64,  as 
Corporal;  term  expired. 

Smith,  Harman,  vet.,  tr.  to  Co.  C.  fas  consoli- 
dated), must'd  out  Nov.  22,  1865. 

Stanley,  Albert  Edward,  vet.,  tr.  to  Co.  C.  (as 
consolidated),  must'd  out  Nov.  22,  1865, 
as  Corporal 

Shaw,  William  Francis,  disch.  Aug.  11, '64; 
term  expired. 

Scully,  William,  disch.,  Aug.  11,  1864,  as  Ser- 
geant: term  expired. 

Tungate,  Henry,  disch.  Feb.  14,  1862 ;  disab'y. 

Thompson,  John,  died  at  Memphis,  March  18, 
1864. 

Vanmeeter,  Ncalon,  raus.  out;  term  expired. 

Wood,  Charles  Young,  vet.,  tr.  to  Co.  C.  (as 
consolidated),  must'd  out  Nov.  22,  1865. 

Walsh,  Patrick,  discharged  May  5,  1863. 

Walsh,  Thomas,  disch.  Aug.  11,"'64  :  terra  ex. 

Weber,  Peter,  died  at  Cairo,  111,  Mar.  9,  '62. 

Hecruits. 

AUred,  Thomas  T.,  dishonorably  discharged 
Aug.  20,  1861. 

Zapfel,  Augusiine,  served  his  time  of  3  years. 

Blankenship,  James  P.,  trans,  to  Co.  C.  (as  con- 
solidated), must'd  out  Aug.  26,  ISb."!. 

Gray,  Tliomas  S.,  trans,  to  Co.  C.  ( as  consoli- 
dated), must'd  out  Nov.  22,  1865. 

Hopkins,  Charles 

Johnson,  William  F.,  trans,  to  Co.  C.  (as  con- 
solidated), must'd  out  Nov.  22,  1865,  as 
Q.  M.  Serg't. 

Lewis,  James,  trans,  to  Co.  C.  (as  consolidated), 
must'd  out  Nov.  22,  1865. 

Ehodemeyer,  Adam,  trans,  to  Co.  C.  (as  con- 
soli<lated),  must'd  out  Nov.  22,  1865. 

Slinger,  O.  P.,  died  at  Baton  Bouge,  Aug.  25, 
1864. 

Wayland,  A.  G.,  trans,  to  Co.  C.  (as  consoli- 
dated), must'd  out  Nov.  22, 1865. 

Warner,  Leopold  B.,  trans,  to  Co.  C  (as  consoli- 
dated), must'd  out  Nov.  22,  1865. 

Bluster  Roll,  Company  C 

Privates. 

Dugger,  George  W.,  vet,,  trans,  to  Co  C.  (as 
consolidated),  must'd  out  Nov.  22, 1865. 

Recruits. 
Kerr,  William  A  ,  disch.  Sept.  3,  '64  ;  term  ex. 
Lane,  Anhur  L.,  disch.  Nov.  27,  '64  ;  ^G.  C.  M.) 

Tllree    years'  Service.— Third  Cavalry  Regi- 
ment. 

The  Third  Regiment  of  Cavalry  was 
organized  at  Camp  Butler,  Illinois,  by 
Col.  Eugene  A.  Carrof  the  regular  ar- 
my in  August,  1861.  Several  men  in 
the  various  companies,  as  will  be  seen 
below,  went  from  Madison  county.  On 
the  25ih  of  8eptember,  1861,  the  regi- 
ment moved  to  St.  Louis,  and  on  the  first 
of  October  proceeded  up  the  Missouri 
river  to  Jefferson  city,  and  thence  march- 


ed to  Warsaw,  arriving  October  11th. 
On  23d  marched  toward  Springfield, 
Mo.,  in  Col.  Carr's  brigade,  Gen.  Ash- 
both's  division.  On  the  2d  of  Novem- 
ber following,  Gen.  Hunter  took  com- 
mand of  the  army.  November  13th  the 
first  and  second  battalions  moved  with 
the  array  on  Rolla,  Mo.  The  third  bat- 
tallion,  Maj.  Ruggles  commanding,  was 
the  last  to  leave  Springfield.  Reached 
Rolla  November  19.  Here  the  regiment 
remained  until  December  2l:)th,  when  it 
moved  in  the  advance  of  Gen.  Curtis' 
army  for  the  southwest.  On  tlie  13th 
of  February,  1862,  near  Springfield, 
the  third  cavalry  fought  the  first  en- 
gagement, and  won  the  first  victory  of 
Gen.  Curtis'  campaign.  On  the  14th 
of  February,  1862,  it  occupied  Spring- 
field, Mo.  On  the  16th  came  up  with 
Gen.  Price's  army,  and  took  some  pris- 
oners. On  the  18th  at  Sugar  Creek 
Ark.,  the  third  battalion  participated  in 
a  cavalry  charge,  routing  the  enemy. 
It  had  various  skirmishes  and  short 
marches  during  the  summer  and  fall  in 
Arkansas,  and  west  of  the  Mississippi 
river,  when  on  the  23d  of  December, 
1862,  it  reported  to  Gen.  Steele  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Yazoo  river,  formed  part 
of  the  force,  and  did  good  .service  in  the 
disastrous  attack  on  Vicksburg  under 
Gen.  Sherman.  In  the  spring  of  1863, 
Col.  McCrillis,  with  a  battalion,  moved 
to  Memphis,  and  soon  after,  as  a  part  of 
the  thirteenth  corps,  this  battalion  took 
part  in  the  battle  of  Post  Gibson,  Cham- 
pion Hill,  Black  River  Bridge,  and  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg.  August  16th  re- 
ported to  Gen.  Banks,  and  bore  a  part 
in  the  western  Louisiana  campaign,  and 
at  Vermilionville,  Opelousas,  and  Car 
rion  Crow  Bayou.  August  21st  a  part 
of  the  third  regiment  participated  in  the 
repulse  of  Gen.  Forrest,  in  his  attack  on 
Memphis.  On  August  24th,  1864,  the 
non-veterans  having  been  mustered  out, 
the  veterans  were  consolidated  into  a 
battalion  of  six  companies.  The  bat- 
talion took  part  in  the  battles  with  Gen. 
Hood's  array  in  December,  1864,  and 
operated  below  and  around  Nashville. 
Embarked  for  St.  Louis  in  May,  186.5; 
thence  to  St  Paul,  Minnesota,  reporting 
to  Gen.  Curtis.  On  July  4th, started  on 
an  Indian  expedition  over  the  plains  of 
Minnesota  and  Dakota;  north  to  the 
British  line;  south  and  west  to   Devil's 


Lake  and  Fort  Barlhold,  and  returned 
to  Fort  Snelliug  October  1st,  arriving  at 
Springfield,  Illinois,  October  13th,  1865, 
and  was  mustered  out  of  service. 

Roster, — Master  Roll,  Company  A, 

Recruit. 
Stewart,  Samuel  B.  W.,  trans,  to  N.  C.  S. 

Mnster  Roll,  Company  B. 

Recruit. 
Smith,  Lewis  R.,  trans,  to  Co.  F.   as  consoli- 
dated, mustered  out  Oct.  10,  1865. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  D. 

Private. 
Pierron,  Augustus,  disc.  Sept.  11,  '62;  disab'ty. 

Recruit. 
Seibert,  Henry,  trans,  to  Co.  E.  as  consolidated 
Corporal,  died  at  Gravelly  Springs,  Ala., 
Feb.  6,  1865. 

Mnster  Roll,  Company  F. 

Private. 
Beal,  Charles. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  L. 

First   Sergeant. 
William  Snell,  mustered  out  Sept.  5,  '65. 

Priiiates. 
Cobb,  Lyman,  discharged  for  disability. 
Ricks,  Joseph,  absent,  wounded  at  muster  out 

of  Regiment. 
Robinson,  Alexander  S.,  vet.,  trans,  to  Co.  A. 
ascontolidated,  mus.out.June5, '65;  as  cor. 
West,  Charles  H.,  mustered  out  Sept.  5,  1864. 

Recruits. 

Bullock,  John  H.,  trans,  to  Co.  A.  as  consoli- 
dated, mustered  out  June  9,  1865. 

Bullock,  Amos  trans,  to  Co.  A.  as  consolidated, 
killed  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  Dec.  1.5,  1864. 

Cooksey,  James  M.,  Pro.  Sergeant  Major. 

McMullen,  George,  trans,  to  Co.  A  as  con- 
solidated, mustered  out  Oct.  10,  1865. 

Wlialen,  Henry,  trans,  to  Co.  A.  as  consolidated, 
mustered  out  Oct.  10,  1865. 

Consolidated. 
Muster  Roll,  Company  A. 

Recruit. 

Robertson,  Daniel,  M.  O.  June  5,  '65;  was  pris. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  B. 

Rfcruits. 
Alfred,  p>in. 
Baxter,  Byron. 

Carr,  Baloes  L,  mustered  out  Oct.  ]0,  186.5. 
CuUen,  Peter,  mustered  out  Oct.  10,  1865. 
Dawson,  Michael. 
O'Neil,  John,  mustered  out  Oct.  10,  1865. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  £j. 

Recruits. 
Armstrong,  Samuel  J.,  mus.  cut  June  5,  1865. 
Mills,  Ezekiel,  mnstered  out  June  5,  1865. 
Robertson,  Chas.  W.,  under  arrest   at   muster 
out  of  Regiment. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  G. 

Pnrrier. 
Thomas  B.  Russell,  must'd  out  Oct.  10,  1865. 

Privates. 
Darring,  or  Darling,  Fred. 
Jenkius,  William,  mustered  out  Oct.  10,  1865. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


261 


Muster  Roll,  Compaujr  H. 

Priiafes. 
Donihue,  Patrick,  mustered  out  Oct.  10,  1865. 
Hdgg,  Thomas,  mualered  out  Oct.  10,  1865. 
Hathaway,  Simeon,  must'd  out  Oct.  10,  1865. 
Jones.  James. 
Eyan,  Timoihy,  mustered  out  Oct.  10,  1S'>5. 

Mustrr  Roll,  Coinpauy  I. 

I'limlts- 
Coffman,  Joseph,  mustered  out  Oct.  10,  1865. 
Johnson,  Joseph. 
McNeill,  disch.  June  1,  '6.5,  asSerg't,  disab'ty. 

Sloster  Roll  Company  K. 

Primle. 
Quinn,  James,  muslcred  out  Oct.  10,  1865. 


Uuasslsnecl  Recruits. 


Gracy,  George  B. 
Morrisey,  Edmund. 
Young,  James. 

Foortb   Cousolirtntecl    Cavalry  Regiment.— 

Tliree  Years'  Serviee. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  B. 

Jiccruit. 

Frederick,  Antony,  trans,  to  Co.  I,  12th   111. 

Cavalry,  mustered  out  July  8.  1865. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  C 

llixruit  . 
Merrill,  Frank  F.,  tr.  to  Co.  K.,  12th  III.  Cav'ly. 

Finii   Cavalry   Keslment.— TUree   Years' 
Seiviee. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  E. 

Pr.vale. 
Blaketon,  Benjamin. 

Sixth  Cavalry  Regiment.— Tlirce    Years' 
Srrvlee. 

Muster  Roll,  Company   li. 

liccruits. 
Karnes,  Harvey  C,  must'd  out  Nov.  5,  1865. 
Kktlton,  John  S.,  mustered  out  Nov.  5,  1865.     ' 

Seventh    Cavalry    Regiment.— Tllree   Years' 
Service. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  Ij. 

RtcruiU. 
Ghtss,  James  S. 
Leddy,  William,  mustered  out  Nov.  4,  1865. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  M. 

Rccruils. 
Bender,  August,  mustered  out  Nov.  4,  1865. 
Handler,  Charles,  must'd  out  Nov.  4,  1865. 
Haack,  Christian,  mustered  out  Nov.  4,  1865. 
btauh,  George,  nuistered  out  Nov.  4,  1865. 

Vnasslgueil  Recmit. 

Boyd,  John  J. 

Tenth      Cavalry    Regiment.— Three    years' 
Service. 

This  regiment  was  organized  at  Camp 
Butler,  Illinois,  2.5th  of  Nov.  1861. 
James  A.  Barrett  was  its  first  Colonel, 
who  resigned  May  15,  186i,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Colonel  Dudley  Wicker- 
sham,  of  Springfield,    Illinois.     On   the 


20th  of  Dec,  18G1,  it  moved  to  Quincy, 
Illinois,  and  from  thence    to    Jefferson 
Barracks,  Mo.,  on   the  13th  of  March, 
1802.      It  operated   in  southwest   Mis- 
souri, till  13th  Nov.,  when   it  formed  a| 
part  of  the  Army  of  the  Frontier,  and 
was  in  line   of  duty  from    Springfield, 
Mo.,  to  Cane  Hill,  Arkansas.     It   par- 
ticipated  in  the  battle  of  Prairie  Grove, ! 
Ark.,  Dec.  7th,  1862.     Was  at  Jackson- 
port,  Ark.,  July  4,  1862 ;  Helena,  July 
I  12th,  and  Aug.  7  moved   to  Old  Town, 
,  Landing.     Oct.  6, 1862,  returned  to  He- 
leua,  and  Nov.  16th   marched   with  the 
expedition  to  the  mouth  of  White  river  ; 
and  on  the   27th  of  Nov.   to   Oakland, 
j  Miss.     Had  a  skirmish  with  the  enemy  | 
I  and  returned  to  Helena,  Dec  7th,  1862. 
I      The  original  service  term  of  the  Tenth 
I  and  Fifteenth  Regiments  Illinois  Caval 
j  ry  Volunteers  having  expired,  an  order 
j  of  consolidation  was  issued  January  26, 
1865,  for   the   re-enlisted   men   and  re- 
'  cruits  of  the   same,  to    be  formed  into 
welve  corapan  ies  and  reorganized  as  the 
Tenth  Regiment,  Illinois  Cavalry. 
j      The  regiment  was  mustered  out  of  ser- 
vice, Nov.  22d,  1865,  at   San  Antonia, 
I  Texas,  and  ordered  to  Springfield,  111., 
for  final  payment  and  discharge.     The 
following  soldiers  in  it  are  from  Madison 
county  in  different  companies  : 

'^Roster.— Non-commissioned    Staff. 

Chief  Bugler. 
j  Henry  Lansing. 


Sergiant. 
Samuel  Byrd,  pronioteil. 

Corporals. 
Samuel  Wickofi'. 

Horace  Rnndell,  vet.,  tr.  to  Co.  E.,  reorganized, 
absent  on  cimfineraent  for  desertion  at  M. 
O.  of  regiment. 

Binilcr.: 

Joseph  L.  Elwell,  tr.  to  regimental  band,  disc. 

Dec.  30,  1864,  as  Saddler  .Sergeant. 

Priv:itcs. 
Bostvvick,  John  H.,  disch.  Dec.  1.  '63. 
Gillespie,  John  K.,  disc  y  14,  '62. 

Gannon,  John. 
1  Hays,  George  W. 
Jones,  Lair  D.,  vet.,  must'd   out  Nov.  22,  '65. 
Langston,  James,  vet.,   absent,  sick  at  rausler 

out  of  regiment. 
Myers,  Edward,  dislionora'y  dis.  April  15,  '62. 
Rogers,  Josiah,  must  d  out  Dec.  30,  '64. 
Riindele,  Horace  M.,  vet. 
Shive,  Martin,  must'd  out  Dec.  30,  '64. 
Seebaker,   Anion,    died    at    Mar»htield,  Mo., 

iSept.  11,  1862. 
Whitaker,  George,  deserted  May  6,  1862. 

Recruits. 
Brown,  John  P.,  tr.   to  Co.  E.  as  reorganized, 
I  M.  O.  Nov.  22,  '65.  . 

Casselman,  Daniel,  tr.  to  Co.  E.  as  reorganized, 
;  M.  O,  Nov.  22,  '06. 

Greenwood,  Peter  S.,  tr.  to  Co   E.  as  reorga- 
nized, M.  O.  Nov.  22,  '65,  as  Bugler. 
Morrison    John,  tr.  to  Co.  E.  as  reorganized, 

M.O.  Nov,  22.  '6-5. 
McGraw,  Thomas,  died   at  Little  Rock,  Ark., 

Mav  20,  '65. 
Wade, 'Thomas,  tr.  to  Co.  E   as  reorganized. 

Master  Roll,  Company   F. 

G.plnin.. 
Isaac  H.  Ferguson,  resigned  June  23,  '65. 
William  A.  Chapin,  Pro.   Major,  Tenth  Cav- 
alry, as  reorganized  ;  resig'd  Apr.  21,  '65. 

First  Lieutenant. 
Felix  Droll,  lion,  disch.  Dec  20,  '64. 


Muster  Roll,  Company  A. 

Rccruitf. 
Brown,  John  W.,  tr.  to  Co.  A.  (as  reorganized,) 

deserted  July  S,  '65. 
Crummer,  John,'lr.  to  Co.  A.  (as  reorganized) 

M.  O.  June  13,  '65. 

Muster  Roll,  <  ompany  B. 

Vdcran. 
Bate-s,  DeWitt,  disch.  Aug.  19,  1864. 

Mnster  Roll,  Company  C. 

Recruit. 
Caswell,  Harvey  W„  Ir.  to  Co.  A.,  as  reorga- 
nized, died  at  Mound  City,  111.,  May  3, 
1866. 

Muster  Roll,  Company  E. 
Cnptain. 
Henry  Reily. 

First  Lieutenants. 
Columbus  Cross,  resigned  .\pril  4,  1862. 
William  H.  East,  resigned  July  7,  1862. 

Second  Lieutenant. 
John  Mabee. 

Q  M.  Sergeant. 
Charles  R.  Williams. 


Second  Lieutenant. 
William  Scliwerdtfeger,  hon.  dis.  Dec  20, '64. 

Q.  M.  Serrjeanl. 
William  Jageman,  M.  O.  Dec.  30,  '64,  .is  pvt. 

Sr.rgeants. 
Theadore  Holtkemper,  vet.,  Co.  F.  as  reorga- 
nized, disch.  July  .5,  '65  ;  disability. 
Frederick  Parker,  must' (J  out  Dec.  30,  '64. 
Casper  Britt,  vet.,  pro.   1st  scrg't.,  then  Lieut. 
Co.  F.  'Tenth,  as  reorganized,  must'd  out 
Nov.  22,  '65. 
George  Fry,  must'd  out  Dec.  30,  1864. 

Corporals. 

August  Mumme,  M.  O.  Dec.  30,  '64  ;  as  pvt. 

William  Peastack,  vet.,  m.  o.  Oct.  9,   1865,  as 
sergeant. 

Oliver  Reed,  mnst'd  out  Dec.  30,  '64. 

John  Pulliam,m.  o.  Dec.  30,  '6.5,  a.s  private. 

George  Brewer,  vet.,  tr.  to  Co.  F.  as  reorga- 
nized, M.  O.  Nov.  22,  '65. 

Mathias  Poschen,  died  at  Camp  Butler,  Ills., 
Dec.  31, '61.  .     , 

John  Bender,  vet.,  tr.  to  Co.  F.,  .is  reorganized, 
M.  O.  Nov.  22,  65,  as  sergeant. 

Wilfred  Calvert. 

Buglers. 

Henry  Lansing,  Pro.  Chief  Bugler- 
William  Ziircuhlen,  dis.  June  10, '  62;  disaby. 
BlacJcsniith. 

Drew  Walker,  M.  O.  Dec.  30,  '6.5,  as  private. 


262 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Saddler. 
Benjamin  F.  Elliott,  musl'd  out  Dec.  30,  '64. 

Wagoner. 
Washington  Miller,  tr.  to  V.  B.  C.  Aug.  1",  '63. 


Alexander,  John,  must'd  out  Dec.  30,  '6-1. 
Bjlton,  Willi.ini,  died  at  Camp  Butler,  Ills., 

Dec.  26.  '61. 
Bowlanger,  John,  veteran. 
Busch,  Julius,  mus'd  out  Dec.  30,  '64. 
Brooks,  George,  disch.  June  10,  '62;  disab  ty. 
Carlton,  Benjamin  F. 
Dill,  .John,  mu.st'd  out  Jan.  5,  '6-5. 
Dividson.  Daniel,  .Us.  Oct.  10,  '62  ;  disab'ty. 
Freece,  Henrv,  dis.  Oct.  10,  '62;  disability.  _ 
Federer,  Ch.irles,  vet.,  mus.  out  Nov.  22,  '6q. 
(iiger,  John  S.,  died  at  Mound  City,  111.,  May 

30,  186-3. 
Gericke,  Henrv,  must'd  out  Dec.  30,  '64, 
Guntdl,  B  irtholomaus,  vet.,  dis.  May  13,  '63  ; 

disability. 
Hofeditz,  Lewis,  Vft.,  absent,  sick  at  muster 

out  of  regiment. 
Hover,  Charles,  disch.  June  10,  '62. 
Hoitenriet,  Philip,  vet.,  absent,  sick  at  M.  O. 

of  regiment. 
Henmann,  Frederick,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C  Sep.  1,  63. 
Heiz,  Hfnrv,  must'd  out  Dec  30,  '64. 
Iletiger,  John,  vet.,  must'd  out  Nov.  22,  '6-5. 
Jagemann,  Edward,  pro.  Serg't.,  then  21  LieiU. 
Jageraann.  Frank,  vet.,  mus.  out  Nov.  22,  '6-5, 

as  sergeant.  1 

Keck.    Muhias,   died   at  Camp  Butler,  Ills., 

Dec.  27, '61. 
Ketchum.  Levi,  must'd  out  Dec.  30,  64. 
Keller.  John,  uuisi'd  out  Dec.  30,  '64. 
Koeliker,  Beatus  musi'd  out  Dec  30. '64. 
■Miller,  August,  must'd  out  Dec  30,  '64. 
Mever.  John,  died  at  Brownsville,  Arkansas, 

September  6,  '63- 
l^tever,  William,  must'd  out  Dec.  30,  '64. 
Mover   Herman,  vet.,  tr.  to  Co.  F.  as  reorga- 

'  nizeil,  M.  O.  Nov.  22,  '65. 
Miller  Jonathan,  died  at  Camp  Butler,  J.in. 

14.  1862.  .     , 

More,  John,  vet.,  tr.  to  Co.  F.  as  reorganized. 
Newberrv,  Henry,  musl'd  out  Dec.  30,  '64. 
O'Neil,  Thomas,  vet.,  tr.  to  Co.  F.  as  reorga- 
nized, must'd  out  Nov.  22,  '65. 
Piasiark,  Lewis,  vet.,  tr.  to  Co.  F.  as  reorga- 
nized, musl'd  out  Nov.  22,  'So. 
Pfister,  Casper,  vet.,  tr.  to  Co.  F.  as  reorganized, 

must'd  out  Nov.  22,  '0-5. 
Ree.),  William,  vet.,  tr.  to  Co.  F.  as  reorga- 
nized, must'd  out  Nov.  22,  '05,  as  serg't. 
Rast,  John,  disc.  Dec.  23, '62;  disability. 
Kiltman,  Joseph,  musl'd  out  Dec.  30,  '64. 
Randle,  William,  dis.  Oct.  10,  '62  ;  disability. 
Schneider,  William,  musl'd  out  Dec.  30,  '64. 
Schwab.  Martin,  dis.  .\ug.  22,  '62  ;  disability. 
.Schneidler.  A.nton,  musl'd  out  Dec.  30,  64. 
Simersou.  James,  died  at  Little  Rock,  Ark., 

Sept.  20. '63. 
Steg.  Frederick,  must'd  out  Dec.  30,   64. 
Schlegel,  Oswaldt,  musl'd  out  Dec.  30,  '64,  as 

blacksmith. 
Schreiber,  John,  vet.,  tr.  to  Co.  F.  as  reorga- 
nized, dis.  Mav  13,  '65  ;  disahilitv. 
Wriston,  Joseph,  vet,  tr.  to  Co.  F.  as  reorga- 
nized, musl'd  out  Nov.  22,  '65,  as  serg't. 
Webrle,  Xavier,  vet.,   tr.  to  Co.   F.   as  reorga- 
nized, M.  O.  Nov.  22,  '65,  as  Quartermas- 
ter Sergeant. 
Wriston  Alfred,  dis.  Apr.  U.  '63  ;  disability. 
Weiss,  Frederick,  died  in    action    at  Searcy, 

Ark..  July  14, '61. 
Wentz.  Louis,"  vet,  died   in  action  at  Searcy, 
Ark.,  M.  O.  Nov.  22,  '65. 

Recruits. 
Berwald,  Fredeii:-k,   tr.  to  Co.   F.  as  reorga- 
nized, M.  O.  June  13,  '6-5. 


Bladt,  Lewis,  vet.,  tr.  to  Co.  F.  as  reorganized, 

M.  O.  June  13,  '05,  as  Bugler. 
Cooper,  Silas  G.,  tr.  to  Co.  F.  as  reorganized, 

M.  O.  Nov.  22,  '65. 

Cillis,  William,  tr.  to  Co.  F,  as  reorganized, 

M.  O.  Dec.  9,  '65.  [ 

Doerr,  George,  died  at  Brownsville,  Ark.,  Nov. 

2.  1864.  .     , 

Dirrer,  Bernard,   tr.  to  Co.  F.  as  reorganized. 

Pro.  Serg't  Major,  M.  O.  Nov.  22,  '65. 
Davidson,  Daniel,  tr.  to  Co.  F.  as  reorganized, 

M.  O.  Nov.  22,  65. 
E'ans,  James  H.  .     ,   ,, 

Elliott,  Henrv  C',  tr.  to  Co.  F.  as  organized,  M  - 
O.  Nov  22,  '65.  .        I 

Friedger,  JohnC,  tr.   to  Co.  F.  as  organized. 

M.  O.  Mav  22,  1S65. 
Kircher,  Frederick,  tr.  to  Co.  F.  as  organized, 

M.  O.  Mav  22,  '65. 
Kes.^el,  William,  tr.  to  Co.  F.  as  organized.         , 
Kilpatrick,  Joseph,  tr.  to  Co.  F.as  organized.    ] 
Lebman,   Martin,  died  at  Brownsville,  Ark., 

Nov.  2,  '64.  . 

Lutziver,  Joseph,  tr.  to  Co.  F.  as  reorganized.    ] 
Redman,  Adam,  tr.  to  Co.  F.  as  reorganized. 
Stevens,  Abial,  Serg't.,  disch.  to  date   March 
25,  '63,  to  accept  promotion  in  14tU  Ar- 
kansas Infantry. 
Schwager  Henry,  tr.  to  Co.  F,  as  re-organized, 

ni.  o.  Nov.  22,  '05. 
Scheyer,  Michl.,  tr.  to  Co.  F,  as  re-org'd,  m.  o. 

Nov.  22,  '65. 
Schneider,  Conrad,  tr.  to  Co.  F,  as  re-organized, 

m.  o.  Nov.  22,  '65. 
Steineger,  Jacob,  tr.  to  Co.  F,  as  re-organized, 

m.  o.  Nov.  22,  '65. 
Spie.ss,  Meinreth,  tr.  to  Co.  F,  as  reorganized, 

m.  o.  Nov.  22,  '65. 
Stokes,  Edward,  tr.  to_  Co.  F,  as  re-orgauized, 

m.  o.  Nov.  22,  '65. 
Schewler,  Joseph,  tr.  to  Co.  F,  as  re-organizcd, 

m.  0.  Nov.  22,  '65. 
Taylor,  Jackson,  tr.  to  Co.  F,  as  re-organized, 

ra.  o.  Nov.  22,  '65,  as  saddler. 
Wellick,  Mich'l,  tr.  to  Co.  F,  as  reorganized, 

deserted  June  30,  '65. 
Wilson,  Wm.  E„  tr.  to  Co.  F,  as  re-organized, 

m.  0.  Nov   22,  '65. 
Zimmerman,  Henry,  tr.  to  Co.  F,  as  re-org  zed, 
m.  o.  Nov.  22,  '05. 


Muster  Roll,  Company  H. 

Rctrmt. 
Claffv,  Keeran,  tr.  to  5th  Ills.  Cav.,  m.  o.  Oct. 
27,  1865- 

UiMsngned  BecruiU. 
Boyle,  Charles. 
Chatam,  Jasper. 
Voorhees,  David  J. 
Williams,  James  B. 


Master  Roll  Company    Ij. 

Recruit- 
Lenlz,  Geo,,  tr  to  Co.  D,  re-organized,  des'ted 
Aug.  5,  '65. 

Muster  Roll  Company  M. 

Recruits. 

McFarland,  Martin,  transf  d  to  Co.  C,  as  re- 

organized. 

Palmer,  William  P.,  transfd  to  Co.  C,  as  re- 
organized. 

Unassigned  Recruits. 
Anderson,  John. 
Boyd,  Lafayette. 
Campbell,  Thomas. 
Eauk,  John. 

Harrington.  John  M.,  tr.  to  Co.  F,  as  re-organ- 
ized, ni.  0.  Nov,  22,  '65. 
Hauskins.  Thos.  E.,  tr.  to  Co.  F.  as  re-organ  d 
1  m.  o.  Nov.  22,  '65,  as  corporal. 

John.son,  William. 

1  Lvnch,  Nathan,  tr.   to  Co.  F,  reorganized,  m 
■    o.  Nov.  22,  '65. 
O'MaMey,  Edward. 
Stout,  James  E. 
EleventU  Cn^TJry  Regiment.-Tliree  years' 

Muster  Roll,  Company  D. 

Recruit. 
Blackwater,  Benjamin,  tr.  to  5lh  Ills.  Cavalry. 


TweXftli  Cavalry  Regiment.— Three    Tears' 

Service. 

Muster  Roll   Company  B. 

Privates. 

Fellhauer,  Frederick. 
Miller,  John,  died  Nov.  25,  '64. 
Stockor,  John,  vet.,  tr.  to  Co.  B,  consol'd,  m.  o. 
May  29,  '65. 

Muster  Roll  Company  D. 

Privates. 

Rollins,  David,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C. 

Roberts,  John. 

Shaw,   Lvman   A.,  died    at    Petersburg,  \  a., 

j         July' 4,  1803,  of  wounds. 

j  Muster  Roll  Company  P. 

'  Private. 

Gray,  Rob't,  pro.  coin's  serg't,  prom.  capt.  Co. 
'H,  as  consol'd,  m.  o.  May  29,  '05. 

TUirteentll  Cavalry  Regiment  (consolld'ed). 

TUree  Years'  Service. 

Non-commlssloned    Staff. 

Hospital  Steward. 
John  W.Gass,  tr.  to  regular  army,  July  5,  '65. 

Muster  Roll  Company  P. 

Recruit. 
Hobert,  Henry  C,  m.  o.  Aug  31,  '65,  as  sergt. 

Pourteenfli    Cavalry    Reglment-TUree 

Years'  Service. 

Muster  Roll  Company  A. 

Recruit. 

Bro\Yn,  John,  M.  O.  July  31,  '65. 

.  Unassigned  Recruits 

Clark,  John. 

SUleentli  Cavalry  Regiment-Three  Tears' 
Service. 


Muster  Roll  Company  E. 

Corporal. 

William  Morganstein. 

Privates. 

Bilong,  .John.  . 

Mizer.  Chas.  J.,  died  at  Richmond,  Va.,  Mar. 

10,'64.  whilepris'r  ofwar. 
Mever,  .\dolph,  tr.  to  117th  Inf.,  deserted  Sep. 

'  7.  1803. 
Miiller,  John.  „-  ,^-  j-    ii,„ 

Miinsck,  Mivthias,  disch.  June  2<,'6o,  disab  ty. 

Phtster,  Christian. 

Muster  Roll  Company  P. 

Saddler. 
D.  Hobecke,  or  Habbegger,  M.  O.  June  13,  '65- 

Privates- 
Tschonnen,  Louis. 

Weigand,  Jos.,  died  at  Cumb  land  Gap.Tenn., 
Dec.  15,  1863. 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


263 


TM-rnt)-iilntl»    Colored     Infantry.— iTlire* 
Years'  service. 

Mnster  Roll  C'oiupaiiy  A. 

Needliam,  James  H.,  M.  O.  Nov.  6,  "65. 

Recruits. 
Killion,  rienry,  M.  O.  Nov.  6,  '05. 
Lewis,  L'lias.  \V.,  absent,  sick  at  M.  O.  of  regt. 
Keed,  John. 

Muster  Roll  Coiikpauy  B. 

Um-mU. 
Franklin,  Samuel,  M.  O.  Sept.  30,  '6.5  ;  ter.ex 

Master  Roll  Company  C. 

Priiale. 
Hallidav,  Thomas. 

Rerruit. 
Kowaik,  Henry,  M.  O.  June  14,  'Go. 

Muster  Roll  Company  D, 

P,-irati:s. 
Hunter,  Edward,  died  at  Kent  Court  House, 

Va.,  June  14,  04. 
Manuel.  David  J.,  absent,  sick  at  M.  O.  of  reg. 
Moore,  Henry,  died  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  Apr.  21, 
1SG5. 

^     Muster  Roll  Company  E. 
Firft  Scryennt. 
John  F.  Ferryman,  M.  O.  Nov.  6,  '65. 

SergeanU. 
Willey,  Sexton,  M.  O.  Nov.  6,  'G5. 
Joseph  C.  .Vrbuckle,  tr.  to  Co.  I,  as  1st  sergt. ; 

M.  O.  Nov.  G,  '05. 
John  \\ ■  Kiden,  tr.  to  Co.  C,  as  Ist  sergt. ;  M. 
O.  Nov.  6,  'O.J. 

Corporah. 
Juliu-!  White,  killed  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  July 

30,  '64. 
Isaiah  Browner,  died  at  Ft.  Monroe,  Va.,  Julv 

9,  '05. 
Solomon  W.  AVhite,  'M.  O.  Nov.  G,  '65  as  sergt. 
Conrad  J.  Arbuckle,  M.  O.  June  12,  'Go. 
Albert  Samuel,  absent,  sick  at  M.  O.  of  rept. 
Hiram  D.  Bout,  killed  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  July 

30,  '04. 
Henry  Douglas,  M.  O.  Nov.  6,  '05  ;  as  sergt. 
Edward  Howard,  disch.  Nov.  14,  '(J4;  disab'y. 

Musicians. 
Charles  Hunter,  M.  O.  Nov.  G,  '65. 
Kobert  Walker,  killed  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  Julv 

30,  'G4. 

Wayomr. 

Thomas  Scott,  private,  killed  at  Petersburg, Va. 

July  30,  '64. 

PrivaUs. 
Arbuckle,  William,  M.  ().  Nov.  0,  'G5. 
Adams,  Tliomas,  M.  O.  Nov.  6,  '65. 
Arbuckle,  Robert  S.,  M.  O.  Nov.  6, '65  as  corp. 
Arbuckle,  Joseph,  M.  O.  Nov.  6,  '65. 
Ale.xander,  Moses,  M.  O.  Nov.  0,  '65. 
Brown,  John  J.,  killed  at  Petersburg,  Va  ,  July 

30,  '04. 
Broadwater,  Thomas,  M.  0.  Nov.  6,  '65. 
Batty,  Jackson,  M.  O.  Nov.  6,  '65. 
Berr'v,  John,  died  at  Alexandria,  Va,,  Dec'  12, 

1864. 
Brook,  Andrew,  absent,  sick  at  M.  O.  of  regt. 
Browner,  Henry,  died  at  City  Point,  Va.,  Aug. 

1.5,  '64. 
Coward.  David,  if.  O.  Nov.  6.'65. 
Chalnian.  Lewis,  M.  O.  Nov.  6, '05. 
Cunningham,  Henry,  M.  O.  Nov.  0,  '05  ;  abs't. 
Delany,  Janus  B.,  disch.  Oct.  14,  '04  ;  disaby. 
Dougherty,  Shadrack,  M.  O  Nov  6,  '65. 
Ferguson,  Henry,  absent,  sick  at  M.  O.  of  regt 


Grayson,  Robert  W.,  51.  O.  Nov.  6,  '65. 

Hvton,  ilcnry,  killed  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  July 
30,  '04. 

Ilammons,  Samuel,  killed  at  Petcr.>burg,  Va., 
July  30, '04. 

Ilcndersion,  William,  M.  O.  Nov.  6,  65. 

Howard,  .Alexander,  disch.  March  3,  '05  ;  dis. 

lliilibard,  William,  M.  O.  Nov.  b,  '(J5. 

Johnson,  William,  M.  O.  Nov.  6,  '05. 

.lames,  John,  M.  ().  Nov.  6,  '65. 

Jackson,  Jolin,  M.  O.  Nov.  6,  65. 

Jackson,  John,  must'd  out  Nov   6.  1865. 

Joy,  Charlfs,  must'd  out  Nov.  6,  1865. 

Johnson,  Sidnev,  pro.  Q.  M.  sergt.,  mu.st'd  out 
Nov.  6,  1865. 

Kane,  Willis,  must'd  out  June  12,  1B65. 

Martin,  Lewis,  absent,  sick  at  m.  o.  of  regt. 
j  ilorgan,  Gardner,  must'd  out  Nov.  6,  1865,  as 

corjioral. 
I  Martin,  David,  must'd  out  Nov.  6,  1865. 
'  Mariin,  Geo.,  disch.  Oct.  19,  '65;  disb'lty. 

Miner,  Gardner,  died  at  Fortress  Monroe,  Va., 
I  May  4,  1865. 

Owens,  Elijah,  must'd  out  Nov.  6,  '65. 

Perkins,   George,   killed  at   Petersburg,  Va., 
July  30,  1864. 

Phillip,  James,  died  at  Alexandria,  Va.,  May 

24,  1804. 
I  Parker,  Cvrus  J.,  killed   at  Petersburg,  Va., 
]         Julv  30, 1864. 

Price,  William,  disch.  Oct.  IG,  '04  ;  disability. 

Robinson,  Prim,  must'd  out  Nov.  6,  '65. 

Robinson,  Joseph,  killed  near  Petersburg,  Va., 
April  2,  lS6.i. 

Sexton,  Leander,  mu.sl'J  out  Nov.  6,  1865. 
i  Sexton,   Willis,  must'd  out  Nov.  6,  1865,  as 
I  corporal. 

'  Singleton,  George,  must'd  out  Nov.  6,  1865,  as 
corporal. 

Smith,  Richard,  disch.  June  10,  '65.  | 

Talon,  Irwin,  must'd  out  Nov.  0,  '65. 
j  Titsworlh,  .\ndrew,  must'd  out  Nov.  0,  '65. 
]  Throgmorton,  Thornton,  must'd  out  Novem- 
!  her  0,  1865. 

Tyler,  John  W.,  m.  o.  Nov.  6,  1865. 

Tiivlor,  Mav,  must'd  out  Nov.  6,  '65. 

Webb,  William  I).,  mustered  out  Nov.  6, 1865. 

Williams,  John  M.,  must'd  out  Nov.  6,  1865. 

Wilson,  Reuben,  died  Aug't  3d,  1804,  wounds. 
I  W'ilson,  Josejdi,  absent,  sick,  at  muster  out  of 
regiment. 

Recruit. 

Snivelly,  Henry  C,  must'd  out  Nov.  G,  1865,  as 
corporal. 

I  Muster  Roll  Company  P. 

Rccni  its. 

Baxter,  Samuel,  must'd  out  Nov.  6, 1865. 
Kirby,  William,  muu'd  out  Nov.  6,  1865. 
Mitchell  William,  must'd  out  May  14,  1865. 

Unassigned  Recruits. 

DeMorse,  Jourdan. 
Gray  Samuel. 
Payton,  Oliver. 

United  Slates  Colored  Recruits. 
President,  Cyrus,  attached  to  13lh  U.  S.  Col'd 

Art. 
Robertson,  Silas,  attached  to  13th  U.  S.  Col'd 

An. 
Smith,  Henry,  attached  to  13th  U.  S.  Colored 

Art. 
Thomas,  Philip,  attached  to  13lh  U.  S.  Col'd 

Art. 

Roster,  .\lton  Battalion One  Hundred 

Hays'  Serriee, 
Captain  JoUu  Curtis'  Company. 

Privates. 
Moore,  Samuel  B.,  must'd  out  Oct.  7,  1864. 
Sloeher,  Joseph,  mu.sl'd  out  Oct.  7,  1864. 


Captain  Simon  S.  Stookey's  Ccnipany. 

Ench,  John,  must'd  out  Oct.  7,  1804. 
Lanigan,  John,  must'd  out  Oct.  7,  1864. 
Oramore,  Peter,  must'd  out  Oct.  7,  1864. 

Roster,  Springfield  Artillery TUree  Years' 

Service. 

Priiatcs. 
Gutzweller,  Joseph,  must'd  out  June  30, 1865. 
Tuselier,  John,  must'd  out  June  30,  1865. 


Surgeon. 
Hezekiah  Williams,  resigned  Feb.  13,  1863. 

Muster  Roll  Battery  .\. 

liCcruits. 
Davis,  Benj..  must  d  out  July  27,  1865. 
Misenhammer,  Philip,  must'd  out  July  27,  'Go. 
McNully,  Michael,  must'd  out  July  27,  '05. 
Mattock,  John  W.,  must'd  out  July  27,  '05. 
O'Neal,  Jamis,  must'd  out  July  27,  1865. 

Muster  Roll  Battery  C. 

Privates. 
Caldwell,  William  C,  disch'd  Dec.  19,  1861; 

disability. 
Harrison,  John,  must'd  out  Oct.  22,  1864. 
lma.son,  Thomas,  vel.,  mu.sl'd  out  1865. 
Schotield,  Richard,  discharged   lor   promotion 

in  Col'd  Artillery. 

Muster  Roll  Battery  E. 

Privates. 
Walker,  Frederick,  disch'd  Aug.  30,  1801. 
Stabanan,  Michael,  must'd  out  July  29,  1865. 

Unassigned  Recruits. 
Bremer,  Henry, 
Werder,  Casper. 


Lee,  Samuel  N.,  lOtli  Kansas. 
McCord,  E.  Kimball,  10th  Minnesota. 

Cavalry, 

Tremain,  John,  1st  Missouri  Cavalry. 

First  .\riiiy  Corps. 
Assigned  to  Co.  A  -id  Reg't  U.  S.  Vet.  Vols. 

Buehler,  Frederick,  must'd  out  Feb.  8,  1806. 
Baunian,  Ubriel,  must'd  out  Feb.  8,  1866. 
Fry,  John,  must'd  out  Feb.  9,  1860,  as  corp'l. 
Gtssler,  Frederick,  must'd  out  Feb.  S,  1866. 
Janett,  Peter,  uiu.st'd  out  Feb.  9,  1806. 
Kleimer,  Samuel,  musi'd  out  Feb.  8.  1800. 
Mossman,  August,  musi'd  out  Feb.  10, 1866,  as 

corporal. 
Wagner,  Henry,  must'd  out  Feb.  8,  1866. 

Assigned  to  Company  F  »d  U.  S.  Vet.  Vols. 

Barber,  Alexander,  must'd  out  Feb.  14,  1860. 
Knlisted  Men  of  Contpauy  5. 

Casey,  John. 

Dorsey,  Michael, 

Murray,  Jeremiah,  di.schrged  May  7,  1806,  as 

corporal. 
Webber,  Conrad,  must'd  out  Feb.  22,  1806,  Co. 

G  4th  U.  S.  Vet.  Vols. 

Kullsted  Man  of  Company  6. 

Donnelly,  Patrick. 

Knllsted  Men  of  Company  S. 

Woods,  Chanes  J.,  must'd  out  March  27,  '66 
as  corporal. 


264 


HISTOBY   OF   MADISOI^    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Stacy,  Frank,  raust'd  out  March  27,  1866.  | 

Kempt,  Andrew,  assigned  to  Co.  E,  must'd  out 

March  29,  18G0. 
r.utler,  Patrick,  assigned  to  Co.  E,  must'd  out 

IMarcIi  29,  18GG. 
L'eimer,  Peter,  inust'il  out  Marcli  27,  1863. 
Kealy,  James,  must'd  out  Marcli  27,  1866. 

Kullstrd  Men  Company  9,  assignrit  to  <'o.  D 
U.  S.  Vet.  Vols. 

Fleming,  William. 

Able,  Casper,    must'd  out  April  3,  1SC6. 
Ilinsgrem,  Michael,  must'd  out  April  3,  1866. 

EiUUted  Men  Company  11,  assigned  to  Co. 
H  U.  S.  Vet.  Vos. 

Schnni.an,  Andrew,  must'd  out  April  3,  1866. 
Zeigler,  Michael. 

Henry,  Anton,  must'd  out  April  13,  1866. 
Johnson,  James  F.,  must'd  out  April  l.S,  '66. 
Logan,  Joseph  F.,  musi'd  out  April  13,  1860. 

Enlisted  Man  Company  13. 

Carpenter,  .Tames  M. 

Fifteentli  Missouri  Infantry.— Three  Years' 
Service. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  soldiers 
from  Madison  county,  who  served  in 
Missouri  regiment  during  the  late  re- 
bellion. As  per  the  roster  furnished  us 
by  the  Adjutant  General  pi  Missouri.     } 

Second  Regiment  Missouri  Infantry. — Three 

Years'  Service. 

Muster  Boll  Company  F. 

Frimlcs. 
Bardelmire,  William. 
Bloamker,    William,    died    in  Andersonville 

prison. 
Fieldraeier,  Ernst,  killed  at  Perrvville,  Ky., 

Oct.  8,  1862. 
Schmidt,  Ernst,  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn. 
Schomberg,  Ernst. 

Muster  Ont.RoII  Company  B. 

Casimer    Muri,  1st  Lieut.,  taken  prisoner  at 

Chickamauga,  Sept.  20,  '63,  parole  Dec. 

9,  1864. 
Fred  Blume,  1st  Serg't.,  M.  O.  Dec.  25,  1865 ; 

wounded  Jan.  1,  '63,  Sept.  20,  'i;3. 
Adolph   Fess,  serg't.,  M.  O.  Dec.    25,    1865; 

wounded  June  18,  '64,  at  Kenesaw  Mt. 
Maurice  Mascoot,  serg't.,  M.  O.  Dec.  2-5,  '65. 
John  Kuhrt,  serg't.,  M.  C.  Dec.  25,  '65  ;  wnd. 
John  Iloft'man,  corp'l.,  M.  O.  Dec.  25,  '65. 
Bader,  Joseph,  private,  M.  O.   Dec.  25,  1865; 

taken  prisoner  at   battle  Franklin,  Tenn., 

Nov.  30,  '64. 
Baurmann,  Philipp,  private. 
Lenherr,  Edward,  priviite,  M.  O.  Dec.  25,  '65. 
Noll,  Jacob,  private,  wounded  at  Atlanta,  Ga. 
Spohr,  Christian,  M.  O.  Dec.  2-5,  '65. 
Tischhauser,  John,  private,  M.  O.  Dec.  2.5,  '65. 
Wernli,  Jacob,  private,  M.  O.  Dec.  2.5,  '65. 
Winegar,  Charles,  private,  taken  prisoner  at 

battle,  Franklin,  Tenn.,  Nov.  30,  '64. 
Henry  Nelson,   1st  Lieut.,  pro.  Capt.  Co.  K. 

J.an.  15,  1862. 
Frank  Unger,  1st  Lieut.,  pro.  Capt.  Co.  A.  July 

22,  1862. 
Fridolin  Rummel,  1st  Lieut.,  resig'd  ;  wound- 
ed at  Chickamauga,  Sept.  20,  '63. 
Herman  L.  Vaubel,  serg't.,  pro.  1st  Lieut.  Co. 

A.  June  6, '6.5. 


John  Beely,  serg't.,  diseh.  June  20,  '65. 
Peter  Beely,  serg't,  disch.  Sept.  22, '64;  wnd. 
Charles  Willielm,  serg't.,  disch.  June  10,  '65. 
Nicolas,   Kessler,  pvt.,  killed  at  battle.  Peach 

Tree  Creek,  (ia.,  July  20,  '64. 
Amraon,  Charles,  private,  dis.  Sept.  22,  '64. 
Bernhard,  John,  private,  disch.  Feb.  '25,  '63. 
Bncher,  .Sebastian,  private,  dis.  April  3.  '62. 
Fleuhler,  Michael,  private,  dis.  June  16,  '65. 
Fuerst,  Gabriel,  private,  disch.  Sept.  22,  '64. 
Kellerhals,  Oswald,  pvt.,  disch.  June  10,  '65. 
Keil,  Conrad,  private,  disch.  Nov.  10,  '6-5. 
Lorenz,  Wm.,  private,  disch.  Jan.  11,  '65. 
Loyd,  Joseph,  private,  disch.  Sept.  3,  '61. 
Lulim,  John,  private,  disch.  Dee.  8,  '01. 
Mergenthaler,  Antone,  pvt.,  dis.  Aug.  7,  '02. 
Miissiman,  August,  private,  dis.  Sept.  22,  '64. 
Newman,  William,  pvt.,  disch.  .Sept.  22,  '64. 
Ruiz,  Abraham,  private,  disch.  Sept.  22,  '64. 
Siegrist,  Emil,  private,  disch.  Sept.  22,  '64. 
Voigt,  Henry,  private,  disch.  Sept.  22,  '64. 
Webber,  Dominic,  private,  disch.  Sept.  '2'2,   04. 
Wolff,  Louis,  private,  disch.  Sept.  22,  '04. 
Droesch,  Joseph,  private,  tr.  to  V.  K.  C. ;  wnd. 
Linherr,  John,  pvt.,  tr.  to  V.  R.  C;  wounded. 
J<ipp,  Fred,  pvt.,  tr.  to  Reg't  Staff';  wounded. 

Muster  Roll  Company  I. 

Captain. 
Edward  Richter,  mustered  out  1  864. 

Second   Lieutenant. 
John  V.  Krebs,  killed  at  Murfreesboro,  Tenn. 


Sergeants. 

Joseph  Schaer,  mustered  out  1864. 

Victor  Senn,  wounded  at  Murfreesboro,  Tenn., 

discharged  March,  1803. 
Ernst  Diekman,  mustered  out  1864. 
Christian  Reed,  mustered  out  1864. 

Corporak. 

Ernst  Eohcrkasta,  mustered  out  1864. 

Simon  Brendle,  discharged. 

Anton  Peter,  wounded  at  Perry ville,  Ky.,Oct. 

8,  1862;  discharged. 
Julius  Reed,  mustered  out  1864. 
Herman  Berlemann,  mustered  out  1864. 
Henry  Meves,  mustered  out  1864. 
Frederick  Lenning,  mustered  out  1864. 

Musician. 
Peter  Smith,  mustered  out  1804. 

Wagoner. 
■Vin  Nolde,  mustered  out  1864. 

Privates. 

Burlemann,  Ernst. 

Bishopp,  Peter,  captured  at  Atlanta,  died  in 

Andersonville  prison. 
Burkhorst,  Conr.ad,  mustered  out  18G4. 
Bruus,  Casper,  mustered  out  1864. 
Berganiann,  Henry,  mustered  out  1804. 
Blum,  Xavier. 

Boening,  Henry,  died  Nov.  1801. 
Detmer.  Henry  killed  at  Murfreesboro. 
Dietemann,  Seraphine,  was  prisoner,  M.  O. 
Deterweich,  John,  mustered  out  1864. 
Dormilz,  Fred,  mustered  out  1864. 
Hook,  Bernhard,  killed. 
Henckel,  Charles. 
Hartwicic,  Charles. 

Hartung,  Louis,  wounded,  mustered  out  1864. 
Horry,  Jacob,  discharged,  wounded. 
Tntch,  John. 

Kissling,  Frederick,  mustered  out. 
Kremer,  Ern.sl.  died  in  .Jeff'erson  City,  Mo.,  '61. 
Kuhn,  .'Vugust. 


Kloeppner,  Henry. 

Ledebuir,  Kasper, 

Langbeir,  Ernst. 

Miller,  Daniel. 

Miller,  John. 

Runge,  Louis. 

Sieburger,  Fred. 

Schneider,  Henry. 

Siedler,  Alois. 

Siefried,  Anthony,  wounded  at  .\tlanta,  Ga. 

Schmidt.  Gottleib. 

iSii-pt,  John. 

Willie,  William. 

Wassmann,  August. 

First    Missouri    Cavalry  Regiment.— Three 
years'  Service. 

Organized  at  Jefferson  Barrack,  Mo.; 
naustered  into  the  service  of  the  United 
States  oa  the  .30th  day  of  August,  1861. 
Ordered  to  Jefferson  City  and  from 
thence  to  Tipton,  Warsaw,  Springfield, 
and  Rolla,  Mo.  Returned  to  Springfield 
skirmishing  with  the  enemy.  Moved  to 
Sugar  Creek,  Mo.,  engaged  the  enemy 
February  17,  1862,  with  a  lo  s  of  two 
enlisted  men  of  company  "  M,  "  Wolf 
and  Prince.  Camped  at  Sugar  Creek, 
scouting  and  doing  escort  duty  for  sup- 
ply trains  until  the  Battle  of  Pea  Ridge 
in  which  eight  Companies  of  this  Regi- 
ment were  engaged.  The  Regiment 
then  moved  to  Batesville,  Jacksonport 
and  Helena.  Was  then  ordered  to 
Memphis,  engaged  the  enemy  at  Cold 
Water  June  20,  1863,  returned  to  Mem- 
phis, and  was  ordered  to  St.  Louis,  arriv- 
ing July  3d.  On  the  '23d,  July,  received 
orders  to  move  to  Cape  Girardeau,  Mo.,\ia 
Illinois,  from  which  piiintthey  advanced 
j  to  Pocahontas,  on  the  Black  river,  cap- 
turing the  noted  Confederate  General 
Jefl'.  Thompson  ;  returned  to  Camp  at 
Cape  Girardeau  received  orders  to  move 
to  New  Madrid,  Mo.,  there  receiving 
final  discharge,  August,  1864.  We  ap- 
pend a  roster  of  the  soldiers  from  Aladi- 
son  county,  Illinois  who  enlisted  in  said 
Regiment. 

Roster— Muster  Roll  Company  M. 

Caplniu. 
■Valentine  Preuitt,  pro.  capt.,  Aug.  27,  '62. 

First  Lieutenant. 

William  B.  Dorsey,  M.  0.«Nov.  23,  1864,  was 
acting  A.  Q.  M. 

First  Sergeant. 

Francis  C.  Dorsey,  disch'ged  by  special  order, 
March  5,  '63. 

Sergeants. 

.James  H.  Willard. 

William  P.  Prince,  killed  at  Sugar  creek,  Feb. 
17.  1,S62 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


265 


I-iom  P.  Preiiitt,  pro.  Ist  serg't,  July  15,  '62. 
Pelcr  Reiile. 
Richard  B.  Dorsey. 

Corporals. 

O-scar  ti.  Preuitt,  pro.  sergt.  .July  15,  '62. 
William  P.  Y  iger,  pro.  serg't,  July  15,  '62. 
Jo-epii  Graff. 

Williuiii  A.  McDonald,  pro.  aergt.,  Nov.  1,  '62. 
Thomi-',  Rilph,  vet.,    pro.   2i  lieut.,  April  1, 

1,S62. 
Paul  Kingston. 

Austin  Yager,  pro.  serg't,  Jan.  1,  I8f)4. 
Joseph  II.  Porter,  discharge  1  July  2 1,  '62. 

Wagoner. 
AVilliam  G.  Triglen. 

Farrier. 
Joseph  Redman. 

lllachsmilh. 

John  R.  Norris  died  in  service. 

Privates. 
Belleville,  Charles,  discharged  Sep.  5,  '64. 


Bise,  William  H. 

Baley,  Ja.«.,  died  in  hosp'l  at  Memphis,  Tenn., 

Mav  4,   63. 
Bowmaii,  Henrv,  discharged  Aug.  26,   62. 
Barkley,   Michael,   wounded  at  Cold  Water 

June  20.  '63. 
Boyle,  Austin,  discharged. 
Chaffer,  (ieorge,  mus.  out  ill  1864. 
Carroll,  Michael,  mus.  out  in  1864. 
I),vycr,  Thomas,  mus.  out  in  1864. 
Dillon,  .lohn,  mus.  out.  in  1864. 
Franklin,  David,  mus.  out  in  1864.    _ 
Fanuan,  Edward,  mustered  out  in  1864. 
Friars,  Fred.,  mustered  out  in  1864. 
Grant,  John,  mus.  out  in  1864. 
Gilson,  Lawrence,  killed  in  service. 
Givin,  James  H.,  mus.  out  in  Aug.  '64. 
Harris,  Henrv  M.,  mus.  out  in  Aug.  '64. 
Hickley,  John,  mustered  out  Aug.   64. 
Hand,  James,  nuis.  out  Aug.  '64. 
Johnson,  Hermon,  mus.  out  Au^. '64. 
Jackson,  Solomon,  mus.  out  Aug.  '64. 
Jackson.  James,  discharged. 
Jones,  .\ustin,  veteraned. 
Karnev,  John. 

Kiser,'Henry,  re-enliated  a.s  veteran. 
Leem'an,  Samuel  P.,  must'd  out  in  1864. 
Little,  William,  wounded  two  or  three  times. 


Lilly,  Frank,  m.  o.  in  1864. 
Lynch,  Kdward,  lu.  o.  in  '64. 
Lewi.s,  Kdward,  ra.  o.  in  '64. 
Mayherry,  James  E.,  veteraned. 
Maher,  Daniel. 

JIcDonald,  James,  discharged. 
Monks,  John. 
Mullen,  Daniel. 

Maxwell,  Mauira,  m.o.  in  1861. 
McConuell,  .lohn,  m.o.  in  1864. 
Malouey,  .John,  m.  o.  in  1864. 
O'Conner,  Martin,  m.  o.  in  1864. 
Ptiffer,  Jacob,  m.  o.  Aug.  1864. 
Rose,  John  C,  veteraned. 
Kustamier,  .fohn,  veteraned. 
Strickland,  John,  m.  o.  in  1864. 
Stone,  William,  died  at  Memphis,  smallpox, 
Swain,  William,  veter.med. 
Scott,  John. 

Suttcm,  George,  ra.  o.  in  1864. 
Smith,  .\dam,  killed. 
Wolf,  Adam,  killed  at  Cold  Water. 
WanI,  CliH;)rd. 
Welsh,  Martin. 

Wellher,  Nicholas,  veteraned. 
Willhite,  .Joel. 
j  Yonger,  John,  disch'd. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


THE  COMMON  SCHOOLS. 


I  HE  Pilgrim  Fathers  sought  the  bleak  New 
Eugland  shores,  leaving  suuuy  Eng- 
land behind  them,  in  the  interests  of 
civil  and  religious  liberty.  lu  their 
rude  cabins,  cheered  by  brightly  burning 
fagots,  they  taught  their  children  to  read 
and  write  whilst  they  instilled  into  their 
minds  a  love  of  liberty.  It  early  occur- 
red to  these  patriots  that  education  was  the  bulwark  of  re- 
publican institutions,  that  if  they  would  perpetuate  self- 
government  they  must  educate.  Here  the  free  school  found 
birth.  Advantages  sufficient  to  learn  to  read,  to  write,  to 
reckon  were  deemed  a  debt  due  every  child  born  withiu  the 
boundaries  of  the  State,  in  order  that  such  child  when  it 
should  become  a  sovereign  should  be  able  to  become  familiar 
with  the  laws  before  which  it  stood  responsible.  These  prin- 
ciples were  slowly  formulated  in  laws.  Advocates  of  educa- 
tion took  yet  broader  grounds  and  passing  by  local  State 
boundaries  looked  forward  to  a  universal  national  recogni- 
tion of  education  as  a  debt,  hence  it  was  that  champion.  Dr. 
Manasseh  Cutler  of  Massachusetts,  went  to  New  York  to 
attend  the  convention  of  1787  in  the  interest  of  educational 
measures,  and  secured  the  passage  of  Article  2,  of  the  com- 
pact of  1787,  which  gave  throughout  the  north-western  ter- 
ritory, one  thirty-sixth  of  all  public  lands  for  school  pur- 
poses, and  in  addition  one  township  of  thirty-six  .sections  in 
each  Territory  or  State  formed  out  of  the  northwest  for 
Seminary,  also  of  Article  3,  which  reads:  "A  provision 
prohibiting  the  adoption  of  any  constitution  or  the  enact- 
ment of  any  law  that  should  nullify  pre-existing  contracts. 
34 


Be  it  forever  remembered  that  this  compact  declared  that 
Religion,  Jlorality  and  Knowledge  being  necessary  to  good 
gove'rument  and  the  happiness  of  mankind,  schools  and  the 
means  of  education  shall  always  be  encouraged." 

Dr.  Cutler  planted  himself  firmly  on  this  platform,  and 
yielded  not  until  success  crowned  hisefforts.  EveryStatecut 
out  of  the  great  northwest  territory  now  enjoys  the  benefits 
of  his  far-sighted  policy.  Public  schools  nurtured  by  pub- 
lic funds,  the  outgrowth  of  the  wise  provisions  embodied  in 
Dr.  Cutler's  resolutions  gladden  millions  of  youth,  and  their 
blessings  are  yet  in  their  infancy.  Here  was  the  germ  of 
the  whole  free  school  system  as  developed  throughout  the 
West.  Dr.  Cutler  was  reared  in  Massachusetts  ;  had  enjoyed 
the  benefits  of  that  free  school  system  inaugurated  in  Boston 
in  1635,  when  the  general  court  authorized  au  appropriation 
of  four  hundred  pouuds,  for  tlie  e.stablishment  of  a  "  schoole 
or  college."  In  1642  the  first  educational  ordinance  of  the 
colony  was  adopted.  By  it  the  selectmen  of  every  town 
were  enjoined  to  have  a  "  vigilant  eye  over  their  brethren 
and  neighbors  to  see,  first,  that  none  of  them  shall  sufier  so 
much  barbarism  in  any  of  their  families,  as  not  to  endeavor 
to  teach,  by  themselves  or  others,  their  children  and  appren- 
tices so  much  learning  as  may  enable  them  to  perfectly  read 
the  English  tongue,  and  knowledge  of  the  capital  laws,  upon 
twenty  shillings  therein."  The  school  law  of  ]\Ias.sachusetts 
adopted  1647  has  furni.shed  the  foundation  for  all  subse- 
quent legislation  in  the  interests  of  education. 

In  1818  when  Illinois  was  admitted  as  a  State  she  was  in 
the  incipient  enjoyment  of  Rev.  Dr.  Cutler's  foresight,  as 
set  forth  in  the  act  of  admission,  which  contained  the  follow- 
ing stipulations  imposed  by  Congress: 

"  Whereas  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  in  an  act 
!  entitled  '  An  act  to  enab'e  the  people  of  the  Illinois  terri- 
'  tory  to  form  a  constitution  and  State  government,  and  for 
1  the  admission  of  such  state  in  the  union  on  equal  footing 
i  with  the  original  states,  passed  the  13th  of  April,  1818' 
have  offered  to   this  convention,  for  the  free  acceptance  or 


266 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


rejection,  the  following  propositions,  which  if  accepted  by 
the  convention,  are  to  be  obligatory  upon  the  United  States, 
viz:  1.  The  section  numbered  sixteen  in  every  township, 
and  when  such  section  has  been  sold,  or  otherwise  disposed 
of,  other  land  equivalent  thereto,  and  as  contiguous,  as  may 
be,  shall  be  granted  to  the  State  for  the  use  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  such  township  for  the  use  of  schools.  2.  That  all 
salt  springs  within  such  State  shall  be  granted  to  the  said 
State  for  the  use  of  said  State,  and  the  same  to  be  used  under 
such  terms  and  conditions  and  regulations  as  the  legislature 
of  said  State  shall  direct :  Provided,  the  legislature  shall 
never  sell  nor  lease  the  same  for  a  longer  period  than  ten 
years  at  any  one  time.  3.  That  five  per  cent,  of  the  net 
proceeds  of  the  lauds  lying  within  such  State,  and  which 
shall  be  sold  by  Congress  from  and  after  the  first  day  of 
January,  1819,  after  deducting  all  expenses  incident  to  the 
same,  shall  be  reserved  for  the  purposes  following,  viz. :  Two- 
fifths  to  be  disbursed  under  the  direction  of  congress,  in 
making  roads  leading  to  the  State  ;  the  residue  to  be  appro- 
priated by  the  legislature  of  the  State  for  the  encouragement 
of  karning,  of  which  one-sixth  part  shall  be  exclusively  be- 
stowed on  a  college  or  university.  4.  That  thirty-six  sec- 
tions, or  one  entire  township,  which  will  be  designated  by 
the  president  of  the  United  States,  together  with  the  one 
heretofore  reserved  for  that  purpose,  shall  be  reserved  for 
the  use  of  a  seminary,  and  vested  in  the  legislature  of  the 
said  State,  to  be  appropriated  solely  to  the  use  of  such  sem- 
inary by  the  said  legislature." 

From  the  above,  it  will  be  seen  with  what  care  and  jeal- 
ousy the  general  government  guarded  the  school-interests  of 
the  new-formed  states.  These  grants  and  conditions  were 
accepted  by  the  convention  which  assembled  at  Kaskaskia 
in  July  1818,  for  the  purpose  of  framing  a  constitution  for 
the  new  state.  Hon.  Shadrach  Bond,  a  man  of  marked 
ability,  was  elected  first  governor  of  Illinois.  In  his  inau- 
gural address  to  the  general  asembly,  he  called  their  special 
attention  to  the  educational  interests  of  the  state  in  the  fol- 
lowing forcible  language  :  "  The  subject  of  education,  the 
means  for  which  have  been  so  amply  provided  by  the  gen- 
eral government,  cannot  fail  to  engross  your  serious  atten- 
tion. It  would  be  well  to  provide  for  the  appointment  or 
election  of  trustees  in  each  township  sufficiently  populated, 
and  empower  them  to  lease,  for  a  limited  period,  the  section 
of  land  reserved  and  granted  for  the  use  of  schools  within 
the  same,  requiring  them  to  appropriate  the  rents  arising 
therefrom  to  such  use  and  in  the  manner  to  be  prescribed 
by  law.  The  townships  of  land  which  have  been  granted  to 
the  state  for  the  use  of  a  seminary  of  learning,  cannot,  it  is 
believed,  be  so  disposed  of  at  present  as  to  authorize  the 
passage  of  a  law  to  commence  the  undertaking ;  but  at  least 
a  part  of  them  may  be  leased,  and  the  rents  arising  there- 
from may  be  laid  up  or  vested  in  some  productive  fund  as  a 
secure  deposit  to  be  hereafter  appropriated  to  the  subject  to 
which  the  grants  were  made  ;  such  a  course  will  render  those 
lands  productive,  and  when  the  period  shall  arrive  at  which 
it  may  be  advisable  to  sell  them,  they  will  be  extensively 
improved  and  of  great  value.  These  donations,  together  with 
the  three  per  cent,  upon  the  net  proceeds  arising  from  the 


sale  of  the  public  lands  within  the  state,  which  have  been  ap- 
picpriated  Icr  similar  jurpoKS,  with  prcpcr  auangcmfnts, 
will  create  a  ftr.d  stfiicicntly  large  to  educate  the  children 
of  the  state  to  the  remotest  period  of  time.  It  is  our  imper- 
ious duty,  for  the  faithful  performance  of  which  we  are 
answerable  to  God  and  our  county,  to  watch  over  this  inter- 
esting subject.  No  employment  can  be  more  engaging  than 
that  of  husbanding  those  resources  which  will  spread 
through  all  classesof  our  fellow-citizens  the  means  of  wisdom 
and  of  knowledge,  which  in  the  freedom  of  our  institutions 
will  make  the  child  of  the  poorest  parent  a  useful  member 
of  society  and  an  ornament  to  his  country." 

The  first  general  assembly  was  too  much  engrossed  with 
other  matters  of  state  to  give  this  portion  of  the  Governor's 
message  the  attention  it  deserved  ;  but  at  its  second  session, 
it  took  cognizance  of  the  recommendations  contained  in  his 
first  message,  and  a  bill  was  passed  by  both  houses,  and  ap- 
proved by  the  Governor,  March  2d,  1819.  It  provided  for 
the  appointment  by  the  county  commissioners  in  each  and 
every  county,  of  three  trustees  in  each  township,  who  were 
within  six  months  after  appointment  authorized  to  employ 
a  surveyor,  who  should  lay  out  section  sixteen  in  each  town- 
ship into  lots,  not  containing  less  than  forty,  nor  more  than 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  to  lease  the  same  for  a  term 
of  ten  years,  for  the  purpose  of  creating  a  revenue  for  school, 
purposes.  As  this  law  was  general  in  its  tenor,  it  was  suffi- 
cient to  protect  and  throw  around  these  school-lands  a 
proper  safeguard,  and  had  the  recommendations  of  the  Go- 
vernor and  the  provisions  of  the  law  been  adhered  to  until 
the  lands  became  valuable,  the  public  fund  in  nearly  every 
township  in  the  state  would  be  to-day  sufficient  to  maintain 
our  public  schools  without  special  taxation.  Unwise  counsel 
prevailed  somewhere,  and  the  most  of  this  munificent  gift  of 
the  general  government  has  been  largely  sacrificed. 

From  1819  to  1825  but  few  changes  were  made  in  the 
school-law.  Although  the  changes  were  few  and  unimport- 
ant, there  was  a  decided,  growing  sentiment  favorable  to  the 
free-school  system;  and  in  1825  the  general  assembly  passed 
an  act  providing  for  the  establishment  and  maintenance  of 
public  schools.  In  the  preamble  to  this  act,  the  following 
patriotic  sentiment  was  expressed.  To  enjoy  our  rights  and 
liberties  we  must  understand  them  ;  their  security  and  pro- 
tection ought  to  be  the  first  object  to  free  people  ;  and  it  is 
a  well-established  fact  that  no  nation  has  ever  continued  long 
in  the  enjoyment  of  civil  and  political  freedom  which  was 
not  both  virtuous  and  enlightened  ;  and  believing  the  ad- 
vancement of  literature  always  has  been,  and 'ever  will  be, 
the  means  of  developing  more  fully  the  rights  of  man,  that 
the  mind  of  every  citizen  in  a  republic  is  the  common  pro- 
perty of  society,  and  constitutes  the  basis  of  its  strength  and 
happiness.  It  is  therfore  considered  the  peculiar  duty  of  a 
free  government  like  ours  to  encourage  and  extend  the  im- 
provement and  cultivation  of  the  intellectual  energies  of  the 
whole. 

This  act  is  unquestionably  the  foundation-stone  of  the 
present  free-school  system  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  The  act 
was  mandatory,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  language  of  the 
statute  in  the  following  passage:  "There  shall  be  established 


HISTORY   OF    MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


267 


a  common  school  or  schools  in  each  of  the  counties  of  this 
state,  which  shall  be  open  to  every  class  of  white  citizens 
between  the  ages  of  five  and  twenty-one  years."  It  also 
provided  for  the  election  in  each  district  of  the  following 
officers :  Three  trastees,  one  treasurer,  one  clerk,  one  asses- 
sor and  one  collector.  The  trustees  were  empowered  to  per- 
form many  of  the  functions  now  performed  by  the  county 
S'jpsrintendents,  such  as  examining  of  teachers,  visiting 
schools,  reporting  to  the  county  commissioners,  etc.  Some 
of  the  provisions  of  the  law  of  182j  were  repealed  by  the 
act  of  1827,  creating  a  general  law  of  the  state  relating  to 
the  common  sehools;  but  no  material  changes  were  made 
until  1841,  when  the  legislature  made  a  complete  revision 
of  the  school  law,  approved  February  26th,  1841. 

Among  the  changes  of  this  act  are  the  following  pro- 
visions :  Each  township  could  have  as  many  schools  as  the 
inhabitants  of  such  town  desired;  the  people  of  every  or- 
ganized district  were  required  to  meet  and  elect  from  their 
number  three  trustees,  and  to  agree  upon  their  plan  and 
manner  of  conducting  the  school-  Thsse  trustees  or  direc- 
tors were  vested  with  power  to  execute  the  plan  adopted, 
and  were  required  to  visit  and  superintend  the  schools.  This 
law  was  the  first  that  required  schedules  to  be  kept  by  the 
teachers,  and  returned  to  the  township  treasurers.  It  also 
required  a  teacher  to  pass  an  examiuation  for  a  certificate  to 
teach.  The  board  of  trustees  was  required  to  perform  this 
duty,  or  appoint  a  board  of  examiners  for  the  purpose.  The 
law  did  not  mention  the  branches  to  be  taught  nor  did  it 
spscify  the  branches  in  which  the  teacher  should  be  ex- 
amined, but  required  that  the  certificate,  when  issued,  should 
enumerate  the  branches  in  which  he  was  qualified  to  teach. 
In  1845  another  revision  of  the  school  law  was  made,  and 
many  new  and  important  features  were  incorporated  in  it. 
The  secretary  of  state  was  by  virtue  of  his  office  created 
state  superintendent  of  schools.  Among  his  various  duties 
the  statute  provided  that  he  should  counsel  with  experienced 
teachers,  relating  to  the  latest  and  most  approved  methods 
of  conducting  the  common-schools ;  he  was  required  to  ad- 
vise the  school  commissioner*  as  to  the  best  manner  of 
managing  the  schools  ;  of  constructing  school-houses,  and 
procuring  competent  teachers ;  to  recommend  the  best  text- 
books, charts,  maps,  etc.,  and  to  bring  about  a  uniformity  of 
the  same.  Under  this  law,  whose  duties  were  those  of  sec- 
retary of  state,  the  first  state  superintendent  wiis  tlie  Hon. 
Thompson  Campbell,  who  made  a  very  efficient  and  useful 
officer.  Many  of  the  suggestions  given  by  him  in  his  report 
to  the  governor  could  be  used  with  profit  to  our  school 
system  of  to-day. 

The  duties  of  the  secretary  of  state  confined  him  almost 
entirely  to  his  office,  hence  pstitions  were  circulated  in  be- 
half of  the  establishment  of  a  separate  office,  that  of  State 
Superintendent  of  schools.  In  1854  the  efibrts  of  these 
friends  of  education  were  crowned  with  success.  It  was 
provided  by  act  of  the  legislature  that  the  governor  appoint 
such  official  to  serve  until  the  election  in  1855,  with  a 
salary  of  81500  per  annum. 

Hon.  Niniau  Edwards  was  appointed  the  first  State 
Superintendent  under  this  law,  and    the   first   to    have   the 


honor  of  friming  a  bill  for  tha  unification  of  the  school 
system  of  the  State. 

Educators  were  not  yet  satisfied.  The  entire  free  school 
system  of  the  State,  with  its  myriad  ramifications,  its  vast 
accumulations  of  funds  and  property,  had  no  other  guardian 
than  a  State  Legislature.  Its  entire  control  and  manage- 
ment were  subject  to  the  whims  and  caprices  of  the  General 
Assembly.  It  was  the  creature  of  statute  law.  It  had  no 
recognition  in  the  Constitution  of  the  State.  One  fell  swoop 
of  legislative  power  and  the  schools  were  dissolved.  Such 
catastrophe  might  never  overtake  them,  still  the  impdirmeut 
of  the  system  was  not  only  possible,  but  at  times  seriously 
threatened.  Other  states  had  swept  from  their  statute 
books  every  provision  for  such  schools,  even  after  a  trial. 
It  was  hazardous  to  leave  their  management  to  the  chance 
current  of  public  opinion,  hence  all  true  friends  of  the  cause 
rejoiced  when  the  strong  arms  of  the  Constitution  were 
thrown  about  this  corner-stone  of  our  liberties  in  1870. 
The  Constitution  adopted  in  convention  May  1.3th,  1870,  and 
ratified  by  the  people  July  2d,  1870,  to  go  into  effect  August 
Sth,  1870,  recognizes  a  thorough  and  efficient  system  of  free 
schools  in  the  fundamental  laws  of  the  State.  By  this  act 
Illinois  took  her  place  in  the  first  rank  of  American  Com- 
monwealths and  forever  wrested  from  chameleonic  public 
opinion  the  destiny  of  her  schools. 

The  permanent  school  fund  of  the  State  comprises:  Ist, 
the  school  fund  proper,  being  three  per  cent,  upon  the  net 
proceeds  of  the  sales  of  the  public  lands  in  the  State,  one- 
sixth  part  excepted  ;  2il,  the  college  fund,  consisting  of  the 
above  one-sixth  part ;  .3d,  the  surplus  revenue  derived  from 
the  distribution  in  1830  of  the  surplus  revenue  of  the 
United  States  ;  4th,  the  summary  fund,  derived  from  sales 
of  lands  granted  to  the  State  by  the  general  government; 
Sth,  county  funds  created  by  the  legislature  in  1835;  6th, 
township  funds  arising  from  the  sale  of  public  land  granted 
by  Congress  for  common-school  purposes. 

EARLY  SCHOOLS  OF  THE  COUNTY. 

Not  les<  rapid  than  the  development  of  the  country's  re- 
sources has  been  the  growth  of  her  schools.  The  first  taught 
in  Madison  county  were  "  kept  "  (a  word  once  popular  and 
eminently  appropriate)  in  deserted  log  cabins,  or  pole  houses 


OLD   LOG   SCHOOL   HOUSE. 


erected  for  the  purpose.     A  description  of  one  would  serve 
quite  well  for  all.     An  old  citizen  of  the  American  Bottom 


268 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


relates  the  following:  "A  number  of  the  old  settlers  met 
together  and  set  to  work  with  hearty  good  will  to  erect  a 
school-house.  They  cut  down  and  trimmed  a  number  of 
trees  that  would  average  six  inches  in  diameter.  Of  these 
they  made  a  pen  about  12x16  feet  in  size.  Having  built  it 
eight  feet  high  they  covered  it  with  rough  clap  boards  which 
they  weighted  down  with  heavier  timber,  next  a  door  was 
cut  through  on  one  side  and  the  "  temple  of  learning"  was 
ready  for  summer  occupancy.  To  this  chinkless,  floorless, 
chimneyless  structure  flocked  such  children  as  could  be 
spared  from  farm  labor  for  two  miles  around  The  same  build- 
ing was  chinked,  daubed,  floored,  with  rough  hewed  timbers, 
provided  with  a  stick  chimney,  a  board  extending  the  entire 
length  of  the  cabin,  attached  to  the  wall  to  serve  the  pur- 
pose of  a  writing  desk,  and  an  aristocratic  window  of  greased 
paper  in  readiness  for  winter  scholars.     The  old  puncheon 


PUNCHEON    BENCH. 

bench  was  used  for  seating  pupils.  This  bench  made 
by  splitting  logs  and  putting  in  wooden  legs  as  sup- 
ports was  generally  too  high  to  enable  the  smaller  urchins 
to  rest  their  feet  upon  the  floor.  So  there  they  were 
compelled  to  sit  six  or  eight  hours  a  day,  legs  dangling  in 
air  and  woe  betide  him  whose  weariness  caused  restlessness 
With  his  birchen  rod's  keen'tingle  the  master  awakened  him 
to  a  realization  of  his  whereabouts.  In  those  days  '  lickin 
and  larnin'  were  veritable  Siamese  twins  in  the  cause  of 
education,  and  no  teacher  was  considered  capable  who  did 
not  make  a  vigorous  use  of  the  rod. 

As  a  general  thing  teachers  of  an  early  day,  although 
severe  io  discipline,  literal  interpreters  of  Solomon's  saw, 
"  Spare  the  rod  and  spoil  the  child,"  were  faithful  in  the  dis- 
charge of  duty,  teaching  to  the  extent  of  their  ability.  But 
few  of  them  were  well  qualified  to  teach  beyond  the  rudi- 
ments of  an  education,  yet  possessed  of  good  common  sense 
they  accomplished  much  good.  They  attempted  to  teach 
but  little  and  taught  that  little  well.  Teaching  was  con- 
fined to  the  three  "  R's,"  readin, 'ritin  and  'rithraetic.  In 
heveral  of  the  earlier  schools  spelling  occupied  five-eighths 
of  the  day  whilst  reciting  the  multiplication  table  or  reading 
occupied  the  remainder  of  the  time.  A  knowledge  of  figures 
wan  considered  the  »me  qua  non  in  a  boy's  education,  whilst 
girls  were  thought  to  need  little  book  preparation  for 
life's  work.  When  spelling  bees,  with  their  social  and  intel- 
lectual pleasures  excited  whole  communities,  it  was  found 
that  girls  usually  more  than  held  their  own,  indeed  almost 
every  district  had  within  its  boundaries  a  girl  or  young  wo 
man  who  could  spell  the  whole  school  down — the  master  in- 
cluded. Barring  out  the  master— Christmas  treats,  ducking, 
etc.,  held  their  sway  in  those  days.  Mention  of  the  fact 
doubtless  causes  swift  memory  in  old  age  to  recall  such  ex- 
periences in  every  neighborhood. 


Whenever  it  happened  as  it  often  did,  that  a  teacher  [of 
fine  attainments,  was  found  at  work  in  one  of  the  rude  cab- 
ins, his  reputation  drew  to  him  an  attendance  from  near  and 
far  of  eager,  earnest  youth  who  made  the  best  of  their  op- 
portunities. The  place  of  profit  and  tru.st  filled  by  many 
such,  with  general  acceptance  show  how  well  they  improved 
their  chances. 

In  early  times  the  individual  plan  of  recitation  was  in 
vogue.  The  master  went  around  from  one  to  auother  help- 
ing thrm  "  do  their  sums  "  and  pronouncing  hard  words  in 
the  spelling  lesson,  which  confronted  him  at  every  turn  he 
made.  Simultaneously  he  would  be  making  or  mending 
pens,  for  which  they  used  goose  quills.  A  copy  was  to  be 
set  here,  and  a  disturbance  to  be  settled  there,  requiring  the 
birchen  rod  or  ferule,  sometimes  a  pinching  of  the  ear,— or  a 
well  aimed  "  thud  "  with  the  second  finger.  For  all  this  ser- 
vice the  teacher  was  poorly  paid.  In  some  instances  he  was 
expected  to  board  around, — a  week  at  the  home  of  each  pupil. 
A  little  later  on  an  improvement  was  made  in  the  plan  of 
recitation.  Classes  were  organized  and  members  were  re- 
quired to  stand  erect  in  rows  "  toeing  the  mark  "  during  reci- 
tation which  was  usually  preceded  by  "making  of  manners" 
— i.  e.  bowing  to  the  teacher.  Not  unfrequently  were  these 
classes,  thus  arranged,' expected  to  spell  a  column  of  words 
aloud  and  altogether,  not  exactly  in  concert  but  at  one's 
own  will.  A  traveller  approaching  the  school-house 
hearing  the  din  of  voices — ranging  all  along  the  gamut  iu 
pitch,  and  from  the  pijHng  of  childhood  to  the  voice  of  a 
stentorin  force— would  know  that  the  spelling  class  was  en- 
gaged in  study.  The  abecedarian  was  still  alone.  He  tim- 
idly approached  the  master,  stood  beside  him,  and  in  regular 
order  the  letters  of  the  alphabet  were  pointed  out  and  named 
to  him,  he  repeating  after,  mechanically,  the  monotonous  a.  b. 
c  J.  From  just  such  schools  came  some  of  our  most  practi- 
cal and  thoughtful  men.  Men  too  who  attained  distinction 
in  fighting  life's  battles.  But  now  the  log  school-house  is  a 
thing  of  the  past,  roads  and  ferules  are  no  longer  thought 
indispens-able  in  teaching,  nor  is  physical  power  a  necessary 
requisite  in  the  teacher.  The  state  has  provided  a  better 
class  of  accommodations,  and  prepared  the  way  for  teachers 
to  better  fit  themselves  for  their  work  ;  and  we  are  now  reap- 
ing the  benefits  of  wiser  legislation  and  broader  and  more 
comprehensive  views  of  education. 

The  first  school  of  which  we  have  any  account  within  the 
limits  of  the  county  was  that  at  Casterline's  School  House  in 
what  is  now  Collinsville  township,  in  1804  or  5,  by  James 
Bradsbury.  The  pioneer  teacher  remained  a  year,  and  pu- 
pils flocked  to  him  from  a  considerable  distance  in  all  direc- 
tions. About  the  same  time  some  benevolent  old  ladies 
weni  from  house  to  house  among  the  French  settlers  on 
Can  tine,  or  Quentine  as  sometimes  spelled,  imparting  instruc- 
tion to  the  children,  whilst  the  monks  of  La  Trappe  looked 
after  that  of  the  elders.  A  happy  exhibition  of  the  true 
missionary  educational  spirit  but  hardly  to  be  classed  among 
pioneer  schools.  In  1809  a  school  was  taught  about  two 
and  a  half  miles  south  of  Edwardsville,  and  continued  at 
intervals  for  some  years  afterward,  during  which  time  it 
was  frequently  dispersed  by  rumors  of  Indian  inroads. 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


269 


Alton. — The  city  of  Alton  is  justly  proud  of  her  public 
schools.     In  1837   the  charter  adopted  by  the  city  provided 
for  the  establishment  and   maiuteuauce  of  Free  Schools. 
The  first  action  of  the  city  council   under  the  provisions  of  ' 
this  charter  wiis  taken  in  1842,  when  Messrs.  William  ^[ar- 
tin,  Dr.  B.  F.  Edwards  and  B.  B.  Barker  were  appointed  a   : 
board  of  directors.     Schools  were  opened,  but  funds  were 
not  forthcoming,  and   teachers  were   not  paid  in  full.     On    i 
the  3d  of  July,  lf^43,  the  City  Council,  on  motion  of  Dr.  B.    i 
K.  Hart  approj)riated  one  hundred  dollars  for  the  purchase,    < 
of  block  19  in  Pope  and  other  additions.     The  entire  block    | 
was  considered  worth  S200,  but  Judge  Pope  deeded  it  to  the    ! 
city  for  school  purposes  at  half  price.     At  the  same  meeting 
a  committee  of  four,  Messrs.  B.  B.  Barker,  F.  G.  Starr,  Dr. 
B.  K.  Hart  and  M.  G.  Atwood,  were  appointed  to  consider 
the  expediency  of  building  a  school-house  for  the  township, 
including  the  city.     Nothing  seems  to  have  been  accomplish- 
ed towards  so  laudable  an  enterprise,  and  in  fact,  little  was 
done  worthy  of  mention  iu  the  way  of  schools  until  February 
18th,  1845,   when  a  committee  of   three,  Messrs.  Atwood 
Hayden  and  Scarritt,  was  appointed  to  receive  contracts  for 
building  a  house  for  school  purposes.     March  18th,  the  con- 
tract was  let,  JNIessrs.  Lowe  and  Parks  offering  to  build  it  for 
the  sum  of8.5S0.70,  and  Messrs.  Marsh,  Levis  and  Woodbridge 
were  designated  to  superintend  its  construction.     Rev.  L.  S. 
Williams  was  employed  as  teacher  in  the   building    com- 
mencing his  labors  July  '21st,  1845.     He  continued  in  the 
position  until  September  1847,  when  W.  F.  Gurnsey  super- 
seded him.    This  school-house  was  long  afterwards  numbered 
as  schoo'-house  No.  2,  and  was  iu  186(j  taken  down  when  the 
High  School   Building  was   erected  on   its  site-     In  1851 
school-house  No.  3  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $1,983.20,  and 
in  February  1S52,  school  was  opened  with  W.  F.  Gurnsey 
as  teacher,  whilst  James  Newman  took  his  place  in  charge 
of  No.  2.     From  this  time  the  success  of  public  schools  was 
an  assured  fact,  and  their  real  growth  began.     Public  sym- 
pathy was  enlisted  iu    their    behalf.      The   third    school- 
house.  No.  1,  was  erected  during  the  year  1853  at  a  cost  of 
§4,396.84,  and  iu  the  fall   school   under  charge  of  George 
Crego    was  opened.     School   No.  4,  was  built   in  1856  at  a 
cost  of  $2,300.     In  September  same  year  school  was  com- 
menced by  Miss  Reed,  who  was  succeeded  by  Miss  Lucy  A. 
Foote.    School  No  5,  was  built  same  year  at  a  cost  of  S2,300. 
Mrs.  A.   E.    Newman,    first   teacher.     A   high  school  was 
opened  in  the  basement  of  the  Unitarian  Church,  February 
22d,  1858,  by  James  Newman  as  principal  and  Miss  M.  E. 
Richmond,  assistant. 

During  the  same  year  the  colored  school  was  instituted, 
with  John  Robinson  sis  teacher.  In  1>~>59,  it  was  thought 
best  to  place  the  school  interests  of  the  city  in  the  care  of  an 
organization  whose  sole  object  should  be  to  foster  and  pre- 
serve them;  hence  a  Board  of  Education,  composed  of  nine 
members,  was  created  by  ordinance  of  the  city  council, 
passed  August  15lh,  1859.  On  the  19th  of  the  same  month 
the  board  had  its  first  meeting,  and  chose  William  Hayden 
as  president  and  George  Skellenberger  as  superintendent  of 
schools  and  secretary.  Under  the  auspices  of  the  board 
commendable   progress   has  been  made.     No.  2  was  found 


inadequate,  and  in  1866,  the  new  No.  2  was  erected  at  a 
cost  of  $35,000.  Messrs.  Armstrong  &  Pfeiffenberger,  archi- 
tects. There  are  now  within  the  city  limits  five  school 
buildings.  The  schools  were  attended  during  1881-82,  by 
3119  pupils,  and  engaged  the  services  of  twenty-four 
teachers. 

Prior  to  the  organization  of  any  concerted  action  in  behalf 
of  the  schools,  many  efforts  were  put  forth  in  behalf  of  the 
education  of  the  youth  of  Alton.  In  November,  1831,  a 
"Preparatory  School,"  as  it  was  termed,  was  opened  by  ilr. 
H.  Davis,  in  a  room  over  the  store  of  S.  E.  Moore  &  Co.,  on 
Second  street,  between  Market  and  Alby  streets.  In  January, 
1832,  it  took  to  itself  the  name"  Alton  Seminary,"  and  in 
January,  1833,  was  removed  to  new  and  more  commodious 
quarters  on  Second  near  Alton  street.  Mr.  Davis,  the 
pioueer  teacher,  died  in  1834. 

The  second  effort  was  that  of  Abel  R.  Cobbin,  who  kept 
a  school  in  a  log  building  that  stood  on  the  junction  of 
Second  and  Third  streets,  below  Henry.  About  the  same 
time,  J-  M.  Krum,  (later  Judge  Krum,  of  St.  Louis),  opened 
a  school  in  Lyceum  Hall  at  the  corner  of  Second  and  Alby 
streets.  He  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Bosworth.  A  school  was 
taugh  by  Mr.  Hollister,  iu  the  Methodist  church,  on  Third 
street  between  Alby  and  Court  square,  in  1836.  D.  V. 
AVainright  taught  corner  of  Market  and  Second,  in  ISB''. 
Mrs.  Mary  D.  Bruner  taught  same  year  in  the  building  on 
the  site  now  occupied  by  Dr.  Haskell's  office.  In  1837, 
Miss  Sophia  Loomis,  afterward  the  wife  of  Cyrus  Edwards, 
taught  in  a  frame  building  northwest  corner  of  Grove  and 
Common  streets,  in  Edwards'  addition.  Other  teachers  thus 
engaged  in  private  undertakings  prior  to  opening  of  free 
schools,  were  a  Mr.  Warner,  Miss  Relief  V.  Everett,  Miss 
Carolina  Loomis  and  Mr.  D.  A.  Richardson,  a  Yankee  from 
Maine.  In  1842,  Mr.  Haylay  taught  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  city.  Mr.  Britton,  an  Episcopal  clergyman,  taught 
a  school  of  a  dozen  scholars,  in  1844,  advertising  superior 
advantages,  for  which  a  charge  of  ten  dollars  per  quarter 
per  pupil  was  made.  In  June,  1846,  Mr.  Utien  Smith 
began  a  school  in  the  basement  of  the  Episcopal  church, 
corner  of  Third  and  Market  streets,  which  he  continued 
until  May,  1855,  a  period  of  nine  years.  Mr.  Smith  was 
possessed  of  the  elements  of  success  as  a  teacher.  His  ex- 
perience iu  the  profession  ex.tended  over  a  period  of  thirty- 
seven  and  a  half  years. 

Edwardsville. — The  pioneer  school  of  this  township  has 
already  been  mentioned  as  having  been  maintained  in  a 
cabin  about  two  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Edwardsville,  in 
the  year  1809.  No  record  of  its  teachers  is  obtainable.  The 
first  name  receiving  recognition  as  that  of  a  teaidier  is 
Joshua  Atwater,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  who  first  came 
to  St.  Clair  county  in  1801;  thence  to  Madison  county.  He 
commenced  teaching  as  early  as  1807.  In  this  calling  he 
was  successful,  and  many  old  men  gratefully  remember  his 
efforts  iu  imparting  to  them  instruction. 

In  this  township  there  are  now  three  brick  and  four  frame 
school-houses.  Employment  is  given  to  seventeen  teachers, 
nine  of  whom  are  engaged  in  the  Union  school  in  the  city 
of  Edwardsville.  This  school  has  a  library  of  eight  hundred 


270 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


volumes  and  apparatus  valued  at  near  three  hundred  dollars. 
Under  the  efficient  managemeut  of  Prof.  I.  H.  Brown  the 
schools  are  making  fine  progress. 

Collimvllle. — It  was  iu  this  township  the  first  school  of 
the  county  was  taught,  already  briefly  referred  to.  James 
Bradsbury  was  the  teacher.  He  was  represented  by  pioneers 
to  have  been  an  able  and  earnest  instructor  ;  not  a  scholar, 
but  faithful  in  teaching  what  he  knew.  He  carried  several 
pupils  through  the  intricacies  of  the  old  "  rule  of  three,"  by 
the  aid  of  which  almost  all  arithmetical  sums  were  solved. 
In  the  year  1814,  a  school-house  was  built  in  this  town- 
ship between  Judy's  and  Whiteside's.  It  stood  idle  more 
than  half  the  time.  Two  years  prior  to  this,  in  1812,  a 
school  was  taught  by  Elisha  Alexander,  in  Mr.  Judy's  door- 
yard  ;  a  Mr.  Thompson  had  first  taught  in  the  cabin  that 
was  put  to  such  use.  Whilst  school  was  in  session  here,  the 
British  war  was  going  on.  The  martial  spirit  ran  high. 
Accounts  of  sharp  struggles — doubtless  exaggerated — 
reached  the  ears  of  youth  attending  this  school.  They  put 
their  crude  ideas  into  vogue  by  barricading  their  teacher. 
Alexander  saw  the  odds  were  against  him,  andcompromiied 
by  treating  to  cider  and  apples.  He  was  succeeded  by 
Mr.  Yancey,  and  after  him,  in  1816,  came  Mr.  Enlow, 
and  next  in  order  was  the  school  of  Beniah  Robinson. 
From  these  humble  beginnings,  the  cause  of  education 
has  flourished  in  Colliusville  and  township,  until  now,  under 
the  supervision  of  Prof  H.  H.  Keebler,  a  gentleman  who 
ranks  high  among  the  educators  of  this  county,  their  schools 
are  among  the  best  in  the  county. 

The  city  of  Colliusville  boasts  an  elegant  building,  eligibly 
situated,  in  which  a  Union  school  is  maintained,  employing 
nine  teachers.  In  this  township  there  are  four  brick,  and 
three  frame  school-houses  Employment  is  given  to  fifteen 
teachers.  Great  interest  is  taken  iu  the  cause  of  education. 
Jarvis. — The  first  school  taught  in  this  township  was  that  of 
Jesse  Renfro,  in  1824,  in  the  "  Old  Gilead  Church."  Mr. 
Renfro's  labors  as  a  ttacher  were  very  acceptable  to  the 
pioneers.  He  was  engaged  in  the  work  several  years. 
During  the  last  year  of  his  teaching,  he  had  forty  pupils  un- 
der instruction  for  six  mouths,  and  for  his  services  and  the 
books  which  he  had  contracted  to  provide,  he  received  one 
hundred  dollars,  or  a  little  over  sixteen  dollars  per  month 
The  books  furnished  were  the  old  U.  S.  speller.  Pike's  arith- 
metic, and  the  testament-  There  are  in  the  township  six 
school  districts.  Employment  is  given  to  nine  teachers 
four  of  whom  are  engaged  in  the  graded  schools  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Troy.  Of  the  school-houses,  two  are  brick  and  four 
are  frame  structures. 

St.  Jacobs. — The  first  settlers  of  what  is  now  St.  Jacob's 
township  took  special  care  in  educating  their  children. 
Whilst  gathered  together  within  the  walls  of  an  old  fort,  in 
1812  and  13,  for  safety  against  incursions  of  Indians,  they 
maintained  a  school,  taught  by  David  Smeltzer.  As  soon 
as  pea  ;e  had  settled  over  the  country,  their  earliest  thoughts 
were  for  their  children  s  welfare,  and  in  1817.  they  erected 
a  cabin,  between  the  residences  of  Parkinson  and  Anderson, 
for  school  perposes.  Upon  its  abandonment,  a  new  house  of 
hewed  logs  was  put  up  on  the  present  site  of  Augusta  Church. 


A  school-house  was  built  near  the  Uzzle  Spring  in  1828,  and 
school  was  first  taught  here  by  Alexander  Trusedale.  In 
the  same  neighborhood  a  school  was  taught,  prior  to  this,  by 
Mr.  Edmonds,  in  an  abandoned  cabin  that  stood  near  Dug- 
ger's  ox-mill.  John  Kile  was  among  the  pioneer  teachers  of 
the  township.  There  are  now  six  schools,  employing  ten 
teachers,  three  of  whom  are  now  in  the  graded  school  in  the 
village  of  St.  Jacob's,  now  under  the  superintendence  of 
J.  W.  Wells,  a  thorough  teacher.  Of  the  school-houses, 
three  are  brick  and  three  frame. 

Marine. — The  first  school  taught  in  what  is  now  Marine 
township  was  that  of  Arthur  Travis  in  an  out  building  be- 
longing to  Major  Ferguson  in  the  year  1814., 

In  1819  a  young  man  from  New  Haven,  Countcticut, 
opened  a  school  in  an  empty  cabin  that  stood  between  Capt. 
Blakeman's  and  R.  P.  Allen's.  In  1821  a  substantial  Union 
Church  house  was  erected  which  was  likewise  used  for  school 
purposes.  It  is  believed  to  have  been  at  the  time  the  best 
building  devoted  to  educational  uses  in  the  county,  as  it  was 
a  frame  building,  with  clapboard  siding,  supplied  with 
split  shingle  roof,  and  glass  windows.  Six  school-houses, 
three  of  them  brick  structures,  have  been  erected  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  children  of  this  township.  Employ- 
ment is  given  to  ten  teachers,  four  of  whom  are  engaged  in 
the  schools  in  the  village  of  Marine.  Under  the  manage- 
ment of  Prof.  W.  E.  Lehr  these  schools  have  taken  high 
rank,  being  held  second  to  none  in  the  county. 

Nameokl. — Thij  township,  and  Venice,  3 — 10,  are  so  inti- 
mately associated  in  pioneer  affairs  as  to  be  properly  treated 
together.  In  fact  old  Six  Mile,  as  the  original  precinct  was 
styled  included  both.  As  early  as  1805  a  school  was  taught 
here  near  the  present  Six  Mile  house  by  Edward  Humphrey, 
and  a  few  years  after  a  house  was  built  by  the  neighbors 
entirely  of  poles,  about  two  miles  north,  in  which  school 
was  taught  by  Joshua  Atwater  and  subsequently  by  JNIc- 
Laughlin,  an  Irishman  whose  chief  merit  as  a  schoolmaster 
lay  iu  his  strength.  A  pupil  relates  of  him  that  he  carried 
his  bottle  regularly  to  school  with  him,  always  went  armed 
with  a  well  seasoned  "shillelah"  and  never  failed  to  repre- 
mand  any  short-cummiugs  iu  pupils.  He  taught  during  the 
war  of  1812,  and  more  than  one  father  had  a  "settlement" 
to  make  with  him  on  return  from  the  field  of  battle  because 
of  injuries  inflicted  on  their  sons. 

Five  teachers  are  engaged  here  and  five  houses— all  frame 
buildings  accommodate  the  schools  of  the  township.  In  3- 
10  are  two  brick  and  two  frame  school-houses.  Five  teach- 
ers are  given  emplojment. 

Hdvetin. — This  township  was  originally  settled  by  Ameri- 
cans; subse(]uently  Swiss  and  German  people  came  to 
America  to  enjoy  her  free  institutions,  they  were  not  slow  to 
avail  themselves  of  the  advantages  extended  through  free 
schools.  Even  the  naming  of  the  streets  of  their  beautiful 
city.  Highland,  indicates  their  love  of  the  cause — preserving 
as  one  of  them  does  the  name  of  one  of  the  fathers  of  free 
education,  Pcstalozzi,  and  as  others  do  of  leaders  in  the 
same  cause  of  our  own  country.  Among  the  earliest 
schools  taught  in  this  township  was  one  by  George  Ramsay, 
in  1824 ;  he  was  eucceeded   by  James  A.  Ramsay  in  1828 ; 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


271 


and  John  Shinn  taught  here  in  1830;  in  1825  or  '26  James 
A.  Ramsay,  and  others  caused  a  house  to  be  erected,  which 
was  used  for  Church  and  scliool  purposes,  it  stood  near 
Craig's  improvement  and  was  constructed  of  hewn  logs.  In 
the  township  are  seven  school-houses,  six  being  of  brick  and 
one  a  frame.  Employment  is  given  to  thirteen  teachers,  six 
of  whom  are  engaged  in  the  Union  Graded  Schools  of 
Highland.  In  addition  to  the  public  schools,  private  ones 
maintaining  three  instructors  are  well  supported. 

HameL — The  first  school-house  was  built  on  the  land  of 
Bobert  Aldrich,  and  near  his  residence  in  1825.  It  was  a 
flimsy,  temporary  structure  of  poles,  without  floor,  door  or 
window.  It  was  used  but  a  short  time.  So  few  scholars 
lived  in  the  neighborhood  that  a  school  worthy  the  name 
could  not  at  that  early  day  be  maintained.  Joseph  Thompson 
and  a  Mr.  Carver,  each  taught  a  term  here,  whereupon  it 
was  abandoned  about  the  same  time  a  good  log  school-house 
was  built  at  Lamb's  Point.  It  was  better  than  the  average 
school-houses  of  the  day  in  that  it  was  supplied  with  a  stone 
chimney. 

At  present  four  school-houses,  three  frame  and  one  brick, 
meet  the  demands  for  school,  and  employment  is  given  to  a 
like  number  of  teachers. 

Pine  Oai-.— Soon  after  the  first  settlement  of  Pine  Oak 
township,  citizens  were  blessed  with  the  labors  of  Joshua 
Atwateras  a  teacher.  Actuated  by  the  true  missionary  spirit 
he  wentfrom  one  community  to  another, stirring  up  the  people 
to  the  importance  of  education,  and  laboring  constantly  in 
the  capacity  of  a  teacher.  Near  the  residence  of  Jubilee 
Posey,  in  a  rudely  constructed  cabin,  briefly  occupied  as 
the  home  of  a  pioneer,  he  opened  a  school  in  1809. 

Another  pioneer  teacher  who  labored  here  was  Thomas  S. 
Waddle,  who  taught  also  in  a  deserted  cabin  on  section  35,  on 
a  farm  belonging  to  James  Keown. 

There  are  five  school-houses  in  this  township,  all  frame 
buildings.     Employment  is  given  six  teachers. 

Alhambra. — William  Davenport  had  the  honor  of  having 
taught  the  first  school  within  the  present  limits  of  Alhambra 
township.  He  took  posession  of  an  empty  cabin,  in  the 
Hoxey  neighborhood.  He  taught  but  a  short  time.  In 
183'2  a  house  was  erected  for  school  purposes,  on  section  19, 
and  George  Denney  was  the  first  to  occupy  it  as  a  teacher. 
A  man  named  Nichols  taught  simultaneously  with  the  above 
in  a  private  house.  At  present,  there  are  eight  school- 
houses  here,  all  frame.     Tec  teachers  are  given  employment. 

Saline. — As  early  as  1825,  the  Cumberland  Presbyterians 
improved  a  campground  on  section  31,  and  on  this  ground 
in  a  cabin  belonging  to  Captain  Abraham  Howard,  was 
taught  the  first  school  by  John  Barber,  Jr.  He  continued 
iu  the  work  for  several  terms,  finding  great  favor  with  pio- 
neers. There  are  now  two  frame  and  two  brick  school-houses 
in  this  township.     A  like  number  of  teachers  are  employed. 

Leef — .Six  school-houses,  five  frame  and  one  brick,  accom- 
modate the  scholars  of  this  township.  Six  teachers  are 
given  employment.  There  were  no  very  early  schools  here. 
Such  as  were,  however,  will  be  mentioned  in  township  history. 
The  school  district  with  building  situated  iu  the  village  of 
Saline,  belongs  to  both  Leef  and  Saline  townships.     It  is  a 


graded  school  with  two  departments,  and  has  for  the  last 
three  years  been  under  the  charge  of  Prof.  James  Lane,  a 
thoroughly  practical  and  efficient  teacher  ;  he  has  brought 
the  school  up  to  a  high  standard,  making  it  compare  well 
with  those  of  other  towns  in  the  county. 

Xeiv  Douglas. — The  first  settler  in  this  township  was 
Daniel  Funderburk,  who  was  a  teacher.  As  soon  as  the 
neighborhood  justified  theeftort  by  having  accessions  to  their 
numbers,  he  opened  a  school  at  his  home  place  iu  a  house 
built  for  the  purpose  on  section  6.  This  was  in  1823.  There 
are  now  five  frame  buildings  devoted  to  school  purposes. 
Employment  is  given  to  seven  teachers,  three  of  whom  are 
engaged  in  the  graded  schools  in  the  village  of  New  Douglas. 
This  school,  for  several  years  under  the  charge  of  Mr.  Ken- 
nedy, compares  fiivorably  with  any  in  the  county. 

Wood  River. — To  this  township  is  accredited  the  honor  of 
maintaining  the  first  Sunday-school  in  the  State  of  Illinois. 
Inasmuch  as  elementary  instruction,  such  as  the  letters  ot 
the  Alphabet,  reading  and  spelling  were  taught,  as  well  as 
Bible  History,  it  may  well  be  recognized  as  the  beginning 
of  the  educational  work,  of  which  in  its  full  fruition  this 
section  is  so  justly  proud.  This  school  was  taught  in  1819, 
by  the  wife  of  Rev.  Thomas  Lippincott,  at  the  time  a  mer- 
chant in  the  town  of  Milton.  The  following  year  a  similar 
effort  was  engaged  in  by  Enoch  Long -and  Henry  Snow  in 
Upper  Alton.  The  earlier  efforts  engaged  in  here  are  inti- 
mately connected  with  the  progress  and  growth  of  Shurtlefl 
College  ;  hence  are  given  elsewhere  in  this  work.  In  the 
township  are  two  brick  and  five  frame  buildings,  occupied 
by  public  schools.  The  services  of  ten  teachers  are  required, 
four  of  whom  are  engaged  in  graded  schools. 

Olive. — Henry  H.  Havron  was  the  first  teacher.  Taught 
in  the  year  1833.  Four  frame  buildings  accommodate  the 
school  of  this  township.  Employment  is  given  to  five 
teachers. 

Fort  Russell. — First  settled  by  a  stirring,  enterprising 
people ;  they  were  not  slow  to  avail  themselves  of  the  ser- 
vices of  a  teacher.  The  old  block-house  on  section  18  was 
soon  after  its  abandonment  as  a  fort,  used  as  a  school-house, 
with  Rev.  William  Jones,  a  Baptist  minister,  as  a  teacher. 
On  the  same  section,  the  first  regular  school-house  was  sub- 
sequently built.  Four  frame  buildings,  all  good  and  sub- 
stantial structures,  accommodate  the  schools  of  this  township. 
Employment  is  given  to  a  like  number  of  teachers. 

Educatioanl  Aids. — Institutes    have    always,  since   their 
inception,  been  regarded  as  aids  to  educational   work.     In 
pursuance  of  a  public  call  of  teachers,  school  officers  and 
friends  of  education  in  Madison  county,  a  meeting  was  held 
I    in  the  MethodLst  church,  Edwardsville,  on  Saturday,  Janu- 
;   ary  16th,  1858,  for  the  purpo.se  of^  organizing  a  Teachers' 
i   Association  or  Institute.     Of  this  association,  William  Hay- 
den,  of  Alton,  was  chosen   President;  Henry  Wing,  of  Col- 
i   linsville,  and  E.  M.  West,  of  Edwardsville,  Vice  Presidents  ; 
W.  J.  Ela,   of  Edwardsville,  Recording  Secretary ;  James 
Newman,  of  Alton,  Corresponding  Secretary ;  M.  G.  Dale, 
of  Edwardsville,  Treasurer.    An  Executive  Committee,  con- 
sisting of  M.  G.  Atwood,  Alton,  H.  K.  Eaton,  and  Joseph 
H.  Sloss,  Edwardsville,  were  given  charge  of  the  programme 


272 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


of  exercises.  In  April,  1858,  the  first  Institute  was  held. 
In  1875,  Institutes  failing  longer  to  hold  the  attention  of 
Teachers,  and  proving  too  inadequate  to  meet  the  demands 
of  the  profession,  were  exchanged  for  Normals,  as  .they  are 
denominated,  being  simply  Institutes  for  several  weeks' 
duration.  The  first  was  held  under  the  direction  of  A.  A. 
Suppiger,  with  F.  E.  Cook,  of  St.  Louis,  as  Instructor  in 
Collinsville.  The  second  was  held  in  the  same  place,  in 
1876,  under  direction  of  B.  F.  Sippy,  County  Superinten- 
dent, with  H.  H.  Keebler,  of  Collinsville,  and  W.  E.  Lehr, 
of  Marine,  as  Instructors.  The  third  was  held  in  1877,  in 
Edvvardsville,  same  supervision,  with  J.  S.  Stevenson,  of  St. 
L)uis,  and  W.  E.  Lshr,  a?  Instructor.  The  fourth,  same 
place  and  same  management  throughout. 

The  Normal  has  met  the  demand  made  by  live  teachers, 
and  supplied  their  longing  for  instruction  in  their  work. 

As  indicative  of  the  progress  of  education  we  present  Statement  of 
the  di.stribution  of  the  State  Funds  for  the  years  18-50,  1860,  1870  and 
1880.     These  certainly  make  a  very  favorable  showing. 

STATEMENT   FOR   THE  YEARS   1850   AND    1860. 

Township.        Census,  1850.    Amount.         Census,  1860.  Amount. 

3—5 57.  ...  ?!  71  00  ...  .  1,015  .  ...  $  684  50. 

4—5 378  ...  .  46  97  ...  .  517  ..  .  529  l9. 

5 — 5 not  organ'zd ....  135  .  .  .  235  8Q. 

6—5 90  ....  10  26  ....  180.  .  .  240  01. 

3—6 430  ....  53  57  ....  617  ..  .  482  75. 

4-6 377  ....  46  97  ...  .  801  ..  .  572  42. 

5—6 187  ....  23  30  .  .   .  441  .  .  .  387  91. 

6—6 207  ...  .  25  79  ...  .  346  ..  .  325  37. 

3—7 570  ...  .  71  02  ...  .  776  ..  .  5.54  72. 

4—7 260  ....  32  39  ...  .  351  ..  .  343  13. 

5—7 164  ...  .  20  45  ...  .  469  ..  .  360  30. 

0-7 -52  ....  31  43  ...  .  360  ..  .  343  00. 

3—8 580  ...  .  72  26  ...  .  1,065  ...  706  11. 

4—8 472  ...  .  59  81  ...  .  1,150  ...  749  62. 

5—8 321  ...  .  40  00  ...  .  529  ..  .  442  32. 

6—8 320  ...  .  39  87  ...  .  608  ..  .  461  33. 

3—9 320  ...  .  36  87  ...  .  359  ..  .  346  29. 

4—9 200  ...  .  24  92  ...  .  260  ..  .  2S0  05. 

5—9 985  ....  122  73  ...  .  1.158  .  .  .  742  12. 

6—9 344  ....  43  31  ....  723  ..  .  516  65. 

3—10 215  ....  26  78  ....  320  ..  .  206  6-5. 

4—10 42  ...  .   5  35  ...  .   40  .  .  .  30  31. 

5-10 1,626  ....  202  59  ...  .  3,260  .  .  .  1,607  30. 

6—10 515  ....  65  16  ...  .  848  ..  .  581  GL 


STATEMENT   FOR  THE   YEARS   1870  AND   1880. 


Township. 
3-5  .  . 
4-5.  . 
5—5  .  . 
6—5  .  . 
3-6.  . 
4-6  .  . 
5—6  .  . 
6—6  .  .  , 
3-7  .  . 
4—7  .  . 
5—7  .  . 
6-7  .  . 
3-8-  • 
4-8  .  . 
5—8.  . 
6-8.   . 


Cemus,  1S70. 

.  .  1,303  .  .  , 

.  .  .   438  .  . 

.  .     329  .  . 

.  .     433  .  . 

.  .     724  .  . 

.  .     977  .  . 

.  .     634  .  . 

.  .     538  .  . 

.  .     913  .  . 

.  .     512  .  . 

.  .     558  .  . 

.  .     488  .  . 

.  .  1,-577  .  . 

.  .  1,841  .  . 

.  .     732  .  . 

.  .     669  .  . 


Amount. 
$   877  60  . 
443  60  . 
348  63  . 


Ccmits.  18S0. 
.  .1,647  .  .  . 
.  .  857  .  .  . 
.  .   571  .   .   . 


348  45  .   .    .  .  494 

586  75  .    .    .  .  890  . 

709  50  .   .    .  .  889  . 

536.75  ....  627  . 

468  25  .   .   .  .  464  . 


671  00  . 

476  05  . 

509  05  . 

4.57  50  . 
1,008  50  . 
1,140  13  . 

597  30  . 

538  22  . 


.  977  . 
.  587  . 
.  591  . 
.  663 
.2,2.30  . 
.2,002 
.  609  . 
.  662  , 


Ajnounl, 
?1,155  80. 

601  40. 

400  70. 

347  40. 

624  55. 

623  85. 

440  00. 

325  60, 

685  65. 

411  95. 

414  75. 

465  30. 
1,564  09. 
1,404  9-5. 

425  95. 

464  60 


Township. 

3—9  .  . 

4—9.  . 

5—9  .  . 

6-9.  . 

3—10  .  . 

4—10  .  . 


Census,  1870. 

.  .     634  .   . 

.  .     597  .   . 

.  .     414.   . 

.  1,033  .    . 

.  .     388  .   . 

.  .       86  .    . 


Amount. 

Census,  1880. 

Amount. 

535  10  . 

...  582  .  . 

408  45. 

493  05  . 

...  410  .  . 

287  75. 

388  85  . 

...  718  .  . 

503  90. 

715  47  . 

...  913  .  . 

640  70. 

252  63  . 

.  . .  545  .  . 

383  45. 

52  23  . 

...   99  .  . 

69  50. 

263  44  . 

...  4.57  .  . 

320  70. 

823  15  . 

...  797  .  . 

559  30. 

2,221  43  . 

.  .  .4,782  .  . 

3,355  80. 

406  41  . 

.  .  .  713.  . 

500  35. 

5—10 487  . 

6—10 1,245  . 

Alien 3,006  . 

Upper  Alton  .    .     763  . 

In  the  county  there  are  in  all  one  hundred  and  thirty-six 
school-houses.  Ninety-two  frame  and  forty-four  brick  struc- 
tures. Employment  is  given  to  two  hundred  and  ten 
teachers.  From  Superintendent Sippy's  report  the  following 
items  are  gleaned.  During  the  year  ending  June  .30,  1881, 
there  were  292  applicants  for  teachers'  certificates,  examined. 
Of  these  134  were  males  and  158  female.  Ten  first  grade 
certificates  were  issued  to  male  teachers,  and  four  to  female. 
Seventy  second  grade  to  male,  and  sixty-six  to  female. 
Male  applicants  rejected  42,  female  71.  During  the  year 
twenty-seven  certificates  were  renewed. 

Under  the  efficient  management  of  B.  F.  Sippy,  the 
schools  of  Madison  county  have  proven  more  flourishing 
than  ever  before  in  her  history.  Examinations  have  been 
rigid — the  standard  of  requirements  necessary  to  secure  cer- 
tificates being  constantly  advanced. 

SHURTLEFF  COLLEGE.* 

Shurtleff  Colleoe  had  its  origin  in  a  "  Theological 
and  High  School  "  known  as  Rock  Spring  Seminary,  estab- 
lished in  1827,  under  the  labors  of  Rev.  John  M.  Peck,  D. 
D.,  and  through  the  help  of  contributions  received  from  a 
few  friends  in  New  York  and  New  England.  In  The  Bap- 
tist Memorial  for  1842,  Vol.  1,  page  205,  Dr.  Peek  says: 
"  In  1827  the  Rock  Spring  Theological  High  School  was 
opened.  Rock  Spring  is  a  country  situation,  IS  miles  East 
of  St.  Louis,  and  on  the  great  stage  road  to  Vincenues  and 
Louisville.  The  Seminary  commenced  with  :i5  students  of 
both  sexes,  which  number  was  increased  in  a  few  weeks  to 
100.  At  that  period  no  school  fur  boarders,  under  Protes- 
tant direction,  existed  in  Illinois  or  Missouri.  In  1831  the 
school  closed  with  the  view  of  its  removal  to  Upper  Alton, 
as  the  commencement  of  a  College.  The  Institution  opened 
again  in  1832,  under  the  name  of  Alton  Seminary. 

In  pursuance  of  the  plan  of  removal  there  was  an  early 
tranfer  of  the  movable  property  of  Rock  Spring  Seminary 
to  Alton  Seminary,  consisting,  as  we  are  told,  of  "some  S.300 
or  S400  worth  of  property,  "  embracing,  among  other  things, 
the  library  of  the  Rock  Spring  Seminary,  most  of  which  is 
still  in  the  possession  of  the  College.  One  teacher  also, 
John  Russell,  LL.  D  ,  who  was  Principal  at  Rock  Spring 
after  the  first  year,  followed  the  school  to  its  new  location, 
and  was  appointed  to  the  position  of  Principal  also  in  Alton 
Seminary,  during  a  temporary  absence  in  the  interests  of  the 
school,  of  Rev.  Hubbel  Loomis,  Principal  defacto. 

The  new  organization  rendered   necessary   by  this  change 

*From  data  furnished  by  A.  A.  Kendricli,  D.D- 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


2T3 


of  location  was  effected  at  Upper  Alton,  June  4th,  1832, 
under  the  name  of  "The  Board  of  Trustees  of  Alton 
Seminary. "  Its  object  was  declared  to  be  "  to  take  into 
consideration  the  establishment  of  a  Seminary  as  the  foun- 
dation of  a  College."  The  school  was  put  in  operation, 
and  Rev.  Hubbel  Loomis  was  elected  Principal,  to  whose 
wise  plans  and  efBcient  labors,  is,  undoubtedly,  to  be  attri- 
buted much  of  what  ShurtlefT  College  has  since  become. 

In  March,  1833,  the  State  Legislature  granted  a  charter 
incorporating  the  seven  gentlemen  who  were  named  as  "  The 
Trustees  of  Alton  College  of  Illinois.  "  To  prevent  any 
complication  of  'Church  and  State  ' — it  is  supposed — and 
to  exclude  all  sectarian  ascendency,  this  charter  provided 
that  no  "  particular  religious  faith  should  be  required  of 
those  who  become  Trustees  of  the  Institution."  Nor  could 
any  "  Professor  of  Theology  ever  be  employed  as  a  teacher 
at  said  College,  nor  any  Theological  Department  be  con- 
nected therewith  or  in  any  manner  attached  thereto,"  with- 
out rendering  the  act  granting  the  charter  "  null  and  forever 
void."  The  charter  was  not  accepted.  Nor  were  efforts  to 
forward  the  object  of  the  Association  thereby  retarded.  In 
January,  1835,  measures  were  adopted  to  raise  $25,000  for 
"  the  immediate  wants  as  well  as  the  permanency  and  pros- 
perity of  the  Alton  Seminary,"  viz :  $10,000  for  buildings  ; 
§7,500  a  fund  for  salaries  of  professors  ;  and  87,500  a  fund  to 
aid  beneficiary  theological  students.  The  self-constituted 
Trustees  proceeded  to  lay  off  streets,  town  lots  and  a  college 
campus,  and  appointed  and  commissioned  itinerant  agents 
to  solicit  funds  and  enlist  the  co-operation  of  friends  of  ad- 
vanced education  in  several  of  the  Eastern,  Middle  and 
Western  States. 

In  February,  1835,  a  new  charter  was  granted,  in  its  gen- 
eral features  sufficiently  liberal,  but  retaining  the  offensive 
proviso  with  reference  to  a  Theological  Department.  How- 
■ever,  this  charter  was  accepted.  Without  dissolving  their 
mutual  covenant  the  seven  subscribers  to  the  original  com- 
pact, with  other  elected  members,  became  a  distinct  Board 
of  "  Trustees  of  Alton  College  of  Illinois."  The  Association 
now  conditionally  surrendered  to  the  new  corporation  its 
entire  property — "  reserving  fifty  acres  of  the  land  for  the 
education  of  the  ministry  of  the  gospel,  and  also  such  dona- 
tions as  may  have  been  made  for  <his  special  object."  In 
accepting  the  property  surrendered,  the  College  Board 
placed  on  their  records  a  resolution,  "  That  it  is  understood 
in  good  faith  that  the  principles  of  the  original  compact  of 
the  said  gentlemen  herewith  recorded,  be  preserved  by  this 
incorporation  inviolate ;  so  far  as  said  compact  is  compatible 
with  the  charter  of  this  incorporation."  The  feature  of  the 
compact  thus  specially  guarded  was,  "  That  it  is  and  shall 
ever  continue  to  be  a  prominent  object  to  aid  in  the  educa- 
tion of  young  men  of  genuine  piety  designed  for  the  Gospel 
mini.-try  in  this  section   of  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi." 

The  original  Association  now  assumed  for  its  name,  "  The 
Trustees  of  Alton  Theological  Seminary."  The  two  Boards, 
thus  composed  mostly  of  identical  members,  co-operated 
harmoniously  in  advancing  their  cherished  enterprise. 
The  Trustees  of  the  Seminary  appointed  their  Professor  of 
Theology,  and  the  Trustees  of  the  College  appointed  their 


Professors,  and  their  teachers  of  the  Preparatory  Depart- 
ment, and  students  in  both  Institutions  pursued  their  pre- 
paratory studies  in  the  same  classes  and  boarded  together 
at  the  common  refectory. 

In  January,  1836,  the  charter  of  the  College  was  amended 
by  changing  the  name  of  the  Board  to  ''The  Trustees  of 
Shurtleff  College  of  Alton,  Illinois."  This  change  was  in 
consideration  of  the — then«— very  liberal  donation  of  $10,000 
to  the  endowment  of  the  College,  by  Benjamin  Shurtleff, 
M.  D.,  of  Boston,  Mass. 

In  February,  1841,  the  offensive  provisos  of  the  college 
charter  were  repealed  by  the  Legislature,  and  the  Trustees 
were  authorized  to  organize  "  additional  departments  for  the 
study  of  any  or  all  of  the  liberal  professions."  Soon  after 
this  a  schedule  was  made  of  all  the  property[belouging  to  the 
Seminary  and  held  by  its  Board  in  trust  for  Theological 
purposes,  and  in  the  following  July,  its  Trustees,  at  their 
annual  meeting,  closed  the  records  of  its  history  as  follows  : 

"  Whereas,  by  an  amendment  of  the  charter  of  Shurtleff 
College  granting  the  right,  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  that 
Institution  has  established  a  Theological  Department  which 
supersedes  the  necessity  of  a  separate  organization. 

"  Therefore  resolved  unanimouslij,  that  all  the  property  of 
this  Institution  herewith  be  transferred  to  the  Theological 
Department  of  Shurtleff  College. 

"  Resolved — That  this  Board  be  dissolved,  and  all  its  books 
and  papers  be  transferred  to  the  Trustees  of  Shurtleff  College 
for  its  Theological  Department.'' 

From  the  foregoing  it  appears  that  Theological  instruction 
has  been  a  prominent  idea  in  the  plans  of  its  friends  from 
the  very  inception  of  the  Institution.  The  original  school 
at  Rock  Spring  was  called  a  Theological  School.  In  conse- 
quence of  the  proviso  originally  belonging  to  the  charter  of 
the  College,  first  granted  in  1833,  preventing  the  existence 
of  a  Theological  Department,  a  separate  Association  was 
formed,  known  as  "  The  Trustees  of  Alton  Theological  Sem- 
inary." Under  the  auspices  of  this  body.  Rev.  Lewis  Colby 
was  elected  Principal  of  the  Theological  Seminary,  and 
served  acceptably  in  this  capacity  during  the  years  1835-6 
and  1836-7.  When  the  College  charter  was  amended  by 
striking  out  the  offensive  proviso  alluded  to  above,  a  Theo- 
logical Department  was  at  once  established,  in  which  Alton 
Seminary  was  merged.  Special  arrangements  were  made  for 
carrying  on  Theological  instruction,  which  has  been  main- 
tained, although  with  varying  success,  until  the  present  time. 

Under  its  present  organization  the  Theological  Depart- 
ment is  accomplishing  efficient  work  and  is  in  the  enjoyment 
of  brighter  prospects  than  for  many  years  previous.  Its 
funds  are  sufficiently  ample  for  present  purposes,  and  it  is 
not  anticipated  that  any  emergencies  will  arise  which  will 
justify  its  suspension.  In  fact,  as  this  sketch  well  demon- 
strates, there  are  insuperable  obstacles,  both  legal  and  moral, 
to  the  abandonment  of  the  sacred  trust  which  the  Fathers 
have  imposed  upon  us.  On  the  the  contrary,  it  is  hoped  and 
expected  that  the  future  will  see  not  only  permanency,  but 
growth  and  advancement  in  this  special  Department. 

From  1836  to  1841  the  average  number  of  students  in  at- 
tendance was  eighty-eight,  and  of  instructors  four.     During 


274 


HISTORY    OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


this  period  Rev.  Prof.  Washington  Leverett,  LL.  D.,  being 
the  senior  officer,  acted  as  President  of  the  College.  In  1840 
Rev.  Adiel  Sherwood,  D.  D.,  was  elected  to  the  Presidency, 
which  position  he  filled  until  1846.  During  his  Presidency 
Professors  Zenas  B.  Newman,  Washington  Leverett  and 
Warren  Leverett,  were  associated  with  him  in  instruction. 
During  the  years  1847—1849  Dr.  Washington  Leverett  was 
again  acting  President  of  the  College,  and  Warren  Leverett, 
Erastus  Adkins,  Justus  Bulkley  and  William  Cunningham 
were  instructors.  In  1850  Rev.  N.  N.  Wood,  D.  D.,  ac- 
cepted the  Presidency,  which  he  held  for  five  years.  Rev. 
S.  Y.  McMasters,  LL.  D.,  succeeded  him  in  1855,  as  Presi- 
dent pro  tempore,  and  the  next  year  Rev.  Daniel  Read,  LL. 
D.,  became  President  and  served  14  years.  After  an  inter- 
val of  nearly  three  years,  during  which  the  duties  pertaining 
to  the  Presidency  were  performed  by  Professors  Bulkley  and 
Fairman,  Rev.  A.  A.  Kendrick,  D.  D.,  present  incumbent, 
entered  upon  his  duties. 

It  is  a  fact  worthy  of  mention  that  the  instruction  furnished 
by  the  institution  has  been  of  a  high  order  from  the  very 
outset.  Indeed,  so  wisely  was  the  curriculum  of  studies  pro- 
jected, that  no  radical  changes  in  the  various  courses  pur- 
sued, have  been  called  for  to  meet  the  demands  which  modern 
views  upon  education  have  made.  The  Institution  has  been 
brought  up  to  its  present  position  by  building  carefully  upon 
the  foundations  originally  laid,  increased  facilities  of  instruc- 
tion having  been  acquired,  and  better  work  having  been 
done,  but  with  little  modification  of  the  ideas  upon  which 
the  College  was  at  first  projected.  The  advanced  course  of 
study  insisted  upon  as  a  prerequisite  to  a  degree  goes  far  to 
account  for  the  comparatively  limited  number  of  graduates, 
particularly  when  the  general  and  public  opinion  of  the 
West  during  this  period,  concerning  liberal  education,  is 
taken  into  account.  The  good  which  this  College  has  ac- 
complished, through  the  educational  facilities  which  it  has 
furnished,  must  therefore  be  sought  for  in  great  measure  out- 
side of  its  list  of  graduates  in  the  training,  more  or  less  com- 
plete, which  over  Three  Thousand  Five  Hundred  young  men 
and  not  a  few  young  women,  have  received  within  its  walls. 
The  average  number  of  students  in  attendance  during  the 
last  twenty  years  has  been  about  one  hundred  and  twenty, 
of  whom  nearly  one-fourth  have  been  ministerial  students. 
Just  how  many,  in  all,  have  entered  the  ministry,  we  cannot 
tell,  but  the  number  is  known  to  be  several  hundred. 

During  the  late  war  between  the  States,  a  very  large 
number  of  students  enlisted  in  the  service  of  the  country— 
at  least  140  of  previous  students  and  those  connected  with 
the  College  at  the  time,  were  in  this  service,  in  the  year 
1864,  so  that  the  school  was,  for  a  little  while,  virtually  sus- 
pended. Several  of  these  students  rose  to  great  distinction 
as  soldiers,  becoming  Majors,  Colonels,  Brigadier  Generals, 
and  two  rising  to  the  rank  of  Major  General. 

But  the  students  of  this  College  have  distinguished  them- 
selves and  honored  their  Alma  Mater,  not  only  by  patriotism 
and  bravery,  but  as  jurists,  and  statemen,  teachers  and 
editors,  as  well  as  by  ranking  among  the  first  of  the  Chris- 
tian ministers  of  the  land.  Two,  who  were  formerly  students 
in  this  college,  are  now  representing   a  singk  city  in   our 


National  Congress,  and  still  more  honorable  than  thi?,  is  the 
fact  that  four  of  the  graduates  of  Shutleff  College  are  now 
missionaries  of  the  Cross  among  the  heathen  in  foreign 
lands. 

As  the  school  has  maintained  its  original  idea,  by  estab- 
lishing and  sustaining  a  Theological  Department,  so  it  has 
again  opened  its  doors  to  pupils  of  both  sexes,  in  harmony 
with  the  more  advanced  ideas  of  the  present  age.  Ladies 
have  been  graduated,  during  the  last  few  years,  from  the  full 
classical  course  of  this  College,  by  the  side  of  young  men, 
and  won  first  honors  in  competition  with  them. 

Notwithstanding  this  Institution  had  its  beginning  when 
the  country  was  yet   in  its  infancy — only  a  few  years  after 
Illinois  became  a  state,  and  while  most  of  the  people  of  the 
West  were  yet  poor,  and  the  Baptist  denomination  especial- 
ly, on  which  the  College  was  mainly  dependent,  was  feeble — 
still,  it  has  grown,  if  not  with  equal  rapidity,  nevertheless, 
somewhat  in  proportion    with  the  gowth  of  the  country  and 
of  the  denomination,  and  to-day  has  a  valuable  property, 
consisting  of  its  buildings  and  grounds,  worth  at  least  S50,- 
000 ;  trust  funds  and  invested  endowments  of  several  chairs, 
over  $75,000,  which  last  are  all  free  from  liabilities  and  in- 
cumbrances;   and  then   additional    outside  properties  and 
claims  for  at  least  $40,000  more,  making  a  total  of  at  least 
$165,000,  besides   Libraries,  Apparatus  and  Furniture,  in 
present  possession  of  the  College.     And,  still,  valuable  as  its 
accumulations  for  the  past  half  century  have  been,  they  are 
far  from  sufficient  for  the  proper  support  of  the  Institution. 
The  year  1876,  the  Centennial   of  the  Nation   was  an  im- 
portant one  in  the  history  of  this  College.     As  the  result  of 
the   inadequate   endowments,   and   in  spite  of  all  possible 
economy  in  administration,  on  the  part  of  a  faithful  Board  of 
Trustees,  the  year  came  in  with  a  large  debt  standing  against 
the  College,  and  very  small  and  insufficient  provisions  for  its 
payment.     It  was  therefore   determined  to  undertake  the 
work  of  raising   $100,000,  with  which  to  pay  the  debts  of 
the  College  and  increase  its  endowments.     Rev.  G  J.  John- 
son, D.  D.,  well  known  for  his  great  ability  in  the  work  of 
gathering  benevolent  funds,  was  seemed  as  Financial  Agenf. 
The  College  having  been  established  in  1827,  as  Rock  Spring 
Seminary,  reached  in  the  year  following  the  National  Cen- 
tennial the  fiftieth  year  of  its  existence,  and  the  work  of  Dr. 
Johnson,  begun  in  1876,  was  continued.     Thanks  to  his  un- 
tiring zeal  and  entire   devotion    to   his  work,  the  movement 
to  increase  the  funds  of  the  College  was  successful.     At  the 
date  of  this  writing  the  College  debts  have  been  fully  pro- 
vided for  and  the  institution  is  in  a  more  flourishing  condi- 
tion than  ever  before  in  its  history. 

Since  the  movement  above  described  the  College  has  re. 
ceived  additional  funds,  among  which  may  be  named  the  sum 
of  $10,000  secured  through  the  exertions  of  President  Kend- 
rick, as  a  fund  for  the  erection  of  a  New  College  building.  This 
edifice  is  now  in  process  of  erection,  and  will  add  greatly  to 
the  facilities  of  the  College. 

This  Institution  has  been  greatly  blessed  during  the  entire 
period  of  its  existence  with  warm  friends  and  ardent  patrons. 
Of  those  now  living  it  may  not  be  becoming  to  speak,  but 
the  names  of  the  dead,  many  of  whom  were  honored  citizens 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


275 


of  Mi(ii.-on  County,  deserve  a  record  in  this  history.  Elijah 
Gove  Esq.,  of  Quincy,  Illinois,  deserves  especial  mention  in 
this  connection.  In  the  year  1854  he  became  prominent  in 
the  affairs  of  the  College,  ministering  to  its  financial  needs 
with  a  munificent  hand.  Until  his  death,  in  1874,  he  con- 
tinued his  support  to  the  College,  and  the  least  estimate 
placed  upon  the  aggregate  of  his  many  and  unostentatious 
gifts  is  $50,000. 

H.  N.  Kendall,  Esq.,  of  Upper  Alton,  is  another  name 
that  should  be  forever  hallowed  in  connection  with  Shurtleff 
College.  He  was  the  cherished  confidant  and  eo  worker  of 
Mr.  Gove  in  planning  and  giving  for  this  Institution. 

Dr.  Ebenezer  Marsh,  of  Alton,  was  a  teacher  in  Rock 
Spring  Seminary,  in  18:i9,  and  upon  the  removal  of  the  In- 
stitution to  Upper  Alton  took  an  active  interest  in  it,  and  in 
1852  became  Trustee  and  served  twenty-five  years,  till  his 
death  in  1877. 

Hon.  Cyrus  Edwards,  of  Upper  Alton,  was  one  of  the 
seven  original  members  of  the  new  Board  of  Trustees,  orga- 
nized at  Upper  Alton  upon  the  removal  of  the  Institution 
from  Rock  Spring  in  18.32.  Ilermon  C.  Cole,  of  Upper 
Alton,  at  a  later  day  became  an  active  patron  of  the  College. 

D.  D.  Ryrie,  Esq.,  of  Alton,  was  a  devoted  friend  to  the 
College  to  the  day  of  his  death.  His  wise  liberality  and 
prudent  forecast  were  invaluable  to  the  College  in  many 
emergencies.  This  list  might  be  greatly  extended,  but 
enough  has  been  said  to  sliow  that  good  and  true  men  have 
wrought  faithfully  in  connection  with  this  College  for  the 
cause  of  Chri  tian  education. 

The  men  who  have  spent  years  in  Madison  County,  as 
educators  of  youth  in  the  Faculty  of  this  Institution 
deserve  honorable  mention  in  this  historical  sketch.  They 
have  impressed  themselves  upon  hun<lrfds  who  are  now  the 
substantial  citizens  of  tliis  county,  or  dwellers  in  the  regions 
beyond.  Many,  as  they  read  the  names  of  Huhbel  Loomis, 
Warren  Leverett,  Washington  Levcrett,  Adiel  Sherwood, 
Daniel  Read,  Justus  Buikley,  O.  L  Castle  and  Charles 
Fairman,  will  recall  the  honored  instructors,  at  whose  feet 
they  have  sat  and  learned  practical  wisdom  and  acquired 
in'ellectual  strength. 

This  Institution  has  ever  been  known  for  the  thoroughness 
of  its  instruction  and  its  careful  attention  to  the  mental  and 
moral  culture  of  its  students.  As  at  present  constituted 
there  are  three  distinct  schools  or  departments,  viz. :  The 
Preparatory  School,  The  College,  and  The  Theological 
School.  The  number  of  graduates  in  the  College  and  the 
Theological  School  duricg  the  last  ten  yeai-s  is  nearly  equal 
to  the  whole  number  graduated  in  the  previous  forty-five 
years,  showing  a  marked  advance  in  the  grade  of  scholar- 
ship in  the  Institution,  as  well  as  a  corresponding  advance 
in  the  demands  for  a  Collegiate  education  in  the  West. 
From  present  indications  it  is  safe  to  assume  that  jVIadison 
County  is  destined  to  have  within  its  borders  one  of  the 
most  anl  important  flourishing  in.- titutions  of  learning  in  the 
whole  country. 

MONTICELLO  LADIES'  SEMIN.\RY. 
BY  MISS  H.  N.  IIASK  ELL. 

This   institution    (projected    and    founded    by    Benjamin 


Godfrey,)  was  opened  for  the  reception  of  students  on  the 
11th  of  April,  1838.  It  is  situated  at  Godfrey,  Madison 
County,  111.,  on  the  route  of  the  Chicago  &■  Alton  Railroad, 
twenty-five  miles  from  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  four  from  Alton. 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  touching  Brighton,  Indiana- 
polis and  St.  Louis  touching  Alton,  brings  the  Seminary  into 
railroad  communication  with  all  parts  of  the  country.  The 
site  was  selected  with  regard  to  health  and  freedom  from 
the   bustle  and   terai)tations  common  to  large  towns. 

The  Seminary  building  is  of  stone,  110  feet  by  44  feet, 
and  five  stories  high,  including  the  basement.  The  base- 
ment is  divided  into  Recitation  Rooms  and  a  Dining  Room. 
The  second  story  is  divided  into  a  Library,  Recitation  and 
Family  Rooms.  The  next  two  stories,  together,  contain 
forty  rooms,  each  designed  to  accommodate  two  young 
ladies.  The  fourth  story  is  divided  into  Music  and  Painting 
Rooms.  The  south  wing  is  45  feet  by  70  feet,  contains  two 
large  halls  and  twenty-two  rooms  for  the  accommodation  of 
students;  the  rooms  and  halls  are  lighted  with  gas  and 
warmed  with  Marriott's  hot  water  apparatus.  There  is  also 
a  Cottage  situated  near  the  Seminary  building  and  within 
the  Campus,  designated  as  a  b  larding  house  for  mothers 
who  wish  to  be  with  their  daughters,  and  also  for  the  accom- 
modation of  guests  visiting  the  students. 

The  Seminary  Campus  consists  of  about  thirty  acres. 
This  affords  room  for  garden,  orchard,  grove,  play  grounds, 
a  spacious  lawn  in  front,  tastefully  laid  out  in  walks,  and 
ornamented  with  flowers,  shrubbery  and  arbors. 

Since  the  opening  of  the  Institution,  all  its  income  has 
been  used  to  perfect  its  arrangements  for  educational  advan- 
tage and  domestic  comfort.  It  is  confidently  believed  that 
no  seminary  can  be  found  in  the  West  where  every  depart- 
ment is  better  suited  to  the  wants  of  its  students.  Its  pat- 
ronage proves  the  wisJom  of  tha  Trustees  in  psrfecting  the 
arrangements. 

Board  of  Instruction. — Miss  Harriet  K.  Haskell,  Princi- 
pal ;  Miss  Emily  G.  Alden,  Mental  and  Moral  Philosophy, 
English  Literature  and  Composition  ;  Miss  Julia  C.  Kellogg, 
Physiology,  Natural  History  and  Botany;  .Miss  Evelyn  L, 
Barbour,  Natural  Science  and  Higher  Mathematics ;  Miss 
Alice  Harlow,  Latin  abd  Greek;  Mi-s  Ella  F.  Siioclin^ 
Preparatory  Department ;  M'lle  Rosine  Stehle,  M'lle  H. 
Chevalley,  French  and  German;  Miss  Julia  Newton,  Oil 
Painting,  Water  Colors  and  Drawing  ;  Miss  Alma  L.  Frost, 
Elocution. 

Department  of  Music. — -Miss  Emma  Louise  Fowler,  Vocal  • 
Mis?  Katherine  Armstrong,  Piano  ;  Miss  Augusta  Dickson, 
Piano  and  Organ  ;  Miss  Emma  J.  Williams,  Piano;  Mrs. 
H.  B.    Pendleton,  Matron. 

Board  of  Trustees. — Rev.  Truman  M.  Post,  D.  D.,  Presi- 
dent, St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  Rev.  A  T.  Norton,  D.  D.,  Secretary 
and  Treasurer,  Alton,  111. ;  Rev.  George  N.  Boardman,  D. 
D.,  Chicago,  111.;  Dr.  John  B.  Johnson,  St.  Louis,  Mo.; 
Harriet  N.  Haskell  (Ex-officio),  Godfrey,  111 

Prudential  Committee. —  Rev.  A.  T.  Norton,  D.  D.,  Har- 
riet N  Haskell,  J.  R.  Isett ;  Edward  P.  Wade,  Auditor, 
Alton,  111. 


27G 


HISTORY    OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


WYMAN  INSTITUTE. 


BY  PROF.  L.  M.  CASTLE. 


This  institution  is  the  practical  embodiment  of  the  mature 
ideas  of  one  of  the  most  prominent  educators  of  the  west, 
Eiiward  Wyman,  LL.  D.,  from  whom  it  takes  its  name.  Dr. 
Wyman,  the  founder  and  present  Principal,  is  a  man  of 
wide  reputation  as  an  instructor  and  disciplinarian,  having 
b^en  engaged  in  the  profession  of  teaching  for  upwards  of 
fifty  years.  He  is  a  natural  born  teacher  and  his  long 
career  as  an  instructor  has  been  extended  over  a  field  re- 
markable for  the  breadth  as  well  as  variety  of  its  experi- 
ence. Dr.  Wyman  was  born,  raised  and  educated  in  the 
State  of  Massachusetts,  and  early  brought  the  culture  there 
obtained  westward  to  be  utilized  as  one  of  the  elements  of  a 
success  scarcely  paralleled  in  his  profession.  During  his 
life  in  the  west  he  has  been  connected  with  various  educa- 
tional enterprises,  the  most  important  of  which  was  probably 
the  well  known  St.  Louis  Unlversitij,  of  which  he  had  charge 
for  more  than  six  years;  and  which  under  his  management 
attained  a  wide  reputation  both  for  its  remarkable  size  and 
the  uniqueness  of  its  discipline  Coming  under  his  manage- 
ment at  a  stage  of  its  existence  bordering  on  dissolution,  the 
University  was  infused  with  new  life,  which  in  the  short 
space  of  six  years  raised  its  membership  from  forty  to  up- 
wards of  600,  and  invested  it  with  a  completeness  of 
organization  and  discipline  to  be  appn  ciated  only  by  being 
seen.     Among  his  former  pupils  Dr.  Wyman  numbers  mauy 


of  the  most  prominent  and  successful  business  and  profis- 
sional  men  of  the  west,  who  unite  in  paying  unqualified 
tribute  to  the  soundness  and  thorough  practicability  of  his 
educational  methods.  Compelled  by  ill  health  induced  by 
overwork  and  the  superabundance  of  energy  exercised  in 
the  management  of  this  undertaking  temporarily  to  abandon 
his  profession  for  a  more  (active)  employment,  he  never 
wavered  in  his  interest  in  the  cause  of  education,  but  even 
in  the  turmoil  of  an  active  business  life  went  on  maturing 
plans  for  a  .school  which  should  comply  as  nearly  as  possible 
with  his  ideas  of  a — model  school,  to  the  direction  of  which 
he  might  bring  not  only  an  unabated  zeal  in  the  cause,  but 
also  the  ripe  experience  of  his  maturer  years.  The  state  of 
his  health  having  materially  improved.  Dr.  Wyman  felt 
himself  justified  in  selecting  for  his  school  a  proper  location- 
After  extensive  search  Upper  Alton  was  selected  as  the 
most  suitable  site,  and  in  the  judgment  of  many  competent 
authorities  is  considered,  on  account  of  its  convenient  ap- 
proach as  well  as  its  peculiar  moral  and  educational  ad- 
vantages, inferior  to  no  other  location  for  such  a  school. 
The  grounds  selected  at  present  comprise  40  acres  of  what 
was  formerly  known  as  "  Rural  Park,"  a  tract  noticeable  at 
once  for  its  natunl  beauty  of  landscape,  and  fur  the  excel- 
lent taste  with  which  that  beauty  has  been  utilized  to  the 
best  attainment  of  those  purposes  toward  which  it  is  now 
directed.  The  present  buildings  consist  of  a  spacious  main 
edifice  used  for  the  purposes  of  dormitory,  school-room, 
diuing-room,  and  all  points  appertaining  to  the  Home  Depart- 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


277 


ment,  all  well  arranged  and  finished  in  tasteful  and  elegant  i 
style,  with  a  splendid  new  gymnasium  and  various  other 
buildings,  each  arranged  and  adapted  for  its  special  purpose. 
New  buildings  are  being  added  as  the  needs  of  the  school  or 
the  ideas  of  its  owner  demand.  The  object  of  the  school  is 
to  be  a  perfect  home-school  for  boj's.  It  aims  to  furnish  at 
the  same  time  all  the  advantages  of  an  orderly  and  pleasant 
home  and  a  thoroughly  regulated  school.  The  pupils  are 
under  constant  but  pleasant  supervision. 

To  the  usual  school  curriculum  it  adds  special  features  in 
the  way  of  gymnastics,  (military  drill)  and  horsemanship 
In  its  government  it  seeks  both  to  be  firm  and  to  develop 
that  which  is  most  manly  in  the  conduct  of  the  pupil.  It  is 
managed  on  a  Christian  unsectarian  basis,  and  endeavors  to 
advance  its  students  as  uniformly  as  possible  in  culture  of 
the  body,  mind,  manners  and  morals.  The  i  umber  of  its 
members  is  necessarily  limited  to  fifty,  one  of  the  primary 
ideas  of  the  establishment  being  to  have  it  select  and  not 
crowded  to  the  disadvantage  and  discomfi)rt  of  the  pupil. 
Boys  are  received  from  the  ages  of  10  to  20,  and  are  fitted 
either  for  a  business  career  or  for  any  of  our  colleges. 

The  Institute,  having  completed  its  third  year,  can  no 
longer  be  considered  a  mere  experiment,  but  an  established 
fact.  From  the  day  of  its  first  opening  it  has  steadily  and 
rapidly  increased  in  membership,  many  most  desirable  ap- 
plications for  entrance  having  been  necessarily  refused.  Its 
location,  its  management,  the  completeness  of  its  arrange- 
ments, and  the  substantial  results  attained  in  its  various 
departments,  have  received  universal  encomiums  from  those 
who  have  had  opportunity  of  observing  the  same. 

Such  an  institution  as  the  above,  aside  from  meeting  a 
want  long  felt  among  the  people,  cannot  fail  to  be  an  orna- 
ment to  the  community  in  which  it  is  found.  It  is  highly 
deserving  of  the  patronage  of  those  who  rind  in  it  the  grati- 
fication of  a  special  want,  and  of  the  moral  support  of  all 
who  are  interested  in  the  proper  training  of  youth. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY. 


THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 

BY   HON.    EDWARD   M.    WEST. 


'  MONO  the  subjects  which  form  the  history  of 
Madison  county,  none  are  more  interesting 
than  the  religious  element,  which  constitutes 
a  real  and  important  part  of  the  history  of 
every  people  and  country,  and  particularly 
this  of  ours,  which,  as  Mr.  Webster  said, 
"was  formed  in  justice  and  religion." 

As  a  part  of  the  hi.story  of  Illinois  from 

its  firft  settlement,  and   for  six  years  before 

the  organization  of  Madison  county,  affecting  materially  the 

prosperity  and    promoting  the  good   order  of  society,  the 


Methodist  Episcopal  Church  deserves  recognition  and  hon- 
orable mention.  For  years  before  Illinois  was  a  state, 
Methodist  preachers  were  here,  preaching  in  the  settle- 
ments, forming  societies,  building  churches,  sustaining  the 
government,  defending  the  frontier" and  actively  engaged  in 
giving  tone  and  character  to  society,  and  promoting  the  cause 
of  religion.  Nearly  all  these  pioneers  are  now  gone.  Their 
work  was  well  done ;  their  names  and  memories  are  now 
almost  unknown  to  those  of  the  present  age,  and  need  to  be 
rescued  from  the  oblivion  fast  gathering  around  them. 

Unlike  most  of  the  states,  Illinois  commenced  settlements 
on  her  western  frontier,  where  the  first  societies  were  formed, 
and  the  first  churches  built. 

The  first  preacher  in  Madison  county,  and  indeed,  in 
Illinois,  was  Joseph  Lilliard.  He  had  been  a  circuit 
preacher  in  Kentucky  in  1790.  Came  to  Illinois  territory 
in  1793  and  preached  in  what  few  settlements  there  were, 
and  organized  several  societies.  He  had  no  organized  cir- 
cuit, but  formed  a  society  in  Jvew  Design,  Monroe  county, 
and  appointed  Joseph  Ogle  class  leader.  Ogle  had  come 
to  Illinois  territory  in  1785,  was  an  excellent  man,  but  very 
difiident  in  assuming  leadership  in  the  church.  In  17ii6 
Hosea  Rigg  came  to  Illinois,  and  settled  in  St.  Clair  county, 
at  Turkey  Hill.  He  was  a  local  preacher,  but  had  preach- 
ing app()iutments  in  Monroe,  St.  Clair  and  Madison  counties. 
A  good,  true  man  of  courage  and  zeal.  The  writer  of  these 
notices  lived  near  father  Rigg  from  1818  to  1830,  and  knew 
him  very  well.  He  was  a  poor  man  in  this  world's  goods, 
but  rich  in  faith  and  good  works.  In  1803  he  left  his  blind 
wife  and  family,  and  went  to  Mount  Gerizim,  Kentucky, 
where  the  Methodist  conference  was  sitting,  represented  to 
the  Bishop  the  wants  and  opportunities  of  the  new  territory, 
had  Benjamin  Young  appointed  missionary  to  Illinois,  and 
piloted  him  to  his  new  field  of  labor. 

Benjamin  Young  was  the  first  circuit  preacher  in  JIadison 
county.  His  circuit  embraced  all  Illinois,  but  was  mainly 
confined  to  what  is  now  Madison,  St.  Clair,  Monroe  and  Ran- 
dolph counties.  He  formed  societies  in  Madison  county. 
One  at  the  house  of  John  Nix,  under  the  blufl\  where  his 
son,  David  Nix,  afterward  resided.  Father  Nix  was  leader 
of  the  class,  the  first  formed  in  the  county.  I  have  not  been 
able  to  obtain  all  the  names  of  the  members :  John  Nix  and 
wife,  Josiah  Cumings  and  wife  and  Anna  Gillham  were  five 
of  the  eight  members  forming  the  class.  He  had  several 
preaching  places  in  the  county,  but  circulated  principally 
amongtt  the  Gillham  families,  and  the  same  year  was 
married  to  Miss  Sallie  Gillham.  In  a  letter  dated  "  Ran- 
dolph county,  June  1,  1804,"  Mr.  Young  wrote  :  "lam, 
and  have  been  sickly  since  I  have  been  here,  but  am  now  on 
the  mend.  I  met  with  great  difficulty  in  coming  to  this 
country.  I  lost  my  horse  in  the  wilderness,  fifty  miles  from 
any  settlement,  and  had  to  walk  in,  and  then  hire  a  horse 
to  hunt  mine.  The  Kickapoo  Indians  had  stolen  him.  "When 
I  got  to  Kaskaskia  they  made  me  pay  two  dollars  for  a 
room  to  preach  in,  and  twenty  shillings  for  two  days'  board. 
I  ran  out  of  money  and  had  to  sell  my  book.  As  for  the 
state  of  reliirion,  it  is  bad.  I  have  formed  a  circuit,  and 
have  organized  five  societies  and  fifty  members."     At  that 


278 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON    COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


time  it  was  against  the  rules  of  the  church  for  any  member- 
to  contract  marriage  with  one  who  was  not  a  church  member. 
Miss  Gillham,  when  married  to  Mr.  Young,  was  not  a  mem- 
ber of  the  church,  and  the  rules  required  that  Young  be 
placed  as  a  member  on  probation.  Tiiis  offended  Young, 
and  he  would  not  consent  to  the  change,  but  tendered  his 
resignation,  and  was  dechired  expelled.  This  arbitrary  rule 
has  long  since  been  abrogated.  Before  his  death  Mr.  Young 
rejoined  the  church,  and  died  in  its  fold.  He  was  a  brother 
of  the  celebrated  Jacob  Young,  of  Ohio.  The  next  year, 
1804-5,  Joseph  Oglesby  was  appointed  to  Illinois,  and 
preached  in  Madison  county  in  1801  ami  1805. 

Rev.  Mr.  Oglesby  had  visited  Illinois  as  early  as  1802. 
He  was  a  large  man,  six  feet  tall,  finely  formed,  an  excellent 
horseman,  had  a  good  voice,  self-reliant,  an  able  preacher, 
and  had  all  the  requisites  of  a  pioneer  missionary.  I  knew 
hira  quite  well.  He  had  studied  medicine,  and  was  esteemed 
a  good  physician.  In  traveling  the  circuit,  he  carried  some 
medicines  in  his  saddle-bags  with  his  library.  Illinois  was 
undraiued  and  uncultivated,  and  was  very  sickly,  and  the 
preacher  was  everywhere  welcomed,  and  ministered  to  the 
diseases  of  the  body  as  wf  11  as  ihe  soul. 

In  1797,  two  brothers,  David  and  Anthony  Badgley,  came 
out  from  Kentucky,  and  traveled  over  this  country,  and  so 
pleased  were  they  with  the  country  southeast  of  where  after- 
wards Enwardsville  was  laid  off,  that  they  called  it  "the 
land  of  Goshen,"  by  which  it  became  extensively  known. 
Here  a  settlement  was  made  by  the  Whitesides,  Judys, 
Nixs  and  Goods,  and  was  made  a  preaching  place  by 
Oghsby. 

Here,  on  the  land  occupied  by  Thomas  Good,  two-and-a- 
half  miles  .south  of  Edwardsville,  in  1805,  was  built  the  first 
Methodist  church  in  Illinois  territory,  called  Bethel,  attested 
by  persons  cognizant  of  the  time  of  its  erection.  It  was 
built  of  unhewed  logs,  clap  board  roof,  puncheon  floor,  and 
rudely  constructed  windows.  There  was  a  society  formed 
here.  Also  a  society  was  formed  at  Robert  McMahan's,  on 
the  west  side  of  Ridge  prairie,  and  at  Robinson's  school- 
house,  in  the  southeast  part  of  the  county,  and  at  William 
Gillham's,  in  Six  Mile  prairie.  The  Bethel  society  was  the 
largest  religious  society  in  the  county,  and  embraced  some 
(if  the  most  prominent  citizens.  Once  when  Mr.  Oglesby 
had  an  appointment  to  preach,  there  was  a  large  congrega- 
tion present.  There  seemed  to  be  no  one  to  raise  the  tunes. 
The  preacher  not'ced  Capt.  John  T.  Lusk,  of  Edwardsville, 
in  the  audience,  and  invited  him  to  come  forward  and  con- 
duct the  singing.  Capt.  Lusk,  though  not  a  member  of  the 
church,  was  a  good  singer,  and  went  forward  towards  the 
speaker's  chair, — for  there  was  neither  pulpit  or  table.  The 
house  was  crowded,  and  it  was  difBcult  for  the  Captain  to 
make  his  way,  which  somewhat  confused  him,  and  when 
reaching  the  speaker,  he  was  fo  embarrassed  that  he  could 
not  read  the  lines  of  the  hymn.  The  preacher  noticed  the 
embarrassment,  read  over  the  hymn  a  second  time,  when  the 
Captain,  recovering  himself,  raised  the  tune  and  conducted 
the  singing  service  quite  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  present. 
Before  leaving  the  history  of  Doctor  Oglesby,  I  may  men- 
tion another  circumstance: 


In  the  spring  of  1841,  Vice-President  Tyler,  then  Presi- 
dent, in  special  message  recommended  memorial  services  to 
be  held  in  all  the  churches,  commemorative  of  the  life  and 
death  of  President  \Vm.  H.  Harrison.  A  large  audience 
had  assembled  at  the  Methodist  church  in  Edwardsville,  but 
there  was  no  preacher.  A  Mr.  Samuel  R.  Allard,  then  teach- 
ing school  in  Edwardsville,  was  a  licentiate  missionary  of 
the  Baptist  church,  and  the  only  one  present  with  a  license 
to  preach.  H.  K.  Eaton,  Matthew  Gillespie,  Samuel  Gill- 
ham  and  Mr.  Allard  were  standing  near  the  church  door, 
discussing  the  embarrassment  of  the  occasion.  Allard  was 
rubbing  his  hair  nervously,  and  quite  excited  at  the  pros- 
pect of  having  to  conduct  the  services.  I  saw  a  large,  min- 
isterial looking  man  ride  up  and  hitch  his  horse  near  the 
church,  and  recognized  Dr.  Oglesby,  and  said  to  Mr.  Gilles- 
pie, "  There  is  a  man  who  can  do  the  preaching  for  you." 
Mr.  Gillespie,  on  baing  introduced,  explained  the  situation 
to  him  and  invited  him  to  preach.  His  answer  was  :  "  Well 
brethren,  I  reckon  I  might  try ;  come  in  and  we  will  see 
about  it."  Dr.  Oglesby  had  known  General  Harrison  years 
before  quite  well,  had  been  with  him  and  esteemed  him  very 
highly,  and  had  voted  for  him  for  President ;  and,  on  that 
occasion,  did  full  honor  to  the  memory  and  character  of  the 
distinguished  dead,  much  to  the  pleasure  of  the  audience. 

October  2,  1805,  the  Western  Conference  met  in  Scott 
county,  Kentucky.  There  were  120  members  in  Illinois  dis- 
trict. The  conference  then  embraced :  Tennessee,  Ken- 
tucky, Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois.  Charles  R.  Matheny,  a 
young  man  who  had  joined  the  conference  that  year,  was 
sent  to  Illinois.  Although  young,  he  was  well  suited  to  the 
work  he  had  undertaken.  A  Western  man  in  feeling  and 
habits,  of  popular  manners,  he  was  quite  at  home  amongst 
the  early  settlers.  He  had  studied  law  as  well  as  theology, 
and  was  a  man  of  fine  mind  and  fair  preaching  talent.  His 
kindly  mind  and  sympathetic  disposition  made  him  quite 
a  favorite  in  the  societies  in  Madison  county.  He  married 
Jemima  Ogle,  of  St.  Clair  county,  and  located  thereafter  one 
year.  I  knew  him  very  well,  and  esteemed  him  highly.  He, 
at  a  very  early  time,  settled  in  Springfield,  and  was  appoint- 
ed clerk  of  the  circuit  court,  and  also  of  the  county  court, 
which  last  office  he  held  until  the  time  of  his  death  in  1840. 
1806-7-  This  year  a  notable  character  appeared  in  Illi- 
nois, as  the  Methodist  preacher,  Jesse  Walker.  He  was  a 
native  of  Kentucky.  1  knew  him  and  have  heard  him 
preach.  It  was  he  who  preached  the  first  Methodist  sermon 
in  St  Louis,  formed  the  first  society,  and  built  the  first 
church  there.  He  was  not  what  is  called  a  fine  preacher, 
but  was  earnest,  practical  and  very  orthodox.  He  had  sev- 
eral preaching  places  in  Madison  county,  and  the  result  of 
his  first  year's  labor  on  the  circuit  was  an  addition  of  215 
members.  Six  years  after  this  he  took  charge  of  all  the 
Methodist  interests  in  Illinois  and  Missouri.  He  would  fre- 
quently travel  thirty  miles  a  4ay,  preach  twice,  and  then 
ride  ten  or  twenty  miles  to  get  home ;  where  he  cultivated  a 
small  farm  in  St.  Clair  county,  to  raise  something  for  his 
family  to  live  on,  not  receiving  as  much  as  one  hundred 
dollars  for  his  year's  labors. 

This  year,  180G,  there  was  a  log  church   built  at  Shiloh, 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


279 


St.  Clair  county.  I  knew  the  old  church  very  well,  and 
have  been  at  it  often.  Three  other  churches  have  since  been 
built  at  the  same  place;  the  last,  a  handsome  brick  building, 
35  by  57  feet,  with  basement  story,  costing  SG,700,  and  was 
dedicated  in  1875  by  Bishop  Bowman. 

In  1807,  there  was  a  camp-meetiug  held  at  the  Bethel 
church  by  Elder  William  McKendree,  (afterwards  Bishop) 
and  Jesse  Walker,  a.ssisted  by  several  local  preachers,  Ilosea 
Eigg,  John  Kirkpatrick  and  others.  As  far  as  I  can  ascer- 
tain, it  was  the  first  camp-meetiug  held  in  the  county.  The 
results  of  the  meeting  were  very  gratifying,  and  many  per- 
sons made  a  profession  of  religion  and  joined  the  church. 

Mr.  Walker  deserves  honorable  mention  as  a  pioneer 
preacher  in  Illinois  and  Mi-ssouri — long  a  missionary 
among  the  Indians,  possessing  in  an  eminent  degree  the 
characteristics  of  a  successful  missionary.  His  name  was 
cherished  by  all  who  knew  him,  of  whom  it  could  be  said  by 
the  Master,  "  I  know  thy  works  and  thy  labor  and  thy  pa- 
tience ;  and  that  thou  hast  borne,  and  hast  patience,  and  for 
my  name's  sake  hast  labored,  and  hast  not  fainted." 

1807-8.  John  Clingan  was  appointed  to  Illinois,  by  a 
long  established  rule  of  the  Methodist  church  her  annual 
Conference  supplying  all  the  Methodist  societies  with  a 
preacher.  So  that  from  1803  to  the  present,  these  societies 
have  never  been  without  a  preacher.  Originally  the 
preachers  were  one  year  on  a  circuit ;  now  the  preacher  may 
remain  three  years  in  a  charge,  and  an  elder  four  years  on 
the  same  district.  At  the  close  of  the  year  Rev.  Mr.  Clin- 
gan returned  to  Kentucky,  and  the  next  year  1808-9,  Jesse 
Walker  was  the  preacher  in  Illinois  Circuit.  It  was  a  year 
of  hardship  and  labor,  but  was  readily  undertaken  by  Walk- 
er, who  visited  all  the  settlements,  preaching  almost  every 
day  and  forming  societies  wherever  practicable.  His  work 
showed  an  increase  of  fifty-five  members  of  the  church. 

If  it  should  be  considered  that  fifty-five  members  added 
to  the  church  in  a  year  was  a  small  return,  we  must  know 
that  there  were  very  few  people  in  Illinois  at  that  time,  few 
and  sparse  settlements,  and  the  people  very  frontier  in  habit 
and  character.  Now  when  churches  are  good,  ministers 
educated,  and  many  more  religious  privileges,  fifty-five 
additional  members  is  a  rare  year's  report  for  ministers  to 
make. 

1809-10.  Western  Conference  met  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
September  30,  1809.  At  this  Conference  Charles  Holliday 
and  Samuel  H.  Thompson  joined  the  Conference,  and 
became  afterwards  conspicuous  in  the  history  of  the  church 
in  Illinois  and  Missouri.  Abraham  Amos  was  appointed  to 
Illinois,  and  immediately  came  to  Madison  county,  and  form- 
ed a  Society  at  Salem,  at  the  house  of  Isaiah  Dunnagan- 
There  were  seventeen  members,  viz  :  Isaiah  Dunnagan,  Ann 
Dunnagan,  James  Gillham,  Polly  Gillham,  R.  C.  Gillham, 
Susanna  Gillham,  George  Davidson,  Jane  Davidson,  Polly 
Davidson,  George  Sanders,  Hi.nnah  Sanders,  John  Kirk, 
patrick,  Sally  Kirkjjatrick,  Thomas  Kirkpatrick,  Polly 
Kirkpatrick,  Anna  Dodd,  Sally  Salms.  Isaiah  Dunnagan 
was  appointed  class  leader.  Preaching  was  at  the  house  of 
Isaiah  Dunnagan  until  1814  ;  from  181-1  to  1818  at  the  house 
of  Ja  naes  Gillham,  then  at  the  house  of  John  Gillham,  Sen  » 


to  18'26  and  the  next  two  years  at  the  house  of  John  Gill- 
ham, Jr.,  where  Mr.  E.  Fahnestock,  now  resides.  In  1828 
under  the  auspices  of  Rev  John  Hogan  this  society  built  a 
frame  church  in  the  extreme  southeast  corner  of  township 
5,  range  9,  very  near  the  residence  of  Isaiah  Dunnagan. 
Here  the  society  continued  until  1854,  when  a  larger  church 
was  erected,  where  the  society  still  meet. 

In  September  1838  a  beautiful  camp  ground  was  laid, 
and  very  substantial  camp  buildinjis  put  up.  Yearly  camp 
meetings  were  held  here  until  1861,  when  the  war  excitement 
came  on  and  the  j'early  meetings  were  discontinued.  From 
the  organization  of  the  society  there  have  been  regular  reli- 
gious services,  and  a  class  of  members  with  a  leader,  and 
many  local  preachers  have  had  stated  services  there.  It 
has  always  been  an  important  point  in  Methodist  church 
history  in  Madison. 

Many  of  the  desendants  of  these  early  church  members 
still  remain  in  that  neighborhood,  and  are  highly  respected- 
The  society  here  received  additional  strength  in  1810,  when 
John  Springer  settled  in  the  neighborhood.  Air.  Springer 
was  one  of  the  most  devoted  Christian  men  I  ever  knew, 
earnest,  constant,  punctual  in  all  his  religious  duties.  He 
had  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all  who  knew  him,  and 
no  society  ever  had  a  more  valuable  member.  Two  of  his 
sons  became  ministers  and  all  his  children  honored  members 
of  the  church,  among  whom  Hon.  T.  O.  Springer,  Levi 
Springer  and  Mrs.  R.  C.  Gillham  all  live  in  this  county. 
Mr  Springer  was  the  leader  of  the  class  from  1815  to  1849, 
the  time  of  his  death.  The  members  of  this  society  well 
known  to  the  citizens  of  this  county,  were  always  esteemed 
as  a  part  of  our  best  citizens,  and  the  religious  influence  of 
the  society  was  very  valuable.  Their  last  minister  was  Rev. 
Henry  Delicate,  deceased  March  12,  1882.  Five  hundred 
persons  have  joined  the  church  at  this  place  since  its  organi- 
zation and  there  are  at  present  about  100  members. 

1810-11.  The  conference  met  this  year  at  New  Chapel, 
Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  November  1,  1810.  Daniel  Fra- 
ley  joined  the  conference  and  was  sent  to  Illinois.  There 
were  twenty-six  new  preachers  this  year  added  to  the  Con- 
ference. Illinois  was  settling  very  fast,  and  amongst  others 
who  came  to  Madison  county  was  William  Ottwell,  Rev- 
Josias  Randle,  Jesse  Bell,  Henry  Bonner,  Josias  Wright, 
B.  Maxey,  Benjamin  Delaplaiu  and  others  who  settled 
near  Edwardsville.  They  and  their  friends  were  members 
of  the  ]\Iethodist  church,  and  Randle,  Maxey  and  Delaplain 
was  preachers,  also  Thomas  and  Parham  Randle.  J.  Randle 
had  been  a  distinguished  preacher  in  Georgia  and  South 
Carolina  since  1802.  He  was  probably  the  first  local  preach- 
er who  had  regular  appointments  in  this  county. 

Mr.  Randle,  as  I  remember  him  was  a  large,  fine-looking 
man,  an  excellent  preacher,  and  preached  every  Sabbath. 
In  1812  he  was  appointed  Recorder  for  Madison  county, 
which  embraced  all  of  Illinois  north  of  St.  Clair  county, 
which  office  he  held  until  his  death  which  occurred  in  1824. 
The  office  at  that  time  was  the  most  lucrative  in  the  State. 
It  had  been  offered  to  John  Hay  of  St.  Clair,^the  grand- 
father of  Hon.  John  B.  Hay,  now  Postmaster  in  Belle- 
ville,   but   Hay   preferred   to   remain  in  St.  Clair  county, 


280 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


and  was  appointed  Recorder  and  Clerk  of  the  Court  of  that 
county.  Rev.  Mr.  Randle  had  four  sons,  Richard,  Barton, 
Peter  and  Josias.  Josias  died  in  Mississippi,  in  1832.  Barton 
and  Richard  became  efficient  and  able  preachers.  Barton 
joined  the  conference  in  1830,  and  continued  a  preacher  in 
that  conference  until  his  death  in  1882.  Richard  is  still  liv- 
ing, having  been  a  preacher  since  1828,  and  is  now  in  his 
84th  year,  honored  and  beloved  by  all  who  know  him.  Peter 
Randle  became  a  physician  of  distinction,  was  for  some 
years  President  of  a  Medical  College  in  San  Francisco,  Cal, 
and  now  holds  an  important  federal  office  in  that  city.  The 
only  daughter,  Mrs.  Martha  P.  Ripley,  is  now  residing  in 
Staunton,  Macoupin  county,  and  is  known  as  a  very  active 
worker  in  the  "  Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union." 

Goshen  settlement  became  noted  this  year  for  its  in- 
crease in  Methodist  families,  and  uniting  in  church  mem- 
bership with  the  Society  at  Bethel,  made  quite  a  large 
church  membership  at  that  place.  Parham  and  Thomas 
Randle  became  circuit  preachers,  lived  to  old  age,  and 
dying,  left  a  reputation  for  excellent  citizens  and  acceptable 
and  useful  ministers. 

William  Ottwell  came  to  Madison  county  in  1811.  He 
was  born  in  Maryland,  1779,  but  disliking  slavery  came  to 
the  territory  of  Illinois  that  he  might  raise  his  children  in  a 
State  where  slavery  did  not  exist. 

He  was  in  the  ranging  service  during  the  Indiana  hostili- 
ties under  Capt.  Jas.  B.  Moore,  of  Monroe  county.  He  was  a 
good  citizen  and  a  true  patriot.  He  filled  many  responsible 
stations  in  society  and  was  three  times  elected  to  represent 
Madison  county  in  the  State  Legislature.  He  was  very 
earnest  and  gifted  in  exhortation  and  prayer  and  instructive 
as  a  class  leader  A  man  of  positive  character  and  strength 
of  mind,  his  influence  for  good  was  seen  and  felt.  He  died 
in  Madison  county,  his  home,  September  4,  1844. 

1811-12.— Conference  was  held  at  Cincinnati,  Oct.  1,1811. 
The  minutes  show  an  increase  of  seventy  members  in  Illi- 
nois circuit.  Jesse  Walker  and  George  A.  Colbert  were  the 
preachers.  There  being  two  preachers  enabled  the  societies 
to  have  circuit  preaching  every  two  weeks,  and  the  year 
showed  a  gain  of  134  members.  There  was  an  increase  ot 
membership  in  all  the  societies  in  Madison  county,  and  more 
preaching  places  were  established,  and  the  Methodist  church 
became  the  most  prominent  church  in  the  county.  The 
Indians  were  troublesome  this  year  to  the  northern  settlers, 
and  many  of  our  citizens  became  volunteer  defenders  of  the 
settlements  and  were  called  rangers.  A  name  very  honor, 
able  in  Illinois,  and  which  elected  John  Reynolds  Governor 
of  the  State  and  member  of  Congress.  He  was  called  the 
"old  ranger."  In  1811  occurred  the  great  earthquakes  in 
western  Illinois  and  Missouri;  the  earth  at  intervals  would 
shake  violently  with  a  dull  roaring  sound,  and  continued  to 
do  so  at  intervals  until  late  in  the  spring  of  1812.  The 
people  became  greatly  alarmed,  and  very  many  joined  the 
church.  Many  curious  instances  of  alarm  were  witnessed. 
Most  of  those  who  had  joined  the  church  from  feelings  of 
alarm,  forgot  their  vows  and  professions  when  the  danger 
was  over.  In  1811-12,  Jesse  Walker  and  George  A. 
Colbert  were  sent  to  Illinois.     1812-13,  James  Dixon  was 


the  preacher.  1813-14,  Ive  Walker,  a  young  man  of  Irish 
parentage,  was  the  circuit  preacher.  He  was  an  excellent 
preacher  and  a  very  zealous  man.  1814-15,  James  Now- 
land  was  the  circuit  preacher.  Iknew  Rev.  Mr.  Nowland.  He 
was  a  good  substantial  preacher.  Not  a  man  of  much  pathos, 
rather  slow  in  speech,  methodical  in  style.  He  settled  first 
in  St.  Clair  and  afterward  in  Monroe  county,  where  some  of 
his  descendants  now  reside.  There  had  been  regular  services 
in  all  the  societies,  but  no  very  material  increase  of  mem- 
bership for  the  past  four  years. 

In  1815-16,  John  Scrips  and  William  Jones  were  the 
circuit  preachers,  filling  the  appointments  semi-monthly. 
Scrips  was  from  Indiana,  had  joined  the  conference  this  year 
and  was  sent  to  Illinois.  He  was  an  excellent  preacher,  and 
became  noted  in  his  profession  as  a  minister.  There  was  an 
increase  of  church  membership  of  over  fifty  this  year.  The 
following  is  taken  from  the  St.  Louis  Christian  Advocate  : — 
"The  General  Conference  in  1816  recognizing  the  increased 
interest  of  the  church  in  the  West,  divided  Tennessee  con- 
ferencejand  formed  Missouri  conference,  embracing  Indiana, 
Illinois,  Missouri  and  Arkansas.  Missouri  conference  met 
at  Shiloh,  St.  Clair  county,  September  23,  1816.  Ten 
preachers  constituted  the  conference,  eight  of  whom  were 
present.  Bishop  McKendree  presided,  Jesse  Walker, Samuel 
H.  Thompson  and  Thomas  Bright  were  the  Presiding  Elders. 
There  were  2192  members,  of  which  66  were  colored.  Four 
new  preachers  were  received  on  trial,  of  whom  Alexan- 
der McAllister  was  one,  and  became  one  of  the  ablest 
preachers  and  profound  reasoners  in  Illinois  or  Missouri. 

The  conference  records  show  the  following  as  the  financial 
report  for  the  year : 

Received  as  quarterage §645  75 

Received  from  Book  Concern 200  00 

Received  from  Chartered   Fund 130  00 

Donation  by  Bishop  McKendree 100  00 

Donation  by  Bishop  Asbury 7  75 

Donation  by  Ohio  Conference 66  00 

Total ?1.1«  60 

Which  when  divided  amongst  all  the  preachers  gave  to 
each  of  the  married  preachers  $88.75,  and  to  the  single 
preachers  $44. 37  J."  This  was  the  first  conference  held  in 
Illinois.  The  second  was  held  at  Bethel  church,  2i  miles 
south  of  Edwardsville,  in  Madison  county,  October  6,  1817. 
Bishop  Roberts  presided  and  John  Scrip  was  Secretary. 
Samuel  H.  Thompson  served  as  a  member  on  every  com- 
mittee. There  were  fourteen  preachers  in  attendance.  Dur- 
ing the  session  of  the  conference  the  weather  became  incle- 
ment and  the  meeting-house  having  been  hastily  built  twelve 
years  before,  was  now  out  of  repair  and  uncomfortable. 
Father  Josias  Wright  who  lived  near  the  church  invited  the 
Conference  to  adjourn  to  his  house,  which  they  did,  and  on 
Sabbath  the  entire  conference  of  preachers  sat  down  to  dinner 
at  his  table.  Now  Illinois  has  five  Methodist  Conferences, 
besides  those  of  Indiana,  Missouri  and  Arkansas.  How 
large  would  be  the  table  that  would  seat  all  the  ministers 
now  ?     Father  Wright  gave   them   a  cordial  welcome,  and 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


281 


girded  himself  and  served  them  ;  siuce  that  time,  they  have 
all  sat  down  at  the  Master's  table  who  himself  has 
served  them. 

This  year  the  preachers  went  to  their  appointed  places 
with  great  courage.  The  name  of  rfainuel  H.  Thompson 
became  a  household  word  in  all  Methodist  families.  He 
was  a  burning  and  shining  light  wherever  he  went.  I  have 
never  known  a  minister,  whose  loving  spirit,  kind  manner 
and  aflectionate  nature  made  him  a  more  welcome  guest  or 
beloved  pastor.  At  the  time  he  entered  the  traveling 
ministry  at  Cincinnati,  10th  Sept.  1809,  he  was  esteemed  as 
a  young  man  of  fine  promise.  Of  fine  person  and  pleasant 
address,  he  added  extraordinary  zeal.  His  whole  soul  was 
engaged  iu  the  work  of  the  Master.  His  labors  kuew 
neither  relaxation  nor  rest,  traveling  through  storms,  heat 
and  cold.  He  went  deep  and  far  in  the  sea  of  religious  ex- 
perience and  from  its  golden  treasures  brought  forth  the 
truth  that  found  its  way  to  the  judgment,  and  the  heart  of  the 
hearer.  From  1809  to  1834  he  was  a  great  Field  Marshal  of 
the  Methodist  Church.  He  lived  most  of  that  time  iu  Illinois, 
and  was  known  to,and  loved  by  eveiy  Methcdibt  ian.ily  in 
Madison  county.  A  Christian,  and  a  Christian  minister,  a 
messenger  of  peace  and  good  will,  a  lover  of  order,  and  ad- 
mirable administrator  of  discij)line  in  its  mildest  forms,  every 
charge  flourished  to  which  he  was  appointed.  He  possessed 
great  faith,  zeal  and  love ;  was  happy  himself,  and  made 
others  so. 

In  18-^4  Gen.  Jackson,  President,  appointed  him  Register 
of  the  Land  Office  at  Edwardsville.  He  asked  of  the 
Department  at  Washington  the  privilege  of  still  continuing 
his  ministerial  relations  in  the  Conference,  which  was  granted, 
and  continued  to  fill  regular  churches  until  his  health  failed. 
He  died  in  Edwardsville,  1811,  where  a  tombstone  erected 
by  his  brethren  in  this  county  marks  his  last  resting  place. 

This  year  there  was  a  church  built  one-half  mile  south- 
west of  Edwardsville,  called  Ebeuezer,  and  part  of  the 
members  of  the  Bethel  Society,  including  .Jame-s  Randle  and 
family,  Jesse  Bell  and  family  Thomas  Randle  and  family, 
Henry  Bonner  and  family,  William  Ottwell  and  family, 
Parham  Randle  and  family,  with  others  whose  names  1 
have  been  unable  to  obtain,  formed  a  society  at  Ebenezer. 

This  year  there  was  a  large  increase  in  church  member- 
ship Illinois  district  increased  l,.jOO,  Missouri  district  400. 
Nearly  2,000  members  had  been  added  to  the  church  this 
year.  Elder  Thompson  called  it  a  grand  jubilee.  We  might 
here  ask  the  question  why  are  not  our  preachers  as  success- 
ful now  in  gathering  in  members  as  then  ?  It  can  not  be 
because  they  were  more  able  preachers  or  better  paid  than 
now ;  for  this  year  the  married  preachers  received  $83.60, 
the  single  men  $41.80.  There  are  several  causes  which 
might  be  mentioned.  Now,  the  aim  and  labor  of  life  is  to 
accumulate  property,  to  get  rich,  and  for  this  the  hands  and 
hearts  of  the  people  are  more  earnestly  engaged  than  then. 
Now,  there  is  much  greater  extravagance  than  then,  which 
is  unfavorable  to  religion.  A  large  influx  of  foreign  popula- 
in  the  West  has  been  unfavorable  to  religion,  producing  dis. 
tion  regard  of  the  sanctity  of  the  Sabbath.  The  demoralizing 
infiueuce  of  party  politics  and  party  strife.  The  influence  of 
36 


infiilelity,  which  seem?  incraanng.  And  then,  not  the  least 
of  the  causes  may  be  found  in  the  constantly  increasing  de- 
mands made  upon  the  members  of  the  church  for  money 
with  which  to  carry  on  the  enlarged  plans  of  the  church  iu 
her  benevolences,  and  the  maintenance  of  her  ministers* 
which  is  not  uufrequently  felt  to  be  burdensome, 

It  may  be  thought  by  the  reader  that  this  last  assigned  cause 
has  neither  merit  nor  truth  in  it,  but  from  a  close  observation 
as  steward  in  the  church  for  forty  years  I  am  .satisfied  it  is  cor- 
rect, and  so  believing,  it  would  not  be  right  nor  honest  if  I 
did  not  say  so.  Formerly  a  minister  would  supply  from  fi  ve- 
to fifteen  or  more  societies,  all  of  whom  would  contribute  some 
thing  to  his  support.  Now  almost  every  society  desires  the 
services  of  a  minister  and,  as  is  often  the  case,  where  there 
are  not  many  members  they  feel  it  rather  a  costly  luxury. 
In  1S44  as  steward  of  Edwardsville  circuit  I  was  required  to 
make  and  furnish  the  stewards  of  the  several  societies  their 
proportion  of  amounts  to  be  raised  for  the  preacher's  salary 
and  parsonage  rent.  The  demand  against  the  circuit  was  as 
follows : 

83  members $77  65 


Eiiwardsville, 

83 

Liberty, 

22 

Salem, 

102 

ISTir's, 

50 

Mrs.  Gillham, 

6 

Ebenezer, 

9 

Six  Mile, 

59 

Venice. 

8 

Coliinsville, 

82 

Mt.  Zion, 

60 

Troy, 

34 

Gilead, 

81 

Eidge  Pr.airie, 

30 

Totala 


658. 


.  22.30 

.  95,00 

.  4650 

.  5.55 

.  8.30 

.  .5490 

-  7.45 

.  76.00 

.  55-80 

.  31.65 

.  75,35 

.  27.90 

§685.35 


Salary  of  Rev.  Win.  Willson  with  family J384.00 

"       "      "     Saml.  Smith  (single  man) 100.00 

Elder  Bobbins 48.33 

House  rent  for  preacher 48.00 

$580.33 
This  was  less  than  one  dollar  per  member.     Now  the 

societies  pay  $7.37  per  member   for  preacher's  salary  and 

incidental  church  expenses  and  church  benevolences. 

The  following  table  shows  the  meraberihip  in  the  church 

for  1881  as  taken  from  the  conference  minutes  for  that  year 

and  the  church  expenses  for  the  same  year. 


No.  Mem- 
bers. 

Preachers 

and  Elders 

Salary. 

J1070  00 
766  00 
743  00 
990  00 
6(56  50 
575  00 
508  00 
182  00 
548  50 

Current 
Expenses. 

Benevo- 
lences. 

Alton,  Station 221 

Upper  -Vllon,  Station  .  .  .         136 

Wanda,  Circuit 145 

Edwardsville,  Station  .    .  |         75 
Miles  Circuit.  .....         147 

Coliinsville.  Station i       126 

Highland,  Circuit 102 

Troy,  Station 106 

New  Douglas,  Station...  .         107 

$641  00 
132  00 
215  00 
300  00 
203  00 
211  00 
50  00 
75  00 
112  75 

?  95  00 

35  10 

122  00 

71  00 

143  25 

■     27  00 

21  00 

46  00 

45  00 

1,165 

6,049  00 

1,939  75 

605  35 

Making  an  average  yearly  contribution  of  $7.37  for  each 
member. 


282 


HISTORY    OF  MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


A  large  part  of  the  membership  in  all  the  churches  is 
composed  of  the  young,  and  those  who  are  unable  to  pay 
anything,  and  of  the  remainder,  a  majority  are  able  to  pay 
very  little  ;  the  burden  rests  on  a  few  in  every  charge  who 
feel  it  very  sensibly  ;  since  they  are  in  no  way  exempted  from 
the  taxes  or  contributions  which  other  citizens  pay.  It  will 
be  seen  that  the  salaries  of  the  preachers  are  too  small  to 
make  the  ministry  an  object  in  a  pecuniary  point  of  view, 
for  any  man  of  education  and  talent  necessary  for  success  as 
a  minister  in  the  present  advanced  state  of  society,  and  we 
must  give  them  the  credit  of  being  actuated  by  motives  of 
a  higher  character. 

I  do  not  say,  nor  do  I  believe,  that  members  of  the  church 
pay  more  to  sustain  religious  institutions  than  they  should, 
but  the  change  in  that  particular  is  so  great  that  a  large 
portion  of  them  feel  so,  and  the  frequent  expression  of  this 
feeling  aflects  others,  and  lessens  their  own  interest  in  the 
church.  I  see  no  remedy  for  this  state  of  thing  but  in  a 
better  understanding  of  the  subject,  which  will  require  time 
and  teaching. 

1817.  This  year  the  original  town  of  Upper  Alton  was 
laid  off,  and  under  the  ministrations  of  Rev.  Samuel  H. 
Thompson,  a  class  of  six  persons  was  formed.  Ebenezer 
and  Mary  Hodges,  Jonathan  and  Delilah  Brown,  Oliver 
Brown  and  John  Seely,  were  the  members.  The  iirst 
preaching  place  was  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Hodges,  which  was 
a  log  cabin,  and  when  the  Baptist  church  was  built  in  1836. 
Mr.  Thompson  was  the  pastor.  The  society  was  small  for 
some  years  ;  but  was  the  nucleus  of  what  afterward  became 
a  large  society.  A  large  number  of  influential  and  promineiit 
citizens  have  had  membership  in  this  church.  William  G. 
Pinkard,  Dr.  Thomas  Stanton,  H.  P.  Eundle,  Troy  Moore, 
I.  B.  Randle,  Lewis  J.  Clauson,  Isaac  Waruock,  John  Hc- 
gan,  John  Cooper,  Robert  and  James  Harrison,  H.  H. 
Summers,  and  many  others. 

A  church  was  built  in  1835,  and  is  now  occupied  by  S.  B. 
Congdon  as  a  residence.  In  1849  a  new  brick  church  was 
erected  under  the  active  efforts  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  L.  J.  Clau- 
son and  others.  There  have  been  forty-seven  pastors  ap- 
pointed to  this  charge.  The  present  pastor.  Rev.  L.  C. 
English,  reports  the  society  in  a  flourishing  condition.  There 
are  136  members.  The  regular  services  of  the  church  are 
interesting  and  well  attended. 

The  third  session  of  the  Missouri  Conference  was  held  at 
Mt  .Zion  meeting-house,  in  Murphey's  settlement,  Sept.  10, 
1818.  Jesse  Hale  was  presiding  elder,  and  Samuel  H. 
Thompson  and  Thomas  Helms  were  on  Illinois  circuit ;  and 
Jacob  Whiteside  an  assistant  preacher.  David  Sharp  was 
appointed  to  Silver  Creek  circuit.  He  was  an  excellent 
preacher,  and  became  quite  prominent  and  influential  in  the 
church.  Some  years  after,  he  married  Miss  Anna  Moore, 
daughter  of  Judge  Risdon  Moore,  of  St.  Clair  county.  It 
was  a  sickly  year.  The  preacher  labored  earnestly  and 
faithfully,  and  reported  an  increase  of  seven  hundred  mem- 
bers in  the  Conference. 

This  was  the  first  year  I  saw  Mr.  Thompson.  I  was  a 
very  small  boy,  but  his  fine  appearance  and  dignified  man- 
ner   impressed    me    favorably,  and    this   impression    con- 


tinued. No  camp  meeting  in  this  county  was  complete 
or  successful  unless  he  was  present.  This  year  there  wt  re 
no  trials  nor  appeals,  and  the  Conference  was  harmonious. 
But  what  was  rather  extraordinary  was  the  appointment  of 
a  committee  which  made  a  long  and  exhaustive  report  on 
the  Arian,  Socinian  and  Pelagian  doctrines.  Of  course, 
these  heresies  were  severely  handled,  although  not  one  per- 
son in  fifty  knew  or  cared  anything  about  them. 

In  those  early  times  it  was  not  an  uncommon  thing  for  the 
young  preacher,  when  he  found  himself  confused  in  his  sub- 
ject, to  vigorously  attack  "  the  five  points  of  Calvinism,"  set 
the  brush  on  fire,  and  ride  out  by  the  light  the  fire  created. 
The  next  Conference  was  held  at  Cape  Girardeau,  Mo., 
Sept.  10th,  1819.  Bishop  George  presided.  He  had  com- 
menced  preaching  in  1790  There  were  at  that  time  227 
Methodist  preachers  in  the  United  States,  45,949  white  and 
11,682  colored  members.  He  visited  Turkey  Hill  settle- 
ment, in  St.  Clair  county,  where  I  heard  him* preach.  He 
also  spent  a  week  in  Edwardsville,  the  guest  of  Rev.  Jonas 
Randle,  and  preached  at  Ebenezer  meeting-house.  He 
was  a  most  devout  and  holy  man,  of  a  most  tender  and 
loving  heart.  He  rarely  preached  without  shedding  tears 
and  deeply  affecting  his  audience.  His  pure  and  loving 
spirit  drew  every  ono  with  whom  he  had  intercourse  towards 
him. 

The  Minutes  of  this  Conference  show  that  for  the  twenty- 
nine  traveling  preachers  $1410  93  was  all  the  stewards 
could  report  for  them.  The  people  were  poor.  There  was 
very  little  money  in  the  country.  It  was  difficult  to  get 
money  enough  to  buy  salt  and  pay  taxes.  All  the  farmers 
were  trying  to  save  money  enough  to  enter  the  lauds  on 
which  they  were  living  from  the  General  Government. 
The  strictest  economy  was  practiced,  and  nearly  all  necessa- 
ries for  family  use  were  raised  and  manufactured  at  home. 
The  people  were,  however,  religious  and  happy.  Regular 
services  were  held  in  all  the  societies, and  several  new  preach- 
ing places  established  in  this  county.  Alexander  McAllister 
was  on  this  circuit. 

The  next  year  the  Conference  was  held  in  S*.  Clair  coun- 
ty, at  Shiloh  Camp  Ground,  Sept.  13,  1820.  Four  years 
before,  the  conference  was  held  at  this  place  with  ten  preach- 
ers and  two  thousand  members. — now  thirty  preachers  and 
eight  thousand  members.  Alexander  McAllister,  a  very 
talented  preacher,  was  appointed  on  the  circuit. 

These  pioneer  men  had  proved  themselves  equal  to  the 
nece-'sities  of  the  times.  The  Methodist  Church  had  become 
the  leading  denomination  in  the  county  and  state.  I  remem- 
ber the  time  and  circumstances  of  this  meeting  quite  well, 
although  a  small  boy  at  the  time.  My  father  had  a  tent,  or 
rather  a  house,  on  the  ground  ;  it  was  built  of  logs,  covered 
with  boards,  partitioned  into  several  rooms,  and  quite  com- 
fortable. 

I  had  great  reverence  for  the  preachers,  and  considered 
the  Bishop  little  less  than  a  divine  personage.  A  number 
of  families  from  Madison  county  had  camps  there,  and  the 
meeting  continued  nearly  two  weeks.  I  had  never  seen 
anything  equal  to  the  excitement  of  that  meeting.  At  night 
the  camp  fires  were  lighted  and  the  beautiful  grounds  made 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON    COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


283 


brilliant.  After  each  sermon,  the  mourners,  as  they  were 
called,  were  invited  forward  for  prayers,  and  many  would 
corae.  I  had  no  other  idea  but  that  it  was  the  singing  and 
prayers  that  gave  the  people  religion,  and  why  all  did  not 
get  it  was  a  wonder  to  me, — seeing  there  was  so  good  a 
chance.  It  was  at  this  meeting  I  first  heard  the  word 
"  hallelujah."  I  have  often  heard  it  since,  but  never  with 
such  voice  and  joy  as  then.  It  is  a  good  word  when  rightly 
used.  My  recollection  is  that  over  one  hundred  persons 
made  profession  of  religion.  It  was  this  feature  of  religious 
worship  in  America  that  excited  great  wonder  in  Lamar- 
tine,  who  says:  "  The  people  will  meet  in  great  numbers  in 
the  proves,  and  stay  for  days  in  an  excited  state  of  mind, 
and  professing  to  get  religion." 

The  married  preachers  this  year  received  $73.00  each 
quarter;  the  single  men,  $36.50.  Jesse  Hale  was  sent  to 
preach  for  the  societies  in  Madison  county.  He  was  rather 
au  eccentric  man,  and  never  was  married. 

Complaints  had  been  made  against  Brother  Hale's  man- 
ner and  peculiarities.  He  was  very  severe  in  his  remarks 
against  fine  dress, — although  no  one  was  finely  dressed  here 
in  those  days.  For  a  lady  to  wear  a  veil  or  a  ribbon  on  her 
bonnet,  or  a  ring  on  her  finger,  was  with  him  quite  enough 
to  exclude  her  from  the  church.  I  have  seen  him  take  oft' 
his  coat  in  warm  weather  and  preach  in  his  shirt  sleeves.  A 
committee  was  appointed  to  address  him  on  the  subject  of 
his  eccentricities,  and,  if  possible,  tone  him  down  a  little. 
They  made,  however,  but  small  progress.  He  was  a  fair 
preacher,  very  conscientious  and  pious,  wholly  devoted  to  his 
work.  He  died  at  the  Conference  at  Nashville  in  the  fall  of 
1838. 

LOCAL  PREACHERS. 

A  very  imprrtant  feature  in  the  early  history  of  the 
church  in  Illinois,  and  largely  so  in  Madison  county,  was  the 
work  and  influence  of  local  preachers.  In  many  places  the 
local  preachers  were  the  right  arm  of  the  churches,  and 
notwithstanding  they  have  been  derisively  termed  "  ecclesiasti- 
cal bummers "  by  a  high  official  in  the  church,  it  was 
by  and  through  them,  that  the  Methodist  Church  in  Illinois 
took  the  front  rank.  They  were  the  first  pioneer  preachers. 
Laboring  six  days  in  the  week,  for  the  maintenance  of  their 
families,  they  had  but  little  time  for  reading  and  study. 
Their  serraoui  lacked  the  flavor  of  education,  the  skill  of 
logic,  the  subtleties  of  wit  and  grace  of  eloquence,  but  they 
had  what  was  better,  the  flavor  of  a  rich  religious  experience, 
earnestness,  zeal,  practical  piety,  backed  by  a  life  of  true 
Christian  conduct  which  gave  them  influence, and  the  canfi- 
dence  of  the  people.  Learning  and  talent  in  the  pulpit  are 
of  great  value,  but  any  minister  who  expects  succe.«s  on  any 
other  line  than  that  of  a  holy  life,  and  simple  fidelity  to  the 
teachings  of  the  Great  Master  will  be  disappointed  ;  without 
the  sanction  of  the  Divine  Spirit  all  other  endowments  and 
gifts  are  vain  in  bringing  men  to  an  experience  of  the  truths 
of  the  gospel.  These  men  were  taught  in  the  Scriptures, 
and  their  acquaintance  with  the  writings  of  Wesley, 
Watson,  Fletcher,  Clark  and  the  fathers  of  the  Churches  was 
good,  and  their  labors  successful.  Without  the  sacrifices, 
the  labors   the  influences  of  these  "  ecclesiastical  bummers" 


the  Methodist  Church  and  the  cause  of  religion  in  Illinois 
and  the  West  would  be  far  below  what  we  see  it  to-day.  It 
has  been  my  observation  for  many  years  that  local  preachers 
were  not  estimated  at  their  worth  and  merit  Their  sermons 
to  be  received  with  equal  favor  with  those  of  the  circuit 
preachers,  had  to  be  superior  to  them.  Their  every  day  life, 
eucurabered  with  the  business,  labors,  occupations  and  profes- 
sions of  life,  and  coming  a^  was  often  the  case  in  conflict  with 
the  opinions  and  interests  of  others  in  their  neighborhood,  they 
had  to  overcome  prejudices  that  itineraut  ministers  did  not 
meet.  Their  common  oneness  in  the  communities  where  they 
lived,  their  avocations  and  weaknesses,  which  a  regular 
minister's  life  does  not  make  so  apparent,  tended  to  lesson 
that  degree  of  reverence  for  them,  which  was  felt  towards 
the  minister  who  was  rarely  seen  except  in  the  pulpit.  It 
was  also  expected  of  them  they  should  give  much  more  of 
their  time,  and  means  to  the  church  than  those  who  might 
have  more  time,  and  larger  means.  Fortunately  for  the 
church  iu  Madison  and  St.  Clair  counties  they  had  superior 
advantages  in  being  blest  with  a  large  number  of  those  men, 
mo.st  of  whom  were  of  deep  piety  and  more  than  ordi- 
nary preaching  ability.  I  may  mention  some  of  them. 
Joseph  Lilliard,  in  17:10,  James  Clark,  1798,  who  preached 
in  Madison  and  St.  Clair  counties.  Hosea  Kigg,  in  1796, 
Thomas  Harrison,  1809.  Thomas  Talbot,  1810  Benjamin 
Watts,  1811,  Edward  and  Samuel  Mitchell  and  William 
Heath  1818,  who  settled  in  St.  Clair  county,  and  had  a  mark 
ed  and  valuable  iufluence,  both  as  citizens  and  ministers. 
In  Madi.son  county,  were  John  Kirkpatrick,  Josias  Randle, 
Benjamin  Delaplain,  Thomas  Randle,  Bennett  Maxey, 
Parham  Randle,  Washington  C.  Ballard,  and  a  few  years 
later,  William  Hadley,  Richard  Randle,  Thomas  G.  Lofton, 
and  Jesse  Rcnfro.  I  was  personally  acquainted  with  all  these 
men  except  Lilliard  and  Clark,  and  have  heard  them  preach. 
They  deserve  to  be  honored  and  remembered  by  the  church. 
Richard  Randle,  now  in  his84lh  year,  Jesse  Renfro,  in  his 
85th  year,  William  Hadley  in  his  76th  year,  alone  remain. 
The  others  have  long  since  heard  the  voice  of  the  Master 
say  "  come  up  higher,"  and  have  entered  into  rest,  but 
their  names  are  not  forgotten  ;  their  memories  and  their 
Christian  labors  remain  to  bless  the  church,  and  although 
called  "  ecclesiastical  bummers  "  by  him  who  should  have 
been  the  last  to  apply  such  an  epithet  to  this  worthy  class  of 
Christian  men,  their  names  and  memories  will  live  and  be 
cherished  by  thousands  after  the  names  of  the  more  learned 
and  pretentious  will  be  forgotten.  The  occasion  and  circum- 
stances which  gave  rise  to  that  office  in  the  church  and  which 
made  local  preachers  effective  in  Illinois,  seem  to  have 
passed  aiyay,  and  they  have  almost  passed  away  with  the 
necessities  which  give  rise  to  them.  John  Dew  was  ap- 
pointed to  this  circuit  for  1820-21.  He  was  a  plain,  rather 
rough  man,  in  style  and  address,  but  a  man  of  extraordinary 
fine  talents. 

He  became  a  traveling  preacher  in  1813,  and  early  ex- 
hibited tho.se  traits  of  character  which  made  him  distin- 
guished. Of  great  strength  of  will  and  force  of  character, 
with  brilliant  mind  and  self-reliance,  he  occupied  for  many 
years  a  prominent  position  in  the  church.     No  man  of  his 


284 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


time  drew  more  largely  or  more  effectively  on  his  own 
mental  strength  and  resources  for  his  pulpit  efforts  than  did 
he.  He  was  outspoken  in  his  opposiliuu  to  what  he  thought 
wrong  in  the  church  or  out  of  it,  and  had  those  positive 
traits  of  character  which  make  warm  friends,  and  decided 
opponents.  He  acted  on  the  theory  that  fruit-trees  needed 
pruning  as  well  as  cultivating,  and  was  a  strict  adminis- 
trator of  discipline.  He  and  Samuel  H.  Thompson  were 
neighbors,  and  a  close  friendship  ever  existed  between 
them,  although  quite  unlike  in  their  make  up  and  disposi- 
tion. While  Dew  was  much  the  best  preacher,  Thompson 
was  the  most  wiuniug  and  successful.  Dew  was  the  most 
talented  of  the  two,  but  Thompson  was  the  most  popular. 


This  year  a  Methodist  society  was  organized  at  the 
house  of  John  Jarvis,  at  Troy,  where  for  a  time  regular 
preaching  was  had.  Afterward  the  society  constructed  a 
small  frame  church  building,  called  "Gilead,"  on  section 
14,  on  the  premises  now  belonging  to  the  estate  of  James 
Lang.  The  society  grew  and  prospered,  having  at  one  time 
over  a  hundred  members.  Subsequently  the  society  occu- 
pied a  brick  school-house,  on  section  11,  near  the  residence 
of  Rev.  Jesse  Renfro,  who  for  many  years  was  an  effective 
local  preacher  and  leading  member  in  the  church,  and  who 
in  1S52,  was  circuit  preacher  on  Edwardsville  circuit.  In 
1876  the  members  of  the  Gilead  society  removed  their  mem- 
bership to  Troy.  The  society  in  Troy  was  re-organized  with 
seventeen  members,  and  preaching  was  had  there.  In  1844 
the  membership  had  increased  to  forty-four.  Wm.  J.  Barns- 
back  was  class-leader  and  steward.  In  1864,  the  society, 
feeling  the  necessity  of  a  church  building,  erected  the 
"Jubilee  church,  a  neat  frame  building  on  brick  foundation, 
24x34  feet,  with  substantial  seats,  pulpit  and  bell.  The 
society  was  materially  aided  by  John  C.  Dugger  and  others 
of  Gilead  .society.  This  building  served  the  necessities  of 
the  society  until  1870,  when  they  concluded  to  build  a  larger 
house  in  a  more  convenient  place,  which  was  done,  and  a 
handsome  brick  church  was  erected  during  the  pastorate  of 
Rev.  Van  Winkle,  and  dedicated  by  Dr.  Peter  Cartwright, 
and  was  about  the  last  public  service  of  his  life.  He  was  then 
quite  feeble,  the  mere  shadow  of  himself  in  mind  and  body. 
The  society  was  made  a  station,  and  at  present  numbers 
one  hundred  and  five  members,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev. 
T.  J.  C.  Tolle. 

1821-2. — Parham  Raudleand  James  Scott  were  the  pastors. 
I  have  already  spoken  of  Mr.  Randle,  who  was  well  and 
favorably  known  all  over  the  county.  New  and  additional 
societies  bad  been  formed  in  the  county.  I  have  heard  Mr. 
Scott  spoken  of  very  favorably  by  those  personally  ac- 
quainted with  him,  as  an  earnest  and  acceptable  preacher. 
There  were  many  appointments,  and  but  few  of  the  societies 
had  Sabbath  preaching,  but  were  supplied  with  weekday 
preaching  by  the  circuit  preachers,  and  on  Sabbath  by  the 
local  ministers.  In  all  the  societies  there  were  class-leaders, 
who  met  their  classes  weekly.  Tliis  excellent  part  of  Church 
polity  and  religious  service  is  now  rarely  kept  up  with  any 
regularity.    Then  absence  from  class-meeting  three  times  in 


succession,  without  satisfactory  excuses,  was  deemed  good 
cause  of  exclusion  from  church  membership.  This  year 
(1821)  a  society  was  formed  at  the  house  of  Dempsey  Gut- 
hrie, and  a  church  built  on  hisland  in  1838,  called  Plea- 
sant Ridge,  and  regular  services  had  thereuntil  1844, 
when  the  church  and  society  were  removed  to  Collinsville. 
1822— The  Conference  of  1822-3  met  in  St.  Louis,  Octo- 
ber 24,  1822.  There  was  no  church  in  St.  Louis  except  a 
Catholic  church.  Jesse  Walker  had  commenced  a  church 
building  on  Myrtle  street,  bat  it  was  unfinished.  Col.  Rufus 
Easton  offered  his  house  fur  the  use  of  the  Conference, 
which  was  accepted.  Col.  Easton  was  a  whole-souled  gen- 
tleman, and  made  the  Conference  welcome  to  an  enlarged 
hospitality.  I  had  the  pleasure  last  year  of  meeting  Col.  R- 
E.  Easton,  (son  of  Col.  Easton^  now  and  for  many  years 
in  the  United  States  engineering  service,  and  a  graduate  of 
West  Point.  I  found  him  a  very  intelligent  and  pleasant 
gentleman,  much  like  his  father  ;  but  he  had  no  recidlection 
of  this  Conference,  being  too  young— then  only  two  years 
old.  There  were  now  fifty-one  preachers  appointed  to  work 
in  the  four  states,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Missouri  aiid  Arkan- 
sas. This  year  there  was  no  increase  in  the  Church  in  the 
Illinois  circuit.  We  were  in  the  most  exciting  election 
which  has  ever  been  held  in  Illinois.  Nothing  less  than  the 
settlement  of  the  slavery  question.  The  people  seemed  to 
think  or  care  about  little  else.  The  excitement  pervaded 
all  classes  and  professions. 

At  this  conference  Zadoc  Casey,  afterwards  known 
throughout  all  Illinois,  was  elected  to  Deacon's  orders.  Casey 
was  a  man  of  superior  talent,  and  became  a  fine  preacher, 
for  many  years  a  prominent  member  of  the  legislature, 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  Lieutenant  Gov- 
ernor of  the  State,  and  for  some  years  a  representative  in 
Congress,  and  regarded  in  Washington  as  a  superior  parlia- 
mentarian and  useful  member.  In  1847  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Constitutional  Convention  in  Springfield. 

He  became  interested  in  the  coal  mines  near  Collinsville, 
laid  out  the  town  of  Caseyville,  and  whilst  eng.iged  in  attend- 
ing to  his  interests  in  that  place  he  was  taken  sick.  At  night 
kneeling  at  his  bedside,  as  was  his  custom,  to  offer  prayer 
before  lying  down  the  messenger  came  to  him,  and  in  the 
morning  he  wa^  found  on  his  knees  cold  in  death.  Jesse 
Hale  and  Cornelius  Ruddle  were  the  pre.ichers.  This  year 
also  showed  a  decline  in  church  membership  in  Madison  and 
St.  Clair  counties,  when  the  great  battle  on  the  slavery 
queston    was  fought. 

1823-24.  John  Dew  and  Orcenith  Fisher  were  the  pastors. 
Fisher  was  a  young  man  of  extraordinary  character.  I  have 
never  known  a  man  to  exceed  him  in  earnest  zeal  and  effort 
in  gathering  young  persons  into  the  church.  There  were  revi- 
vals in  the  societies  wherever  he  went.  To  his  zeal  was 
added  application  to  books.  He  became  an  industrious  stu- 
dent, acquiring  not  only  a  knowledge  of  the  English  but  of  the 
Greek,  Latin  and  Hebrew  languages.  But  theology  was  his 
most  constant  study,  so  that  with  a  vigorous  constitution  and 
strong  mind  he  was  able  to  do  an  immen-e  amount  of  work. 
He  was  very  effective  in  his  labor  in  this  county.  Later  in 
life   he   went  to  Texas,  and   was  there   in   1844  while    the 


HISTORY    OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


285 


church  was  divided.  Remaining  in  the  South  he  retained 
his  relations  to  that  branch  of  the  church,  and  for  many 
years  preached  in  that  State.  He  afterward  went  to  Cali- 
fornia, but  returned  to  Texas,  and  when  near  80  years  of  age 
could  hold  a  congregation  in  earnest  attention  for  two  hours. 
He  died  in  Texas  in  1880. 

In  an  article  by  John  Hogan,  taken  from  [  the  St. 
Louis  Christian  Advocate  it  is  stated  that  the  stewards  this 
year  settled  with  the  married  preachers  at  $32.(52.  Single 
preachers  at  $20.31.  We  hope  there  is  some  mistake  in 
this.  A  public  collection  was  taken  on  Sunday  by  the  Con- 
ference then  sitting  in  St  Louis  to  pay  for  the  new  church, 
and  $50.00  was  raised.  New  circuits  were  organized  this 
year.  That  country  in  north-eastern  Illinois,  lying  north 
and  west  of  Terre  Haute  and  toward  Chicago,  was  embraced 
in  a  circuit  and  called  Vermillion  circuit. 

1824-25.  The  Ninth  Conference  was  held  23d  October, 
1824,  at  Padfield's  Camp  Ground  near  Lebanon.  It  was  a 
session  of  much  importance.  Three  bishops  were  present, 
Robert  R.  Roberts,  Wm.  ]McKendree,  Joshua  Soule  ;  Roberts 
presided-.  William  Beauchamp,  a  minister  of  prominence 
had  died  on  the  8th  of  October.  He  and  Soule  had  been 
the  candidates  for  the  office  of  bishop  at  the  late  General 
Conference,  and  Soule  was  elected  by  one  majority.  Beau- 
champ  had  settled  near  Mount  Carmel  in  1817,  and  had 
formed  quite  a  settlement  there.  Comparaiively  a  young 
man,  being  in  his  47th  year,  and  the  most  prominent  preacher 
in  Illinois,  and  of  most  aflectionate  and  gentle  disposition  ; 
his  death  was  deeply  deplored.  Bishop  Soule  preached  his 
funeral  sermon  by  request  of  the  Conference.  He  did  jus- 
tice to  the  occasion  and  to  the  subject.  All  who  heard  the 
discourse  considered  it  the  most  able  to  which  they  had  ever 
listened.  The  General  Conference  at  its  last  session  had 
divided  the  Missouri  Conference.  Illinois  and  Indiana  were 
united,  making  Illinois  Conference.  All  west  of  the  Missis- 
sippi river  formed  jMissouri  Conference.  Thomas  Raudle,  of 
Madison  county,  was  made  a  circuit  preacher  and  sent  to 
Kaskaskia. 

The  Conference  before  the  division  contained  12,579  mem- 
bers, an  increase  of  over  800  the  past  year.  There  were 
Walker,  Thompson,  Hale,  Pattison,  Matheny,  Dew,  Cart- 
wright,  Fisher,  Sharp,  and  Ruddle,  who  had  been  instrumen- 
tal in  building  up  the  church  in  Illinois,  in  which  ^Madison 
county  was  quite  in  advance  of  any  other.  Bishop  McKen- 
dree,  who  was  an  old  man,  had  been  in  the  ministry  thirty-sev- 
en j^ears.  It  was  his  last  visit  to  Illinois.  He  .spent  a  week 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Turkey  Hill,  visiting  Edward  and 
Samuel  Mitchell,  Judge  Risdon  Moore,  Father  Walls,  Wm. 
Scott,  and  my  father.  Boy  as  I  was,  I  treated  him  to  the 
best  I  had — a  large  plate  of  hickory  nuts  and  apples.  I 
remember  how  he  described  the  growth  and  maturity  of 
fruits  and  nuts,  to  me  a  new  but  very  interesting  subject, 
and  yet  remember  much  he  said.  There  were  the  brothers 
Mitchell,  Jloore,  and  some  others  present-  On  rising  to 
leave,  he  turned  around  and  said: 

"Cliildren  of  the  Heavenly  King, 
As  we  journey  let  us  sing." 
I  thought   he  was  making   poetry,  but  they  all  began  sing- 


ing, after  which  all  knelt  and  the  old  man  offered  fervent 
prayer.  I  am  now  nearly  sixty  years  older  than  then,  but 
the  pleasant  remembrance  of  the  occiision  is  still  fresh. 
Rev.  John  Dew  and  J.imcs  Johnson  were  sent  to  this 
circuit. 

1825-26.  -Conference  met  at  Charleston,  Indiana,  25th 
August,  1825.  There  had  been  additional  preaching  places 
and  societies  established  in  the  county,  but  as  yet  few- 
societies  in  the  towns.  There  was  no  church  building  in 
any  of  the  villages  in  ^ladison  county  except  a  small  build- 
ing in  Upper  Alton.  There  was  a  society  in  Scarritt's 
prairie  called  Bethel ;  one  at  Salem  ;  one  at  Samuel  Brown's, 
on  Long  Lake;  one  at  Samuel  Gillham's,  on  Sis  Mile 
prairie;  one  at  Ebenezer;  one  at  Dempsy  Guthrey's,  on 
Pleasant  Ridge ;  at  Gilead ;  at  Upper  Alton  ;  at  Lamb's 
Point ;  at  Rodger  Snell's,  near  Staunton,  and  at  John  C. 
Dugger's. 

Washington  C.  Ballard  came  to  Madison  county  in  the 
early  part  of  1825,  and  had  preaching  appointments  in 
many  places,  and  was  well  received  and  useful.  Although 
not  a  man  of  much  preaching  ability,  yet  such  was  his 
Christian  life,  his  kindly  disposition  and  genial  nature  that 
no  preacher  was  more  favorably  received  or  had  better  con- 
gregations than  he.  He  lived  to  a  ripe  old  age  and  died  in 
1870,  beloved  by  all  who  knew  him.  This  year  the  preacher 
in  charge.  Rev.  John  Dew,  reported  an  increase  of  seventy- 
three  members. 

For  1825-26,  Thornton  Peeples  and  Ebenezer  Webster 
were  sent  to  this  circuit.  They  were  sensible  men  and  fair 
preachers.  Peeples  had  lived  near  Lebanon  and  Webster 
had  come  from  Ohio.  It  was  not  a  very  prosperous  year  ; 
the  number  of  members  of  the  church  being  695,  the  same 
number  as  reported  last  year.  I  remember  once  at  a  night 
meeting  at  ray  father's  house,  when  Rev.  Webster  was 
preaching,  seeing  a  man  walk  up  deliberately  to  where  the 
preacher  was  standing,  take  up  the  candle,  light  his  pipe 
and  go  back  to  his  .seat  enveloped  in  a  cloud  of  smoke.  Both 
these  pieachers  died  in  1878;  Mr  Peeples  in  Kansas  and 
Webster  in  Ohio.  They  had  long  been  faithful  ministers  of 
the  gospel,  and  left  a  record  behind  them  of  much  good 
accomplished  in  the  Master's  service.  This  year  James 
Hadiey  was  made  a  circuit  preacher. 

1826-27. — Conference  met  at  Bloomington,  Indiana  Sep- 
tember 28, 1826,  and  Samuel  H.  Thompson  and  John  Miller 
were  sent  to  this  county.  At  this  conference  three  young 
men  of  Madison  county,  Stith  M.  Ottwell,  son  of  William 
Ottwell;  Isaac  Hou.se,  of  Edwardsville,  and  Smith  L.  Robin- 
son, of  Ridge  Prairie,  joined  the  traveling  ministry.  They 
were  young  men  of  fine  talents  and  much  promise  of  future 
''  usefulness,  and  their  lives  and  history  fully  justified  the 
hopes  of  their  friends  and  the  church.  They  deserve  a  more 
extended  notice  than  can  here  be  given.  Ottwell  and  Robin- 
son became  prominent  and  able  ministers,  although  neither 
lived  to  old  age. 

1827-28.— Conference  met  at  Mount  Carmel,  Illinois, 
September  20,  1827.  Samuel  II.  Thompson  and  John 
Hogan  were  sent  to  the  circuit,  and  Peter  Cartwright  to 
Illinois   district       The   appointment     pleased    everybody. 


286 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


Cartwright  was  rising  rapidly  to  distinction,  of  whose  his- 
tory so  mucli  is  known  as  to  make  it  unnecessary  for  me 
here  to  say  much.  He  was  one  of  those  men  who  attract 
attention,  and  make  lasting  Impressions  wherever  they  are. 
Asa  self  reliant  and  original  man;  of  forcible  character, 
strong  determination,  moral  and  physic  il  courage  able  iu 
the  pulpit  and  wise  in  council,  he  had  no  superior  and  but 
few  equals.  The  last  time  I  saw  him  was  at  the  dedication 
of  the  church  in  Troy,  in  18  72.  It  was,  perhaps,  the  last 
public  act  of  his  life.  He  was  then,  however,  the  mere 
shadow  of  himself  in  both  mind  and  person. 

John  Hogan  was  a  young  man  of  Irish  parentage.  Had 
come  to  this  country  when  a  boy  and  learned  a  trade  in 
Baltimore.  Was  early  impressed  on  the  subject  cf  religion, 
and  made  profession  whilst  a  youth.  On  reaching  his 
majority  he  came  west,  and  in  1826,  became  a  traveling 
preacher  and  was  sent  to  Salem  circuit,  Indiana.  It  was  a 
rough  circuit  and  hard  fare,  but  he  made  a  deep  and  lasting 
impression  wherever  he  preached  This  year  he  came  to 
Illinois,  which  embraced  Madison  and  St.  Clair  counties. 
He  was  young  in  age  and  even  youthful  iu  appearance,  but 
full  of  zeal  and  a  natural  orator.  He  made  more  impression 
iu  the  societies  in  Madison  county,  and  especially  with  young 
persons,  than  any  minister  who  had  ever  been  sent  on  the 
circuit,  except  Orcenith  Fisher,  and  in  the  pulpit  he  was 
his  superior. 

In  1827,  there  was  a  church  built  three  miles  east  of  Col- 
liiisville,  on  land  belonging  to  Philip  Teter,  called  '•  Zion 
Church."  There  had  been  a  society  formed  and  a  preaching 
place  at  the  house  of  Robert  McMahan,  in  the  earliest  his- 
tory of  the  county,  which  had  been  kept  up  to  the  time  of 
budding  the  Zion  church.  This  very  early  settlement  of 
MeMahon's,  Seybold's,  Downing*!',  Hall's,  Gaskill's,  Gil- 
let's,  Teter's  and  others,  was  the  place  where,  under  the  efforts 
of  Joshua  Atwater  in  1809,  the  first  benevolent  association 
in  Illinois  territory  was  formed.  The  object  of  the  associa- 
tion was  to  provide  for  the  necessities  of  the  poor  and  indi- 
gent •'  without  distinction  to  race  or  color,"'  and  more  particu- 
larly for  the  families  of  those  engaged  in  defendingthe  frontier 
settlements  from  Indian  hostilities.  The  original  paper  or 
constitution,  with  the  names  of  the  members  of  the  associa- 
tion, and  the  amounts  of  subscription  by  each,  to  be  made  in 
quarter-yearly  payments,  is  in  the  possession  of  E.  M.  West. 
The  Zion  Church  Society  is  now  embraced  in  the  Troy 
charge. 

There  was  also  a  preaching  place  at  the  house  of  Sylvanus 
Gaskill,  about  three  miles  north  of  the  Zion  church.  Very 
nearly  all  of  the  original  settlers  and  their  descendants  of 
this  rich  and  beautiful  part  of  Madison  county  are  now 
deceased  or  moved  away,  and  the  present  occupants  of  that 
region  know  nothing  of  the  hardships  of  those  early  pioneers. 

Hogan  visited  and  preached  in  almost,  if  not  quite,  every 
neighborhood  and  town  iu  the  county,  and  in  conjunction 
with  Thompson,  added  largely  to  the  membership  of  the 
church.  It  is  not  extravagant  to  say  he  was  a  favorite  with 
all  classes,  and  perhaps,  somewhat  to  his  injury.  Under  his 
preaching,  all  the  societies  were  increased  and  several  new 
ones  formed      It  was  while  he  was  on  the  circuit  that  the 


church  iu  Edwardsville  was  established.  He  preached  in 
the  old  court-house,  which  would  be  filled  with  anxious  and 
attentive  hearers.  In  December,  1827,  a  society  was  formed 
of  twenty-one  members,  and  Rev.  Richard  Randle,  the  only 
survivor  of  the  original  society,  was  appointed  leader.  The 
society  was  composed  of:  Richard  Randle,  Washington  C 
Ballard,  Elizabeth  Ballard,  Thornhill  Ballard,  Alexander 
White,  Rebecca  Atwater,  Julia  Ann  Atwater,  Mary  Brooks, 
Susannah  Kendall,  Sarah  Cotter,  Joel  Neff,  Sarah  Wright, 
Heiress  Baker,  Josiah  Randle,  Elizabeth  Randle,  Hosea 
Armstrong,  Marilla  Wilder,  Samuel  McNeil,  Samuel  A. 
Walker,  Ryland  and  Mary  Ballard.  In  February  follow- 
ing, Alexander  Miller  and  Eleanor  Gay  joined  the  society. 
In  April  and  May,  nineteen  more,  including  :  Hail  Mason 
and  wife,  William  P.  ^IcKee  and  wife,  Joshua  Atwater, 
William  and  Catharine  Miller,  Thomas  Kendall,  Ann  M. 
Randle,  Thomas  Gulliher,  Alisworth  Baker,  Elizabeth  Gib- 
son, Mary  Adams,  Lucretia  Lusk,  and  others.  The  church 
now  composed  of  40  members,  most  of  whom  were  leading 
and  prominent  citizens,  met  for  worship  sometimes  in  the' 
court  house  and  also  in  the  library  building,  where  the  St- 
James  hotel  now  stands. 

In  the  spring  of  1829,  the  society  having  continued  to 
increase  steadily,  they  determined  to  build  a  church.  It  was 
a  frame  building,  40  by  60  feet,  where  the  present  church 
now  stands.  Wm.  P.  McKee,  Alexander  Miller,  William 
Ottwell,  W.  C.   Ballard,  Richard  Randle,  Barton  Randle, 

Joel  Neff, were  trustees.     Two  lots,  where  the 

church  now  stands,  were  donated  by  James  Mason.  The  ser- 
vices were  held  in  it  during  the  sitting  of  the  Conference,  and 
the  first  sermon  preached  was  by  Elder  George  Locke,  of 
Wabash  District,  Indiana,  the  father  of  Rev.  Doctor  John 
Locke,  President  of  McKendree  College,  Sunday,  October 
29th,  1829.  Elder  Locke  became  a  man  of  prominence  in 
the  church,  whose  history  may  be  found  in  "  Sprague's 
Anna/s  of  the  American  Pulpit,"  also  in  "  Mc Clintoek  and 
Strong's  Encyclopedia  of  Methodism  in  America."  The 
society  worshipped  in  this  building  until  1853,  when 
a  new  brick  church  was  erected,  called  Thompson's 
Chapel,  in  honor  of  Rev.  Samuel  H.  Thompson.  John 
Hogan  was  invited  to  dedicate  the  new  church,  but  not 
being  in  good  health  at  the  time,  invited  Rev.  D.  R. 
McAnally  to  preach  the  sermon.  Air.  Hogan  was  present, 
and  gave  an  interesting  account  of  the  societies  in  Madison 
county,  and  the  formation  of  the  church  in  Edwardsville 
twenty-five  years  before. 

Since  the  first  organization  of  the  church  in  Edwardsville, 
there  have  been  regular  religious  services  kept  up,  and 
amid  all  the  changes  which  time  and  circumstances  have 
wrought,  there  have  ever  been  at  her  altars  "  those  who  have 
borne,  and  have  had  patience,  and  for  the  Master  have 
labored  and  have  not  fainted  ;  who  have  a  little  strength, 
and  have  kept  the  Master's  word,  and  have  not  denied  His 
name." 

I  may  here  mention  a  revival  which  took  place  in  the 
winter  of  1857-8,  under  the  ministrations  of  Rev.  Carlyle 
Babbitt.  Mr.  Babbitt  was  a  singular  and  rather  remarkable 
man.     He  had   been   raised  in  Kentucky,  and  for  several 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


287 


years  had  preached  among  her  hills  and  mountains.  A  man 
of  impulse,  which  sometimes  betrayed  him  into  acts  of 
doubtful  propriety.  He  was  of  fine  presence,  good  voice, 
genteel  manners  and  winning  address,  but  had  no  education 
and  was  no  great  preacher,  yet  his  understanding  of  men 
and  things  was  such  that  iu  almost  every  charge  to  which 
he  went,  there  was  a  revival.  His  tact  aud  management  in 
getting  up  and  carrying  on  a  revival  were  superior  to  that 
of  any  other  minitter  I  ever  knew.  It  was  fully  displayed 
on  this  occasion.  During  the  progress  of  the  revival,  he 
secured  the  aid  of  the  most  efftctive  help.  Rev.  Joseph 
Brooks,  editor  of  the  Central  Christian  Advocate  and  a  dis- 
tinguished preacher.  Rev.  Joseph  Earp,  Prof.  Mudge,  and 
President  "W.  R.  Davi;,  of  McKendree  college.  Rev.  Hiram 
Sears,  Rev.  Wm.  Jerome,  all  fine  preachers,  rendered 
material  service.  He  had  also  that  which  few  ministers 
possess,  the  faculty  to  make  each  member  of  the  church  feel 
that  they  form  an  important  part  of  it,  and  that  their  labor 
and  influence  was  absolutely  necessary  in  the  accomplish- 
ment of  certain  ends.  He  had  the  faculty  to  utilize  all  the 
material  within  his  reach  better  than  any  mau  I  ever  knew, 
and  could  be  entrusted  more  safely  with  the  manage- 
ment of  a  meeting.  One  hundred  and  forty-four  persons 
made  profession  of  religion  and  united  with  the  church.  As 
might  be  supposed  iu  so  large  a  number,  and  under  the 
excitement  of  the  occasion,  some  forgot  their  profes-ion  and 
religious  obligations,  and  forfeited  their  church  membership, 
whilst  others  remained  true  and  steadfost  iu  the  profession 
they  had  made,  and  are  valuable  members  of  the  church. 
The  meetings  were  exceedingly  interesting  and  enjoyable  ; 
the  preaching  was  very  good,  and  there  was  that  mingling 
of  solemnity  and  pathos,  joy  and  love,  which  crown  human 
effort  with  b  essed  eflect.  The  church  in  Edwardsville,  since 
its  organization,  has  had  fifty-three  pastors,  including  their 
assistants. 

Rev.  Dr.  J.  A.  Robinson  is  the  present  pastor.  Mr. 
Hogau  located  in  1831,  and  settled  in  Edwardsville,  and 
engaged  in  merchandizing,  but  continued  to  preach  every 
Sabbath.  In  1835  he  removed  to  Alton,  and  soon  after 
engaged  in  politics,  and  was  elected  to  the  legislature,  and 
the  next  year  was  made  Commissiouer  under  the  Internal  Im- 
provement system  of  the  State.  In  1840  he  was  very  actively 
engaged  in  the  Presidential  campaign,  and  was  amongst  the 
best  political  stump  speakers  in  the  State.  He  was  appointed 
Register  of  the  Land  Office  at  Dixon,  Illinois,  by  General 
Harrison.  Two  years  after  he  was  removed  by  President 
Tyler,  because  of  his  friendliness  for  Mr.  Clay.  He  then 
went  to  St.  Louis,  and  was  for  some  time  engaged  in  mer- 
chandizing aud  manufacturing.  Was  appointed  Postmaster 
of  that  city,  and  was  elected  to  Congress.  He  still  resides 
in  St.  Louis.  For  years  he  has  taken  a  very  active  part  iu  all 
matters  pertaining  to  the  interests  of  that  city,  aud  in  the 
improvement  of  the  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  and  Mis- 
souri Rivers,  and  has  very  largely  contributed  to  the  passage 
of  the  bill  iu  the  Congress  of  this  year  for  the  improvement 
of  those  rivers.  A  man  of  extraordinary  application  and 
ability,  of  fine  talent,  and  natural  oratory,  had  he  remaintd 
a  traveling   preacher  there    is   every  reason  to    believe  he 


would  have  arisen  to  the  highest  office  in  the  church.  He 
still  preaches  occasionally  with  the  force  of  his  early  years. 

The  nest  year  William  Chambers  and  A.  F.  Thompson 
were  the  t^o  preachers  sent  to  the  Circuit. 

1829-3J. — The  Illinois  Conference,  then  including  In- 
diana and  Illinois,  met  at  Ebenezer  Camp  Ground,  a  mile 
southwest  of  Edwardsville,  October  18th,  1829.  Bishop 
Soule  presided,  and  had  his  room  at  the  house  of  Joshua 
Atwater.  Material  changes  were  made  in  the  district. 
Sangamon  District  was  created,  reaching  from  Lsbauou 
to  Galena.  Peter  Cartwright  was  Presiding  Elder.  Isaac 
Scarritt,  of  Scarritt's  Prairie,  was  sent  to  Kaskaskia. 
John  H.  Benson,  of  Ridge  Pj^irie,  to  Mt.  Vernon.  Smith 
L.  Robinson,  to  Springfield.  Jamas  Hadley,  to  Indiana. 
John  Hogau,  transferred  to  St.  L^uis.  I  mention  these 
naaies,  because  they  were  Madison  county  men.  Stith  M. 
Ottwell,  to  Salem,  Indiana.  The  name  of  this  Circuit  was 
changed  to  Lebanon  Circuit,  at  the  dictation  of  Cartwiight, 
because  McKendree  Seminary  had  been  started,  and  lo- 
cated at  Lebanon.  Johu  Dew  and  Asahel  Phelpj  were 
on  this  Circuit. 

I  have  heretofore  spoken  of  Mr.  Dew,  who  was  welcomed 
heartily  wherever  appointed.  Phelps  was  a  young  man  who 
had  joined  the  Conference  three  years  before,  a  little  im- 
pressed with  the  dignity  of  a  traveling  preacher,  but  withal 
of  fair  talent  and  good  promise  of  future  usefulness;  and 
became  in  after  years,  an  able  minister  and  valued  member 
of  the  Conference.  The  addition  in  church  membership 
this  year  was  thirty-one.  Society  was  undergoing  some 
change  in  Illinois  about  this  time.  (See  Ford's  history  of 
Illinois).  The  people  were  dressing  better  ;  trade  aud  com- 
merce in  the  State  was  more  active  than  ever  before.  A 
materiid  prosperity  and  business  activity  was  very  appa- 
rent. St.  Louis  and  western  Illinois  were  improving  rapidly. 
Transportation  by  steam-boats  was  increasing,  a  better 
market  for  produce  was  being  had,  and  better  returns  for 
labor.  The  people  put  forth  more  industry,  and  were  more 
intent  on  making  money  and  accumulating  property. 

It  became  a  common  thing  now  to  hear  the  preachers 
speak  against  dress,  and  a  love  of  money,  and  striving  to 
get  rich.  I  always  thought  this  rather  a  waste  of  breath. 
I  never  noticed  that  it  had  much  good  effect.  It  may  have 
had  a  tendency  to  make  a  lazy  mau  better  satisfied  with 
himself,  but  had  no  influence  with  the  industrious  and  en- 
ergetic. Besides,  I  never  knew  a  minister  who  would  not 
accept  a  good  salary,  or  own  property  if  honestly  acquired. 
On  this  subject  every  one  feels  that  iu  their  case  there  is  no 
danger  of  being  hurt  iu  that  way. 

There  was  a  camp  meeting  held  on  the  Ebenezer  grounds 
during  the  session  of  the  Conference,  which  was  largely  at- 
tended. Rev.  Edward  and  Samuel  Mitchell  were  present, 
and  rendered  good  service.  Rev.  Samuel  Mitchell  preached 
a  powerful  discourse  on  the  subject  of  Christian  holiness, 
which  had  great  efiect,  and  many  persons  made  profession 
of  that  grace.  His  three  sons,  John,  James  and  Francis, 
made  profession  of  religion  at  this  meeting,  each  of  whom 
became  able  aud  distinguished  ministers.  Also,  a  young 
mau,  E.  R.  Ames,  who  subsequjutly  became  a  bishop.   The 


288 


HISTORY    OF   MADISOI^    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


nest  year  John  Mitchell  and  Ames  were  recommeoded  for 
license  to  preach.  Mitchell  was  readily  accepted  ;  there  were 
some  doubts  as  to  the  qualifications  of  Ames,  and  the  vote 
was  close.  Immanuel  Wilkinson,  a  colored  local  preacher, 
father  of  Rev.  Daniel  A.  Wilkinson  now  of  this  county,  was 
a  member  of  the  Quarterly  Conference,  and  was  acquainted 
with  young  Ames,  and  voted  to  recommend  him.  It  was 
the  vote  that  elected  him.  He  became  one  of  the  most  eloquent 
and  able  ministers  in  the  Methodist  church. 

This  year,  1830,  a  church  was  built  in  Six  Mile  Prairie 
near  the  house  of  Thomas  Gillham.  The  society  became 
very  strong.  Thomas  Gillham,  Wm.  Gillham,  John  Gill- 
ham,  Thomas  Y.  Lofton,  Mflses  Seeds,  Joshua  Delaplain, 
Wra.  Snyder,  O.  W.  Sims,  Calvin  Kinder,  Peter  Barco, 
and  Ephraim  Davidson  with  their  families  and  many  others 
were  members,  and  it  became  a  very  important  appointment. 
After  this  church  became  old  and  unfit  for  use,  under  the 
auspices  of  Calvin  Kinder,  a  new  brick  two  story  building 
was  erected  for  a  church  and  district  school-house.  The 
upper  story  was  used  for  a  church,  where  the  society  wor- 
shipped until  1880,  when  Mr.  Kinder  and  all  the  old  fami- 
lies being  deceased,  and  very  few  members  left,  the  society 
sold  their  interest  in  the  building  and  transferred  their 
membership  to  Venice. 

1830-31.  Stith  M.  Ottwell  and  William  S.  Deueen  were 
sent  to  this  circuit.  Ottwell  had  grown  into  an  able  preacher. 
I  had  known  Mr.  Deneen  in  18'29  when  he  first  came  to 
Illinois,  and  was  on  Salt  creek  Circuit,  Sangamon  county. 
He  was  not  a  ready  speaker,  but  was  of  fine  mind  and 
studious  habits,  and  a  very  able  and  interesting  preacher. 
He  subsequently  settled  in  St.  Clair  county.  His  son, 
Samuel  H.  Deneen,  has  long  been  a  professor  of  languages 
in  McKendree  College,  and  his  ouly  daughter  married  Hon. 
A.  W.  Metcalf  of  Edwardsville. 

Mr.  Deneen  was  the  first  stationed  Methodist  minister  in 
Edwardsville,  and  was  greatly  beloved  by  the  church  here. 
He  was  a  fine  mathematician,  and  was  for  many  years  sur- 
veyor of  St.  Clair  county.  The  societies  prospered  this  year. 
Notwithstanding  there  was  consideiable  txcitcn-.ent  in  the 
state  caused  by  the  Black  Hawk  war,  there  was  an  increase 
of  sixty  members. 

1831-32.  Conference  met  at  Indianapolis,  Oct.  4,  1831, 
Barton  Raudle  of  this  county  joined  the  Conference,  and 
was  sent  to  Shelbyville,  Illinois.  John  Dew  and  W.  R.  D. 
Trotter  were  the  preachers  sent  to  this  circuit.  There  was 
great  excitement  again  this  year  about  the  Indian  war  in 
the  northern  part  of  the  state,  and  an  increase  in  church 
membership  of  sixty.  There  was  a  camp  meeting  at  Ebe- 
nezer  this  year,  largely  attended.  The  next  Conference  was 
at  Jacksonville,  September  1832.  Smith  L.  Robinson  and 
Nicholas  S.  Bastion,  both  of  Madison  county,  were  sent  to 
this  circuit.  They  were  young  men  devoted  to  their  work, 
and  industrious  students.  Robinson  was  in  the  habit  of 
getting  up  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  to  pursue  his  stu- 
dies.  Mr.  Bastion  became  a  man  of  note,  and  was  sent  to 
Liberia  as  a  missionary.  His  plans  while  there  for  enlarging 
the  missionary  work  among  that  people,  was  considered 
rathtr  visionary,  which  discouraged  him,  and  he  returned  to 


America,  and  was  afterward  sent  to  Alton      The  last  I  knew 
of  him  he  had  withdrawn  from  the  church. 

1833-34.  Conference  met  at  Union  Grove.  St.  Clair 
county.  Sept  2.5,  1833-  Samuel  H.  Thompson  was  sent  to 
this  circuit  and  James  Hadley  to  Alton  circuit.  Elihu 
Springer,  son  of  John  Springer,  joined  the  Conference  and 
was  sent  to  Carlinville.  There  was  at  this  time  no  church 
in  Alton  and  but  little  preaching.  Sometimes  there  was 
preaching  in  the  upper  part  of  a  small  house  not  far  from 
where  the  Baptist  church  now  stands,  in  which  Sunday- 
school  was  kept,  by  Mr.  W.  S.  Gilman,  superintendent. 

There  was  this  year,  an  organized  plan  of  local  preaching 
adopted,  by  whi^h  all  the  societies  in  the  county  had  regular 
preaching  every  Sabbath,  alternating  in  their  appointments 
The    plan  worked  well. 

1834-35.  Conference  met  at  Mt.  Carrael,  Oct.  1834. 
John  Vaucleve  and  William  W.  Mitchell  were  sent  to 
this  circuit.  Both  of  these  men  deserve  a  more  extended 
notice  than  I  can  give  them  in  these  notes.  They  became 
well  and  flivorably  known  throughout  all  Southern  Illinois, 
and  served  the  church  as  ministers  as  long  as  they  lived. 
Mr.  Mitchell  died  at  Richview  in  1867,  and  Vancleve  in 
1876.  Mr.^Vancleve  was  originally  from  Cincinnati,  and  com- 
menced preaching  in  1828.  He  had  a  logical  mind  of  more 
than  ordinary  ability,  was  studious,  and  rose  to  a  prominent 
position  in  the  church.  Was  frequently  elected  to  the 
General  Conference,  deservedly  made  Doctor  of  Divinity, 
and  was  considered  the  ablest  preacher  in  Southern  Illinois 
Conference.  He  died  full  of  years  and  honors,  loved  and 
lamented  by  the  church. 

W.  W.  Mitchell,  was  a  younger  man,  son  of  Capt.  Jas. 
Mitchell  of  Belleville.  Had  graduated  at  Yale  College 
and  studied  for  the  law,  and  it  was  a  great  disappointment 
to  his  father  when  he  became  a  circuit  preacher.  While  at 
Yale  College  he  and  Trusten  Polk,  of  Missouri,  afterward 
Governor  and  U.  S.  Senator  from  that  state,  were  class- 
mates in  their  studies,  and  whilst  there  belonged  to  a  Meth- 
odist class  formed  by  the  students.  After  joining  the  Con- 
ference, his  habits  of  study  were  continued,  and  he  rose 
rapidly  and  soon  became  prominent  as  an  able  minister  of 
the  gospel.  From  the  time  he  received  his  first  appointment 
until  1867-68,  when  he  received  his  last  appointment,  which 
was  to  Edwardsville,  he  was  always  prompt  and  ready  for 
his  work,  whether  it  was  on  the  circuit,  in  the  station  or 
on  the  elder's  district.  His  sermons  were  well  studied  and 
always  extempore,  short,  full  of  fervor  and  models  of  excel- 
lence in  style. 

The  chief  and  most  prominent  quality,  and  which  charac- 
terized him  most,  both  as  a  man  and  minister,  was  his  extra- 
ordinary simplicity,  faith,  aul  holiness  of  life.  In  my  inter- 
course with  men  and  ministers,  now  somewhat  extended,  I 
have  never  known  one  whose  faith  in  the  Scriptures,  and  be- 
lief in  the  djctrines  of  the  church  to  which  he  belonged,  was 
greater  than  his,  or  who  was  more  conscientious  in  living 
up  to  his  sense  of  Christian  duty.  Every  sermon  was  filled 
with  the  unction  of  the  spirit  of  the  Master.  He  died  when 
only  fifty- two  years  of  age,  yet  ripe  in  all  Christian  charac- 
ter and  experience.     It  was  a  pleasant  year  to  this  church 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


289 


in  Madison  county,  perhaps  as  much  as  any  year  in  the  ex- 
perieuce  of  the  church.  All  the  appointments  were  regularly 
filled;  the  quarterly  meeting,  which  was  an  interesting  feat- 
ure in  the  church  services,  were  largely  attended.  There 
were  ahout  eight  appointments  and  religious  interests  kept 
up  in  all  the  societies. 

Barton  Randle  was  sent  to  Alton  Station,  and  J.  H.  Ben- 
son to  Alton  circuit,  1835-6.  Conference  met  at  Springfield, 
Oct.  1st,  183.5.  John  H.  Benson  and  G.  Worthiugton,  were 
on  this  circuit.  Mr.  Benson  was  a  Madison  county  man, 
highly  esteemed  by  all  who  know  him,  and  an  excellent 
preacher  and  very  well  received.  Mr.  Worthiugton  was  a 
young  man,  had  just  been  received  in  the  Conference,  and 
was  of  moderate  ability.  Joseph  Foueks  was  sent  to  Alton 
Circuit,  and  A.  L.  Risley  to  Alton  Mission.  There  were  72 
members  in  Alton  Station,  and  360  on  Alton  circuit,  which 
embraces  Upper  Alton.  Scarritt's  prairie  and  several  societies 
in  the  northern  part  of  Madison  and  southern  part  of  Jersey 
county.  There  was  a  camp  meeting  at  Ebeuezer  in  the  fall 
of  1835,  at  which  much  interest  was  manifested,  and  quite 
an  increase  of  members  in  the  church  Nineteen  additional 
preachers  entered  the  Conference  this  year. 

1836-7.  Conference  met  at  Rushville,  Schuyler  county. 
Thirty-five  new  preachers  joined  the  Conference.  Jesse 
Walker  had  died  this  present  Conference  year,  and  all 
mourned  the  death  of  this  noble  pioneer  missionary.  The 
Conference  extended  from  the  Ohio  river  in  the  South,  to 
Green  Bay,  Prairie  Du  Chien  and  Milwaukee  on  the  North, 
and  from  the  Wabash  to  the  Mississippi  river.  Charles 
HoUiday  was  on  Lsbanon  district.  John  H.  Benson  and  Nor- 
man AUyn  on  this  circuit.  Simon  Peter  and  Wm.  AY. 
Mitchell  reported  295  members  were  at  Alton.  William 
Meldrum  and  Daniel  Blackwell  on  Alton  circuit  115  white, 
10  colored.  Alton  circuit  returned  295  members.  Alton 
mission  125.  Few  ministers  ever  did  as  much  or  so  effectual 
labor  in  .Middle  and  Southern  Illinois,  as  Norman  Aliyn,  of 
very  strong  physicial  constitution  and  untiring  zeal  and  en- 
ergy, and  of  iiost  loving  heart  and  gentle  manner  he  always 
succeeded  in  winning  the  coufic'ence  and  aflections  of  the 
members  of  the  church  wherever  he  went.  He  usually  did  the 
work  of  two  men  yet  never  seemed  weary.  Unfortunately  his 
zeal  caused  him  in  his  commencement  as  a  preacher  to  con- 
tract a  habit  of  speaking  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  and  most  of 
his  sermons  were  screamed  rather  than  spoken.  He  would 
preach  at  the  top  of  his  voice  to  an  audience  of  20  persons, 
and  in  rooms  20  feet  square.  It  was  a  misfortune  that  he 
never  corrected  this  error  in  his  style  of  delivery,  for  other- 
wise his  sermons  were  most  e.xcellent.  In  a  revival  meeting  in 
Woodburn  in  the  winter  of  1866-7  which  he  attended,  his  pro- 
tracted and  hard  labor  produced  congestion,  of  which  he 
died  in  a  few  days,  a  martyr  to  his  zeal.  There  were  e'ght 
or  nine  societies,  the  circuit  having  been  made  smaller,  607 
church  members.  Sir.  Benson  salary  was  8400.  Mr.  Allyn 
a  single  man  SlOO,  the  presiding  elder  840.00  Calvin  Kin- 
der was  this  year  licensed  to  exhort.  He  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania, 1804,  came  to  Illinois  1820.  He  at  once  took  a 
leading  position  in  the  church,  an  earne.-t,  devoted,  con- 
scientious man,  and  most  valuable  member  of  the  church  and 
37 


of  society.  Outspoken  sometimes  to  bluntness,  but  alwavs 
desiring  to  think  and  act  right.  His  earnestness  and  zeal 
he  retained  to  the  close  of  his  life.  His  decease  took  place 
in  the  winter  of  1880. 

1837-38  Rev.  W.  Cumming  was  appointed  to  Edwards- 
ville  circuit  and  Wm.  L.  Deneen,  assistant.  By  an  arrange- 
ment made,  Mr.  Deneen  removed  his  family  to  Edwardsville, 
and  it  was  made  a  station.  N.  P.  Cunningham  was  at 
Alton.  Upper  and  Middle  Alton  J.  II.  Benson  and  Nor- 
man Allyn. 

Twenty-eight  new  preachers  joined  the  Conference  this 
year  Among  them  was  John  Gillhani,  son  of  Ryderus 
Gillham,  of  Salem.  An  unforlunate  circums^tance  had  taken 
place  the  year  befoi-e  while  Conference  was  in  session  at 
Jacksonville,  by  which  Rev.  Simon  Peter,  of  Scarritt's 
Prairie,  then  presiding  elder,  was  expelled  from  the  church. 
He  afterward  rejoined  the  church,  and  secured  the  confi- 
dence of  his  Christian  brethren,  which  he  retained  to  the 
close  of  life.  Alton  Station  now  had  224  white  and  16 
colored  members  as  reported  in  Minutes  of  Conference, 
Vol.  I,  page  503.     Alton  circuit  300. 

This  year  tiie  Society  in  Edwardsville  had  a  valuable  ac- 
quisition to  its  membership.  Thomas  Eaton,  Wm.  Pomery 
and  H  K.  Eaton  moved  from  Kentucky  to  Edwardsville, 
and  with  their  families  joined  the  church.  Also  Mathew 
Gillespie,  who  became  a  valued  officer  in  the  church,  and 
for  many  years  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school. 

Matthew  Gillespie,  formerly  a  member  of  the  Cumberland 
Presbyterians,  also  joined  the  Meth(  dist  Church  in  Edwards- 
ville. It  was  a  prosperous  year  for  the  church.  Since  the 
days  of  Wm.  P.  McKee  and  William  Ottwell  there  have  not 
been  so  efficient  members  of  the  church  in  Edwardsville  as 
Gillespie  and  Eiton.  ]Men  of  fine  mind,  unquestioned  piety, 
good  culture,  enlarged  observation,  gifted  in  the  public 
exercises  of  the  church,  dignified  in  deportment,  and  of  fine 
presence.  They  were  influential  and  popular  men  in  the 
county,  as  evinced  by  numerous  public  offices  held  by  them. 
As  a  notice  elsewhere  of  these  two  men  will  appear  in  this 
volume,  I  may  refer  to  that,  for  a  more  extended  histo-y. 
of  them.  Mr.  Gillespie  died  in  March,  1871,  and  Judge 
Eaton  in  1881. 

1838,  Sept.  12,  Conference  met  at  Alton,  22  additional 
preachers.  John  Dew  was  presiding  Elder ;  John  S.  Barger 
and  J.  H.  Benson  were  the  Circuit  preachers.  James  B. 
Corrington,  afterward  a  distinguished  minister  in  Southern 
Illinois,  joined  the  Conference.  Alton  City  was  a  mission 
with  79  members.  Upper  Alton  and  Middle  Alton  190 
members.  W.  S.  McMurray,  a  young  man,  and  quite  an 
orator,  was  sent  to  Upper  Alton,  and  David  Blakwell  to 
Middle  Alton.    N.  P.  Cunningham  to  Lower  Alton. 

1839-40.  W.  S.  McMurray  and  L.  D.  Bragg  were  the 
men  sent  to  the  Circuit.  McMurray  was  an  eloquent 
preacher.  It  was  a  rich  treat  to  hear  him.  He  had  the 
readiness  and  style  of  an  Irish  orator.  I  admired  his 
preaching  very  much.  He  had  a  strong  passion  for  the  law 
and  would  have  made  a  fine  advocate.  He  died  in  1844,  of 
cholera,  at  Waverly. 

1840-41.      Conference   was    at    Springfield,    and    Rev. 


290 


HISTOUY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Joseph  Eilnnindson  was  sent  to  this  Circuit.  He  commenced 
preaching  ill  Mi.-souri,  iuid  was  far  more  than  an  ordinary 
man  and  preacher.  Self-reliant,  copying  no  man  in  style  or 
argument,  for  conclusive  and  logical  argument  he  ttood 
in  the  front  rauli  of  ministers.  Under  his  ministration  the 
Churches  prospered  and  increased  in  membership.  It  was 
a  year,  too,  of  great  political  excitement.  The  Harrison 
Campaign  as  it  was  called.  Politics  ran  high  and  Gen. 
Harrison  was  elected  President  by  a  large  majority. 

In  1841-4'2,  Mr.  Benson  was  on  the  Circuit,  but  his 
health  failing,  there  was  no  especial  religious  interest  in  the 
county,  e.'icept  at  New  Ebenezer,  where  Bro.  Wm.  Atkins 
had  erected  a  neat  and  comfortable  Church  for  the  Society 
at  that  place,  which  thereafter  had  regular  Circuit  preaching 
and  an  interesting  Society. 

1842-43,  Joseph  Eclmundson  and  Aaahel  Brown  were  on 
the  Edwardsville  Circuit.  The  Circuit  had  been  divided 
the  year  before,  and  the  preacher's  health  having  failed, 
there  were  449  members  returned  in  the  Conference  minutes. 
It  was  during  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1^42  that  the 
writer  of  these  notes  joined  the  Church  and  was  made 
steward,  which  office  he  has  since  retained.  Col.  Jacob 
Judy,  an  early  and  prominent  citizen,  and  his  wife  joined 
the  Church  this  year. 

Mr.  EJnnmdson  was  again  returned  to  the  Circuit  for 
1843-44.  The  appointment  was  sftry  agreeable  to  both 
preacher  and  the  Church.  Congregations  were  large,  and 
frequent  additions  were  made.  But  quite  a  change  took 
place  in  1844,  which  was  the  year  of  the  great  flood  of  the 
Miss-isi-ippi  river,  the  waters  rising  higher  than  for  fifty 
years  before  or  have  ever  been  since.  The  whole  country 
west  of  the  blufl'  was  inundated.  Steamers  plying  from  St. 
Louis  to  Alton  did  not  follow  the  river  channel,  but 
would  steam  through  the  wide  waters  and  go  through  the 
timber  land  and  over  farms.  I  stood  in  the  second  story  of 
Gay's  store  in  St.  Louis,  (the  first  story  being  under  water) 
and  saw  a  steamboat  leave  St.  Louis  and  take  a  straight 
course  east  across  fields  and  orchards  and  go  to  the  bluff 
five  miles  east.  It  was  a  vast  sh-^et  of  water  five  miles  and 
in  some  places  ten  miles  wide.  It  was  this  flood  that  de- 
stroyed the  ancient  town  of  Kaskaskia.  After  the  flood 
abated  some  of  the  settlers  in  the  bottoms  returned  to 
their  farms.  Mr.  Ednnindson  continued  his  travels  in  that 
part  of  the  country,  visiting  all  the  families.  It  was  an 
exceedingly  sickly  time,  and  contracting  a  malarial  fever  he 
died.  His  death  was  a  great  loss  to  the  Church,  for  he 
was  in  the  meridian  of  his  manhood,  and  great  good  was 
anticipated  from  his  labors. 

1S44-45.  George  \V.  Robbins  was  Presiding  Elder,  Wra. 
Willson  and  Samuel  Smith,  Circuit  preachers.  I  refer  to  a 
former  nate  for  particulars  of  this  year.  There  were  thirteen 
societies  or  preaching  places  in  the  Circuit,  viz,:  Edwarda- 
ville,  Liberty,  Salem,  NI.k's,  Widow  Gillham's,  Ebenezer, 
Six  Mile,  Venice,  CoUinsville,  Mount  Zion,  Troy,  Gilead, 
Ridge  Prairie;  also  Alton,  Upper  Alton,  Scarritl's  Prairie, 
Highland,  Marine,  Augusta.  There  were  ten  local  preach- 
ers"  W-  C.  Ballard,  Thos.  Raudle,  Parham  Randle,  J.  M. 
S.  Smith,  E.  L.  Dwight,  T.  J.  Lofton,  Wm.  Hadley,  Wm. 


Gillham,  Jesse  Renfro,  James  M,  Green  ;  nine  Exhorters, 
viz:  H  K  Eaton,  M  Gillespie,  Henry  Guthrie,  John  Hcm- 
saker,  L.  McD)nough  Gales,  Wm.  McKinley,  Calvin  Kin- 
der, Comfort  Roben,  J.  Delaplain,  and  eighteen  class  loaders, 
1845-4(5.  Rev.  Elijah  Corrington  was  on  the  circuit.  He 
was  an  elderly  man,  in  poor  health,  and  remained  only  one 
year.  184G-47.  This  year  Rev.  W.  W.  Mitchell  was  sent  to 
this  circuit,  much  to  the  gratification  of  the  church.  At 
the  first  quarterly  meeting,  Jesse  Renfro,  William  Hadley, 
and  H.  K.  Eaton,  as  estimating  stewards,  reported  the  sura 
of  $135.98},  as  the  amount  to  be  raised  by  the  circuit  for 
table  expenses  for  the  preacher's  family  this  year— the  family 
consisting  of  four  persons  ;  traveling  expenses,  810  00;  quar- 
terage salary,  §232.60.  The  presiding  elder's  claim  on  the 
circuit,  S48  33  ;  rents  for  preacher,  8"6  60.  Whole  amount, 
S463.31i.  The  number  of  members  of  the  chunh  was  473. 
The  financial  charge  was  small,  and  was  promptly  met,  and 
the  societies  were  prosperous. 

1847-48.  Rev.  Mitchell  was  returned  to  the  circuit, 
with  Daniel  Fairbank,  assistant.  The  salary  of  Mr.  Mitclull 
was  §378;  Rev,  Fail-bank, -S 100;  Presiding  Elder,  04S.33; 
parsonage  rent,  S42.  Total,  8o68. 38.  Thisyear  a  parson- 
ao-e  lor  the  circuit  preacher  was  purchased  in  Edwardsville 
for  goOO.  At  the  quarterly  conference,  held  in  Edwardsville 
July  26,  1848,  there  were  29  members  present.  A  plan  for 
a  circulating  Sunday-school  library  for  the  circuit  was  this 
year  organized  under  the  care  of  H.  K.Eaton  and  Matthew 
Gilbspie,  librarian,  which  was  successful.  There  were  515 
Sunday-school  scholars. 

1848-49.  Rev  Collin  D.  James  was  the  presiding  elder, 
and  James  Hadley  and  N.  Cleaveland,  circuit  preachers. 
The  financial  charge  for  ministerial  support  was  §733.  It 
f  was  not  a  very  successful  year  in  the  church.  There  was 
I  considerable  cholera  this  year ;  and  such  is  the  nature  of 
our  people,  that  panics  and  epidemics  are  unfavorable  to 
religious  revivals. 

In  1849  50,  R.  W.  Travis  and  James  Hadley  were  the 
preachers      Mr.  Travis  was  a  young  man  of  good  mind  and 
studious  habits,  and   became  in  after  years  rather  a  noted 
!    man  in  the  ministry  in  Illinois  conference.    His  wife's  health 
becoming  seriously  impaired,  compelled  him  to  locate  about 
1870.     He  was  induced  to  take  the  traveling  agency  of  the 
Lamar  Insurance  Company  of  Chicago  in  1872.     This  was 
a  swindling  institution,  gotten   up   by  unprincipled  parties, 
who   selected    Travis   as   agent,    because  of  the  confidence 
}    which  the  public  had  in  his  Christian  integrity.     Mr   Tra- 
vis was  an   honest,  upright  man,  and  had  been  grossly  de- 
'   ceived    in    the   character    of    the    in^titu  ion,    which   soon 
exploded.     I  think  his  death,  which  took  place  two  years 
after  its  failure,  was  hastened  by  that  cause. 

1851-52.  Rev.  George  Rutledge  was  appointed  elder,  and 
C.  F.  Jay  and  James  Estep  were  the  circuit  preachers. 
This  year  the  Conference  was  divided,  and  that  part  of  Illi- 
nois south  of  Jersey,  Macoupin  and  iMontgou^ery  counties, 
and  running  east  to  the  Wabash,  was  called  "Southern  Illi- 
nois Conference."  This  year  a  church  was  built  five  miles 
north  of  Edwardsville,  on  land  donated  by  John  E-tabrook, 
called  "  Liberty  M.  E.  Church." 


HISTOBY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


291 


1852  53.  This  year  W.  W.  Mitchell  was  presiding  elder. 
Prof.  S.  Matteson,  formerly  of  McKendree  College,  and 
Henry  S.  Blackwell  were  the  preachers.  Prof  Matteson 
was  a  man  of  miu'h  culture  and  fine  talent.  His  health, 
however,  was  much  broken,  and  at  the  close  of  the  year  he 
went  north  and  died  the  same  year.  Mr.  Blackwell  was  a 
young  man  of  fine  mind,  hut  a  hopeless  dyspeptic.  Every 
one  who  knew  him  loved  him  for  his  excellence  of  charac- 
ter aud  piety.  He  died  a  few  years  after  on  the  bank  of  the 
Okaw  river,  near  Carlyle.  This  year  the  present  brick 
church  in  Edwardsville  was  commenced.  John  H.  Weir 
and  John  A.  Prickett  were  the  building  committee. 

18j3  4.  Rev.  Hiram  Sears  was  the  stationed  minister  at 
Edwardsville,  and  Charles  A.  Kinson  and  James  Hadley 
were  on  the  circuit.  This  j^ear  the  church  in  Edwardsville 
was  finished  and  dedicated,  as  heretofore  mentioned.  There 
were  at  this  date  the  following  Methodist  churches  in  Jladi- 
son  county:  Alton,  Upp^r  Alton,  Sea  rritt's  Prairie,  Liberty, 
Salem,  E  hvard  vill-',  Highland,  Gilead,  Troy,  Zion,  Six- 
mile,  Colliusville,  Troy,  Augusta,  New  Ebenezer ;  al;0, 
UnioQ  churches  at  JUarine,  Ridgely,  Goshen,  Lamb's  Point, 
Greenea-tle,  and  White  Rock,  where  our  preachers  had 
stated  religious  service-;.  There  were  over  1000  members  of 
the  church  in  the  county. 

1854  55  Rev  Dr.  James  B.  Corrington  was  the  presiding 
elder.  These  notes  would  not  be  complete  without  some 
further  notice  of  Dr.  Corrington. 

James  B.  Corrington  was  b;)rn  in  Kentucky,  October  24, 
1801,  and  learned  a  trade  at  which  he  worked  in  the  city  of 
Louisville  for  several  years. 

On  the  first  of  January  1828  he  made  a  profession  of  reli- 
gion and  joined  the  church,  and  two  weeks  thereafter  was 
made  a  class  leader.  So  cle;ir  were  his  conceptions  of  reli- 
gious life  and  character,  and  of  his  own  experience  of 
change  of  heart  with  the  ability  to  strengthen  and  encourage 
others  in  faiih  and  practice,  that  no  hesitation  was  felt  as  to 
the  propriety  of  his  appointment.  At  a  Quarterly  Confer- 
ence mei  ting  held  at  Jlillersburgh,  Bourbon  Co.,  Kentucky, 
he  was  licensed  to  preach.  In  March,  1830,  he  removed  to 
Jacksonville,  Illinois,  and  at  once  took  position  in  the  church 
as  a  local  preacher. 

In  1832  he  removed  to  Greene  county.  In  1838  at  the 
annual  Conference  held  at  Upper  Alton  he  was  made  a  trav- 
eling preacher  and  went  to  Carroliton  Circuit.  In  1847 
was  sent  to  Jackscnville,  then  the  most  important  station  in 
the  Conference.  In  1849  was  appointed  presiding  elder  of 
Lebanon  district, in  which  he  remained  five  years,  which  were 
years  of  great  usefulness  to  the  church.  In  the  full  strength 
of  a  matured  manhood,  in  mind  and  in  person  of  almtst  Her- 
culean proportions, his  preaching  was  marked  by  much  pa'hos 
and  intellectual  strength,  often  rising  to  true  oratory;  he  was 
a  field  nlar^llal  of  Melho(li^t  cavalry  in  southern  Illinois 
In  1854  he  was  appointed  to  Alton  district,  which  introduced 
him  to  Madison  county-  From  this  time  until  1872,  when 
his  health  began  to  fail,  Dr.  Corringt(ui  exercised  a  wide 
spread  influence  as  an  able  minister.  Free  from  all  idiosyn- 
crasies as  to  doctrine  he  was  a  power  in  whatever  depart- 
ment of  the  church  service  he  was  called,  and   was  a  dele- 


gate to  every  general  Conference  of  the  church  from  1852 
to  18G8,  and  until  publicly  declining  a  continuanca  of  that 
service.  He  died  in  D.irchester,  Mac<  upin  county,  in  Nov. 
1881,  full  of  faith  and  hope  of  the  future  life. 

As  it  might  not  b.'^  e«p3eially  interesting  to  the  reader  to 
pursue  the  details  or  particular  history  of  the  M.  E  church 
down  to  the  present  time  I  will  not  attempt  it. 

There  have  been  great  changes  in  all  the  societies  in  the 
county  since  1854.  Some  have  ceased  to  exist  whilst  others 
have  become  merged  into  other  societies. 

These  changes  have  been  the  result  of  decease  or  removal 
of  the  members  of  the  societies  aud  a  change  of  population. 
Most  of  the  lands  where  the  extinct  societies  then  existed 
are  now  owned  by  Germans,  who  belong  to  other  denomiua 
tions.     Very  few  of  the  old  settlers  reside  there. 

Yet  has  the  church  sustained  her  high  standing  as  a 
Christian  denomination.  There  are  now  thirteen  regularly 
organized  societies  in  the  county  numbering  as  heretofore 
stated,  1165  members  with  nine  reguhir  pastors.  These 
pastors  are  supported  by  the  societies.  There  are  nine  par- 
sonages The  various  religious  enterprises  and  benevolences 
of  the  church  are  generously  supported.  There  are  thirteen 
organized  Sabbath  schools  with  144  teachers  and  officers  and 
HOG  .scholars. 

In  all  these  societies  there  is  a  life,  spirit  and  devotion  in 
their  religious  services,  and  a  desire  to  have  them  in- 
crease in  moral  and  relijriuus  influence. 


THE  GERMAN  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 


BY    REV.    W.M.    SCIIWIXD. 


HIGHLAXD. 


It  was  in  the  year  183G  when  some  of  the  leading  minds 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  the  United  States 
deemed  it  practicable  to  establish  a  domestic  mission  among 
the  Germans.  The  movement,  though  slow  at  first  in  form- 
ing congregations,  met  with  ultimate  success  and  was  carried 
on  1))'  the  church  with  much  zeal  and  activity.  From  Ohio 
and  Pennsylvania  where  it  began  it  spread  westward. 

As  early  as  1845,  the  Rev.  Wm.  Hemrainghaus,  a  Ger- 
man Methodist  preacher,  went  from  INIascoutah,  St.  Clair 
county,  to  Highland,  to  preach  to  the  Germans  then  resid- 
ing there.  He  was  one  of  the  early  pioneer  preachers  among 
the  Germans  iu  Illinois,  and  died  at  Beardstown  while 
yet  young. 

He  was  succeeded  in  1S4G  by  Rev.  Chas.  Koencke,  and 
the  first  society  was  organized  in  that  3-ear.  Some  of  the 
first  members  were,  Michael  Molet,  John  Zimmerman, 
Philip  Gruen,  J.  Miller  and  C  Kluge.  As  it  soon  appeared 
ncces^ary  to  have  a  house  for  worship,  a  delibsrative  meet- 
ing of  the  society  was  helil  on  the  14tli  of  Decenjber,  1846, 
which  decided  that  a  church  should  be  built ;  but  owing  to 
circumstances  it  was  not  accomplished  until  a  few  years 
later. 


292 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Eev.  Charles  Koeneke  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Louis  Kimz 
in  1847.  Rev.  Wm.  Fiegenbaura  followed  in  1848.  In  the 
fall  of  the  same  year  the  building  of  a  cluiroh  was  eom- 
inenced  and  carried  on  until  it  was  under  roof.  Its  comple- 
tion was  delayed  till  the  following  spring.  It,  was  dedicated 
on  the  '2Gth  of  June,  184i),  by  Rev.  Henry  Koeneke,  presid- 
ing elder.  The  church  is  40  by  30  feet,  two  stories  high, 
with  steejile  and  bell.  The  lower  stoiy  was  built  of  rough 
stone  ;  the  upper  story  was  built  in  partnership  with  the 
American  Methodist,  which  relation  it  still  sustained.  Its 
value  is  about  §2,000.  It  is  still  used  for  public  worship 
and  is  of  interest  to  many  yet  living  who  often  went  to 
Highland  at  those  times  to  attend  quarterly  meetings  which 
always  were  of  great  interest.  S,ime  of  the  first  members 
were,  F  Kandert,  J.  Kir.sher,  Galium  Rutz,  Henry  Becker, 
J.  Kaeser,  Charles  Grundeiiberg,  and  C  Britt.  The  mission 
at  that  time  already  embraced  a  large  territory  and  many 
appointments.  It  included  Edwardsviile,  Fosterburg,  Staun- 
ton. Looking  Gla.*s  Prairie,  Btaver  Creek,  Blackjack,  Smooth 
Prairie,  Silver  Creek,  Ridge  Prairie,  The  Bluff-*,  Moro  and 
Upper  Alton.  The  membership  in  the  whole  field  of  labor 
numbered  67  at  the  time  the  church  was  dedicated.  Rev. 
Wm.  Fiegenbaum  was  in  charge  of  the  mission  with  two 
assistant  preachers.  They  were  Rev.  J.  Keck  and  Rev. 
Herman  Koch,  who  is  now  President  of  Central  Wesleyan 
College,  Warrenton,  Mo.  The  latter  taught  school  at  High- 
land, besides  preaching  regularly  at  several  appointments. 

Great  and  exhausting  were  the  labors  of  those  early  i)io- 
iieer  preachers,  but  they  felt  themselves  equal  to  almost  any 
emergency.  With  heroic  devotion  to  their  work  and  self- 
denying  determination,  they  shared  the  hardships  and  diffi- 
culties of  the  early  German  settlers.  They  were  on  horse- 
back almost  every  day,  seeking  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house 
of  Israel,  preaching  in  log  cabins,  school  houses,  and  where 
ever  they  could  get  any  hearers,  many  or  few,  to  teach  them 
the  way  of  righteousness,  expecting  very  little  compensation 
but  what  the  great  Shepherd  might  please  to  give  them  at 
the  great  day.  And  their  labors  were  not  in  vain.  Many 
persons  became  converted  and  rejoiced  in  the  experience  of 
a  new  life. 

W^hen  in  the  year  1849  the  Cholera  broke  out,  eight  to  ten 
persons  died  almost  every  day  at  Highland.  Rov.  Wm. 
Fiegenbaum  was  stopped  on  his  rounds  for  fear  he  would 
spread  the  disease.  But  then  he  went  to  nurse  the  sick  and 
dying,  often  day  and  night,  for  two  mouths,  administeiing 
faithfully  to  their  bodily  and  spiritual  wants.  After  that  he 
resumed  his  labors  and  was  eminently  successful  in  building 
up  the  societies  in  Madison  county.  Several  years  later  a 
new  church  was  built  at  Beaver  Creek,  where  a  society  still 
exists.  Most  of  the  above  mentioned  appointments  are 
still  places  for  public  worship  ;  they  are  either  formed  into 
separate  organizations  or  connected  with  other  charges. 

The  early  history  of  Highland  church  is  of  more  special 
interest,  as  it  was  the  nucleus  from  which  sprung  most  other 
societies  in  the  county.  Of  its  later  history  I  have  very 
little  knowledge.  Its  present  membership  is  70.  It  carries 
on  two  Sabbath-schools  of  about  100  scholars,  16  officers  and 
teachers. 


EDWARDSVILLE. 

It  appears  that  Missionary  labor  by  the  German  Metho- 
dist preachers  began  in  the  vicinity  of  Edwardsville,  in  the 
year  1847,  and  had  a  very  small  beginning.  An  assistant 
preacher  residing  at  Alton,  met  Mr.  John  Stullken,  and  in. 
quired  of  him,  about  the  religious  condition  of  the  people. 
He  was  invited  to  make  an  appointment  for  preaching  at 
the  school-house  No.  4,  now  called  Progress  school-house,  three 
milesnorth  of  Edwardsville.  Mr.  C.Bernreuter,  ayoungraan 
of  some  education  and  influence  previously  held  private 
religious  meetings  in  the  neighborhood.  Most  persons  who  met 
there  fordivine  worship  were  of  a  marked  religiousdisposition. 
They  were  glad  to  have  religious  meetings  now  regularly 
held  among  them.  And  they  went  even  to  Highland  in 
those  times  to  attend  Quarterly  meetings,  where  at  a  revival 
of  religion  many  were  converted  to  God. 

Among  the  first  members  were  ;  -  C.  Bernreuter,  C  P. 
Smith,  J.  Stullken,  Henry  Stullken,  and  at  Pleasant  Ridge, 
Henry  Blume  and  Wm.  Blume.  In  1852,  a  camp  meeting 
was  held  in  the  neighborhool  of  Progress  School-house  un- 
der the  supervision  of  Rev  Phil.  Kuhl,  presiding  Elder, 
who  is  still  living,  and  one  of  the  oldest  preachers  in  the  St. 
Louis  German  Conference. 

The  Society  gradually  increased.  E.  H.  Kreige  and 
Wm.  Kreige  became  members,  and  helped  greatly  to  build 
up  the  church.  The  society  commenced  to  hold  its  meet- 
ings at  Edwardsville,  about  the  year  1855,  in  the  Old  School- 
house  on  Main  Street.  Rev.  H.  D.  Schmidt,  being  then 
preacher  in  charge,  resided  at  Highland,  with  which  place 
the  society  was  still  connected.  In  1860  Edwardsville  was 
made  a  separate  charge,  with  a  preacher  of  its  own,  chiefly 
by  the  influence  of  Dr.  Weir,  Sr.,  who  felt  a  great  interest 
in  the  German  work,  and  gave  it  his  hearty  support.  Rev. 
Wm.  Koeneke,  was  the  first  resident  pastor.  He  was  re- 
turned to  Edwardsville  in  1866. 

In  1861,  the  Quarterly  Conference  appointed  a  committee 
consisting  of  C.  P.  Smith,  E.  H.  Kreige  and  Wm.  Kreige,  to 
see  after  a  suitable  lot  for  a  church  building  and  to  call  a 
meeting  of  the  society,  as  soon  as  convenient  to  report  the 
results.  I!ut  as  the  Baptist  church  was  for  rent,  it  was 
thought  best  to  rent  it  and  it  continued  the  place  of  worship 
until  the  year  1866,  when  it  no  longer  answered  the  pur- 
pose. The  building  is  at  present  used  for  an  engine- 
house.  About  the  same  time  a  house  was  bought  on  Main 
Street  for  a  parsonage,  at  a  cost  of  $1200,  and  the  Epis- 
copal Church  near  to  it  was  rented  and  used  for  divine 
services  until  1869 ;  when  it  was  for  sale,  on  the  11th  of 
September,  1869,  the  Trustees,  who  were,  C.  P.  Smith,  J. 
Stullken,  Wm.  Kreige,  C  Ortman,  J.  Kettelkamp,  reported 
to  the  Quarterly  Conference  that  they  had  bought  the  church 
in  which  they  worshiped  for  S1500.  This  amount  besides 
the  cost  of  repairing  and  changes  necessary,  which  amounted 
to  $349.34,  was  raised  by  the  society  soon  after,  some  of  the 
trustees  paying  a  large  share.  The  membership  was  then 
140,  wdiich  is   about  its  present  number. 

The  society  carries  on  two  Sabbath-schools  of  100  scholars 
16  officers  and  teachers,  230  volumes  in  the  library.     They 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


293 


take  65  Sabbath-school  papers,  95  Bible  Lesson  leafs,  con- 
tributed $25.00  for  mission,  and  their  annual  expenses  are 
$  8.00. 

Wm.  Stullkenand  Herman  Engeling  are  at  present  their 
efficient  superintendents. 

ALTON. 

The  German  M.  E.  Church  at  Alton,  dates  its  beginning 
back  to  the  year  1845,  when  in  the  fall  of  that  year,  Rev. 
Lewis  Kunz,  who  preached  occasionally  at  Fosterburg,  visit- 
ed the  place,  attended  by  -J.  H.  Appel,  a  member  of  the 
church  as  a  guide.  The  first  services  were  held  in  the 
American  M.  E.  Church,  Lower  Alton.  It  then  became  a 
regular  appointmeut  for  preaching,  and  the  place  was  succes- 
sively visited  even  by  the  jiresiding  Elders  of  St-  Louis 
District,  Rev.  Henry  Koeneke  and  Rev.  Geo.  Boeshenz, 
whose  labors  at  that  time  were  to  a  large  extent  missionary. 
But  it  does  not  appear  that  an  organization  took  place  until 
1852.  The  first  members  were,  J.  H.  Appel,  Val.  Miller, 
J.  Miller,  J.  Wiand. 

A  Sabbath-school  was  organized,  consisting  of  about  30 
scholars.  The  first  Quarterly  Conference  was  held  on  the 
1st  of  January,  1852.  A  German  Methodist  congregatiou 
at  Alton  was  now  an  established  fact.  In  1854,  when  the 
society  had  gradually  increased,  a  church  was  built  at 
Hunterstown,  Walnut  and  Third  Street,  under  the  adminis- 
tration of  Rev.  Jacob  Miller.  Rev.  Miller,  labored  exten- 
sively in  Madison  county.  He  was  several  times  stationed 
at  Alton,  and  at  Highland  and  Staunton.  He  came  to  the 
United  States  while  young,  and  early  joined  the  M.  E. 
Church.  In  1848,  he  was  admitted  into  the  Illinois  Confer- 
ence, and  labored  with  great  success  until  by  reason  of  fail- 
ing health  he  was  obliged  to  ask  for  a  superannuated  relation, 
lu  1860,  he  was  placed  on  the  active  list  and  again  sent  to 
Alton.  He  was  a  popular  and  successful  preacher,  and  died 
at  Bushnell,  Illinois,  March  7th,  1871. 

The  size  of  the  first  church  at  Alton,  was  40  by  25,  and 
its  cost  $800.  A  few  years  after,  however,  it  became  evident 
that  its  locality  was  not  the  most  suitable  one  for  the  atten- 
dants on  public  worship  there,  and  as  opportunity  offered  it 
was  exchanged  for  the  American  M.  E.  Church,  on  Union 
Street,  the  size  of  which  was  60  by  40.  Tlie  ministers  sta- 
tioned at  this  church,  from  1854  to  1862,  were  Thomas 
Heger,  H.  Pfaff,  H.  Hankemeyer,  E.  Kriege,  J.  Miller,  J. 
Ritter.  Most  always  some  other  appointments  were  con- 
nected with  the  charge,  and  occasionally  it  happened  that 
church  members  moved  away,  on  account  of  which  progress 
was  more  or  less  retarded. 

In  April,  1880,  the  Church  on  Union  Street  was  destroyed 
by  fire,  the  cause  not  being  known.  The  society  immedi- 
ately resolved  to  build  a  new  church,  which  was  soon  after 
erected  on  Henry  Street.  The  size  of  the  new  church  edifice 
is  67  by  48  feet,  and  its  cost  about  810,000.  At  the  same  time 
a  parsonage  was  built,  the  value  of  which  is  82500.  Church 
and  parsonage  are  built  in  the  very  best  modern  style.  The 
enterprise  owed  its  success  largely  to  the  eflicient  labors  of 
Rev  J.  J.  Hilraes,  who  is  at  present  the  presiding  Elder  of 
Belleville  District,  and  the  earnest  work  of  the  trustees  who 


were  Henry  Lehne,  J.  Lorck,  Rud  Bierbaum,  Louis  Unger, 
Rev.  Bilderbeck.  The  society  has  at  present  a  membership 
of  80  persons.  It  carries  on  a  prosperous  Sabbath-school, 
and  stands  in  regard  to  his  contributions  fur  benevolent  ob- 
jects in  the  front  ranks. 

There  is  also  a  German  M.  E.  Church  at  Fosterburg. 
We  have  been  unable  to  learn  its  history,  but  it  has  a 
Church  built  in  the  year  1864 ;  its  first  members,  who  are 
still  liviug,  were  Paul  Meissenheimer  and  Fred.  Weber.  Its 
present  membership  is  70. 


THE     AFRICAN     METHODIST     EPISCOPAL 
CHURCH. 

BY  REV.  M.  W.  BECKI.Y. 


The  Lower  Alton  A.  M.  E.  Church  was  organized  by  the 
most  venerable  elder  William  Paul  Quinn,  in  the  winter  of 
1839.  It  is  not  known  which  one  of  the  winter  months,  but, 
it  is  certain  the  organization  took  place  in  1839.  He  was 
a  regularly  ordained  elder  for  many  years  previous  to  this 
period  He  was  duly  elected  by  the  General  Conference, 
May  7th,  1844,  to  fill  the  office  of  Bishop.  This  election 
took  place  in  Pittsburgh,  Pa  ,  which  made  him  the  fourth 
bishop  in  this  connection,  who  lived  many  years  after  he  or- 
ganized the  A.  M.  E.  Church  in  Alton.  He  came  to  Alton 
in  the  winter  of  1839,  and  found  seven  persons  of  our  race 
here  who  were  of  the  Methodist  persuasion,  who  occasionally 
went  to  the  IM.  E.  Church  to  hear  (he  gospel  of  the  Son 
of  God.  The  names  of  the  seven  persons  who  composed 
the  organization  of  the  first  A.  M.  E.  Church,  in  Madison 
county,  and  the  second  A.  M.  E.  Church  of  Illinois  state, 
were  William  Barton,  Jane  Barton,  Loudon  Parks,  Shad- 
rach  Stewart,  Jane  Parks,  Eliza  Ellesworth  and  Thomas 
Ellesworth  The  first  sermon  preached  by  this  venerable  man 
of  God,  was  in  William  Barton's  house,  in  Alton,  located 
between  Abby  and  Easton  streets.  This  house  was 
the  preaching  place  for  years  afterward.  William  Bar- 
ton was  also  the  first  local  preacher  of  the  A.  M.  E.  Church 
in  Madison  county  and  also  in  the  state ;  he  was  licensed  the 
same  week  as  the  organization.  Shadrach  Stewart  was  the  first 
A.  M.  E.  preacher  in  charge  of  the  A.  M.  E.  Church, 
in  the  state.  All  the  members  who  composed  the  first  or- 
ganization are  dead  but  Mrs.  Eliza  Clarke,  who  still  lives  in 
Alton,  and  is  still  a  member  of  the  A.    M.  E.    Church. 

The  second  place  of  worship  was  in  a  house  now 
standing  on  Sixth  between  Easton  and  Market  streets. 
The  third  place  of  worship,  and  the  first  church  building 
owned  by  the  congregation,  was  a  small  brick  house  on 
Third  between  Walnut  and  Vine  streets.  This  house  cost  at 
that  timeaboutfivehundred  dollars,  and  isnow  converted  into 
a  dwelling-house.  As  the  congregation  remained  small  from 
its  organization  until  1865,  and  as  there  were  only  a 
few    families     previous    to    this    date,    this     little    house 


291 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,    IILINOIS 


answered   well.     About   the   middle   of  the   war  and   iin- 
luediately  afterward,  our  people  moved  to  Alton  and  the 
chureli  kept  pace  with  the  times,  and  as  the  population  in- 
creased our  membership  increased  and  the  little  building  was 
too  small  for  the  growing  congregation.     Consequently  we 
were  compelled   to  seek  another  locality.     We  sold  out  on 
Third  and  Walnut  and  Vine  streets  aud  bought  a  lot  on  Third 
between  Ridge  and    Henry,  and   erected   a  brick    building 
oue  story  high   40xG0,  in  1867.     It  cost  between  four  and 
five  thousand  dollars.     Brother  Henry  Depugh  was  pastor 
in  charge  at  that  time.     It  was  dedicated  by  Bishop  J.  P. 
Campbell,  and  the  church  building  was  named  Campbell 
Chapel.     S2,.500    was    borrowed,    mortgage   given,    accom- 
panied with  notes  drawing  ten  per  cent,  interest,  1867,  and 
continued  ten   per   cent,  until  1876.       Neither  the  princi- 
pal   nor    interest  were  paid.     The  membership    ran  down 
and    the   congregation    decreased,   and     what    little    was 
accomplished  was  not  done  without  heroism.     In  1876,  Mr. 
William  Eiiott  Smith,  the  creditor,  made   a  proposition  to 
Rev.  H.  Depugh  and  the  members,  that  if  they  would  raise 
S500  and  pay  the  interest  that  year,  he  would  give  them  cre- 
dit for  §1,400,  thus  giving  the  church  $900  as  a  donation.     It 
was  not   paid   that   year,  but   Rev.  R.  C.  Cooper   followed 
Depugh,  and  in  two  years  he  raised  the  §500,  and  paid  the 
intere-st.     Mr.  Smith  gave  the  credit  for  §1,400,  and  this  act 
of  philanthropic  charity  itself  did  more  to  encourage  the 
congregation  than  anything  that  had  ever  been  done  by  any 
one,  and  for  this  beneficent  act  of  Jlr.  William  Eiiott  Smith, 
our  membership  and    congregation  will  always  remember 
him  in   our  devotions,  and   love  him  aud  his  family.     By 
that  act  the  success    of   the  church   is  manifest  in  many 
ways,  one  of  the  pleasantest  of  which  is  the  reduction,  and 
I  believe  the  extinction  of  the  church  debt  will  take  place 
this  year.     The  work  has  moved  along  in  a  deep  current  of 
religious  feeling,  making  itself  felt  among  (hose  of  mature 
age,  who   have   long  stood   aloof   from    the  church.     Our 
church  value  is  §5, -500.     The  Sunday-school  here  was  or- 
ganized by  Rev.  J.  C.  Emery,  in  1866.  It  has  continued  every 
year  since,  and  the  acting  superintendent,  Z   Crawford,  and 
eight  zealous,  active,  religious  teachers  are  determined  to 
make  it  a  religi  jus  power  in  the  church.     It  numbers  80, 
and  is  still  increasing.  The  membership  is  175  ;  congregation 
numbers  250  regularly.     This  congregation   has  had  since 
18o9  to  1882,  20  different  ministers.     All  served  two  years  at 
a  time  but  two,  and  these  served  three  years.     There  are 
a  very  few  of  this  number  living  They  have  gone  to  heaven 
"where  the  wicked  cease  from  troubling  and  the  wear)'  are  at 
rest.''     There  are  six  A.  M.  E.  Churches  in  this  county  : 
Lower  Alton,  Upper  Alton,  Edwardsville,  Collinsville,  Ridge 
Prairie  and  Rocky  Fork.     The  Edwardsville  church  build- 
ing is  now  being  finished  ;  a  one  story  frame,  30x46.     The 
Collinsville  church   building  is  a  one  story  frame ;  do  not 
know  its  dimensions.    The  Ridge  Prairie  church  building  is 
a  one  story  frame.     Upper  Alton  church  building,  26x40  ; 
a  one  story  frame  ;  all  paid  for.     The  membership  through- 
out the  county  numbers  550.     The  number  of  church  goers 
in  this   county  is  probably   one   thousand.     We  have  six 
churches  in  the  county,  and  every  church  has  a   Sunday- 


school.  Sunday-school  scholars  number  four  hundred. 
Tie  value  of  our  church  property  throughout  the  county 
is  estimated  at  twelve  thousand  dollars. 


THE    PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH. 


BY  REV.  AUGUSTUS  T.  NORTON,  D.  D. 

There  are  ten  existing  organizations  ;  a  sketch  of  each  is 
appended,  iu  the  order  in  which  they  were  establishec\ 

EDWARDSVILLE    CHURCH. 

There  have  been  four  distinct  organizations  in  this  place. 
The  first  was  made  March  17,  1819,  by  Rev.  Salmon  Gid- 
dings,  of  St.  Louis,  with  fifteen  members.  The  records  are 
lost.  Thomas  Lippincott  and  Hail  Mason  were  probably 
the  first  Elders.  Mr.  Lippincott  removed  from  Miltoa  to 
Edwardsville  in  the  fiill  of  1820.  Jeremiah  Abbot  aud 
Matthew  B.  Torrance  were  elders  sub  equeutly. 

The  widow  of  Dr.  John  Blair  Smith,  at  oue  time  Presi- 
dent of  Hampden  Sidney  College,  Prince  Edward  county, 
Va.,  came  to  Edwardsville  in  1817.  Ten  years  later,  when 
residing  at  Springfield,  III.,  she  says  :  "  When  I  came  to 
Edwardsville  I  could  find  no  professor  of  religion  in  the 
place,  and  for  eighteen  months  after  no  sermon  was  preached 
there.  I  lived  to  see  a  church  of  nine  members  increased 
to  thirty." 

The  early  members  were  nearly  or  quite  all  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent.  Previously  to  1828  the  church  enjoyed  no 
stated  gospel  ministrations.  The  ftishiou  was  in  those  days 
for  missionaries  to  come  out  from  the  East  and  itinerate 
through  Missouri  and  Illinois,  wherever  they  could  find  or 
gather  Presbyterian  churches,  spending  only  a  few  weeks, 
or  perhaps  only  a  few  days,  with  each.  In  1818  Rev. 
Messrs.  Benj.  Lowe  and  Samuel  Graham  performed  services 
of  this  kind.  Messrs.  Edward  Hollister  and  Daniel  Gould 
were  here  in  1821,  and  labored  more  or  less  in  Edward.s- 
ville.  In  1822  came  Messrs.  Oren  Catlin  and  Daniel  G. 
Sprague.  Salmon  Giddings  ahso  performed  much  labor  this 
side  the  river.  I  suppose  ]Mr.  Lippincott  himself  conducted 
religious  meetings  at  Edwardsville  when  no  minister  was 
present. 

This  was  one  of  the  original  churches  of  Center  Presby- 
tery, which  held  its  first  meeting  at  Kaskaskia,  January  9, 
1829.  The  church  had  then  thirty-three  members.  From 
that  number  it  steadily  declined.  One  year  later  it  had 
only  twenty-five.  The  last  time  it  was  represented  in  Presby- 
tery was  at  Greenville,  September,  1831.  The  last  time  its 
uame  appears  in  the  minutes  of  JPresbytery  is  at  the  meet- 
ing in  Collinsville,  September,  1833.  It  died,  and  from 
starvation.  The  only  ministerial  labors  it  ever  enjoyed 
were  those  of  passing  rais.<ionaries,  remaining  one  or  two 
Sabbaths  only,  and  an  occasional  visit  from  Air.  Giddings, 
of  St.  Louis.  It  was  only  by  slow  degrees  and  after  many 
failures  that  the  Church  came  to  learn  the  better  way. 


E  IS  TO  BY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


295 


The  Second  Presbyterian  organization  in  FAlwardsville  j 
was  made  sometime  in  the  winter  of  1837-8,  by  a  Commit- 
tee of  Alton  Tresbytery,  N.  S.  It  was  received  under  the 
care  of  that  Presbytery,  March  30  1838,  Joseph  M.  ;MeKee  j 
being  pres.^nt  as  ekler.  Another  elder  was  ilatthew  B. 
Torrance  This  church  was  supplied  from  October,  1 '^43, 
to  April,  1845,  by  Rev.  Thomas  Lippincott,  in  connection 
with  Troy.  A  little  before  Mr.  Lippincott's  labors  closed 
at  EJwardsville,  Dr.  James  Spilman,  an  elder  brother  of 
Rev.  B.  F.  Spilman,  and  a  staunch  Old  School  elder,  came 
there  to  reside.  He  was  friendly,  but  not  disposed  to  unite 
with  a  New  School  organization.  The  church  being  weak, 
wishing  to  secure  his  influence  and  seeing  little  to  choose 
between  New  and  Old  School  went  over  to  him  and  connec- 
ted with  Kaskaskia  Presbytery,  which  had  organized  an  Old 
School  church  there,  June  'I'l,  1845. 

This  was  the  Third  Presbyterian  organization  in  the 
county  seat  For  one  year  Rev.  15.  F.  Spilman  was  their 
minister.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Alexander  Ewing  until 
his  death,  Aug.  12,  1848.  At  that  time  the  church  occupied 
the  Baptist  house  of  worship.  In  1856,  Dr.  Spilman  leased 
the  Episcopal  house.  Rev.  L  P.  Bates  was  miuister  from 
1856  to  1859.  After  Mr.  Bates' death  and  Dr.  Spilraan's 
removal,  the  Third  Presbyterian  church  at  Edwardsville, 
ended  in  death,  and  its  name  was  erased  from  the  roll  of 
Presbytery 

The  Fourth  organization,  which  still  exists,  was  made 
Sabbath,  Augu.n  Uth,  1867,  by  Rev.  A.  T.  Norton,  D  D., 
Rev.  Andrew  D.  Jack,  with  these  members,  viz :  Mrs.  Caro- 
line Dimmock,  Mrs.  Lizzie  H.  Pogue,  Mr.  Befaliel 
Day,  Mrs.  Huldah  Ann  Day,  Miss  Nancy  N.  Day,  Miss 
Amelia  C.  Day,  Mrs.  Mercy,  E.  T.  Jack,  Mrs.  Anna 
Glass,  Mrs.  Rebecca  Snyder,  Mrs.  Susan  Karr,  and  Mr. 
Samuel  W.  Temple,  ilr.  Temple  was  made  Elder.  The 
present  Elders  are  Judge  John  G.  Ir«io  and  Mr.  C.  W. 
Fangenwroth.  The  ministers  have  been  A.  D.  Jack,  A.  H. 
Parks,  Lucius  I.  Root,  James  F.  Berry,  and  John  D.  Geh- 
ring,  who  is  now  there.  This  congregation  has  a  good  house 
of  worship.  It  reported  in  1882  fifty-one  communicants. 
It  has  a  vigorous  Sabbath-school  and  maintains  a  weekly 
prayer  meeting. 

ALTON  CHURCH. 

There  have  been  two  organizations.  The  first  was  made 
by  Revs.  Edward  Hollister  and  Daniel  Gould,  June  9th, 
1821  with  the.<e  eight  members,  viz:  Enoch  Long,  Mrs. 
Mary  Long,  I-aac  Waters,  Henry  H.  Snow,  E  luah  Hastings, 
Abigail  Waters,  Lavina  Bishop,  Brittania  S  Brown.  The 
next  day  the  Sacrament  of  the  Supper  was  administered. 
On  July  Sih,  August  12th  and  October  9th  of  the  same  year 
Mr  Gjuld  preached  to  the  church.  On  December  4,  1821, 
and  March  25, 1822,  Mr.  Hollister  preached,  and  the  nest 
morning  took  leave  of  the  church  to  return  to  his  native 
place  at  the  East.  Brittania  S.  Brown  ditd  on  the  28th  of 
August,  and  on  September  15,  1822,  her  funeral  sermon 
was  preached  by  Rev.  Jesse  Townsend.  On  January  28th, 
February  18th  and  JIarch  5th,  1823,  Rev.  Oren  Catlin 
preached.  At  the  last  date,  Henry  H.  Snow  was  made 
clerk  of  the   Session,  and   John    L.  Ramsey,  Mrs.  Martha 


Ramsey  and  Mrs.  Twitchell  were  received  into  the  church 
on  examination.  On  April  7th  and  April  2!,  1823,  Rev. 
Oren  Catlin  and  Rev.  Daniel  G.  Sprague  visited  and  ad- 
dressed the  church.  April  24,  1824,  Mi.ss  Eduah  Hastings 
was  dismissed.  This  is  the  last  entry  on  the  session  book  by 
the  clerk.  But  to  it  the  following  statement  is  appended, 
viz  :  "  At  the  session  of  the  Presbytery  of  Missouri,  held 
at  St.  Charles  in  ]Mareh,  1826,  a  resolution  was  passed  in- 
corporating the  church  of  Alton  with  the  church  of  Ed- 
wardsville, in  consequence  of  the  removal  of  all  the  mem- 
bers of  said  church  except  two,  viz:  Enoch  Long  and  Mrs. 
Mary  Long.  The  above  fact  is  certified  by  the  undersigned, 
who — as  au  Elder  of  the  church  at  Edwardsville — was  a 
member  of  said  Presbytery  at  the  time  of  the  passage  of 
the  resolution. 

"Alton,  June  18,  1831.  Thom.\.s  LirpiNcOTT." 

THE  PRESEXr  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  ALTON 

was  organized  June  19,  1831,  by  Rev.  Thomas  Lippincott, 
with  these  members,  viz:  Enoch  Long,  and  Jlrs.  Mary 
Long ;  Wm  A.  Robertson  and  Eleanor  M.  R  .bertson  ;  Mrs. 
Mary  Ann  Tolman  ;  Samuel  Thurston  and  Dorcas  Thurston; 
George  W.  Fuller. 

Elders:  Enoch  Long,  June  19,  1831,  dismissed  December 
18,  1836;  Samuel  Thurston,  January  21,  1832,  died  May 
16,  1833;  HK.  Lathy,  October  10,  1831,  ex.  :Maich  8, 
1846;  S.  E.  Moore,  July  25,  1835,  dis-  April  8,  1841  ; 
Andrew  Alexander,  September  2j,  1835  died  September  18, 
1838;  J.  D.  Bissell,  December  22,  1837,  dis.  March  23, 
18  59;  A.  \V.  .Cjrey,  February  10.  1858,  dis.  January  4, 
1840 .  W.  S.  Oilman,  December  8, 183J,  dis.  Juue  10,  1841  ; 
Benjamin  Godfrey,  July  5,  1810,  dis.  September  18,  1844  ; 
Charles  W.  Hunter,  July  5,  1840,  ex.  February  1,  1841; 
Orriu  Cooley,  ^ilay  28,  1841 ;  dis.  December  13,  1841  ; 
Lawsou  A.  Parks,  May  28,  1841  ;  Samuel  AVade,  May  28, 
1841 ;  D.  T.  Wheeler,  Nov.  14, 1841,  di.s.  August  19,  1843  ; 
P.  B  Whipple,  November  14,  1841  ;  Isaac  Scarritt,  No- 
vember 14,  1841 ;  Stei)hen  Lufkin,  April  29,  1849;  Nathan 
Johnson.  April  29,  1849.  April  26,  1849,  the  church 
adopted  the  limited  term  of  eldership.  The  elders  under 
this  system  have  been  as  follows  :  Lawson  A.  Park.«,  elected 
April  27,  1851 ;  Isaac  Scarritt,  elected  April  27,  1851 ;  P. 
B.  Whipple,  elected  Oatober  9,  1853 ;  Joshua  G.  Lamb, 
elected  October  9,  1853  ;  Nathan  Johnson,  elected  August 
5,  1855,  dis  July  23,  1867  ;  Samuel  Wade,  elected  August 
5,  1855,  dis.  June  17,  1870;  Lawson  A  Parks,  elected  Sep- 
tember 2),  1858,  died  JIarch  31,  1875;  Isaac  Scarritt^ 
elected  September  20,  1858.  died  December  22, 1873;  Per- 
ky B.  Whipple,  elected  December  18,1859;  Joshua  G. 
Lamb,  elected  December  IS,  1859;  Dr.  Benj.  K.  Ilart, 
elected  December  18,  1859,  died  September  2, 1S65  ;  Robert 
Barr,  elected  March  5,  1865,  died  August  13,  1868  ;  James 
Newman,  elected  March  5,  1805,  dismi.-sed  ;  J.  G  Lamb, 
elected  March  17,  1867.  dismissed  ;  Perly  B.  Whipple, 
elected  March  17,  1867;  Edward  Hollister,  elected  .Alarch 
17,  1867;  A.  W.  Greenwood,  elected  ISIarch  17,  1807,  dis- 
missed .  John  A.  Cousley,  elected  January  16, 1870  ;  P.  B. 
Whipple,  elected   May  7, 1871 ;  Heury  L.  Nichols,  elected 


296 


HIS  TOBY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


May  7,  1871 ;  John  P.  Nisbett,  elected  April  25,  1875  ; 
Martin  I.  Lee,  elected  April  2o,  1875,  dismissed  ;  Perley  B. 
Whipple,  elected  June  10,  1877  ;  Henry  L  Nichols,  elected 
June  10,  1877  ;  S.  B.  Funk,  elected  June  10,  1877,  died 
January  25,  1831  ;  Oliver  S.  Slowell,  elected  March  7, 1880. 
Ministers:  Thomas  Lippiucott,  until  June,  1832.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Elisha  Jenny,  who  remained  until  April, 
1835.  Frederick  W.  Graves  began  in  June,  1835.  The 
following  October  he  bacame  pastor  and  remained  until 
November  1838.  During  the  succeeding  winter  the  pulpit 
was  supplied  by  Albert  Hale,  now  of  Springfield.  Augustus 
T.  Norton  entered  upon  his  lab  >rs  as  pastor  elect  March  1, 
1839.  On  the  9th  of  May  following  he  was  installed  by 
the  Presbytery  of  Alton.  Mr.  Norton  served  as  pastor  until 
May  24,  1857,  when  he  resigned,  but  continued  either  in 
person,  or  through  other  ministers,  to  supply  the  congrega- 
tion, for  the  most  part,  until  July  1,  1858,  when  he  was  dis- 
missed by  the  Presbytery — making  the  whole  period  of  his 
service  nineteen  years  and  three  months.  Cornelius  H.  Tay- 
lor was  installed  pastor  July  1,  1858,  and  remained  until  the 
latter  part  of  March,  18(J8,  making  a  pastorate  of  nearly 
ten  years.  The  church  then  remaiued  without  a  pastor  for 
one  year.  C.  Solon  Armstrong  was  invited  to  the  pastorate 
April  16,  1869,  and  entered  upon  his  duties  the  15th  of  the 
ensuing  Miy.  He  was  duly  installed  December  16,  1869, 
and  dismissed  by  Presbytery  April  9,  1880. 

The  congregation  was  then  served  by  various  ministers, 
principally  by  their  former  pastor.  Rev.  A.  T.  Norton  D.  D., 
until  September  1,  1S81,  when  Rev.  Thomas  Gordon  com- 
menced his  labors.  Mr.  Gordon  was  duly  installed  as  pastor 
Tuesday  evening,  October  25,  1.^81. 

The  whole  number  of  members  in  the  church  up  to  Janu- 
ary, 1879,  is  1066.  Of  these  two  hundred  and  forty-three 
were  added  before  Mr.  Norton's  pastorate  and  three  hundred 
and  seventy-one  during  its  continuance.  In  Mr.  Taylor's 
pastorate,  two  hundred  and  two  were  added  ;  in  the  year  be- 
tween Mr.  Taylor  and  Mr.  Armstrong,  five  ;  in  Mr.  Arm- 
strong's two  hundred  and  forty-five.  The  number  of  mem- 
bers reported  to  the  Assembly  at  the  close  of  Mr.  Norton's 
administration  was  two  hundred  and  thirty  ;  at  the  close  of 
Mr.  Taylor's  two  hundred  and  fortj'-two  ;  in  the  spring  of 
1878,  at  the  close  of  Mr.  Armstrong's  ninth  year,  three  hun- 
(?re  I  were  reported.  In  1870  about  forty-eight  members  were 
dismissed  to  form  a  Congregational  church.  The  reduction  in 
numbers  by  this  movement  was  serious,  but  the  loss  in  pecu- 
niary strength  was  far  more  so,  amounting  to  fully  one-half 
the  financial  ability  of  the  congregation.  Though  never 
rich,  the  benevolence  of  this  congregation  has  been  so  sedu- 
loisly  cultivated  and  so  largely  developed  that  during  the 
whole  of  Mr.  Norton's  and  Mr.  Taylor's  administrations,  its 
offerings  for  benevolent  causes,  outside  of  itself,  were  larger 
than  any  other  Presbyterian  church  in  the  State  except  one 
or  two  in  Chicago.  Content  with  a  modest,  inexpensive 
house  of  worship,  it  supported  its  pastors  well,  and  gave 
largely  to  all   benevolent  causes,  especially  Home   Missions. 

There  have  been  many  revivals  in  the  history  of  this  con- 
gregation ;  but  the  one  most  notable,  for  the  character  and 
standing  of  its  converts,  was  that  of  the  winter  and  spring 


of  1819.  Value  is  not  to  be  estimated  by  numbers,  but  by 
weight.  The  conversion  of  Saul  of  Tarsus  was  worth  more 
to  the  Church  and  the  world,  than  that  of  the  whole  three 
thousand  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  The  population  of  all 
our  Western  cities  and  villages  is  extremely  fluctualiog. 
That  of  Alton  has  ever  been  pre-eminently  so.  Hence  the 
small  permanent  growth  of  this  church,  notwithstanding 
I   the  constant  and   large  increase  of  members. 

Its  place  of  worship.  The  church  of  1821,  noticed  in 
another  place,  was  organized  in  a  log  school-house  in  Upper 
Alton.  It  stood  on  the  corner  diagonally  opposite  the  north- 
east corner  of  John  Bates'  premises.  A  small  one-story 
brick  house  now  occupies  the  spot.  In  that  log  school- 
house.  Deacon  Long  and  Henry  H.  Snow  gathered  a  Sabbath- 
}  school  in  the  summer  of  1820.  The  present  church  was 
■  organized  at  the  hou.se  of  Deacon  Enoch  L  mg,  corner  of 
Main  and  College  streets.  Upper  Alton,  the  spot  now  occu- 
pied by  the  late  Joseph  Burnap's  residence.  The  public 
services  of  the  occasion  were  held  in  the  brick  school  house 
in  upper  Alton,  The  next  place  of  worship  was  the  frame 
building  on  Second  street,  Alton,  next  east  of  the  residence  of 
the  late  Simeon  Ryder.  The  next  building  occupied  was 
LfCium  H  ill,  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Alby  and  Second 
streets.  This  building  was  burned  July  30, 1874.  Captain 
Biujamin  Godfrey  united  with  this  church  on  profession,  No- 
vember 8, 1833.  The  same  year  he  erected  with  his  own  means, 
a  commodious  stone  church,  with  a  spire  and  basement  story 
on  the  northeast  corner  of  Third  and  Market  streets,  where 
the  Episcopal  church  now  stands.  He  retained  the  title  in 
•  his  own  hands,  and  afterwards  gave  the  property  to  the  trus- 
tees of  Monticello  Seminary,  by  whom  it  was  sold  to  the 
Episcopalians  in  the  spring  of  1845.  A  fine  bell  was  in  the 
I  tower,  presented  to  the  church  by  Mrs.  Gilraan,  mother  of 
[  B  I.  and  W.  S.  Oilman.  Early  one  morning,  immediately 
after  the  sale,  that  bell  descended  from  that  tower  and  went 
away  on  a  dray.  This  church  occupied  that  building  from 
its  erection  till  the  time  of  sale,  paying  rent  for  it  to  Monti- 
cello  Seminary,  while  it  was  owned  by  that  Institution.  Its 
next  place  of  worship  was  in  a  small  frame  church  on  the 
northeast  corner  of  Third  and  Alby  streets,  where  the  Uni- 
tarian parsonage  now  stands.  The  pressed  brick  house  of 
worship  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $'!,500,  and  was  dedicated 
June  14,  1846.  In  1853,  it  was  enlarged  by  an  addition  of 
twenty-five  feet  to  the  front,  making  the  entire  length  eighty 
feet.  This  addition,  with  other  improvements,  cost  S2,500. 
In  1858  a  $2,00)  organ  was  put  up  in  the  building.  In  July 
and  August  of  1865  there  was  another  renovation  which  in- 
volved an  expense  of  seven  hundred  dollars.  But  the  chief 
renovation  and  re-arrangement  was  made  iu  1875  at  a  cost 
of  §4,000.  A  re-dedication  ensued  October  17,  1875.  A 
sermon  was  preached  on  the  occasion,  reciting  the  whole 
history  of  the  church,  especially  in  reference  to  its  places  of 
worship.  A  debt  was  created  by  this  last  improvement  which 
for  several  years  was  the  source  of  no  little  annoyance.  It 
and  all  the  other  indebtedness  of  the  church  was  fully  can 
celled  on  the  first  of  January  1882. 

A  large  fine  parsonage  of  brick  was  purchased  in  1871  at 
a  cost  of  $4,000.     This  was  the  offering  of  the  congregation 


HISTORY  OF   MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


297 


to  the  magnificent  Memorial  Fund  of  nearly  eight  millions 
raised  that  year  by  the  j 

RE-UNITED   PRESBYTERIAN   CIU'RCn. 

The  Sabbath-school  of  the  church  has  been  sustained 
the  whole  year  through,  and  with  great  vigor.  Its  Superin- 
tendents have  been  Andrew  Alexander,  Moses  Forbes,  David 
T.  Wheeler,  Benjamin  E.  Yiall,  L.  S.  Williams,  L.  A. 
Parks,  Isaac  Scarritt,  Edward  Hollister  and  Thomas  P. 
Nisbett.  The  last  named  is  still  in  office — 1882.  During  a 
large  portion  of  the  church's  history  a  mission  !^abbath- 
school  has  been  sustained — at  first  in  Hunterstowu  and 
then  in  Sempletown. 

The  Semi-Centennial  of  the  church  occurred  on  Sabbath, 
June  18,  1881.  It  was  celebrated  with  great  interest  and 
profit.  The  services  commenced  Friday  evening,  June  17, 
and  continued  through  Saturday, the  18th, and  Sabbath,  I'Jtii. 
The  entire  i)roceedings  were  published  in  a  pamphlet  of 
140  pages. 

Copies  of  this  pamphlet,  of  all  the  Psalms  and  hymn- 
books,  used  in  the  church  service  for  these  first  fifty  years  of 
its  history,  a  copy  of  the  "  History  of  Presbyterianism  in  Illi- 
nois, by  A.  T.  Norton,  D.  D.,"  and  the  various  Historical 
shields  used  on  the  occasion,  are  deposited  in  a  nicely  con- 
structed bos  which  is  to  be  in  the  custody  of  the  stated 
Clerk  of  the  Session,  until  the  occurrence  of  the  Centen- 
nial Anniversary  of  the  ciiurch,  July  19,  1931. 

At  the  time  of  the  observance  of  this  Semi-Centennial, 
two  of  the  original  members  of  the  church  were  alive,  viz: 
George  W.  Fuller,  now  of  Galena,  Illinois,  and  Enoch  L)ng. 
But  the  venerable  and  venerated  Enoch  Long  passed  to  his 
rest  without  a  struggle,  at  his  residence,  Sabula,  Iowa,  July 
19th,  1881,  at  the  age  of  90  years,  nine  months  and  three 
days.     The  number  of  communicants  April,  1882,  was  234. 

COLLINSVILLE   CHURCH. 

The  place  at  its  first  settlement  was  called  Uuionville^ 
afterward  was  named  Collinsviile.  from  tiie  Collins  family. 
The  church  was  organized  May  3d,  1823,  with  these  mem- 
bers, viz  :  William  Collins,  Esther  Collins,  Augustus  Col- 
lins, Elizabeth  B.  Collins,  Eliza  Collins,  Almira  Collins, 
Frederick  Collins,  Oriel  Wilcox,  Susan  Wilcox,  Horace 
Look,  Emma  C.  Look.  Seven  of  these  belonged  to  the 
family  of  Diacon  William  Callins,  who  came  to  this  place  in 
the  fall  of  1822,  with  his  wife  and  three  daughters  and  one 
son.  Four  of  iiis  six  sons — viz.,  Augustus,  Anson,  ilichael 
and  William  B. — had  preceded  him  by  several  years.  The 
family  was  from  Litchfield,  Conn.,  to  which  place  William 
B.  Collins,  when  a  young  man,  had  removed  from  Guilford, 
Conn.  The  church,  from  its  foundation  until  the  fall  of 
1843,  worshiped  in  a  house  erected  iu  1818,  one  of  the  first 
frame  meeting-houses  built  in  Illinois.  The  stated  preach- 
ing of  the  gospel  was  not  enjoyed  until  1830,  though  for 
nearly  twelve  years  a  Sabl)ath  school  had  been  sustained, 
and  worship  of  some  kind  had  been  held  almost  every  Sab- 
bath. When  a  minister  could  not  be  obtained,  they  met 
for  prayer  and  exhortation,  or  read  a  sermon.  From  18.30 
to  1840  the  church  enjoyed  for  half  the  time,  successively, 
38 


the  services  of  Revs.  Thomas  Lippincott,  John  F.  Brooks, 
Roswell  Brooks  and  Robert  Blake.  Up  to  1835  it  was 
aided  by  the  Home  Missionary  Society.  Since  that  time  it 
has  received  no  as-istance  from  abroad.  Mcnister-S: 
Charles  E.  Blood,  pastor,  commenced  laboring  with  them 
July  4,  1840;  Thomas  Lippincott,  supply  pastor,  1848; 
Lemuel  Grosvenor,  pastor,  1848  ;  David  Dimond,  supply 
pastor,  1850  ;  Gideon  C.  Clark,  pastor,  1856 ;  Charles  F. 
Halsey,  pastor,  1864 ;  John  D.  Jones,  pastor,  1867;  J.  R. 
Barnes,  pastor,  1870  ;  George  W.  Coit,  pastor,  1874  ;  Joseph 
G.  Reasor,  D.  D.,  pastor,  1878.  John  R.  Reason,  supply 
pastor,  commenced  Oct.  10th,  1880,  and  is  still— May,  1882, 
in  oflice.  Elders:  William  Collins  and  Oriel  Wilcox 
at  the  organization  ;  Horace  Look  and  Frsderick  Collins, 
January  12,  1829;  William  B.  Collins,  November  10th, 
1832;  Lewis  Wteks,  August,  1837;  Hiram  L.  Ripley, 
September  15,  1838  ;  Philander  Braley,  Austin  B.  Beach, 
James  Ilaffy,  November  14th.  1841  ;  J.  Vanstavoren,  S. 
Sheppard,  January  24th,  1847  ;  E.  B.  Lockwood,  February 
21,  1847 ;  C.  C  Treadway,  1861  ;  Hon.  J.  R.  Miller,  July, 
1880.  Deacons :  James  S.  Wadsworth,  G.  W.  Peers  and 
George  A.  Miller. 

The  present  church  building  was  erected  in  1843,  at  a 
cost  of  about  eighteen  hundred  dollars.  It  was  badly  shat- 
tered by  a  storm  in  1879.  In  addition  the  church  owns  • 
property  in  shape  of  lots,  a  parsonage,  and  another  valuable 
residence.  It  is  not  in  debt,  and  pays  a  liberal  salary  to  the 
pastor,  and  contributes,  though  not  systematically,  to  the 
benevolent  agencies  of  the  Church  at  large.  The  member- 
ship at  present  is  about  one  hundred  and  forty.  The  Sab- 
bath-school is  quite  flourishing;  two  officers,  fourteen  teach- 
ers, one  hundred  and  seventy-five  pupils. 

MARINE  CHURCH. 

This  was  organized  Nov.  2d,  1834.  Roswell  Brooks 
preached  here  one-half  the  time  for  one  year.  Next 
succeeded,  Robert  Blake,  one-half  the  time  for  two  years. 
Then  the  church  was  vacant  until  1840,  when  T  Lippincott 
was  employed,  and  continued,  one-half  the  time  for  three 
years.  A  pleasant  revival  occurred  tind  twenty-seven  were 
added  to  the  church.  Then  followed  James  R.  Dunn.  After 
eighteen  months'  labor  elsewhere,  Mr.  Lippincott  supplied 
again  for  one  year.  The  subsequent  ministers,  named  in 
their  order,  are  these:  Calvin  Butler,  Sigmund  Uhfelder, 
James  A.  Darrah,  C.  J.  Pitkin,  William  Filers,  A.  D. 
Jack,  H.  AV.  Wood,  J.  Scott  Davis,  C.  T.  Hal- 
sey, the  last  from  Jan.  1874,  to  Jan.  1878,  and  Robert 
Stewart.  Elders  :  James  Breath,  James  M.  Nichols,  Geo. 
W.  Welsh,  Nov.  2d,  1833;  C.  Lyman,  Feb.  10th,  1842; 
Geo    T.    Allen,    April    30,    1843;    John    Breath,  same; 

j  A.  L  Saunders,  Feb.  7th,  1848;  J.  S.  Cottrell,  same;  Joel 
Simpson,  April  30,  1854  ;  Richard  P.  Marshall,. '^ame;  Lewis 

i    Potter,  April  16th,  1864  ;  Samuel  H.  Brown,  May  8,  1869  ; 

I  Richard  A.  Marshall,  April  21,  1872.  The  original  mem- 
bers  were  these  :  James  Breath,  Elizabeth  Breath,  Geo.  C. 

■  Allen,  Mary  Allen,  Janus  M.  Nichols,  Elizabeth  Nichols, 
Geo.  W.  Wal.><h,  John  R.  Kerr,  Wni.  Anderson,  Eunice  A. 

i    Anderson,  Gertrude  Anderson,  Zilphatt  Parker,  Geo.  Foster, 


298 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Hannah  N.  Foster,  Rebecca  L.  Breath  and  Mary  A- 
Breath.  Calvin  Butler  came  here  in  1849,  and  died  Nov. 
Sd,  \HA:  His  hcvise,  cccujitd  by  lis  widow  and  Jamily, 
was  burned  in  the  fall  of  1855.  For  several  years  past  the 
Sabbath-school,  and  indeed  the  whole  church  work  here,  has 
devolved  on  Elder  Lewis  Potter  ami  his  excellent  wife. 
There  is  a  good  frame  church,  built  in  1851.  Before  its  erec- 
tion, all  denominations  used  the  same  building.  This  church 
is  at  present— 1882— in  a  very  depressed  condition.  It  last 
reported  a  membership  of  twenty-six.  But  the  number 
in  1882  is  not  more  than  twelve  or  fifteen. 

ITPER   ALTON    CHURCH. 

The  organization  was  made  January  8th,  1837,  by 
Revs.  F.  W.  Graves,  T.  B.  Hurlbut  and  Thomas  Lippin- 
cott,  with  twenty  members.  It  appears  that  in  June  follow- 
ing a  >.inion  was  effected  between  this  and  a  Congregational 
church  in  the  same  place.  By  this  union  twenty-six  mem- 
bers were  added.  One  article  provides  for  the  election  of 
Elders  triennially.  E  P.  Lovejoy  was  the  first  minister. 
He  labored  gratuitously.  C.  G.  Selleck  was  installed  pas- 
tor Nov.  16, 1837,  and  resigned  the  charge  in  October,  1841. 
Hubbel  Loomis  succeeded  him  as  stated  pastor  until  May, 
1843.  Mr.  Loomis  was  succeeded  by  H.  B.  Whittaker,  who 
continued  his  labors  here  until  his  death,  Sept.  15th,  1844. 
Williston  Jones  succeeded  Mr.  Whittaker,  and  remained 
uatil  May,  1845.  Lemuel  Foster,  T.  B.  Hurlbut  and  Wil- 
liam Barnes,  labored  for  different  periods.  W.  R  Adams 
from  1861  to  1867.  Since  then  Lucius  I.  Root,  Robert 
Rudd,  John  Huston  and  Samuel  B.  Taggart  have  served 
this  church.  Elders  :  Euoch  Long,  Ebenezer  Dennison, 
John  Manning,  Samuel  Archer,  William  Clark,  Alfred 
Cowles,  Joseph  Gordon,  Winthrop  S.  Gil  man,  Russell  Scar- 
ritt,  John  Bates,  Win.  Cunningham,  Myron  Ives,  J.  J. 
Hastings,  S.  W.  Ball,  J.  P  Burton,  T.  R.  Murphy,  Joseph 
Piatt,  W.  S.  R.  Robinson  and  probably  some  others.  The 
Records  have  been  very  imperfectly  kept.  The  first  church 
edifice  was  erected  in  1836,  and  occupied  the  same  site  as 
the  present  one.  Previous  to  that  the  church  worshiped  in 
what  is  known  as  the  "  Brick  School  House."  The  first  church 
edifice  was  burned  February  10,  1858.  The  present  build- 
ino-  was  commenced  soon  after,  but  for  lack  of  funds  went 
on^but  slowly.  It  was  finally  finished,  and  dedicated  No- 
vember 15,  1865.  This  church  has  had  many  difficulties. 
Among  these  were  its  semi-constitution,  the  vicinity  of  oth- 
er strong  churches,  and  the  exceediogly  fluctuating  charac- 
ter of  the  population  of  the  place. 

The  church  is  now,  May  1882,  without  a  minister.  It 
has  only  oue  elder,  John  Bates.  Its  membership  is  about 
thirty. 

MONTICELLO  CHURCH. 

The  post  office  is  Godfrey,  Madison  county,  Illinois.  For 
several  reasons  peculiar  importance  attaches  to  the 
history  of  this  church.  Hence  I  propose  to  give  it  fully 
enough  for  complete  comprehension.  In  doing  this  I  siiall 
derive  my  materials  from  the  ''  church  manual  compiled 
and  published  by  an  order  of  Session  in  1860,"  from  the 


church  records,  from  the  records  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Alton,  and,  in  relation  to  the  church  edifice,  from  the  re- 
cords of  Monticello  Seminary.  It  was  organized  in  the 
chapel  of  Monticello  Female  Seminary,  Nov.  2,  18.49,  Rev. 
Theron  Baldwin,  who  was  then  a  memb>;r  of  Alton  Pres- 
bytery, presiding.  I  undoubtedly  state  the  exact  truth, 
when  I  say  the  peculiar  shaping  of  the  church  s  constita 
tion  was  due  alone  to  Mr.  Baldwin.  The  original  mem 
bers  were  :  Jabez  Turner,  from  the  Reformed  Dutch 
Church,  Kinderhook,  N.  Y.  ;  Timothy  Turner,  Jairus  Burt 
Turner,  Ann  W.  Turner,  Elizabeth  Turner,  from  the  Vala- 
tia,  Kiuderhook,  Presbyterian  church,  N.  Y. ;  James  Howell, 
Ann  D'Hart  Howell,  Sarah  Howell,  from  the  Reformed 
Dutch  church,  Beawenburg,  N.  Y. ;  Rufus  G.  Turner,  Mary 
Ann  Turner,  from  the  First  Presbyterian  church,  Mattea- 
wan,  N.  Y. ;  Edwin  B.  Turner,  Congregational  church, 
Jacksonville,  111. ;  Catharine  Ingham,  Rebecca  Ingham, 
Elizabeth  Wilkius,  Mary  E.  Gihnan,  Calvin  Godfrey,  from 
the  Presbyterian  church,  Alton  ;  John  Mison,  sr.,  from 
Congregational  church,  Castleton,  Vt. :  Elizabeth  Howell, 
from  Presbyterian  church.  New  Brunswick,  N.  J.  Eighteen 
persons,  twelve  of  whom  were  from  Presbyterian  churches, 
four  from  the  Reformed  Dutch,  which  is  Presbyterian  under 
a  different  name,  and  two  Congregalionalists.  With  a 
Presbyterian  organizer,  sixteen  out  of  eighteen  Presbyterian 
members,  oue  would  have  especttd  a  Prtsbyttriau  church. 
Martin  Ash,  Maria  Ash,  Susan  \V.  Miles,  Caroline  W. 
Baldwin,  Benjamin  Ives  Oilman,  Philena  Fobes.  Huldah 
M.  Sturtevant  aud  Mary  Marr,  were  received  on  exaiuina- 
tion.  This  constitution  wai  adopted:  "Art.  (1)  This 
church  shall  be  called  The  Church  of  Chrid  in  Monticello. 
(2)  The  business  of  the  church  shall  be  transacted  by  a 
Session,  consisting  of  the  pastor  (who  shall  be  ex-officio, 
Moderator)  and  a  certain  number  of  elders  chosen  by  nom- 
ination. The  elders  shall  hold  their  office  no  more  than  oue 
year,  at  any  one  time,  without  a  re-election.  Art.  (3)  The 
nomination  of  elders  shall  be  made  by  the  pastor,  with  the 
consent  of  ihe  Session,  not  less  than  two  weeks  previous  to 
the  time  for  entering  upon  the  duties  of  this  oflice,  and  un- 
less objections  are  publicly  made  by  at  least  two  members 
of  the  church  in  regular  standing,  they  are  to  be  con.-idtred 
as  elected.  (4)  In  the  reception  of  members,  and  all  cases 
of  discipline,  a  vote  of  the  church  shall  be  necessary  to 
ratify  the  decision  of  the  Session.  Art.  (5.)  No  alteration 
shall  be  made  in  this  Constitution  or  in  the  Co:ife.-sion  of 
Faith,  except  by  a  vote  of  two-thinls  of  the  members  pres- 
ent at  a  regularly  notified  meeting  for  this  purpose." 
Ecclesiastical  history  can  scarcely  furnish  a  match  to  this ! 
According  to  Art.  1,  there  was  and  could  be  in  the  village, 
or  precinct  called  Mooticsllo,  no  church  but  this  one.  Ac- 
cording to  Art.  2,  when  the  church  had  no  pastor,  there 
could  be  no  Ses  ion,  for  he  was  an  essential  part  of  it.  The 
elders  were  not  to  be  chosen  by  vote  of  members,  but  by 
nomimtioii  of  pastor— Art.  3.  Heuce  necessarily,  the  elders 
were  the  creatures  of  the  pastor.  And  when  the  church 
had  no  pastor,  no  elders  could  be  appointed.  By  Art.  4 
the  Session  was  deprived  of  all  real  authority. 

The  Confes-ion  of  Faith  adopted  consisted  of  nine  Arti 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


299 


cles,  and  was  thoroughly  orthodox  and  Calvinistic.  The 
first  ehlers  put  in  office  under  this  uniijue  constitution  were 
Timothy  Turner  and  Benjamin  I.  Gilmau.  Others,  down 
to  18o4,  are  as  follows  :  Abijah  W.  Corey,  1841  ;  Benjamin 
Godfrey,  1842;  Nathan  Johnson,  1845;  John  Mason,  sr  , 
1846;  George  Smith,  1847.  The  ministers  have  been — 
(1)  Theron  Bildwin,  supply  pastor  fn)ni  November  2,  1838, 
till  November  22,  1S40.  Ojt)ber  4,  1841),  the  church  invi- 
ted Mr.  Baldwin  to  become  their  pastor,  and  instructed  B.  I. 
Gilman  anil  Timothy  Turner  to  apply  to  Presbytery  t^have 
him  installed.  This  was  done,  November  22,  1^40.  A.  T. 
Norton,  of  Alton  Presbyterian  church,  preached  the  sermon, 
T.  B.  Hurlbut,  of  Upper  Alton,  gave  the  charge  to  the 
pastor,  and  T.  Lippineott  to  the  people.  It  was  a  semi- 
installation— Presbyterial,  inasmuch  as  Presbytery  was  con- 
sulted about  it,  and  agreed  to  Mr.  Baldwin's  wishes  as  to 
the  individuals  to  officiate,  all  of  whom  were  co-Presbyters 
with  himself — «oft-Presbyterial  in  that  the  constitutional 
questions  were  omitted.  Nothing  can  be  more  farcical  than 
Mr.  B's.  attempts  to  wear,  and  not  to  wear  the  Presbyterian 
harne'is.  Tnereor.l-i  of  the  Sassion  during  the  whole  of 
Mr.  B's.  administration  are  very  neatly  kept  in  due  Presbijte- 
riaii  form.  From  only  a  single  entry  would  one  suspect  the 
church  to  be  anything  else  than  Presbyterian.  '-July  31, 
1841,  Timothy  Turner  was  appointed  (by  the  Session)  a 
deleg.ite  to  the  Alton  Presbytery  on  the  ground  that  sucli 
delegates  were  received  on  certain  conditions,  by  said  Pres- 
bytery as  corresponding  members."  The  "  conditions  " 
referred  to  are  contained  in  apian  of  correspondence  drawn 
up  by  'Sir.  Baldwin  and  foolishly  adopted  by  the  Presbytery 
of  Alton  at  its  fall  session  in  Upper  Alton,  1840.  That 
"  plan  "  is  as  follows:  (1)  "That  we  adopt  the  practice  of 
receiving  delegates,  as  corresponding  members,  from  such 
Congregational  and  other  churches  within  our  bounds  as 
harmonize  with  us  in  belief  of  the  essential  doctrines  of 
Christianity,  provided  they  are  willing  regularly  to  report 
to  this  body.  (2)  That  such  delegates  have  the  right  not 
only  to  speak,  but  also  to  vote  on  all  matters  which  come 
bsford  this  body,  except  such  as  are  strictly  Presbyterial. 
(3)  That  we  consent  to  act  as  an  advisory  council  in  all 
cases  of  reference  which  those  associated  churches  may  bring 
before  us.  "  At  the  fall  meeting  in  1867,  these  resolutions 
were  repealed.  But  from  the  fall  of  1840  to  the  fall  of  1867, 
they  were  theoretically  in  force,  though  practically  disre- 
garded. The  fact  is,  the  Presbyterian  system  is  complete  in 
itself.  All  foreign  elements  engrafted  upon  it  are  so  many 
excrescences,  which  have  in  the  end  to  be  cut  off  or  out. 
Mr.  Baldwin  left  in  April,  1844.  He  was  succeeded  by 
Elisha  Jenney  until  September,  of  the  same  year.  George 
Pyle  followed  and  remained  till  his  death,  Jan.  22,  1846; 
Joseph  A.  Ranney  from  JIarcb,  1846,  to  Nov.,  1847;  Wm. 
Homes  from  June,  1848,  to  June  18.50;  Geo.  M.  Tuthill 
from  Oct.  1850,  till  ]\Iay,  1852  ;  Charles  Temple  from  June 
1852,  till  June,  ls54.  All  the  above  ministers  were  connect- 
ed with  the  Presbyterian  Church  save  Charles  Temple,  and 
all  with  Alton  Prenbytery  save  Mes.-;rs.  Temple  and  Homes. 
Monticello  church  was  received  by  Presbytery,  according  to 
the  terms  of  correspondence,   May  3,  1842,  and   thereafter 


represented  in  Presbytery  and  Synod  with  as  much  i-egularity 
as  any  other  church  down  to  1854. 

January  18,  1855,  the  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  with 
the  Monticello  chuich.  That  church  presented  a  re- 
quest, lo  cDme  fully  into  connection  with  Presbytery.  The 
request  was  granted.  Subsequently,  but  on  the  same  day, 
Wellington  W.  Wells  was,  by  the  Presbytery,  ordained  pas- 
tor of  that  church  according  to  Presbyterian  usage.  The 
church  remained  in  this  connection  until  Oct.  2,  1860,  when 
the  following  minute  appears  upon  the  Records  of  Presby- 
tery: "  The  Alton  Presbytery  have  received  certain  papers 
from  the  congregation  at  Monticello,  in  which  they  express 
their  opinion  that  the  relation  subsisting  between  said 
Presbytery  and  the  congregation  ought  to  be  dissolved. 
The  Presbytery  express  their  regret  that  such  a  feeling 
should  exist  among  those  brethren  with  whom  we  have 
lived  for  years  on  terms  of  the  greatest  friendship.  But  as 
the  papers  inform  the  Presbytery,  the  church  Aas  withdrawn 
from  our  body,  we  erase  the  name  of  the  Monticello  church 
from  our  roll.  "  The  manual  of  the  Monticello  church 
refers  to  this  matter  thus:  "In  1855,  the  church  united 
'A'hh  the  Preshytenj  of  Allan,  and  remained  in  that  connec- 
tion till  June,  1860,  when  the  Presbytery  having  ceased  to 
co-operate  with  the  A.  H.  M.  Society,  (with  which  this 
church  had  co-operated  since  its  first  organization  and  still 
preferred  to  co-operate)  it  withdrew  from  Presbytery,  and 
resumed  its  original  independent  condition.  "  While  under 
the  care  of  Presbytery,  the  church  was  prosperous  and  uni- 
ted. For  the  first  year  W.  W.  Wells  was  their  pastor.  He 
was  duly  released  from  that  charge  by  Presbytery,  Sept.  29, 
1855.  In  October,  Rev.  Albert  Smith  became  supply 
pistor.  He  was  called  to  the  pastorate  and  installed  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Alton,  Nov.  22,  185G,  and  remained  in  that 
relation  until  his  death,  April  24,  lS63  Mr.  Smith  did  not 
withdraw  from  the  Presbytery  with  his  church.  Very  sin- 
gularly the  records  of  the  church  during  the  period  of  its 
connection  with  Presbytery  cannot  be  found.  That  they  were 
duly  kept  there  is  no  doubt.  Such  pastors  as  Messrs.  Wells 
and  Smith  would  not  have  neglected  so  vital  a  matter. 
Besides,  they  were  before  Presbytery,  in  the  spring  of  1856 
duly  examined  and  approved.  In  1855,  the  church  reported 
eighty  members.  In  1856,  ninety-one;  1857,  ninety-five; 
1858,  ninety-three;  1859,  ninety-eight ;  1860,  one  hundred 
and  eight.  In  1857,  Benjamin  Webster  was  added  to  the 
Session.  Those  six  years  nearly,  tf  connection  with  the 
Presbytery,  were  years  of  union,  peace  and  unmixed  pros- 
perity. In  those  years  the  church  edifice  was  erected  by 
the  trustees  of  the  seminary,  "  for  the  joint  use  of  the  Mon- 
ticello Prenbyterian  congregation  "  and  the  seminary,  ac- 
cording to  a  plan,  dated  August  10,  1857,  and  signed  by  B. 
Godfrey  and  P.  Fobes,  on  the  part  of  the  seminary,  and 
B.  I.  Gilmau  and  A.  W.  Corey,  on  the  part  of  the  congre- 
gation. The  title  to  this  property  is  with  the  trustees  of  the 
seminary.  To  trace  the  history  of  this  church  since  its 
withdrawal  from  Presbytery  is  not  here  in  place.  While 
]Mr.  Sn)ith  lived  it  prospered.  His  wise  and  steady  course 
kept  the  elements  in  repose  December  16,  1867,  the  first 
constitution  of  the  church  was  essentially  changed.    Since 


300 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


that  time,  or  rather  since  its  withdrawal  from  the  Presbytery, 
it  has  not  beeu  Presbylerian,  whatever  else  it  may  have  been 
or  is.  Upon  the  whole,  the  history  of  this  church,  since  the 
death  of  Dr.  Smith,  lias  demonstrated  the  utter  absurdity 
of  attempting  to  build  up  an  orthodox  church  which  shall 
be  M/i-deuoiniuati(  nil.  Dr.-!.  Baldwin  and  Smith  were  able 
men.  They  could  hold  a  church  to  orthodox  moorings  by 
their  individual  power  and  Presbyterian  connections.  Lesser 
men,  witli  no  such  connections,  will  surely  fail.  No  church 
can  live  and  grow  and  be  useful  ivitliout  i-one  distinctive  and 
ackaotvledjed  syntem  of  doctrine  and  polity. 

TKOY    CHURCH. 

The  organization  was  made  Oct.  2d,  1842,  by  Revs.  Wm. 
Chamberlain,  T.  Lippincott  and  C.  E.  Blood,  with  these 
members :  J.  K.  Reiner,  E.  C.  Reiner,  James  Perigo,  H. 
Perigo,  Cyrus  Scott,  jr.,  P.  Scott,  E.  Scott,  L.  A.  Scott,  B. 
Posey,  G.  W.  Scott,  E.  Goodwin,  E.  Davis  and  Cynthia 
Scott.  This  was  the  first  church  organization  of  any  denomi- 
nation in  the  village  of  Troy.  Up  to  Dec.  22d,  1867,  the 
church  had  received  eighty-five  members,  only  sixteen  of 
whom  were  theu  remaining.  At  that  time  Rev.  Robert 
Stewart  commenced  his  permanent  labors.  Since  then  and 
up  to  Jan.  1st,  1878,  one  hundred  and  twelve  have  beeu 
added.  Before  Mr.  Siewart,  the  church  was  served  by  the 
fjUowing  ministers:  Wm.  Chamberlain,  Thomas  Lippincott, 
J.  R.  Dunn,  Calvin  Butler,  L.  A.  Parks,  licentiate,  John 
Gibson,  Socrates  Smith,  James  A.  Darrah,  Caleb  J.  Pitkin, 
William  Ellers  and  A.  D.  Jack.  Most  of  these  labored  here 
only  half  the  time.  The  following  are  the  elders :  Dr. 
J.  K.  Reiner  and  James  Perigo,  the  first  two.  Thomas 
Smith,  Wesley  Jarvis,  Oliver  Beard,  John  R.  Swain,  Dr. 
F.  AV.  Lytle,  L.  R.  Cornman,  John  McKee,  Dr.  F.  A. 
Sabin,  Andrew  Kiraberliu,  James  A.  Henderson,  Samuel 
Yandell,  James  W.  Barlow,  Edward  Bigelow,  Thomas  H. 
Bell,  R.  C  Morris,  Henry  A.  Risser,  James  Lang,  Thomas 
J.  Purviance  and  John  Bosomworth.  In  184-5  the  church 
adopted  the  limited  period  of  Eldership.  The  first  house  of 
worship  was  a  neat  frame,  twenty -four  by  thirty  feet.  When 
the  new  house  was  erected  the  old  one  was  sold  and  is  now 
private  property.  This  new  house  is  of  brick,  sixty  by 
thirty-six  feet,  with  basement  story  and  audience  room  above, 
and  cost  $10,1100.  Eleven  hundred  of  this  was  donated  by 
the  Board  of  Church  Erection.  The  corner  stone  of  this 
house  was  laid  on  Mr.  Stewart's  birth-day.  May  3,  1871.  It 
was  dedicated  May  3,  1872,  the  day  the  pastor  was  seventy- 
four  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Stewart  remained  in  charge  of  the  church  until  his 
death,  which  took  place  at  his  residence  in  Troy,  July  11, 
1881,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty  three  years,  two  months 
and  eight  days.  The  present  minister  of  the  church  is  Rev. 
John  Gehring.  The  present  Elders  are  D.  F.  A.  Sabin 
and  Thomas  H.  Bell,  and  the  number  of  members  about 
sixty-five. 

MORO   CHQECH. 

The  church  of  Rattan's  Prairie,  now  called  Moro,  was 


organized  by  Revs.  Valentine  Pentzer  and  P.  D.  Young, 
December  D,  1848,  in  a  school  house  where  the  village  of 
Bethalto  now  is,  with  these  members,  viz.:  Samuel  Smith, 
Ruth  Smith,  Hugh  S.nith,  Lstitia  Dorsey,  James  Purdy 
Smith,  Elizabeth  Smith,  D.Duncan  Smith,  Ann  M.  Pentzer, 
Mrs  Ann  Smith.  Samuel  Smith  was  made  elder.  He  died 
in  June,  18j(3.  Since  apjwiuted,  Hugh  Smith,  November 
20,  18-54;  William  A.  Lauterman  and  George  F.  Stahl, 
same  date  ;  Samuel  Dorsey,  James  Harvey  Smith,  Hiram 
E.  Stahl.  elected  in  first  part  of  1870  ;  W.  S.  B.  Robinson 
about  187G. 

Ministers:  Valentine  Pentzer;  P.  D.  Young,  18.50; 
Peter  Hassinger,  18.53-56  ;  S.  B.  Smith,  18-57-58  ;  R.  M. 
R)berts,  1860;  F.  H.  L.  Laird,  18G2  ;  A.  N.  Denny,  1864, 
till  his  death.  September  29,  1863  ;  R.  G.  Ross,  1869  ;  M. 
B.  Gregg,  1871  ;  George  B.  McComb,  1872  ;  John  Huston, 
1874  ;  William  L.  Johnson,  1876;  Samuel  B.  Taggart,  1879. 
The  name  of  the  church  was  changed  from  "  Rattan's 
Prairie"  to  "Moro"  by  Presbytery  April  6,1865.  There 
has  beeu  but  one  house  of  worship.  It  was  erected  in  the 
summer  and  fall  of  1853,  and  is  situated  near  the  Moro 
depot.  A  cemetery  is  in  the  same  enclosure  with  the 
church  and  adjoins  the  church  site.  Before  the  church  was 
erected,  the  common  place  of  meeting  was  Bethalto  school- 
house. 

Mr.  Taggart  is  still  in  charge  of  the  church.  His  post- 
office  address  is  Upper  Alton,  Illinois.  The  membership  is 
about  fifty-five. 

ZION  (gERJIAN)  PRESBYTERIAN   CHOECH. 

This  church  was  organized  at  Fusterburg,  Madison  count}', 
October  12,  1857,  by  Revs.  J.  G.  Schaible  and  H.  Blanke, 
with  twenty  members.  Up  to  the  fall  of  1877  the  church 
was  served  by  three  ministers — H.  Blanke,  J.  H  Reints  and 
August  Busch,  who  entered  upon  their  work  in  1857,  1869 
and  1873.  respectivel)'. 

The  first  Elders  were  Fred  Wortman  and  C-  Breuken. 
Afterward  P.  A.  Scheldt,  Eruest  Wortman  aud  C.  F.  Lob- 
big.  In  August,  1S78,  the  church  adopted  the  time  service 
method,  at  the  same  time  reducing  the  board  to  two,  C. 
Breuken  and  P.  H.  Scheldt.  This  church  has  had  a 
membership  of  one  hundred  aud  thirty-nine  in  all  from  the 
beginning.     Its  present  membership  is  eighty-nine. 

A  house  of  worship  was  built  soon  after  the  organization, 
which  cost  about  five  hundred  dollars.  A  parsonage  was 
erected  at  the  same  time  at  a  cjst  of  about  four  hundred 
dollars.  Additions  have  been  made  to  the  parsonage  since, 
so  that  the  present  value  of  the  church  property,  including 
house  of  worship,  parsonage  and  grounds,  is  about  §1,500. 
Since  the  fiill  of  1877,  this  church  was  without  a  pastor. 
During  the  spring  and  summer  of  1878  it  was  served  by  a 
licentiate,  Albert  F.  Beyer,  theu  a  student  of  Danville 
Seminary,  whom  the  church  elected  their  pastor,  and  who 
was  ordained  over  them  May  14,  1879,  by  a  committee  of 
Alton  Presbytery.  The  church  building  is  situated  in  T.  6 
N.,  R.  9  W.,  Sec.  14,  N.  E.  \  of  S.  W.  }  of  the  section. 

The  present  (1882),  Elders  are  C  F.  Lobbig  and  Ernest 
Wortman.     The  number  of  members   is  fifty. 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


301 


SALEM  (GERMAN)  PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

This  church  was  organized  August  19,  1869,  by  Revs. 
John  A.  Reiiits,  Mr  Tschudy  and  I'^lder  Frederick  Wort- 
man  with  these  members:  Henry  Bausch,  Anton  Telgmann, 
Henry  Kocli,  Fredericli  Schallenl)erg,  Nicolaus  Ysch,  Carl 
Wenzel,  Hermann  Bockstrock,  August  Seiler,  John  Hauser, 
Chr'st.  Schlei  ker,  Ernest  Scballenberg,  Henry  Banker, 
Henry  Landwehr,  Henry  Schallenberg,  Y.  E.  Schallenberg, 
Mathilda  Koch,  Teadore  Telgmann,  8usanne  Bausch,  Char- 
lotte Schallenberg,  Mrs.  Ysch,  Charlain  Wenzel,  Charlain 
Bockstrock,  Hanne  Hauser,  Anna  Schlenker,  Dina  Schallen- 
berg, Rosienc  Seiler.  Elders  :  Henry  Bausch,  Anton  Telg- 
mann. Ministers:  John  H.  Reints  from  the  organization 
until  August,  1877  ;  August  Biisch,  1878  ;  Albert  E  Bayer, 
present  minister,  was  ordained  over  them  May  5, 1879.  The 
church  house  was  erected  within  two  months,  September  and 
October,  1869,  and  cost  about  §1,000.  It  is  in  T.  6,  R.  9, 
S.  E.  i  Sec.  18.  This  church  together  with  Zion  church  at 
Fosterburg.  Madison  county,  constitute  a  very  interesting 
parish.  All  the  members  of  both  are  native  Germans.  Their 
religious  services  are  in  that  language.  The  present  (1882) 
Elders  are,  Anton  Telgmann  and  Henry  Bausch,  and  the 
number  of  members  sixty.  Godfrey,  Madison  county,  Illi- 
nois, is  the  post-office  address. 

Woodburu  (German)  Presbyterian  church,  just  across  the 
line,  in  Macoupin  county,  has  been  quite  recently  organized. 
Salem,  Zion  and  Woodburn  constitute  one  field,  under  the 
charge  of  Rev.  A.  E.  Bayer,  whose  residence  is  at  Foster- 
burg. 


THE  BAPTIST  CHURCH. 


BY   JUSTUS  BULKLEY,  D.  D. 

At  the  closa  of  the  Revolutionary  war  the  entire  number 
of  Baptists  in  America  did  not  exceed  fifty  thousand,  and  in 
all  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  there  were  but  two  small 
churches.  The  first  ministers  of  the  gospel  who  visited  the 
region  of  Kentucky  were  Lewis  Lunford  (called  in  Virginia 
"the  Wonderful  Boy")  and  John  Taylor,  who  made  excur- 
sions to  that  region  in  1779.  The  Presbyterians  were  the 
second  denomination  to  enter  this  valley.  Their  pioneer 
was  Rev.  David  Rice,  who  in  October,  1783,  with  his 
taraily,  settled  near  Harrod's  Station,  Kentucky.  In  1786 
two  itinerant  Jlethodist  ministers  arrived  in  Kentucky,  and 
laid  the  foundation  for  their  numerous  people. 

So  far  as  I  can  learn,  the  first  evangelical  or  Protestant 
minister  that  preachod  the  gospel  in  the  Illinois  country, 
was  Rev.  James  Smith,  a  Separate  Baptist  minister,  who  in 
the  summer  of  1787  visited  and  preached  to  the  scattered 
inhabitants  of  what  is  now  Monroe  county.  In  1790  he 
made  a  second  visit  to  the  same  territory,  preached,  was 
taken  prisoner  by  the  Indians,  near  Waterloo,  carried  to  the 
Kickapoo  town  on  the  Wabash,  ransomed  and  returned  to 
Kentucky.     In  1796  Rev.  Josiah  Dodge,  a  native  of  Con. 


necticut,  but  a  pioneer  from  Kentucky,  visited  Illinois,  and 
baptized  four  persons,  who  had  professed  conversion  under 
Smith's  preaching.  One  of  these  was  James  Leraen,  Sr., 
who,  with  his  four  sons,  became  subsetjuently  Baptist  min- 
isters- Rev  David  Badgley  in  the  spring  of  1796  came  to 
Illinois  from  Hardin  county,  Virginia.  He  baptized  fifteen 
persons,  and,  aided  by  Joseph  Chance,  who  was  not  then  an 
ordained  minister,  constituted  the  New  Design  Baptist  church, 
Monroe  county,  with  twenty-eight  members, — the  first  Bap- 
tist church  in  Illinois.  It  was  constituted  May  28,  1796. 
In  the  spring  of  1796  Badgley  moved  his  fiimily  to  Illinois, 
preached,  enjoyed  revival  seasons,  and  in  1798  constituted 
another  church  in  the  American  Bottom,  with  fifteen  mem- 
bers. 

Fint  Church. — The  first  Baptist  church  organized  within 
the  present  limits  of  Madison  county  was  at  Wood  River 
It  was  constituted  May  3,  1807,  by  David  Badgley  and 
William  Jones.  Among  the  cou.stituent  members  were : 
William  Jones,  by  letter;  Elizabeth  Jones,  Susan  Brown, 
William  Stubblefield,  Isaac  Hill,  Lucy  Hill,  Joseph  Cook, 
Sarah  Cook,  John  Rattan,  Mary  Rattan,  Anne  Rose, 
John  Finley,  and  possibly  others.  July  following  Joseph 
White,  James  Gillham  and  Anne  Gillham  joined,  by  letter. 
In  June,  1809,  Abel  Moore,  Mary  Moore,  James  Beeman 
and  Nancy  Beeman  were  received  by  letter.  In  September, 
1809,  George  Moore  and  Nancy  Moore  joined  by  letter. 

In  1807  the  first  Baptist  Association  was  formed,  called 
the  "Illinois  Union."  It  consisted  of  five  churches.  Wood 
River,  New  Design,  Mississippi  Bottom,  Silver  Creek  and 
Richland.  It  had  four  ministers,  David  Badgley,  William 
Jones,  Robert  Brazil  and  Joseph  Chance,  with  sixty-two 
members.  Hence  Wood  River  church,  with  its  pastor, 
AVilliam  Jones,  was  one  of  five  churches  to  constitute  the 
first  Baptist  Association  in  Illinois.  In  1809  the  Associa- 
tion held  its  annual  meeting  with  this  church.  The  first 
Saturday  in  April,  1811,  letters  of  dismission  were  granted 
to  William  and  Elizabeth  Jones;  but  the  first  Saturday  in 
October,  1814,  they  were  again  received  by  letter.  The 
first  Saturday  in  June,  1815,  James  Beeman  was  appointed 
to  get  plank  to  floor  the  meeting-house,  and  get  two  acres  of 
land  from  Joseph  Vaughn,  for  meeting-house  and  grave- 
yard. The  first  Saturday  in  July,  1816,  Joseph  Vaughn 
offered  to  sell  to  the  church  two  acres  of  land  where  the 
meeting-house  and  grave  yard  were  tituated,  for  five  dollars 
per  acre.  After  consultaion,  the  church  purchased  one 
and  a  half  acres,  and  Vaughn  donated  a  half  acre  and 
twenty  rods. 

These  pioneers  were  a  hearty,  thrifty,  social  generous  peo- 
ple; their  hospitality  was  unbounded.  A  common  foe  in  the 
Indians  by  whom  they  were  surrounded  connected  them 
very  closely  in  their  friendship,  as  well  as  united  them  for 
common  defence.  Their  settlements  were  sparse.  Their 
custom  was  to  hold  monthly  meetings,  beginning  on  Saturday 
and  holding  over  the  following  Sabbath.  Their  faith  was 
simple  and  their  piety  sincere;  their  preaching  was  largely 
hortatory  and  their  worship  jirimitive  and  unostentatious  ; 
members  were  often  widely  scattered  ;  their  mode  of  travel 
was  on  horseback,  and  attended  with  great  danger  from  a 


302 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


prowliog  foe;  and  yet  they  exhibited  great  earnestness  and 
punctuality  in  tiieir  attendance  upon  the  stated  appoint- 
ments of  the  church.  One  of  the  members  of  this  church, 
Mrs.  Bates,  the  mother  of  the  wife  of  Abel  Moore,  lived 
near  Jersey  Lauding;  another,  iNIrs.  Askew,  sister  of  Mr. 
Abel  Moore,  also  lived  near  Jersey  Lauding,  and  yet  both 
came  monthly,  on  horseback,  exposed  to  imminent  danger, 
and  yet  with  great  regularity  and  delight,  to  attend  the 
stated  appointments  of  the  church.  During  the  war  of  1812 
Elder  William  Jones  became  a  soldier,  and  was  elected 
captain  of  his  company.  During  this  period  he  often 
preached  in  the  Block  House,  which  stood  near  the  pre- 
mises of  William  Gill. 

This  church  eiijoj'ed  a  good  degree  of  prosperity  until 
about  1849,  about  which  time  its  membership  declined,  and 
it  was  then  merged  into  the  Bethlehem  United  Baptist 
Church. 

EDWARDSVILLE   BAPTIST   CHURCH. 

Dr.  Benjaraiu  F.  Edwards  came  from  Kentucky,  and  set- 
tled in  EJwardsville  March  19,  1827.  At  this  time,  the 
number  of  Baptists  living  in  Madison  county  was  very 
small.  lu  Edwardsville  only  two  were  known  to  profess 
Baptist  sentiments,  viz  :  Mr  .  John  Adams,  who  had  been  a 
member  of  a  Baptist  church  in  the  East,  and  George  Kelly, 
who  had  been  baptized  by  Rev.  J.  M.  Peck,  and  held  from 
him  a  certificate  of  his  baptism.  Dr.  Edwards,  desirous  of 
developing  his  religious  character  and  of  engaging  as  far  as 
possible,  with  others  in  Divine  worship.^ngaged  in  devo- 
tional meetings  with  the  Methodists,  Presbyterians,  and 
Cumberland  Presbyterians,  in  Edwardsville,  and  enjoyed 
them.  But  he  could  not  thus  fully  satisfy  the  convictions 
of  his  own  conscience.  Believing  that  Baptist  churches 
were  organized  essentially  on  the  New  Testament  pattern, 
he  corresponded  with  the  Rev.  John  S.  Wilson  of  Kentucky, 
and  persuaded  him  to  visit  Edwardsville  in  the  spring  of 
1828-  Mr.  Wilson  was  then  a  licentiate  of  the  Mt.  Gilead 
Baptist  church,  Kentucky,  the  same  church  to  which  Dr. 
Edwards  belonged. 

A  series  of  meetings  were  held  in  Edwardsville,  Rock 
Spring,  and  other  places  in  the  vicinity.  Extensive  revivals 
accompanied  his  labors.  In  Edwardsville,  business  houses 
temporarily  suspended  and  whisky  shops  were  closed.  The 
meetings  were  held  in  the  court-house.  The  citizens  gen- 
erally attended,  and  the  most  hardened  were  deeply  impressed. 
The  meetings  in  Edwardsville  continued  about  eight  weeks  ; 
about  thirty  persons  were  baptized-  Among  those  baptized 
was  Paris  Mason,  a  prominent  and  influential  citizen,  and 
afterward  a  deacon  of  the  church,  and  John  Adams,  sub- 
sequeijtlv  sheriff' of  the  county,  and  for  many  years  clerk 
of  the  church.  Daring  these  services,  a  little  band  of  seven 
persons,  looking  out  upon  the  future  of  this  valley,  deemed 
it  loyalty  to  Christ  to  organize  a  Baptist  church.  They 
gathered  at  the  residence  of  Dr.  Edwards,  (subsequently  the 
residence  of  Hon.  Joseph  Gillespie^  April  IS,  1828,  and 
organized  the  Baptist  Church  of  Edwardsville.  Let  their 
names  be  recorded :  Rev.  Thomas  Ray  and  wife,  Jacob 
Gonterman  and  wife,  Dr.  Benjamin  F.  EJwards  and  wife, 


Eliza  A.  Fall,  subsequently  Eliza  A.  Adams  of  Alton.  The 
first  pastor  was  Rev.  Thomas  P.  Green.  He  was  succeeded 
by  Rev.  Joshua  Bradley  from  New  England.  Rev.  J.  B. 
Smith  was  the  third  pastor.  He  was  bjrn  in  Alexander 
county,  Illinois.  Rev.  Thomas  P.  Green  persuaded  him  to 
come  to  Elwardsville.  At  that  time  he  could  scarcely  read 
intelligibly.  He  attended  Rev.  J.  M.  Peck's  theological 
school  at  Rock  Spring,  but  becoming  in  some  way  involved 
in  difference  of  opinion  with  his  teacher,  he  came  to  Ed- 
wardsville and  resided  and  studied  with  Dr.  Edwards,  who 
was  accustomed  to  refer  to  him  humorously  as  his  "  theologi- 
cal student."  He  served  the  church  two  years,  aud  after- 
wards settled  in  Lexington,  and  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and 
other  places,  and  subsequently  rose  to  considerable  eminence 
in  the  ministry. 

Among  the  early  pastors  of  the  church.  Rev.  Alvin 
Bailey  and  Rev.  George  Stacey  demand  h  norable  mention. 
During  its  early  history.  Rev.  Elijah  Dodson,  Rev.  Hubbell 
Loomis,  Rev.  J.  il.  Peck,  Rev.  Ebenezer  Rodgers  and  Rev. 
James  Leraen  frequently  supplied  the  pulpit.  Mr.  Wilson's 
labors  resulted  in  the  organization  of  a  church  at  Rock 
Spring,  now  Oak  Hill,  the  residence  of  Dr.  Peck.  The  Ed- 
wardsville and  Rock  Spring  churches  applied  for  admission 
to  the  Illinois  Association,  but  were  refused  because  they 
openly  advocated  and  earnestly  supported  Missions,  Bible 
aud  Tract  societies,  and  kindrtd  benevolent  organizations. 
These  matters  with  these  churches  were  not  made  a  test  of 
fellowship.  Each  member  was  permitted  to  support,  or  re- 
fuse to  support,  these  benevolent  enterprises,  but  as  churches, 
the  support  was  open,  earnest  and  avowed.  The  rejection 
of  their  application  for  membership  in  the  "  Illinois  Associa- 
tion" led  these  churches,  with  the  Upper  Alton  Baptist 
Church,  which  was  organized  April  2-5,  1830,  to  unite  in  an 
Association  in  accordance  with  their  views  At  that  time 
there  was  not  in  the  state  an  Association  that  openly  sup- 
ported these  benevolent  enterprises. 

Hence,  October  16,  1830,  Edwardsville,  Rock  Spring  and 
Upper  Alton  churches  met,  by  delegates,  in  Edwardsville 
and  organized  the  Edwardsville  Baptist  Association,  the 
only  organization  in  the  state  openly,  earnestly,  avowedly 
missionary.  True,  the  Lemens  had  earlier  organized  the 
South  District  Association,  which  was  friendly  to  the  cause 
of  missions,  and  at  its  annual  meeting  in  September,  1829, 
it  passed  a  resolution  commending  the  American  Bible  So- 
ciety to  the  confidence  and  support  of  its  members,  and  in 
its  circular  letter,  it  speaks  approvingly  of  the  cause  of 
missions.  At  the  meeting  that  organized  the  Edwardsville 
Association,  the  following  resolution  was  passed  : 

"Resolved:  That  the  Baptists  in  this  State  who  are  favor- 
able to  a  general  union  of  the  denomination  be  affectionately 
invited,  to  attend  a  meeting  to  be  held  at  Elwardsville,  on 
the  Friday  before  the  fourth  Lord's  day  in  July  next  (1831) 
to  consult  upon  the  practicability  of  such  a  union."  At  the 
same  time,  James  Lemen,  J.  M.  Peck,  B.  F.  Edwards, 
Georu-e  Stacev,  and  George  Smith,  were  chosen  a  committee 
to  prepare  au  aJdresi  to  the  Baptists  iu  Illinois.  A  this 
meeting  in  July,  Rev.  John  Logan,  a  Baptist  minister  from 
Schuyler  county,  and  the  Lemen  brothers  were  present — 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


303 


and  there  was  then  organized  the  Illinois  Baptist  State 
Convuition,  which  met  at  Canton,  Fulton  county,  Illinois, 
in  Nov.  Is44,  united  with  the  North  Western  Baptist 
Convention  and  formed  the  Illinois  Baptist  General  Asso- 
ciation. 

Dr.  Edwards  removed  from  Edwardsville  in  ISHT.  The 
highest  nieniberthip  attained  up  to  this  date  was  ahout  50. 
From  1837  to  1842  the  records  are  scanty.  It  is  affirmed, 
however,  by  tlie  older  citizens  whose  memory  is  reliable, 
that  about  1840  it  had  reached  a  membership  of  about  150, 
and  was  a  strong  vigorous  body.  The  first  house  of  worship 
was  built  about  18.30,  upon  a  lyt  donated  by  James  ^Nlason, 
to  the  county  commissioners  for  the  use  of  the  Baptist 
Church.  Edwardsville,  at  an  early  day  numbered  among 
its  citizens  many  whose  influence  was  extensively  felt  in  the 
early  development  of  the  State.  Here  resided  three  of  the 
Governors  of  the  State,  Ninian  Edwards,  Gov.  Coles,  and 
Gov,  Ford.  Here  also  lived  Judge  Smith,  Jesse  B.  Tliomas, 
father  of  Jesse  B.  Thomas,  D.  D  ,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York, 
John  Adams,  Cyrus  Edwards,  Paris  Mason,  Rev.  Hubbell 
LooQiis  and  others.  Among  the  prominent  members  of  the 
Church  were  Paris  Mason  and  wife,  Mrs.  Judge  Smith,  Mrs. 
Thomas  (daughter  of  Judge  Smith  and  mother  of  Rev. 
Jesse  B.  Thomas),  Mrs.  Erastus  Wheeler,  Dr.  L.  D.  Boone 
and  wife,  sub.<equently  of  Chicago,  and  others.  Dr.  B.  F. 
Edwards  and  Jacob  Gonterman,  were  deacons  of  the  Church. 
From  1838  to  184-  in  the  minutesof  the  Edwardsville  Associa- 
tion the  Church  reports  no  pastor,  but  names  as  a  licentiate, 
S.  B.  Allard  and  also  S.  C.  Scandritt,  from  England.  Rev. 
Ebenezer  Rodgers  frequently  supplied  the  pulpit  in  1842,  and 
in  April,  184-$  was  called  to  the  pastorate.  He  resigned  in 
March  1847.  Subsequently  J.  M.  Peck  visited  the  Church, 
was  called  to  the  pastorate,  but  declined  on  account  of  poor 
health.  Rev.  \V.  D.  H.  Johnson  was  pastor  from  1848  till 
1851,  preaching  two  Sabbaths  each  month.  The  Church 
now  had  only  a  nominal  existence.  Internal  dissensions 
troubled  it.  There  were  onlj'  three  or  four  male  members 
left,  and  but  one  of  these  in  town.  About  1852  this  one 
moved  from  the  city,  as  did  also  the  family  of  a  Dr.  Johnson, 
■which  literally  took  what  little  heart  there  was  out  of  the 
Church.  On  the  12lh  of  June,  1852,  the  Church  disbanded 
after  having  given  to  the  clerk,  W.  R.  Adams,  authority  to 
grant  letters  of  dismission  to  members  in  good  standing  who 
wished  to  unite  elsewhere.  From  1^51  to  1855  its  name  ap- 
pears in  the  minutes  of  the  Edwardsville  Association  fol-  | 
lowed  by  the  wonls,  "  No  report." 

It  was  virtually  dead.  From  1852  to  1860  the  Baptist 
cause  in  Edwardsville  was  saved  from  total  wreck  by  the 
labors  of  Revs.  A.  L.  Cole,  J.  H.  Mize,  F.  M.  Ellis  and 
others.  In  1860  the  number  of  avowed  Baptists  in  Ed- 
wardsville was  reduced  to  six,  and  in  the  midst  of  over- 
whelming opposition  it  required  an  unusual  degree  of  firmness 
and  moral  courage  to  openly  advocate  Baptist  tenets.  In 
the  fall  of  1801  Rev.  J.  V.  Hopper  was  appoiiitsd  mission-  I 
ary  to  labor  within  the  bounds  of  the  Edwardsville  As-socia- 
tion  ;  and  in  February,  1862,  he  held  a  s-eries  of  meetings, 
continuing  several  weeks.  Four  persons  were  baptized,  the 
scattered  forces  were  gathered,  and  the  little  Church  was 


reorganized.  Rev.  J.  H.  Mize,  Rev.  Sauford  Alford,  Lyman 
Barber  then  of  Troy,  and  others  aided  in  these  meetings. 
Tlie  reorganized  Church  began  with  nine  mjinb^-rs;  not  one 
of  the  former  members  could  be  fi)und  in  Edvvard.-<ville. 
Rev.  J.  H.  Mize  was  chosen  pastor.  He  baptized  three 
persons.  In  May  1863  two  more  were  received  by  letter. 
Brother  Mize  resigned  and  was  succeeded  in  ]\Iay  1864  by 
Rev.  William  J.  Roseberry,  who  labored  faithfully  till  hi* 
death  in  1809.  In  the  depressed  and  feeble  condition  of 
the  Church  his  death  was  a  sore  calamity.  During  hi.s 
pastorate  the  Church  held  its  meetings  where  best  it  could, 
as  in  1866  the  old  house  of  worship  had  been  sold  by  the 
Trustees  and  the  prcceeds  in  whole  or  in  part  had  been  in- 
vested in  a  building  site  for  future  use.  In  ]\Iay  1870,  at 
the  earnest  solicitation  of  the  Church,  Rev.  W.  C.  F.  Hemp- 
stead settled  in  Edwardsville,  as  a  homoeopathic  physician. 
In  connection  with  his  labor  as  a  physician  he  became  pas- 
tor of  the  Church,  and  labored  earnestly  and  successfully 
till  the  fall  of  1874,  when  he  removed  to  California. 

In  the  winter  of  187.3-74,  he  held  a  series  of  meeting.?,  un- 
aided ministerially,  for  about  six  weeks,  with  encouraging 
results.  Rev.  W.  Chapin,  of  Troy,  then  came  to  his  assist- 
ance and  subsequently,  Rev.  L.  C.  Qxrr,  of  CoUinsville,  at 
that  time  pastor  of  the  Bethel  Church  The  raeeiings  con- 
tinued from  January  to  April.  The  Church  received  sixteen 
by  baptism  and  four  by  letter.  During  the  pastorate  of 
Dr.  Hempstead,  the  Church,  aided  by  a  liberal  community, 
in  addition  to  the  one  thousand  dollars  realized  from  the 
sale  of  the  old  Chur.h  property,  purchased  an  eligible  site 
and  built  a  neat  church  edifice.  The  building  is  a  frame, 
32  by  55  feet,  is  commodious,  tasteful,  heated  by  a  furnace, 
and  comfortably  furnished.  It  was  dedicated  Oct.  6,  1872. 
The  sermon  was  preached  by  Dr.  Bulkley,  of  ShurtlefT 
College.  A  considerable  amount  of  money  was  raised  to 
meet  indebtedness.  The  Church,  liowever,  was  still  bur- 
dened with  a  debt,  and  were  not  able  to  support  a  pastor. 
Rev.  Henry  L.  Field,  after  Dr.  Hempstead's  departure, 
served  the  Church  twice  a  month. 

Since  1875  the  church  ha^  struggled,  against  fearful  odd?, 
for  continued  existence.  In  April,  1876,  Rev.  William  J. 
Chapin,  of  Troy,  visited  them  ;  and,  as  the  result  of  earnest 
solicitation,  consented  to  become  their  pastor.  His  labors 
were  earnest,  faithful  and  useful.  He  continued  about  one 
year.  The  church  was  without  a  pastor  from  the  close  of 
Mr.  Chapin's  labors  till  1879  or  1880,  when  Rev.  H.  W. 
Theile.  of  Brighton,  under  the  patronage  of  the  Edwards- 
ville Baptist  Association,  preached  lor  them  one  year,  one- 
half  of  the  time.  Since  that  time  the  church  has  had  no 
pastor,  and  is  exceedingly  discouraged.  Her  great  present 
need  is  a  faithful,  self-denying,  earnest,  godly  minister. 
Unless  some  one  thus  qualified  and  adapted  to  the  field 
can  be  secured,  her  future  is  discouraging  and  her  prolonged 
existence  problematical. 

The  statistics  are  very  imperfect  The  ministers  of  the 
Edwardsville  Association,  from  the  organization  of  the 
church  to  1881,  show  85  baptized,  70  received  by  letter,  79 
dismissed  by  letter,  35  excluded,  and  21  died.  The  highest 
number  reported  was  sixty  in  the  year  1838.     The  largest 


304 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


number  reported  was  sixty  in  1868.  Although  the  i 
church,  from  its  beginning,  has  been  compelled  to  .struggle 
against  fearful  odd.s,  and  never  attained  to  a  church  of 
large  membership,  yet  she  has  exerted,  especially  in  her 
earlier  histury,  boundless  influence  in  shaping  the  policy 
and  determining  the  prosperity  of  the  denomination  id  II-   [ 

linois.  i 

I 

THE    UPPER    ALTON    CHURCH. — CONSTITUTION    AND    PRO-      | 
GRESS.  \ 

This  church  was  constituted  by  Rev.  John  M.  Peck,  | 
April  25th,  1830,  with  ei>!ht  members,  viz  :  Ephraini  Marsh,  ; 
James  D.  \V.  Marsh,  Don  Alonzo  Spauldiug,  Winston 
Cheatham,  Henry  Evans,  Mrs.  Julia  A.  Spaulding,  Mrs. 
Frances  Marsh,  and  Rachel  Garrett.  Deacon  Don  A. 
Spaulding,  now  of  the  Alton  City  church,  is  the  only  one 
of  the  number  now  living.  The  church  was  constituted 
under  the  name  of  the  "  Alton  Baptist  Church." 

In  1830,  delegates  appointed  by  this  church  met  delegates 
from  the  churches  of  Edwardsville  and  Rock  Spring 
and  formed  at  Edwardsville,  on  the  16th  October,  and 
days  following,  "  The  Edwardsville  Baptist  Association." 
In  February,  1833,  the  church  dismissed  by  letter  nine 
members,  to  unite  with  others  in  constituting  a  Baptist 
church  at  Lower  Alton.  In  March,  1834,  four  were  dis- 
missed, to  aid  in  forming  a  church  on  "  the  Fiasa,  or  Brown's 
Prairie,"  now  Brighton  church.  March,  1837,  the  church 
numbered  129,  and  12  were  dismissed  to  form  a  church  in 
the  "  Wood  River  settlement,"  named  the  "  Bethel"  church. 
In  May,  1864,  a  branch  of  the  church  was  formed  near 
the  mouth  of  Wood  River,  at  a  preaching  station  of  theo- 
logical students;  and  in  June,  1867,  forty-one  were  dis- 
missed, to  constitute  this  branch — an  independent  church, 
first  named  "  Gibraltar,"  afterwards  "  Miltou."  This  church 
has  since  become  extinct. 

For  about  two  years  the  church  held  its  meetings  in  a  log 
cabin,  and  fur  three  or  four  years  more  in  the  old  brick 
school-house ;  also,  in  the  "  meeting  room  "  in  Lower  Alton, 
and  occasionally  at  private  dwellings  in  the  Wood  River  set- 
tlement. January,  1836,  the  church  resolved  to  build  a  sub- 
stantial stone  house.  45x60  ft.  with  basement.  This  house  was 
dedicated  in  Jan.  1837.  Rev.  Ebenezer  Rodgers  preached 
the  sermon,  and  Prof.  Washington  Leverett  offered  the 
prayer  of  dedication.  The  church  occupied  this  house 
thirty  two  years.  In  January,  1868,  the  church  resolved  to 
build  a  new  house  of  worship,  a  frame,  50x80  ft.,  with  a 
chapel  in  rear  of  fitting  proportions,  all  in  the  Norman  style 
of  architecture,  and  at  a  cost,  including  lot,  not  over  $12,- 
000.  It  was  dedicated  with  appropriate  services  May  30, 
1869,  the  pastor,  N.  M.  Wood,  D.  D.,  preaching  the  sermon. 

PASTORS   AND   SUPPLIES. 

Rev.  George  Stacey  supplied  the  pulpit  on  alternate  Sab- 
baths from  April,  1830,  to  June  3,  1831,  and  was  its  first 
pastor,  supplying  alternate  Sabbaths.  He  continued  in  this 
relation  four  months. — Additions,  19.  Rev.  Alvin  Bailey 
commenced  preaching  early  in  1832,  when  the  church  held 
its  meetings  alternately  at  Upper  and  Lower  Alton.     He 


retained  the  double  pastorate  until  April  18-34. — Additions 
9.  Rev.  Ebenezer  Rodgers  from  November  1834,  to  the 
close  of  1838.— Additions  176.  Jonathan  Merriam  from 
November  1839,  until  November  1840. — Additions  49. 

A  years  vacancy  followed,  after  which  Rev.  Adiel  Sher- 
wood was  pastor  two  years. — Additions,  55.  Then  after  an  in- 
terval of  nearly  three  years  Rev.  Jesse  W.  Dennison  filled  the 
office  for  one  year — Additions,  18.  Another  vacancy  of  a 
year  was  followed  by  the  pastorate  of  Rev  Jeremy  F.  Tol- 
man  one  and  one-half  years— Additions,  17.  After  the  lapse 
of  six  months  his  son  Rev.  John  N.  Tolman  served  two  years 
— Additions  41.  A  vacancy  of  two  and  one-half  years  was 
followed  by  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Isaac  Woodbury,  one  year- 
Additions,  10.  After  two  or  three  months,  Rev.  Daniel 
Read  served  as  pastor  two  and  one-half  years — Additions, 
64.  Rev.  Wm.  B  Smith  was  his  successor,  two  and  one-half 
years— Additions,  25.  After  a  vacancy  of  two  years.  Rev. 
J.  Bulkley  served  two  years— Additions,  92,  and  21  received 
into  the  branch  at  Gibraltar.  During  the  last  half  year  of 
1806,  Rev.  E.  C.  Mitchell  was  the  ".stated  supply."— Addi- 
tions, 20  During  the  year  1867,  Rev.  R.  E  Pattison  was 
"stated  supply  " — Additions  38,  and  to  the  branch  at  Gib- 
raltar 28— Then  till  May  1868,  Rev.  E.  C.  Mitchell  was 
stated  supply— Additions  10.  In  May,  1868,  Rev.  N.  M. 
Wood  became  pastor  and  served  one  and  one-half  years — 
Additions  111.  During  the  next  three  months  the  pulpit  was 
supplied  conjointly  by  Drs.  Kendrick,  Wood,  Bulkley  and 
Prof  Stifler,  all  Professors  in  Shurtleff'  College — Additions  5. 
Then  Prof.  Stifler  was  stated  supply  ten  months,  then  regular 
pastor  six  and  one-half  months — Additions  90.  After  a  va- 
cancy of  five  months  during  which  the  pulpit  was  supplied 
by  Prof  J.  C.  C.  Clarke  and  others,  (additions  17)  Rev. 
David  T.  Morrill  became  pastor  Nov.  1st,  1876,  and  at 
present,  July,  1882,  holds  that  relation.  The  additions 
under  his  ministry  have  been  116. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  church  has  had  fifteen  regu- 
lar pastors,  whose  aggregate  pastorates  amount  to  34  years ; 
also  several  acting  pastors  who  have  officiated  about  three 
years.  The  church  has  been  without  a  pastor,  at  different 
intervals,  about  fifteen  and  one-half  years.  During  these 
periods  the  Professors  and  Theological  students  have  gener- 
ally supplied  the  pulpit,  with  additions  amounting  to  174. 
Deacons. — The  church  has  had  12  deacons,  seven  of  whom 
have  died.  George  Smith  served  30  years,  died  in  1860. 
Don  A.  Spaulding  served  three  years,  tl^eu  joined  the  Alton 
church,  still  living;  George  Haskell,  elected  in  1834,  served 
three  years,  removed  to  Rockford  and  is  dead.  Benjamin 
Green,  elected  in  1837,  died  in  1854.  Alvin  Olcott,  elected 
in  1862,  served  5i  years,  then  united  with  the  Alton  city 
church  and  is  dead.  Warren  Leverett,  elected  in  1852, 
served  till  his  death  in  November  1872.  Joseph  M-  El  well, 
elected  in  18.55,  served  till  his  death  in  1866.  H.  N.  Ken- 
dall, elected  in  18.58,  served  till  his  death  in  October  1876. 
Jo.seph  Burton,  elected  in  1858,  resigned  in  1873.  Eliaha 
Whittlesey,  elected  in  1874,  removed  to  Highland,  111.,  in 
1875.  Asa  R.  Steele,  elected  in  March  1873,  still  in  office. 
Joseph  H.  Weeks,  elected  September  1^-76,  still  in  office. 
Sabbath-Schools.— la    1830,  a   union    Sabbath  school  was 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


305 


formed  by  Baptists  and  Presbyterians.  Tiiis  continued  in 
harmony  for  five  years.  In  1855  the  Presbyterians,  with 
entire  good  feelings  withdrew  to  organize  a  school  of  their 
own.  From  that  date  the  church  has  sustained  their  own 
school.  Its  numbers  and  prosperity  have  varied,  yet  the 
school  has  generally  exibited  agood  degree  of  prosperity  and 
energy.  It  has  been  the  nursery  of  the  church — During  the 
last  forty  years  probably  three-fourths  of  the  additions  to 
the  church  have  come  from  the  Sabbath-school. 

Summary,  to  December  25th,  1881.  Constituent  members 
8,  added  by  baptism,  642,  added  by  letter,  540,  total,  1190. 
The  number  dismissed  by  letter  who  have  not  returned  672 
Dropped  because  long  absent  and  residence  unknown  62. 
Excluded  71;  Died  121.  Present  number,  December  25, 
1881,  270.  The  number  of  niiuisters,  members  of  the 
church,  ordained  before  they  became  members,  has  been  45 
The  number  ordained  while  members,  and  ihose  ordained 
after  their  dissmission  is  72 — so  large  a  number  of  ministers 
connected  at  different  times  with  this  church  arises  from  the 
fact  of  its  intimate  relations  to  ShurtlefT  College.  It  has 
thus  exerted  unmeasured  influence  in  the  development  and 
progress  of  the  Baptist  Denomination. 

FIRST   BAPTIST   CHURCH   OF   ALTON. 

This  Church  was  constituted  March  10,  1833,  with  19 
members,  viz;  Ebenezer  Marsh,  Ephraira  Marsh,  William 
Manning,  Wm.  Hayden,  D.  A  Spaulding,  Henry  Evans, 
and  their  wives — also  Mark  Pierson,  Stephen  Griggs,  Herman 
Griggs,  R  Johnson,  Jo?eph  S.  King,  James  W.  D.  Marsh,  and 
Mary  D.  Bruner.  Rev.  J.  M.  Peck  was  present  at  this 
meeting.  The  church  adopted  the  summary  of  faith  and 
practice  of  the  second  Baptist  church  of  Boston,  Mass. 

Rev.  Alviu  Bailey  was  the  first  pastor,  and  served  till 
April  1834.  Rev.  Hubbell  Loomis  supplied  till  the  follow- 
ing fall  In  November,  1834,  Rev.  Ebenezer  Rodgers  be- 
come pastor  of  the  two  churches  at  Upper  and  Lower  Alton. 
He  resigned  in  December,  1835.  Rev.  D wight  Ives,  from 
June  1836  till  May  1839.  This  pastorate,  however,  was 
very  successful.  For  more  than  a  year  the  church  was 
supplied  by  Washington  Leverett,  and  Zenas  B.  Newman, 
Professors  in  ShurtleflT  College.  Gideon  B.  Perry  served 
from  J-inuary,  1841,  till  some  time  in  1843;  he  subsequently 
entered  the  ministry  of  the  Episcopal  church.  Then  Rev. 
Adiel  Sherwood,  President  of  ShurtleflP  College,  supplied 
the  church  two  years.  Rev.  Otis  Hackett  was  pastor  from 
April  1845,  to  April  1847.  Rev  Robert  F.  Ellis  became 
pastor  in  October  1847,  and  served  six  years.  During  a 
vacancy  of  more  than  a  year,  Professor  Washington  Leverett 
and  Rev.  Silas  C.  James  served  aa  supplies.  Rev.  R.  R. 
Coon  was  pastor  from  January,  1855,  a  little  more  than  four 
years.  An  interval  of  one  year'  followed,  during  which 
time  Rev.  Dr.  N.  M.  Wood,  Ex-President,  and  Dr.  Read, 
President  of  Shurtleflf  College,  supplied  alternately.  In 
1860.  Rev.  Melvin  Jameson  became  pastor,  and  served  until 
1869,  when  he  resigned  to  enter  the  service  of  the  Amer. 
Bapt.  Missionary  Union,  as  their  Missionary  to  Burmah. 
This  pastorate  was  vigorous  and  successful — During 
his  pastorate  99  were  baptized  and  71  received  by  letter. 
3j 


Rev.  N.  Butler  became  pastor  io  the  fall  of  1869,  and  con- 
tinued until  December  1872.  Revivals  were  enjoyed, 
and  the  membership  of  the  church  increased  from  193  to 
235.  On  the  12th  of  October,  1873,  Thomas  G  Field,  re- 
cently from  Newton  Theological  Institution,  was  ordained. 
The  membership  increased  from  233  to  323,  a  gain  of  90. 
Continued  as  the  pastor  till  spring  of  1879,  and  was  followed 
by  Rev.  L.  A.  Abbott,  the  present  pastor. 

HOUSES   OF   WORSHIP. 

At  first  the  meetings  were  held  in  Lyceum  Hall,  corner  of 
Second  and  Alby  streets.  Then,  for  several  months,  it 
occupied  the  stone  meeting-house  owned  by  Capt.  Benjamia 
Godfrey,  corner  of  Market  and  Third  streets. 

In  1834,  their  first  meeting-house  was  erected  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Third  and  Alby  streets.  The  building  would 
accommodate  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  persons.  It  was 
sold  to  the  Methodists  for  88,000. 

In  1836,  a  lot  was  purchased  on  the  corner  of  Second  and 
Easton  streets,  at  a  cost  of  §6.500,  and  a  building  erected 
costing  SlS,000;  making  total  cost,  $24,500.  This  house 
was  destroyed  by  fire  in  March,  1860.  The  bell,  organ, 
town-clock,  etc.,  all  perished  in  the  flames.  The  building 
was  insured  for  $3,000. 

In  December,  1860,  the  church  occupied  the  basement  of 
their  present  house  of  worship,  and  the  house  itself  was 
completed  and  dedicated  to  God  the  first  Sabbath  in  Septem- 
ber, 1867.  Rev.  Dr.  Everts,  of  Chicago,  preached  in  the 
morning  and  Rev.  Dr.  G.  Anderson,  of  St.  Louis,  in  the 
evening.  The  house  is  substantially  built  of  brick,  will 
comfortably  accommodate  three  hundred  and  fifty  persons, 
and  cost,  with  furniture,  §12,600  About  $900  of  this 
amount  was  provided  by  the  Ladies'  Sewing  Circle.  A 
liberal  portion  was  contributed  by  citizens  who  were  not 
members  of  the  church.  The  house  was  dedicated  free 
from  debt. 

HOME   AND   MISSION   SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. 

From  the  beginning,  this  church  has  given  most  earnest 
support  to  the  cause  of  Sunday-schools.  The  church  has 
conducted,  uninterruptedly,  a  flourishing  home  Sunday-school 
during  its  entire  existence.  Its  roll  has  often  exhibited  the 
names  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  scholars,  with  twenty -three 
teachers,  and  an  average  attendence  of  one  hundred  and  sixty. 
Stephen  Pierson  was  superintendent  for  more  than  twenty 
years,  until  impaired  health  compelled  him  to  resign.  The 
school  contributes  regularly  to  the  cause  of  Foreign  Missions. 
The  church,  in  addition  to  the  home  school,  has  conducted 
several  mission  schools 

About  the  year  1849,  a  mission  school  began  with  the 
African  Baptist  Church,  which  was  successfully  conducted 
for  many  years.  In  1860,  a  mission  school  was  begun  in 
Middletown  by  John  L.  Blair,  in  a  hired  room.  In  1862,  a 
lot  was  purchased  and  a  suitable  house  erected,  at  a  cost  of 
about  8550. 

In  1875,  a  mission  school  wa,s  established  in  Hunterstown, 
under  the  superintendence  of  Carey  Emerson.  A  building 
was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $1,250.     The  school  averaged  one 


306 


HISTORY    OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


hundred  and  twenty  five  scholars,  and  sixteen  teachers. 
Improvements  and  enlargements  were  made  to  the  building,  ) 
subsequeutly,  at  a  cost  of  about  §820-  B.  W.  Smith  suc- 
ceeded Mr.  Emerson  as  superintendent  in  September,  1879, 
and  served  till  1880,  when  Dr.  R.  Gibson  became  superin- 
tendent, and  is  at  present  conducting  the^school  with  marked 
success.  At  times  the  number  in  attendance  reaches  three 
hundred.  An  adjoining  lot  has  recently  been  purchased,  at 
a  cost  of  $250. 

In  1859,  a  church  was  formed  at  Coal  Branch  by  members 
from  this  church.  Dismissed  for  that  purpose  seventeen  in 
number.  A  commodious  house  was  soon  built,  a  pastor 
secured,  an  encouraging  Sabbath-school  organized,  and  a 
good  congregation  gathered.  The  church  at  Coal  Branch 
has  had  a  varied  history,  prospering  at  times  until  its  mem- 
bership reached  seventy,  and  again  in  adversity  until  its 
existence  was  imperilled. 

KELIGIOUS   VISITATION,   TRACT    DISTRIBUTION,   PLAN    OF 
BENEVOLENT   OPERATION. 

INIany  of  its  members,  for  considerable  periods  of  time, 
have  engaged  in  the  work  of  family  visitation.  This  is 
accompanied  with  tract  distribution,  religious  conversation, 
and  prayer,  as  circumstances  will  allow.  At  one  time  28 
persons,  mostly  females,  were  engaged  in  this  service.  In 
all  its  history,  the  church  has  given  earnest  and  efficient  aid 
to  all  the  various  benevolent  enterprizes  of  the  denomina- 
tion. To  the  cause  of  missions  it  has  given  one  of  its  pastors. 
Rev.  Melvin  Jameson  and  his  wife — one  of  its  licentiates. 
Rev.  Judson  Benjamin,  and  one  of  its  most  promising  young 
women,  Miss  Emma  Inveen. 

Its  plan  of  benevolence,  in  theory,  embraces  the  idea  of  a 
contribution  weekly,  from  every  member,  as  each  is  pros- 
pered. The  church  has  ever  been  especially  interested  in 
the  Illinois  Baptist  Educational  Society,  and  in  Shurtleff 
College.  Its  money  has  been  liberally  given,  and  many  of 
its  members  have  always  been  on  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 
the  College.  It  is  in  fact  difficult  to  see  how  the  College 
could  have  prospered  without  their  service  and  money  freely 
and  cheerfully  given. 

OFFICERS. 

Deacons  ivith  the  date  of  their  Election. — Ephraim  Marsh, 
April  20th,  1333.  Don  A.  Spaulding,  Dec  25th,  1834 
Wm.  Manning,  Feb.  20th,  1835.  Jonas  R.  Gale,  Nov.  8th, 
1836.  B.  F.  Edwards  and  Eben.  Marsh,  April  27th,  1838. 
B.  F.  Edwards,  D.  A.  Spaulding,  Eben.  Marsh,  Wm.  Man- 
ning, and  Richard  Flagg,  Feb.  4th,  1842.  T.  C  Morrison, 
Feb.  26th,  1855.  John  Woodruff  and  John  L.  Blair,  Feb. 
20th,  1872.  Ira  H.  Keizer  and  Henry  A.  Cheney,  Nov. 
27  th,  1876. 

NORTH  ALTON  BAPTIST  CHURCH,  FORMERLY  COAL  BRANCH. 

This  Church  was  really  a  Colony  from  the  Alton  Baptist 
Church. 

In  1859  Thomas  Dunford  and  wife,  and  Robert  Mitchell 
and  wife  were  dismissed  from  the  .•\lton  Baptist  Church,  to 
unite  in  forming  a  church  at  Coal  Branch.     Soon  afterward 


several  from  Coal  Branch  were  baptized,  and  on  the  21st  of 
March,  1859,  the  church  was  organized  with  17  members. 

Rev.  H.  Gallagher,  then  a  student  in  Shurtlefl'  Co'leae, 
served  them  for  a  considerable  period,  while  pursuing  a 
course  of  study.  Since  his  pastorate,  the  history  of  the 
church  has  been  at  times  prosperous,  and  at  other  times  in 
great  adversity.  At  considerable  expense  they  built  a  good, 
commodious  house  of  worship  on  the  land  of  Thomas  Dun- 
ford,  who  agreed  to  give  the  church  a  deed  to  the  pro- 
perty His  death  prevented  the  fulfillment  of  the  pro- 
mise, and  the  church  has  never  been  able  to  obtain  the 
deed.  After  Mr.  Gallagher's  pastorate,  the  greatest  degree 
of  prosperity  attained  was  probably  under  the  pastorate  of 
Rev.  Mr.  Place,  and  the  darkest  period  under  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Austermel,  when  the  church  became  almost  extinct. 
About  two  years  since  Joseph  Bevan,  a  student  in  Shurtleff 
College,  began  to  preach  to  them.  Prosperity  is  being  en- 
joyed. His  labors  are  appreciated  and  blessed — congrega- 
tions are  large.  A  flourishing  Sabbath-school  is  in  successful 
operation,  and  everything  indicates  increase  in  numbers  and 
in  power.  The  present  membership  is  about  25.  With  the 
exception  of  Mr.  Austermel,  the  pastoral  labor  has  been 
almost  exclusively  performed  by  students  from  Shurtleff 
College. 

TEO\  BAPTI.ST  CHURCH. 

The  Baptist  church  at  Troy  was  organized  in  1833  by  El- 
ders Joseph  and  James  Lemen  with  fifteen  members  at  the 
house  of  John  Lindly,  near  Silver  Creek  in  Madison  county. 
It  received  the  name  of  the  "  Union  Baptist  Church  of 
Christ,  Friends  to  Humanity."  They  called  themselves 
"  Friends  to  Humanity, "  because  of  their  opposition  to 
American  slavery.  Beftre  the  church  removed  to  Troy 
many  precious  revival  seasons  were  enjoyed,  and  many 
were  gathered  into  the  church  under  the  labors  of  different 
ministers. 

The  Church  records  furnish  the  names  of  the  following 
ministers  who  served  the  church  either  as  pastors  or  as  sup- 
plies, viz :  James  Lemen,  Joseph  Lemen,  Charles  Lucy, 
Samuel  Wood,  John  Padon,  A.  B.  Harris,  T.  W.  B.  Daw- 
son, Elijah  Dodson,  E.  J.  Palmer,  John  H.  Mize,  W.  D. 
Ross,  Niles  Kinne,  George  Silver,  J.  W.  Chapin,  J.  H. 
Mize,  second  time,  T.  W.  B.  Da\\sou,  a  second  time  and — 
Caster. 

Its  licentiates  are  as  follows,  viz :  Lynn  Craig,  William 
Vanhonser,  Valentine  Vanhooser,  Asa  Parker,  Charles 
Lucy,  Lyman  Barber  and  John  H.  Mize 

But  two  ministers  have  been  ordained  at  the  call  of  the 
church  ;  John  Padon  and  J.  H.  Mize. 

AVhen  the  church  removed  to  Troy  in  1846,  it  gave  up  its 
name  Uninn  and  assumed  its  present  name  Troy. 

Its  first  meeting-house  was  a  frame,  and  also  the  second  at 
Troy.  Tiie  second  was  built  under  many  difficulties.  It  was 
dedicated  in  1849,  Rev.  Elijah  Dodsnn  preaching  the  ser- 
mon. Its  third  house  is  a  frame  a0xo3,  eighteen  feet  ceiling, 
belfry  and  spire  sixty  feet  higii — built  at  a  cost  of  about 
82600.  It  was  dedicated  early  in  1877,  Rev.  J.  Bulkley 
preaching  the  sermon. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


307 


The  following  persons  have  served  as  clerks,  viz  :  William 
Renfro,  Jolin  Vanhooser,  Valentine  Vanhooser,  Gideon 
Flowers,  William  M.  Lindly,  J.  B.  Edgar,  William  M. 
Gonternian,  T.  W.  B.  Dawson,  James  Seybold  and  Deacon 
William  A.  Wilson. — Rev.  T.  W.  B.  Dawsou  is  the  present 
clerk. 

The  following  have  acted  as  Deacons:  William  Skinner, 
Isaac  Renfro,  Abraham  Vanhooser,  George  Bradshaw,  Caleb 
Gonterman,  Andrew  Waddle,  Charles  B.  Street,  Lyman 
Barber  and  William  A.  Wilson.  Its  present  Deacons  are 
William  Waddle  and  John  Seybold.  Before  the  church 
removed  to  Troy  a  few  brethren  engaged  in  Sabbath-school 
work,  but  it  was  some  time  after  it  removed  before  it  had  its 
own  Sabbath-school.  For  several  years  the  teachers  elected 
the  officers  and  governed  the  school;  of  late  years  the  Sab- 
bath-school has  been  under  the  direct  control  of  the  church. 

From  the  organizition  of  the  church  in  1833  with  fifteen 
members,  (most  of  whom  are  dead,  and  none  of  whom  are 
now  members)  till  1S70  this  church  exerted  a  precious 
and  lasting  influence,  and  since  that  period  many  precious 
seasons  of  religious  interest  have  been  enjoyed.  Its  pastons 
have  been  among  the  most  spiritual  and  useful  in  central  or 
southern  Ulincis.  Many  of  its  members  have  been  persons 
of  wealth,  culture  and  high  social  position-  The  church 
however  has  become  greatly  weakened  by  removal  and 
death.  At  present  it  has  no  pastor  and  no  preaching.  Its 
nominal  membership  is  about  seventy — twenty  of  whom  are 
non-residents,  and  their  present  place  of  residence  unknown, 
leaving  the  actual  membership  about  fifty. 

THE  BETHALTO  BAPTIST  CHURCH. 

Ever  since  the  constitution  of  a  Baptist  church  on  Wood 
River  in  1807  by  Elder  Wm.  Jones,  the  vicinity  of  Bethalto 
has  engaged  the  labor  of  different  Baptist  ministers  whose 
efforts  have  been  successful.  The  Bethalto  church  had  its 
origin  in  preexisting  material  derived  from  these  earlier  la- 
bors. It  was  constituted  February  4,  1874,  with  twenty-one 
members.  At  first  it  met  for  worship  in  the  C.  P.  meeting- 
house, until  1875.  Its  present  house  of  worship,  a  neat 
substantial  frame,  was  commenced  September,  1874,  com- 
pleted at  a  cost,  including  furniture,  of  S3G00,  and  dedicated 
July  25,  1875. 

Deacons. — Its  first  Deacons  were  C.  H.  Flick,  Jasper 
Starkey  and  James  McKee,  elected  June  18,  1874,  f  >r  one 
year,  but  continued  in  office  two  years.  June  18,  1876,  C. 
H.  Flick,  James  Jones  and  George  Taylor  were  elected. 
Deacon  Taylor  died  in  the  fall  of  1879.  The  present  Dea- 
cons are  C.  H.  Flick  and  James  Junes. 

The  number  of  members  admitted  to  the  church  up  to 
the  present  time,  July  18S2,  including  the  constituent  mem- 
bers (21)  is  ninety-three,  present  membership  fifty. 

It  has  a  good  Sabbath  school  of  sixty-three  scholars,  and 
seven  teachers.  Superintendent,  F.  B.  Black.  Its  pastors  have 
been  Monroe  Starkey  and  J.  H.  Mize,  and  perhaps  others.  It 
is  at  present  supplied  once  each  month  by  Rev.  J.  Bulkley, 
of  Upper  Alton.  It  occupies  an  important  field,  and  ought 
by  the  Divije  blessing  to  become  a  strong  church. 


THE   COLLINSVILLE    BAPTIST   CHURCH. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  South  District  Association, 
September,  1857,  the  church  of  CoUiiisville  sought  admission 
to  the  Association  with  thiriy  member.s.  Rev.  D.  M. 
Howell,  pastor,  L.  W.  Scanland,  William  Thompson  and 
J.  M.  Johnson  delegates.  The  church  was  charged  with,  or  at 
least  suspected  of  heresy.  Rev.  E.  J.  Palmer  appeared  as 
the  principal  accuser.  Their  application  was  referred  to  a 
select  committee  of  seven  persons,  viz :  J.  Peters,  C.  J. 
Kelly,  H.  S.  Deppe,  L.  Sleeper,  M.  Ely,  J.  W.  Thwing 
and  S.  Roach,  which  committee  reported  that  the  charge  was 
without  foundation  and  they  recommended  that  the  church 
be  received.  The  report  was  adopted  and  the  church  re- 
ceived. Its  first  pastor  was  Rev.  D.  M.  Howell,  who  served 
them  with  great  acceptance  and  fidelity,  from  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  church  until  laid  aside  by  a  fatal  disease  which 
terminated  his  life,  June  7,  1S6G.  Rev.  F.  Hill  and  Rev. 
L.  C.  Carr,  have  also  successfully  guided  the  church  in  the 
pastoral  relation,  as  have  others.  It  present  pastor  is  Rev. 
J.  Cole. 

Previous  to  1864  it  had  received  by  baptism  thirty  four, 
by  letter,  twenty-two  ;  it  had  dismissed  seven,  excluded  seven- 
teen, and  lost  two  by  death.  It  had  greatly  increased  in 
membership  until  in  1864  it  numbered  sixty-seven,  since 
that  period  its  history  has  been  a  peculiar  one.  At  one 
time  discordant  elements  endangered  its  existence.  In  1870 
it  enjoyed  a  precious  revival.  Nine  were  baptized  and  ten 
received  by  letter,  and  the  church  numbered  ninety  six. 
Another  revival  was  enjoyed  under  the  labors  of  L.  C. 
Carr,  in  1874  ;  seventeen  were  baptized  and  eight  received 
by  letter  ;  the  church  then  numbered  seventy.  A  period  of 
declension  followed,  and  in  1876  its  number  had  diminished 
to  fifty-five.  Such  is  the  history  of  most  of  our  churches. 
Revivals  and  declensions  follow  each  other  at  longer  or 
shorter  intervals.     Its  present  prospects  are  hopeful. 

THE    MX.    OLIVE    BAPTIST    CHURCH. 

This  church  was  organized  May  31st,  1851,  by  Elders 
J.  V.  Rhoads  and  John  Brown,  three  miles  east  of  Upper 
Alton.  It  organized  with  48  members.  Most  of  this  num- 
ber have  died,  or  moved  away,  six  only  remaining,  viz : 
Nancy  Deck,  Lydia  Williams,  Eliza  Deymon,  Joseph 
Sherfy,  James  Jones,  and  Thomas  Jenkinson. 

The  pastors  have  been  Rev.  John  Brown,  from  Mav  1851 
to  1856.  Rev.  A.  C.  Rafferty,  from  Oct.  1856  to  Dec.  1857. 
Rev.  J.  V.  Rhoads,  from  April  1858  to  Aug.  1858.  Rev. 
A.  C.  Raflerty,  from  Nov.  1858  to  Aug.  1861.  Rev.  John 
Brown,  from  Dec.  1861  to  Jan.  1863.  Rev.  Swift  Brown 
and  others,  supplied  to  Jan.  1866.  Rev.,  F.  M.  Long 
from  Jan.  1866  to  Jan.  1867.  Rev.  Whi  ing,  from  Feb' 
1868  to  Jan.  1869.  Rev.  Grear,  from  Feb.  1869  to  Sept.' 
1869.  Rev.  G.  P.  Hanks,  from  Oct.  1869  to  Aug.  1870. 
Rev.  J.  S  Deck,  from  Feb.  1871  to  Sept.  1871.  Rev.  Worley, 
from  Nov.  1871  to  Aug.  1872.  Rev.  Levi  Jlitchell,  from 
April  1873  to  April  1874.  Rev.  W.  P.  Crawford,  from 
Oct.  1875  to  Jan.  1878.  Rev.  J.  H.  Mize,  from  Oct.  1878. 
Rev.  John  R.  Jones,  from  Feb.  1880  to  Feb.  1881. 


308 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


Deacons  were  Madison  Williams,  chosen  June  1851  ; 
Richard  Young,  chosen  Nov  1851  ;  John  Norton,  Jan. 
1860;  T.  Jenkinson  and  B.  F.  Gulp,  July  1864;  C.  H, 
Flick  and  G.  T.  N.  Harris,  April  1868. 

The  church  has  ordained  three  ministers.  L.  M.  Whit- 
ing and  J.  S.  Deck,  in  May  1868,  and  Green  P.  Hanks,  in 
May  1869. 

It  has  licen.^ed  the  following:  J.  S.  Deck,  1865;  G.  P. 
Hanks,  1868;  Thomas  and  Joseph  Deck,  1808,  and  A.  Hill, 
in  1869. 

The  church  united  with  the  Apple  Creek  Association  in 
August  1851. 

Whole  number  baptized,  232  ;  received  by  letter,  49  ;  by 
experience,  23;  dismissed,  115:  excluded,  126;  died,  49. 
Present  number,  79.  Its  house  of  worship  is  a  frame  build- 
ing, 40  by  60  f.et;  built  at  a  cost  of  about  $1,500. 

Its  present  officers  are :  Deacons,  Thomas  Jenkinson  and 
T.  N.  Harris.     Clerk,  J.  S.  Gulp. 

THE  STAUNTON  BAPTIST  CHURCH. 

This  church  was  constituted  in  July,  1852,  and  in  Se_p- 
tember  of  the  same  year  it  joined  the  Edwardsville  Asso- 
ciation with  sixty-three  members,  forty-five  of  whom  had 
been  recently  baptized.  J.  V.  Hopper,  pastor,  A.  Deas,  C. 
Sawyer  and  T.  Caulk  messengers. 

J.  V.  Hopper  was  pastor  most  of  the  time  till  1856. 
William  J.  Roseberry,  from  1857  till  1861. 

From  1861  to  1864  the  church  was  without  a  pastor,  but 
had  occasional  surplies. 

In  1864  F.  M.  Wadly  was  pastor.  In  1865  Hopper, 
Wadly  and  Roseberry  were  supplies. 

In  1866  F.  Hill,  a  student  at  Shurtleff  College  supplied 
half  of  the  time.  In  1867  and  1868  the  church  failed  to 
report. 

In  1869  S.  K.  Fuson  was  pastor,  and  before  his  pastorate 
the  church  must  have  become  extinct,  as  the  baptisms  re- 
ported are  thirty-two,  and  the  whole  number  but  thirty- 
eight.  Then  follows  a  season  of  great  declension.  For  six 
years  the  church  makes  no  report  to  the  Association.  In 
1876  it  recognized  and  reported  an  addition  by  baptism,  let- 
ter and  restoration,  twelve,  and  the  entire  number  twenty- 
six.  The  previous  winter  Rev.  G.  P.  Hanks  held  a  series 
of  meetings  with  the  forgoing  result. 

D.  P.  Jones  was  pastor  in  1877.  In  1878and  1879  it  was 
not  represented.  In  1880  G.  G.  Dougherty  was  pastor.  In 
1881  no  representation. 

In  1855  it  reached  its  highest  number,  sixty-three,  and 
at  that  time  began  to  build  a  meeting-house.  It  proved  a 
very  great  burden.  The  work  progressed  with  great  diffi- 
culty until  1860.  A  heavy  debt  remained  which  was  diffi- 
cult to  be  borne.  Through  the  effijrts  of  Rev.  J.  H.  Mize 
the  debt  was  removed  in  1864.  Then  the  angry  contentions 
growing  out  of  the  war  produced  coldness,  alienations  and 
division  until  the  church  was  well  nigh  destroyed.  Much 
of  the  time  it  has  had  a  severe  struggle  for  life. 


The  wliole  number  reporied  a.s  baiilized 70 

''         "         "         added    by     letter 34 

"        "        "        experience  and  restoration 19 

"        "        ''        dismissed 33 

"         "         "         excluded  and  dropped 38 

"        "        "        died 11 

Number  reported  in  1880 18 

No  report  to  the  Association  in  1882. 

THE   NEW    HOPE    BAPTIST   CHURCH. 

This  church  is  near  the  present  town  of  Worden.  It  was 
constituted  as  early  as  1840,  as  it  appears  in  that  year  in 
the  minutes  of  the  South  District  Association  with  sixteen 
members.  Its  delegates  were  J.  O.  English  and  I.  E. 
Sharp.  Duriug  the  first  ten  years  of  its  existence  till  1851 
it  was  connected  with  the  South  District  Association.  Dur- 
ing this  period  it  possessed  a  good  degree  of  spiritual  vigor, 
its  membeiship  increasing  from  sixteen  to  forty-seven.  The 
greatest  number  baptized  in  any  one  year  during  this 
period  was  sixteen,  in  the  year  1843.  In  1844  J.  0. 
English  appears  as  a  licentiate. 

From  1851  to  1863  the  church  enjoyed  very  great 
spirituality.  Rev.  J.  V.  Hopper  was  pastor  from  1851  to 
1859.  Duriug  this  period  129  were  baptized,  forty  six  by 
letter,  twenty-two  by  experience  and  restoration,  fifty-eight 
were  dismissed,  twenty-seven  excluded,  four  dipped,  iourteen 
died.  Its  number  had  about  doubled,  passing  from  sixty- 
five  to  125.  The  highest  number  recorded  was  in  1858 
when  the  church  reported  128  members.  During  this  pe- 
riod the  church  was  engaged  earnestly  in  Sabbath -schools. 
In  1852  it  had  two  licentiates,  J.  O.  English  and  Barber. 
Its  house  of  worship  was  completed  in  1853,  and  the  debt 
upon  it  paid  off  in  1854.  In  June  1856  William  J.  Rose- 
berry, who  had  been  previously  licensed  was  ordained.  The 
largest  number  baptized  during  Elder  Hopper's  administra- 
tion was  in  the  years  1853  and  1858  ;  in  the  former,  thirty- 
six,  in  the  latter  thirty-two. 

In  1860  William  J.  Roseberry  became  pastor  and  served 
until  1863  or  1864.  During  his  pastorate,  eighteen  were 
baptized,  four  received  by  letter,  seven  by  experience  and 
restoration,  ten  were  dismissed,  fourteen  excluded,  five  died, 
leaving  the  church  in  1863  reduced  to  1 10.  At  this  time  so 
sharp  was  the  contention  about  the  war  of  the  rebellion 
that  the  church  became  almost  extinct,  and  ceased  to  be  re- 
presented in  the  Association,  except  by  messengers  without 
statistics.  From  1865  until  1873  when  Rev.  G.  P.  Hanks 
was  its  pastor,  it  reported  a  membership  of  thirty-three. 
For  several  years  during  the  war  it  held  no  meetings. 
Since  1873  it  has  exhibited  some  vitality,  and  exerted 
some  influence.  "  How  pleasant  it  is  for  brethren  to  dwell 
together  in  unity." 

Since  1873  or  1874  it  has  been  connected  with  the  Apple 
Creek  Association.  In  1875  it  reported  a  membership  of 
sixty  one. 

BETHLEHEM  BAPTIST    CHURCH. 

This  church  was  constituted  in  March  1851.  The  follow- 
ing May  it  united  with  the  Edwardsville  Association  with 
tweaty-four  members.  Rev.  Luke  Dillard  was  its  pastor 
and  William  Coltharand  A.  J.  Smalley  delegates.     During 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


809 


the  previous  winter  an  interesting  revival  had  been  enjoyed. 
Rev.  Luke  Dillard  continued  to  be  its  pastor  till  ls64,  when 
the  church  ceased  to  represent  itself  in  the  Association. 

During  this  period  it  had  reported  twenty-seven  baptized 
and  seven  deaths.  From  18.53  to  18.')9  its  number  varied  but 
very  little.  lu  1853  they  were  thirty-seven  ;  in  1854  thirty- 
seven.  They  never  went  below  this  number  nor  above 
thirty-nine  till  1859,  when  a  revival  of  religion  resulting  in 
the  baptism  of  twelve  persons  increased  their  membership 
to  fifty-one. 

In  1866  Rev.  Luke  Dillard  made  in  the  Association  a 
verbal  report  to  the  effect  that  the  church  was  nearly  ex- 
tinct, and  henceforth  it  does  not  appear  in  the  minutes  of 
the  A.ssociation. 

BETHLEHEM   UNITED   BAPTIST   CHURCH. 

This  church  was  constituted  August  17,  1S49,  by  Elders 
Jacob  V.  Rhoads  and  R.  G.  Keele,  with  twenty-one  mem- 
bers, as  follows:  John  P.  Liwrence,  Jesse  Lawrence,  Delila 
Lawrence,  William  Jones,  Margaret  Jones,  Elizabeth  Jones, 
Sarah  C.  Jones,  William  Wright,  Louisa  Wright,  Joseph 
Barckley,  William  F.  Rawson,  Henry  Jackson,  James  Jack- 
son, William  Squires,  Mary  Brown,  Elizabeth  Adams,  Mary 
Lawrence,  Elizabeth  Seago,  Elizabeth  Brown  and  Saloh 
Jackson. 

For  many  years  this  church  enjoyed  a  very  high  degree 
of  pro-perity,  and  numbered  in  its  membership  many  of  the 
first  citizens  of  that  part  of  the  county  situated  immediately 
south  of  Bethalto.  In  1851  it  numbered  102  ;  in  1852, 
103  ;  in  1853,  lOG,  and  the  number  of  members  that  had 
joined  the  church  up  to  1854  was  169,  which  added  to  the 
constituent  membership  made  the  whole  number  received, 
190.  In  1858,  it  had  a  membership  of  13S  ;  soon  after  this 
it  began  to  decline,  and  in  1865,  during  the  war,  it  was 
reduced  to  80.  It  never  regained  its  former  vigor.  In 
1868  it  was  reduced  to  49.  In  1872  it  had  increased  to  60; 
in  1875,  51  ;  in  1876,  44.  Its  present  number  is  not  large. 
On  the  fourth  Saturday,  in  September,  1850,  steps  were 
taken  to  build  a  church.  Jesse  St^rkey,  David  Starkey  and 
William  Jones  were  elected  trustees,  and  also  a  building 
committee.  The  same  persons  were  appointed  a  committee 
to  receive  the  deed  from  James  Jones,  and  to  have  the  same 
recorded. 

The  church  was  a  frame,  20x36  feet.  They  began  to 
build  in  the  fall  of  1850,  and  completed  it  in  the  spring  of 
1851.  Prior  to  this  time  they  held  services  at  the  Jackson 
school-house,  (T.  5,  R.  6).  The  pastors  of  this  church  have 
been  R.  C.  Keele,  followed  by  John  Brown,  who  served 
eleven  years ;  then  John  R.  Jones,  grandson  of  Elder  Wm. 
Jones,  four  or  five  years ;  Thomas  Greer,  about  one  year ; 
T.  W.  Jones,  G.  P.  Hanks,  three  or  four  years  ;  Thomas  M. 
Marsh,  then  G.  G.  D.)ugherty  as  a  supply.  Its  Deacons : 
David  Starkey,  William  Wright,  James  Saunders,  William 
Jones,  J.  P.  Owens,  Samuel  Matthews  and  others.  The 
highest  membership  recorded  by  this  church  approximated 
150. 

THE   BAPTIST   CHURCH    OF   NEW    DOUGLAS. 

We  find  thb  church  in  the  minutes  of  the  Apple  Creek 


Association  in  1872,  with  Elders  T.  Bennett  and  G-  P. 
Hanks,  and  a  membership  of  85.  In  1875  its  membership 
had  increased  to  118,  the  third  in  numbers  of  an  association 
of  thirty-six  churches.  This  church  has  experienced  pre- 
cious seasons  of  Divine  grace,  has  numbered  in  its  member- 
ship many  most  excellent  citizens,  and  has  exerted  wide 
control.  Information,  however,  has  not  been  obtained  to 
give  a  specific  and  accurate  history. 

THE   GERMAN    BAPTIST   CHURCH   OF    FOSTERBURG. 

This  church  was  organized  with  fifteen  members,  in  1857. 
Its  constituent  members  were :  Carl  Hummert  and  wife, 
August  Ploeger  and  wife,  Henry  Niemeier  and  wife,  Philip 
Stobs  and  wife,  Carl  Schobs  and  wife,  William  Gabriel  and 
wife,  Herbert  Keiser,  John  Voss  and  Wilhelmine  Wortman. 
Eight  of  these  are  still  living  members  of  the  church. 

Carl  Schobs  was  the  first  pastor.  He  served  a  brief  period. 
Henry  Williams,  Sr.  was  the  second  pastor.  He  was  or- 
dained by  the  church  April  I,  1861.  He  served  till  Feb 
ruary  2,  1^74.  Carl  Becker  was  ordained  and  became 
pastor  August  12,  1874,  and  served  till  June  16,  1875. 
He  was  followed  by  Henry  Schulz,  who  was  ordained  by 
the  church  and  became  pastor,  March  30,  1876,  and  served 
until  October  25,  1880.  J.  F.  Hoefflin,  from  Iowa,  became 
pastor  October  1,  1881,  and  is  still  in  that  office.  H  Keiser, 
H.  Kiemeier  and  A.  Ploeger  have  served  as  deacons.  Ditlerent 
persons  have  served  as  clerk.     E,  Peters  is  the  present  clerk. 

The  whole  number  baptized  is  eighty-four.  The  whole 
number  received  by  letter  and  experience,  forty-nine.  The 
whole  number  dismissed,  excluded  and  died.  111.  Of  those 
excluded  fifteen  have  been  restored.  Present  number  fifty- 
two.  The  church  is  and  has  always  been  in  full  sympathy 
with  all  benevolent  societies  of  the  Baptist  denomination, 
but  her  sympathies  are  most  earnestly  given  to  the  work  of 
Evangelization  among  the  Germans  of  the  United  Slates. 
Its  Sabbath  school  is  prosperous.  It  numbers  from  fifty  to 
sixty  pupils,  and  has  from  five  to  eight  teachers.  H.  Keiser 
is  superintendent.  The  church  has  a  good  brick  meeting- 
house, and  a  frame  parsonage.  The  prospects  of  the  church 
are  hopeful  to  a  good  degree. 

Present  trustees:  Philip  Newhaus,  John  Krieg,  Charles 
Galike.     Clerk,  E.  Peters. 

PLEASANT    RIDGE   BAPTIST   CHURCH. 

This  church  is  in  the  vicinity  of  St.  Jacobs.  It  first  ap- 
pears in  the  minutes  of  the  South  District  Association  in 
1844,  with  25  members,  of  whom  3  had  been  recently  bap- 
tized. Its  delegates  were  J  Lindly,  W.  M.  Lindly,  and  T. 
Steele. 

Its  pastors  have  been  Joseph  Lemen,  M.  Ely,  C.  J.  Kelly, 
H.  Thomp.son,  J.  B.  White,  J.  H.  Mize,  W.  D.  Ross,  H.  S. 
Deppe,  and  perhaps  others. 

Its  licentiates,  W.  M.  Lindly,  O.  Ely,  N.  Linkumfelter. 
Previous  to  1864,  it  had  reported  124  received  by  baptism — 
67  by  letter — 14  by  experience  and  restoration.  It  had 
dismissed  50 — excluded  45,  and  lost  14  by  death.  The 
highest   number  of  members  reported    was   in  1857,  116. 


310 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Since  1864,  its  history,  like  most  others,  has  been  one  of 
prosperity  and  adversity,  revival  and  declension.  In 
1873-4,  the  number  reported  as  baptized,  within  the  asso- 
ciational  year,  was  42,  and  its  membership  was  134.  Two 
years  later,  according  to  the  minutes  of  the  Association,  its 
membership  was  reduced  to  2.5.  The  church  exerted  a  very 
salutary  influence  in  the  community  where  located. 

paddock's  prairie. 

About  183G  or  1837,  a  small  church  was  constituted  on 
Taddock's  Prairie.  It  united  with  the  Edwardsville  Asso- 
ciation in  1837,  with  nine  members.  Zenas  Webster,  and 
Elihu  J.  Palmer,  brother  of  the  Governor,  were  its  first  dele- 
gates. In  the  minutes  of  1838,  the  name  of  Elihu  J. 
Palmer  appears  as  a  licensed  minister  from  this  church, 
from  whicir  I  conclude  that  from  this  church  he  receiv- 
ed license  to  preach — and  by  this  church  he  was  ordained 
at  Paddock's  Prairie,  August  24th,  1840,  and  became 
its  pastor.  In  1843,  Rev.  R.  Kimball  become  pastor. 
During  this  year  the  church  reached  its  highest  number, 
31 ;  and  in  1845  it  ceased  to  be  represented  in  the  Associa- 
tion. Although  its  membership  was  always  small,  yet  its 
influence  was  extensive  and  salutary. 

rattan's  prairie. 

In  1849,  the  church  at  Rattan's  Prairie,  recently  organized, 
■wasadmitted  to  the  Edwardsville  Association,  with  13  mem- 
bers Its  pastor  was  Rev.  Ebenezer  Rodgers,  and  its  delegate 
Luther  Lyon.  A  few  months  previous  to  the  meeting  of  the 
Association,  in  May  18.51,  the  church  dissolved,  and  its  mem- 
bers united  with  another  church  in  the  vicinity,  which 
belonged  to  the  Apple  Creek  Association. 

providence,  near  CHOUTEAU  ISLAND. 

This  church  was  organized  by  Rev.  Ebenezer  Rodgers  in 
1843.  It  entered  the  Edwardsville  Association  that  year, 
■with  nine  members.  Elder  Rodgers  looked  after  its  inter- 
ests until  1844,  when  the  high  water  scattered  its  members 
and  they  never  again  were  re-united.  One  of  the  few  Bap- 
tist churches  destroyed  by  excess  of  water. 

THE  MILTON  BAPTIST  CHURCH. 

This  church  was  organized  October  23,  1869,  in  the  Amer- 
ican Bottom,  below  Alton.  It  joined  the  Edwardsville 
Association  in  1870  with  twenty-nine  members. 

Rev.  Cain  preached  before  the  church  was  organized  from 
Nov.  1808  to  June  1869.  W.  W.  Reagan  was  pastor  in 
1870  and  in  1871.  In  1871  the  church  by  dismissal,  by  death, 
and  by  exclusion  was  reduced  to  the  number  of  fifteen,  and 
in  1872  it  became  practically  extinct. 

FORKS  OF  WOOD  RIVER. 

This  church  was  organized  in  1836.  It  came  into  the 
Edward-sville  Association  in  1S37  with  sixteen  members. 
It  reported  in  1838  with  fifteen,  in  1839  sixteen,  in  1840, 
Aaron  Trabue  pastor,  sixteen  ;  in  1841  sixteen  were  baptized, 
and  the  number  was  increased  to  twenty-six. 

In  1*42  Rev.  Aaron  Trabue  was  again  pastor,  and  the 
church  enjoyed  a  good  degree  of  spiritual  prosperity.  Thir- 
teen were   baptized  and    the  number  was  thirty-six.     This 


seems  to  have  been  its  zenith  of  power  and  influence.  From 
this  time  it  began  to  decline,  and  in  1845  it  disappeared 
from  the  minutes  of  the  Association. 

CARPENTER  BAPTIST  CHURCH. 

This  church  was  organized  by  Rev.  G.  G.  Daugherty, 
January  1st,  1882,  at  the  residence  of  David  Nix,  in  Hamel 
Township.  Its  constituent  members  were,  Wm.  Mize,  Miss 
Sarah  Mize,  Fred.  Mitchell,  Mrs.  Fred  Mitchell ;  total  four. 
The  church  has  received  three  by  baptism  ;  present  number 
seven.  Rev.  G.  G.  Daugherty  labored  as  pastor  from  the 
organization  till  April,  when  Rev.  G.  Steele,  of  Upper 
Alton,  became  missionary  pastor. 

THE  UNION  BAPTIST  CHURCH  OF   ALTON  {Colored). 

This  church  was  organized  at  the  house  of  Charles  Ed- 
wards, in  Upper  Alton,  in  the  summer  of  1836,  with  ten 
members,  viz:  Mr.  Ogle,  Eben.  Rotgers,  Mr.  Edwards  and 
wife,  Alfred  Richardson,  Mr.  Mariman,  two  by  the  name  of 
Leraen,  Wm.  Barton  and  Wm.  Johnson.  The  church  im- 
mediately removed  to  Alton  and  located  on  Alby  and  Eas- 
ton  streets  between  3d  and  4th.  After  a  brief  period  it  re- 
moved to  Middletown,  and  again  returned  to  Alton.  It  then 
located  on  3d  street  between  George  and  Alton  streets.  Their 
first  house  of  worship  was  a  small  frame — they  at  present 
own  and  occupy  a  good  substantial  frame  house.  The  church 
has  never  been  large,  but  it  has  exerted  a  very  beneficial  in- 
fluence upon  the  colored  population  of  the  city.  At  times  a 
very  good  degree  of  religious  prosperity  has  been  enjoyed, 
and  in  a  revival  in  1843,  the  church  received  twenty-nine 
members.  Its  first  deacons  were  Wm.  Johnson,  who  served 
about  twenty  years,  and  Wm.  Barton,  who  served  ten  years, 
and  then  removed  to  Piasa.  About  the  year  1851  J.  M. 
Kelley  was  elected. 

The  fol'owing  have  been  pastors  of  the  church  in  the  order 
named :  Livingstone,  Robinson,  Anderson,  James  H.  John- 
son. Wilbert  Steward,  R.  J.  Robinson,  a  second  time,  Elder 
Bolden,  James  P.  Johnson,  J.  Henry  McGee,  James  P  John- 
son, a  second  time,  Henry  Howard,  R.  T.  Robinson,  G.  W. 
Clarke  and  Elder  Pierraaii,  who  is  the  present  pastor.  Colo- 
nies from  this  church  have  established  churches  at  Galena, 
at  Quiucy,  and  near  St.  Charles,  Missouri.  Among  the  mem- 
bers of  this  church  have  been  quite  a  number  of  men  who 
have  been  good  citizens  of  Alton,  and  excellent  representa- 
tives of  their  race. 

THE  SALEM   BAPTIST   CHURCH  ON   WOOD   RIVER,  ( Colored). 

The  date  of  the  organization  of  this  church  is  May  ?>,  1846, 
with  eleven  members.  Its  history  is  similar  to  the  Union 
Baptist  Church  of  Alton— both  colored.  It  has  never  been 
large,  but  has  exhibited  a  good  degree  of  religious  zeal  and 
activity.  The  Wood  River  Association,  (colored),  has  been 
held  with  it  several  times.  It  has  exerted  a  very  salutary 
influence  upon  the  colored  people  of  this  section  of  country. 
Some  of  its  ministers  have  been  men  of  marked  ability  and 
earnest  devotion  to  their  work.  At  an  early  day  they  built 
a  small  house  of  worship,  which  they  occupied  until  the 
social,  financial  and  numerical  standing  of  the  church  de- 
manded a  better  house.     Their  present  house  is  of  brick,  24 


HISTORY  OF   MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


311 


by  36  feet;  13  inch  wall,  14  feet  in  the  clear  ;  built  about 
1870— and  is  without  debt.  The  present  membership  of  the 
church  is  about  46.  This  is  the  home  of  Rev.  James  P. 
Johnson,  who  at  present  looks  after  the  spiritual  interests 

of  the  churcli.  1 

1 

SECOND   BAPTIST   CHURCH  OF  UPPER   ALTON,  (Colored).         j 

In  May,  1868,  the  Second  Baptist  Church  was  organized  at 
the  Salem  school-house  in  Upper  Alton.  The  constituent  mem- 
bers were  nine,  all  of  whom  had  been  regularly  dismissed 
for  that  purpose,  by  the  Alton  City  Union  Baptist  Church. 
The  names  of  the  nine  constituent  members  were  as  follows  : 
Cyrus  M  Howard  and  wife,  Jno.  A.  Howard  ;  W.  Scott 
and  wife ;  Eliza  Grason  ;  Mary  A.  Wilson  ;  Martha  Broner  ;  J 
Martha  Foster ;  James  Brown.  The  council  that  organized  ; 
them   was  composed  of  Rev.  Washington   Leverett ;  Rev. 

Tilbury  ;  Rev.  H.  C.  Hazen,  and  Geo.  A.  Cressy. 

Subsequently  they  were  recognized  as  a  regular  Baptist 
Church,  by  a  council  convened  in  the  meeting-house  of  the 
First  Baptist  Church  of  Upper  Alton.  Rev.  R.  E  Patti- 
son,  D.  D.,  preached  the  sermon,  and  Rev.  Melvin  Jameson 
gave  the  hand  of  fellowship. 

In  1869  they  completed  a  neat  frame-house  of  worship,  at 
a  cost  of  SI, 400.  The  house  is  36  by  56  feet,  with  14  feet  ! 
ceiling.  In  the  completion  of  their  house  of  worship^  they 
received  liberal  aid  from  outside  parties.  The  house  was 
dedicated  in  Sept.  1869.  Rev.  Dr.  Read,  President  of 
Shurtleff  College,  preached  the  sermon  from  Haggai,  2 :  9, 
"  The  glory  of  the  latter  house  shall  be  greater  than  the 
former,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts." 

Pastars. — J.  Robinson,  2  years;  W.  H.  Howard,  1  year; 
Wm.  Webster,  2  years ;  W.  H.  Willitt,  1  year.  W.  C 
Carter,  six  months;  J.  Stratton  and  W.  H.  Willitt  have 
been  ordained  by  the  church — and  Samuel  Hart,  licensed. 
Cyrus  M.  Howard  was  the  first  deacon — others  at  different 
times  have  been  chosen,  as  circumstances  demanded. 

The  highest  number  of  membership  recorded  at  any  time, 
48.     Present  number,  34.     Lost  by  death,  4. 

Immediately  after  the  dedication  of  their  meeting-house, 
a  Sabbath-school  was  organized,  which  has  been  kept  up 
till  the  present  time  without  interruption,  with  an  average 
of  about  20  scholars. 

There  have  been  in  the  county  a  number  of  other 
churches,  small  but  influential,  whose  history  could  not  be 
secured.  The  foregoing  sketch  of  the  Baptists  of  Madison 
county  is  of  neces?ity  exceedingly  imperfect,  arising  from  the 
impo.ssibility  of  procuring  accurate  and  reliable  data.  The 
writer  has  done  the  best  he  could  with  the  material  at  his 
command. 

BAPTIST   MINISTERS   WHO   HAVE    DIED   IN   THIS    COUNTY. 

Rev.  William  Jones  is  believed  to  be  the  first 
Baptist  minister  who  settled  within  the  limits  of  what  is 
now  Madison  county.  He  was  born  in  Washington  county, 
Virginia,  Septendier  12th,  1771.  He  removed  to  the  Terri- 
tory of  Illinois,  as  early  as  1805,  and  possibly  as  early  as 
1802  He  first  settled  on  Shoal  creek,  near  the  present  town 
of  Greenville,  Bond  countv.     There  a  fort   was    built   and 


called  Jones's  Fort-     He   settled   in   Madison   county   pre- 
vious to  1S07,  making  his  home  on  a  farm  about  three  miles 
south  of  the  present  town  of  Bethalto.     In  the  war  of  1812, 
he  entered  the  service  of  his  country  and  joined  a  company 
of  Rangers.     He    was  immediately  elected   captain — under 
his  leadership  the   company  engaged  in   several  sanguinary 
battles,  and  with  heroic  fortitude  endured    the    hardships  of 
the  campaign.     When  the  war   ended    he   returned  to   his 
farm,  and  there  reared  a  large  family.     At  the  .same  time  he 
resumed  ministerial  work  with  energy,  success  and   delight. 
In  1807,  before  he  was    aided  by  Elder  David    Badgley,  he 
had  organized  the  first  Baptist  church   within    the  present 
limits  of  Madison  county,     "  The  B^iptist  Church  of  Wood 
River.  "     It  belonged  to  that  branch  of  the  Baptist  Church 
who  styled  themselves  '■  United  Baptist."    His  ministrations 
to  this  people  were  performed  with  great  fervor, simplicity  and 
power — many  were   converted   under  his   ministry.      The 
membership   of    his    church     were   widely   tcattered,   but 
attended   the   monthly   covenant   meetings  of    the  church 
with  great  regularity  and  punctuality,  often  traveling  longdis- 
tances  on  horseback   exposed  to  attacks  from  the  Indian.s  in 
the  wilderness  that  they  might  enjoy  the  means  of  grace  as  well 
as    social  visitation       His   nuniory    is    cheri.'hcd    and   re- 
vered   by  multitudes  still  living.     Although    entirely  free 
from  political  aspirations  his  marked  ability  could   not  per- 
mit  him  to  remain  unnoticed.    After  the  war  of  1812  at 
the  earnest  solicitations  of   his  friends  he  was    elected    a 
member  of  the  Territorial  Legislature  of  Illinois,  and  occu- 
pied a  prominent  position  in    that   body.    In    1818    he   was 
elected  a  second  time  to    the   Legislature.    His   popularity 
was  such  that  at  one  time  he  was  earnestly  importuned  to 
become  a  candidate  for  Governor  of  the  State.     He  declined 
on  the  ground  that  it  would  interfere  with  the  proper  dis- 
charge of  his  ministerial  duties.     It  is  believed  by  many 
of  his  friends  that  he  would  have  been  elected  had  he  con- 
sented to  run  for  office,  because  Ninian  Edwards  refused  the 
use  of  his  name  until  he  learned  that  Elder  Jones  absolutely 
refused  to  be  a  candidate.     He  died  January  2d,  1844,  in 
the  73d  year  of  his  age.     He  was  a  man  of  decided  ability, 
of  unblemished  reputation,  of  unimpeachable    integrity  of 
character,  and  of  great  personal  worth.  A  moug  the  men  of  that 
time  he  commanded  great  respect,  and  upon  them  exerted 
great  influence.     He  is  held  in  great  esteem,  and  his  record 
is  referred  to  with  commendable  pride  by  a  large  number  of 
descendants  and  personal  friends,  in  whose    hearts  are  en- 
shrined  his  excellencies,  and  over  whose  development  and 
destiny  his  character  and  teachings  will  exert  unavoidable 
and  immeasurable  control. 

Rev.  D.  M.  Howell  was  converted  at  the  age  of 
fifteen,  and  immediately  felt  the  prcmptings  of  duty  to 
preach  the  gospel,  especially  in  Central  and  Southern  Illi- 
nois. For  the  purpose  of  seeking  more  thorough  prepara- 
tion he  studied  two  years  in  Shurtleff'  College.  He  was  or- 
dained at  the  age  of  twenty-four.  The  first  four  years  of 
his  ministerial  life  were  devoted  to  missionary  labor,  in  which 
he  was  very  successful.  Afterward  he  was  pastor  at  Bethel 
and  at  CoUinsville.  He  was  a  man  of  earnest  piety,  of  ar- 
dent zeal,  of  strong  mind,  of  iron  will,  of  untiring  industry — 


312 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


He  was  especially  fond  of  laboring  in  protracted  meetings, 
for  which  he  seemed  to  possess  peculiar  adaptation,  and  in 
which  he  was  successful.  Hundreds  were  converted  under 
his  ministry ;  about  five  hundred  of  whom  he  baptized- 
He  was  clear,  simple,  earnest,  direct  in  his  preaching. 
He  was  geniel  and  affable  in  social  life,  upright  and  honora- 
ble in  his  dealings,  stern  and  uncompromising  in  his  princi- 
ples, warm  and  tenacious  in  his  friendships.  Hediedof  can- 
cer on  the  lower  lip.  The  disease  was  in  its  progress  exceed- 
ingly slow  and  painful.  His  sufferings  for  weeks  were  of 
the  most  excruciating  character.  They  were  borne  with  great 
fortitude  and  Christian  resignation  until  he  himself  most 
earnestly  prayed  for  release.     He  died  June  7th,  1806. 

Rev.  Zenas  B.  Newman  was  born  in  Seekonk,  Mass., 
where  he  spent  his  early  life.  He  entered  Brown  Universi- 
ty in  1830,  pursued  the  entire  course  of  study,  but  because 
of  conscientious  scruples  about  the  distribution  of  the  honors 
of  the  class,  he  with  Dwight  Ives  and  others  refused  to  re- 
ceive his  degree.  SliurJeff  College  gave  him  subsequently 
the  degree  of  A.  M. 

He  came  to  Alton  in  1835,  became  Principal  in  the  Pre- 
paratory and  Academic  departments  of  Shurtleff  College  till 
1840.  In  1841  became  Professor  of  oratory,  rhetoric  and 
belles-letters,  and  filled  that  office  acceptably  till  his  death, 
in  1844.  He  died  after  a  protracted  illness  of  consumption, 
while  yet  a  young  man.  He  was  a  scholar  and  Christian 
minister,  whose  life  promised  to  be  one  of  great  usefulness. 
He  was  twice  married,  first  to  Misj  Ide,  of  Seekonk, 
Mass.,  and  again  to  Miss  Carolina  Loomis,  of  Upper  Altoni 
who  still  lives  in  the  village  where  he  married  her.  He  had 
one  son  by  each  wife,  both  of  whom  have  also  passed  away. 

Rev.  Wm.  J.  Roseberry  was  born  near  Louisville,  Ky. 
April  24,  1829.  His  parents  were  members  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church,  although  his  mother  was  a  Baptist 
in  belief  Hence  the  principles  and  practices  of  the  Baptists 
were  frequent  topics  of  discussion  in  the  family  circle,  and 
were  apologized  for,  and  sometimes  defended  with  some 
degree  of  interest.  This  defence  on  the  part  of 
the  mother,  it  is  believed,  had  its  effect  upon  the 
mind  of  the  son;  still  the  son  when  converted  at  seventeen 
years  of  age,  united  with  the  church  of  his  parents.  He 
soon,  however,  became  confirmed  in  his  Baptist  views,  and  in 
1854,  when  twenty-five  years  of  age,  was  baptized  by  Rev.  J. 
V.  Hopper,  of  Bunker  Hill,  Illinois.  Immediately  after  his 
baptism  his  duty  to  preach  was  deeply  impressed  on  his 
mind.  His  parents  having  removed  to  Illinois  when  he  was 
quite  young,  his  opportunities  for  intellectual  culture 
were  quite  limited.  He  was  naturally  modest  and  retiring, 
hence  the  struggle  was  unusually  severe.  Was  ordained  to 
the  gospel  ministry  in  1857.  He  has  served  as  pastor,  the 
churches  of  New  Hope,  New  Douglas,  Marine,  Staunton 
aud  Edivardsville,  laboring  with  a  good  degree  of  earnest- 
ness and  success. 

In  the  year  1861,  he  was  elected  superintendent  of  schools 
in  Madison  County,  which  office  he  held  until  his  death,  a 
fact  clearly  evincing  the  energy  of  his  own  character  in  view 
of  his  want  of  early  culture,  and  also  exhibiting  the  confi- 
dence of  the  people  in  his  ability  and  culture. 


As  a  man  he  was  quiet,  industrious,  energetic  and  honest. 
As  a  citizen,  loyal  and  earnest  in  support  of  the  government, 
while  abstaining  from  earnest  partisan  political  discussions. 

His  disposition  was  mild  and  equable  to  an  unusual  de- 
gree, enabling  him  to  secure  and  retain  his  brethren  in  the 
strongest  bonds  of  Christian  affection. 

He  was  a  kind  husband,  an  affectionate  father,  and  hence 
highly  esteemed  and  tisnderly  loved.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  he  was  from  home,  attending  to  his  duties  as  superin- 
tendent of  schools.  So  severely  aud  rapidly  did  the  disease 
do  its  work,  that  he  was  compelled  just  before  reaching  home 
to  seek  the  residence  of  a  neighbor  as  the  scene  of  the  last 
struggle.  He  died  in  perfect  peace,  March  29,  1869.  He 
was  married,  March  8.  1849,  to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Lamb,  of 
Madison  county,  111.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children. 
Four  of  the  children  preceded  the  father  to  the  spirit 
land.     The  widow  and  six  children  survive  him. 

Profs.  Warren  and  Washington  Leverett,  whose  self- 
denying,  unwearied  and  successful  labors  in  Shurtleff  College 
for  so  many  years  have  inseparably  connected  tht  ir  name, 
with  the  prosperity  and  development  of  Madison  county, 
and  of  the  state,  and  this  college,  were  "  twins  by  birth  and 
twins  in  all  labors  and  a.ssociations  of  life."  They  were 
born  in  Brookline,  Mass.,  December  19,  1805.  Soon  after 
reaching  their  majority  they  united  with  the  First  Baptist 
church  in  Cambridgeport,  Mass.  They  pursued  a  preparatory 
course  of  study  under  ihe  tuition  of  their  elder  brother.  Rev. 
Wm.  Leverett,  of  Roxbury,  and  then  entered  Bruwn  Univer- 
sity in  1825;  graduating  in  1832.  Wa'ren  entered  the  Theo- 
logical  School  at  Newton,  Mass  ,  but  failing  health  compelled 
him  to  abandon  the  course  of  study  he  so  earnestly  coveted. 
In  quest  of  health  he  spent  a  period  in  circulating  Bibles  in 
Charleston,  S.  C  He  afterward  taught  school  in  Lawrence- 
burg  and  Franklin,  Indiana.  Frequent  and  severe  hem- 
orrhage of  the  lungs  compelled  him  to  give  up  all  hope  of 
finishing  his  studies  at  Newton,  and  he  resolved  to  give  his 
life  to  teaching  in  the  Mississippi  valley.  To  enable  him 
the  better  to  fulfil  his  purpose,  as  well  as  to  meet  the  Divine 
instincts  of  his  being,  he  souiiht  a  companion  and  found  just 
such  an  one  as  he  desired  in  Miss  Mary  A.  Brown,  of  Strat- 
ham.  New  Hampshire,  who  was  at  that  time  preceptress  of 
the  Young  Ladies'  Academy  at  Townsend,  Mass.  After 
marriage  they  immediately  came  west.  They  first  began 
labor  in  Greenville,  Bond  county.  After  teaching  there  a 
little  more  than  one  year  he  was  called  to  a  professorship  in 
Shurtleff  College.  His  brother,  Washington,  preceded  him 
the  year  before.  In  1853  he  resigned,  and  for  the  next 
two  years  conducted  a  school  of  a  high  order  in  Upper 
Alton.  H  ewas  then  reelected  to  a  Professorship  in  the 
college,  which  position  he  occupied  until  the  close  of  the 
academic  year,  1867-8.  There  was  the  scene  of  his  active 
life.  He  spent  thirty-five  years  of  his  life  in  Upper  Alton, 
and  twenty-seven  of  the  same  in  the  Faculty  of  Shurtleff 
College.  With  an  assiduity  and  faithfulness  rarely  excelled, 
he  gave  all  his  energies  to  the  intellectual  and  moral  devel- 
opment of  his  pupils.  He  died  at  his  residence  in  Upper  Al- 
ton, November  8,  1872,  of  typhoid  pneumonia,  after  an  ill- 
ness of  three  days.  His  widow  aud  three  chidreu  survive  him- 


HISTORY   OF  MADISOM    COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


313 


Rev.  Hubbel  Loomis  was  born  amid  the  throes  of  the 
Revolution,  May  31,  1775,  in  Colchester,  Conn.  At  the 
age  of  sixteen  he  was  converted.  Impressed  with  the  duty 
of  consecrating  himself  to  the  ministry  he  entered  upon  the 
work  of  thorough  intellectual  and  theological  training.  On 
his  28th  birthday  he  preached  his  first  sermon,  under  license 
from  the  Congregational  Association  of  Ministers,  of  New 
London  county,  Conn.  In  1S04,  he  was  ordained  and 
installed  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  in  Willington, 
Conn.  He  enjoyed  a  profitable  and  pleasant  pastorate  of 
four  years.  But  having  changed  his  views  during  the 
latter  part  of  his  pastorate,  he  was  conscientiously  compelled 
to  seek  a  home  among  the  Baptists.  In  1828  he  was  bap- 
tized and  ordained  to  the  ministry  in  the  Baptist  church. 
He  came  to  Illinois  in  1830,  and  after  teaching  a  brief  period 
in  Kaskaskia,  he  made  his  home  in  Upper  Alton.  In  1834, 
he,  with  si.x  others,  laid  the  foundation  of  a  Baptist  seminary, 
which,  in  union  with  the  removal  of  Rock  Spring  Semiuary> 
subsequently  developed  into  Shurtleft'  College.  He  wa.s  the 
first  principal  of  the  seminary,  and  continued  at  its  head 
until  1836.  when  he  resigned  to  give  place  to  younger  men. 
After  his  resignation  he  resided  in  Upper  Alton  for  thirty- 
six  years,  devoting  the  evening  of  his  day  to  literary  pur- 
suits and  religious  study.  Father  Loomis,  as  he  was 
familiarly  called,  possessed  very  tine  social  qualities,  kind- 
ness, affability,  excellent  conversational  powers,  benevolence, 
conscientiousness,  sympathy  with  the  suffering,  perfect  trans- 
parency of  (jharacter,  and  these  qualities  greatly  endeared 
him  to  his  friends,  and  awakened  in  all  with  whom  he  asso- 
ciated the  kindest  regard,  the  warmest  and  sincerest  respect. 
His  entire  life  was  given  to  study.  After  he  reached  his 
ninety-fourth  year  he  purchased  the  "Ante  Nicene  Fathers," 
and  perused  them,  up  to  a  very  brief  period  before  his  death, 
with  all  the  eagerness,  assiduity  and  interest  of  his  earlier 
years.  His  mind  was  vigorous  and  unclouded  to  the  last ; 
he  was  an  able  preacher,  a  clever  reasoner,  an  exemplary 
citizen,  and  devoted  Christian.  He  died  in  Upper  Alton, 
December  15, 1873,  at  the  advanced  age  of  nearly  ninety- 
eight  years. 

Rev.  Ebexezer  Rodgers  was  born  near  Newport  in  Mon- 
mouthshire, England,  March  17th,  178S.  His  parents  were 
Welsh.  His  father  was  a  dissenter,  a  Baptist,  but  not  a 
preacher.  He  had  two  younger  brothers  who  were  Baptist 
ministers.  In  England  he  pur.-ued  a  course  of  study  prepar- 
atory to  the  Christian  ministry,  and  then  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  in  1818.  After  preaching  a  brief  period  in 
Kentucky  he  went  to  Howard  county  Mo.,  in'1819.  The 
country  was  sparsely  settled,  and  he  devoted  himself  largely 
to  gratuitous  missionary  labor.  He  soon  gathered  a  church, 
over  which  he  was  ordained  pastor.  The  church  soon  num- 
bered 102.  To  preach  the  Gospel  he  frequently  traveled 
long  distances,  over  prairies,  through  forests,  amid  dangers, 
often  sleeping  in  the  open  air  with  his  saddle  for  a  pillow. 
Jn  August  1823,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Parmelia  Jackson, 
who  still  lives  in  Ufper  Alton,  making  her  home  with  her 
youngest  daughter,  Mrs.  Dr.  E.  C.  Lemen.  The  union  was 
a  happy  one.  A  large  family  surrounded  the  paternal 
.hearth.  Four  of  the  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters, 
live  in  and  near  Upper  Alton.  In  1833,  on  his  return  from 
40 


a  visit  to  England  he  passed  through  Alton  and  spent  sevpral 
weeks  with  the  churches  in  Alton  and  Upper  Alton.  The 
result  was  a  call  to  the  pastorate  of  these  two  cburche.*:, 
which  he  accepted.  He  removed  his  family  to  Upper  Alton 
in  November,  1834,  and  began  his  labors.  In  December, 
1835,  he  closed  his  labors  with  the  Alton  church  and  de- 
voted himself  exclusively  to  the  church  at  Upper  Alton. 
Thii  pastorate  continued  until  the  close  of  1838.  After 
1838,  several  churches  in  the  vicinity  enjoyed  his  labors. 
He  baptized  during  his  ministry  about  700,  500  of  whom  he 
baptized  in  Missouri,  the  remainder  in  Illinois.  Father 
Rodgers,  as  he  was  familiarly  called,  was  among  the  first 
and  .strongest  supporters  of  every  benevolent  enterprise  of 
every  denominational  society.  Home  and  foreign  missions, 
the  Bible  cause,  general  and  ministerial  education  found  in 
him  an  able  and  unwavering  advocate  and  firm  supjjoiter. 
His  last  illness  was  characterized  by  that  unwavering  confi- 
dence in  God  that  had  been  his  study  and  delight  in  life. 
He  contemplated  his  change  with  great  composure,  and  en- 
tire resignation ;  said  he,  "  The  doctrines  of  grace  I  have 
found  eminently  adapted  to  me  in  life,  and  i  now  find  them 
all  that  is  necessary  in  death.  God  orders  all  things  right. 
His  will  be  done."  Thousands  heard  the  doctrines  of  the 
Gospel  from  his  lips,  and  hundreds  under  his  ministry  were 
converted.  He  died  at  his  residence  in  Upper  Alton,  sur- 
rounded  by  his  sorrowing  family,  April  2-5th,  1854. 

Rev.  Adiel  Sherwood,  D.  D.,  was  born  in  Fort  Edward, 
N.  Y.,  October  3d,  1791.  He  was  baptized  in  the  17ih  year 
of  his  age  by  Rev.  Mr.  Warrington  of  New  York.  He 
studied  a  season  in  Middlebury  College,  Vt.,  and  subse- 
quently graduated  from  Union  College  at  Schenectady.  He 
graduated  also  from  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Andover. 
After  filling  many  important  positions  he  was  elected  Presi- 
dent of  Shurtleff  College  in  1840,  and  served  the  college  in 
that  capacity  until  1846.  He  then  returned  south  and 
settled  in  Georgia,  where  he  remained  until  the  close  of  the 
civil  war.  After  the  war  he  made  his  home  in  St.  Louis, 
where  he  died  August  19th,  1879,  in  the  88th  year  of  his 
age.  He  was  a  man  of  very  distinguished  ability,  a  pro- 
found scholar,  a  vigorous  thinker  and  writer,  an  eminent 
Biblical  exegete,  an  able  preacher  and  a  noble  man. 

BAPTLST   MINISTERS   WHOSE   LABORS    IX     MADISON    COUNTY 
DESERVE   MENTION   BUT   WHO    DIED    ELSEWHERE. 

Rev  Alvin  Bailey  was  the  first  pastor  of  the  Bajjtist 
church  in  the  city  of  Alton.  He  was  born  in  Westminster, 
Vt.,  Dec.  9,  1802.  He  joined  the  Baptist  church  when  four- 
teen years  of  age.  Graduate<l  at  Hamilton  Literary  and 
Theological  Seminary  in  1S81,  and  soon  thereafter  came  to 
this  county.  He  opened  a  school  in  Upper  Alton,  which 
many  regard  as  the  germ  of  Shurtleff  College.  He  removed 
to  Carrollton,and  became  the  pastor  of  that  church.  He  was 
subsequently  pastor  at  Winchester  and  Jacksonville,  111.  At 
the  latter  place  he  published  "The  Voice  of  Truth"  and 
the  "  Western  Star."  From  1847  to  1853  he  labored  in  the 
state  of  New  York ;  he  then  returned  to  Illinois,  and  was 
pastor  of  the  churches  at  Carroliton  and  Rome.  He  died  in 
the  state  of  New  York,  May  9th,  1SG7.  He  was  one  of  the 


314 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,     ILLINOIS. 


best  Baptist  ministers  that  ever  labored  in  the  state  of  Illi- 
nois 

Rev.  Robert  F.  Ellis,  was  pastor  of  the  Baptist 
church  in  Alton  from  1847  to  1853.  He  was  born  in 
Mxine,  Ojt.  16th,  18>)3,  anil  was  onverteJ  at  the  age  of 
twenty  and  baptized  Dec-  26th,  1830.  In  1833  he  entered 
the  Freshman  class  in  Bowdoin  College.  In  June,  18  34,  he  en- 
tered the  Theological  school  at  Newton,  Mass.,  and  gradua- 
ted in  1838.  He  was  pastor  of  the  Second  Baptist  church  at 
ypringlield,  Mass.,  seven  years.  In  the  spring  of  1845  he"  en- 
tered the  service  of  the  American  Sunday  School  Union,  in 
the  state  of  Missouri.  In  1847  he  became  the  pastor  of  the 
Alton  Baptist  church  and  served  the  church  till  1853,  with 
acceptance  and  usefulness,  and  then  became  corresponding 
editor  of  the  "  ^yester^  Watchman,"  a  Baptist  paper  pub- 
lished in  St.  Louis.  He  died  away  from  home  and  family, 
at  the  residence  of  Deacon  Briggs  in  Clark  county.  Mo., 
July  24th,  1854,  in  the  45th  year  of  his  age.  He  was  an  ex- 
cellent minister,  a  noble  man. 

Rev.  Norman  Nelson  Wood,  D.  D.,  was  president  of 
Shurtleff  College  from  1850  to  1855.  He  was  born  in  Fair- 
fax, Vt ,  May  1st,  1808,  and  died  in  Jacksonville,  Illinois, 
Jan.  21st,  1874,  in  the  66th  year  of  his  age.  In  1835,  when 
27  years  of  age,  he  graduated  from  Middlebury  College,  Vt. 
After  graduation  he  served  for  one  year  as  principal  of  the 
Black  River  Academy,  Vt.  In  1836  he  entered  the  depart- 
ment of  Theology  in  Madison  University,  N.  Y.  In  conse- 
quence of  impaired  health  he  did  not  complete  the  course 
of  study  intended.  In  1838  he  was  ordained  at  the  call  of 
the  Baptist  church  at  Lebanon  Springs,  N.  Y.,  and  became 
jiastor  of  that  church.  In  1842,  he  became  the  pastor  of 
the  church  in  Vicksburg,  Miss.  In  1845  he  btcame  pastor 
of  the  Market  street  church,  Zanesville,  Ohio.  In  1850  he 
became  President  of  Shurtleff  college.  He  filled  this  position 
with  honor  until  1855,  He  subsequently  became  pastor  of 
the  church  in  Palmyra,  Mo.,  and  during  the  rebellion  was 
chaplain  in  the  army.  His  subsequent  life  was  spent  in 
Jacksonville,  Illinois,  where  he  pursued  with  ardor  literary 
labors,  and  for  several  years  filled  the  office  of  Professor  of 
Mental  and  Moral  Philosophy  and  Logic  in  the  "  Young 
Ladies'  Athen;cum  "  of  that  city.  Dr.  Wood  possessed  un- 
usual natural  abilities,  was  highly  cultured  ;  a  man  of  real 
scholarly  attainments,  he  was  a  profound  logician,  thoroughly 
master  of  the  science  of  metaphysics.  His  mind  was  quick, 
l)enetrating,  analytic  and  comprehensive. 

Rtv.  R.  E.  Pattison,  D.  D.,  was  born  in  Benson,  Vt., 
August  16th,  1800.  He  was  converted  at  the  age  of  twenty, 
and  baptized  at  Warsaw,  New  York.  He  graduated  at 
Amherst  College  in  1826.  After  teaching  a  brief  period 
in  the  Academy  at  Amherst  he  became  tutor  in  Columbian 
College,  Washington,  D  C.  In  1828,  he  became  Professor 
of  Mathematics  and  Natural  Philosophy  in  Waterville  Col- 
1"  ge,  IVIaine.  In  1829  he  was  ordained  as  pastor  of  the 
Second  Baptist  Church  in  Salem,  Mass.  In  1830  he  was 
called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  in  Provi- 
dence, R.  I.,  a  position  to  which  he  was  called  a  second  time 
in  1840.  He  was  twice  President  of  Waterville  College, 
Home  Secretary  of  the  Missionary  Union,  President  of  the 


Western  Ba[)tist  Theological  Institution  at  Covington,  Ky. 
Professor  of  Christian  Theology  in  Newton  Theological  Semi- 
nary, Mass.  In  1865,  he  was  elected  to  the  chair  of  Syste- 
matic Theology  and  History  of  Doctrines  in  Shurtleff  Col- 
lege, which  position  he  filled  with  great  popularity  and  effi- 
ciency until  1869,  when  he  resigned.  The  last  four  years  of 
his  life  were  spentin  Chicago  in  connection  with  the  University 
of  Chicago  and  the  Theological  Seminary.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Faculty  of  the  Seminary  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  St.  Louis,  March   21st,  1874. 

Rarely,  if  ever  has  one  man,  filled  with  acceptance  and 
honor,  so  many  important  and  responsible  positions  as 
R.  E.  Pattison  He  possessed  superior  mental  endowments. 
In  all  metaphysical  questions,  the  clearness  of  his  percep- 
tions, and  the  growth  of  his  intellect  gave  him  preeminent 
power,  and  fitted  him  in  an  eminent  degree  for  a  teacher  of 
the  highest  order. 

Nathaniel  Milton  Wood,  D.  D.  was  born  in  Camden, 
Maine,  May  24th,  1822.  He  entered  Waterville  College, 
in  1840,  was  baptized  in  1843,  soon  after  graduated,  and 
went  directly  to  Mississippi  under  the  patronage  of  Gov. 
Tucker  of  that  state  and  served  as  private  tutor  one  year — 
In  1846.  he  entered  the  Theological  Institution  in  Covington, 
Ky.,  under  the  charge  of  Dr.  Pattison — He  was  ordained  as 
pastor  of  the  Bloomfield  Church,  Maine,  in  1874.  His  pas- 
torate continued  four  years — followed  by  a  pastorate  of  eight 
years  at  AVaterville,  Maine.  He  was  pastor  at  LewLston 
six  years,  at  Thomaston  one  and  a  half  years.  In  1868,  he 
became  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Upper  Alton,  Illinois. 
During  his  pastorate  he  performed  acceptable  service,  tem- 
porarily as  a  member  of  the  Faculty  of  Shurtleff  College. 
In  1872,  he  resigned  his  pastorate  and  accepted  in  the  Col- 
lege the  professorship  of  Systematic  Theology.  After  an 
acceptable  service  as  Professor  for  two  years,  he  returned  to 
New  England.  He  died  August  2d,  1876.  In  N.  M. 
Wood,  as  exemplified  in  his  character  and  services,  we  have 
a  beautiful  example  of  the  union  of  rigid  intellectual 
culture,  extensive  learning,  the  purifying  influences  6f  Divine 
grace,  with  great  simplicity  of  spirit,  modesty  in  deport- 
ment, urbanity  in  intercourse,  transparency  in  character,  and 
purity  in  life. 

Though  John  Mason  Peck  was  never  a  resident  of  Mad- 
ison county,  yet  his  Labors  in  early  days  were  so  inseparably 
blended  with  the  early  religious  development  of  the  county 
that  a  brief  sketch  of  his  life  seems  peculiarly  appropriate. 
He  was  born  in  the  parish  of  LitclWield,  South  Farms, 
Conn.,  October  31,  1789.  In  the  20th  year  of  his  age,  he 
married  Miss  Sarah  Paine,  with  whom  he  lived  in  pleasant 
conjugal  relations  nearly  fifty  years ;  by  whom  he  had  seven 
sons  and  two  daughters.  The  wife  and  mother  preceded 
him  to  the  spirit  land.  Shortly  after  marriage,  himself  and 
wife  made  a  public  profession  of  religion,  and  united  with 
the  Congregational  church  in  his  native  town.  Soon  after 
he  removed  to  Green  county,  N.  Y.  There  his  religious 
views  underwent  an  entire  change,  and  he  and  his  wife  united 
with  the  Baptist  church.  Having  studied  for  a  season  with 
Dr.  Staughton  of  Philadelphia,  in  company  with  Rev.  James 
E.  Welch,  under  the  apjwintmeut  of  the  Baptist  Board  of 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


315 


Missions,  he  and  his  family,  in  1817,  removed  to  the  "Great 
West."  He  spent  four  years  in  indefotigable  labors  in  Mis- 
souri, and  then,  in  1821,  located  at  Rock  Spring,  Illinois. 

He  there  organized  a  Theological  and  High  School,  which 
prospered  for  several  years  under  his  faithful  superinten- 
dence. At  one  time  it  numbered  more  than  one  hundred 
students,  some  of  our  most  talented  ministers  and  some  of 
our  most  distinguished  politicians  received  their  education 
at  this  institution  It  was  subsequently  merged  into  Shurt- 
leff  College.  His  unwearied  effiirts  in  favor  of  Rock  Spring 
Seminary  and  of  Shurdeff  College,  afest  the  intensity  of 
his  interest  in  general  and  in  theological  education 

The  degree  of  D.  D.  conferred  upon  him  by  one  of  the 
ohlest  and  most  distinguished  Universities  of  the  U  S  ,  was 
well  merited,  although  it  evoked  the  jealousy  of  some  of  his 
less  favored  brethren.  Hi  vast  store  of  learning,  however, 
was  the  result  of  his  own  superior  natural  endowments, 
directed  by  his  own  personal  efforts,  unaided  by  money, 
friends  or  institutions  of  learning,  if  we  except  perhaps  a 
single  year's  training  under  the  celebrated  Dr.  Staughton  of 
Philadelphia. 

He  was,  in  the  discharge  of  his  ministerial  duties,  faith- 
ful, energetic  and  self-sacrificing.  His  labors  were  varied 
and  extensive.  His  correspondence,  diaries,  journals,  re- 
ports, addresses,  sermons,  debates  and  printed  material,  if 
collected,  would  make  many  volumes.  He  was  perfectly  at 
home  in  science,  in  politics,  in  statesmanship,  as  well  as  in 
religion.  He  exerted  b  )Uiidless  influence  over  the  Lemens, 
through  whose  iifluence,  more  perhaps  than  any  other  men, 
Illinois  became  a  free  state.  Politicians  and  statesmen 
sought  his  opinions,  and  enjoyed  his  companionship. 

In  his  manners,  Dr.  Peck  seemed  to  exhibit  a  degree  of 
coldness,  which  indicated  the  superiority  of  his  intellectual 
over  his  social  or  affectionate  nature,  and  yet  he  had  a  warm 
heart,  and  deeply  sympathized  with  all  in  distress.  He  was 
noble,  generous  and  charitable  in  disposition.  He  possessed 
an  iron  will  that  brooked  no  opposition,  yielded  to  no  ad- 
verse influence,  was  intimidated  by  no  danger.  He  never 
surrendered.  What  he  believed  the  cause  of  the  Master 
demanded,  no  combination  of  adverse  circumstances  could 
deter  him  from  undertaking.  He  was  autocratic  in  his  ten- 
dencies, and  yet  always  ready  to  yield  when  convinced  that 
principle  demanded  it.  In  the  expansiveness  of  his  Christ- 
ian sympathy  he  embraced  the  world.  The  heathen  in 
foreign  lands,  the  Aborigines  of  our  own  country,  the  slaves 
of  the  South,  all  alike  shared  his  labors  and  enjoyed  his 
sympathy. 

The  wholesome  and  affectionate  counsel  given  to  minis- 
ters and  to  church  members  will  be  long  remembered.  The 
last  time  he  ever  attended  public  worship,  he  preached  to 
his  church,  and  closed  with  the  words  of  Simeon  :  "Now, 
Lord,  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace,  for  mine 
eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation,"  and,  bursting  into  a  flood  of 
tears,  he  took  his  seat. 

He  met  the  King  of  Terrors  with  undaunted  courage. 
He  gave  most  minute  directions  relative  to  both  burial  and 
funeral  exercises,  having  even  procured  his  coffin  two  or 
three  days  beforehand,  and  inquiring  if  it  was  paid  for. 


His  death  occurred  March  15,  1858.  On  the  following  day, 
in  accordance  with  his  own  request,  Rev.  James  Lemen 
preached  the  funeral  sermon,  assisted  by  Dr.  Crowell  of  St- 
Louis,  and  Rev.  W.  F.  Boyakin  of  Belleville.  He  was 
buried  in  Rock  Spring  Cemetery,  but  twenty-nine  days  later, 
his  remains  were  removed  to  Bellefontaine  Cemetery,  St. 
Louis,  where  they  remain.  "  They  rest  from  their  labors, 
and  their  works  do  follow  them.' 

Rev.  Is.\ac  Demison  Newell  was  born  in  Tinmouth, 
Vt.,  Nov.  1st,  1793.  Most  of  his  youth  was  spent  on  a  farm. 
After  reaching  his  majority,  he  engaged  for  a  season  in  mer- 
cantile pursuits,  and  then  entered  the  Christian  ministry. 
To  prepare  himself  for  his  work,  he  entered  and  graduated 
at  Madison  University,  N.  Y.  His  energv,  while  in  college, 
led  hira  to  active  and  successful  ministerial  labor.  He  was 
successively  pastor  at  Warren  and  Winfield,  N.  Y.,  and 
Danville,  Vt.,  preaching  often  at  other  places,  among  which 
was  Rutland,  Vt. 

At  this  time  the  richness  and  rapid  settlement  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi Valley  attracted  the  attention  of  the  agriculturalist, 
the  adventurer,  and  the  Church  of  Christ.  Mr.  Newell  was 
eminently  fitted  by  nature  and  cultivation  for  such  a  field, 
and  was  irresistibly  attracted  to  it.  In  1836  he  came  with 
his  family  to  Illinois,  and  settled  in  Rushville,  Schuyler 
county.  Thence,  after  a  successful  pastorate  of  several 
years,  he  removed  to  Leroy.  Subsequently,  he  was  succes- 
sively pastor  at  Bloomington,  Newcastle,  Canton,  and  Peo- 
ria. In  all  these  places  great  spiritual  prosperity  was 
enjoyed.  The  churches  increased  rapidly  in  membership 
and  in  all  the  elements  of  pawer.  In  most  of  them  excel- 
lent houses  of  worship  were  built,  and  the  churches  a-^sumed 
a  position  which  comra  inded  the  confidence  and  respect  and 
secured  the  co-operation  of  the  leading  forces  in  the  social 
and  religious  life  of  the  several  communities. 

In  1847,  at  the  urgent  solicitation  of  the  hoard  of  trustees 
of  Shurtleff  College,  he  resigned  a  pleasant  and  important 
pastorate  at  Peoria,  removed  his  family  to  Upper  Alton,  and 
became  the  financial  agent  of  the  college.  He  brought  to 
his  work  all  the  intensity  of  his  energy  and  all  the  ripeness 
of  his  experience.  He  traveled  extensively,  gained  friends 
for  the  college,  and  added  largely  to  its  financial  prosperity. 
It  was  through  his  influence  that  the  attention  of  Elijah 
Gove,  of  Quincy,  was  directed  to  the  college,  than  whom  no 
man  in  the  west  has  given  more  princely  donations  to  its 
funds.  Leaving  the  service  of  the  college,  he  became  pas- 
tor of  the  church  at  Batavia,  Ills.,  and  then  of  Aurora,  Ills. 
He  was  an  enthusiastic  friend  and  supporter  of  the  "  Amer 
ican  Bible  Union  "  of  New  York,  a  society  devoted  to  the 
revision  of  the  Scriptures  ;  and,  at  the  close  of  his  pastorate 
in  Aurora,  entered  its  service  as  agent.  A  brief  period  of 
service  in  this  capacity  was  followed  by  the  purchase  of  a 
considerable  tract  of  land  in  Iowa,  to  which  he  removed, 
with  the  intention  of  spending  the  evening  of  his  life  in  quiet 
— but  God  had  otherwise  determined. 

In  the  winter  of  1850-7,  he  was  thrown  from  a  sleigh,  and 
received  injuries  which,  it  is  supposed,  hastened  his  death. 
He  gradually  but  rapidly  declined,  and  was  removed  to 
Carrollton,  111 ,  where  he  died  at  the  residence  of  his  soa-in- 


316 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


law,  Rev.  J.  Bulkley,  August  18th,  1857,  in  the  full  posses- 
sion of  his  intellectual  faculties,  and  in  the  assurance  of  a 
glorious  and  blissful  immortality. 

As  a  preacher,  he  was  among  the  very  first  in  the  state  at 
that  time.  He  possessed  superior  natural  ability,  and  had 
enriched  his  mind  by  the  most  thorough  culture  then 
afforded.  He  was  clear,  logical,  analytical,  and  orthodox. 
His  sermons  were  direct,  positive  and  awakening.  He  pos- 
sessed remarkable  powers  of  adaptation  to  the  field  of  labor 
assigned  him,  and  remarkable  power  in  the  execution  of 
any  plan  he  devised.  He  believed  in  special  efforts  for  the 
promotion  of  revivals  of  religion;  hundreds  were  converted 
under  his  ministry.  He  engaged  in  New  York  in  what  were 
then  called  "  Two  Days'  Meetings,"  beginning  on  Friday 
and  closing  Sunday  night.  Extensive  and  wonderful  dis- 
plays of  Divine  power  were  exhibited,  and  great  multitudes 
converted.  In  Illinois,  his  services  in  protracted  meetings 
were  in  great  demand  and  attended  almost  universally  with 
extensive  and  powerful  revivals.  Hundreds  in  Peoria,  Can- 
ton, Bloomington,  Jacksonville,  Springfield,  Alton,  Rush- 
ville,  Leroy,  Newcastle,  and  other  places,  listened  to  his 
fervent  and  eloquent  appeals,  and  scores  bowed  to  the 
authority  of  Jesus  Christ,  under  his  preaching.  He  was 
emphatically  an  organizer.  He  possessed  in  an  eminent 
degree  the  elements  of  earnestness,  activity,  discrimination, 
sound  judgment,  united  with  the  ability  to  comprehend  far- 
reaching  influences,  and  to  grasp  the  forces  about  him,  and 
compel  them  to  subserve  the  interest  to  which  he  was  di- 
recting his  energies.  Hence,  in  connection  with  the  labors 
of  Rev.  Thomas  Powell,  the  foundations  of  the  Illinois  river 
and  McLean  Associations  were  early  laid.  In  the  minutes 
of  the  Illinois  Baptist  Convention,  it  is  declared  that  in 
1839  he  baptized  one  hundred  converts,  many  of  whom  were 
the  leading  spirits  in  these  associations,  and  have  had  much 
to  do  with  shaping  the  destiny  of  the  Baptists  in  Illinois. 
He  was  a  man  of  wonderful  energy.  He  pushed  vigorously 
to  completion  every  enterprise  in  which  he  engaged.  Ob- 
stacles that  would  have  impeded  and  appalled  most  men, 
only  added  determination  to  his  energy,  and  were  made  sub- 
servient to  his  success. 

His  home  was  a  fountain  of  perpetual  sunshine  and  joy. 
When  worn  and  pressed  down  beneath  the  weight  of  heart- 
crushing  responsibilities,  he  instinctively  retired  within  the 
eacred  precincts  of  home.  Home  was  to  him  the  most  per- 
fect earthly  type  of  heaven,  and  he  was  untiring  in  his  efforts 
to  make  it  conform  to  the  Divine  ideal.  His  children  had 
unbounded  confidence  in  the  piety  and  integrity  of  the  father, 
whose  efforts  were  seconded  by  one  of  the  noblest  of  Chris- 
tian wives ;  and  in  early  life  they  all  entered  the  church  of 
their  parents. 

He  was  twice  married — first  to  Miss  Sarah  Green,  daugh- 
ter of  Deacon  Green,  of  Rutland,  Vt.,  to  whom  he  was  mar- 
ried June  2oth,  1826.  She  proved  to  be  exactly  adapted  to 
his  character  and  to  the  labors  of  his  life.  She  possessed 
rare  natural  endowments,  largely  developed  by  intellectual 
culture.  Her  prudent  foresight,  wise  counsel,  ardent  piety, 
heroic  endurance,  inflexible  purpose,  and  domestic  aptitude, 
contributed  largely  to  his  success,  and  she  deserves  to  share 


with  him  the  honor  of  that  success.  Four  children  were 
the  fruits  of  this  marriage.  The  eldest,  Harriet  G.,  was  for 
thirty  years  the  devoted  and  honored  wife  of  Rev.  J.  Bulk- 
ley,  Professor  in  Shurtlefl'  College.  The  second,  George 
Ide,  a  young  man  of  very  great  promise,  died  in  Rochester 
University,  New  York,  while  studying  for  the  Christian 
ministry.  The  third,  Sarah  J.,  formerly  the  wife  of  Herman 
G.  Cole,  of  Chester  and  Upper  Alton,  is  now  the  wife  of 
Prof.  J.  C.C  Clarke,  of  Shurtlefl'College,  a  woman  of  wealth, 
culture,  and  Christian  earnestness.  The  fourth,  Isaac  D., 
served  his  country  during  th'i  rebellion,  was  several  times 
promoted  for  his  gallantry,  until  he  passed  from  the  rank  of 
a  private  to  the  position  of  Commander  of  Gen.  Elliott's 
flagship  in  the  Mississippi  JIarine  Brigade.  He  is  now  a 
worthy  Baptist  minister  in  Glenville,  Nebraska.  Mrs. 
Newell  died  in  Upper  Alton,  Nov.  23,  18.54.  His  second 
wife  was  Miss  Cecilia  E.  Bishop,  of  Philadelphia.  She  is 
an  intelligent  Christian  lady,  who,  since  the  death  of  her 
husband,  has  lived  and  still  lives  in  Upper  Alton,  respected, 
useful,  and  beloved. 

Elder  Jacob  V.  Rhoads  was  born  in  Hardin  county, 
Kentucky,  March  30th,  1793.  He  spent  his  minority  with  his 
father,  in  the  faithful  discharge  of  his  filial  duties.  He  was 
converted  in  1811,  and  in  1812  baptized  into  the  fellowship 
of  the  Rock  Creek  Inited  Baptist  church  in  Kentuckj^. 
He  was  licensed  to  preach  by  this  church  in  1821 — and  in 

1831  ordained.  In  1831  he  emigrated  to  Illinois,  and  in 
October  settled  at  Rhoads'    Point,  Macoupin  county.     In 

1832  a  church  was  constituted  at  this  point,  of  which  he  be- 
came pastor,  and  retained  the  pastorate  for  27  consecutive 
years  ;  probably  the  longest  pastorate  ever  held  by  a  Baptist 
minister  in  Illinois.  He  aided  in  the  constitution  of  17 
churches,  and  at  different  times  was  pastor  of  13  of  them. 
During  his  life  he  was  pastor  of  17  churches.  For  more 
than  fifty  years  his  life  was  one  of  unremitting  toil,  self- 
abnegation  and  sacrifice  for  the  good  of  others.  His  name 
was  widely  known,  and  his  influence  immeasurable.  His 
ministry  was  peculiarly  successful.  He  seemed  exactly 
adapted  to  reach  the  masses,  and  hundreds  were  converted 
under  his  preaching.  His  leading  elements  of  character 
were  an  inflexible  purpose,  and  an  unwavering  zeal — inde- 
fatigable industry,  and  spotless  integrity,  tender  conscien- 
tiousness and  unyielding  devotion  to  principle.  He  was  a 
good  citizen,  an  affectionate  husband,  a  tender  and  a  loving 
father,  a  devoted  Christian  man.  He  died  with  armor  on. 
Stricken  down  with  paralysis,  in  187i,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  78,  he  fell  asleep.  During  his  last  hours  he  gave  clearest 
evidence  that  the  cause  of  Christ  had  the  first  place  in  his 
heart. 

Rev.  Aaron  Teabue  was  of  French  parentage,  and  born 
in  Woodford  county,  Kentucky,  Jan.  2d,  1793,  and  died  in 
Jersey  county,  Illinois,  December  29th,  1877,  at  the  age  of 
85  years.  His  early  life  was  spent  on  a  firm.  In  the  war 
of  1812  he  served  under  William  Henry  Harrison  for  two 
years.  He  was  in  the  cavalry  service,  and  engaged  in  many 
battles — one  of  which,  on  the  head  waters  of  the  Waba^^ll 
was  very  severe.  He  was  converted  and  baptized  in  1810. 
He  was  licensed  to  preach  by  Mt.  Gilead  Baptist  church  in 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON   COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


317 


Todd  county,  Kentucky,  January  21st,  1832,  and  ordained 
by  the  same  church,  March  23d,  1833.  lu  1837  he  emi- 
grated to  Illinois,  and  settled  in  Upper  Alton,  where  be 
remained  till  1844,  when  he  removed  to  Montgomery  county, 
and  thence  in  1847  to  Jersey  county,  where  he  remained 
until  his  death.  His  field  of  labor  embraced  Logan  and 
Todd  counties,  Kentucky  ;  Madison,  Montgomery  and  Jer- 
sey counties,  Illinois.  We  do  not  claim  for  him  the 
highest  order  of  talent,  but  he  was  emphatically  a  good  man, 
and  a  good  preacher.  His  preaching  was  experimental,  sim- 
ple, hortatory  and  scriptural.  His  entire  life  was  charac- 
terized by  industry,  integrity,  conscientiousness,  charity, 
sociability,  ardent  friendship,  strong  domestic  attachment, 
simple,  child-like  faith,  and  conscientious  devotion  to  the 
doctrines  and  practices  of  the  Baptist  church. 

His  disease  was  cancer  on  the  nose,  or  scrofula.  For  long, 
weary  months,  with  anxiety  approaching  impatience,  and 
yet  with  wonderful  fortitude  and  peaceful  resignation,  he 
awaited  the  summons  of  his  Master. 

BAPTIST  MISISTER3  NOW  LIVING  IN  THE  COUNTY. 

Prof.  WAsniNoroN  Leverett,  LL.D  ,  born  in  Brookline, 
Mass.,  Dec.  19th,  1805.  Between  the  ages  of  14  and  21, 
worked  on  a  farm  near  Rutland,  Vt.  United  with  the  First 
Baptist  Church,  Cambridgeport,  Mass ,  soon  after  21  years 
of  age,  graduated  from  Brown  University  in  1832,  im- 
mediately afterward  completed  the  theological  course  of 
study  at  Newton,  Mass.  Prof  of  Mathematics  and  Natural 
Philosophy  in  Shurtleff  College  from  1836  to  1853,  and 
acting  President  of  the  College,  during  this  lime  from  1836 
to  1841  and  again  from  1846  to  1849.  Resigned  as  Pro- 
fessor in  1853,  re-elected  in  1855  and  served  till  1868. 
Since  186S  resided  in  Upper  Alton,  serving  the  college  as 
Librarian,  Curator,  and  treasurer,  and  most  of  the  time 
Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Trustees. 

Rev.  a.  a.  Kenwrick,  D.  D.,  born  in  Ticonderoga,  N.  Y. 
Jan.  7th,  1836.  After  receiving  his  primary  education  he 
pursued  a  course  of  study  in  Granville  Academy,  Wash- 
ington Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  later  entered  Middlebury  College^ 
Vt.,  where  he  took  a  partial  course,  and  subsequently  in 
May  1861  graduated  from  Rochester  Theological  Seminary. 
Previous  to  his  theological  studies  he  had  studied  law,  been 
admitted  to  the  bar,  and  had  practiced  law  one  year  in 
Wisconsin  and  one  year  in  St.  Louis.  In  1861  he  became 
pastor  of  the  North  Baptist  Church  of  Chicago.  In  Jan- 
uary 1875  he  removed  to  St  Louis,  served  one  and  a-half 
years  as  assistant  pastor  of  the  Second  Baptist  Church,  and 
then  served  the  Beaumont  Street  Baptist  Church  as  pastor 
till  June  1872,  when  he  became  President  of  Shurtleff  Col- 
lege, a  position  which  he  still  occupies. 

Rev.  Prof.  J.  C  C-  Clarke,  born  in  Providence,  R.  I., 
where  he  lived  until  seventeen  years  of  age.  He  received 
an  English  education  in  the  grammar  and  high  schools  of 
that  city.  He  prepared  himself  for  business  by  thorough 
education,  but  the  purpo.se  of  his  life  having  been  entirt  ly 
changed  by  his  conversion,  he  joined  a  Baptist  Church  in 
Brooklyn,  and  in  1854  he  commenced  study  for  the  Chris- 
tian  ministry.     He  was  gratuated   from   the  University  of 


Rochester,  N.  Y.,  in  1859,  and  from  Rochester  Theological 
Seminary  in  1861.  From  Si'ptember  1861  to  May  1865  he 
was  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  at  Youkers,  N.  Y.  In 
the  fall  of  1865  he  for  one  year  supplied  the  place  of  the 
absent  Prof,  of  Greek  in  the  University  of  Chicago.  In  the 
following  year  he  officiated  as  Professor  in  several  depart- 
ments in  the  Baptist  Theological  Seminary  of  Chicago,  and 
preached  for  the  North  Baptist  Church,  was  pastor  at  Madi- 
son, Wis.,  from  May  1867  to  November  1870.  He  then  be- 
came Professor  of  Intellectual  and  Moral  Philosophy  in 
Mt.  Auburn  Young  Ladies'  Institute,  at  Cincinnati,  and 
pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  there,  a  little  more  than  two 
years,  then  pastor  in  1873  of  the  Beaumont  Street  Baptist 
Church,  St.  L)uis.  In  September  1875  he  accepted  the 
Professorship  of  Greek  iu  Shurtleff  C  illege,  teaching  also 
French,  German,  Hebrew,  and  Biblical  Interpretation.  He 
still  occupies  this  position. 

Rev.  L.  a.  Abbott  was  born  in  Beverly,  Ma^s ,  1824; 
was  converted  and  baptized  at  the  age  of  fourteen.  In 
early  life  he  followed  the  sea.  After  having  pursued  a 
course  of  study  at  Worcester  Academy,  Mass.,  he  made 
several  voyages  as  mate  and  as  master  of  a  vessel.  He  was 
ordained  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  iu  Milford,  Mass.,  in 
185-5,  and  was  pastor  in  that  state  thirteen  years;  was  pastor 
at  Rochester,  Minn.,  four  y£ars;  at  La  Crosse,  Wis.,  .seven 
years.  He  became  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  in  Alton  in 
April,  1879,  a  position  which  he  still  holds.  Before  he 
entered  the  ministry  he  wa.s  twice  elected  to  the  Legislature 
of  Mass.,  and  afterward  served  three  sessions  more,  making 
five  sessions  in  all.  He  served  on  such  committees  as 
"Accounts,"  "Military  Affairs,"  " Soldiers'  Bounties," 
"Education,"  etc.  He  is  now  in  the  prime  of  life — useful, 
energetic  and  highly  esteemed. 

Rev.  J.  F.  Hoefflin  was  born  November  13, ,  in 

the  Grand  Duchy  of  Baden,  Germany.  Came  to  America 
in  March,  1857  ;  was  converted  and  baptized  in  New  York 
City,  in  August,  1857 ;  was  educated  in  Rochester,  N.  Y. ; 
was  ordained  pastor  of  the  First  German  Baptist  church,  of 
Chicago,  111 ,  July  16, 1868.  He  first  came  to  Illinois  in  1868, 
and  to  Madison  county  iu  October,  1881,  as  pastor  of  the 
German  Baptist  church  in  Fosterburg,  a  position  which  he 
occupies  at  present,  July,  1882.  Rev.  T.  W.  B.  Dawson, 
an  aged  veteran,  lives  at  Troy.  Rev.  Robert  Gibson  is 
a  practicing  physician  at  Alton.  There  are  several  others 
living  in  the  county. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  a  large  number  of  Baptist 
ministers,  some  dead,  others  now  living  outside  of  Madison 
county,  have  performed  valuable  service  in  the  cause  of  the 
Redeemer.  Rev.  Adiel  Sherwood,  formerly  President  of 
Slwirtleff  College,  dead  ;  Rev.  R.  Kimball,  dead  ;  Rev.  Elijah 
Dodson,  dead  ;  Rev.  J.  Merriara,  dead  ;  Rev.  J.  F.  Tolman, 
dead;  Rev.  John  Brown,  dead  ;  Rev.  John  Padon,  dead; 
Rev.  L.  C.  Carr,  dead;  Rev.  Dwight  Ives,  D.  D.,  dead: 
James,  Josiah,  Joseph  and  Moses  Lemen,  all  dead,  and  many 
others.  Among  those  still  living,  but  not  in  Madison  county. 
Rev.  D.  Read.  D.  D,  former  President  of  Shurtleff  College, 
now  pastor  at  Bloomiugton,  111. ;  Rev  J.  B.  Hopper,  Bunker 
Hill;  Rev.  Melviu    Jameson,  former  pastor  at  Alton,  now 


318 


HISTORY  OF' MADISON   COUNTY,    IILINOIS. 


niis.*ionary  in  Burniah  ;  Rev.  Thomas  G.  Field, former  pastor 
at  Alton,  now  pastor  at  Winona,  jNIIiiu.  ;  Rev.  William  J. 
Chapin,  Rev.  J.  11.  Mize,  Rev.  Luke  Dillard,  Rev.  J.  F. 
Howard,  Rev.  R.  Gibson,  Rev.  R.  Johnson  (colored),  and 
many  others.  The  extent,  value  and  influence  of  these  men 
can  only  be  estimated  by  Him  who  knows  the  secrets  of  all 
hearts,  and  perfectly  unravels  the  tangled  web  of  human 
influence. 

THE   EDWARDSVILLE   BAPTIST   ASSOCIATION. 

By  invitation  of  the  Baptist  churches  of  Edwardsville. 
Rock  Spring  and  Upper  Alton  a  conference  of  ministers 
and  brethren  was  held  at  Edwardsville  October  16,  and 
days  following,  1830.  The  principal  object  of  this  meeting 
was  to  bring  about  a  general  union  of  the  Baptists  of  the 
state.  During  the  se.ssion  of  this  conference,  the  Edwards- 
ville Baptist  Association  was  organized  by  delegates  from  the 
three  churches  above  mentioned.  This  was  the  first  Baptist 
Association  in  the  state  of  Illinois,  that  was  open,  avowed  and 
active  in  its  support  of  missions,  and  the  various  objects  of 
benevolence.     The  following  is  its 

SUMMARY   OF   FAITH. 

The  "  Association  thinks  the  following  sentiments  (among 
many  others)  are  revealed  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  viz. ; 
The  self-existence  of  one  infinite  and  Holy  God,  as  revealed 
in  three  persons.  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Spirit, — the  eternal 
and  essential  deity  of  Christ, — the  entire  depravity  of  the 
human  heart;  the  perfect  purity  and  unalterable  obligation 
of  the  divine  law,  that  requires  supreme  love  to  God  and 
corresponding  aflections  to  mankind — the  necessity  of  a 
change  of  heart,  or  the  new  birl4*,  effected  by  the  Divine 
Spirit  as  the  agent,  and  the  word  of  God  as  the  means — the 
duty  of  every  sinner  who  hears  the  Gospel  to  repent  and 
belieye  in  Christ,  and  that  a  wicked  heart,  in  which  consists 
his  helplessness  is  no  excuse;  the  perseverance  of  the  saints; 
the  duty  of  every  believer  to  be  immersed  in  the  name  of 
the  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Spirit — the  strict  and  entire  in- 
dependence of  each  church,  or  religious  congregation,  in  all 
government  and  discipline,— the  duty  of  every  believer  to 
conform  to  all  the  laws  of  Christ ;  our  obligation  to  observe 
the  Lord's  day,  or  Christian  Sabbath — the  resurrection  of 
the  dead,  and  final  judgment — with  the  eternal  punishment 
of  the  wicked  and  salvation  of  the  righteous." 

The  association  worked  under  the  constitution  adopted  at 
Edwardsville  without  change  until  its  session  at  Nokomis, 
Oct.  4th,  1878,  when  it  revised  and  enlarged  its  constitution. 
Its  essential  features,  however,  are  unchanged. 

At  that  time,  however,  Oct.  4th,  1878,  its  summary  of  faith 
•was  greatly  enlarged  and  quite  materially  changed. 

This  body  has  been  in  active  operation  for  more  than  half 
a  century.  Under  its  influence  originated  'The  Illinois 
Baptist  Education  Society."  "  The  Baptist  Convention  of 
Illinois  "  which  in  1844,  united  at  Canton,  Illinois,  with  the 
North-western  Baptist  convention  and  formed  the  present 
"Illinois  Baptist  General  Association." 

Prominent  and  far-seeing  men  then  living  at  Rock  Spring, 
Edwardsville  and  Upper  Alton,  looking  out  upon  the  future  of 


this  great  commonwealth,  felt  the  pressing  necessity  of  lay- 
ing broad,  deep  and  permanent,  the  foundations  of  the 
Baptist  faith.  They  planned  wisely  as  the  present  prosperity 
of  the  denomination  in  the  state  now  testifies.  From  a 
handful  in  1830,  the  denomination  in  Illinois  has  increased 
until  it  now  numbers  42  a-sociations,  892  churches,  938 
ministers,  626  of  whom  are  pastors.  Baptized  in  1881, 
3,244:  whole  number  64,094. 

In  1830,  there  was  not  iu  Illinois  a  single  association  that 
was  progressively  earnest  in  its  support  of  missions,  Sunday- 
schools,  temperance,  the  Bible  cause,  ministerial  education 
and  other  benevolent  institutions  and  causes.  The  "  Ed- 
wardsville Association"  from  the  beginning,  was  open, 
avowed  and  earnest  in  support  of  all  the  benevolent  enter- 
prises of  the  day.  Rock  Spring  Seminary  and  Shurtleff" 
College  had  their  origin  and  support  in  the  active  beneficence 
of  this  association. 

The  question  of  slavery  was  introduced  in  the  session  of 
1837,  was  earnestly  discussed  and  condemned,  as  unjust,  un- 
scriptural  and  wicked. 

After  the  organization  churches  united  with  this  body  as 
follows  : 

Bluffdale,  Green  co.,  July  26th,  1833,  with  32  members; 
Lower  Alton,  July  27th,  1833,  with  21  members;  Piasa 
(Brighton)  July  2-5th,  1834,  with  11  members;  Carlinville, 
May  22J,  183.5,  with  10  members;  Woodburn,  May  20th, 
18o6,  with  18  members;  Shoal  Creek,  May  20th,  1836,  with 
17  members;  St.  Charles,  Mo,,  May  20th,  1836,  with  10 
members;  Greenville,  with  16  members;  Forks  of  Wood 
River,  with  16  members  ;  and  Paddock's  Prairie  with  9  mem- 
bers ;  May  2Bth,  1837  ;  Hillsborough,  May  22d,  1840,  with 
22  members  ;  Bunker  Hill,  May  21st,  1841,  with  2.5  mem- 
bers ;  Providence  (near  Chouteau  Island)  May  26th,  1843, 
with  9  members  ;  Spanish  Needle  prairie.  May  24th,  1844, 
with  27  members;  Greenville,  May  26th,  1848,  with  19 
members;  a  new  church  organized  July  4th,  1847,  the  old 
church  having  disappeared  from  the  minutes  in  1845  ;  Rat- 
tan's Prairie,  Sept.  25th,  1849,  with  13  members;  New  Hope 
with  65  members,  and  Bethlehem  with  24  members,  May 
23d,  1851  ;  Staunton,  with  63  members,  and  Union,  Bond 
CO  ,  with  14  members.  May  23d,  1853;  New  Salem,  with  23 
members,  Sept.  22d,  1864;  Litchfield,  with  15  members, 
Sept.  25th,  1850  ;  Marine  Prairie,  with  29  members  and 
Walnut  Grove,  Bond  county  with  34  members,  Sept.  25th, 
1857;  Nokomis,  with  8  members,  Sept.  24th,  18.58;  Butler, 
with  12  members,  Sept.  23d,  1859  ;  Nilwood,  with  17  mem- 
bers, Oct.  13th,  1866  ;  Shipman,|with  16  members,  Oct.  12th, 
1867  ;  Milton,  with  37  members,  Oct  8th,  1869  ;  Pleasant 
Grove,  Christian  CO.,  with  12  members,  Oct.  11th,  1872; 
Hillsborough  (a  new  church),  with  16  members  and  ^''oster- 
burg  (German)  with  88  members,  Sept.  29th,  1876  ;  Beth- 
alto,  with  47  membei-s,  Oct.  3d,  1879;  Union  Avenue, 
Litchfield,  with  62  members,  Sept.  30th,  1881. 

The  above  are  the  dates  of  the  first  admission  of  these 
churches.  Many  of  them  after  several  years  became  too  weak 
to  report  by  letter  or  messenger  and  were  dropped  from  the 
minutes,  others  disappeared  for  a  season  and  again  returned, 
others,  still,  took    letters   of    dismission   and    united    with 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


319 


other  associations.  In  one  or  two  instances  as  in  Edwards- 
ville  and  Hillsborough,  the  church  became  extinct,  and  after 
several  years  reorganized.  The  Providence  church  on  the 
American  Bottom  was  dispersed  by  the  flood  of  1844. 
The  Kock  Spring  church  disbanded  between  the  sessions  of 
the  association  in  1849  and  1850. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  47  churches,  including  the  three 
constituent  churches,  have  been  members  of  this  body.  The 
first  church  whose  membership  reached  100  was  the  Upper 
Alton  church.  In  1838,  it  reported  40  baptisms,  41  received 
by  letter  and  a  membership  of  132.  In  1841,  Alton  city 
reached  a  membership  of  108.  In  the  year  1864,  Upper 
Alton  reached  a  membership  of  200.  In  1870  Alton  re- 
ported a  membership  of  238  and  Upper  Alton  of  220. 
From  this  time  Alton  leads,  steadily  growing  in  member- 
ship until  its  greatest  number  was  reached  in  1879;  319. 
The  greatest  number  attained  by  the  Upper  Alton  church 
was  in  1^80,  when  it  reported  289.  These  are  the  strongest 
churches  in  the  association. 

sr.MMABy. 

AV hole  number  received  by  baptism 3,083 

' "    letter 2,134 

''  '■  "  ■'    e.\perience 263 

'•  "      restored 51 

Whole  number  dismissed  by  letter 2,291 

"  "         dropped 90 

"  "        excluded  . 703 

"  "        died 532 

Present  number 1,320 


THE  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 

COMPILED     rXDER    THE    SUPERVISION    OF    THE     RT.     REV. 
BISHOP  P.    J.    BALTES. 

Cathedral  of  Saints  Peter  and  Paul,  Alton. — In  the  year 
1S40,  we  find  some  fourteen  Catholic  families  in  Alton,  and 
its  neighborhood.  Amongst  them  were  Andrew  Clifford, 
Thomas  Clifford,  Sebastian  Wise,  Peter  Wise,  Christian 
Walter,  Mr.  Gutiweiler,  Mr.  Dooling,  etc.  At  this  date  ser- 
vice was  held  in  a  small  frame  building  in  Upper  Alton, 
owned  by  Mr.  Clifford.  Father  George  Hamilton,  previ- 
ously residing  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  attended  this  mission. 
He  resided  here  till  the  spring  of  1841,  and  boarded  with 
Mr.  Clifford,  of  Upper  Alton.  In  December  1841  Father 
Michael  Carroll  succeeded  Father  Hamilton,  and  resided 
lierc  till  1857.  In  the  spring  of  1842,  a  lot  was  bought  on 
Third  street,  on  which  site  the  Unitarian  church  now  stands^ 
The  erection  of  a  stone  church  was  commenced  during  this 
year  and  finished  in  1843.  In  1853  this  church  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire.  After  this  accident  service  was  held  in  a 
hall  on  Third  and  State  Streets,  over  Hart's  livery  stable. 
Subsequently  a  lot  was  secured  on  State  street,  and  a  large 
stone  church  erected  on  it,  which  is  now  Sts.  Peter  and  Paul's 
Cathedral.  Service  was  first  held  in  this  new  but  yet  unfin- 
ished church  in  1856.  The  City  of  Alton  was  raised  to  the 
dignity  of  an  Episcopal  See  by  a  Bull  of  Pope  Pius  IX., 
January  9lh,  1857,  and  Rt.  Rev.   Henry  Damian   Juncker> 


appointed  its  first  bishop.  He  was  consecrated  by  Arch- 
bishop Purcell,  in  the  Cathedral  at  Cincinnati,  April  26th,  .-,{"'] 
IS??,  and  arrived  at  Alton,  the  following  month.  Bishop  /  '^  * 
Jtfincker,  was  born  at  Fenestrange  in  the  province  of  Lor- 
raine, France,  August  22d,  1809,  was  ordained  priest, 
March  16th,  1834,  and  died  at  Alton,  October  2d,  1868. 
September  24th  1869,  Rt.  Rev.  Peter  Joseph  Baltes  was  ap- 
pointed to  succeed  Bishop  Juncker.  He  was  consecrated  in 
St.  Peter's  church  at  Belleville,  Illinois,  January  23d,  1870, 
and  came  to  Alton  February  3d,  following.  Bishop  Baltes 
is  a  native  of  the  Rhenish  province  of  Bavaria,  Germany, 
born  April  7th,  1827,  and  came  to  America,  with  his  parents 
in  the  spring  of  1833.  He  is  the  first  Roman  Catholic 
Bishop  ever  consecrated  within  the  limits  of  the  State  of 
Illinois.  When  Bishop  Juncker  arrived  at  Alton  there  was 
not  a  Catholic  church  between  Alton  and  Carlinville, 
nor  between  Alton  and  Jacksonville.  Litchfield,  East  St. 
Louis,  Grafton,  and  all  surrounding  places,  for  many 
miles  which  at  that  time  had  no  churches,  were  attended 
from  Alton. 

ST.  Mary's  germas  rom.\n  catholic  church,  altox. 

The  corner-stone  of  this  church  was  blessed  in  1858.  It 
was  finished  and  service  held  in  it  in  1859.  June  2d,  1860, 
this  church  was  blown  down  by  a  tornado.  Rev.  F.  A.  Os- 
trop,  the  first  resident  rector  of  the  church  who  was — though 
not  injured, — buried  under  its  ruins,  had  it  rebuilt  soon 
after.  To  accomplish  this,  he  took  up  collections  even  out- 
side of  the  diocese,  and  delivered  lectures  for  the  same  end. 

Flourishing  Catholic  parochial  schools  have  been  in  exist- 
ance  from  the  time  Bishop  Juncker  took  posession  of  the 
see  of  Alton.  For  some  years  secuLr  teachers  had  charge 
of  these  schools.  In  1860,  the  Brothers  of  the  Cross  took 
charge  of  the  parochial  school  connected  with  the  Cathedral. 
The  Sisters  of  Notre  Dame  have  charge  of  St.  Mary's  paro- 
chial school  since  1875.  Besides  the  above,  the  Ursuline 
Convent  and  Academy  were  founded  in  1860.  St.  Joseph's 
Hospital  in  charge  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  was  opened 
1865.  The  Bishop's  fine  palace  was  erected  1863.  It  was 
partly  destroj-ed  by  fire  May  25,1877,  but  was  immediately 
rc-built.  Alton  has  at  present  a  Catholic  population  of  not 
less  than  three  thousand. 

EDWARDSVILLE,  ST.  MARV'S   CHURCH. 

In  Edwardsville,  service  was  first  held  between  the  years 
1835  and  1840  in  the  dwelling-houses  of  Jlrs.  McCabe,  IMrs. 
Bartlett  and  Mr.  IMichael  Murray.  The  first  two  mentioned 
places  were  situated  in  that  part  of  the  city  called  "down 
town,"  now  the  third  ward  ;  the  last  mentioned  place  is  situ- 
ated one  mile  ea.st  of  the  town,  on  the  Hillsboro  road.  The 
first  church  was  built  in  1843  ;  its  title  is  "  The  Immaculate 
Conception  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  i\Iary.  "  When  service 
was  first  held  the  Catholic  families  numbered  from  seven  to 
ten.  After  the  separation  of  the  Germans  from  it,  it  still 
has  about  seventy-five  families.  The  congregation  has  had 
a  resident  rector  since  1859,  with  an  occasional  interregnum. 
Rev.  L.  Hinssen  was  the  first  resident  rector. 


320 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


EDWAEDSVILLE,    ST.   BONIFACES   CHURCH. 

About  1867  the  Catholic  Gerniaus  of  Edwardsville  came 
to  the  coDclusion  to  erect  a  church  for  themselves.  A  place 
was  bought,  and  brick  yard  erected.  On  the  2d  of  June, 
1S69,  the  corner-stone  of  St.  Boniface's  church  was  blessed 
by  Very  Rev.  P.  J.  Baltes,  of  Belleville,  Illinois.  Rev.  A. 
Rustigc  was  its  first  resident  rector.  On  the  first  Sunday  of 
October  of  the  same  year  service  was  held  in  the  new  church. 
There  is  a  flourishing  Catholic  parochial  school  connected 
■with  this  church.  Of  the  two  Catholic  congregations  of 
Edwardsville  this  is  now  the  larger  ;  it  numbers  about  one 
hundred  and  seventy-five  families. 

ST.  Paul's  church,  highland. 

The  first  Catholic  Church  of  Highland  was  built  and  di- 
vine service  held  in  it  in  1844.  It  was  a  frame  structure,  40  | 
X  25,  which  has  been  converted  into  a  school-house  for  boys. 
There  were  about  2-5  families  in  Highland  at  this  time. 
Divine  service  was  held  in  difierent  houses  as  early  as  1841. 
The  new  church,  110  x  45,  was  built  under  Rev.  P.  Lima- 
cher  between  1854  and  1856.  Its  cost  maybe  set  down 
at  §10,000 ;  but  to  complete  it  took  at  least  as  much 
again.  The  first  divine  service  was  held  in  this  church 
Easter  Sunday,  1856.  The  Catholic  school  dates  from  1851, 
taught  at  first  by  secular  teachers.  Under  the  Rectorship  of 
Rev.  P.  Peters,  a  convent  of  the  Sisters  of  Notre  Dame  was 
erected  at  Highland  in  1866  ;  since  that  time  the  sisters  of 
Notre  Dame  and  a  secular  teacher  have  conducted  this 
school.  In  1878,  under  the  Rectorship  of  Rev.  Jos.  Meckel 
the  congregation  erected  a  fine  hospital  of  which  the  Sisters 
of  the  Third  Order  of  St.  Francis  have  charge.  The  sick 
of  all  denominations  are  admitted  to  this  institution.  The 
congregation  has  had  a  resident  priest  since  1851.  The 
number  of  practical  families  at  present  is  about  250.  The 
church  of  Highland  is  in  a  prosperous  condition. 

SAINTS  PETER  AND  PAUL's  CHURCH,  AT  COLLINSVILLE. 

Catholic  service  was  first  held  in  this  neighborhood  by 
Father  Carroll  from  Alton,  in  1856,  at  the  residence  of  Mr. 
Octavius  Lumaghe's,  east  of  Collinsville.  It  appears  towards 
the  close  of  the  same  year,  Father  Carroll,  assisted  by  Fa- 
ther Cavanaugh,  dedicated  the  first  church,  a  brick  build- 
ing, 25  X  50  feet,  which  still  froms  part  oi'the  present  build- 
ing. When  the  church  was  built,  there  were  from  12  to  15 
Catholic  families  here.  It  being  a  mining  district,  the  popu- 
lation is  fluctuating ;  though  there  are  over  200  families  of 
Catholics,  not  more  than  120  families  can  be  counted  practi- 
cal Catholics.  The  congregation  has  a  good  Catholic 
parochial  school,  taught  by  two  lay  teachers.  150  children 
are  enrolled.  Father  Reiss  appears  as  the  first  resident  rec- 
tor. He  resided  here  in  1858.  In  18^0  the  sanctuary  and 
transept  of  a  new  Gothic  church  was  erected,  serving  at 
present  as  an  addition  to  the  old  church.  The  new  church 
will  be  completed  within  a  few  years,  and  then  be  numbered 
amongst  the  handsomest  churches  in  Madison  county. 

BLACK    JACK. 

St.  John's  Church,  Black  Jack,  situated  in  Jarvis  town- 


ship. There  was  a  frame  church  erected  here  in  the  country 
in  1856.  This  congregation  never  increased  much,  on 
account  of  the  large  number  of  Catholic  churches  which 
sprung  up  in  the  neighboring  towns,  many  of  which  were 
partially  made  up  by  families  taken  from  it.  The  members 
of  this  church  are  generally  well  to  do  farmers,  and  have 
as  a  rule,  kept  up  a  Catholic  school.  They  have  a  fine 
graveyard  and  other  church  property,  but,  the  congregation 
being  small,  has  never  had  a  resident  j)riest.  It  now  num- 
bers about  25  families. 

ST.  ELIZABETH   CHURCH,  JIARINE. 

Marine  formerly  constituted  a  part  of  the  congregation  of 
Highland.  The  origin  of  this  Catholic  congregation  may 
be  dated  back  to  the  year  1856,  when  Jacob  Brockhaus  and 
Patrick  Carroll,  both  old  settlers  in  this  section  of  the 
county,  headed  a  subscription  list  for  building  a  Catholic 
church  by  signing  $300  each.  The  number  of  Catholic 
families  here  at  that  time  being  only  about  15,  others  assisted 
their  Catholic  friends  in  raising  the  amount  signed  to  S1500. 
The  present  brick  building,  (34x50  feet),  was  erected  in 
1857,  on  an  elevated  piece  of  ground  (350  x  200  feet),  partly 
donated  by  August  Versen.  Rev.  Paul  Limacher,  rector  of 
St  Paul's  church,  Highland,  of  which  congregation,  as 
already  stated.  Marine  had  hitherto  been  a  part,  came  to 
celebrate  the  first  mass  in  this  new  building  on  Easter  ]Mon- 
day,  1859.  Rev.  Peter  Peters  attended  the  congregation  for 
nearly  seven  years,  every  third  Sunday.  The  present  par- 
sonage was  erected  in  1868,  at  a  cost  of  about  S3000.  Rev- 
L.  Hinssen  was  the  first  resident  rector.  The  congregation 
has  supported  a  parochial  school  since  1868,  which  s'nce  1877, 
was  conducted  in  the  new  school  building  erected  at  a  cost 
of  $1,500.  Last  year  a  building  fund  was  established  for  a 
new  church,  (38  x  75  feet),  which  will  be  erected  next  spring. 
The  steeple  will  be  over  100  feet  high,  and  will  contain  a 
nice  chime  of  bells,  donated  in  1879  by  two  ladies  of  the 
congregation.  The  number  of  families  at  present  is  about 
100. 

ST.    martin's   CHURCH,   BETHALTO. 

Bethalto  formerly  constituted  a  part  of  the  cathedral  con- 
gregation of  Alton.  Catholic  service  was  first  held  in  1858,  in 
a  little  frame  house  belonging  to  the  Madison  Coal  Compa- 
ny, two  miles  north  of  Bethalto.  The  church,  a  frame 
building,  was  put  up  in  1861  The  Rt.  Rev.  Henry  Damian 
Juncker,  Bishop  of  Alton,  blessed  the  corner-stone  of  this 
church  in  the  month  of  May  of  that  year.  When  service 
was  first  held  there  were  about  27  Catholic  families.  The 
congregation  has  a  good  parsonage  and  a  resident  rector 
since  1879,  but  has  not  yet  been  able  to  keep  up  a  Catholic 
parochial  school.     It  has  about  50  families. 

ST.  UBALDUS'  CHURCH,  NEW  DOUGLAS. 

Service  was  held  here  first  about  1862,  and  irom  time  to 
time  up  to  1871  in  the  following  places  or  dwellings  :  First 
at  ]\Ir.  Filley's,  one  mile  west  of  town  ;  then  at  Mr.  Andrew 
Newman's,  half  a  mile  south  of  town  ;  and  lastly,  at  INIr.  Louis 
King's  and  Mr.  Johu  Van  Delft's,  in  town.  The  church 
was  erected  in  1871.     The  number  of  Catholic  families  in 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


321 


the  New  Douglas  mission  when  service  was  first  held  there 
was  seven,  more  or  less.  Now  there  are  about  60.  New 
Douglas  has  no  resident  rector ;  it  is  attended  from  Edwards- 
ville  two  Sundays  in  the  month. 

ST.  Gertrude's  church,  salike. 

The  Catholics  of  this  place  formerly  constituted  a  part  of 
the  congregations  of  Highland  and  Marine,  from  which  they 
separated  and  built  a  church  for  their  own  use  in  1872.  To 
attain  this  end,  a  sukscription  of  about  three  thousand  dol- 
lars was  made  up  by  about  thirty  families.  In  1877,  a  par- 
sonage was  erected,  and  ever  since  that  time,  with  some  little 
interruption,  they  have  had  a  resident  priest.  Under  the 
direction  of  its  first  resident  rector.  Rev.  M.  Weis,  a  school- 
house  w:is  erected,  and  the  parochial  Catholic  school,  which 
had  hitherto  been  kept  in  the  rector's  residence,  was  then 
removed  to  this  new  school-house.  Under  the  same  clergy- 
man's supervision,  the  church,  which  had  never  been  plas- 
tered anil  had  become  too  small  to  contain  the  congregation, 
was  enlarged  and  fini.shed  and  otherwise  so  improved  as  to 
make  one  of  the  finest  churches  of  Madison  county.  The 
congregation  now  has  a  graveyard,  and  everything  else  re- 
quired to  constitute  it  an  independent  Catholic  community. 
The  present  rector  of  the  Catholic  church  at  this  place  is 
Rev.  B.  Hasse.  The  number  of  families  belonging  to  this 
congregation  is  about  17.i. 

ST.  Elizabeth's  ciiukcu,  mitchell. 

The  building  of  this  church  was  commenced  September, 
1871.  The  comer-stone  was  blessed  October  1,  1871,  by 
Rev.  J.  F.  Mohr,  assisted  by  Revs.  F.  A.  Ostrop,  F.  H.  Za- 
bel,  D.  D.,  A.  Rustige  and  C.  Koenig.  Service  was  held  in 
the  church  soon  aftef  it  was  finished.  Before  that  time.  Rev. 
Zabel,  then  of  East  St.  Louis,  held  service  at  Mitchell.  In 
1881,  under  the  rectorship  of  Rev.  P.  Kaenders  a  fine  par- 
sonage was  erected,  aud  since  October  4th,  of  the  same  year, 
it  has  had  a  resident  rector.  Rev.  P.  Kaenders  being  the 
first  in  charge.  The  congregation  has  as  yet  no  parochial 
school.  It  numbers  about  40  families,  mostly  well  to  do 
farmers. 

ST.  mark's   church,   VENICE. 

The  first  service  of  the  Catholic  church  was  held  in  Ven- 
ice, April  16,  1882,  in  the  new  church.  Before  this  time, 
the  Catholics  here  attended  church  in  East  St-  Louis  and  St. 
Louis.  After  they  had  been  erected  into  a  separate  congre- 
gation by  the  Bishop  of  Alton,  they  at  once  went  earnestly 
about  building  a  church  for  their  own  use.  The  corner- 
stone of  this  church  was  blessed  October  25,  1881,  by  Rev. 
C.  Koenig,  a.ssisted  by  Revs.  P.  Peters  and  P.  Kaenders. 
There  are  about  32  Catholic  families.  Though  there  is  no 
Catholic  school  yet,  nor  a  resident  priest,  the  prospects  are 
fine,  and  the  probabilities  are  that  it  will  soon  be  a  flourish- 
ing congregation,  able  to  support  its  own  priest  and  to  keep 
up  a  Catholic  parochial  school.  The  mission  is  at  present 
attended  from  Mitchell  by  Rev.  P.  Kaenders,  under  whose 
direction  this  church  was  put  up. 
41 


THE  PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 


BY   A.    M.    POWELL,   M.    D. 

The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  Stato 
comprises  sixty  dioceses  and  missionary  jurisdictions,  (each 
presided  over  by  a  Bishop),  with  some  three  thousand  and 
five  hundred  clergymen  and  about  three  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  lay  communicants.  The  Church  possesses  about 
twenty-five  Universities,  Colleges  and  Seminaries,  and  a 
large  number  of  Societies,  Hospitals,  Orjihans'  Homes  and 
other  institutions  devoted  to  the  amelioration  of  the  moral 
and  physical  condition  of  man  ;  while  the  contributions  to 
its  support  aggregate  from  seven  to  ten  millions  of  dollars 
aunually.  By  far  the  greater  proportion  of  its  membership 
is  to  be  found  in  the  older  States  of  the  Union,  as  for  ex- 
ample, in  the  States  of  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Maryland, 
and  Virginia.  The  city  of  New  York  alone  contains 
seventy-eight  episcopal  churches  and  nearly  two  hundred 
and  fifty  clergymen,  with  a  corresponding  proportion  of 
lay  membership. 

Generally  the  Dioceses  are  coextensive  with  the  states  in 
which  they  are  situated,  but  in  some  large  aud  populous 
States  the  territory  has  been  divided  into  two  or  more  Dio- 
ceses. In  the  year  1877,  the  Diocese  of  Illinois,  which 
comprised  the  entire  State,  was  divided  into  three  Dioceses, 
now  called  "  Illinois,  Quincy  and  Springfield  ;  "  the  bound- 
aries of  the  latter  including  all  of  the  State  lying  south  of 
the  counties  of  Woodford,  Livingston,  Ford  and  Iroquois, 
and  east  of  the  Illinois  river— in  reality  nearly  one  half  of 
the  State.  As  its  name  implies,  Springfield  is  its  See  city, 
the  residence  of  the  Bishop,  the  chief  pastor  of  the  Diocese, 
and  president  of  its  Councils,  which  are  held  annually  in 
that  city,  and  are  composed  of  all  canonically  resident 
clergy  and  one  or  more  lay  delegates  from  each  parish  or 
organized  mission. 

At  the  first  Convention  of  the  Council,  (or  Synod,  as  the 
meetings  of  this  body  are  now  called,)  held  in  December, 
1877,  the  Rev.  George  Franklin  Seymour,  S.  T.  D.,  LL.  D., 
Dean  of  the  General  Theological  Seminary  in  New  York, 
was  unanimously  elected  the  first  Bishop  of  Springfield. 
Dr.  Seymour  declined  the  election,  but  upon  the  unanimous 
request  of  the  Convention  held  in  May,  1878,  the  Bishop 
elect  reconsidered  his  declination,  and  was  consecrated  in 
June  following,  aud  soon  after  entered  upon  his  duties. 

The  first  Bishop  of  Illinois,  was  Rt.  Rev.  Philander  Chase, 
who  was  the  Missionary  Bishop  of  a  vast  territory  compris. 
ing  Minnesota,  Illinois  and  Ohio;  and  it  was  under  his 
jurisdiction  that  the  State  of  Illinois  was  erected  into  a 
Diocese  at  an  early  day  in  the  State's  history.  So,  also, 
was  it  under  his  jurisdiction  that  most  of  the  parishes  in 
Madison  county  were  organized.     The  first  of  these  was  the 

PARISH   OF   CHRIST   CHURCH,  COLLIKSVILLE, 

which  was  organized  by  Bishop  Chase  in  the  year  183-5,  and 
is  the  oldest  parish  organization  in  the  Diocese  of  Spring- 


322 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


field,  (Trinity,  Jacksonville,  was  organized  the  same  year,) 
and  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  About  the 
year  1833,  the  Rev.  Joseph  L.  Darrow,M.  D.,  removed  from 
New  York  to  Collinsville,  then  a  very  small  village,  and 
entered  ui)on  the  practice  of  Medicine,  giving  much  of  his 
time  and  energy,  however,  to  Missionary  work  of  the  Epis- 
copal Church,  of  which  he  was  an  ordained  minister.  Soon 
after  his  arrival,  Dr.  Darrow  determined  to  push  the  claims 
of  his  church  in  Madison  county,  and  his  pluck  and  energy 
were  soon  rewarded  by  seeing  erected  in  the  county  three 
church  edifices,  which  at  that  early  day  were  considered 
commodious  and  creditable  buildings,  and  erected  almost 
solely  by  the  Doctor's  own  personal  means,  added  to  contri- 
butions from  his  friends  at  the  east.  These  buildings  were 
put  up  in  Edwardsvilie,  Marine  and  Collinsville,  and  that 
in  the  latter'  place  still  remains  the  house  of  worship  of 
the  parish,  being  in  an  excellent  state  of  repair  and  a  cosy, 
comfortable  "  home  "  for  its  occupants,  though  somewhat  out 
of  date  as  to  style  of  architecture.  It  was  consecrated  by 
Bishop  Chase,  December  17,  1841.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Darrow 
remained  the  fiiithful  rector  of  this  parish  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  on  July  28,  1855,  he  falling  a  victim  to 
Asiatic  Cholera,  a  severe  epidemic  of  which  he  had  just 
practiced  through,  with  characteristic  energy  administering 
unceasingly  to  the  wants  of  his  patients,  both  as  a  physician 
and  as  a  spiritual  adviser. 

After  Dr.  Darrow's  death  the  parish  remained  vacant  until 
1860,  when  the  Rev.  A.  P.  Crouch  took  charge.  He  was 
followed  in  1862  by  the  Rev.  Robert  Trewortha,  and  he 
again  in  1865  by  Rev.  John  Portniess,  who  served  the  par- 
ish nearly  three  years.  Since  that  time  the  parish  has  been 
in  temporary  charge  of  several  ministers,  including  the  Rev- 
Dean  Dresser  of  Carlinville.  In  September,  1881,  the  Rev. 
Gardiner  C.  Tucker,  then  of  St.  Louis,  was  called  to  the 
parish  and  is  now  its  acceptable  pastor. 

Among  the  old  and  prominent  citizens  who  assisted  Dr. 
Darrow  in  his  church  work  at  an  early  day,  were  Daniel 
Ground,  of  Marine,  John  S.  Clark  and  Hon.]  George 
Churchill,  the  latter  of  whom  was  for  many  years  Senior 
Warden  of  Christ  Church,  Collinsville.  The  present  oflScers 
of  that  parish  are :  Dr.  A.  M.  Powell,  Senior  Warden  ; 
Thaddeus  Kneedler,  Junior  Warden ;  S.  Newson,  Clerk, 
and  W.  H.  Brown,  Treasurer. 

The  Sunday  School  is  in  a  flourishing  condition,  and  the 
parish  is  making  fair  progress,  and  is  entirely  out  of  debt. 

ST-  Andrew's  CHgRCH,  edwardsville. 

•'Trustees  duly  elected  on  Monday,  April  26th,  1841, 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  known  as  St.  Andrew's 
Church  of  Edwardsville,  in  the  County  of  Madison,  State 
of  Illinois,  to  hold  the  office  until  Easter  Monday,  1842, 
and  until  others  are  elected,  in  conformity  with  the  Act  of 
General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  entitled  an  Act 
concerning  Religious  Societies,  approved  February  6th, 
1835.  Given  under  our  hands  and  seals  this  sixteenth  day 
of  August,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1841." 

Comfort  Roberts,  A.  J.  Lusk,  James  L.  Brackett,  Wra. 


T.  Brown,  Isaac  Foster,  Solon  Stark,  Horace  Look,  James 
H.  Treadway.  Orren  Meeker. 

"  State  of  Illinois,  Madison  County,  ss. 

'■  This  twenty-sixth  day  of  October,  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  1841,  personally  appeared  before  me,  Erastus  Whee- 
ler, an  Acting  Justice  of  the  Peace,  in  and  for  the  County 
aforesaid,  Solon  Stark,  who  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  that 
the  foregoing  certificate  is  correct  and  true.  Sworn  and 
subscribed  before  me,  Solon  Stark." 

ERA.STUS  Wheeler,  J.  P. 

Orren  Meeker,  deeded  to  Trustees  of  St.  Andrew's 
Church,  Lot  No.  125  in  Edwardsville,  111.,  for  the  sum  of 
SIOOO— November  7th,  1841.  Recorded,  Dec.  15th,  1841. 
The  organization  erected  a  commodious  frame  building, 
in  which  services  were  held  for  a  number  of  years,  under 
Dr.  Joseph  L.  Darrow,  the  first  pastor.  He  was  followed 
by  Dr.  S.  Y.  McMasters,  who  was  stationed  at  Alton,  111. 
The  Parish  here  being  smalh  and  a  number  of  members 
moving  away,  the  Church  was  rented  to  the  Presbyterians, 
who  held  services  in  the  same  for  several  years.  The  Union 
Sabbath-school  also  met  there. 

At  an  election  held  at  an  annual  meeting  of  the  Parish 
of  St.  Andrew's  Church  in  Edwardsville,  Madison  county, 
Illinois,  on  the  29th  day  of  March,  a.  d.,  1869,  the  fol- 
lowing named  persons  were  duly  elected  Trustees  of  said 
Parish  :  S.  E.  McGregory,  Richard  B.  Ground,  Prince  H. 
Jones,  John  A.  Prickett,  James  R.  Brown,  Charles  H.  Spil- 
man,  John  Hobson.  and  Benj.  D.  Berry. 

The  above  named  Trustees  deeded  Lot  No.  125,  with  all 
appurtenances  to  the  trustees  of  the  German  M  E.  Church  of 
Edwardsville,  Illinois,  on  the  28th  day  of  June,  A.  D.,  1869, 
for  the  sum  of  $1500.  The  present  edifice  is  a  brick  struc- 
ture, Gothic  style,  situated  on  the  corner  of  Hillsboro  and 
Buchanan  streets,  erected  in  1870.  Services  were  held  in 
the  same  for  a  few  years,  when  it  closed  for  a  time.  Dr. 
John  W.  Burchmore,  the  present  pastor,  has  held  religious 
exercises  for  the  last  six  months,  including  a  flourishing 
Sunday-school. 


ST.    PAULS   CHURCH,   ALTON. 

The  first  services  of  the  church  in  this  county  were  said  to 
have  been  held  by  the  Rev.  Amos  Baldwin,  who  came  to 
Alton  and  Edwardsville  and  preached  in  1823. 

The  church  in  Alton  received  parochial  organization  in 
1888,  the  Rev.  Dr.  S.  Y.  McMasters  being  the  first  Rector. 

who  was  succeeded  in  1845  by  the  Rev. Brittain.    The 

Presbyterian  house  of  worship  at  the  corner  of  Third  and 
Market  streets,  was  bought  at  a  cost  of  $2000.  Subsequent- 
ly the  Rev.  McMasters  was  recalled,  during  whose  Rector- 
ship the  present  edifice  was  built  on  the  site  of  the  old  one, 
and  consecrated  by  Bp.  Whitehouse,  July  5th,  1857.  The 
building  of  stone,  45x95,  cost  about  $10,000  and  seats  com- 
fortably 300  people. 

The  church  was  unroofed,  the  tower  demolished  and  bell- 
broken  by  the  tornado,  which  visited  Alton,  June  2d,  1860, 
the  last  two  of  which  have  never  been  restored. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


323 


The  Rev.  C.  A.  Bruce,  the  Rev  John  Foster,  the  Rev. 
Dr.  McCullough,  the  Rev.  C.  S-  Abbott  and  the  Rev.  Marsh 
Chase  were  successively  Rectors,  the  latter  succeeded  in 
Dec.  1880,  by  the  RiV.  Thjs.  Haskiiis,  the  present  incum- 
bent. 

In  1870,  Trinity  Chapel  was  built  in  North  Alton,  (on 
ground  given  by  Messrs.  J.  J.  &  W.  H.  Mitchell),  at  a 
cost  of  about  .S-,000,  where  services  are  regularl)'  held,  and 
which  has  a  large  and  flourishing  Sunday-school  under  the 
Superintendence  of  Mr.  T.  W.  Radcliffe. 

Among  the  wardens  and  vestrymen,  now  deceased,  of  St. 
Paul's  Parish,  were  Judge  Bailhache,  Col.  Long,  Charles 
Trumbull.  Utten  Smith,  S.  R.  Dolbee,  M.  M.  Dutro,  T.  L. 
Waples,  Harry  Taylor,  Charles  Merriman.  In  1881  the 
church  building  was  extensively  repaired  at  a  cost  of  over 
S 1 200,  two  memorial  windows  added  and  the  organ  enlarged 
and  repaired.  A  house  and  lot  adjoining  have  also  been 
purchased,  upon  which  it  is  purposed  to  erect  a  Grammar 
School  for  the  Christain  education  of  the  children  of  the 
pariah.  There  are  about  eighty  families  connected  with  the 
church. 

The  present  lay  officers,  elected  on  Easter  Monday,  1882. 
are:  William  Huskiuson,  Joseph  Graiian,  Wardens.  T.  W. 
Radcliffe.  F.  H.  Robe,  Charles  Brown,  Thos.  Cannell,  Jacob 
Wead,  Vestrymen. 


THE  CHURCHES  OF  CHRIST  (Chrlstian). 


BY    REV.  W.  H.  MfGISSIS. 
SILVER   CREEK   CHURCH. 

This  church  was  established  July  4,  1830,  being  now 
almost  fifty-two  years  old.  The  following  persons  were  the 
original  members:  Solomon  Taber,  Elizabeth  Taber,  John 
Hoxey,  Polly  Hosey,  Abel  Olive,  Elizabeth  Olive,  Joel 
Ricks,  Nellie  Ricks,  Sina  Martin,  John  A.  Wall,  Temper- 
ance Wall.  Elders  Hum])hries,  Austin  Sims  and  Robert 
Foster  were  the  early  preachers,  who  laid  broad  and  deep  the 
foundation  for  the  future  prosperity  of  the  church.  Their 
names  are  held  in  grateful  remembrance  by  all  the  older 
members.  In  later  years,  Elders  Lucas,  Birge,  Philips, 
Kathcart  and  W.  B.  Foster  have  served  as  pastors  and 
evangelists.  More  than  three  hundred  persons  have  enjoyed 
the  fellowship  of  this  church.  But  many  have  gone  to 
swell  the  ranks  of  the  Lord  in  other  states,  and  many  others 
have  entered  their  final  rest.  Many  of  the  best  citizens  of 
the  vicinity  compose  the  member.'-hip  at  the  present  time. 
Though  this  church  has  passed  through  m.any  vicissitudes, 
there  has  never  been  a  time  when  the  Gospel  was  not  faith- 
fully preached,  sinners  warned,  and  the  faith  of  the  right- 
eous strengthened.  The  outlook  of  the  future  is  hopeful. 
Thomas  Vance  labors  in  doctrine  at  j)resent. 

MARINE   CHURCH. 

This  church  was  established  April  7, 1860,  at  a  place  then 
known  as  Reid  school-house ;  Elder  William  Birge  acted  as 


the  officiating  minister.  The  following  names  were  enrolled 
at  the  beginning:  A.  W.  Jeffress,  Mary  A.  JefTress,  J.  W 
Jeffress,  D.  W.  Biggs,  Catherine  Biggs,  Elisiia  Stapleton, 
Mary  Stapleton,  Curinda  Stapleton,  Anna  R.  Farghuharson, 
Mary  E.  Parker,  ]\Iargaret  Graham,  Adaline  O.  Bacon, 
Ella  Stocton,  Harriet  Weidman  and  Ella  Boosinger. 

For  seven  years  from  the  date  of  the  organization  services 
were  held  in  the  Coon  school-house.  The  following  named 
preachers  served  the  church  while  meeting  in  the  above 
named  place:  William  Birge,  John  C.  Mathers,  John  C. 
TuUy,  John  A.  Williams,  Jacob  Creath  and  John  Sweeney, 
Sr.  In  the  year  1871,  with  a  view  to  convenience  and  a 
wider  field  of  usefulness,  a  meeting-house  was  built  in  the 
town  of  Marine,  at  a  cost  of  §2,500.  The  dedication  took 
place  on  the  3d  Lord's  day  in  December,  1871.  St.  Clair 
ilcKean,  E  J.  Jeffress,  P.  S  Weidman,  J.  W.  Boosinger 
and' David  Crandall  were  chosen  trustees.  The  following 
named  preachers  have  served  the  congregation  since  its 
removal  to  Marine:  Frank  Talmadge,  J.  Ellis,  George  T. 
Bridges,  J.  H.  Garrison,  F.  M.  Philips,  B.  F.  Lucas  and 
AV.  B.  Foster.  W.  H.  McGinnis  is  pastor  at  the  presei  t 
time.  Thij  congregation  though  small,  (numbering  only 
about  thirty-five)  includes  in  its  membership  a  fair  propor- 
tion of  the  best  citizens  of  the  commuuit}'.  Religious 
intelligence  and  steadfastness  of  faith  manifest  themselves  in 
most  of  its  members.  The  traits  of  Christian  character  have 
secured  the  existence  of  the  church  amitlst  a  very  strong 
and  bitter  opposition. 

FAIRVIEW   CHURCH. 

This  church  was  organized  in  May,  187.3,  during  a  meet- 
ing held  by  Elder  Frank  Talmadge.  At  that  meeting  there 
were  thirty  conversions.  A.  H.  Goodman  and  Jones  Toutz 
wtre  chosen  elders.  George  S.  Thompson  and  Allen  J. 
Armstrong  were  chosen  deacons.  F.  M.  Philips  and  George 
F.  Bridges  have  done  excellent  evangelistic  and  pastoral 
work.  A  meeting-house  was  erected  in  1874,  at  a  cost  of 
§1,350.  Fairview  church  has  shown  commendable  zeal  in 
religious  work.  More  than  two  hundred  souls  have  been 
brought  into  her  comnmnion.  But  death  and  removals 
have  kept  the  membership  from  being  very  large  at  any  one 
time.  There  remain  about  twenty-five  faitliful  members  ia 
whose  hands  the  cause  of  Christ  is  safe  in  that  community. 
Thomas  Vance,  pastor  at  the  present  time. 

RIDGELEY   CHURCH 

Was  organized  about  forty  years  ago.  Through  the  Chris- 
tian Zealand  liberality  of  Mrs.  O'Banon,  a  meeting-house 
was  soon  afterward  erected,  and  is  still  kept  in  good  repair. 
Prosperity  attended  the  church  for  a  number  of  years,  but 
death  and  removals  have  reduced  its  numbers  until  only 
about  twelve  remain.  But  these  are  true  to  their  profession, 
being  prompt  at  divine  service  and  in  the  exercise  of  a 
wholesome  influence  throughout  the  community.  Elder  E. 
L.  Craig  was  one  of  their  earliest  pastors.  His  memory  is 
precious  in  the  hearts  of  many  Christians  in  Illinois  and 
other  states.  After  him.  Elders  Houston,  Foster  and  Cor- 
wine  preached  for  them.     From    1873  to  1879,  James  E. 


324 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Masters  served  them  as  pastor  with  great  acceptance.  Elder 
\V.  H  Groiier  is  their  present  pastor.  The  outlook  toward 
future  prosperity  is  very  encouraging. 

NEW   DOUGLAS    CHURCH. 

This  congregation  was  orgmized  ia  1875,  through  the 
labors  of  Elder  T.  J.  Shelton.  The  following  persons  were 
charter  member^:  Samuel  Bennett, Sarah  J. Bennett,  Burrel 
H  Hill,  Rebecca  Hill,  Sarah  A.  McCottery,  Marion  Fletcher, 
Jennie  McCottery,  B.  H.  McKinney,  Siddie  McKinney.  A 
jieat  and  substantial  house  of  worship  was  built  in  1879. 
Elder  H.  R.  Tricket  preached  the  dedicatory  sermon. 
Eiders  Fisher,  Linn,  Smart,  Tandy,  Kathcart,  Avery,  have 
held  meetings  and  served  as  pastors.  Elder  Thomas  Vance 
is  the  present  pastor.  Fifty  two  persons  have  been  added 
to  the  church  since  its  organization. 


UNITARIAN  DENOMINATION. 

BY  EEV.    J.    FISHER. 

The  history  of  Unitarianism  in  Madison  county  is  that  of 
a  single  church  or  society,  in  the  city  of  Alton.  As  early 
as  the  year  1836,  Rev.  W.  G.  Eliot,  D.  D.,  pastor  of  the 
Unitarian  Church  of  the  Messiah  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  held 
occasional  services  in  Alton,  preaching  to  a  small  congregation 
either  in  a  school-room  or  in  the  office  of  one  Dr.  Emerson, 
brother  of  the  celebrated  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson  of  Concord, 
Mass.  This  was  when  the  facilities  of  travel  were  such  as 
made  it  necessary  sometimes  to  go  on  horseback  or  on  foot, 
or  else  by  the  river-boat  which  required  eight  hours  for  its 
trips,  stopping  twice  to  "  wood  up,"  on  the  way.  Dr  Eliot 
continued  his  frequent  visits  for  several  years,  and  it  is  sup- 
posed some  kind  of  organized  society  existed  as  the  result  of 
his  labors,  although  no  definite  records  have  been  preserved. 
The  first  regular  minister  was  Rev.  Charles  A.  Farley,  who 
is  remembered  as  an  eloquent  preacher  and  excellent  man. 
This  preliminary  organization,  however,  became  inert  and 
virtually  extinct. 

In  October  1853,  Rev.  W.  D.  Haley,  a  young  man  of 
character  and  gifts,  came  to  Alton  with  a  purpose  to  re- 
establish the  society,  and  shortly  succeeded  in  awakening  such 
interest  as  led  to  the  organization  now  existing,  known  as 
"  The  First  Congregational  Society  oj  Alton,"  which  adopted 
a  constitution  essentially  the  same  as  that  of  Dr.  Eliot's 
church  in  St.  Louis.  Its  first  board  of  officers  were  the  fol- 
lowing :  Edward  Keating,  President;  B.  F.  Barry,  Secretary ; 
Moses  G.  Atwood,  Treasurer;  Henry  Lea,  Marcus  H.  Top- 
ping, Geo.  B.  Ingersoll,  L.  S.  Metcalf  and  Wm.  McBride^ 
Trustees.  On  the  records  of  the  first  year,  appear,  besides 
these,  the  names  of  the  following  members  :  N.  Hanson,  E. 
D.  Topping,  A.  K.  Root,  S.  W.  Robbins,  C.  Stigleman,  W. 
A.  Piatt,  A.  L.  Corson,  Robert  Smith,  H.  W.  Billings  and 
George  Moody. 

In  January,  1854,  it  was  decided  to  build  a  church,  and 
money  was  raised  lor  the  purpose,  the  St.  Louis  society  con- 


tributing $3,500  in  aid  of  the  enterprise.  Before  the  close 
of  the  year  opportunity  occurred  for  the  purchase  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  and  grounds,  corner  of  Third  and 
Alby  streets,  which  church,  a  massive  stone  building  beau- 
tiful for  situation,  had  been  partly  destroyed  by  fire.  Re- 
construction was  at  once  begun,  and  the  new  edifice,  costing 
the  society  about  $13,000,  was  dedicated  October  14,  1855, 
Rev.  G.  W.  Hosmer,  D.  D.,  of  Bufl^alo,  N.  Y.,  preaching  the 
sermon  for  the  occasion.  A  church  organization  was  formed 
with  a  list  of  thirty  communicants. 

The  ministry  of  Mr.  Haley  was  closed  by  his  resignation, 
October  1st,  1856.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  J.  G.  For- 
man  from  Massachusetts,  installed  May  17th,  1857,  under 
whose  earnest  ministry  the  society  enjoyed  a  period  of  growth 
and  prosperity  for  the  next  five  years.  The  war  of  the  Re- 
bellion being  then  in  progress,  he  enlisted  as  a  chaplain  in 
the  Federal  service,  and  the  church  was  closed  from  October 
1861,  until  May  1863  ;  after  which,  he  returned  and  cou^ 
tinned  his  service  for  about  one  year.  On  his  retirement, 
Rev.  Joseph  Mason  and  Rev.  D-  A.  Russell  preached,  each 
for  a  short  time,  but  not  as  regular  pastors.  In  1865,  Rev. 
D.  H.  Clark  was  called,  and  continued  pastor  two  years, 
followed  by  Rev.  H.  P.  Cutting,  two  years.  In  June  1  870, 
Rev.  Isaac  Kelso  was  engaged,  and  served  three  years,  after 
which  occasional  labors  were  rendered  by  Rev.  Dr.  Eliot, 
Rev.  J.  L.  Douthit  and  others,  until  December  1874,  when  a 
call  was  given  to  Henry  C.  Hogg,  a  young  man,  who  with 
auspicious  tokens  entered  upon  a  ministry  which  was  sud- 
denly closed  by  his  death,  April  14,  1875. 

During  the  three  years  following,  the  society  was  without 
a  minister;  yet  at  no  time  relinquished  its  regular  Sunday- 
school  service,  nor  its  labors  in  laying  up  treasure  for  future 
enterprise.  In  April  1878,  a  call  was  extended  to  Rev.  Jud- 
son  Fisher  from  Wisconsin,  who  reraaius  the  pastor  to  the 
present  time.  The  same  year,  a  commodious  parsonage  was 
built  and  repairs  made  upon  the  church  edifice.  The  society, 
although  deprived  by  death  and  lemoval  of  the  larger  part 
of  its  original  members,  is  financially  without  debt  and  in  a 
united  and  prosperous  condition.  It  embraces  about  thirty 
families,  and  has  an  active  and  growing  Sunday-school,  with 
a  valuable  library  of  600  well  chosen  volumes. 

The  following  is  its  board  officers  for  the  year  1882: 
Marcus  H.  Topping,  President ;  John  S.  Roper,  Secretary  ; 
Mrs.  A.  D  Spark,  Treasurer ;  M.  H.  Topping,  Dr.  W.  A- 
Haskell,  Homer  S  auford,  D.  R.  Sparks,  H.  G.  McPike, 
Trustees- 


THE  CUMBERLAND  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH. 


BY   REV.    W.    C.    LOGAN. 

The  opening  years  of  thel9th  century  witnessed  the  intro- 
duction of  Cumberland  Presbyterians  into  Madison  County. 
As  early  as  1817,  perhaps  earlier,  Mr.  Robert  Paisley  came 
from  Kentucky  into  Illinois,  and  settled  at  or  near  Edwards- 
ville,  county  seat  of  Madison  county.    He  found  none  of  his 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


325 


own  religious  faith  there,  but  in  the  community  were  a  few 
Methodists  and  Presbyterians,  most  of  whom  were  converts 
of  the  great  revival  of  1800.  Being  religious  a  prayer  meet- 
ing was  soon  in  operation.  Being  destitute  of  the  means  of 
grace  they  entered  into  a  verbal  agreement  to  pray  both  for 
a  revival,  and  for  a  minister  to  preach  for  them,  agreeing  to 
employ  the  first  one  that  should  come,  of  whatever  evan- 
gelical denomination.  Mr.  Paisley,  feeling  anxious  that  one 
of  his  own  choice  should  come,  wrote  to  Rev.  Wni.  Barnett, 
of  Kentucky,  stating  the  condition  of  things  and  urging  him 
to  come.  Upon  the  strength  of  that  letter  money  enough 
was  raised  to  complete  his  outfit,  and  the  trip  was  made. 
As  Mr.  Paisley  said  nothing  of  what  he  had  done,  and  as 
Cumberland  Presbyterians  were  strangers  to  most  of  the 
people,  a  strong  prejudice  at  first  sprang  up,  but  it  was 
speedily  overcome.  As  only  a  few  days'  notice  was  given  of 
the  coming  of  Mr.  Barnett,  the  only  place  where  the  meet- 
ing could  be  held  was  at  what  was  called  Ebenezer  camp 
ground,  about  two  miles  south  of  Edwardsville.  Only  one 
person  made  profession  of  religion  at  that  camp  meeting, 
and  he  was  a  colored  man.  Tliij  was  the  first  camp  meeting 
held  by  Cumberland  Presbyterians  in  the  state.  No  organi- 
zation was  effected  then,  although  there  seems  to  have  been 
material.  The  results  of  this  meeting,  however,  may  be 
seen  to-day.  The  seed  was  there  sown  which  sprang  up 
grew  and  increased,  until  to-day  there  are  four  good,  active 
congregations  in  the  county,  which  have  been  instrumental 
in  accomplishing  much  good. 

As  early  as  Dec.  1824,  Mt.  Pisgah  congregation  was 
organized  at  the  house  of  David  Robinson,  who,  with 
Joseph  Robinson,  constituted  the  first  session.  The  minis- 
ter first  in  charge  was  Rev.  John  Barber,  Sr.  There  were 
seven  charter  members.  A  good  meeting  continued  from 
the  organization  for  two  days,  and  work  then  begun 
seemed  to  continue  and  numbers  were  conistantly  added  to 
the  membership.  Thus  the  vine  was  fruitful  for  some  time. 
Schism,  however,  entered  after  a  while  and  caused  confusion 
in  the  ranks.  How  long  this  continued,  or  what  was  the 
history  of  the  congregation  further  is  not  known  to  the  wri- 
ter. In  1841,  according  to  a  request  sent  by  the  congrega- 
tion, Vandalia  Presbytery  divided  it,  forming  therefrom  a 
new  congregation.  The  organization  was  effected  by  Rev. 
J.  M.  Bone,  on  Monday,  Nov.  1st,  1841,  at  the  house  of 
Robert  McKee.  The  new  society  was  called  Goshen. 
Seventeen  of  the  parent  organization  became  charter  mem- 
bers of  the  new.  Joseph  Robinson,  Robert  and  J.  N.  Mc- 
Kee constituted  the  first  session.  Additions  were  continually 
made,  and  the  new  organization  seemed  to  flourish  under 
the  ministrations  of  Mr.  Bone.  The  congregation  had  no 
house  in  which  to  worship,  and  it  is  not  kuown  where  their 
meetings  were  at  first  held.  The  name  of  the  congregation 
was  changed  from  Goshen  to  Columbia.  The  latter  is  its 
present  name.  The  change  was  made  between  Aug.  13th, 
1859,  and  May  22d,  1864. 

Rev.  John  Barber  succeeded  Mr.  Bone  as  ministerial  sup- 
ply (whether  father  or  son  is  not  stated  )  In  1847  Rev.  T.  K. 
Hedges  became  their  pastor.  For  six  years  (more  or  less), 
he  served  them,  and   was  succeeded  by  Rev.  A.  M.  AVilson. 


In  1856,  the  services  of  Rev.  W.  W.  Brown  were  secured, 
who  labored  among  this  people  until  some  time  in  18G1.  Dur- 
ing his  service  the  society  took  steps  toward  erecting  a  church 
house  of  their  own.  They  received  a  grant  of  land  by  deed 
dated  Aug.  13th,  1859,  in  trust  from  Jefferson  Fruit  and  wife 
for  the  purpose  of  erecting  thereon  a  house  of  worship.  la 
1861,  Rev.  C.  G.  Keown  was  employed  for  a  part  of  his 
time.  He  served  them  until  the  spring  of  1863,  when  the 
services  of  Rev.  A.  Johnson  were  secured.  He  remained 
with  them  for  three  years.  He  was  followed  by  Rev.  Wni. 
Turner.  Mr.  Turner  sustained  his  relation  with  them  for 
ten  or  a  dozen  year.?,  preaching  to  them,  baptizing  their  chil- 
dren, marrying  their  young  and  burying  tluir  dead.  The 
congregation  flourished  during  the  time  he  had  charge  of  it. 
For  some  time,  as  early  as  Aug.  1869,  the  congregation 
worshiped  in  the  school-house,  and  sessional  meetings 
were  frequently  held  in  it.  In  accordance  with  an  arrao  ge- 
ment  entered  into  by  the  ministers  and  others  interested,  a 
quarterly  association  was  held  to  discuss  questions  relative 
to  the  prosperity  of  Cumberland  Presbyterians  in  Madison 
county. 

On  the  Uth  of  August,  1871,  it  convened  with  Columbia 
congregation.  The  assembly  discussed  two  questions  :  How 
to  strengthen  and  make  more  efticient  the  congregations, 
and  how  best  to  promote  revivals  of  religion.  Encouraged 
by  the  success  of  the  meeting,  on  Monda}',  14th  inst ,  the 
male  members  met  in  the  school-house  to  consider  the  ques- 
tion of  building  a  house  of  worship.  Rev.  Joel  Knight  pre- 
sided and  Rev.  J  B.  Logan  acted  as  secretary.  After  a  full 
and  harmonious  discussion  a  paper  for  subscriptions  was  cir. 
culated  ou  a  basis  of  not  less  than  $1500.  The  ofler  of 
John  F.  Sloan  of  a  site  for  the  house  was  accepted,  and  the 
house  was  built.  It  is  a  neat  frame  structure,  a  credit  to 
the  comunity  in  which  it  stands.  After  a  long  and  useful 
service  Mr.  Turner  severed  his  connection.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Rev.  W.  J.  McDavid,  who  became  the  incumbent 
in  1876,  and  remained  to  this  day.  He  is  surrounded  by  a 
good  people  by  whom  he  is  beloved,  and  bids  fair  to  do  them 
and  the  entire  community  great  good. 

OMPH-GHENT. 

Omph-Ghent  congregation  was  organized  on  the  10th  of 
April,  1848,  this  being  the  second  organization  effected  in 
the  county.  Eleven  persons  petitioned  Vandalia  Presbytery 
to  form  them  into  a  congregation.  The  petition  was  granted, 
and  Rev.  J-  M.  Bone  ordered  to  eflTect  said  organization. 
For  this  purpose  the  petitioners  met  at  the  Omph-Ghent 
school-house  at  the  time  mentioned.  Rev.  J.  M.  Bone  and 
T.  K.  Hedges  were  present.  The  ruling  elders  elected  were 
Daniel  Crowder  and  John  B.  Robinson.  Rev.  T.  K.  Hedges 
was  secured  immediately  to  serve  the  new  congregation. 
The  organization  was  followed  by  a  protracted  meeting,  in 
which  the  Rev.  J.  M.  Bone  assisted  the  pastor.  This  meet- 
ing seemed  to  be  one  of  unusual  interest ;  and  many  were 
added  to  the  church  as  its  result.  It  being  inconvenient  to 
meet  in  the  school-house,  a  subscription  paper  was  circulated 
for  the  purpose  of  building  a  house  of  worship.  Money  was 
secured,  the  house  was  built,  and  on  the  15th  of  September, 


326 


HIS  TOBY   OF   MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


1841,  it  was  solemaly  dedicated  to  God,  Rev.  J.  G.  White, 
preaching  the  sermon.  Two  days  after  Vandalia  Presby- 
tery luet  tliere,  which  resulted  iu  a  protracted  meeting  of 
great  power.  October  6th,  a  missionary  society  was  formed 
iu  the  church  to  aid  Vaudalia  Presbytery  in  its  missionary 
operations.  In  April,  laaO,  Mr.  Hedges  severed  his  con- 
nection with  the  congregation.  Presbytery  meeting  there,  ! 
the  services  of  Rev.  Barber  were  secured  for  six  months, 
to  preach  one-half  his  time. 

On  the  11th  of  March,  liSoO,  the  session  adjourned  to  meet 
at  Liberty  Prairie  school-house  on  Monday  evening,  April 
8th.  At,  a  session  meeting  September  1st,  the  services  of 
Mr.  Hedges  were  again  engaged  with  the  understanding  that 
he  preach  in  the  Omph-Gheut  church  the  first  and  third  Sab- 
baths in  the  month,  and  at  Liberty  Prairie  school-house  at 
night  of  the  same  Sabbaihs.  On  the  19th  of  June,  1852,  the 
session  ordered  one  of  the  members  to  appear  and  answer  to 
several  charges  —  of  misconduct  unbecoming  the  Chris- 
tian character.  These  charges  show  the  vigilance  exercised 
in  earlv  days  over  members  of  the  church.  Mr.  Hedges 
continued  as  pastor  until  some  time  in  18.53,  when  he  became 
involved  in  difficulty  with  his  session,  because  of  unlawful 
power  assumed  by  him  and  the  neglect  of  duties  ordered  by 
the  session  to  be  performed.  In  view  of  these  facts  the  el- 
ders resigned  their  offices — at  least  until  a  new  minister  was 
secured.  This  was  a  heavy  blow  to  the  congregation,  and 
threw  it  into  disorder.  Some  time  after  the  services  of 
Rev.  J.  B.  Logan  were  secured  for  one  Sabbath  in  the  m  nth 
for  one  year.  His  services  closed  with  a  series  of  meetings 
of  profound  interest  and  widespread  results.  Four  mouths 
later  Mr.  Logan  came  to  receive  members  into  the  church, 
bringing  with  him  Rev.  J.  B.  Lowrance.  These  two,  with 
one  elder,  composed  a  session.  Mr.  Logan  ceasing  his  con- 
nection with  the  congregation,  Mr.  Lowrance  succeeded 
him.  After  six  months  (October  18.55)  Mr.  Lowrance,  left. 
During  the  following  winter  Rev-  A.  M.  Wilson,  of  Upper 
Alton,  supplied  them.  In  October,  1856,  Rev.  W.  W. 
Brown  entered  upon  his  duties  as  their  pastor,  and  continued 
to  serve  them  till  the  fall  of  1861.  At  that  time  Rev.  C.  G. 
Keowu  was  ordered  by  his  Presbytery  to  su[)ply  the  congre- 
gation according  to  their  request.  During  the  winter  of 
1864  the  congregation  was  without  a  minister.  Rev.  A. 
Johnson  was  secured  in  the  spring  to  minister  unto  them,  in 
cjnnection  with  Columbia  congregation.  He  served  till  the 
spring  of  1866,  when  he  resigned. 

In  1866  Rev.  Wm.  Turner  accepted  the  call  to  this 
church,  which  then  only  enrolled  the  names  of  14  members. 
Tor  a  number  of  years  he  divided  his  time  between  Oraph- 
Ghent  and  Columbia  congregations.  During  the  fifteen 
years  he  served  Omph-Ghent,  he  received  66  persons  into  the 
church  In  1880  there  were  five  elders,  one  deacon,  six  addi- 
tions, four  adult  and  two  infant  baptisms,  fifty-seven  commu- 
nicants, sixty-two  in  Sabbath-school,  two  hundred  volumes  in 
library.  They  contributed  during  ihe  year,  §60  for  the 
Sunday-school  cause,  S50  for  home  missions,  $175  for  foreign 
missions,  S  ?40  for  pastor's  salary,  865  for  supplies,  S5.30 
for  Presbyterial  purposes,  $88.75  for  donation  to  pastor — 
total,  $695.30.     Value  of  church    property,  $4,000.     After 


a  long  and  successful  pastorate,  Mr.  Turner  gave  way  in 
1881,  to  Rev.  J.  W.  McDavid.  He  is  a  faithful,  energetic 
worker,  untiring  iu  the  discharge  of  duty.  He  has  the 
esteem  of  the  entire  communities  where  he  labors.  The 
congregation  has  been  well  trained,  and  gives  liberally  to 
every  enterprise  of  the  denomination.  While  the  old  parent 
church  at  Omph-Ghent  is  losing  its  hold,  the  one  at  Liberty 
Prairie  is  fast  in  the  ascendancy,  and  is  destined  ere  long  to 
give  name  to  the  congregation.  At  the  latter  place  there  is 
a  pretty  country  church,  with  many  of  the  modern  appli- 
ances, close  to  which  is  a  convenient  parsonage,  all  located 
in  a  fine  farming  country.  The  congregation  is  prosperous 
and  hopeful. 

Connected  intimately  with  the  history  of  Omph-Ghent, 
was  Samuel  Jb.  Miller.  Born  iu  Baltimore,  Md.,  March  7th' 
1803,  he  came  to  Omph-Gheut  in  1839  or  1840.  He  united 
with  the  church  soon  after  its  organization,  and  for  more 
than  twenty-seven  years  was  a  member  and  clerk  of  its  Ses- 
sion. He  was  a  frequent  attendant  upon  the  lower  judica- 
tories, and  always  interested  in  any  plan  put  forth  for  the 
welfare  of  the  church  He  was  eminent  also  in  other  circles. 
Before  leaving  Baltimore  he  had  taken  all  the  degrees  in  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  it  was  his  pleasure 
to  organize  the  first  lodge  weit  of  the  Alleghenies.  He 
organized  the  first  lodges  in  St.  Louis  and  Alton.  He  was 
indeed  the  oldest  Odd  Fellow  but  one  in  the  United  States 
at  the  time  of  his  death.  After  leaving  Baltimore  he  lived 
for  five  years  in  Alton,  whence  he  moved  to  Omph-Ghent, 
where  he  lived  the  rest  of  his  days.  He  died  at  his  home, 
July  25th,  1879,  at  the  ripe  age  of  76  years.  Honorable 
mention  should  also  be  made  of  John  Estabrook,  a 
member  of  this  congregation.  He  inaugurated  the  move- 
ment of  sending  two  young  men  as  missionaries  to  Japan, 
by  subscribing  $1000.  Nor  did  his  beneficence  in  this 
direction  cease  here.  For  several  years  after  he  gave  each 
year  $100  to  the  same  cause.  He  died  a  few  years  since^ 
beloved  by  all. 

No  unfair  distinction  will  be  made  if  notice  is  taken  of 
J.  Russell  Newman.  Devoted  to  his  church,  he  has 
spared  neither  time  nor  means  to  help  it  advance.  The 
neat  little  cottage  in  Liberty  Prairie  is  due  largely  to  his 
liberality.  The  parsonage  that  stands  close  to  it,  costing 
something  more  than  $1  200   was  built  entirely  by  him. 

Omph-Ghent  congregation  may  well  be  proud  of  its 
record.  If  it  has  not  been  great,  it  has  been  useful,  and 
bids  fair  for  a  long  and  prosperous  career.  It  is  thought  it 
will  soon  purchase  the  p  rsonage,  and  hold  it  as  church 
property. 

ALTON. 

Alton  congregation  has  had  the  most  eventful  history 
perhaps  of  all  the  congregations  in  the  county,  and,  in  some 
respects,  in  the  State.  A  missionary  society  organized  by 
I  Vandalia  Presbytery  employed  Rev.  A.  M.  Wilson  as  mis- 
1  sionary  under  the  bounds  of  the  Presbytery,  who  reported, 
in  the  fall  of  1850,  a  subscription  paper  for  sustaining  a 
missionary  at  Alton.  The  proposition  met  with  such  favor 
that  in  1853,  Rev.  T.  H  Hardwick  was  employed  as  a  mis- 
sionary there.     He  entered  upon  his   work  December  1st. 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


327 


During  this  time  he  and  others  held  a  meeting  of  considera- 
ble interest  in  Upper  Alton,  at  which  there  were  over  30  pro' 
fessions,  and  twenty-sis  offered  themselves  to  form  an  or 
ganization.  Mr.  Hardwick.  however,  became  discourajj;e<l 
from  some  cause,  and  refused  to  stay  longer  than  one  year- 
For  about  six  months  Rev.  A.  M.  Wilson  supplied  the  mis- 
sion. In  the  spring  of  1855,  Rev.  J.  B.  Logan,  who  was 
then  publishing  the  Missouri  Cainherlmd  Presbyterian  in  St. 
l/ouis,  removed  to  Alton.  He  was  solicited  to  take  charge, 
and  agreed  to  do  so  until  a  missionary  could  be  secured. 
In  June  of  that  year  he  organized  a  congregation  of  18 
members, — all  females  except  four, — in  the  Lutheran 
church  on  Henry  street.  The  four  male  members  were 
Benjamin  R  )se  and  A.  JI.  Wilson,  of  Upper  Alton,  and 
William  Blair  and  Stephen  Lufkin,  of  Alton.  Only  one  of 
these — Jlr.  Wilson,  is  alive  at  this  writing  so  far  as  the 
writer  knows.  AVilliam  Blair  was  the  father  of  Mr.  J.  L. 
Blair,  an  old  and  esteemed  citizen  of  Alton,  who  for  ruany 
years  was  one  of  her  leading  wholesale  merchants.  Mr. 
Lufkin  removed  from  Alton  to  Joliet,  and  became  warden 
of  the  penitentiary  there.  Mr.  Rose  lived  to  a  ripe  old  age 
and  died  in  Upper  Alton.  These  three  laymen  were  the 
origional  elders. 

The  Lutheran  people  had  promised  the  use  of  their  hou.se 
each  Sabi)ath  afternoon  to  the  new  organization.  But  one 
Sabbath  whcu  the  time  for  assembling  came  the  pastor  and 
his  people  found  tiie  door  locked  against  them.  Only  a  few 
services  were  held  after  this  until  the  first  Sabbath  in 
January,  1856,  when  the  basement  of  a  building  they  had 
begun  was  so  far  finished  that  they  could  worship  in  it.  The 
ne.xt  Sabbatli  a  Sabbath  School  was  organized  of  twenty-five 
or  thirty  members,  with  Mr.  Lufkin  as  superintendent.  In 
the  spring  the  audience  room  was  finished,  and  the  building 
was  formally  dedicated  in  June, Rev.  Jacob  C.Clark,  of 
Sullivan,  Mo.,  preaching  the  sermon.  The  building  and 
grounds  cost  about  85,500,  not  more  than  one  half  of 
which  was  provided  for. 

The  mission  flourished  until  the  war  came  on  in  all  its 
darkening  fury  and  cast  a  black  pall  of  despair  over  it.  It 
was  cut  off  from  communication  with  the  Board  of  missions 
at  Lebanon,  Tenn.,  from  which  it  was  rceiving  $200  a  year. 
Added  to  this  was  a  debt  of  nearly  $2,300,  bearing  ten  per 
cent,  interest.  To  deepen  the  darkness,  Mr.  Logan  was  on 
a  small  salary,  all  of  which  he  never  received,  and  he  was 
individually  responsible  for  the  debt  on  the  church.  But 
generous  friends  provided  for  the  wants  of  the  missionary 
and  his  family,  who,  aided  by  Mr.  R.  M.  Beard  as  agent, 
raised  the  money  and  paid  off  the  debt.  The  re-adju.stment 
everywhere  taking  place  after  the  war,  had  its  effects  upon 
the  church,  crippling  her  numerically  and  financially.  On 
the  heels  of  this  an  addition  was  made  to  the  church  build- 
ing iavolving  a  debt  of  $2,503,  which,  to  some  extent,  still 
hangs  over  the  congregation.  Up  to  1870  there  had  been 
in  that  church  over  seven  hundred  professions  of  religion, 
and  between  four  and  five  hundred  had  been  received  into 
membership.  In  1871,  Mr.  Logan,  after  a  long,  active  and 
useful  service,  resigned.  His  resignation  was  not  accepted, 
however,  and  he  wfs  prevailed  upon  to  serve  them  another 


year.     In  1872,  he  renewed  the  resignation,  which   was  ac- 
cepted. 

A  very  brief  sketch  of  his  life  is  all  that  the  allotcd  space 
will  allow.  Mr.  Logan  was  born  in  Limestone  count}',  Ala., 
December  18,  1820.  In  early  life  he  went  with  h's  parents 
to  East  Tennessee,  where  he  lived  till  early  manhood. 
While  (juite  young  he  was  the  subject  of  deep  and  pungent 
convictions  upon  the  subject  of  religion.  In  his  seven- 
teenth year  he  became  a  candidate  for  the  ministry,  and  in 
a  year  or  two  thereafter  was  licensed  and  then  ordained. 
Leaving  Tennessee,  his  parents  removed  to  southwest  Mis- 
souri, where  his  father  died.  In  April,  1852,  at  the  advice 
of  friends,  he  started  the  3figsouri  Cumberland  Presbyterian, 
in  Lexington,  Mo.  After  about  one  year  the  paper  was  re- 
moved to  St.  Louis,  and  from  there,  in  the  winter  of  1855- 
56,  to  Alton,  111.  In  May,  1857,  he  sold  out  to  A.  F. 
Cox,  who  was  publishing  a  paper  in  Louisville,  Ky.  Soon 
after  he,  in  conjunction  with  Rev.  W.  W.  Brown,  bought 
the  Lidies'  Pearl,  and  published  it  in  Alton  till  stopped  by 
the  war  in  1861.  In  June  1862,  he  started  the  Wedeni 
Cumberland  Preshyierian,  which  he  published  till  1866,  when 
he  sold  the  list  and  material  to  Mr.  T.  H.  Perrin,  retaining 
the  editorship.  In  1868,  Rev.  J.  R.  Brown  bought  a  half 
interest.  Mr.  Logan  then  bought  the  list  of  the  Cumber- 
land Presbyterian,  published  in  Pennsylvania,  and  the  two 
lists  were  united,  Mr.  Logan  being  one  of  the  editors  of  the 
consolidated  paper,  which  bore  the  last  named  ti  le.  Soon 
after  he  sold  out  all  right  and  title  to  the  paper.  In  1875, 
the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  having  been  bought  by  the 
Board  of  Publication  and  removed  to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  Mr. 
Logan  and  T.  H.  Perrin  started  a  little  monthly  called  Our 
Faith,  which  they  continued  to  issue  until  the  St.  Lmiis 
Observer,  a  weekly,  started  from  St.  Louis,  bought  the 
list. 

Besides  these  things  he  was  connected  with  the  Board  of 
Missions  for  many  years,  holding  the  offices  of  President  and 
Secretary.  He  also  issued  several  works  of  a  doctrinal  and 
historical  character.  After  five  years  of  pastoral  labor  at 
Taylorsville,  111.,  on  the  14th  of  September,  1878,  not  quite 
58  years  of  age,  he  "  fell  asleep."  His  body  lies  in  the  Alton 
cemetery.  The  ministers  who  followed  Mr.  Logan  at  Alton 
were  Revs.  J.  T.  May,  J.  W.  Blosser,  J.  H.  Hendrick,  E.  B. 
Crisman,  D.  D.,  W.  B.  Farr  s^nd  M.  Lowe. 

In  1863  the  General  Assembly  appointed  a  missionary 
committee  at  Alton  to  do  the  work  for  the  churches  in  the 
north,  which  the  board  of  missions  at  Lebanon,  Tenn  ,  could 
not  do  on  account  of  the  war.  The  committee  consisted  of 
eleven  members.  In  1865  the  General  Assembly  converted 
this  committee  into  a  board  of  missions,  of  which  Mr.  Logan 
was  elected  president.  For  four  years  this  Board  continued, 
caring  as  best  it  could  for  the  missions  under  it.  While  the 
men  composing  it  held  opposite  views  in  regard  to  the  issues 
of  the  war,  these  views  never  found  their  way  into  the 
counsels  of  the  Board.  The  interest  and  information  on  this 
subject  prevalent  over  the  northern  states  may  be  due,  in 
no  small  desree,  to  its  work.  In  1869  the  General  Assem- 
bly consolidated  the  two  missionary  boards,  locating  the 
new  board  at  St.  Louis,  where  it  remains  to-day. 


328 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


BETHALTO 

Congregation  was  organized  by  Rev.  J.  B.  Logan  and 
H.  M.  E  .gan,  on  the  23d  of  April,  1866,  in  the  Bethel 
school-house,  with  twenty-seven  members.  The  original 
Elders  were:  D  H.  Starjjey  and  J.  A  Miller.  The  first 
deacons  were:  Joe  H.  Gadd  and  E.  C.  Long.  Rev.  H.  M. 
Eagan  was  secured  as  their  minister,  and  the  congregation 
soon  after  their  organization  began  the  erection  of  a  house 
of  worship.  A  lot  was  secured,  upon  which  a  neat  brick 
church  was  built,  at  a  cost  of  $4,000.  The  house  was 
finished  in  the  fall,  and  soon  thereafter  Mr.  Eagan  ceased 
his  ministrations.  He  was  a  warm-hearted,  zealous  Chris- 
tian gentleman,  and  the  society  flourished  under  his  care. 
Their  memory  of  him  is  fresh  to-day.  At  the  time  he  lived 
at  Alton,  and  was  secretary  of  the  board  of  mjssions  located 
there.  After  a  long  and  useful  life  he  is  now  spending  his 
old  age  in  WashingtonTerritory,  loved  by  all  who  know  him. 
Rev.  Thomas  Potter  was  secured  to  preach  for  them  for 
one  year  for  $1,000.  At  the  end  of  the  year  he  severed 
connection.  Efforts  were  made  to  secure  the  services  of 
Rev.  J.  R.  Brown,  but  without  success  Rev.  J.  R.  Madden 
offered  to  supply  them  one-half  his  time;  but  before  they 
decided  he  took  other  work.  At  the  fall  session  of  1869, 
Presbytery  ordered  Rev.  T.  W.  McDavid  to  supply  the 
congregation  for  six  months.  At  the  spring  session  of  1870, 
Rev.  William  Turner  arranged  tosapply  them  in  connection 
with  Omph-Ghent  congr  gation.  For  two  years  he  served 
them,  and  then  they  were  again  without  a  minister.  Du  ring  all 
these  years  the  congregation  had  been  increasing  in  members 
and  influence.  In  the  fall  of  1873,  F.  H.  Culley,  a  licentiate! 
a  young  man  of  pleasing  addre.ss,  becanae  supply  to  them. 
He  remained  for  at  least  a  year,  and  then  entered  the  halls 
of  Lincoln  University.  Disgrace  overtook  him  and  he  fled. 
He  was  subsequently  deposed  from  the  ministry  by  Vandalia 
Presbytery.  Dark  days  followed.  A  shock  had  been  given 
to  the  society  from  which  it  seemed  they  would  not  rally. 
They  had  no  minister  for  some  time,  and  became  somewhat 
discouraged.  Rev  E.  B.  Crisman,  moving  into  the  village 
preached  for  them  occasionally,  although  he  was  not 
regularly  employed.  After  his  departure,  the  little  band 
had  no  one  to  minister  to  their  spiritual  needs.  In  the  spring 
of  1879,  W.  C.  Logan,  a  young  man  just  licensed  to  preach, 
supplied  them  for  a  few  months  upon  alternate  Sabbaths. 
In  June,  or  July  he  left,  having  been  called  to  a  church  in 
Indiana.  They  dragged  along  as  best  they  could  until  June, 
1880,  when  Rev.  W.  T.  Baker  was  secured  to  supply  them 
for  a  time.  In  the  spring  of  1881,  Rev.  D.  H.  Starkey, 
who  had  been  a  charter  member  and  also  a  ruling  elder  in 
the  congregation,  engaged  to  supply  them  half  his  time . 
Since  then  they  have  had  regular  services.     The  frequent 

changes  made,  and  the  long  intervals  when  they  had  no 
minister,  have  worked  greatly  to  the  disadvantage  of  the 
congregation.  But  a  few  of  the  persevering  ones  held  ou> 
and  now  there  is  a  better  prospect  before  them  than  there 
has  been  for  many  years.  They  have  an  interesting  Sabbath 
school,  which  meets  each  Sabbath    morning,  and  sustains  a 

teachers'  meeting  in  connection  therewith.     Although  not 


strong,  they  are  prompt  to  pay  their  minister,  and  are  hope- 
ful for  the  future. 

This  brief  sketch  is  by  no  means  perfect.  Blaterial  for 
an  accurate  account  was  not  at  hand,  and  the  lack  of  time 
forbade  any  extensive  search.  It  will  serve,  however,  to 
show  the  reader  something  of  what  has  been  done  by  this 
particular  branch  of  the  great  Vine.  It  has  in  the  county, 
four  organizations,  five  church-houses,  all  in  good  condition 
with,  perhaps,  one  exception  ;  all  supplied  statedly  with  the 
means  of  grace  and  a  membership  of  five  hundred  (more  or 
less).  There  was  an  organization  effected  in  the  American 
Bottom,  but  it  did  not  attain  much  permanency,  and  is  now 
out  of  existence. 


CHURCH     OF    THE     REDEEMER,    CONGREGA- 
TIONAL,   OF    ALTON. 


BY   REV.  E.  G.    CHADDOCK. 

The  beginning  of  the  movement  that  resulted  in  the  or- 
ganization of  the  church,  was  the  organizing  of  a  Sunday 
school  in  the  spring  of  1858,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association.  The  first  place  of  meet- 
ing was  the  German  Methodist  church  with  an  attendance  of 
nine  pupils.  But  there  was  in  it  a  spirit  of  aggre.ssiveness 
and  there  followed  a  period  of  rapid  growth.  Before  the 
close  of  the  year  it  numbered  over  a  hundred  pupils. 
Several  changes  of  location  followed,  but  notwithstanding, 
the  school  continued  to  prosper  not  only  increasing  in 
number  but  becoming  instrumental  in  the  conversion  of 
many  who  were  added  to  the  several  churches  of  the  city. 
And  as  no  conveniently  located  hall  could  be  secured,  it 
was  finally  determined  to  build,  and  thus  secure  a  permanent 
house  for  the  school.  In  186S  the  main  building  of  that 
now  used  for  a  church  was  erected.  The  school  at  that  time 
numbered  more  than  three  hundred  pupils,  and  had  taken 
its  place  among  the  more  efficient  moral  and  spiritual  forces 
of  the  city. 

There  had  been  in  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Alton,  from 
its  beginning,  many  whose  early  training  had  been  Congre- 
gational and  the  propriety  of  organizing  a  Congregational 
church  had  from  time  to  time  been  a  subject  of  considera- 
tion on  the  part  of  some  of  them.  On  the  evening  of  June 
3d,  1870,  a  preliminary  meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of 
Mr.  T.  T.  Lewis,  fifteen  persons  were  present.  It  was  made 
a  subject  of  prayer,  and  after  a  season  of  devotion,  there  was 
a  general  and  free  discussion  of  the  propriety  of  organizing, 
and  all  were  found  to  favor  it. 

A  committee  was  appointed  consisting  of  Samuel 
Wade,  James  Newman  and  John  Atwood  to  pre- 
pare a  statement  setting  forth  the  reasons  and  motives  that 
actuated  them  in  the  movement.  On  the  10th  of  June  this 
committee  gave  the  following  report : 

"  Seeing  in  the  present  prosperity  and  large  membership 
of  the  church  with  which  we  stand  connected,  (the  Presby- 
terian), indications  of  God's  providence  pointing  to  this  as  a 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


329 


time  to  colonize,  we,  the  undersigned,  while  grateful  for  a 
place  in  its  fold  so  long,  and  with  most  fraterual  feelings  to- 
ward all  its  nieiubars,  do  rejoice  to  unite  in  ourefforUs  to  build 
up  another  church  of  God  of  such  polity  as  we  think  m)st 
scriptural  and  best  adapted  to  utilize,  and  bring  out  the 
working  force  of  individual  Christians.  Looking  to  the 
Great  Head  of  the  Church  for  guidance  in  our  Christian 
work  for  the  salvation  of  souls  and  for  our  growth  in  grace, 
we  do  hereby  pledge  each  to  the  other  our  hearty  co-opera- 
tions in  prayers,  in  efforts  and  in  suffering  if  need  be,  to 
plant  an  organization  which  shall  hold  forth  the  word  of 
Life  to  souls  that  are  perishing." 

This  statement  was  adopted  and  signed  by  all  present. 

On  the  2!)th  of  July  following,  The  Church  of  the  Re- 
deemer, of  Alton,  was  duly  organized  with  48  members. 
Rev.  H,  D.  Piatt,  of  Brighton,  Illinois,  presiding.  Thirty 
of  this  number  had  letters  from  the  Presbyte'ian  church  of 
Alton.  Seventeen  had  letters  from  other  ciiurches  of  Alton, 
and  from  churches  out  of  the  city,  and  one  was  received  by 
profession  of  faith.  Soon  after  eleven  more  came  from  the 
Presbyterian  church.  A  call  was  immediately  extended  to 
Rev.  M.  K.  Whittlesey  of  Ottawa,  Illinois,  to  become  pas- 
tor of  the  new  church  and  was  accepted.  At  a  meeting  held 
August  27th,  a  manual  was  adopted  and  officers  were  elect- 
ed. Oct.  18th,  a  council  convened  to  recognize  the  church 
and  install  its  pastor.  Shortly  after  the  action  of  this  coun- 
cil the  church  and  its  pastor  were  admitted  to  the  Southern 
Association  of  Illinois.  Very  soon  the  church  was  to  have 
the  chastening  which  the  Word  declares  shall  be  given  to  true 
children  This  came  in  the  loss  by  death  of  several  of  those 
who  had  been  most  active  in  connection  with  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  church.  During  the  first  year  of  its  history,  four 
were  called  awaj'  and  their  loss  was  most  seriously  felt,  but 
a  very  considerable  number  were  also  added,  chiefly  by  pro- 
fession and  the  church  had  abundant  reason  to  believe  it 
had  the  Master's  approbation  in  its  work. 

The  pastorate  of  Rev.  M.  K.  Whittlesey  continued  two 
years,  and  he  was  then  dismissed  by  advice  of  council  that 
hemi^ht  takethe  more  responsible  position  of  superintendant 
of  Missions  for  the  southern  part  of  Illinois. 

In  December  of  the  same  year  the  church  called  Rev. 
Robert  West,  of  Ludlow,  Ky  ,  and  he  began  his  labors  Feb- 
ruary, 1873.  During  this  same  year  additions  and  repairs 
were  made  upon  the  church  building,  and  one  of  Hook's 
most  excellent  organs  was  placed  in  the  church,  a  gift  from 
Samuel  Wade.  During  the  winter  following  the  church 
was  greatly  revived  and  received  a  large  accession  to  its 
membership.  Rev.  Robert  West  was  installed  pastor  of  the 
church,  April  29th,  1^574,  and  resigned  his  pastorate  in  the 
autumn  of  1876.  The  church  declined  to  accept  it,  but  he 
urged  the  acceptance  and  the  church  finally  yielded,  and 
his  labors  closed  Oct  12th,  1876,  when  Mr.  West  became 
superintendant  of  Missions  for  the  State  of  Missouri. 

The  church  had  no  pastor  until  March  \»i,  1877,  when 
Rev.  Geo.  C.  Adams,  of  Hillsboro,  received  a  call  and  began 
his  work.  He  was  installed  Sep  28th,  1877,  and  was  dis- 
missed by  council  on  his  resignation,  April  20tb,  1881. 
D.iringhis  pastorate  a  fine  parson  ige  was  built  and  paid  for, 
42 


with  the  exception  of  one  thousand  dollars  the  land  having 
been  a  gift  of  Arba  Nelson,  one  of  the  members  who 
united  with  the  church  at  its  organization,  but  who  died 
soon  after.  Mr.  Nelson  had  planned  liberal  things  for  the 
church,  and  had  he  lived  would  have  done  much  for  its 
spiritual  and  financial  prosperty. 

During  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Adams  a  very  considerable 
increase  in  membership  was  made  and  it  was  a  period  of 
general  prosperity  with  the  church.  He  left  to  take  charge 
of  a  ne*  and  promising  interest  in  St.  Louis,  where  he  is 
at  this  time  located. 

On  the  17th  of  July,  1881,  a  call  was  evtended  to  Rev. 
E.  G-  Chaddock,  of  Michigan,  and  he  began  his  labors  the 
1st  of  September,  1881 ;  since  that  time  eleven  have  united 
with  the  church,  m  istly  by  profession,  and  arrangements 
have  been  nearly  completed  to  pay  off'  the  i)arsonage  debt, 
only  one  hundred  dollars  now  being  needed  to  have  the 
church  clear  from  debt.  The  church  is  united  and  pros- 
perous, with  a  flourishing  Sunday-school,  and  a  good  congre- 
gation. The  whole  number  received  into  the  church  since 
its  organization  is  199  ;  of  these  100  have  been  received  by 
profession.     The  present  membership  is  147. 


LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


BY  REV.  W    \\.  WILKEN. 


The  fundamental  laws  of  the  United  States  guarantee 
perfect  religious  liberty  to  all — or,  to  use  the  words  of  Fred- 
erick the  Great — allow  all  to  seek  their  way  to  heavenly 
bliss  on  their  own  confession  of  faith.  The  German  Protest- 
ant Church  has  thriven  and  prospered  under  those  laws  of 
liberty.  The  church  had,  however,  to  encounter  many 
difficulties  and  overcome  them,  before  it  gained  the  inde- 
pendent position  it  now  generally  enjoys  It  is  proper  to 
state  here  that  the  liberal  and'material  aid  extended  by  the 
native  Americans  with  a  ready  and  willing  hand,  has  been 
the  means  of  overcoming  the  pecuniary  difficulties  of  the 
beginning.  Other  and  graver  ones,  however,  had  yet  to  be 
met  and  conquered  ;  and  this  was  a  diffi  -ult  task  to  be  per- 
formed by  prudent  and  cautious  clergymen,  who  had  to  act 
as  mediators  among  heterogeneous  elements.  This  was  not 
always  done,  or,  perhaps,  injudiciously  done,  and  hence  we 
do  meet  here  and  there  German  Protestant  congregations 
with  the  worm  of  di.scord  in  their  vitals.  In  almost  all  cases 
these  troubles  may  be  traced  to  errors  and  blunders  of  hasty 
and  inconsiderate  preachers. 

One  should  bear  in  mind  that  the  German  churches  recruit 
themselves  from  immigrants  from  all  parts  of  Germany  and 
Switzerland,  and  that  these  people,  in  many  instances,  differ 
widely  in  their  confessions  of  faith.  It  was  a  herculean 
task  to  be  performed  by  the  leading  members.  The  most 
violent  and  stubborn  contradictions  had  to  be  met,  and 
abrupt  lines  of  division  to  be  obliterated,  in  order  to  form 
and  crystalize  the  heterogeneous  elements  of  Catholic.^,  Lu- 
therans, Calvinists,  Presbyterians,  Methodists,  Trinitarians 


330 


HISTORY    OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


and  Unitarians  into  a  homogeneous  congregation,  the  mem- 
bers of  which  should  not  longer  quarrel  about  dogmatical 
differences,  but  excel  one  another  in  faith  and  works  of 
love.  Faith  and  love !  It  is  through  them  that  the  founder 
of  our  religion  will  enter  our  hearts,  for  He  dwelleth  not  in 
a  confession  of  faith  pronounced  by  the  lip,  but  liveth  and 
worketh  in  the  heart  filled  with  the  truth  of  His  doctrine  of 
love  and  burning  with  the  sublimity  of  His  Spirit. 

Such  was  the  spirit  penetrating  these  congregations  and 
animating  their  members  to  bear  witness  of  their  Christian 
purity.  Thus  fell  the  rugged  partition  of  dogma,  for  the 
Church  of  God  is  not  where  confessions  of  faith  are  merely 
spoken,  but  where  the  Spirit  of  the  sublime  founder  of  our 
religion  lives  and  works  in  the  hearts  of  men. 

It  is  nevertheless  true,  that  the  Synod  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church  did,  and  to  this  day  does,  desire  to  main 
tain  an  independent  church  government,  founded  on  the  tra- 
ditions and  the  '•  Concord ia-Book  "  of  this  church  ;  and  that 
they  therefore  peremptorily  refused,  and  still  refuse,  a  union 
of  Lutherans  and  the  Reformed,  and  do  not  allow  communion 
with  others,  whose  clergymen  are  even  excluded  from  the  Lu- 
theran pulpits.  However,  the  congr  -gations  of  the  Lutheran 
Synod  have  made  decided  progress.  Persevering  labors  and 
great  sacrifices  have  enabled  them  to  build  splendid  and 
mao-nificent  churches  and  schools,  and  it  is  apparent  that 
they,  like  other  denominations,  know  how  to  erect  edifices 
in  which    the  Lord  dwelleth  with  His  Spirit  and  blessing. 

Thus  has  the  Protestant  church  of  Madison  county  suc- 
ceeded to  have  most  of  their  congregations  develop,  without 
beino-  fettered  by  an  exclusive  confession  of  faith.  They 
have  retained  the  Christian  religion,  as  taught  in  the  books 
of  the  Old  and  New  Testament,  and  as  explained  or  defined 
by  the  Confession  of  Augsburg  {Confessio  Augudana). 

The  "  Credo  unam  sancta7n  CaihoUcam  et  ApostoUcam 
ecclesiam ''  has  not  yet  been  reached,  but  it  is  drawing 
nearer;  for  it  is  the  free  and  living  unity,  held  up  by  the 
ties  of  peace ;  the  unity  in  spirit,  developing  its  various 
gifts  ;  the  unity  of  order  and  concord ;  the  homogeneous- 
ness,  despite  dogmatical  differences,  which  forever  seeks, 
surely  finds,  and  ultimately  secures  the  ''  Una  Sanda  Ec- 
eleiUi." 

In  order  to  reach  the  historical  development  of  the  Ger- 
man congregations  in  the  American  Bottom,  Madison 
county,  we  must  refer  to  the  beginning  of  the  church  life  of 
the  first  inhabitants. 

THE  M    E.  F.BENEZER  CHURCH  ON  CHOUTEAU  SLOUGH. 

This  church  was  erected  in  1836.  It  was  an  unadorned 
loo-  house,  but  answered  all  purposes  of  the  times.  A 
church  yard,  located  in  close  proximity,  became  the  last 
resting-place  of  the  weary  wanderers,  and  is  to  this  day, 
now  and  then,  used  as  a  place  of  interment.  A  second 
church, 

THE  M.  E.  SIX-MILE   CHURCH, 

was  erected  in  1840  near  the  Edwardsville  plank-road,  si.x 
miles  east  of  the  Mississippi.  The  most  prominent  members 
of  these  two  congregations,  whose  descendants,  now  as  nu- 


merous as  the  stars  of  the  firmament,  belong  to  the  first 
families  of  the  county  and  state,  were :  Benjamin  Irish,  T. 
J.  Irish,  Samuel  Squire,  Peter  Barco,  Calvin  Kinder,  Geo. 
A.  Kinder,  Samuel  Kinder,  J.  W.  Delaplain,  J.  Davidson, 
Wesley  Lucas,  James  S.  Smith,  Th  mas  G.  Lofton,  William 
Atkins,  William  Snyder,  Captain  William  Gillham,  Isaac 
Gillham,  Newton  Gillham,  George  Hayes,  John  Hayes, 
Charles  Harward,  John  Woods  and  Isaac  Bradon. 

Some  German  and  Swiss  families,  who  had  arrived  at  an 
early  day,  were  cheerfully  granted  permission  to  use  those 
buildings  as  places  of  worship. 

The  population  was  constantly  increasing,  and  the  neces- 
sity of  a  larger  place  for  public  worship  was  universally 
felt.  The  Odd  Fellows  built  a  large  hall  in  1852,  and  had 
the  spacious  and  beautiful  room  on  the  ground  floor  arranged 
for  a  church  ;  as  such  it  is  used  to  this  day.  The  old  church 
had  by  this  time  become  rather  dilapidated,  and  was  aban- 
doned by  the  Americans,  while  the  Germans  still  used  it  as 
a  meeting-house.  The  firmer  erected  at  Kinder  station  a 
beautiful  brick  church  in  1856,  with  foundations  of  cut 
stone.  The  upper  flioor  is  the  church-room,  and  will  com- 
fortably seat  four  hundred  persons,  while  the  lower  rooms 
are  used  for  schools. 

The  German  population  was  now  numerous  enough  to 
have  a  congregation  of  their  own.  Rev.  W.  W.  Wilken,then 
a  chaplain  in  the  U.  S.  army,  founded  the  first  German 
congregation  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Confession,  in 
1861. 

THE    GERM.\N    INDEPENDENT    EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN   ST. 
JOH.^.NNES'  CHURCH, 

A  plain,  frame  building,  was  erected  in  the  Six-mile  Prairie, 
intended  for  a  church  and  parochial  school.  The  church 
was  dedicated  March  1,1862,  by  Rev.  W.  W.  Wilken,  who 
was  then  chosen  pastor,  and  remained  in  charge  for  twelve 
consecutive  years.  The  church  building  of  1862  had  be- 
come too  small  for  the  increasing  congregation,  and  the  pro- 
priety of  building  a  more  suitable  chur.h  was  apparent  to 
all  members.  AVhile  all  agreed  that  a  larger  and  hand- 
somer building  should  be  erected,  discussion  arose  in  refer- 
ence to  the  site  of  the  proposed  church,  and  the  praisewor- 
thy harmony  of  the  members,  which  had  lasted  for  so  many 
years,  was  sadly  disturbed.  During  this  agitation  an  offer 
was  made  by  the  M.  E.  Church  at  Kinder  station  to  sell 
their  handsome  church,  mentioned  above,  to  the  Germans  of 
the  St  Johannes'  Congregation.  Henry  Deterding,  Conrad 
Deterding,  Fred.  Philipps,  Henry  Fehling,  Louis  Hill,  Her- 
man Brandes,  Christ  Ahrens,  William  Buenger,  and  Fred. 
Beekmau  bought  the  building  in  1880,  and  invited  Rev.  W. 
W.  Wilken,  then  p  stor  of  a  congregation  at  Alton,  to  organ- 
ize and  take  charge  of  this  congregation,  which  now  (1881) 
adopted  the  name  of 

THE   GERMAN  EV.  LUTHERAN  ST.  PETER's  CONGREGATION  AT 
KINDER  STATION. 

The  unmistakable  and  wonderful  success  of  the  new  con- 
o-regation,  counting  eighty-six  members  within  a  few  mouths 
after  organization,  ought  to  have  induced  all  members  of  the 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


331 


St.  Johanues'  Congregation  to  join  it.  Instead  of  doing  so, 
they  resolved,  although  not  as  numerous  as  the  St.  Peter's 
Congregation,  to  erect  a  new  church  on  the  site  of  their  for- 
mer frame  edifice.  The  new  building  was  consecrated  in 
1882.  It  is  a  modest,  frame  building,  fairly  equipped 
within,  has  a  steeple  and  a  bell,  and  is  large  enough  to 
ajcamm3Jate  all  for  many  years  to  come. 


FRENCH  CONGREGATION  IN  HELVETIA. 


DATA    FURNISHED   BY    EEV.  L.  F.  YULLIET. 


On  Sept.  6,  1848,  an  omnibus  brought  from  St.  Louis  a 
dozen  of  immigrants,  hailing  from  French  Switzerland,  one 
of  whom  was  A.  E.  Bandolier,  Constant  Rilliet,  in  later 
years  successor  of  Bandelier  in  the  Swiss  consulate,  and  as- 
sociate county  justice  in  1861,  and  lastly  Rev.  Francis 
VuUiet,  a  minister  of  the  Free  Evangelical  Church  of 
Canton  Vaud,  who  had  come  to  America  in  the  hope  of 
finding  here  freedom  of  religion,  that  had  been  denied  to 
him  in  his  native  country,  the  republic  of  Switzerland. 

Soon  after  his  arrival.  Rev.  VuUiet  opened  his  house  for 
religious  worship  every  Sunday,  to  all  persons  speaking 
French,  natives  of  Switzerland  as  well  as  of  France.  Rev. 
Vulliet  was  frequently  reminded  of  the  propriety  of  affiliat- 
ing with  the  Presbyterians  as  nearest  to  the  standard  he 
acknowledged,  but  he  preferred  remaining  independent. 
Notwithstanding  this  freedom  from  ecclesiastical  connections 
and  the  willingness  of  the  preacher  to  allow  freedom  of 
action  to  church  members,  petty  differences  appeared  before 
long  among  the  hearers.  Some  wanted  a  more  familiar  form 
of  worship,  some  a  more  definite  organization.  Pastor 
Vulliet  proposed  to  the  disaffected  to  organize  themselves, 
showing  a  readiness  to  help,  but  not  disposed  to  lead.  Some 
of  the  congregation  had  however  other  views,  effected  a 
separation,  with  the  view  of  establishing,  as  they  said,  a 
stricter  discipline  and,  at  the  same  time,  a  less  vigorous  ad- 
herence to  the  historical  forms  of  worship.  Under  the 
name  of  the  '  Brethren,"  they  started  their  own  meetings  in 
1850.  They  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  congregation  of  the 
"  Plymouth  Brethren,"  whose  church,  a  frame  building, 
stood  for  a  period  of  twenty  years  on  Sect.  24,  three-fourths 
of  a  mile  from  the  town  of  Sebastopol.  A  new  church 
has  since  been  erected,  half  a  mile  noith  of  the  former. 

After  the  secession  of  the  "  Brethren  "  in  April,  1851, 
the  remaining  members,  about  a  dozen  families,  continuing 
to  worship  with  pastor  Vulliet,  asked  him  formally  to  draw 
a  confession  of  faith  for  them  and  to  act  as  their  pastor  In 
this  way  was  the  French  Evangelical  Church  of  Highland 
organized.  Meetings  have  been  held  regularly  ever  since 
on  Sundays,  first  in  the  house  of  one  member,  then  in  the 
house  of  another,  as  they  moved  from  the  town  to  the  country. 

This  order  of  things  lasted  about  nine  years.  In  1858  the 
church  resolved  to  buy  lots  and  erect  therou  a  building  for 


worship.  It  became  therefore  necessary  to  be  incorporated 
under  the  laws  of  the  Slate  and  to  elect  Trustees.  C.  Rilliet 
among  them.  The  church  was  erected  on  lots  1  and  2, 
block  63,  of  brick,  under  contract  with  Niciiolas  Rohr  ior 
$1,352.20.  The  new  building  was  dedicated  on  the  first 
Sunday  of  October,  1859.  In  1860  Florentine  Delassus,  Sr  , 
and  Louis  Vulliet  were  elected  elders  Delassus  died  Dec. 
1,  1865.  The  next  to  follow  was  pastor  Vulliet,  Feb.  21, 
1874.  Being  then  under  the  sole  charge  of  the  younger 
Elder,  Louis  Vulliet,  the  church  elected  him  pastor  in  May, 
1*<74,  and  resolved  to  perfect  their  organization  by  a  revision 
of  the  constitution  and  to  connect  it  with  the  Congregational 
Churches  of  America.  This  last  did  not  take  place  till 
April  6,  1876,  when  the  Southern  Associatii)n  of  the  Con- 
gregational churches  of  Illinois,  convened  at  Bunker  Hill, 
Macoupin  county,  admitted  the  French  Evangelical  Church, 
by  her  delegates,  as  a  member  of  the  Association.  On  the 
same  day  Louis  Vulliet,  one  of  the  delegates  of  the  church 
in  Highland,  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  of  the  gospel. 

In  1852  a  number  of  families  from  North  France  for  the 
most  part  converted  from  Roman  Catholicism  to  the  Baptist 
church  arrived  at  Highland,  settling  in  its  vicinity.  They 
first  participated  in  worship  with  the  French  Evangelical 
Church,  but  their  views  on  communion  led  them  also  to  hold 
separate  meetings.  Thus  originated  the  Bethania  Baptist 
Church,  organized  near  Sebastopol,  by  Rev.  Foulon.  The 
church  building,  dedicated  in  1860,  stands  to  this  day  on  the 
N.  W.  corner  of  the  N.  E.  quarter  of  section  24,  in  Hel- 
vetia township. 


ALLGEMEINE    CHRISTLICHE    KIRCHE,    HIGH- 
LAND. 


FROM  DATA  FURNISHED  BY  REV.  O.  RENTSCHLER. 

The  origin  of  this  congregation  dates  back  to  the  very 
foundation  of  the  town.  The  inhabitants,  some  of  them 
Catholics,  others  Protestants  of  various  persuasions  were  not 
numerous  enough  to  justify  the  organization  of  separate 
congregations.  A  most  admirable  spirit  of  tolerance  per- 
vaded the  colony,  and  the  little  meeting-house  of  1840  was 
open  to  all.  It  is  not  uncommon  to  hear  it  said  that  the 
Germans  as  a  rule  are  indifferent  to  religion  and  even  great 
skeptics.  There  are  of  course  a  number  of  them  inclined 
that  way,  but  by  no  means  a  proportionably  greater  number 
than  among  other  nations.  In  fact,  it  may  be  said,  that  a 
certain  deep  religious  feeling  pervades  that  nationality,  not 
met  with  elsewhere.  True,  they  are  not  loud  and  noisy  in 
their  professions,  nor  inclined  to  punish  their  flesh  in  the 
adoration  of  Him  on  High.  Their  poet's  rapturous  excla- 
mation :  "O  wunderschoen  ist  Gotte's  Erde,  uud  werth  dar- 
auf  vergnuegt  zu  sein."  O  beautiful  is  God's  wide  earth, 
well  worthy  to  enjoy  life's  pleasures  thereon  !  is  appreciated, 
thoroughly  understood  and  universally  practiced  by  that 
people.     The   popular  songs   of  the  German,   his  "  Volks- 


332 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


lieder,"   breathe   the  very  spirit   of  chaste   and   beautiful 

religion  and  worship,  for  instance  : 

Wer  hat  dich  du  schoener  Wald  aufgebaut 

So  hoch  da  droben  ? 
Wohl  den  Meister  will  ich  loben,  so  lang 

Noch  mein  Stimm  erschallt ! 

(Who  has  built  up  the  beautiful  forest  on  yonder  height? 
O,  Jet  me  praise  the  Master  as  long  as  voice  is  left  in  me  !) 

These  "  Volkslieder"  might  in  many  instances  be  called 
hymns,  which  in  fact  they  are.  But  to  return  to  the  subject. 
The  historical  sketch  of  the  Catholic  churches  gives  the 
names  of  the  priests,  who  conducted  the  religious  services 
in  the  colony.  Among  the  Protestant  clergymen  adminis- 
tering to  the  religious  wants  there,  we  mention  first  Rev. 
Rieger,  a  Lutheran  Missionary,  who  visited  the  colony  from 
time  to  time  in  1840,  1841  and  1842.  He  was  a  devout 
Christian  and  a  good  man.  His  memory  is  cherished  by 
the  few  survivors  of  that  period  to  this  day.  Rev.  Ciolina 
officiated  in  1843  and  1844,  Villnier  in  1845.  Rev.  Douy, 
of  Belleville,  in  1847,  Rev.  Reineke,  stationed  at  Marine,  in 
1848,  Rev.  Meier  of  St.  Louis,  in  1849  and  1850.  The  name 
of  "Allgemeine  Christliche  Kirche  "  (a  church  for  Chris- 


tians of  all  denominations)  was  adopted  in  1850,  when  a  per- 
manent organization  was  eflected.  The  following  clergymen 
have  conducted  the  religious  services  there,  to  wit :  Rev. 
Krauss,  1850,  Rev.  Lepique,  1851,  Rev.  Mueller  1852  and 
1853,  Rev.  Rettig,  1854  and  1855,  Rev.  Lepique,  a  second 
term,  from  1856  to  1860,  Rev.  Luchsinger  from  1860  to 
1862,  Rev.  Schuepbach  from  1862  to  1867,  Rev.  Mettel- 
mann  from  1867  to  1879.  The  congregation  erected  a 
beautiful  church  edifice  in  1878.  Rev.  G.  Rentschler  suc- 
ceeded Rev.  Mettelraann,  May  1,  1879.  The  interior  of  the 
building  was  finished  during  the  year,  an  excellent  organ 
procured  and  three  church  bells  purchased.  Rev.  Rentsch- 
ler organized  a  church  choir,  composed  of  ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen, and  placed  it  under  the  directions  of  C.  H.  Seybt, 
who  by  zealous  and  untiring  efi'orts,  backed  by  talent  and 
skill,  has  succeeded  in  making  his  choir  peer  to  any  in  the 
country.  The  church  membership  is  constantly  increasing, 
and  embraces  now  one  hundred  and  forty  families. 

A  Ladies'  Association,  counting  over  one  hundred  mem- 
bers, whose  object  it  is  to  be  charitable  to  the  needy,  to  take 
care  of  the  sick  and  to  be  good  and  kind  to  all,  was  called 
into  existence  by  the  persistent  efforts  of  Rev.  G.  Rentschler, 
the  present  pastor  of  this  most  tolerant  and  highly  interest- 
ing church  organization. 


EDWARDSVILLE. 


t«-»^ 


IIOMAS  KIRKPATRICK,  a  South 
Carolinian,  in  the  year  1805  made  the 
first  settlement  on  the  site  of  Edwards- 
ville.  The  piece  of  land  on  which  he  built 
his  cabin  was  a  militia  claim  of  one 
hundred  acres,  on  Cahokia  Creek,  ori- 
ginally granted  to  Pierre  Lejoy.  This 
(.ff^^^Qc-s^  claim  covered  the  northwest  part  of  the 
^kX  present  town.  When  the  Indian  troubles 

which  preceded  the  war  of  1812-14,  be- 
gan, a  block-house  was  built  for  the  protection  of  the  several 
families  which,  by  that  time,  had  settled  in  the  vicinity. 
This  structure  was  known  as  Thomas  Kirkpatrick's  fort,  and 
was  an  important  link  in  the  chain  of  military  stations 
which  guarded  the  Illinois  frontier  from  the  attacks  of  the 
savages.  It  stood  to  the  north  of  the  old  court-house  about 
three  hundred  yards  from  the  banks  of  Cahokia  Creek.  It 
is  said  to  have  been  built  by  a  military  company  of  which 
John  G.  Lofton  was  captain,  William  Jones,  first  lieutenant 
and  Daniel  G.  Moore,  second  lieutenant. 

The  county  of  Madison  having  been  organized  in  1812, 
Kirkpatrick's  farm  was  selected  as  the  best  location  for  the 
seat  of  justice.  At  the  house  of  Thomas  Kirkpatrick,  on 
the  fifth  day  of  April,  1813,  the  court  of  common  pleas  for 
JIadison  county  held  its  first  session.  At  this  term  of  court 
Kirpatrick  obtained  license  to  keep  a  public  house.  The 
first  merchant  in  the  town  was  Abraham  Prickett,  and  the 
second  Benjamin  Stephenson.  Their  stores  were  opened  in 
1815  or  1816.  John  T.  Lusk  was  proprietor  of  the  first 
hotel.  In  1816  a  town  was  surveyed  by  Kirkpatrick,  and 
called  Edwardsville,  in  honor  of  Ninian  Edwards,  then  the 
territorial  governor  of  Illinois.  The  growth  of  the  new 
town  was  rapid.  In  a  few  years  it  attained  a  population  of 
several  hundred,  and  numbered  among  its  citizens  many  in- 
fluential and  distinguished  men.  Governor  Edwards  made 
it  hi^  residence,  a  bank  was  established,  it  became  the  seat 
of  the  United  States  land  office  and  to  the  town  flocked  en- 
terprising and  talented  men  who  deemed  it  the  best  point  in 
the  state  from  which  to  push  their  schemes  for  gaining  wealth 
or' securing  political  advancement. 

The  first  mention  of  a  government  for  the  town  is  in  1819, 
on  the  twenty-third  of  February  of  which  year  an  act  was 
passed  by  the  state  legislature,  appointing  Benjamin  Ste- 
phenson, Joseph  Bowers,  Robert  Latham,  John  Todd,  Jo- 
seph Conway,  Abraham  Prickett  and  Theophilus  W.  Smith  a 
board  of  trustees.  On  the  third  of  the  following  May,  an 
election  was  held  at  which  Abraham  Prickett,  James  AVatts> 


John  Todd,  Robert  Pogue,  William  Holland,  Palemon  H- 
Winchester  and  William  L.  May  were  chosen  Trustees.  At 
this  election  Josias  Randle,  Abraham  Prickett  and  Paris 
Mason  acted  as  judges,  and  John  Y.  Sawyer  and  Stephen 
Dewey  as  clerks.  The  trustees  elected  in  182(1,  were  Ed- 
ward Coles,  John  Y.  Sawyer,  David  Swett,  Josias  Randle, 
John  T.  Lusk,  Joshua  Atwater  and  Paris  Mason. 

In  1819,  Benjamin  Stephenson,  Ninian  Edwards,  Theophi" 
lus  W.  Smith,  John  Todd  and  others  petitioned  the  board  o 
tru-tees  that  a  tract  of  land  owned  by  them  adjoining  the 
town  and  which  they  had  laid  off"  into  lots,  should  be  an- 
nexed to  and  made  a  part  of  the  town  of  Edwardsville. 

In  the  "Sketches  of  the  Western  Country."  published  by 
E.  Dana,  in  1819,  Edwardsville  is  described  as  "  a  flouri.^hing 
town,  containing  si.Kty  or  seventy  houses,  a  court-house,  jail, 
public  bank,  printing  office,  which  issues  a  weekly  paper,  and 
a  United  States  land  office  of  which  Col.  Stephenson  is  re- 
ceiver." "  As  this  county  embraces  all  the  lands  above,  east 
of  the  Mississippi  river,  and  all  the  bounty  lands  in  Illinois,' 
the  writer  goes  to  state,  "  soldiers'  patents  and  grants  of 
Illinois  bounty  lands  are  recorded  here.  In  the  vicinity  of 
the  town  is  a  society  of  Methodists.  There  is  an  extensive 
tract  of  land  around  this  spot  of  an  excellent  quality  on 
which  many  plantations  have  been  opened.  But,  unfor- 
tunately for  settlers,  the  most  valuable  tracts  have  been  mo- 
nopolized by  speculating  men  who  are  non-residents." 

EARLY   CITIZENS    OF    EDW.VRDSVILI.E. 

The  names  given  above  of  persons  connected  with  the 
early  government  of  Edwardsville,  furnish  a  fair  list  of 
the  leading  men  in  the  town  about  the  year  1820.  Benjamin 
Stephenson  was  a  Virginian  by  birth.  He  came  to  this  state 
from  Kentucky  in  1809.  He  served  as  sheriff"  of  Randolph 
county,  and  was  colonel  in  the  military  service  in  two  cam- 
paigns of  the  war  of  1812-14.  He  was  elected  delegate  to 
congre.ss  from  the  territory  of  Illinois  in  1811,  and  when  the 
land  office  was  established  at  Edwardsville  was  made  the 
first  receiver.  He  was  an  ardent  Democrat  in  politics,  an 
admirer  of  Andrew  Jackson,  and  his  sentiments  were 
strongly  pro-slavery.  He  was  quiet,  unpretentious  and 
agreeable  in  his  manners,  and  attended  to  his  duties  as  re- 
ceiver of  the  land  office  with  much  faithfulness.  He  died  at 
Edwardsville,  about  1824. 

Dr.  Joseph  Bowers  was  one  of  the  early  physicians  of 
Edwardsville.  With  his  profession  he  united  the  occupation 
of  a  farmer.  He  removed  to  Carlinville,  and  represented 
Macoupin  county  in  the  state  legislature.     Dr.  John  Todd 


334 


HISTORY  OF  MADISOIf    COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


was  a  pronjiiunt  represfiitalive  of  the  medical  profession 
He  came  fioni  Lexington,  KeLtucky,  and  was  the  brother 
of  Robert  Todd,  who  was  the  father  of  the  wives  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  and  Ninian  Edwards.  He  was  a  Whig  in  politics- 
He  resided  in  Edwardsville,  on  Main  street,  where  Judge 
Joseph  Gillespie  now  lives.  A  log  bouse  was  here  first 
erected  by  Dr.  Bowers  to  which  Dr.  Todd  made  a  frame  ad- 
dition. He  subsequently  became  a  citizen  of  Springfield, 
where  he  practiced  medicine  some  years  and  died. 

Joseph  Conway  came  to  Illinois  from  Maysville,  Ken- 
tucky, and  settled  at  Kaskaskia  in  1812,  and  there  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  law.  During  the  war  of  1812-14  he  was 
in  the  contractor's  department  on  the  frontier.  From 
Kaskaskia  he  came  to  Edwardsville.  For  some  years  he 
filled  the  office  of  circuit  clerk  ;  he  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  state  senate  in  18-4,  and  represented  Madison  county  as 
senator  till  1833.  He  removed  to  the  northern  part  of 
the  state,  and  was  killed  by  a  lall  from  the  upper  to  the 
lower  deck  of  a  steamboat  on  the  Mississippi  river,  near 
Kock  Island. 

Jaines,  Paris  and  Hail  Mason  were  natives  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. James  Mason  purchased  Kirkpatrick's  interest  in  the 
original  town  ;  he  removed  from  Edwardsville  in  1833.  He 
was  the  founder  of  the  town  of  Grafton,  on  the  Mississippi, 
in  Jersey  county.  Paris  Mason  carried  on  the  milling  busi- 
ness. Hail  Mason  was  one  of  the  early  justices  of  the 
peace;  be  removed  to  Scarritt's  prairie,  in  Godfrey  town, 
bliip. 

Abraham  Piickett,  the  pioneer  merchant  in  Edwardsville, 
wiis  born  near  Lexington,  Kentucky,  and  first  came  to 
Madison  county  in  1808.  He  was  employed  for  some  time 
in  the  drug  business  in  St.  L  -uis,  and  then  opened  a  store 
in  Edwardsville.  The  first  county  court  of  Madison  county, 
held  in  1813,  granted  him  a  license  to  retail  merchandise. 
About  the  year  1825  he  removed  to  Adams  county,  and 
made  an  addition  to  the  present  city  of  Quincy.  While 
a  resident  of  that  part  of  the  state  he  was  engaged  in 
trade  with  the  Indians.  While  at  work  on  a  contract  to 
clear  a  portion  of  the  Red  river  from  snags  and  other 
obstructions  to  its  navigation,  he  died,  at  Natchitoches, 
Louisiana,  in  1836.  He  was  the  postmaster  at  Edwards- 
ville for  a  number  of  years;  he  was  a  delegate  from  Madi- 
son county  to  the  convention  which  assembled  at  Kaskaskia 
in  July,  1818,  and  framed  the  first  constitution  of  the  state 
of  Illinois,  and  was  a  member  of  the  first  legislature  which 
met  after  the  admis.'ion  of  the  state  into  the  Union.  His 
son,  George  W.  Prickett,  now  a  resident  of  Chicago,  is  said 
to  have  been  the  first  white  child  born  in  Edwardsville. 

Isaac  Prickett,  who  in  1815,  had  settled  in  St.  Louis, 
cime  to  Edwardsville  in  1818,  and  engaged  in  the  mercan- 
tile business  in  partnership  with  his  brother  Abraham.  He 
afterward  established  a  store  on  his  own  account,  which 
he  carried  on  for  many  years,  in  the  brick  building  on 
Main  street,  in  which  Mrs.  Nancy  Eberhardt  now  lives. 
He  was  postmaster,  public  administrator,  quartermaster- 
general  of  the  militia  and  inspector  of  the  Illinois  peni- 
tentiary.   From  1838  to  1842  he  filled  the  oflice  of  receiver 


of  public  moneys  for  the  laud  office  at  Edwardsville.     He 
died  in  1S44. 

Palemon  H.  Winchester  was  born  either  in  Virginia  or 
Tennessee,  in  1794.  On  the  evening  of  Saturday,  January  29, 
1824,  he  killed  Daniel  D.  Smith,  recorder  of  Pike  county, 
and  his  trial,  on  the  charge  of  murder,  was  one  of  the  most 
interesting  in  the  records  of  the  early  Illinois  courts.  He 
was  acquitted.  He  removed  to  Mac  .upiu  county,  opened 
the  first  law  office  in  Carlinville,  served  there  for  several 
years  as  judge  of  probate,  and  died  in  1F60. 

Theophilus  W-  Smith  was  a  lawyer  and  politician.  la 
1822  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  state  senate.  In  1825 
he  was  made  one  of  the  judges  of  the  supreme  court,  and 
was  on  the  bench  till  1842.  He  possessed  fine  judicial 
ability,  but  could  never  entirely  abstain  from  dabbling  in 
politics.  He  was  strongly  pro-slavery  in  his  sympathies, 
and  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  "Convention  party"  in 
1824.  He  established  the  Illinois  Republican,  at  Edwards- 
ville, in  the  interest  of  the  slavery  movement. 

John  T.  Lusk  was  born  in  South  Carolina,  November  7, 
1784.  In  1791,  his  father,  James  Lusk.  removed  to  Ken- 
tucky, and  established  a  ferry  across  the  Ohio  river,  opposite 
the  present  town  of  Golconda.  This  was  widely  known  as 
Lusk's  ferry,  and  a  creek  which  empties  into  the  Ohio  iu 
the  vicinity  bears  to  this  day  the  name  of  Lusk  creek.  In 
1805  John  T.  Lusk  came  to  Madison  county,  and  settled  in 
the  neighborhood  of  svhere  the  town  of  Edwardsville  is  now 
built.  In  1809  he  married  Lucretia.  daughter  of  Charles 
Gillham.  She  was  the  only  one  of  his  eight  children  who 
remained  in  Madison  county.  He  was  in  the  ranging 
service  during  the  war  of  1812-14.  AVhile  the  men  were 
absent,  the  women  sought  refuge  in  the  fort,  or  block- 
house, and  Mr.  Lusk's  wife  was  appointed  their  captain. 
She  was  an  excellent  rifle-shot,  and  had  plenty  of  spirit  and 
bravery.  When  Edwardsville  began  its  growth,  he  moved 
into  the  town  and  erected  a  building  of  heavy  hewn  logs, 
a  story  and  a  half  in  height,  with  three  rooms  on  the 
ground  floor,  in  which  he  opened  the  first  hotel  in  Ed- 
wardsville ;  he  kept  this  hotel  for  some-years.  He  served 
as  dt-puty  circuit  clerk  under  Hail  Mason,  and  afterward 
filled  the  office  of  county  clerk  ;  he  was  also  recorder  and 
postmaster.     He  died  December  22,  1857. 

Joshua  Atwater  was  one  of  the  earliest  school-teachers  in 
Edwardsville.  He  emigrated  from  Westfield,  Massachu- 
sett.«,  to  St.  Claircounty,iu  1801,  and  taught  school  in  Illinois 
as  early  as  the  year  1807.  He  became  a  citizen  of  Madi- 
son county  in  1817.  He  was  a  man  of  New  England  edu- 
cation and  habits.  He  wa-"  the  founder  of,  perhaps,  the  first 
charitable  institution  organized  in  the  Territory  of  Illinois. 
This  society,  which  was  formed  March  1st,  1809,  was  called 
the  "Charitable  Society,"  and  its  members  bound  them- 
selves to  make  quarterly  contributions  to  a  fund  which  was 
to  be  employed  for  the  relief  of  the  oppressed  and  afflicted 
of  all  ranks  and  colors,  without  discrimination  or  preju- 
dice." The  constitution  is  drawn  up  in  the  handwriting  of 
Mr.  Atwater,  and  his  name,  although  he  was  then  a  poor 
man,  appears  at  the  head  of  the  list  for  the  highe.t   amoun 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


335 


subscribed.*  He  began  the  mercantile  business  in  Edwards- 
villa  in  1820,  which  he  carried  on  till  1837. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  men  who  ever  lived  in  Ed- 
wardsvile  was  James  D.  Henrj'.  He  worked  in  the  town  a? 
an  ordinary  shoemaker,  occasionally  showing  evidence  of  a 
brutal  and  passionate  nature,  but  subse(iuently  achieved  dis- 
tinction in  the  Black  Hawk  war  and  became  the  nominee  of 
the  "  People's  party,"  for  the  position  of  governor  of  the 
state.  He  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  At  Delaware,  Ohio, 
in  1816,  he  had  a  fight  in  the  shop  in  which  he  was  working, 
and  whipped  three  or  four  of  his  brother  siioemakers,  and 
then  left  the  town  in  haste.  He  journeyed  down  the  Ohio 
and  up  the  Missis*ippi  river  in  a  keel  boat,  landing  at  the 
mouth  of  Wood  river.  He  came  to  Edwardsville  in  1822. 
His  education  was  deficient,  and  he  attended  a  night  school 
taught  by  William  Barrett,  where  he  gained  his  first  know- 
ledge of  arithmetic.  His  passions  were  revengeful  and  un- 
controllable when  aroused,  and  his  physical  strength  and 
readiness  to  fight,  gave  him  the  reputation  of  a  dangerous 
antagonist. 

He  fancied  that  a  negro  named  Jarret,  who  belonged  to 
Joseph  Conway,  had  insulted  him,  and  he  inflicted  on  the  black 
man  a  terrible  revenge.  The  negro  had  taken  refuge  in  the 
stable  of  Rowland  P.  Allen,  whence  Henry  dragged  him 
forth.  Stripping  him  of  all  his  clothing,  except  his  trousers, 
he  fastened  him  to  the  end  of  the  horse  rack  in  the  public 
street.  He  had  procured  five  hitkory  withes  as  the  instru- 
ments of  punishment,  and  laying  a  sword  and  pistol  on  a 
block  within  three  feet  of  his  victim,  with  a  dagger  in 
one  hand  and  whip  in  the  other,  he  began  to  lash  the  poor 
negro  unmercifully.  When  the  negro  drew  back  on  the  rope 
and  begged  for  mercy  Henry  would  draw  the  keen  edge  of 
his  bowie  knife  over  the  negro's  naked  abdomen  and 
threaten  him  with  instant  death  unless  he  submitted  quietly 
to  the  punishment.  Court  was  in  session,  and  a  hundred 
men  were  in  town,  present  and  looking  on,  including  the 
sheriff  and  other  officers  of  the  law,  but  none  dared  to  in- 
terfere. When  he  had  used  up  his  second,  or  third  whip, 
the  wife  of  Rowland  P.  Allen  heard  the  negro's  cries  and 
ran  to  his  rescue.  Appealing  to  the  men  present  in  vain, 
she  went  back  to  her  kitchen,  and  procuring  a  formidable 
carving  knife,  rapidly  approached  and  cut  the  rope  by 
which  the  negro  was  bound.  Henry  stood  still  with  aston- 
ishment, suspending  his  blow  in  the  air,  and  as  the  woman 
led  the  negro  away  .said  threateningly  that  a  woman  might 
lie  his  hands  but  it  would  not  have  been  well  for  any  man 
to  have  done  to  oppose  him. 

This  is  the  dark  side  of  Henry's  character.  He  was  am- 
bitious, and  possessed  an  intense  longing  for  militar}'  fame. 
He  was  fond  of  hearing  of  the  exploits  of  Cresar  and  Na- 
poleon, and  the  other  great  generals  ol  the  world,  and  Judge 
Joseph  Gillespie,  then  a  boj',  was  accustomed  to  spend  hours 
in  his  shop,  reading  to  Henry,  while  he  worked,  of  the 
achievements  and  campaigns  of  celebrated  warriors.  He 
left  his  trade  to  engage  in  the  mercantile  business.     In  182() 

*.A.niong  the  signers  are  Jesse  Walker,  William  Scott,  Fen.  M. 
Pia't,  John  Ererett,  David  Everett,  William  Barioi,  Ih  )mas  Kirk- 
palrick,  Robert  McMaban  and  Giles  Maddux. 


he  moved  to  Springfield.  He  was  elected  sheriff  of  Sanga- 
mon county,  and  filled  the  office  with  satisfaction.  The 
Black  Hawk  war  gave  him  at  last  the  opportunity  for  which 
he  longed.  His  genius  for  military  affairs  soon  gained  him 
distinction,  and  he  came  to  be  recognized  as  the  ablest  and 
most  successful  general  of  the  war. 

In  his  person  he  was  si.K  feet  in  height  and  well  formed. 
In  his  disposition  he  was  exceedingly  modest  and  retiring, 
and  sometimes  gloomy  and  melancholy.  At  long  inter- 
vals he  indulged  in  spells  of  intoxication,  and  then,  if  his 
anger  was  excited,  he  was  reckless  and  desperate.  The  fear 
of  danger  never  entered  his  breast.  The  unfortunate  cir- 
cumstances of  his  birth  made  him  sensitive  and  diffident, 
and  he  avoided  the  society  of  ladies.  At  the  close  of  the 
Black  Hawk  war  the  citizens  of  Springfield  gave  a  splen- 
did entertainment  in  honor  of  his  military  services,  and 
it  is  said  that  during  the  evening  he  never  once  appeared  iu 
the  apartment  where  the  ladies  presided.  He  died  among 
strangers  at  New  Orleans,  on  the  fourth  of  March,  1834,  and 
such  was  the  peculiarity  of  his  disposition  that  he  never  in- 
firmed  his  attendants  at  the  hotel  of  his  identity  as  General 
James  D.  Henry  of  the  Black  Hawk  war. 

Erastus  Wheeler  became  a  citizen  of  Edwardsville  in 
1819.  He  was  born  in  Otsego  county,  New  York,  in  171)7. 
He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  18r2-'14,  and  was  present 
and  participated  at  the  battle  of  Lundy's  Lane,  and  the  siege 
of  Fort  Erie.  He  enlisted  in  the  Black  Hawk  war  in  1831, 
and  in  the  campaign  of  the  following  year  was  captain  of  a 
company  under  Gen.  Samuel  Whiteside.  He  was  a  cap- 
tain in  Col.  Bissells  regiment  in  the  Mexican  war. 

Josias  Handle,  the  first  county  clerk  and  an  early  promi- 
nent citizen,  is  mentioned  fully  in  a  biography. 

Five  persons,  who  filled  the  office  of  governor  of  the 
State,  were  for  various  periods  residents  of  Edwardsville  in 
early  days.  These  were  Niiiian  Edwards,  Edward  Cole.s 
Joseph  Duncan,  John  Reynolds,  and  Thomas  Ford  Among 
other  distinguished  men  who  made  the  place  their  home, 
were  Jesse  B  Thomas,  sr.,  United  States  Senator  from  1818 
to  1829;  Daniel  P.  Cook,  the  first  representative  in  Con- 
gress after  the  admi<sion  of  the  State  into  the  Union ; 
Emanuel  J.  West,  Judge  Jesse  B.  Thom^,  jr. ;  Judge 
Samuel  D.  Lockwood  ;  George  Forquer,  John  D.  R-eves, 
afterward  editor  of  the  Gongreidonal  Glnbe'j  Chester  Ashley, 
subsequently  United  States  Senator  from  Arkansas  ;  Benja- 
min J.  Seward,  brother  to  William  H.  Seward,  governor  of 
New  York;  Judge  James  Semple;  Benjamin  Mills,  and 
Henry  Starr. 

It  was  not  unu.sual  for  Wiggins'  hotel,  the  popular  hos- 
telry of  Early  Edwardsville,  to  have  twenty-five  regular 
boarders.  Edward  Coles  boarded  at  this  hotel  for  years. 
Many  of  these  guests  were  young  professional  men,  doctors 
and  lawyers,  who  according  to  a  lady,  whose  memory 
reaches  back  to  that  olden  time,  "  were  well  dressed, 
fashionable,  and  handsomer  than  any  that  can  be  seen  now- 
a-days." 

An  election  was  held  by  the  voters  of  the  township  of 
Goshen  on  the  third  of  May,  1819,  for  seven  Trustees  of  the 
town  of  Edwardsville.     The  poll  list,  still  preserved,  shows 


336 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


that  fifty  three  votes  were  cast,  among  which  were  those  of 
the  following  persons :  John  Y.  Sawyer,  Jolm  T.  Lusk,  Paris 
Mason,  Joseph  Conway,  Theophilus  W.  Smith,  Robert 
Latham,  John  Ringokl,  John  H.  Randle,  Robert  Pogue, 
Jacques  Metta,  Benjamin  Stephenson,  Don  Alonzo  Spauld 
ing.  Hail  Mason,  John  Wilson,  William  L.  May,  John 
Todd,  Simon  Ray,  Abraham  Prickett,  Joseph  Remington, 
Isaac  Prickett,  James  Watts,  Isaac  Scarritt,  James  Mason, 
Palemon  H.  AVinchester,  Jacob  Prickett,  Joshua  Atwater, 
Thomas  Tindall,  Charles  Jackson,  Willam  Holland,  John 
L.  Whaling,  and  Asa  Morse. 

To  Mrs.  Nancy  Eberhardt  now  belongs  the  honor  of  being 
the  oldest  resident  of  Eilwardsville.  She  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky. In  1813  her  brothers,  Jephthah  and  George  Larapkin 
came  to  Illinois.  The  former  settled  at  Edwardsville,  and 
for  five  or  six  years  carried  on  a  potter's  shop,  which  stood 
on  Main  street,  just  above  the  residence  of  Judge  Gillespie. 
He  removed  to  Quincy  in  1819,  where  a  few  years  after- 
ward he  died.  George  Lanipkin  settled  on  a  farm  south- 
east of  Edwardsville.  On  the  return  of  Jephthah  Lampkin 
from  a  visit  to  Keutucky  in  1818,  he  brought  back  with 
him  his  sister,  Nancy,  then  a  young  girl.  She  has  lived  in 
Edwardsville  ever  since.  In  1822  she  became  the  wife  of 
Isaac  Prickett.  Her  first  husband  died  in  1844.  But  two 
other  persons  are  now  living  who  were  in  Edwardsville 
when  she  came ;  Rev.  Richard  Randle,  now  of  Taylorville, 
and  his  sister,  Mrs.  Martha  Ripley,  of  Staunton,  Illinois. 

ITEMS   OF    HISTORY.  — 1820-24. 

In  the  files  of  the  early  newspapers  of  Edwardsville  may 
be  found  many  items  of  interest  in  reference  to  the  town. 
The  physicians  had  formed  a  medical  association,  and  there 
is  a  notice  signed  by  John  Todd,  president,  that  the  First 
District  Medical  Society  of  the  State  of  Illinois  would  con- 
vene at  Edwardsville  on  the  second  Monday  of  May,  1820. 
Another  notice  shows  that  Samuel  G.  J.  De  Camp  was  the 
secretary  of  this  society.  The  mechanics  of  the  place  had 
also  formed  an  organization,  known  as  the  Edwardsville 
Mechanics'  Society,  which  during  the  year  1820,  held  monthly 
meetings  at  the  house  of  Messrs.  Bruner  and  Stuckey-  Wesley 
Allwine  advertises,  under  date  of  June,  1820,  that  he  has 
c.)ntinually  on  hand  all  kinds  of  Windsor  chairs,  and  that 
he  neatly  executes  house  and  sign  painting. 

James  Wright,  tailor,  informs  the  public  that  he  is  pre- 
pared to  execute  any  kind  of  work  in  his  line  of  business  in 
the  neatest  and  most  fashionable  manner  and  on  the  shortest 
notice.  Officers'  uniforms  made  in  the  most  elegant  style. 
He  advertises  for  an  apprentice,  between  fourteen  and 
eighteen  years  of  age,  and  adds  that  members  of  the  artillery 
company  can  have  their  uniforms  made  in  an  elegant  and 
cheap  manner.  S.  T.  &  J.  A.  McKenney,  next  door  to  the 
post-office  on  Main  street,  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  they 
have  the  exclusive  right  to  make  and  vend  spring- 
saddles  itt  Illinois,  on  Bryan's  old  spring  cantle  plan,  and 
on  his  new  and  highly  improved  style.  Their  other  goods 
•'  Bridles,  martingales,  valises,  portmanteaus,  hor.-eman's 
caps,  holsters  and  other  military  accoutrements,"  they  war- 
rant equal,  if  not  superior,  to  any  made  in  the  western  part 


of  the  United  States.  Theyofler  the  above  goods  for  "  cash," 
good  hides,  deer  skins,  beeswax  and  tallow. 

Announcement  is  made  in  October,  !S20,  of  the  dissolu- 
tion of  partnership  between  John  W.  Skidmore  and  Sampson 
Willard.  A  subsequent  advertisement  states  that  the  for- 
mer gentleman,  on  the  road  between  Edwardsville  and 
Wilt's  mill,  had  lost  a  portmanteau  containing  one  linen 
shirt,  marked  J.  W.  S.,  one  pair  white  pantaloons  and  two 
handkerchiefs,  one  white  and  the  other  silk.  A  liberal  re- 
ward is  offered  for  the  return  of  the  above  articles  to  the 
subscriber  at  Edwardsville.  Francis  Richman,  baker,  wishes 
to  inform  the  public  that  he  keeps  constantly  on  hand  an 
assortment  of  bread  and  biscuit,  and  that  he  sells  superfine 
flour,  made  in  Cincinnati,  at  seven  dollars  per  barrel. 
William  F.  Roberts,  in  1823,  calls  the  attention  of  the 
public  to  the  fact  that  he  has  opened  a  porter  cellar,  where 
the  best  Pittsburgh  porter  in  bottles  can  be  had  at  all  times, 
for  cash  or  Illinois  state  paper.  Atwater  &  Meeker  adver- 
tise, in  1823,  that  they  have  groceries  for  sale,  and  the 
same  year,  John  Adams  announces  that  he  has  put  up 
machinery  for  carding  wool  and  fulling  cloth,  and  having 
had  long  experience  in  the  business  he  expects  to  give  satis- 
faction. 

Under  date  of  November  20,  1819,  W.  C.  Wiggins,  pro- 
prietor of  the  "  Edwardsville  Hotel, — sign  of  General  Wash- 
ington," informs  his  friends  and  the  public  that  he  has 
opened  a  house  in  the  brick  building,  on  the  northeast  side 
of  the  public  square,  where  he  will  be  glad  to  accommodate 
those  who  fiivor  him  with  a  call.  A  year  later,  October 
10,  1820,  William  H.  Hopkins  announces  that  he  has  opened 
a  house  of  entertainment  on  the  southeast  corner  of  the 
new  public  square,  where  he  will  endeavor  to  give  satifac- 
tion  and  be  happy  to  attend  upon  the  calls  of  those  who  may 
favor  him  with  their  custom.  We  also  learn  that  Henry 
Kelly  kept  a  tavern  at  Edwardsville,  in  1824. 

Among  the  professional  announcements  is  that  of  Theo- 
philus W.  Smith,  who  states,  May  2,  1819,  that  he  has  com- 
menced the  practice  of  the  law,  and  will  attend  the  circuit 
courts  in  Madison,  Bond,  Washington  and  St  Clair  counties, 
and  the  supreme  court  at  Kaskaskia.  Chester  Ashley, 
attorney,  announces  that  he  will  practice  in  Illinois,  and  in 
the  counties  of  St.  Louis  and  St.  Charles,  Missouri.  D.  P. 
Cook  &S  D.  Lockwood,  under  date  of  April  1,  1823,  state 
that  they  have  entered  into  partnership  to  practice  law, 
and  that  their  office  is  in  the  upper  end  of  Edwardsville. 
J.  D.  Woolverton,  physician  and  surgeon,  gives  the  infor- 
mation, in  May,  1823,  that  he  has  returned  to  Edwardsville. 
William  Mason  Simons,  M.  D  ,  offers  his  professional  services 
as  practitionei  of  phys'cs,  midwifery  and  surgery.  He  could 
be  found  one  door  above  the  post-office,  or  at  the  residence 
of  Rowland  P.  Allen. 

That  the  early  residents  of  Edwardsville  were  not  destitute 
of  popular  amusement  is  shown  by  an  advertisement  which 
states  that  Messrs.  Ludlow  &  King  and  the  St  Louis  The- 
atrical Corps  have  the  pleasure  of  informing  the  ladies  and 
o-entlemen  of  Edwardsville  and  vicinity  that  they  propose 
o-ivino-  three  evenings'  entertainment  in  the  form  of  a  dra- 
matic olio.     Tne  advertisement  is  dated  Miiy  1,  1820,  and 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


337 


the  pprnirmances  were  announced  to  take  place  on  the  fol- 
lowing Tupsday,  Wednesday  and  Thursday  evenings,  at  the 
house  of  John  T.  Lusk.  John  H.  Handle,  librarian,  calls 
an  annual  meeting  of  the  stockholders  of  the  Edwardsville 
Lilirary  to  be  held  at  the  court  house  on  the  1st  of  January, 
l'y21,for  the  election  of  five  directors.  On  the  lOlh  of 
September,  1820,  tlie  regiment  of  niili  ia,  under  coraniand 
of  Col.  AVilliam  Parkinson,  was  reviewed  bj'  Gov.  Btiud. 

The  newspapers  of  Edwardsville  for  some  years  subsequent 
to  1S20,  had  larger  circulations  and  were  more  widely  read, 
than  any  other  journals  published  in  the  state.  The  adver- 
tisements show  that  they  were  expected  to  reach  a  class  of 
readers  outside  the  limits  of  the  state.  Sales  of  town  lots  at 
Naples,  Columbus  and  other  towns  on  the  Illinois  river  are 
announced  in  the  columns  of  the  Spectator.  Robert  Mc 
Cloud  informs  the  citizens  of  Missouri,  north  of  the  Missouri 
river,  that  no  delay  will  be  occasioned  on  his  part  in  com- 
mencing the  publication  of  the  MUsourian,  a  weekly  paper 
to  be  issued  at  St.  Charles,  Missouri.  Advertisements  of 
runasvay  slaves  from  owuers  in  ]\Iis30uri  are  not  uncommon. 

ANTICIPATED   VISIT  OF   L.VFAYETTE. 

It  was  thought  that  the  Marquis  De  Lafayette,  while  on 
his  visit  to  America  in  1824,  would  visit  Madison  county^ 
and  the  patriotic  citizens  of  Edwardsville  made  arrange, 
nients  to  give  him  a  cordial  recepti(m.  A  meeting  was  held 
at  the  Washington  hotel  on  the  ninth  of  October,  1<S24,  for 
the  pur])Ose  of  appointing  suitable  committees.  Emanuel 
J.  West  was  called  to  the  chair,  and  Abrahatn  Prickett  was 
appointed  secretary  Theophilus  W.  S  uith  spoke  at  large 
on  the  character  and  services  of  the  defender  of  American 
liberty.  On  the  motion  of  J  )hn  T.  Luik,  a  committee  of 
forty-two  persons  was  appointed  to  receive  the  distinguished 
visitor.  This  committee  was  made  up,  in  considerable  part, 
of  citizens  of  the  couuty  who  had  served  in  the  war  of  the 
Revolution.  Lafayette  reached  St.  Liuis  on  the  last  day  of 
April,  182.5.  but  did  not  come  to  Edwardsville.  He  was 
greeted  at  St.  Louis  by  a  large  concourse  of  people,  ma  ly  of 
whom  were  citizens  of  Madison  county.  Thirteen  cannon 
were  fired  in  his  honor.  Several  of  the  residents  of  Ed- 
wardsville were  introduced  to  the  distinguished  man  by 
D.iuiel  P.  Cook,  then  a  representative  in  Congress.  Gov- 
ernor Coles  escorted  him  from  St.  Louis  to  Vandal  ia  and 
Shawneetown. 

TnE   SLAVERY   CONTEST   IN'    EDWARDSVILLE. 

Many  articles  in  reference  to  slavery  appear  in  the  early 
papers,  and  during  the  campaign  of  1824,  much  space  is  de- 
voted to  the  discussion  of  the  subject-  In  July,  1824, 
Hooper  Warren,  editor  of  the  Spectator,  gives  an  account  of 
an  attack  made  upon  him  by  Theophilus  W.  Smith,  editor  of 
the  Illinois  Republican,  the  journal  published  in  the  interest 
of  the  pro-slavery  party,  from  which  it  appears  that  Smith 
entered  Warren's  office  on  the  Vllh  of  July,  with  a  dirk  and 
a  whip,  but  seeing  that  the  latter  was  ariued  with  a  pi-stol, 
he  turned  about  and  left.  Emanuel  J.  West,  who  had  aji. 
parently  been  in  waiting,  then  immediately  entered  the  office 
and  observed  that  Smith  only  wished  for  an  explanation  and 
43 


intended  no  harm.  Warren  thereupon  observed  that  if 
Mr.  Smith  would  demean  himself  peaceably  he  might  come 
in,  and  on  Jlr.  West  pledging  himself  that  such  should  be 
his  deportment,  Smith  was  sent  for.  Tnen  ensued  a  confer- 
ence in  which  each  endeavored  to  obtain  a  written  acknow- 
ledgement that  the  other  had  no  personal  knowledge  of 
anything  derogatory  to  his  character  a.s  an  individual.  The 
difficulty  was  as  to  which  should  take  the  load  in  making  this 
acknowledgement. 

Before  the  conference  began,  upon  the  suggestion  of  Mr. 
West,  a  mutual  surrender  of  arms  was  made.  It  appears 
that  while  Mr.  Warren  was  engaged  in  writing,  Smith  found 
Lis  way  to  his  opponent's  pistol  and  threw  the  priming  out 
of  the  pan.  This,  Mr.  Warren  remarks,  "  displayed  his  cun- 
ning, at  the  expense  of  his  bravery."  Upon  the  final  re- 
fusal of  the  editor  of  the  Spectator  to  make  reparation,  Mr. 
Smith,  knowing  his  adversary  had  no  weapon  of  defense,  at- 
tempted an  assault  with  his  whip  and  dirk,  but  was  prevent- 
ed by  Mr.  West  from  doing  Mr.  Warren  the  slightCft  injury. 

After  the  defeat  of  the  couvention  party  at  the  election 
in  August,  the  announcement  is  made  that  the  elders  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  at  Edwardsville,  "  concurring  with 
their  brethren  of  the  Methodist  church  in  the  Kaskaskia 
and  Illinois  circuits,  in  believing  it  to  be  the  duty  of  the 
pious  in  this  State  to  give  public  testimony  of  their  grati- 
tude to  Almighty  God,  for  his  goodness  in  averting  the  evil 
of  slavery  which  lately  threatened  our  State,  '  have  ap- 
pointed the  last  Friday  in  October  to  be  observed  as  a  day 
of  thanksgiving  and  prayer. 

EDWAKDSVILLE   IN    1833. 

The  settlement  of  the  countrj''  to  the  north  of  Madison 
county,  and  the  establishment  in  that  region  of  new  centres 
of  trade,  took  away  much  of  the  importance  of  Edwards- 
ville. Its  trade  was  absorbed  by  St.  Louis,  and  subsequently 
by  Alton,  and  about  the  year  182-')  its  population  began  to 
decline.  The  town,  in  1833,  had  about  three  hundred  and 
fifty  inhabitants.  The  princij)al  mercantile  business  at  that 
date  was  carried  on  by  Joshua  Atwater  and  Andrew  R. 
Skidmore,  under  the  firm  name  of  A.  R.  Skidmore  &  Co- 
Mr.  Atw^ater  retired  from  business  with  a  competence  in 
1837.  Mr.  Skidmore  went  to  Alton  in  1838,  failed  there  in 
business  in  1841,  and  subsequently  removed  to  California, 
where  he  died.  Isaac  Prickett  still  carried  on  his  store  in 
the  brick  building  on  Main  street,  nearly  opposite  the  old 
court-house.  Daniel  Sleeker  also  had  a  store.  He  came  to 
Edwardsville  from  New  York,  and  died  about  1840.  From 
1831  to  183U,  John  Hogan  was  a  merchant  in  Edwardsville, 
The  latter  year  he  removed  to  Alton.  He  was  then  a  Meth- 
odist minister,  and  frequently  preached  throughout  the 
county.  In  183C,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  State  leg- 
islature, and  subsequently,  was  the  Whig  candidate  for 
congress  against  Gov.  John  Reynolds.  He  was  appointed 
by  President  Harrison  register  of  the  land  office  at  Dixon 
in  this  state,  but  was  removed  during  the  succeeding  admin- 
istration of  Tyler.  He  then  became  a  resident  of  St.  Louis 
wiiere  he  still  lives.  For  some  years  he  was  the  postmaster  of 
that  city. 


338 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


John  Adams  was  also  in  the  mercantile  business  in  1833,  ' 
carrying  on  a  store  in  connection  with  his  castor  oil  factory, 
and  wool  carding  machine.  He  subsequently  disposed  of 
his  store,  and  was  elected  sherifl'.  He  was  a  Whig  in  politics 
and  a  strong  supporter  of  the  Baptist  church.  He  was  a 
man  of  generous  impulses,  popular  with  the  people,  and  had 
for  enemies.  The  mill  owned  by  Paris  Mason  was  in  operation 
in  1833,  but  not  long  afterward  was  abandoned.  The  floods 
in  the  Cahokia  occasionally  caused  great  damage,  and  it  was 
found  difficult  to  keep  it  in  repair. 

The  physicians  in  Edwardsville  in  1833,  were  Dr.  B.  F. 
Edwards  and  Dr.  Peter  W.  Randle.  Dr.  Edwards  made 
Edwardsville  his  residence  in  1827,  when  thirty  years  of  age. 
Dr.  Todd  was  then  the  only  regular  physician  in  the  county. 
Edwards  bought  Dr.  Todd's  house,  the  latter  moving  to 
another  loca  ion.  For  two  years,  these  two  were  the  only 
physicians  in  the  county.  Their  practice  extended  for  fifty 
miles  around.  Dr.  Edwards  kept  four  or  five  horses,  and 
frequently  rode  one  hundred  miles  in  tsventy-four  hours.  For 
months  in  the  sickly  seaioi,  his  sleep  did  not  average  four 
hours  out  of  twenty-four,  and  yet  he  was  accustomed  to  say 
that  iu  those  days  he  did  not  receive  large  enough  returns 
from  his  practice  to  support  his  family.  Dr.  Peter  \V.  Ran- 
dle began  practice  iu  1833.  He  had  studied  his  profession 
under  Dr.  Edwards,  and  succeeded  to  his  practice,  the  latter 
being  anxious  to  relinquish  it.  He  was  an  able  and  popu- 
lar physician.  From  Edwardsville  he  went  to  Alton,  and 
afterward  to  California  He  became  the  President  of  the 
Eclectic  Medical  College,  founded  at  San  Francisco,  of  which 
city  he  is  still  a  resident.  Dr.  John  Woodson,  a  very  ta- 
lented gentleman,  who  had  begun  a  successful  practice  at 
Edwardsville,  died  in  1832.  Dr.  Solon  Stark  practiced 
his  profession  at  Edwardsville  for  some  years,  becoming  a 
resident  of  the  town  previous  to  1836. 

The  most  prominent  attorney  in  Edwardsville  in  1833 
was  James  Semple.  He  removed  to  AltoI^  and  repre- 
sented Illinois  in  the  United  States  Senate  from  1843  to 
1847,  and  subsequently  was  appointed  minister  to  one  of  the 
South  American  States.  Jesse  B.  Thomas,  jr.,  was  also 
practicing  the  legal  profession  at  Edwardsville,  and  was  in 
partoership  with  David  Prickett,  under  the  firm  uaine  of 
Prickett  &  Thomas.  John  S.  Greathouse  was  another  at- 
torney" of  that  period,  and  Seth  T.  Sawyer,  now  of  Alton, 
who  had  studied  law  in  Semple's  office,  was  entering  upon 
his  legal  career. 

In  1833  there  were  two  churches;  a  frame  structure, 
used  by  the  ^lethodists,  stood  on  the  site  of  the  present 
Methodist  church.  The  Baptists  occupied  a  building  which 
is  now  used  by  the  fire  company  as  an  engine  house.  The 
town  at  that  time  was  as  moral  and  religious  iu  its  tone  as 
any  place  of  its  size  in  the  State.  During  the  winter  of 
1827-28  there  had  been  a  marked  revival  of  religion,  which 
still  left  its  influence  on  the  community. 

In    "Peek's   Gazetteer    of  Jllimis,"   published    in    1834, 
the  population    of  Edwardsville  is  given  as  seventy  fami- 
•  lies,   and  the   town    is  described    as   containing    a   court- 
house and  jail  of  brick,  a  land  office  for  the  Edwardsville 
district,  four  stores,  two  taverns,  two  physicians,  four  law- 


yers, a  castor  oil  factory,  and  a  female  academy  taught  by 
a  lady,  and  occupying  a  commodious  building  The  inhabi- 
tants are  represented  as  generally  industrious  intelligent, 
and  moral,  a  large  proportion  being  professors  of  religion. 
The  location  is  spoken  of  as  pleasant  and  healthy,  on  high 
ground,  and  in  the  centre  of  a  well  watered  and  well-tim- 
bered country,  settled  with  enterprising  farmers.  The 
"  Travellers  Diredonj,"  by  the  same  author,  issued  five 
years  later,  gives  the  same  description  of  the  place,  with  the 
exception  that  the  number  of  stores  is  stated  at  seven  instead 
of  four. 

SUBSEQUENT    GROWTH. 

For  some  years  the  town  showed  little  signs  of  improve- 
ment. The  fear  of  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  was  an 
incubus  on  its  growth.  Alton  kept  up  a  constant  agitation 
with  the  view  of  obtaining  the  public  buildings,  aud  be- 
coming the  seat  of  justice.  This  uncertainty  was 'somewhat 
removed  by  a  provision  in  the  State  constitution  of  1848, 
inserted  chiefly  by'the  eflbrts  of  Edward  M.  We-t,  of  Ed- 
wardsville, a  delgate  to  the  constitutional  convention,  which 
made  it  a  matter  of  great  difficulty  to  secure  the  division  of 
a  county,  or  the  removal  of  a  county  seat.  Substantial 
improvements  began  then  to  be  made,  and  the  growth  of 
the  town  has  since  beju  prosperous  and  steady.  The  popu- 
lation iu  1847  was  about  seven  or  eight  hundred.  In  1860 
the  number  of  inhabitants  had  increased  to  two  thousand. 
^  Among  the  representatives  of  the  business  interests  of 
the  town  for  the  twenty  years  succeeding  1835,  may  be 
named  Edward  M.  West,  who  became  a  resident  of  Edwards- 
ville in  1833,  and  in  1835  began  the  mercantile  business 
which  he  continued  until  1854.  He  was  born  in  Botetourt 
county,  Virginia,  in  1814,  and  came  with  his  father  Tilgh- 
man  H.  West,  to  this  State,  when  four  years  old.  In  1829 
he  went  to  Sangamon  county,  and  was  in  the  recorder's 
office  (his  uncle,  Edward  Mitchell,  being  recorder  of  San- 
gamon county  and  postmaster  at  Springfield,)  till  1831. 
In  1834  he  learned  the  mercantile  business  at  Alton,  with 
Godfrey,  Gilmau  &  Co.,  then  the  largest  business  firm  in  the 
State.  Since  1858  he  has  been  in  business  as  a  banker. 
Alfred  J.  Lusk  opened  a  store  in  1834,  which  he  carried  on 
for  a  number  of  years.  Orren  Meeker  was  in  business  as  a 
merchant  eight  or  nine  years,  and  was  succeeded  by  Fred- 
eriek.T.  Krafft.  William  Peel  and  Edward  S.  Brown  had 
stores,  and  William  Gillham  was  in  the  mercantile  business 
from  1837  to  1841.  Julius  L.  Barnsback  settled  in  Ed- 
wardsville as  a  merchant  iu  1837,  and  the  name  of  "Barns- 
back  "  has  since  been  a  familiar  one  iu  connection  with  the 
business  interests  of  the  town. 

Previous  to  the  building  of  the  present  court-house,  in 
1857,  business  was  all  transacted  in  the  lower  town.  After 
the  completion  of  this  structure  the  stores  gradually  moved 
up  town,  aud  in  the  course  of  a  few  yeaps  a  complete  change 
in  the  business  locality  was  effected.  The  removal  of  the  pub- 
lic buildings  from  the  lower  to  the  upper  town,  was  the  end  of 
a  struggle  which  had  continued  from  the  commencement  of 
the  growth  of  Edwardsville.  As  early  as  1820  active  ex- 
ertions were  made  by  prominent  citizens  to  have  the  court- 
house and  jail  removed  to  what  they  considered  a  better 


HISTORY   OF    MADISON   COUNTY,    IILINOIS. 


339 


location,  and  in  June  of  that  year  Benjamin  Stephenson, 
Theophilus  W.  Smith  and  Ninian  Edwards,  for  themselves 
and  other  property  owners,  offered  a  square  of  ground  as  a 
site  for  a  court  house  with  sufficient  space  on  which  to  build 
a  "  gaol."  Still  more  liberal  oflers  were  subscfiuently  made 
in  the  hope  of  securing  the  removal  of  the  county  buildings 
from  their  original  location. 

L.iND   OFFICE. 

An  important  institution  in  Edwardsville  in  early  times 
was  the  land  office.  This  brought  many  visitors  to  the  town. 
The  act  reducing  the  price  of  the  public  land  to  a  dollar 
and  a  quarter  an  acre  went  into  eftect  Alay,  1820.  Procla- 
mation was  made  by  the  President  of  the  United  States  of 
public  sales  of  land  in  the  Edwardsville  district,  thirty-eight 
townships  and  fractional  townships,  on  the  first  Monday  of 
October,  18'20,  and  at  various  other  times.  The  sales  of 
laud  for  two  weeks  in  the  following  January  amounted  to 
twenty-six  thousand  five  hundred  dollar.'^.  Most  of  these 
lands  were  in  the  Macoupin  and  Apple  Creek  settlements, 
and  were  sold  to  actual  settlers. 

Advertisement  was  made  in  the  newspapers  of  the  banks 
whose  bills  would  be  received  at  the  laid  office.  In  1820 
these  banks  were,  Bank  of  the  United  States  and  branches, 
Bank  of  Illinois  at  Shawneetown,  Bank  of  Edwardsville, 
Bauks  in  Boston,  i^ew  York  City,  Phihulelphia  and  New 
Orleans,  Bank  of  Baltimore,  Bank  of  Maryland,  banks  in 
the  District  of  Columbia  except  Merchants'  and  Franklin 
Bank  of  Alexandria,  Bank  of  Bath,  Maine;  Cumberland 
Bank,  Portland,  JIaiue;  Cheshire  Bank,  Keene,  New 
Hampshire  ;  Merchants'  Bank,  Salem,  Massachusetts;  New- 
port Bank,  Newport  Rhode  Island  ;  New  Haven 
Bank,  Bristol  Bank,  Bristol,  Rhode  Island ;  New  Lon- 
don Bank,  Mechanics  and  Farmers'  Bank,  Trenton 
Banking  Conii)any,  Trenton,  N.  J.  ;  Easton  Bank,  Easton, 
Pa.,  Harrisburg  Bank,  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  Branch  of  Farmers 
Bank  of  Delaware  at  Newcastle  ;  Offices  of  disc  unt  and 
deposit  of  Bank  of  Virginia  at  Fredericksburg!);  Lynch- 
burgh  and  Petersburgh,  Virginia  ;  Bank  of  Augusta,  Ga., 
Planters  and  Mechanics'  Bank,  Hunlsville,  Alabama  terri- 
"  tory,  and  Bank  of  Mi.ssouri,  at  St.  Louis. 

Subsequently  by  order  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury, 
it  was  directed  that  the  bills  of  the  following  banks  should 
only  be  received  :  Bank  of  Illinois,  Shawneetown,  Banks 
in  Boston,  Banks  in  the  City  of  New  York,  Banks  in  the 
City  of  Philadelphia,  Banks  of  Baltimore  (except  City 
Bank),  Banks  in  District  of  Columbia  (except  Merchants' 
and  Franklin  Banks  of  Alexandria),  and  Banks  of  Rich- 
mond, Virginia. 

KEGISTF.RS   OF   LAND   OFFICE    AT   EDWARDSVILLE. 


RECEIVERS  OF   LAND   OFFICE  AT   EDWARDSVILLE. 


John  McKee > | April  30,  1816 

Xatiri  Pope Oct.  31, 1818, Nov.  13,  1818  Appointed  Judge. 

Edward  CoIps  .    .    .    Mar.  5,  1819  Jan.    5,    1 820  Re-signed. 

William  P.  McKce. j  J  an.  13,   1S23 

Sani'l.  II.  Thomp.-on 'Jan.  17,  18.3S  Died  Mar.  19.  1842. 

\le.x.  W.  Jones May  14,  184-2  Died  Jan.  1845. 

Jacol)  Judv  ....  I Mar.  12,  184.5; 

Matihew  Gillespie  .1 'Mar.  16,  1849 

>iMiLliael  G.  Dale...  .  i iMar.  21,  1853| 


Benj.  Stephenson.  .  .' April  29,  1816 

Samuel  D.  Lockwood 'Jan.  28,   1823 

Janus  Mason  ....  May  21,182.')  Jan.     4,   1826 
July  3,  1820 


E.  J.  \Ve.st.   .    .    .   , 
Benj.  F.  Edwards. 
Ale.v.  M.  .lenkins. 
Isaac  Prickett  .    . 
John  G.  Cameron. 
Blueford  Johnson  . 
W.  A.  J.  Sparks.  . 


|Oct.  10,  1849 


Not  Confirmed. 
Dec.  17,  1829  Resigned  Mav  3,'.%. 
July   5,    18301      "      Mar.  14,  '38. 
April  5,    ls38lDicd  July  1-5, '44. 
Jan.  23,   184.5  Resigned  Dec.  3, '49. 
Ang.  27,  18.50, 
Mar.  30,  18o3| 


THE   BANK   OF    EDWARDSVILLE. 

The  act  incorporating  the  bank  of  Edwardsville  became 
a  law  on  the  9th  of  January,  1818.  It  was  provided  that 
the  capital  stock  should  not  exceed  three  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  to  be  divided  into  shares  of  fifty  dollars  each.  One 
third  might  be  subscribed  for  by  the  legislature  of  the  terri- 
tory or  state.  As  soon  as  fifty  thousand  dollars  should  be 
subscribed  and  ten  thousand  dollars  actually  paid  in,  the 
corporation  might  commence  business  and  issue  their  notes 
accordingly.  At  the  time  of  making  the  subscription  it  was 
directed  that  five  dollars  should  be  paid  on  each  share,  iu 
gold  or  silver,  or  bank  bills  that  could  command  the  same, 
the  residue  of  the  stock  to  be  paid  at  such  times  and  in  such 
installments  as  the  directors  might  order,  although  no 
single  installment  should  exceed  tweuty  five  per  cent,  on 
the  s:ock  subscribed  for,  aud  St  least  sixty  days'  notice 
should  be  given  in  one  or  more  newspapers  of  the  territory. 
If  any  subscriber  should  fail  to  make  the  second  payment 
the  sum  originally  paid  should  be  forfeited  to  the  corporation. 
The  corporation  which  was  styled  "  The  President,  Direc- 
tors and  Company  of  the  Bank  of  Edwardsville"  was  char- 
tered to  continue  till  the  fiist  day  of  January,  1838.  The 
management  of  its  afl^airs  was  placed  iu  the  hands  of  a  board 
of  nine  directors  of  whom  not  less  than  four  should  consti- 
tute a  board  for  the  transaction  of  business.  The  cashier 
was  required  to  give  bond  in  the  sum  of  not  less  than  ten 
thousand  dollars.  ^The  total  amount  of  debts  which  the 
corporation  might  at  any  time  owe,  whether  by  bond,  bill, 
note, -or  other  contract,  should  not  exceed  twice  the  amount 
of  the  capital  stock  actually  paid  over,  and  above,  the 
moneys  there  actually  deposited  in  the  bank  for  safe  keeping. 
In  case  of  excess  the  directors  should  be  liable  for  the  same 
in  their  individual  capacities. 

It  was  directed  that  half-yearly  dividends  should  be  made 
of  so  much  of  the  profits  of  the  bank  as  should  be  deemed 
expedientand  proper,  and  that  the  corporation  should  not 
at  any  time  suspend,  or  refuse  payment  in  gold  or  silver,  of 
any  of  its  notes,  bill.^  or  obligations,  or  of  any  moneys  received 
on  deposit.  Benjamin  Ste])henson,  James  Mason,  John  Mc- 
Kee, Joseph  Conway,  and  Abraham  Prickett,  or  any  three  of 
them,  were  appointed  commissioners  for  receiving  subscrip- 
tions. 

An  organization  was  effi?ctcd  under  this  charter  in  1818, 
and  the  bank  placed  in  operation.  In  the  only  newspapers, 
of  Kaskaskia  and  Edwardsville,  there  are  notices  calling 
for  successive  installments  on   the  shares   of  capital   stock. 


3iO 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Benjarahi  J.  Senrard,  was  the  cashier  in  1819.  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  K.  T.  McKeuuey.  The  tstablishnient  of  the  bank, 
and  tlie  issue  of  its  notes,  had  for  a  time  a  favorable  iuflu- 
euce  on  the  prosperity  of  Edwardsville,  but  like  all  the 
other  banking  enterpiises  oT  that  time  in  the  state,  the  in- 
stitution faikd  and  its  notes  fell  to  a  value  of  less  than  fifty 
cents  on  the  dollar. 

EARLY   HOTELS. 

The  first  hotel  in  Edwardsville,  built  by  John  T.  Lusk, 
was  on  Main  S  reet  where  now  stands  a  building  owned  by 
Jacob  Dengenfeldtr,  and  used  as  a  saloon  and  grocery  store. 
It  was  a  long  log  building,  and  had  three  large  rooms  fronting 
the  street.  After  Lusk  closed  out  the  hotel,  the  centre  of 
these  rooms  he  used  for  the  post-office.  One  end  was  rented 
to  Mrs.  Howard  who  kept  a  pie  and  cake  shop,  and  in  the 
other  a  saloon  at  diflerent  times  was  carried  on  by  various 
parties 

The  old  Wiggins  hotel  stood  on  the  public  square,  east 
from  the  old  jail.  It  had  an  extensive  and  fashionable  pa- 
tr.inage,  and  many  distinguished  men  ate  and  slept  within  its 
walls.  Before  its  door  swung  the  sign  of  Gen.  Washington. 
Its  walls  were  so  badly  cracked  by  an  earthquake  that  it 
was  found  necessary  to  abandon  the  building.  It  was  pur- 
chased by  I-iaac  Prickett,  who  tore  the  building  down,  and 
with  the  brick  were  built  the  two  small  houses  ttill  standing 
on  Main  Street,  between  the  residences  of  Judge  Joseph 
Gillespie  and  Dr.  Weir. 

William  H.  Hopkins  carried  on  a  hotel  in  "  upper  town.  " 
It  was  a  frame  building,  and  stood  opposite  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  public  square  near  the  residence  of  Henry  C. 
Gerke. 

A  second  hotel  was  built  by  John  T.  Lusk,  on  the  spot 
now  occupied  by  the  Wabash  hotel.  It  was  a  large  frame 
building,  and  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1839.  Meriam  Pat- 
terson kept  this  hotel  for  a  time.  His  successor  was  Horatio 
G  Street,  and  he  was  fiillowed  by  Cassius  Hesket.  While 
Street  was  proprietor,  about  the  year  1830,  it  was  re- 
nowned for  the  excellence  of  its  fare  and  the  superior  man- 
ner in  which  it  was  conducted.  The  ftvshionable  people  of 
St.  Louis  patronized  it  during  the  summer  months,  and  on 
Sundays  it  was  a  frequent  resort  of  the  citizens  of  Alton  who 
drove  over  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  a  good  meal  and 
having,  at  the  same  time,  a  day's  recnation.  It  was  during 
Hesket's  administration  that  the  old  frame  building  burned 
down.  The  present  brick  structure  was  at  once  erected  in 
its  place,  and  was  considered,  in  that  day,  a  remarkably  fine 
specimen  of  architecture. 

OLD    BUILDINGS. 

There  are  four  houses  in  Edwardsville  that  have  been 
standing  since  1818.  All  are  in  the  lower  town.  The  first 
is  the  frame  building  now  occupied  as  a  store  by  William 
Hainlan.  The  second  is  the  building  just  below  Prickett's 
old  store,  now  owned  by  Mr?.  Eberhardt.  It  was  originally 
built  of  logs,  and  has  since  been  covered  with  weather  board- 
ing. Dr.  De  Camp  lived  in  this  house  in  1818.  It  was  at 
one    time    also  the  residence  of  Alexander  Jenkins.     The 


third  is  the  frame  house  on  Main  Street  in  which  Mrs.  Sido 
now  lives.  Paris  Mason  occupied  this  house  as  a  residence 
in  1818.     Pjlemou  H.  Winchester,  once  lived  in  it. 


EARLY   MAILS. 

The  residents  of  Edwardsville,  sixty  years  ago,  were 
content  to  receive  their  letters  once  a  week.  In  1823 
the  mails  all  arrived  and  departed  during  the  latter  part 
of  the  week.  The  eastern  mail  arrived  every  Friday 
morning  at  nine  o'clock,  and  fifteen  minutes  afterward  de- 
parted for  St.  Louis.  Returning  from  St.  Louis  it  reached 
the  town  at  ten  o'clock  Saturday  morning  and  proceeded 
east  with  little  delay.  The  western  mail  arrived  Friday 
afternoon  at  five  o'clock,  and  departed  the  next  morning  at 
half-past  six.  A  mail  from  the  south  arrived  Saturday 
noon.  One  left  for  CarrolUon  every  other  Saturday,  and 
returned  the  following  Tuesday. 

In  1824,  a  weekly  mail  for  the  southern  part  of  the  state 
left  Edwardsville,  meeting  at  Belleville  the  mail  from  St. 
Louis  to  Shawneetown.  In  September,  1824,  the  time  of 
the  departure  of  this  mail  was  changed  from  Thursday  to 
Saturday  evening,  of  which  the  editor  of  the  S/jedator  com- 
plains as  the  new  arrangement  deprived  him  of  his  facilities 
for  supplying  his  subscribers  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
state  with  their  papers.  In  1824,  the  mail  between  St.  Louis 
and  Vandalia,  known  as  the  great  Eastern  mail,  by  which 
the  main  bulk  of  matter  for  the  post  office  reached  Ed- 
wardsville, passed  through  the  town,  going  east,  on  Thursdays 
and  westward  on  Saturdays.  About  this  period  general 
complaints  were  made  about  the  irregularities  of  the  mails. 
Sometimes  newspapers  were  months  in  reaching  their  desti- 
natioQ.  The  mail  bags  were  frequently  surcharged  with 
numerous  public  documents  and  blanks  of  various  descrip- 
tions, which  it  was  the  practice  of  the  goverment  departments 
to  forward  in  this  manner  to  public  offices  in  the  AVest. 
The  Spectator  observes  that  great  and  important  improve, 
ments  in  the  mail  establishment  are  contemplated,  the  pro- 
position having  been  made  to  convey  the  mail  by  stages 
three  times  a  week  each  way  instead  of  making  one  trip  on 
horseback. 

On  the  first  of  April  1820,  the  Edwardsville  postmaster, 
David  Prickett,  advertised  that  there  were  letters  re- 
maining in  the  office  uncalled  for,  for  one  hundred  and 
sixty-two  parties.  The  town,  then  the  location  for  the  land 
office,  was  the  common  point  of  destination  for  emigrants 
from  the  East,  many  of  them  on  their  arrival  scattering  to 
the  settlements  on  the  northern  frontier  and  this  may  ac- 
count for  the  large  number  of  uncalled  for  letters. 

In  1832,  a  line  of  four  horse  coaches  between  St.  Louis 
and  Springfield  was  established.  Leaving  St.  Louis  every 
Thursday  and  Sunday  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  a  stop 
was  made  for  dinner  at  Edwardsville,  and  Springfield  was 
reached  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  Friday  and  Mon- 
day. The  stages  left  Springfield  on  Thursday  and  Sunday 
mornings;  the  passengers  had  breakfast  at  Edwardsville  the 
next  morning  and  arrived  in  St.  Louis  at  two  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon.     The  fare  was  five  cents  per  mile. 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


341 


EARLY  SCHOOLS. 

In  the  Spectator  of  1820,  Madame  De  Jerome  announces 
that  she  has  opened  an  academy  of  science  in  which  all  will 
be  taught  the  French  language,  geography,  with  use  of 
globes,  history,  drawing  and  arithmetic.  iShe  also  professes 
her  readiness  to  teach  young  ladies  the  art  of  embroidery 
and  needle  work.  Instruction  was  given  to  children  in  the 
rudiments  of  the  English  language.  The  school  was  open 
every  day  in  the  week,  excepting  Saturdays  and  Sundays, 
from  nine  to  twelve  in  the  morning,  and  from  two  to  five  in 
the  afternoon.  In  her  advertisement,  which  is  dated  October 
10th,  1820,  IMadame  De  Jerome  states  that  if  parents  or 
guardians,  disposed  to  favor  her  school,  should  doubt  her 
ability  to  teach  the  branches  named,  she  is  willing  to  submit 
to  an  examination  as  to  her  qualifications.  This  was  doubt- 
less the  first  scho  d  of  the  kind  in  Edwardsville.  Ordinary 
subscription  schools,  in  which  the  common  English  branches 
were  taught,  had  previously  existed. 

One  of  the  early  teachers  wa^  Joshua  Atwater,  who  taught 
a  couj)le  of  years  previous  to  1820,  when  he  relinquished  the 
avocation  of  a  teacher  and  opened  a  store.  Don  Alonzo 
Spaolding.  during  six  months  of  the  year  1S19,  taught 
school  in  E  Iwardsville.  The  first  schools  were  mostly  "  loud 
schools,''  in  which  all  the  pupils  studied  their  lessons  aloud, 
so  that  they  ould  be  heard  at  some  distance  away.  The 
earliest  schools  were  all  taught  by  men.  •  Wheu  the  directors 
were  urged  to  employ  a  young  woman,  who  had  come  from 
the  E.ist,  the  reply  was  that  a  lady  would  never  succeed  in 
niinaging  the  boys.  The  experiment  was  tried,  however, 
and  it  was  found  that  the  young  lady.  Miss  Hastings,  had 
no  trouble  in  controlling  the  boys,  and  maintained  an  excel- 
lent school. 

In  1829  John  York  Sawyer  taught  school  in  a  frame 
building,  which  still  stands  on  Main  street,  on  a  lot  adjoin- 
ing the  jail  property.  This  building  then  faced  another 
direction,  and  stood  further  back  from  the  street,  on  the 
brow  of  the  hill.  Sawyer  taught  till  he  became  the  editor 
of  the  Speditor.  He  was  succeeded  liy  Thomas  Atwater, 
a  brother  to  Joshua,  and  by  au  Englishman  by  the  name 
of  Scandrit,  whose  speech  was  strongly  marked  by  a  British 
accentuation.  Mrs.  Stearns  subsequently  kept  a  school  iu 
the  house  which  afterward  became  the  residence  of  Matthew 
Gillespie,  and  in  which  Dr.  Fifgenbaum  now  lives.  Some 
of  the  older  children  used  to  attend,  between  1830  and 
1S40,  a  school  taught  by  John  Barber,  three  miles  south  of 
the  town.  Barber  was  a  man  of  superior  education  and  an 
excellent  teacher. 

The  E  Iwanlsville  Female  Academy  was  established  in 
May,  1831,  through  the  eiiorts  of  James  Mason,  William  P. 
Mclvee,  Dr.  B.  F.  Edwards,  John  Adams  and  other  leading 
citizens.  B.  Y.  Messenger  was  the  secretary  of  the  board  of 
trustees.  The  tuition  was  from  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents 
to  three  dollars  and  fifty  cents  per  (juarter.  The  school  was 
held  in  a  frame  building,  erected  for  the  purpose,  on  Third 
street.  Miss  Alden  came  from  the  East  to  take  charge  of 
the  academy,  but  her  connection  with  the  school  was  severed 
by  her  marriage  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Jenney,  a  Presbyterian 
minister  of  Alton.     The  next  principal  was  Miss  Chapin, 


who  became  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hale,  a  Presbyterian 
clergyman  of  Springfield  She  was  succeeded  by  Miss 
Loomis,  daughter  of  a  Baptist  minister.  She  married 
Cyrus  Edwards  The  school  had  a  good  patronage  but  the 
rapid  changes  in  the  faculty,  occasioned  by  the  marriage  of 
its  principals,  destroyed  its  usefulness.  After  the  academy 
was  discontinued,  the  building  was  used  for  a  time  for  a 
p  ibiic  school,  but  was  afterward  removed  to  the  corner  of 
Thira  and  Purcell  streets,  and  is  now  occupied  by  T.  C.  Clark 
as  a  grocery  store. 

A  Presbyterian  minister  named  Young,  taught  a  parochial 
school  for  some  years,  which  was  attcndeil  by  children  be- 
longing to  families  connected  with  his  congregation.  Samuel 
AUard  taught  school  several  years  in  the  old  academy  build- 
ing He  afterward  became  a  teacher  in  Shurtlefl'  College. 
In  1838,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Gibson,  who  was  said  to  be 
a  minister,  taught  school.  He  drank  whisky,  ate  o]>ium, 
and  preached  an  occasional  volunteer  sermon.  Among 
subsequent  teachers  were  Messrs  Dwight,  Potter  and  Teriy. 

CHURCH  E.S. 

The  earliest  religious  organization  in  Edwardsville  was  a 
Pre.ibyterian  Church,  which  was  formed  on  the  seventeenth 
of  March,  l8l9,  with  fifteen  members.  There  was  preach- 
ing at  occasional  intervals ;  but  iu  a  few  years  the  society 
became  extinct.  It  was  revived  by  the  Presbytery  of  Alton 
about  1828.  The  Rev.  James  Ewing  was  pastor  from  184.5 
till  his  death  in  1818.  The  congregation  used  the  Baptist 
church  during  this  time.  In  1856  the  Episcojjal  church  was 
lea>ed.  The  latter  ye.ir  the  Rev.  L.  P.  Bates  became  pastor. 
He  died  in  1859. 

The  Meth-idiat  Episcopal  Church  was  organized  December, 
1827.  The  original  class-book  shows  that  the  members  of 
the  class  were  Richard  Rau'lle,  Rsv.  Washingt>n  C  Ballard, 
Elizabeth  Ballard,  Thornhill  Ballard,  Mary  Brooks,  Rebecca 
Atwater,  Ji>el  Neff",  Sarah  Wright,  Josias  Handle,  Heiress 
Baker,  Marilda  Wilder,  Samuel  A.  Walker,  Mary  Ballard, 
Alexander  Miller,  Aletha  Ballard,  Agnes  H.  Ballard,  Eliza- 
beth Gibson,  Alworth  Baker,  Mary  Adams,  William  Galli- 
gher,  William  P.  Mjlvee,  Sarah  H.  M^Kee,  Hail  Mason, 
Grace  Mison,  Joshua  Atwater,  Aun  M  Randle,  William  Mil- 
ler, Katherine  Miller,  Alexander  White,  Susamiali  Kendall, 
Julia  Ann  Atwater,  Sarah  Cotter,  Elizabeth  Randle,  Hosea 
Armstrong,  Samuel  McNeal  and  Roland  Ballard.  The 
church  membership  having  increased  in  1830,  it  was  de- 
termined to  build  a  house  of  worship.  James  Mason  gave 
the  congregation  a  lot,  on  which  was  erected  in  1831,  a 
plain  frame  building,  forty  by  sixty  feet  in  dimensions. 
This  gave  ])lace  to  the  present  brick  building,  which  was 
constructed  in  1854. 

The  Biptist  Church  was  organized  at  the  house  of  Dr.  B. 
F.  Edwards,  in  1828.  The  Rjv.  Mr.  Bradley  was  pastor 
for  some  time  during  the  early  history  of  the  society.  The 
first  church  building  erected  by  the  congregation  is  now 
used  as  an  engine-house. 

St-  Mary's  Catholio  Church  was  regilarly  organized  in 
1843,  and  a  frame  church  edifice  erected.  Previous  to  this 
Catholic  services  had  beeu  held  in  Edwardsville  at  irregular 


342 


RISTOEY    OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


intervals.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Reiss  was  one  of  the  early  pas- 
tors. St.  Bouit'ace's  church,  a  congregation  of  Catholic 
CJerinans,  was  formed  in  1867,  and  a  church  building 
erected  that  year. 

St.  Andrew  i  Pi-otestant  EpUeopxl  Church  was  organized  in 
1841.  A  commodious  frame  church  building  was  soon  af- 
terward erected,  in  which  services  were  held  for  a  number 
of  years- 

The  German  MethodUls  held  religious  services  in  Ed- 
wardsville  as  early  as  1847,  and  it  1860  the  congregation 
at  EJrtardsville  was  made  a  separate  charge. 

INCORPORATION    AS    A   TOWN. 

A  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Eviwardsville  ivas  held  on 
/  Saturday,  the  thir  ieth  of  May,  1837,  at  the  oourt-house,  at 
which  a  vote  was  taken  on  the  question  of  whether  or  not 
the  town  should  become  an  incorporated  place,  under  the 
general  law  of  1831.  James  Wilson  was  chosen  president, 
■  and  William  T.  Brown,  clerk.  Fifty-seven  votes  were  cast 
in  favor  of  the  incorporation,  and  seven  in  the  negative. 

February  10th,  1853,  the  town  was  again  incorporated  by 
special  act  of  the  Legislature,  which  provided  that  the  cor- 
porate powers  and  duties  of  said  town  shall  be  vested  in  five 
trustees  who  shall  be  elected  on  the  first  Monday  in  April  of 
each  year.  This  organization  existed  until  Oct.  23d,  1872, 
when  it  was  organized  as  a  city  under  the  general  law. 

INDIAN   TREATY    AT    EDWARDSVILLE. 

In  early  days  the  Kickapoo  Indians  visited  Edwardsville 
to  obtain  their  annuities  from  Ninian  Edwards,  who  then 
acted  as  Indian  agent.  Traces  of  their  camps  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  town,  and  the  peculiar  marks  made  by  their  stripping 
the  bark  from  trees,  were  visib'e  for  many  years  afterward. 

On  the  sixth  of  August,  1819,  the  commissioners  on  the 
part  of  the  government  of  the  United  States  and  the  chiefs 
of  the  Kickapoo  tribe,  negotiated  a  treaty  by  which  the 
United  States  purchased  an  extensive  tract  of  land,  covering 
the  central  part  of  the  state,  and  estimated  to  contain  ten 
million  of  acres,  bounded  by  a  line  comenciug  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Illinois  river,  and  running  eastwardly  by  the 
old  purchase  Hue  to  the  line  dividing  the  state  of  Illinois 
and  Indiana,  thence  north  to  the  Kankakee  river,  and 
thence  down  said  river  and  the  Illinois  to  the  place  of  be- 
ginning. The  United  commissioners  were  Benjamin 
Stephenson  and  Auguste  Chouteau.* 

*  The  treaty  is  as  follows  : 

Aktici.e  1.  The  undersigned  chiefs  and  warriors,  for  themselves  and 
their  said  tribe,  for  and  in  consideration  of  the  premises  and  stipulations 
hereinafter  made,  do  hereby  cede  and  relinquish  to  the  United  Slates 
.forever  all  their  right,  interest  and  title  of,  in  and  to  the  following 
tracts  of  land,  viz  :  All  their  lands  on  the  southeast  side  of  the  Wabash 
river,  including  the  principal  village  in  which  their  ancestors  for- 
merly resided,  consisting  of  a  large  tract,  to  which  they  have  had  from 
time  immemorial,  and  now  have  a  just  right  that  they  have  never 
heretofore  ceded,  or  otherwise  disposed  of,  in  any  mannpr  whatever, 
also  all  the  land  within  the  following  boundaries,  viz:  Beginning  at 
the  Wabash  river  at  the  upper  point  of  their  cession,  made  by  the 
second  ariiile  of  their  treaty  at  Vincennes,  on  the  9th  of  December, 
ISOy,  running  thence  northwestwardly,  to  the  dividing  line  betNveen  the 


EARLY   MANUF.VCTURING   ENTERPRISES. 

The  first  step  in  the  way  of  manufacturing  enterprises  in 
Edwardsville  was  the  old  water  mill  of  Thomas  Kirkpatrick. 
This  mill  passed  into  the  hands  of  Paris  Mason,  who  carried 
it  on  for  some  years  till  the  floods  in  the  Cahokia  caused 
such  frequent  damage  that  its  maintenance  was  no  longer 
profitable.  About  the  year  1818  Josias  Randle,  the  first 
county  clerk  of  Madison  county,  con.structed  an  ox  mill  near 
his  residence  which,  after  his  death,  was  carried  on  by  Josiah 

states  of  Illinois  and  Indiana,  thence  along  said  line  to  the  Kankakee 
river,  thence  with  said  river  to  the  Illinois  river,  thence  down  the 
latter  to  its  mouth,  thence  with  a  direct  line,  to  the  northwest  corner 
of  the  Vincennes  tract,  as  recognized  in  the  treaty  with  the  Pianke- 
shaw  tribes  of  Indians  at  Vincennes,  on  the  the  3')th  of  December, 
ISOo,  and  thence  with  the  western  and  northern  boundaries  of  the  ces- 
sions heretofore  made  by  the  said  Kickapoo  tribe  of  Indians,  to  the 
beginning  of  which  last  described  tract  of  Laud  the  said  Kickapoo 
tribe  claim  a  large  portion  by  descent  from  their  ancestors,  and  the 
balance  by  conquest  from  the  Illinois  Nation,  and  uninterrupted  jios- 
session  for  more  than  a  half  century. 

Article  2.  The  said  tribe  hereby  confirm  all  their  former  treati&s 
with  the  United  States,  and  relinquish  to  them  all  claim  to  every 
portion  of  thi^ir  lands  which  may  have  been  ceded  by  any  other  tribe 
or  tribes,  and  all  and  every  demmd  which  they  might  have  had  in 
consequence  of  the  second  article  of  the  treaty  made  with  the  PottHW- 
attomie  Nation  of  Indians  at  St.  Mary's  on  the  2d  of  Oct.  1818  (pro- 
claimed Jan.  15th,  1819). 

Article  3.  The  said  tribe  acknowledge  themselves  now  to  be,  and 
promise  to  continue,  under  the  protection  of  the  United  Statts  of 
America,  and  of  no  other  nation,  power  or  sovereign  whatever. 

Article  4.  The  said  tribe  release  the  United  States  from  all  obli- 
gations imposed  by  any  treaties  heretofore  made  with  them. 

Article  5.  The  United  States  in  lieu  of  all  former  stipulations, 
and  in  consideration  of  the  ce.ssions  of  land  heretofore  made  by  the 
said  tribe,  promise  to  pay  them,  at  their  town  on  the  waters  of  the 
Osage  river,  two  thousiind  dollars  in  silver,  annually,  for  fifteen  suc- 
cessive years. 

Article  6.  Alterel  so  as  to  read  Article  1,  of  treaty  .July  19th, 
1820. 

Article  7.  The  United  States  promise  to  guarantee  to  the  said 
tribe  the  peaceable  possession  of  the  tract  of  land  hereby  ceded  to  them 
and  to  restrain  and  prevent  all  white  persons  fiom  hunting,  settling, 
or  otherwise  intruding  upon  it.  But  any  citizen  or  citizens  of  the 
United  States  being  lawfully  authorized  for  that  purpose,  .shall  be 
permitted  to  pass  and  repass  through  said  tract,  and  to  navigate  the 
waters  thereof,  without  any  hinderance,  toll  or  exaction  from  the 
said  tribe. 

Article  S.  For  the  purpose  of  facilitating  the  removal  of  the  said 
tribe  to  the  tract  of  land  hereby  ceded  to  them,  the  United  Slates  will 
furnish  them  with  two  boats,  well  manned  to  transport  their  property 
from  anv  point  they  may  designate  on  the  Illinois  river,  and  some 
judicious  citizen  shall  be  selected  to  accompany  them  in  their  passage 
through  the  white  settlements  to  their  intended  residence. 

Article  9.  The  United  States  will  take  the  said  Kickapoo  tribe 
under  their  care  and  patronage,  and  will  afibrd  them  protection  against 
all  persons  whatever  provided  they  conform  to  the  laws  of  the  United 
States,  and  refrain  from  making  war  or  giving  any  insult  or  ofiense 
to  any  other  Indian  tribe,  or  to  any  foreign  nation,  without  having 
obtained  the  approbation  and  consent  of  the  Uuited  States. 

Article  10.  Thesiid  tribe,  in  addition  to  their  above  cession,  do 
hereby  cede  and  relinquish   to  the  United  States  generally  and  with- 
out reservation  all  other  tracts  of  land  to  which  they  may  liave  any 
right  or  title  on  the  left  .side  of  the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  rivers. 
Proclaimed  January  13th,  1821. 


.f-:  '  ,'%■^    p"v^^T^w^ 


PUBLIC         SCHOOL 


PilmplifiliiiiiiitWiliiiiiiiiii 


OLD        COURT        MOUSE 


NA'ABASH       DEIPOT 


PuACES   OF    PUBLIC    INTEREST    Edwardsville.Ill. 


B:iSTOJiY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


343 


Randle,  and  afterwards  by  George  D.  and  John  II.  Randle. 
The  Messrs.  Randle,  wiih  their  father  in-law,  Aaron  Arnold, 
turned  this  ox  mill  into  a  steam  mill  about  the  year  18o2. 
This  was  the  first  steam  mill  in  Edwardsville,  and  it  stood  on 
the  lot  in  rear  of  the  present  residence  of  W  R.  Brink. 
It  was  destroyed  by  fire  soon  after  being  placed  in  operation. 

The  castor  oil  mill  of  John  Adams  was  carried  on  suc- 
cessfully for  several  years.  It  was  established  in  1825.  That 
year  he  made  five  hundred  gallons  of  oil,  which  sold  at  two 
dollars  and  a  half  a  gallon.  The  next  year  the  product  had 
increased  to  eight  hundred  gallons,  and  the  price  had  fallen 
to  a  dollar  and  a  half  In  1827,  one  thousand  gallons  were 
manufactured,  and  sold  at  a  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  a 
gallon,  and  in  1828,  eighteen  hundred  gallons,  which  only 
brought  a  dollar  a  gallon.  In  1829,  a  little  more  than  five 
hundred  gallons  were  made,  and  in  1830  the  production 
arose  to  ten  thousand  gallons.  One  bushel  of  the  ca.«tor 
bean  yielded  about  seven  quarts  and  a  half  pint  of  oil.  For 
the  beans,  about  seventy-five  cents  per  bushel  was  paid. 
Before  starting  his  oil  mill,  Mr.  Adams  had  encted  a 
fulling  mill  on  the  Cahokia,  which  was  placed  in  operation 
in  182:!.  For  several  years  this  was  conducted  under  the 
management  of  George  W.  Putnam. 

The  Edwardsville  Steam  Mill  Company  was  organized  in 
1839.  J.  C.  Dagger  was  president  of  the  company.  All 
the  stock  came  subsequently  into  the  possession  of  George 
W.  rhillips,  who  operated  it  for  a  number  of  years. 

EDWARDSVILLE   INDUSTRIES,   MAXUF.VCTURES,    ETC. 

Edwardsville  Mill  and  Elevator. — This  industry  was  estab- 
lished by  Kehlor  Brothers  in  the  spring  of  1^79,  and  is 
located  on  Main  street,  about  three  blocks  north  of  the  court- 
house. The  mill  is  a  brick  building,  four  stories  high  with  a 
basement.  Its  size  on  the  ground  is  45  x  82  feet-  The 
machinery  consists  of  the  latest  improved  roller  process,  33 
pairs  of  rolls  and  3  burrs,  with  a  capacity  of  manufacturing 
600  barrels  of  flour  in  twenty-four  hours.  This  product  is 
shipped  to  diflerent  parts  of  the  United  States  and  Europe. 
The  elevator  is  45x60  feet,  and  60  feet  in  height,  and  has 
the  capacity  of  elevating  10,000  bushels  of  wheat  daily,  and 
a  storing  capacity  of  IIO.OOK  bushels.  It  is  constructed  in 
regular  elevator  style,  and  every  grain  bin  is  hoppered.  The 
machinery  for  distributing  grain  to  all  parts  of  the  elevator 
and  for  changing  from  bin  to  bin,  is  complete.  The  bran 
bin  is  20  x  35  feet,  and  50  feet  in  height.  The  elevator 
building  is  iron-clad,  the  better  to  protect  it  from  fire,  and 
the  grain  from  the  driving  storms.  A  warehouse  is  detached, 
100  X  104  feet  in  size,  and  capable  of  storing  7,0(10  barrels 
of  flour.  The  engine  room  is  constructed  of  brick,  and  in 
aize  is  28x66}  feet.  The  engine  is  of  the  Harriss-Corliss 
make,  3'iO-horse  power,  and  said  to  be  one  of  the  best  of  its 
size  in  the  State.  The  boilers  are  four  in  nundier  and  con- 
structed of  steel,  being  four  feet  in  diameter  and  twenty-four 
feet  in  length.  By  this  enterprise,  about  sixty  men  are  given 
constant  employment.  This  includes  the  cooperage  necessary 
to  the  busines.s.     The  estimated  capital  invested  is  .$150,000. 

Oik  ll'll  Riji'ii'ig  C'jmpamj. — This  factory  is  located  on 
the  N.  E.  i  of  the  N.  W.  1  of  section  13,  on  the  farm  (.f  C.  M- 


Schwarz,  about  one-half  mile  from  the  city  limits.  The 
manufacture  of  sugar  anil  syrup  from  Northern  grown 
sugar-cane,  is  a  question  which  has  for  several  years  en- 
grossed the  attention  of  some  of  the  best  scientists,  and  most 
enterprising  manufacturers,  as  well  as  the  more  advanced 
farmers  of  the  North.  It  is  an  industry,  which  as  yet  is  in 
its  infancy,  and  has  not,  until  within  the  last  year  or  two, 
leceived  even  a  small  per  cent,  of  the  encouragement  due  it. 
The  first  sugar-cane  grown  in  this  vicinity  was  by  Mr. 
Schwarz,  a  member  of  the  above  company.  This  was  in 
1857,  since  which  time  he  has  made  its  culture,  etc ,  a  care- 
ful study.  In  1880,  under  the  firm  name  of  Belcher  & 
Schwarz,  a  co-partnership  was  formed,  and  the  preparation 
for  manufacturing  the  cane  into  sugar  was  commenced.  The 
season  of  18?'0  was  a  very  disastrous  one,  and  no  attempt 
was  made  to  make  sugar,  other  than  in  an  experimental  way, 
although  6000  gallons  of  syrup  were  manufactured,  from 
which  the  com|)any  realized  a  good  profit.  In  1881,  for  the 
purpose  of  inducing  more  of  the  farmers  to  become  inter- 
ested in  the  cultivation  of  cane  the  firm  organized  a  stock 
company  under  the  name  of  '  The  Oak  Hill  Refining  Com- 
pany of  Edwardsville,'  with  a  capital  stock  of  §5.000.  The 
first  election  of  directors  and  officers  was  held  in  the  summer 
of  1881,  when  the  following  directors  were  chosen :  Geo- 
C.  W.  Belcher,  St.  Louis;  C.  F.  Mdler,  Dundas,  Minn.; 
C.  M.  Schwarz,  B  R.  Burroughs,  and  F.  K.  Gillespie  of 
Edwardsville.  Ofiicers:  Geo  C.  W.  Belcher,  President, 
B.  R.  Burroughs,  Vice-President,  C  M.  Schwarz,  Secretary 
and  Treasurer. 

The  season  of  1881  was  also  a  poor  year  for  the  cane  crop, 
yet  4,000  gallons  of  syrup  were  marketed  at  home,  finding  a 
ready  sale.  This  season,  1882,  promises  well,  and  there  is 
a  large  acreage  of  the  product  planted.  These  works  have 
been  greatly  improved,  and  their  capacity  largely  increa.sed 
by  new  machinery  since  last  year.  The  present  cap  city  is 
about  800  gallons  of  syrup  daily-  If  the  company  is  pro- 
perly encouraged  by  the  farmers  of  this  vicinity,  it  is  their 
intention  to  erect  an  extensive  establishment  near  the  junc- 
tion of  the  W.  St.  L.  and  P.  and  the  P.  C  and  St.  L.  rail- 
ways. 

Carriage  Mawfaciory,  Springer  &  Brothers,  Proprietors. 
This  factory  is  situated  on  the  north  side  of  Vandalia  street, 
one  block  south  of  the  public  sipiare,  and  was  established 
by  H.J.  Springer  in  the  spring  of  1870,  but  is  now  conducted 
in  the  firm  name  above  given.  The  business  occupies  a  brick 
building  two  stories  high,  and  30  by  65  feet  on  the  ground ; 
also,  a  two  story  frame  attached,  50  by  30  feet.  The  latter  is 
utilized  for  a  painting  and  trimming  room,  and  repository  for 
manufactured  carriages.  The  machinery  is  driven  by  a  four 
horse-power  steam  engine,  and  the  manufactured  product  is 
about  fifty  carriages  annually.  The  business  gives  em- 
ployment to  eight  men.  C  nnected  with  the  same  building 
is  the  firm  of  Gillespie  &  Springer,  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  patent  thill  couplings.  One  of  the  firm  of  this 
establishment,  F.  J.  Springer,  is  exclusively  interested  in 
the  manufacture  of  a  patent  "ea.sy  riding  spring." 

Gesterl's  Custom  Flouring  Mill  was  established  by  George 
Gessert,  in  the  fall  of  1877,  and  commenced  operations  the 


344 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


January  following.  It  is  a  frame  building,  40x50  feet,  in- 
cluding I)oiIer-rooni,  two  stories  high,  and  cost  over  $5,000. 
It  contains  two  run  of  burrs,  and  has  a  capacity  of  grind- 
ing thirty-five  barrels  of  tlour  daily,  giving  eui|)loyraeut  lo 
three  men.  The  machinery  is  driven  by  a  thirty  horse- 
power engine.  The  mill  is  situated  on  Second,  near  Union 
street.  It  is  constructed  for  both  a  custom  and  merchant 
mill,  and  has  the  facilities  of  mauufacturiug  the  patent  pro- 
cess flour. 

Carriage,  Wagon  and  Machine  Shop. — This  shop  is  situ. 
ated  on  the  corner  of  Vandalia  and  St.  Louis  streets.  It 
was  built  in  the  spring  of  1874  by  Michael  Desmond,  the 
present  proprietor,  who  has  been  engaged  in  the  business  in 
the  city  since  18G4.  The  building  is  a  frame,  two  stories, 
and  60x30  feet  iu  dimensions.  The  business  is  mainly  con- 
fined to  the  repairing  of  machinery  and  general  work.  A 
building,  40x30  feet,  is  connected  with  the  shop,  for  the 
pnr[)Ose  of  doing  the  wood-work  of  the  establishment. 
Eight  men  are  given  employment.  It  is  run  by  steam- 
power. 

Cooper  SJiops,  owned  and  conducted  by  Martin  Dippold 
and  located  on  the  southwest  side  of  the  railroad,  on  St. 
Louis  street,  near  the  Wabash,  St  L.  &  P.  depot.  There  is 
a  branch  shop  situated  in  lower  town.  The  business  was 
established  several  years  ago,  with  the  purpose  of  furnishing 
the  Edwardsville  flouring  mills  with  barrels  to  ship  their 
flour.  Thirty-eight  men  are  employed,  and  about  80,000 
barrels  are  manufactured  annually. 

•  Wagon  and  Cxrriage  Man ufi dory,  established  by  Weber 
&  Sou,  in  the  spring  of  1873,  is  locatedvon  Vandalia 
street,  about  two  blocks  southeast  of  the  court-house.  The 
elder  member  of  the  firm  has  been  engaged  in  the  business 
in  Edwardsville  since  1854  The  present  building  is  a 
frame,  50x80  feet,  and  two  stories  high.  A  one-story  frame 
attachment,  45x50  feet,  belongs  to  the  shop,  and  is  utilized 
for  storing  wood-work,  lumber,  etc.  Some  seasons  of  the 
year  from  ten  to  twelve  men  are  employed.  The  wok  is 
all  hand  made. 

Star  Flouring  Mills,  Jacob  Dunstedter  pr^prit  tor.  This 
mill  was  erected  in  the  summer  of  1866,  at  a  cost  of  $15,000 
and  is  situated  ou  Second  street,  near  the  railroad.  It  is  a 
frame  building,  three  stories  high  and  a  basement,  with  54 
feet  frontage,  and  is  constructed  in  the  form  of  an  L.  The 
main  building  is  45x54  feet,  and  the  engine-room  30x42 
feet.  It  has  four  run  of  .stone,  and  a  capacity  of  manufac- 
turing 125  barrels  in  twenty-four  hours,  and  has  six  men  in 
its  employ;  the  engine  is  fifty  horse-jjower.  This  is  purely 
a  merchant  mill,  and  ships  its  flour  both  to  the  East  and 
the  West.  Mr.  Dunstedter  is  a  practical  machinist,  and 
was  the  first  to  run  a  steam-thresher  in  Madison  county. 

Ma'lixon  Conuty  Marble  Works  are  situated  on  Main  street, 
opposite  the  court  house.  These  works  were  established  by 
G.  J.  Starmer  in  the  spring  of  1880.  This  industry  gives 
employment  to  four  men.  The  building  is  a  small  frame, 
one  story,  with  a  workshop  in  the  rear  of  salesroom. 

Enierjirise  Marble  Worh,  situated  corner  of  St.  Louis 
and  Vandalia  streets.  These  works  were  established  by  Ed- 
ward F.  Koch,  proprietor. 


Cigar  Manvfadory,  F.  Begeraanu,  proprietor,  established 
in  1867,  and  located  on  Main  street,  east  of  the  scjuare. 
This  factory  manufactures  annually  250,000  cigars,  and 
employs  five  persons.  All  goods  are  hand-made  auJ  sold  at 
various  points  in  the  state. 

Soda  Fad'ty,  owned  and  operated  by  Frank-  Harles, 
situated  on  Main  street,  one  block  south  of  the  court-house 
square.  Mr.  H.  commenced  business  in  the  spring  of  1671. 
The  capacity  for  manufacturing  is  from  three  to  four  thou- 
sand boxes  of  soda-water  per  annum.  Mr.  Harles  also 
supplies  the  city  with  ice. 

Wolf  Brothers'  Coal  Mine. — This  shaft  is  situated  in  the 
southwest  quai'ter  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  11, 
about  one-half  mile  southeast  of  Court-House  Square.  It 
was  sunk  by  the  above  firm  iu  the  summer  of  1879,  with 
a  capital  investment  of  $20,000.  Its  depth  is  217  feet  to 
the  surfice  of  the  coal,  and  the  vein  averages  six  and  one- 
half  feet.  The  coal  is  of  the  finest  quality  found  in  this 
part  of  the  state.  When  the  mine  is  worked  to  its  full 
capacity,  7,000  bushels  of  coal  are  raised  daily,  and  it  requires 
150  men  to  operate  it.  The  amount  for  wages  paid  out  per 
mouth,  when  in  full  blast,  is  $7,800.  An  engine  of  forty 
horse-power  is  employed  in  raising  the  coal.  This  firm  is  en- 
gaged in  sinking  another  shafc  on  the  Narrow  Gauge  railway. 

St.  Louis  and  Edwardsville  Coal  Compiany,  J.  S.  Trares, 
President.  This  mine  is  located  on  section  10,  on  the  City 
branch  of  the  W.  St.  L  &  P.  railroad.  The  shaft  was  sunk 
by  Tunstell  &  Holmes,  in  1868  or  1869.  About  ten  years 
later  it  was  purchased  by  John  A.  Prickett,  and  was  leased 
by  the  above  company  in  the  fall  of  1881  for  the  term 
of  twenty  years.  The  depth  of  the  shaft  is  125  feet,  and 
the  coal  vein  averages  seven  feet,  When  fully  worked,  it 
will  mine  2,800  bushels  of  coal  daily.  The  coal  is  raised  by 
steam-power. 

Schramek  Coal  Mine  was  opened  by  Frank  Schraraek  in 
the  spring  of  1879,  and  is  located  on  the  Wabash,  St.  Louis 
and  Pacific  Railway,  on  Union  street.  Its  depth  is  65  feet, 
and  the  coal  vein  averages  six  and  one-half  feet.  The  capi- 
tal invested  is  $0,000.  In  the  busy  season,  twenty-five  men 
are  employed,  and  will  mine  200,000  bushels  of  coal  within 
the  year.  The  main  shipments  are  made  to  St  Louis.  A 
OO-horse  power  engine  is  employed  to  lift  the  coal. 

Another  shaft,  owned  by  Mrs.  Smidt,  is  situated  near  the 
Wabash,  St.  Louis  and  Pacific  Depot.  This  mine  was 
opened  by  Henry  Hitter  about  1857,  and  came  into  the  pos- 
session of  Mrs.  Smidt  in  1877.  Coal  is  reached  at  the 
depth  of  96  feet,  and  the  vein  is  five  feet.  Ten  workmen 
are  usually  employed  in  this  shaft,  and  mine  from  five  to 
six  hundred  bushels  of  coal  per  day.  Horse  power  is  utilized 
in  hoisting  the  coal. 

Hellrung's  Brick  Yard. — This  industry,  established 
about  1850,  by  D.  Brown,  passed  into  the  hands  of  Louis 
Klinger  in  1860,  and  was  purchased  by  the  present  proprietor 
in  1867.  It  is  situated  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  north- 
east from  the  public  square.  It  contains  but  one  kiln,  and 
annually  turns  out  about  170,000  bricks,  giving  employment 
to  three  men.     The  bricks  are  hand  made. 

Elevator,  R.  B.  Evans  &  Co.,  proprietors,  is  situated  on 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


345 


the  South  side  of  the  railroinl  track,  above  the  Wabash 
depot.  It  was  built  in  the  fail  of  1876  by  the  above  cora- 
pauy.  It  is  a  frame  building,  -0x40  feet,  aud  inachiuery 
room  attached,  12x20  feet,  aud  has  the  capacity  of  eltvating 
5,000  bushels  of  corn  per  day,  and  will  store  7,000  bushels. 

Machine  Shop,  Edward  Naeher,  proprietor.  This  busi- 
ness was  commenced  by  the  above  in  1871  ;  and  in  1873 
a  foundry  was  run  in  connection  with  the  shop,  but  it  proved 
a  non-paying  investment,  aud  was  therefore  abandoned.  In 
1878  a  saw  mill  was  attached,  but  it  was  removed  to  the 
country  a  short  time  since.  The  building  is  located  on 
.Second  street,  a  little  souli  and  east  of  the  Star  Flouring 
Mills  ;  it  is  a  frame,  two  stories,  and  its  entire  size,  with 
attachments,  is  60x35  feet  The  business  consists  in  general 
repair  work,  and,  when  in  active  operation,  gives  employ- 
ment to  several  hands. 

Elevator,  owned  by  M.  B.  Sherman,  is  situated  on  the 
Edwardsville  Mill  Switch.southwest  of  the  big  flouring  mill. 
It  was  built  in  the  spring  of  1875,  and  has  a  capacity  of 
shelling  aud  elevating  2,500  bushels  of  corn  daily,  and  has  a 
storage  capacity  of  6,000  bushels. 

Brick  Yards — William  Bardelraeier,  proprietor.  These 
works  were  established  in  1876,  and  are  located  in  Wheeler's 
addition,  about  one-fourth  mile  east  of  Court-hou.se  Square. 
Two  kilns  are  kept  in  operation,  aud  manufacture  about 
300,000  bricks  yearly,  giving  employment  to  six  men. 

In  the  same  part  of  the  city,  near  the  above,  is  situated 
the  brick  yard  of  Jacob  Hettergott,  consisting  of  one  kiln. 
It  went  into  operation  in  the  spring  of  1881.  Four  men 
are  engaged  in  running  the  yard,  and  200,000  bricks  are 
moulded  within  the  season. 

Crocker'.^  Vegetable  Gardens. — This  industry  was  estab- 
lished by  C.  W.  Crocker  in  the  spring  of  1864,  and  is  located 
in  out-lot  51,  in  Upper  Edwardsville.  The  grounds  occupy 
eight  acres,  and  are  furnished  with  four  hot-houses  and 
other  conveniences  suitable  to  the  business.  All  kinds  of 
plants  and  vegetables  peculiar  to  the  climate  and  markets 
are  cultivated.  Shipments  are  made  to  Chicago,  St.  Louis, 
Decatur,  Litchfield,  and  other  towns.  In  the  busy  season, 
five  hands  are  given  employment. 

Edwardsville  Fire  Company,  Xo  1. — This  company  was 
organized  Feb.  7th,  1874,  consisting  of  hose,  hook  and  lad- 
der, and  engine  departments.  The  first  officers  of  the  hose 
company  were  Fred.  Sochlke,  captain  ;  and  Joseph  Hentz, 
assistant.  Hook  and  ladder :  Arnold  Schultz,  captain  ;  and 
Albert  V.  d.  Broeck,  assistant.  All  the  members  belong  to 
the  engine  department,  of  whom  William  Friday  was  the 
first  chief,  and  Charles  Silze,  assistant.  The  company  is 
well  uniformed,  and  under  efficient  drill  to  do  good  service 
in  case  of  fire.  In  this,  however,  the  city  has  been  very 
fortunate,  scarcely  giving  the  fire  company  since  its  organ- 
ization the  privilege  of  proving  their  efficiency. 

Company  F ,  I5th  Batfalion,  I.  N.  G.  was  organized  June 
15th,  1878,  by  Lieut.  Col  James  T.  Cooper,  of  Alton,  com- 
manding the  Battalion  and  mustering  officer.  Forty-three 
men  were  enrolled,  and  the  following  officers  chosen  :  John 
T  Fahnestock,  Captain  ;  Cyrus  Happy,  1st  Lieutenant ; 
Clay  H.  Lynch,  2d  Lieutenant.    The  following  non-commis- 


sioned officers  were  then  appointed  :  Orderly  Sergeant,  Geo 
Richmond  ;  2d  Sergeant,  Will.  R.  Crossman  ;  3d  Sergeant, 
Thomas  J.  Morton  ;  4th  Sergeant,  James  E.  Tunuell ;  5th 
Sergeaut,  John  J.  Parker,  Jr. ;  Corporals,  M.  Desmond,  D. 
A.  Lynch,  Jule  L  Prickett,  aud  James  B.  Dale;  Musicians, 
O.  E.  Wolf,  and  E.  I'hillips  Additions  were  made  to  the 
company  at  different  times  until  the  number  reached  53. 
August  30th,  1881,  new  officers  were  elected,  being  as  fol- 
lows :  John  T  Fahnestock,  Captain  ;  Thomas  W.  Springer, 
1st  Lieutenant;  and  Eugene  Wahl,  2d  Lieutenaiit.  On 
account  of  the  resignation  of  Geo.  Richmond,  Orderly  Ser- 
geant, the  other  sergeants  were  advanced  one  position  higher. 
Will.  L.  Crossman  filling  office  of  Orderly. 

The  company  is  in  excellent  condition,  being  well  uni- 
formed and  equipped  with  Springfield  breech -loading  rifles. 
Their  drill  is  among  the  best,  and  they  have  been  highly 
complimented  by  the  different  inspecting  officers. 

Edwardsville  Public  Library  was  organized  in  the  spring 
of  1879,  with  proper  officers  to  conduct  the  a.ssociation. 
This  enterj)rise  is  due  to  the  efforts  of  several  of  the  ladies 
of  Edwardsville.  The  association  commenced  with  twelve 
lady  members,  and  the  library  consisted  of  300  volumes 
The  membeiship  has  increased  to  about  100,  and  ihe  library 
has  reached  upward  of  900  volumes.  The  literature  con- 
sists of  standard  works  of  travel,  biographies  of  eminent 
men,  authors,  etc.,  histories,  and  the  leading  works  of 
fiction.  A  matriculation  fee  of  $2  per  annum  is  required  to 
become  a  member  of  the  association.  For  the  last  year  the 
library  has  been  self-sustaining.  The  rooms  are  open  every 
Saturday  afternoon  and  evening. 

Bank  of  West  iC-  Prickett  is  situated  in  No.  2  Purcell 
street,  and  was  established  the  1st  of  January,  1808,  with 
abundant  capital  to  conduct  a  safe  banking  business.  It  is 
supplied  with  Hall's  burglar-proof  safe,  with  time  lock,  and 
the  best  fire  proof  vault. 

J.  A-  Prickett  (t-  Sons,  Bankers. — This  bank  was  chartered 
under  the  title  of  Farmers'  Exchange  and  Loan  Company, 
on  the  2Uh  of  March,  1867.  The  minimum  capital  was 
$25,000,  aud  limited  to  8500,000.  Although  organized  at 
the  time  above  stated,  the  bank  did  not  open  for  business 
until  in  October,  1869.  April  20th,  1881,  it  assumed  the 
name  of  J.  A.  Prickett  &  Sons,  in  whose  hands  it  is  now 
efficiently  managed.  It  is  located  in  No.  3  Main  street 
It  has  Hall's  burglar-proof  safe,  time  lock,  and  fire-proof 
vaults. 

There  are  three  live,  enterprising  newspapers  published 
here  weekly,  the  Edwardsville  Republican,  Edioardsville 
Intelligencer,  and  the  Edwardsville  Democrat. 

Park. — This  is  situated  in  Todd's  and  others'  addition, 
"  Upper  Edwardsville,"  and  between  Buchanan  and  Kansas 
streets  extending  north  and  south.  It  contains  one  block, 
and  was  left  vacant  for  the  purpose  in  time,  to  fit  it  up  for  a 
park  or  place  of  leisure  resort  Within  the  last  few  years 
it  has  been  improved  by  grading  and  planting  it  with 
beautiful  shade  trees.  Good  walks  extend  through  the 
grounds,  and  we  are  informed  that  it  is  the  intention  of  the 
city  authorities,  at  some  future  period,  to  arrange  it  in  regular 
park  style. 


3t() 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON    COUNTY,     ILLINOIS. 


Edivardsville  Gun  Club  was  organized  May  16th,  1879, 
with  but  a  few  members,  but  it  has  increased  in  numbers 
until  it  now  has  thirty,  is  in  a  prosperous  con(lition,_and 
owns  all  the  paraphernalia  of  a  first-class  gun  club,  consist- 
ing of  tents,  traps,  etc.  Some  fine  shots  belong  to  the  club, 
and  some  of  the  finest  guns  in  the  state  of  Illinois  are  owned 
by  its  members.  Its  first  officers  were,  W.  E.  Wheeler, 
President;  E.  B.  Glass,  Vice  President;  Herman  Ritter, 
Secretary ;  J.  R  Brown,  Treasurer.  The  Board  of  Mana- 
gers was  composed  of  H.  E.  Bayle  and  F.  Mumme,  in  con-  , 
nection  with  the  other  officers.  Its  constitution  states  the 
object  of  the  club,  as  follows  :  "  The  object  of  the  club  shall 
be  the  establishment  of  Trap  Shooting  matches  between  its 
members,  and  the  encouragement  of  all  things  tending  to 
social  and  gentle  manly  intercourse  between  its  members, 
and  also  for  the  preservation  of  game  and  fish  in  the  State 
of  Illinois." 

St-  James'  Hotel,  Hugh  Kirkpatrick,  proprietor  This 
hotel  was  erected  in  187,5,  by  the  above,  and  is  situated  on 
Main  street  about  one-half  square  from  the  court-house.  It 
cost,  including  grounds  and  furniture,  S20,000.  It  is  a  fine 
brick  structure,  three  stories  high  and  basement,  with  Man- 
sard roof^nd  has  a  frontage  of  66  feet,  with  a  depth  of  90 
feet.  The  architecture  is  of  the  modern  style,  and  the  ar- 
rangement of  rooms,  etc.,  is  of  the  most  convenient  order. 
It  has  the  capacity  of  accommodating  seventy-five  guests;  is 
supplied  with  two  sample-room.*,  a  commodious  office,  and  a 
dining  room  si-fficient  in  size  to  accommodate  its  guests, 
and  is  indeed  an  ornament  to  the  city  of  Edwardsville. 

Hoffman  House,  kept  by  A.  Hoffman,  is  a  good,  commo- 
dious brick  hotel,  situated  on  Main  street,  fronting  the 
Court-house  Square,  and  is  a  popular  house.  It  has  been 
recently  enlarged,  and  is  being  otherwise  improved. 

There  are  five  other  hotels  in  the  city,  including  the 
house  at  the  Wabash  depot:  Bernreuther  Bowse,  kept  by 
David  Bernrtuther  ;  Broadway  House,  Henry  Daube,  pro 
prietor ;  Wabaxh  Hotel,  kept  by  Mrs.  Anna  Swarz ;  Union 
House,  Fritz  Gubritz,  landlord ;  and  the  Railway  House, 
kept  by  William  Storig.  The  latter  is  situated  at  Edwards- 
ville Junction. 

Schools. — The  city  contains  two  public  schools  (one  col- 
ored), and  three  parochial  schools.  In  this  connection,  we 
shall  speak  at  length  only  of  the  present  schools  and 
SL-hool  buildings  of  the  city.  The  question  of  building  a 
school-house  suitable  to  the  wants  of  the  large  number  of 
pupils  of  the  town,  was  mooted  in  the  year  1859.  A  vote 
was  taken  for  and  against  the  proposition  of  borrowing 
$9,000  to  erect  a  building  that  the  times  demanded.  The 
vote  was  in  favor  of  raising  the  necessary  means.  A  site 
was  chosen  and  a  plan  of  the  house  prepared,  but  the  sum 
voted  was  too  small  for  its  erection.  The  plan  was  submit- 
ted to  the  people,  who  adopted  it,  and  authorized  a  loan  to 
be  made,  sufficient  to  cover  the  expenses  of  the  same.  The 
cost  of  lot  and  buildings  was  about  §14,000.  The  house  is 
a  substantial  brick  structure,  three  stories  high  and  base- 
ment. Nine  teachers  are  employed,  beside  the  principal, 
and  it  has  an  attendance  of  between  five  and  six  hundred 
pupils.     At  this  writing,  the  school   is  under  the  efficient 


management  of  Prof  I.  H.  Brown,  aided  by  a  competent 
corps  of  teachers,  who  have  succeeded  in  placing  it  among 
the  best  graded  schools  of  the  state. 

Wood  Lawn  Cemetery. — This  is  one  of  the  finest  kept 
grounds  in  western  Illinois.  It  was  incorporated  August 
19th,  1871,  with  the  following  as  members  of  the  associa- 
tion:  John  C.  Burroughs,  Michael  G.  Dale,  William  E. 
Wheeler,  Joseph  Pogue,  William  H.  Jones,  David  Gillespie, 
F.  A.  Wolf,  John  A.  Prickett,  and  Andrew  W.  Metcalf 
The  ground  comprises  fifteen  acres,  and  is  situated  one  mile 
west  of  the  Court-house  Square.  The  first  interment  was 
made  July  8th,  1872.  The  number  of  adult  persons  buried 
hereat  this  writing  is  108;  children,  192;  colored,  28  ;  total, 
328.  Only  about  one-half  of  the  above  number  were  the 
deceased  of  the  city  of  Edwardsville.  This  would  indicate 
that  the  town  is  situated  in  a  healthy  locality,  as  the  num- 
ber of  deaths  is  comparatively  small  for  one  decade. 

There  are  two  other  cemeteries  in  the  city,  the  Catholic, 
and  the  first  place  of  interment  used  before  the  laying  out  of 
Wood  Lawn.  The  latter  is  now  abandoned  for  burial  pur- 
poses, and  is  fast  going  to  ruin  and  decay- 

The  city  also  contains  nine  ehurches,  the  histories  of 
which  will  be  found  in  the  Eccles-iastical  chapter.  The 
newspapers  have  a  special  chapter  ;  hence,  for  their  rise 
and  progress,  see  Chapter  on  the  Press. 

SOCIETIES.* 

Edwardsville  Lodr/e,  A^o.  99,  A.  F.  and  A.  M  ,  was  char- 
tered the  6th  day  of  October,  18-51,  with  eight  charier  mem- 
bers. The  total  number  enrolled  since  organization  is  183  ; 
present  membership,  100.  The  lodge  meets  in  Masonic 
Hall  (Wolfs  buildings),  on  Main  street,  the  first  and  third 
Thursdays  in  each  month.  The  society  has  an  excelleut 
lodge  room,  and  all  the  facilities  to  do  good  work. 

The  charter  members  were:  Dr.  John  H.  Weir,  H.  K. 
Eaton,  Matthew  Gillespie,  John  A.  Prickett,  David  Gilles- 
pie, James  S.  Jett,  William  Glass,  and  Thomas  O.  Springer. 
Of  the  above  named,  only  two  are  now  living,  John  A. 
Prickett  and  Thomas  O.  Springer. 

Edwardsville  Chajiter,  No.  146,  R.  A.  M.,  was  chartered 
October  6th,  1871.  Instituted  November  20,  A.  D.  1871, 
A.  L.  5881,  with  twenty-two  charter  members.  First  offi- 
cers, Samuel  V-  Crossman,  High  Priest ;  John  A.  Weir 
King;  Wesley  R.  Graves,  Scribe.  Present  membership,  40. 
The  chapter  meets  in  Masonic  Hall  (Wolfs  building),  Satur- 
day, on  or  before  the  full  moon  in  each  month. 

'Caractactis  Lodge,  No.  72,  K.  of  P. — This  Lodge  was  in- 
stituted May  30th,  1877,  with  13  members.  It  received  its 
charter  from  the  Grand  Lodge,  October  16th,  1878.  Its 
present  membership  is  25.  Withdrawal  cards  have  been 
issued  to  11  members  since  organization.  The  Lodge  meet 
in  Odd  Fellows'  Hall  each  alternate  Wednesday  evening 
During  the  first  year  of  its  organization  the  Lodge  was 
oblio-ed  to  borrow  money  for  necessary  wardrobe,  etc.  but 
it  is  now  out  of  debt,  and  is  a  live  working  society 

Edwardsville  Lodge,  No.  46,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  chartered  De- 

*  For  this  data  we  are  iimier  obligations  to  the  various  secretaries  of 
the  same- 


HISTORY   OF  MADISOJSI    COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


347 


ceinber  27th,  1848,  and  instituted  January  12th,  1849. 
There  were  but  five  chartered  members.  Present  member- 
ship, 90.  The  Lodge  is  in  excellent  financial  condition, 
having  in  real  estate,  and  moneys  due,  upwards  of  85,000. 

IJdwdrdsville  Encampment,  No.  119,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was  char- 
tered October  10th,  1871,  with  a  membership  of  eleven.  The 
present  membership  is  28.  It  is  in  good  working  order, 
and  its  members  stand  high  in  the  estimation  of  the  com- 
munity. 

Bohemian  Roman  Cafliolic  Benerolenf  Society  of  St.  J.  of 
N.  This  society  was  incorporated  August  19ih,  1880,  with 
14  chartered  members.  Its  present  membership  is  15.  Its 
time  of  meeting  is  the  first  Sunday  in  each  month  at  the 
Catholic  church  on  Main  street.  The  Lodge  is  free  from 
debt,  and  has  several  hundred  dollars  in  the  treasury. 

t'ahokia  Count  of  U.  O.  of  F.  No.  182.  Charter  was 
granted  June  2d,  1881,  there  being  19  charter  members. 
Whole  number  enrolled  since  organization,  20.  Presen 
membership,  14. 

Frank/in  Grove,  No  22,  A.  O.  D.  Chartered  May  5th, 
1869,  with  seven  members,  and  at  this  time  has  increased  to 
56.  The  Lodge  meets  at  their  hall  on  Main  street  everyt 
Wednesday  uight.  The  society  is  in  excellent  condition 
financiallj',  owning  their  hall,  which  with  other  property 
is  valued  at  82,200. 

Edwardsville  Turnverein,  was  organized  in  the  spring  of 
1858,  and  discontinued  in  1860.  Was  reorganized  the  10th 
of  July,  1868,  commencing  with  14  members.  Present 
memliership  is  50,  The  society  has  bought  lots  on  Main 
stretrt,  upon  w^hich  a  hall  is  to  be  erected,  costing  four  or 
five  thousand  dollars.  The  society  meets  the  first  .Saturday 
in  each  month. 

Maennerchor  was  organized  in  1853,  and  discontinued 
about  1860.  Reorganized  in  1868-  Active  membership, 
16  ;  passive,  20. 

Tuscan  Lodge,  No.  1798,  G.  U.  0  of  O.  F.,  (Colored). 
This  Lodge  was  organized  May  7th,  1877.  The  Lodge  is 
in  good  working  order.  Is  situated  on  Main  street,  First 
ward. 

Star  Lodge  No.  5,  (colored)  was  instituted  May  15th,  1877, 
with  seven  charter  members.  Present  membership  29 ; 
finance  members,  25. 

BUSINESS   HOUSES — TRADE   OF    1882. 

General  Stores. — G.  B.  Crane,  William  F.  Hainliu,  Anton 
Schroeder. 

Groceries  and  Queensware. — Tiiomas  C.  Clark,  Leonard 
Flackeneker,  Adolph  Kliugel,  Edward  L.  Schwarz,  Chas 
Hack,  Tunnell  Brothers,  Joseph  Schmidt,  Jacob  Hoehen, 
Brendlett  Co. 

Dry  Goods,  Clothing  and  Shoes. — Aloysius  Gerher. 

Millinery  and  Furnishing  Goods. — A.  O.  French. 

Agricultural  Warerooms. — Agent  for  McCormick  Har- 
vester.    F.  McNulty. 

Hardware,  Tinware,  Stoves,  Agricultural  Implements. — 
James  T.  Tartt,  Trares  &  Keller,  A.  Schultz  ct  Co. 

Harnes-i  and  S'lddle  Stores. — John  H.  White,  August 
Fischer,  August  Heisel  &  Co. 


Furiiinhiiig   Goods,  Millinery,  etc — J.  G.  Barnsback. 

Druggists  and  Pharmac  st.<. — Harmist  &.  Cook,  Henry 
Bickelhaupt,  Joseph  Pogue. 

Physicians. — Joseph  Pogue,  John  M.  Armstrong,  T.  B. 
Spauling,  E  W.  Fiegeubaum,  John  Kern,  Edward  H.  Weir 
J.  W.  Enos,  William  Olive,  S.  T.  Robinson. 

Shoemakers. — Edward  Ballwcg,  Joseph  Ballweg,  Ignatius 
Brendle,  Sebastian  Brendle,  Lewis  Hartung,  Ferdinand 
Schott,  Jacob  Wenner,  John  Wilhelm,  J.  Schoenberger. 

Blacksmiths. — Henry  Ballhoru,  Joseph  Levora,  Andrew 
Silzle,  Philip  Wenner,  Elbert  Samuels. 

Bakeries  and  Confectioneries. — George  Bernius,  Charles 
Sommerlad. 

Confectionery. — T.  W.  Yates  &  Co. 

Meat  Markets. — George  M.  Lenz,  James  Whitbread 
Schwarzkotf  Brothers,  Charles  Lenz,  William  Steehliuger 

Furniture  Dealers. — Jacob  Eberle,  Charles  Leuckle. 

Dentists.— Geo.  A.  McMillan,  H.  B.  Bull. 

Gun-imith. — Gus    Herder. 

Merchant  Tailors. — Joseph  Brendle,  John  Briukmauu  & 
Co.,  Adam  Herweck,  Henry  Krebs. 

Barbers.^GeoTge  Brendle,  Henry  Brinkmann,  Robert  F. 
Story,  Benj.  F.  Peters. 

Painters. — G.  Bergmann,  Francis  Heisterbaum,  John  W. 
Gooch. 

Justices  of  the  Peace. — Joseph  Chapman,  Edward  Phil- 
lips, Irwin  B.  Randle,  John  Hobson. 

Abstractors 0/  Title. — Chapman  &  Leverett,  L.  C.  Keown. 

Architect. — Charles  H.  Spilman. 

peal  Kitate  Dealers. — A.  L.  Brown,  Henry  C.  Gerke. 

Sewing  Machine  Dealer. — Robert  Young. 

Contractors  and  Brick  Masons- — F.  Stilwell,  Jacob  Kaber. 

Grain  Dealers  and  Live  Stock  Traders. — Sherman  and 
Berger. 

Lumber  Dealers. — A.  A.  Perley,  John  Stolze. 

Jewelers. — J.  B.  Dale,  Theodore  Stockburger 

Carpenters  and  Builders. — Alouzo  Keller,  John  Keller, 
Charles  Pauldy,  T.  J.  Newsham,  Herman  Berlemann. 

Insurance  Agents.- — Chas.  A.  Gaiser,  R.  B.  Evans. 

Pestaurants. — Frank  Stenzel,  Jacob  Pjeitler. 

Po.'<t  Master — John  Coventry. 

Livery  Feed  and   Sale  Stables  — John  H.  Lee. 

Saloons.'- — Simon  Kellerman,  Frank  Stenzel,  Fred  Mum- 
me,  Valentine  Bauer,  Jacob  Dengeufelder,  Lorenz  Knaus, 
Gottliebe  Rohrkaster,  Herman  Sachse,  Anton  Schroeder 
Joseph  Schwager,  Thomas  Sedlacek,  Jacob  Baier,  Miller's 
Exchange,  by  Ali)ert  V.  d  Broeck,  William  Friday,  Peter 
Abrams,  Henry  Mick. 

SETTLEMENTS  IN  EVH AIUi,>\  JLLE  TOWNSJIIP. 

Among  the  earliest  pioneer  settlers  in  Edwardsville 
township  were  Charles  Gillham,  and  his  two  sisters,  Marj' 
and  Margaret,  with  their  husbands,  Thomas  Good  and 
Bryant  Mooney,  who,  with  their  families,  emigrated  from 
Georgia  to  this  state  in  1803.  Charles  Gillham  pre-empted 
what  is  known  as  the  Phillips'  farm,  on  section  13,  about  two 
miles  south  of  Edwardsville.  After  living  there  some 
years,  he  sold  his  claim  to  John  and  Beniah  Robinson,  and 


348 


HISTORY    OF   MADISOK    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


removed  to  Hurricane  Creek,  iu  Bond  county.  He  died  in 
Iowa,  at  an  advanced  age.  His  wife  also  lived  to  a  verj' 
old  age.  He  was  a  son  of  Ezekiel  Gillliam,  who  settled  iu 
Georgia,  and  a  grandson  of  the  original  Thomas  Gillham 
and  his  first  wife,  of  Virginia.  Charles  Gillham  and  his 
two  sisters,  above  mentioned,  were  the  only  children  of 
Ezekiel  Gillham,  who  settled  in  Illinois.  Thomas  Good 
settled  on  section  23,  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  W.  R. 
Prickett.  He  reared  a  large  family,  and  many  of  his  de- 
scendants are  yet  residents  of  the  state.  He  and  his  wife 
remained  on  this  place  until  their  death.  His  youngest 
son,  H.  Davidson  Good,  lived  on  the  old  place  a  number  of 
years,  was  deputy  sheriff  under  William  E.  Wheeler,  and 
died  near  Marine  at  an  old  age.  Bryant  Mooney  located 
in  the  same  neighborhood,  and  gave  name  to  Mooney's 
branches,  two  small  streams  in  that  vicinity.  He  after- 
ward moved  and  located  near  Greenville,  in  Bond  county. 

Another  of  the  oldest  farms  is  the  Shaeffer  place,  in  section 
fifteen,  two  miles  and  a  half  southwest  of  Edwardsville. 
This  was  pre-empted  by  John  T.  Lusk  soon  after  180.5.  He 
was  then  unmarried,  and  an  aunt,  Mrs.  Sally  Sams  kept 
house  for  him.  In  18G9  he  married  Lucretia  Gillham, 
daughter  of  Charles  Gillham  ;  she  was  born  in  Georgia, 
January  11,  1793.  He  afterward  sold  his  improvement, 
southwest  of  Edwardsville,  to  John  W.  Wright,  and  moved 
to  what  has  since  been  known  as  the  Fair  Grounds.  Here 
he  lived  in  a  tent  till  a  cabin  could  be  erected.  The  double 
log  cabin  which  he  built  stood  for  many  years  on  the  Fair 
Grounds,  and  in  it  was  born  Alfred  Lusk,  who  was  said  to 
have  been  the  first  white  child  born  in  township  four,  range 
eight.  After  his  removal  into  Edwardsville,  where  he  be- 
came the  proprietor  of  the  first  hotel  iu  the  place,  Mr.  Lusk 
continued  for  some  time  to  cultivate  this  farm. 

In  the  year  1811,  an  important  accession  to  the  popula- 
tion in  the  vicinity  of  the  present  town  of  Edwardsville  was 
made  by  the  arrival  of  the  Wright,  Randle,  and  Bell  fami- 
lies. Leaving  Georgia  in  September  of  that  year,  these 
families  reached  Turkey  Hill,  near  Belleville,  in  St.  Clair 
county,  on  the  17th  of  October,  and,  after  remaining  there 
a  few  days,  came  to  Madisou  county.  John  W.  Wright  pur- 
chased, as  above  stated,  what  is  now  known  as  the  Shaeffer 
place,  two  miles  and  a  half  southeast  of  Edwardsville,  and 
lived  there  till  his  death.  His  three  oldest  sons  were  in 
Captain  Bolen  Whiteside's  Company  of  Rangers  during  the 
warof  1812-'14. 

Josias  Randle  settled  the  place  where  the  family  of  the 
late  Judge  David  Gillespie  now  resides.  He  was  born  in 
Virginia.  He  became  the  first  clerk  of  the  county  court, 
after  the  organization  of  Madison  couuty.  He  built  an  ox- 
raill  near  his  residence  in  1818.  He  had  four  sous.  Barton, 
Richard,  Peter,  aud  Josias.  Barton  was  a  minister  in  the 
Methodist  Church,  and  died  in  1882.  Richard  became  also 
a  ^Methodist  minister,  and  is  still  living.  Peter  practiced 
medicine  at  Edwardsville  and  Alton,  and  moved  to  Califor- 
nia. He  was  a  surgeon  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  dur- 
ing the  war  of  the  rebellion,  and  president  of  a  medical 
college  in  San  Francisco.  Josias  adopted  the  legal  profes- 
sion, and,  after  achieving  success  as  a  lawyer,  died  of  the 


cholera  in  New  Orleans  in  1842.  The  only  daughter,  Martha, 
married    George    Ripley,  and    is    now  living   at   Staunton. 

j  After  the  death  of  Josias  Randle,  his  nephew,  Josiah  Ran- 
dle, became  the  owner  of  his  place  of  residence,  and  con- 
tinued for  some  time  to  operate  the  ox-mill. 

In  the  fall  of  1814,  Mrs.  Randle,  the  mother  of  Irwin  B. 
Randle,  of  Edwardsville,  reached  the  county  from  Tennes- 
see, with  a  family  of  eight  children,  of  whom  six  were  boys. 
The  youngest  was  Irwin  B  Randle,  then  three  years  old. 
Their  father  died  in  Tennessee.  The  next  year  the  family 
settled  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  thirteen,  of  Ed- 

I   wardsville  township,  on  land  now  owned  by  Ernst  Kriege. 

j  This  land  was  pre-empted  by  Edmund  Randle,  the  oldest 
son.     After  living  here  several  years,  the  family  scattered 

^    to  different  parts  of  the  county.     The  three  oldest  of  the 

I   sons,  Edmund,   John  H.,  and  Josiah,  died  within  a  short 

j  time  of  each  other,  in  18.53  and  18.54.  George  D.  Randle 
is  now  a  resident  of  Mason  city.  Parham  and  Henry  L. 
Randle  returned  to  Kentucky,  the  former  in  1827  and  the 

i  later  in  1829.  Temperance,  one  of  the  daughters,  married 
Thornton  Peoples,  one  of  the  early  residents  of  Edwards- 
ville, who  removed  to  St.  Clair  county.  Lucy  became  the 
wife  of  John  Dew,  one  of  the  pioneer  Methodist  ministers  of 
Illinois. 

Beniah  Robinson,  an  early  resident  on  section  twenty- 

Vfour,  was  one  of  the  pioneer  surveyors  of  the  county.  He 
removed  to  Oregon.  On  the  farm  of  Thomas  Good,  two 
miles  south  of  Edwardsville,  the  early  camp-meetings  were 
held.     His  wife  was  an  earnest  Methodist.      William  Gill- 

i  ham  made  the  improvements  on  the  northwest  quarter  of 
section  twenty-four.  The  farm  is  the  one  now  owned  by 
Herman  Giese.  Jeptha  Lampkin  was  an  early  settler  on 
the  northeast  quarter  of  section  twenty-four,  and  Robert 
Holliday  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  twenty-five, 
and  Robert  McKee  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
twenty-four.  George  Barnsback,  in  the  spring  of  1810, 
settled  on  section  twenty-five.  He  was  born  in  Osterode, 
Germany,  in  1781,  and  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in 
1797,  and  shortly  afterward  went  to  Kentucky.  He  came 
to  Illinois  in  1S09.  He  served  for  two  years  in  the  ranging 
service  during  the  war  of  1812-'14.  From  1825  to  1831  he 
was  a  resident  of  St.  Francois  county,  Missouri,  and  then 
returned  to  his  old  home  in  Edwardsville  township. 

George  Kinder,  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  the  southeast 
part  of  the  township,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  The 
family  moved  at  an  early  day  to  Kentucky  where  his  father, 
Jacob  Kinder,  was  killed  by  the  Indians.  He  came  to  what 
is  now  Madison  county,  in  October,  1811,  aud  settled  on  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  thirty-six,  on  land  now  owned 
by  Nelson  Montgomery.  He  died  on  this  farm.  Of  his 
nine  children  two  were  born  in  Kentucky  previous  to  the 
coming  of  the  family  to  this  State ;  six  children  reside  in 
Madison  county  :  Capt.  Jacob  J.  Kinder,  Jane  R.,  who 
married  Robert  Holliday,  Robert  H.,  George  W.  Kinder, 
Mrs.  Mary  A.  Jarvis,  and  Eleanor,  the  wife  of  Nelson 
Montgomery.  James  Holliday,  who  came  to  this  State  from 
Georgia,  settled  in  section  thirty-four  previous  to  1811.  His 
only  child,  Robert    Holliday,  was  a   man   of  conservative 


HARNIST    &   COOKS       DRUG    AND     BOOH    S  TO  ff  E  ^  E  DIA/A  R  DS  V I  LL  E ,    ILL 


■  SIMON  KELLERMAMN 


ir':^'-'J'TJ:r^p^^SM  PRINTING   OFFICE 


SIMON     K  ELLE  RMANNS    OYSTER     D  E  POT     E  DWA  R  DSV I L  L  E ,  I  LL  . 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


349 


disposition.  Although  the  owner  of  seven  hundred  acres  of 
land  in  this  county,  he  moved  to  the  poorest  part  of  Macou- 
pin county  where  he  purchased  land,  and  died.  Franklin 
Roach  (whose  projier  name  is  said  to  have  been  Fields,)  and 
who  was  a  soldier  under  Gen.  Marion  in  the  war  of  the 
Revolution,  made  the  first  improvement  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  Capt.  Jacob  J.  Kinder  in  section  thirty-six.  He 
was  a  native  of  South  Carolina.  His  son,  David  Roach, 
served  with  the  rangei-s  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  with  the 
money  he  received  for  his  services,  purchased  the  quarter 
section  on  which  Capt.  Kinder's  house  is  built.  The  Roach 
family  moved  to  the  neighborhood  of  Worden  where  the 
older  members  died. 

In  the  northwest  part  of  the  township,  Ambrose  and 
David  Nix  were  among  the  pioneer  settlers.  Ambrose  Nix 
made  the  first  improvements  on  the  farm  now  owned  by 
William  ^\.  Lee  in  section  thirty-two.  Lee  married  one  of 
his  daughters.  David  Nix  settled  the  place  where  the 
Edwardsville  road  comes  down  from  the  bluff.  The  house 
in  which  he  lived  and  died  is  still  standing.  Nix's  Ford,  a 
well  known  place  in  the  early  history  of  the  county,  was 
half  a  mile  northwest  of  David  Nix's  house.  The  ford  was 
free  from  quicksands,  and  the  best  on  the  Cahokia.  Jacob 
Varner  .settled  north  of  Nix's  on  land  now  owned  by  Henry 
F.  Brockmeyer.  Abraham  and  Joel  Varner  were  sons  of 
Jacob.  Capt  Bolen  Whiteside  lived  under  the  bluff'  in 
section  seventeen. 

David  Gillespie,  the  father  of  Matthew  and  Joseph,  removed 
with  his  family  and  settled  near  Edwardsville  in  the  early 
part  of  the  year  1819,  and  resided  here  until  the  summer  of 
1827,  when  he  went  to  the  Galena  lead  mines  He  returned 
in  the  fall  of  1828,  and  located  in  the  American 
bottom  or  rather  under  the  bluff  where  he  purchased  the 
farm  that  was  settled  by  Henry  Cook  in  early  times.  He 
resided  there  until  1834,  when  he  removed  to  Grant  county, 
Wisconsin,  where  he  died  at  a  ripe  old  age.  His  wife  had 
previously  died  in  1831,  at  the  farm  above  mentioned. 

John  Barber,  who  became  a  resident  of  the  township 
about  1825,  taught  school  for  several  years  in  a  log  school- 
house  near  his  residence,  three  miles  south  of  Edwardsville. 
The  school-house  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  Troy  road,  north 
of  what  is  now  known  as  the  McKee  place.  Barber  was  a  well 
educated  man,  who  understood  the  Latin  and  Greek 
languages,  and  was  considered  an  excellent  teacher.  His 
school  drew  to  it  pupils  from  Edwardsville. 

George  Coventry  came  to  the  county  in  1813.  He  was  a 
millwright  by  trade,  and  built  a  water-mill  in  what  is  known 
as  the  Tan  Yard  branch.  This  mill  was  in  existence  some 
years,  and  traces  of  the  old  mill-race  may  still  be  seen.  The 
mill  was  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant  from  the  fair 
grounds.  J.  W.  Coventry,  who  for  several  years  has  been 
postmaster  in  Edwardsville,  is  a  son  of  his,'and  came  with  his 
father  to  this  county  in  1813.  The  branch  received  its  name 
from  the  tan-yard  which  once  existed  at  its  head.  This  tan- 
yard  was  started  by  Benjamin  Steadman,  who  sold  it  to  Rich- 


ard Randle,  and  he  to  Tilghman  H.  West  and  William  P. 
McKee.  West  and  McKee  rented  the  place  to  Solomon 
Harkey.  In  January,  1833,  it  was  rented  by  C.  W.  Crocker. 
The  yard  was  little  used  after  1840.  It  was  placed  in  opera- 
tion as  early  as  1816  or  1817,  and  was  a  noted  place  in 
pioneer  days. 

On  the  Cahokia,  in  section  8,  just  above  the  mouth  of  In- 
dian creek,  a  mill  was  built  at  an  early  day,  but  was  never 
placed  in  operation.  Some  of  the  rock  used  in  its  construc- 
tion is  still  visible.  Though  the  mill  was  never  put  to  any 
use,  it  was  productive  of  a  law  suit  which  found  its  way  to 
the  supreme  court  of  the  state. 

On  the  spot  now  occupied  by  the  residence  of  Nelson 
Montgomery,  in  section  2-5,  an  ox-mill  once  stood.  Its  con- 
struction was  changed,  and  attachments  made  with  the  idea 
of  propelling  it  by  wind.  It  did  not  operate  successfully, 
however,  and  the  structure  was  suffered  to  fall  into  decay. 
Daniel  Tolman  was  the  projector  of  this  enterprise. 

One  of  the  earliest  Methodist  churches  in  the  West  was 
the  Bethel  Methodist  church,  two  miles  and  a  half  south- 
west of  Edwardsville.  It  was  built  in  1805.  About  the  year 
1817  a  church  was  built  at  Ebenezer,  now  called  Centre 
Grove.  The  old  Ebenezer  church  was  attended  for  some 
years  by  the  people  of  Edwardsville,  there  being  no  churches 
or  religious  organizations  in  that  town  for  some  time  previ- 
ous to  1828.  At  the  old  Ebenezer  school-house  Hiram  Roun- 
tree  was  one  of  the  earliest  and  best  teachers.  He  taught 
two  years,  and  his  school  consisted  of  eighty  pupils. 

The  earliest  entries  of  land  in  town.ship  4,  range  8,  were 
made  in  1814.  On  the  20th  of  August  of  that  year  William 
Ottwell  entered  160  acres  in  section  4.  On  the  13th  of 
September  Thomas  Kirkpatrick  secured  patents  for  two 
tracts  in  section  2,  one  containing  102  and  the  other  10 
acres.  On  the  same  date  John  T.  Lusk  entered  830  acres 
in  section  3.  Both  Lusk  and  Kirkpatrick  made  additional 
entries  during  the  balance  of  the  year.  Michael  Dodd  also, 
on  the  13th  of  September,  entered  317  acres  in  section  5. 
Two  weeks  afterward  John  Robinson  entered  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  acres  in  section  two.  Entries  of  land  were 
also  made  in  1814  by  Nicholas  Jarrot,  George  Davidson, 
George  Sanders,  R.  G  Gillham,  Samuel  Delaplain,  James 
Greenwood,  Benjamin  Steadman,  Josiah  Randle,  Josias 
Wright,  Daniel  Brown,  Robert  Reynolds,  John  McKinney, 
Thomas  Randle,  Tiiomas  and  John  Good,  Charles  Gillham, 
George  Barusback,  James  Holliday,  Robert  Gillespie,  Jacob 
Trout,  George  Belsha,  John  Nix  and  George  Hubbert. 

The  following  named  gentlemen  have  represented  this 
township  in  the  county  board  of  supervisors:  John  A. 
Prickett  elected  in  1876  and  re-elected  in  1877,  being 
chosen  chairman  of  the  board  both  terms;  Jacob  W.  Terry, 
elected  in  1878,  and  by  re-election  .served  until  1881,  when 
William  H.  Cotter  and  Henry  Brockmeier  were  elected,  Mr. 
Cotter  being  re-elected  in  1882,  with  George  W.  Kinder  as 
assistant. 


BIOGRAPHIES. 


EDWARD  COLES* 
Edward  Coles,  the  second  Governor  of  the  state  of  Illi- 
nois, resided  in  Edwardsville.  He  was  an  extraordinary  man, 
and  was  more  instrumental  in  shaping  the  destinies  of  Illi- 
nois (and  perhaps  of  the  Nation)  than  any  man  who  ever 
resided  within  her  limits.  In  order  to  understand  the  force 
of  this  remark,  it  is  proper  to  premise  that  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States  contained  three  provisions  that  were  distaste- 
ful to  the  opponents  of  slavery.  One  was  that  the  African  slave- 
trade  should  not  be  abolished  before  1808 ;  secondly  that  there 
should  be  a  fugitive  slave  law,  and  thereby  that  five  slaves 
should  be  reckoned  equal  to  three  white  persons  on  the  floor 
of  Congress.  These  clauses  were  all  in  [the  interest  of 
slavery.  In  order  to  induce  its  opponents,  to  accept  the 
constitution  with  these  clauses  in  it,  it  was  agreed  that  sla- 
very should  be  confined  to  its  then  limits,  and  accordingly 
it  was  prohibited  in  the  Northwestern  territory  by  the  Con- 
gress of  1787,  then  in  session,  cotemporaneously  with  the  Con- 
vention, which  was  all  the  territory  belonging  to  the  United 
States.  In  1802,  we  purchased  Louisiana,  in  which  slavery 
had  been  planted  by  the  Spaniards,  and  French.  In  1812 
Louisiana  was  admitted  as  a  slave  state  without  much  op- 
position inasmuch  as  slavery  had  existed  there  from  the 
outset,  and  as  the  acquisition  of  the  French  possessions  was 
looked  upon  as  a  necessity.  In  1819,  Missouri  applied  for 
admission  as  a  slave  State,  formed  out  of  this  French  territo- 
ry, and  as  slavery  was  principally  introduced  from  the 
original  thirteen  States  it  was  considered,  that  her  admission 
would  be  in  derogation  of  the  understanding  had  in  1787, 
and  hence,  the  agitation  of  1819-20,  which  was  finally  set- 
tled by  the  admission  of  Missouri,  and  the  compromise, 
which  excluded  slavery  from  all  the  French  territory  North 
of  36°30'  latitude  except  Missouri.  Edward  Coles,  who 
was  a  Virginian,  inherited  a  hatred  for  slavery,  and  upon  the 
death  of  his  father  he  determined  to  manumit  his  slaves, 
and  in  order  to  do  so,  and  make  comfortable  provi- 
sion for  their  livelihood,  he  removed  to  Illinois ;  before  reach- 
ing which,  while  on  the  Ohio  river,  he  set  all  his  slaves  free, 
and  when  he  arrived  at  Edwardsville,  he  bestowed  upon 
each  head  of  a  family,  a  tract  of  land,  ample  for  their  main- 
tenance within  about  three  miles  of  this  place.  Coles  was 
soon  appointed  Register  of  the  Land  office  here,  and  was 
consequently  brought  into  contact  with  the  people,  and  be- 
came very  popular  with  all  classes,  particularly  with  those 
who  were  hostile  to  slavery.  Soon  it  became  manifest  that 
an  effort  would  be  made  to  introduce  slavery  into  Illinois, 
notwithstanding  the  ordinance  of  1787.  Illinois  could  not 
have  been  admitted  into  the  Union  with  slavery,  but  the 
proslavery  men,  ever  fertile  in  resources  conceived  the  idea 
that  the  ordinance  could  be  defeated  by  coming  in  as  a  Free 
State,  and  then  altering  the  Constitution,  so  as  to  admit  sla- 

*  For  this  Sketch   we  are  indebted   to  Judge  Joseph  Gillespie.       I 

aso 


very.  An  election  for  Governor  of  the  State  coming  on 
in  1822,  Coles  became  a  candidate,  evidently  with  a  view  of 
frustrating  the  designs  of  the  slavery  propagandists,  and  was 
elected.  From  this  moment  the  Governor  set  all  his  energies 
to  work  to  defeat  their  schemes.  He  devoted  his  time  his  tal- 
ents, his  money,  and  risked  his  life  in  the  cause  he  had  espous- 
ed, and  never  relaxed  his  exertions  until  victory  crowned 
his  efforts.  He  gave  his  salary  as  Governor  to  the  cause.  He 
was  instant  in  season  and  out  of  season.  It  would  be  impossi- 
ble to  do  half  justice  to  his  efforts.  He  wrote  and  he  rode. 
He  loaded  the  mails  with  comments  and  correspondence.  He 
addressed  the  people  publicly  and  privately,  whenever  an 
opportunity  offered.  He  was  harassed  with  law  suits,  he  was 
threatened  with  death,  his  property  was  destroyed  by  fire.  He 
was  fined  $2000  for  not  giving  bonds  that  the  slaves  he  freed 
should  not  become  a  public  charge,  when  the  law  requiring 
it  had  not  been  published  fifteen  days  at  the  time,  and  not  one 
in  a  thousand  knew  of  its  existence.  The  Legislature  remitted 
the  fine,  but  the  judge  who  tried  him,  held  the  act  to  be  an  ex- 
post  facto  enactment.  The  Supreme  Court  however  gave 
him  the  benefit  of  the  law.  It  may  truthfully  be  said  that 
at  that  early  day  he  was  the  most  earnest  and  energetic  anti- 
slavery  man  in  the  United  States,  and  to  his  eflTorts  may  be 
ascribed  the  defeat  of  the  scheme  to  drag  Illinois  into  the 
sisterhood  of  Slave  States.  Had  Illinois  succumbed  at  that 
time  Indiana  would  have  followed  suit,  and  if  they  had 
thrown  their  weight  into  the  scale  with  the  rebels,  at  the 
breaking  out  of  the  rebellion,  it  would  have  been  difficult,  if 
not  impossible,  to  have  suppressed  it.  So  that  the  contest  in 
which  Governor  Coles  took  such  an  active  and  efficient 
part  may  be  said  to  have  been  the  turning  point  in  the  his- 
tory of  slavery  in  the  United  States.  Governor  Coles  was 
on  terms  of  great  intimacy  with  Mr.  Jefferson,  Mr.  Madison, 
Mr.  Monroe  and  J.  Q.  Adams.  He  was  appointed  bearer 
of  despatches  by  Mr.  Madison  when  President  to  Mr.  Ad- 
ams, when  Minister  to  Russia.  He  could  have  had  any  place 
he  desired  within  the  gift  of  any  of  those  men.  He  could 
have  basked  in  the  sunshine  of  official  favor,  but  he  surren- 
dered all  his  prospects  for  fame  and  power  to  the  work 
more  congenial  to  his  heart  of  giving  freedom  to  the  op- 
pressed. After  he  had  saved  Illinois  from  the  curse  of 
slavery  and  seen  his  former  slaves  comfortably  pro- 
vided for,  he  removed  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  married  and 
raised  a  family,  and  after  a  long,  eventful,  and  useful  life 
was  gathered  to  his  fathers,  honored  and  beloved  by  all  who 
knew  him. 

An  admirable  Biography  of  Governor  Coles  has  been" 
written  by  the  Hon.  E.  B.  Washburn,  of  Chicago.  He  has 
done  all  that  man  could  do  with  his  materials,  but  it  is 
unfortunate  that  upwards  of  half  a  century  should  have 
elapsed,  before  attempting  to  rescue  from  oblivion  the  life 

d  character  of  so  good  and  great  a  man  as  Edward  Coles. 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


351 


Among  the  old  settlers  and  prominent  men,  who  have  for 
many  years  been  identified  with  Madison  county,  is  Joseph 
Gillespie.  He  is  to-day  perhaps  the  most  conspicuous  figure 
in  her  history.  He  is  one  of  the  connecting  links  between 
this  and  the  pioneer  era  of  Illinois,  and  comes  down  to  us 
from  a  former  generation.  In  his  active  life  he  was  the 
contemporary,  associate,  and  friend  of  men  who  have  grown 
great  and  added  a  page  to  the  world's  history.  He  is  of 
Scotch-Irish  parentage,  and  the  son  of  David  and  Sarah 
Gillespie,  who  were  born,  raised  and  married  in  county 
Monaghan,  Ireland.  The  ancestors  of  the  Gillespie  family 
were  originally  Scotch.  They  left  their  native  country  two 
years  after  the  battle  of  the  Boyne  and  settled  in  Ireland. 
They  were  Presbyterians  in  religion,  and,  it  might  be  said, 
Kepublicans  in  their  politics.  Mrs.  Gillespie  even  belonged 
to  the  "  United  Irish  Society,"  which  had  for  its  object  the 
liberation  of  the  Irish  people  from  the  yoke  of  British  tyran- 
ny ;  and  her  brother  was  so  particularly  active  in  the  rebellion 
of  1798,  that  he  had  to  make  his  escape  to  the  United  States 
in  order  to  save  his  life.  The  parents  of  ^Nlr.  Gillespie  were 
warmly  attached  to  America  and  her  people,  and,  when  the 


opportunity  offered,  quickly  embarked  for  this  country. 
They  landed  in  New  York  in  1807,  and  located  in  New 
York  city,  where  they  remained  until  1819,  when  they  re- 
moved west  and  settled  in  Madison  county,  Illinois.  Here 
Mr.  Gillespie  followed  the  occupation  of  tilling  the  soil.  In 
1831  his  wife  died.  In  1834  he  moved  to  Grant  county, 
Wisconsin,  and  died  there  in  1855.  There  were  two  sons 
born  to  David  and  Sarah  Gillespie— Matthew  and  Joseph. 
Matthew  died  in  1861.  Joseph,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  born  in  New  York  city,  August  22,  1809.  His  educa- 
tion in  schools  was  limited,  and  ceased  entirely  in  his  eleventh 
year.  In  those  days  schools  were  the  exception,  and  at  best 
were  provided  with  incompetent  teachers.  His  mother, 
however,  who  was  well-informed  and  extremely  fond  of  read- 
ing, in  a  measure  supplied  the  want  of  suitable  opportunities. 
She  gave  her  sons  all  the  instruction  she  could  impart,  pro- 
cured the  best  reading  matter  that  the  county  afforded,  and 

.   by  her  endeavors  awakened  in  them  a  thirst  for  knowledge. 
She  gave  them  her  views  upon  what  they  had  read,  which 

i  strengthened  their  recollection,  created  habits  of  reflection, 
and  made  amends  for  the  lack  of  early  scholastic  advantages, 


352 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Joseph  remained  at  home  until  1827,  when  he  went  to  the 
lead  mines  at  Galena,  and  spent  that  season  and  also  the 
seasons  of  1828-29.  A  change  in  the  tariff  about  that  time 
made  the  sale  of  lead  difficult,  and  the  business  of  mining  it 
became  unprofitable.  He  returned  home  and  remained 
there  until  1831,  when  he  went  to  Edwardsville.  The  same 
year  he  was  invited  to  read  law  with  Hon.  Cyrus  Edwards, 
at  his*.re8idence  on  Wood  River.  This  kind  offer  he  hesi- 
tated to  accept,  on  account  of  his  lack  of  early  educational 
training,  but  Mr.  Edwards  overcame  his  (Gillespie's)  fears, 
and  persuaded  him  to  accept  the  offer.  He  lived  in  the 
family  of  Mr.  Edwards  for  two  years,  and  in  that  time 
read  law  under  the  direction  and  tuition  of  his  generous 
benefactor. 

During  that  time  the  Black-Hawk  War  broke  out.  He 
volunteered  and  made  the  campaign  of  li^Sl  and  1832. 
About  the  time  he  was  ready  to  commence  the  practice  of 
his  profession,  he  was  elected  probate  judge  of  the  county, 
which  position  he  held  for  two  years.  After  the  expiration 
of  his  term  as  probate  judge,  he  began  to  travel  the  circuit. 
The  bar  of  this  circuit  at  that  time,  as  well  as  the  bench, 
consisted  of  an  array  of  learned  and  talented  men.  Judge 
Breese  was  on  the  bench,  and  such  men  as  Alfred  Cowles, 
Gustave  Koerner,  J.  M.  Krum,  George  T.  M.  Davis,  A.  P 
Field,  Abraham  Lincoln,  James  Shields,  William  H.  Under- 
wood, Governor  Bissell,  J.  L.  D.  Morrison,  Lyman  Trum- 
bull, U.  F.  Liuder,  and  others,  composed  the  bar.  There 
were,  indeed,  giants  in  those  days,  and  it  required  courage 
and  confidence  to  enter  the  list  against  such  an  array  of 
talent;  but,  nevertheless,  Mr.  Gillespie  did  enter,  and 
proved  himself  a  foeman  worthy  of  their  intellectual  steel. 

In  1840  he  was  elected  on  the  Whig  ticket  to  represent 
Madison  county  in  the  State  Legislature.  His  colleagues 
from  this  county  were  his  preceptor,  Mr.  Edwards,  and  James 
Reynolds.  The  Whigs  being  in  a  hopeless  minority,  there 
was  but  little  to  do.  After  his  return,  he  again  went  to  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  in  which  he  was  not  disturbed 
until  1847,  when  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  State 
Senate,  in  which  body  he  continued  until  18-57.  During 
that  time  the  bill  for  chartering  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad 
came  up.  It  was  managed  by  Mr.  Rautoul  of  Boston,  the 
company's  agent.  It  had  passed  the  house  as  he  had  drawn 
it  up,  to  wit :  That  the  company  should  pay  to  the  State 
seven  per  cent,  of  its  gross  earnings  and  no  taxes.  Thirteen 
senators,  among  whom  was  Gillespie,  determined  to  preserve 
the  principle  of  taxation,  and  they  struck  out  "  seven  per 
cent."  and  inserted  "five  per  cent.,"  providing  that  the  com. 
pany  should  pay  State  taxes  at  the  rate  of  seventy-five  cents 
per  hundred  dollars;  and  if  that  did  not  equal  two  per  cent. 
of  its  gross  earnings,  the  company  should  make  it  up  to  that 
ggure, — so  that  it  was  not  to  pay  less  than  seven  per  cent, 
in  the  shape  of  bonuses  and  taxation ;  but,  as  they  under- 
stood it,  it  might  have  to  pay  more.  Mr.  Gillespie,  and  the 
other  senators  were  favorable  to,  and  desired  to  charter  the 
road ;  but  desired,  above  all  things,  to  retain  the  principle 


of  taxation,  and  by  no  act  of  theirs  show  that  they  in  any 
manner  surrendered  that  principle.  Their  action  was  mis- 
understood at  the  time,  and  no  little  abuse  was  heaped  upon 
them  ;  but  time  has  proven  that  they  were  right,  and  their 
position  well  taken.  The  Supreme  Court  afterward  decided 
that  seven  per  cent,  was  the  maximum  the  company  was  to 
pay.  During  his  time  in  the  Senate,  what  was  called  "State 
Policy"  originated.  The  Terre  Haute  and  Alton  Railroad 
had  been  chartered,  and  about  $1,000,000  were  invested  in  its 
construction,  when  a  charter  for  the  Atlantic  and  Missis- 
sippi Railroad,  between  nearly  the  same  termini,  was  asked 
for.  More  than  two-thirds  of  the  district  represented  by 
Mr.  Gillespie  were  in  favor  of  the  Terre  Haute  and  Alton 
road,  and  he  saw  that  the  chartering  of  the  Atlantic  and 
Mississippi  Railroad  would  forever  destroy  the  former  road, 
unless  the  latter  was  first  built  (as  the  Atlantic  and 
Mississippi  was  a  much  shorter  and  straighter  route),  after 
which  the  second  could  be  constructed, — maintaining  that 
you  could  build  a  straight  road  after  building  a  crooked 
one,  but  never  a  crooked  one  after  a  straight  one  was  com- 
pleted between  substantially  the  same  termini.  He  was  then, 
and  is  yet,  in  favor  of  building  all  the  roads  possible,  and 
letting  competition  reduce  rates  and  regulate  traffic,  without 
the  interference  of  legislative  bodies  In  1861  he  was  elected 
to  the  ofiice  of  Judge  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Judicial  Cir- 
cuit of  Illinois,  and  occupied  that  position  for  twelve  years. 
While  upon  the  bench  his  judicial  opinions  were  marked  by 
great  clearness,  exhibiting  thorough  research,  careful  analysis 
and  a  sound  knowledge  of  the  principles  of  elementary  law. 
Since  his  retirement  from  the  bench  he  has  practiced  his 
profession. 

In  matters  of  religion,  Judge  Gillespie  is  inclined  to  a 
liberal  belief.  Politically,  he  was  originally  an  old  line 
Whig,  and  remained  a  member  of  that  party  until  its  organ- 
ization was  abandoned.  He  was  opposed  to  slavery,  and 
the  intimate  friend  of  men  who  were  the  acknowledged  lead- 
ers of  the  advanced  thought  upon  that  question  in  that  day ; 
and,  so  soon  as  an  organized  opposition  was  formed  against 
slavery,  that  had  in  it  the  elements  of  success,  he  joined  its 
ranks,  and  of  necessity  became  a  Republican,  with  which 
political  organization  he  has  remained  to  the  present-  He 
was  always  ojiposed  to  the  dogma  of  State  Rights,  which  was 
one  of  the  cardinal  principles  of  the  Democratic  party. 

In  184.5,  at  Greenville,  Illinois,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Mary  E.  Smith.  There  have  been  eight  children 
born  to  them,  five  of  whom  are  living.  Their  names  are — 
Cyrus  E.,  Mary  J.,  Charles  S.,  Frank  K.,  and  Maria  L. 
Gillespie.  His  wife  was  born  at  Harper's  Ferry,  Va.,  and 
is  of  English  and  German  descent.  Her  father's  family 
were  from  England,  and  her  mother's  from  Hanover,  Ger- 
many. Her  step-father  (Thomas  Keyes)  and  her  mother 
came  to  Illinois  in  1832,  and  settled  near  Greenville,  in 
Bond  county,  where  Mrs.  Gillespie  resided  at  the  time  of 
her  marriage. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


353 


c^i^?. 


r'>-z^^(:^^^^'SZ 


The  subiect  of  the  following  brief  sketch  is  a  native  of 
Edwardsville.  He  has  beeu  for  many  years,  and  is  yet  one 
of  the  active  business  men  of  this  city.  He  is  of  English 
ancestry.  His  grandfather,  George  Prickett,  emigrated 
from  England  to  America  some  time  before  the  revolutionary 
war.  In  that  struggle  he  cast  his  lot  with  the  patriots,  and 
fought  for  the  independence  of  the  colonies.  The  Pricketts 
first  settled  in  Maryland,  and  there  George  and  his  brother 
Jacob  married  two  sisters,  by  the  name  of  Anderson.  Soon 
after  that  event  they  moved  to  the  Carolinas,  thence  wenl 
to  Georgia,  and  subsequently  removed  to  Kentucky,  and  in 
1808  came  to  the  territory  of  Illinois,  and  settled  in  what  is 
now  known  as  Madison  county.  Abraham  Prickett,  his 
son  and  father  of  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  was  born  July 
27th,  1790.     He  was,  in  the  early  days  of  Illinois  quite  a 


prominent  man,  was  a  member  of  the  Territorial  Legisla- 
ture, and  a  member  of  the  convention  that  framed  the  constitu- 
tion for  the  State  in  1818.  He  was  a  Democrat  and  a  strong 
Jackson  man.  He  removed  to  Quincy,  which  was  then  a 
trading  post,  and  there  died,  June  12th,  1836.  He  married 
Martha  Harris,  who  was  also  of  English  ancestry.  She  was 
born  in  Norwich,  Connecticut,  and  died  in  1823,  leaving 
twin  children,  Thomas  J.  and  John  A. ;  the  date  of  their 
birth  was  May  4th,  1822.  John  A.  received  his  primary 
education  in  the  log  school-houses  of  the  pioneer  days  of 
Illinois,  where  he  learned  to  read,  write  and  calculate  ordi- 
nary examples  in  arithmetic.  He  always  had  a  passionate 
love  for  study,  and  read  every  book  that  fell  into  his  hands, 
and  being  blessed  with  a  very  retentive  memory,  soon 
acquired  a   knowledge  of  algebra,   physics,  chemistry,  and 


354 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


the  Latin  language.  His  education  therefore  was  mainly 
acquired  by  self-culture.  The  habits  of  study  formed  and 
nurtured  in  his  youth  still  abide  with  him,  and  through  life  he 
has  read  voluminously  and  closely,  books  upon  scientific  sub- 
jects, travels,  memoirs,  and  the  authors  of  the  past  and  present. 
His  library,  comprising  over  one  thousand  volumes,  contains 
many  rare  books,  and  the  standard  authors,  and  all  exhibit 
refined  taste,  and  excellent  judgment  in  their  selection. 

After  the  death  of  his  father  he  was  placed  in  charge  of 
an  uncle,  who  was  a  lawyer  by  profession,  and  who  designed 
to  prepare  young  Prickett  for  entrance  upon  the  profession, 
but  owing  to  domestic  tyranny,  he  ran  away  and  engaged  as 
a  cabin-boy  on  a  steam-boat.  Before  he  entered  upon  hig 
engagement,  however,  he  was  intercepted  by  his  brother, 
who  prevailed  upon  him  to  return  home,  offering  as  an  in- 
ducement that  he  should  attend  school.  He  returned,  en- 
tered school,  studied  diligently,  and  made  rapid  progress,  un- 
der the  idea  that  he  was  a  burden  to  others,  and  above  all 
things  he  desired  to  be  self-supporting.  He  left  school  and 
entered  upon  an  apprenticeship  to  learn  the  saddlery 
and  harness  trade,  which  he  followed  closely  for  six 
years.  About  that  time  the  Mexican  war  broke  out  He 
was  induced  by  Gov.  Ford  and  other  friends,  to  assist  in 
raising  a  company  of  men  for  the  service.  He  complied  with 
their  request,  the  company  was  raised,  and  enlisted  for  one 
year,  and  upon  its  organization  he  was  elected  First  Lieuten- 
ant. It  became  known  as  Co.  E,  of  the  2d  Regiment 
of  Illinois  Vols.,  Colonel,  afterwards  Governor  Bissell,  com- 
manding. Mr.  Prickett  remained  with  the  regiment,  and 
participated  in  the  battles  and  skirmishes  in  which  it  was 
engaged  up  to  and  including  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista, 
where  he  was  wounded,  the  bullet  shattering  his  left  shoul- 
der. In  consequence  of  the  wound  he  returned  home  before 
his  enlistment  expired.  In  1847  he  was  elected  Recorder 
of  Deeds,  a  position  he  held  for  two  years.     In  1849,  he 


was  elected  County  Clerk,  and  twice  became  his  own  succes- 
sor, and  held  the  office  for  twelve  years.  His  official  career 
was  marked  by  a  close  attention  to  the  business  of  the  office 
and  an  honest  and  faithful  discharge  of  the  duties  apper- 
taining thereto.  In  1864  he  purchased  a  flouring  mill  in 
Edwardsville,  which  he  operated  until  it  was  destroyed  by 
fire.  In  1869,  he  embarked  in  the  banking  business,  in 
which  he  still  continues  in  connection  with  his  sons,  under 
the  firm  name  of  J.  A.  Prickett  &  Sons. 

Politically,  Mr.  Prickett  was  originally  a  Whig,  and  voted 
that  ticket  until  1855,  when  he  became  a  Democrat,  and 
from  that  time  to  the  present  has  been  active  in  support  of 
the  principles  of  that  party.  In  matters  of  religious  belief 
he  subscribes  to  none  of  the  formulated  creeds  or  dogmas, 
but  believes  that  the  truths  enunciated  and  enjoined  by  the 
teachers  of  old  and  reiterated  by  our  Saviour,  are  perfectly 
adapted  to  the  wants  of  man,  and  that  from  them  have 
grown  manifold  blessings  that  are  enjoyed  by  the  human 
family.  He  is  a  member  of  the  orders  of  A.  F.  and  A.  M.  and 
I.  O  O.  F.,  and  is  the  only  surviving  charter  member  of 
the  Odd  Fellows,  instituted  in  Edwardsville  in  1849. 

Mr.  Prickett  was  Chairman  of  the  first  Board  of  Super- 
visors under  township  organization,  and  the  first  Mayor  of 
the  city  of  Edwardsville. 

In  1847  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Elizabeth  M.^ 
daughter  of  Julius  L.  and  Mary  M.  (Gonterman)  Barns- 
back,  a  native  of  Madison  county.  Mr.  Barnsback  was  a 
native  of  Germany,  educated  at  the  University  of  Gottin- 
gen,  and  emigrated  to  America  early  in  this  century.  They 
have  five  children  living,  Clara  J.,  wife  of  W.  H.  Jones, 
Jule  L.,  Minna  M.,  wife  of  Cyrus  Happy,  Harry  E.,  and 
Jessie  E.  This  is  but  a  brief  sketch  of  Mr.  Prickett.  His 
life  has  been  one  of  energy  and  industry,  by  the  aid  of  which 
he  has  risen  to  an  enviable  and  honorable  position  in  life. 


HISTORY  01    MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


355 


Was  born  in  London,  England,  September  '29th,  1828. 
In  1834  he  came  with  his  parents  to  America,  and  settled 
in  New  York  City.  While  yet  a  mere  boy,  he  came  west 
to  Cincinnati,  and  there  learned  the  printer's  trade. 
In  1854  he  removed  to  Alton,  in  Madison  county,  and 
engaged  in  the  printing  business,  as  foreman  of  the 
Alton  Telegraph.  The  Telegraph  office  was  subsequently 
sold  out  to  Geo.  T.  Brown  of  the  Alton  Courier,  and  Mr. 
Grossman  became  superintendent  of  the  office.  During  his 
connection  with  the  Courier  it  was  one  of  the  best  equipped 
offices  in  Illinois,  and  did  a  large  business  in  book  and 
commercial  printing.  Subsequently,  in  connection  with 
others,  he  published  that  paper  for  a  short  time.  In  1860, 
at  his  suggestion  and  earnest  solicitation,  the  Alton  Telegraph 
was  revived,  and  he  became  one  of  the  proprietors,  under 
the  name  of  L.  A.  Parks  &  Co.  In  the  establishment  of 
the  Daily  Telegraph  also  he  took  an  active  part,  and  secured 
sufficient  subscribers  by  personal  solicitation  to  guarantee 
its  success.  Parks  &  Crossman  continued  together  until 
1864,  when  the  latter  withdrew.    He  then,  in  connection 


with  .James  H.  Hibbard,  established  a  job  office,  and  con- 
tinued job  printing  until  1869,  when  he  removed  the  office 
to  Edwardsville,  and  here  established  the  Echvardsville  Re- 
publican, with  which  he  was  connected  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  June  17,  1875.  Mr  Crossman  was  a  dis- 
tinguished member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  belonged 
to  the  several  orders  of  Blue,  Royal  Arch,  Cryptic  and 
Templar  Masonry.  In  religious  faith  he  was  a  Methodist, 
and  attached  himself  to  that  religious  organization  in  1862. 
He  took  a  great  interest  in  Sunday-school  work,  and  was 
superintendent  of  the  M.  E.  Sunday-school  in  this  city  and 
in  Alton  for  a  number  of  years.  On  the  27th  of  February, 
1849,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ellen  Alice  Mor- 
gan, with  whom  he  lived  happily  until  July,  1873,  when  she 
died.  Eight  children  were  the  offspring  of  that  marriage,  five 
of  whom  still  survive  the  parents.  Their  names  in  the  order 
of  their  births  are:  Charles  C,  Thomas  M.,  William  E., 
Kate,  Ellen  E.,  Eva,  Samuel  V.,  Jr.,  and  Edward  V.  Cross- 


356 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


<t> 


^ 


A  NATIVE  of  Virginia,  was  born  May  2,  1814,  and  is  the 
son  of  Tilghman  H.  West  and  Mary  A.  nee  Mitchell.  His 
ancestors  emigrated  from  England  to  Maryland,  previous  to 
the  Revolution.  His  paternal  great-grandfather  held  an 
office  under  the  British  government,  and  when  war  was 
declared  returned  to  England ;  but  his  grandfather,  Benja- 
min West,  and  his  mother's  father,  Edward  Mitchell, 
entered  the  service  under  General  Washington,  and  con- 
tinued till  the  close  of  the  revolutionary  war.  The  history 
and  many  incidents  of  the  war,  as  related  by  his  grand- 
fathers, made  a  strong  impression  on  the  youthful  mind  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  His  father,  who  was  a  large 
slaveholder,  becoming  dissatisfied  with  the  institution  of 
slavery,  manumitted  his  slaves,  and  in  1818  removed  to 
Illinois,  and  settled  four  miles  west  of  Belleville,  which 
contained  about  half-a-dozen  houses.    Here  he  was  assisted 


in  building  perhaps  the  first  school-house  erected  in    the 
county. 

The  hardships  incident  to  a  frontier  life,  instead  of  dis- 
couraging, tended  to  strengthen  the  resolution  to  succeed  iu 
life,  and  gave  to  him  when  a  boy,  that  decision  of  character 
which  has  marked  his  life.  There  is  nothing  more  instruc- 
tive and  significant  than  a  record  of  the  early  experiences 
and  influences  which  develop  the  character  and  direct  the 
lives  of  successful  men.  When  only  twelve  years  of  age,  he 
was  hoeing  corn  in  the  field,  and  there  passed  along  the 
road  near  where  he  was  at  work,  Governor  Ninian  Edwards 
and  two  other  gentlemen,  one  a  lawyer,  the  other  an  office- 
holder under  the  general  government.  They  were  talking 
of  General  Jackson  and  Henry  Clay  as  having  risen  from 
farmers  to  men  of  the  highest  standing  and  influence.  Then 
and  there  the  boy  determined,  that  if  unfailing  effort  ou 


EISIOJRY  OF  MADISON  CO  UNI  Y,  ILLINOIS. 


357 


his  part  would  achieve  success,  he  would  do  so,  and  he 
never  lost  sight  of  the  object  to  be  attained.  Leaving 
home  the  next  year,  he  spent  two  years  in  the  recorder's 
office  in  Springfield,  and  recorded  all  the  deeds  made  in 
Sangamon  county  during  that  time,  also  attended  to  the 
post-office,  and  cultivated  the  garden  of  his  employer. 

In  1833  he  obtained  a  clerkship  in  the  land  office  in  Ed- 
wardsville,  in  the  office  of  William  P.  McKee,  register, 
where  he  spent  two  years,  working  fourteen  hours  a  day,  at 
a  salary  of  twelve  dollars  a  month.  Saving  one-third  of 
his  wages,  and  having  acquired  a  knowledge  of  book-keep- 
ing, he  opened  a  store  in  Edwardsville  in  the  early  spring 
of  1835.  With  almost  no  capital  except  industry  and 
energy,  and  with  a  sense  of  rectitude  which  governed  all 
his  thoughts  and  actions,  he  had  so  trained  his  mind  to  right 
thinking,  and  his  will  to  right  feeling  and  right  doing,  that 
it  became  a  part  of  his  intellectual  and  moral  nature.  He 
soon  established  the  reputation  of  a  reliable  business  man, 
and  by  industry,  fair  dealing,  pleasant  manners  and  prompt 
attention  to  all  the  details  of  his  business,  built  up  the 
largest  trade  in  the  town. 

Since  the  year  1824  there  had  been  no  bank  in  Ed- 
wardsville, and  the  business  in  the  town  having  largely 
increased,  the  want  of  such  an  institution  was  felt ;  and  in 
1867,  in  connection  with  his  son-in-law,  Major  William  R. 
Prickett,  he  erected  a  fine  building,  and  established  the 
banking  house  of  West  &  Prickett.  The  institution  has 
ample  capital,  and  is  conducted  on  strict  business  princi- 
ples, and  has  met  with  that  success  which  must  follow  a 
business  conducted  on  a  sound  basis  and  honorable  dealing. 
In  the  financial  panic  of  1873,  when  almost  every  bank  in 
the  county  suspended  payments,  the  house  of  West  & 
Prickett  continued  to  pay  and  to  discount  as  usual  during 
the  whole  time ;  and  at  the  close  of  the  panic  the  number 
of  their  depositors  was  largely  increased,  and  they  had 
more  money  in  their  vaults  than  at  the  beginning. 

Notwithstanding  his  close  attention  to  business,  Mr.  West 
has  devoted  much  time  to  reading  and  selfculture.  An 
earnest  student,  and  with  great  fondness  for  literature,  he 
has  collected  a  fine  library,  comprising  some  choice  and 
rare  books.  Among  them  may  be  found  Ossian's  poems, 
Herodotus,  Plato,  Locke,   Sir  William  Hamilton's  Meta- 


physics, Bacon,  Brown's  Philosophy,  Thiers,  Wiseman,  La- 
martine,  Guizot,  De  Tocqueville  and  others.  In  recognition 
of  his  literary  attainments  the  board  of  trustees  and  faculty 
of  the  oldest  college  in  the  state  conferred  on  him  the  de- 
gree of  Master  of  Arts.  When  the  Illinois  National  Guards 
was  being  formed  he  was  commissioned  captain  in  the  15th 
Battalion.  In  political  aflTairs  Mr.  West  has  taken  an  active 
interest,  and  has  received  many  expressions  of  confidence 
from  his  fellow-citizens ;  he  has  been  a  candidate  for  office 
fifteen  times,  and  with  two  exceptions,  has  always  been 
elected.  He  was  a  member  of  the  State  Constitutional  Con- 
vention in  1848,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  debates  of 
that  body,  and  commanded  the  respect  of  the  members  of 
the  convention.  He  was  on  the  finance  committee,  and  it 
was  by  his  eflTorts  in  that  committee  that  the  article  for  the 
payment  of  the  state  debt  was  reported,  and  by  its  opera- 
tion the  state  debt  was  paid.  He  also  drafted  the  article 
"On  Counties,"  by  which  a  stop  was  put  to  the  evil  of 
dividing  counties  and  removing  county  seats.  His  ambi- 
tion, however,  has  not  been  for  political  distinction,  pre- 
ferring rather  the  pursuits  of  business  and  the  quiet  of 
domestic  life.  In  business  he  has  been  remarkably  suc- 
cessful, never  having  had  but  one  suit  at  law  in  the  county, 
where  he  has  been  in  constant  business  nearly  fifty  years. 

In  politics  he  was  formerly  a  Whig,  but  since  that  party 
became  extinct,  has  acted  with  the  Democratic  party.  For 
years  he  has  been  an  active  and  prominent  member  of  the 
^Slethodist  church,  and  for  fifty  years  engaged  in  Sunday- 
school  work.  In  1835  he  was  married  to  Miss  Julia  A. 
Atwater,  in  whom  he  found  a  worthy  companion  and  wife, 
for  fifty-two  years.  Only  three  of  his  children  arrived  at 
age :  Virginia,  wife  of  Major  W.  R.  Prickett,  Mary,  wife  of 
W.  F.  L.  Hadley,  and  Norah,  the  youngest,  who  is  with 
him  at  home. 

Mr.  West  is  now  sixty-eight  years  of  age,  and  although 
possessed  of  ample  means,  may  be  found  every  day  at  his 
place  of  business,  with  the  energy  and  quickness  of  a  man 
of  fifty  years.  A  man  of  pleasing  address  ;  social  and  hos- 
pitable; generous  and  liberal  in  his  sentiments;  retaining 
the  activity,  vivacity  and  cheerfulness  of  youth,  his  life  re- 
veals the  success  that  may  be  attained  by  self-reliance, 
integrity  and  persevering  industry. 


46 


358 


HISTOBY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


KD  0\^v^^a\^       \j 


\JUut^^. 


"^ 


Was  born  in  Edwardsville,  111.,  September  30,  1828.  He 
was  the  eldest  child  of  Matthew  and  Nancy  (Gordon)  Gil- 
lespie. His  mother  died  during  his  early  childhood.  David 
in  his  youth  had  but  few  of  the  advantages  for  obtaining  an 
education  that  are  now  enjoyed  by  nearly  every  child  in  the 
land.  The  State  was  then  in  its  infancy,  and  the  school 
system  but  imperfectly  operated.  His  education  was  there- 
fore mainly  obtained  at  the  select  or  subscription  schools, 
with  a  short  time  spent  at  Shurtleff  College.  As  a  boy  or 
man  he  was  always  a  careful  student,  and  by  his  industry 
acquired  a  vast  fund  of  general  information.  So  thorough 
and  complete  was  his  system  of  study  that  he  could  at  any 
time  call  to  mind  and  into  practical  use  anything  that  he 
had  ever  read  or  learned.  He  had  a  remarkably  retentive 
memory,  and  was  well-versed  in  the  sciences  and  literature 
of  the  day.  He  was  in  the  broadest  and  most  liberal  sense 
of  the  term  a  self-made  man,  which,  in  after  years,  was 
fully  demonstrated  by  his  powers  of  clear  thinking,  prac- 
tical reasoning  and  self-reliance.  Several  years  before  he 
had  attained  his  majority  he  had  conceived  the  idea  that  he 
would  like  to  follow  the  profession  of  law.    He  accordingly 


became  a  student  of  law  in  the  office  and  under  the  direc- 
tion of  his  uncle  Joseph  Gillespie.  Here  he  obtained  the 
mental  food  that  stimulated  his  active  mind.  The  intrica- 
cies of  the  proper  government  and  conduct  of  man  with 
his  fellow  man,  as  laid  down  by  Blackstone,  Kent,  Story, 
and  other  eminent  jurists,  found  a  fertile  field  in  the  mind 
of  the  young  student;  and  on  arriving  at  twenty-one  years 
of  age  he  was  admitted  to  practice  at  the  bar.  He  had, 
however,  previously  attended  a  course  at  the  law  school  in 
Cincinnati,  Ohio.  From  the  time  of  his  enrollment  as  an 
attorney-at-law  until  the  day  of  his  death  he  was  actively 
employed  in  his  chosen  profession. 

Few,  if  any,  lawyers  ever  practised  at  the  bar  in  Madison 
county  who  were  more  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  phil- 
osophy and  intricacies  of  the  law  than  he.  As  a  lawyer  he 
worked  with  zeal  and  energy  for  the  cause  of  his  client, 
but  he  would  never  resort  to  any  unfair  or  unlawful  means 
to  win  a  case.  He  became  a  successful  practitioner  from  the 
fact  that  he  possessed  legal  abilities  of  a  high  order,  and  by 
his  honesty  and  integrity  won  the  confidence  of  judges  and 
juries.     He  participated  in  several  important  causm  celebre, 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


359 


which  have  shed  lustre  upon  the  jurisprudence  of  the  State 
of  Illinois.  As  an  advocate  he  was  both  wittj-  and  logical, 
and  when  his  full  powers  were  aroused  and  called  into  requi- 
sition in  the  interests  of  his  client,  his  language  became  not 
only  ornate,  but  truly  eloquent. 

In  1861  he  was  appointed  Master  in  Chancery,  a 
position  he  filled  with  credit  for  twelve  successive 
years.  While  discharging  the  duties  of  that  office, 
he  was  further  honored  by  being  elected  to  the  office  of 
County  Judge,  which  position  he  filled  from  December,  1865, 
to  December,  1869.  With  all  the  multiplicity  of  duties 
devolving  upon  him  as  Master  in  Chancery,  he  never  neg- 
lected his  extensive  law  practice,  and  at  the  same  time  made 
a  record  as  County  Judge  that  his  friends  may  point  to 
with  pride,  as  being  among  the  purest  and  most  economical 
in  the  history  of  Madison  county. 

His  death  occurred  at  his  home  in  Edwardsville,  after  a 
very  brief  illness,  on  the  evening  of  August  1st,  1881. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Minna  A.  Barnsback,  October 
8th,  1855.  She  was  the  daughter  of  the  late  Julius  L.  Barns- 
back.  His  widow,  two  sons  and  two  daughters  survive 
him. 

In  his  social  and  family  relations,  he  was  one  of  the 
purest  and  best  of  men — ever  true  to  his  friends  and  to  the 
principles  that  he  believed  to  be  right.  In  politics,  he  was 
a  Republican. 


JOSIAS  RANDLE 

Was  born  in  Brunswick  county,  Virginia,  Oct.  1st,  1766. 
Entered  the  itinerant  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  early  life.  Removed  to  the  state  of  Georgia  in 
1790,  and  was  married  to  Miss  Ann  Thorn  in  1795.  He 
continued  an  itinerant  minister  in  Georgia  until  1810. 

Becoming  dissatisfied  with  the  institution  of  slavery,  and 
unwilling  to  raise  his  family  in  a  slave  state,  he  removed  to 
Illinois  territory  in  1811,  and  settled  on  a  tract  of  land,  one 
and  a  half  miles  south  of  the  present  city  of  Edwardsville. 

There  were  at  that  time  only  two  counties  in  the  ter- 
ritory, Randolph  and  St.  Clair.  St.  Clair  was  the  northern 
frontier.  Soon  after,  however,  these  counties  were  divided, 
and  Madison  county  was  organized,  embracing  all  the  nor- 
thern frontier.  Mr.  Randle  was  appointed  by  Gov.  Ninian 
Edwards  to  the  offices  of  clerk  of  the  county,  and  circuit 
court  and  county  recorder. 

In  1818  the  state  government  was  formed,  and  he  was  re- 
appointed to  the  same  offices  by  Gov.  Bond.  Soon  after  his 
second  appointment,  a  great  speculation  sprang  up  in  what 
was  called  the  "  Military  district  "  of  lands  granted  to  sol- 
diers, which  so  increased  the  business  in  the  recorder's  office 


that  he  resigned  the  clerkship  and  confined  himself  to  the 
duties  of  the  recorder's  office,  which  he  continued  to  hold 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the  15th  January,  1824, 
from  acute  inflammation  of  the  lungs. 

His  family  consisted  of  eight  children,  seven  sons  and 
one  daughter.  Four  of  the  sons  died  in  early  life.  Rev. 
Barton  Randle,  the  oldest  son,  died  in  Staunton,  Macoupin 
county,  January  2,  1882,  in  the  eighty-sixth  year  of  his  age. 
Rev.  Richard  Randle,  the  second  son,  now  in  his  eighty- 
fourth  year,  resides  in  Taylorville.  The  daughter,  Mrs.  M. 
P.  Ripley,  lives  in  Staunton,  Illinois  ;  and  Doctor  Peter  W- 
Randle  resides  in  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Mr.  Randle's  name  occurs  in  the  history  of  the  M.  E. 
Church  of  Madison  county,  as  a  prominent  and  influential 
local  minister  from  1811  to  1824,  the  time  of  his  death. 

He  was  a  warm  and  intimate  friend  of  Hon.  Wm.  H.  Craw- 
ford of  Georgia,  and  deeply  deplored  the  difficulty  which 
existed  between  Mr.  Crawford  and  Governor  Edwards,  when 
Crawford  was  secretary  of  the  treasury  in  Monroe's  ad- 
ministration, and  which  led  to  the  recall  of  Gov.  Edwards 
whilst  on  his  way  as  minister  to  Mexico. 

Mr  Randle  was  of  a  genial  disposition,  fine  presence,  and 
enlarged  hospitality.  His  death  was  deeply  felt  and  de- 
plored by  all  who  knew  him,  and  indeed  by  all  the  citizens 
of  the  county. 


ROBERT  BOSOMWORTH 

Was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England.  He  is  the  son  of  George 
and  Alice  (Wright)  Bosomworth.  His  mother  died  in  Eng- 
land. In  1854  he  emigrated  to  America  and  brought  his 
father  with  him,  who  died  the  same  year.  Mr.  Bosomworth 
is  the  only  survivor  of  the  family.  He  settled  in  Spring- 
field, Ohio,  stayed  there  but  a  short  time,  then  came 
west  to  Morgan  county,  Illinois,  where  he  remained  two 
years.  In  1856  he  came  to  Madison  county,  and  in  1866 
bought  160  acres  of  woodland,  where  he  now  lives,  cleared 
ii  and  opened  a  farm,  and  there  he  still  remains.  On 
the  10th  of  June,  1829,  he  married  Hannah  Porter,  who 
was  born  in  Sussex,  England,  June  30,  1805.  By  this  mar- 
riage there  were  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  living. 
George,  John,  and  Robert  are  dead.  Charles  lives  in  Ma- 
coupin county.  Mary,  Alice,  William,  and  James  are  the 
names  of  those  living.  Politically  Mr.  Bosomworth  has  been 
and  is  yet  a  Republican.  He  has  all  his  life  been  a  hard 
working  man  of  industrious  habits.  He  has  been  a  resident 
of  the  county  since  1856,  and  in  that  time  has  made  many 
acquaintances,  who  all  know  him  as  an  honest  upright  man, 
who  at  all  times  strives  to  do  his  duty,  and  fulfil  evfery 
obligation  made  by  him. 


360 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


Ul .  4f.   ^z^^v^ 


Charles  Dale,  an  ancestor,  was  a  native  of  England,  who 
in  1690  removed  to  Ireland.  Samuel  Dale,  his  grandson, 
and  grandfather  of  M.  G.  Dale,  emigrated  from  Ireland  to 
America  in  1766,  and  settled  in  Chester  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. In  the  revolutionary  war  he  espoused  the  patriot 
cause,  and  the  records  show  that  he  took  an  early  and  active 
part  in  the  defense  of  colonial  rights.  He  was  an  earnest 
advocate  of  the  rights  of  the  peojile,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  House  or  Senate  of  Pennsylvania  for  twenty  years. 
The  visitor  to  the  State  Capital  at  Harrisburg,  will  see  on 
the  walls  of  the  Governor's  room,  in  appropriate  frames, 
sundry  documents  kept  as  precious  relics  of  the  earhj  days 
of  the  Commonwealth.  They  are  original  commissions 
issued  to  the  Presidents  and  Vice  Presidents  of  that  com- 
monwealth :  One  to  Joseph  Reed  as  President,  and  William 
Moore  as  Vice  President  in  1782,  in  the  seventh  year  of  the 
commonwealth,  one  to  the  eloquent  and  gifted  John  Dicker- 
son  as  President  and  James  Irvine  as  Vice  President  in 
1784,  and  one  to  Benjamin  Franklin  as  President  and 
Charles  Biddle  as  Vice  President  in  1786.  These  are 
signed  by  the  members  of  the  General  Assembly  and  Su- 
preme Executive  Council  of  the  commonwealth,  convened 
in  the  State  House  at   Philadelphia,   and   the  name  of 


Samuel  Dale,  the  grandfather  of  M.  G.  Dale,  is  subscribed 
to  each. 

In  1769  Samuel  Dale  married  Ann,  daughter  of  Samuel 
Futhey,  of  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania.  She  died  in 
1835  at  the  age  of  eighty  four-years.  Nine  children  were 
the  offspring  of  that  marriage,  among  whom  was  Samuel  F., 
father  of  M.  G.  Dale.  He,  too,  spent  years  in  public  life ; 
was  commissioned  lieutenant  colonel  of  militia  when  scarce 
of  age.  He  represented  the  counties  of  Mercer  and  Ve- 
nango for  many  years  in  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature.  He 
disciplined  and  commanded  a  regiment  on  the  northern 
frontier  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  devoted  much  time  during 
his  life  to  the  various  positions  he  held  as  president  or  trus- 
tee of  literary  and  benevolent  institutions.  He  also  served 
as  a  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  and  Oyer  and 
Terminer  of  Lancaster  county,  from  1819  to  1842.  He 
married  Eliza,  daughter  of  Michael  Gundaker,  an  extensive 
and  successful  merchant  of  Lancaster  City.  Her  father 
was  the  son  of  Michael  and  Ann  Gundaker  (maiden  name 
Smith),  from  Nassau,  Germany ;  her  mother  was  Barbara 
AValter,  of  York  Pennsylvania,  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Magdalena  Walter  (maiden  name  Myers),  from  Basle, 
Switzerland. 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


361 


Michael  G.  Dale,  whose  name  heads  this  memoir,  was 
born  in  Lancaster  city,  Pennsylvania.  His  youth  was  spent 
in  the  schools  of  his  native  city,  except  one  year  in  attend- 
ance at  West  Chester  Academj^  in  Chester  county.  He 
entered  Pennsylvania  College  at  Gettysburg  and  graduated 
in  the  class  of  1835,  delivering  the  Latin  salutatory  of  that 
year.  'An  honor  which  might  well  be  highly  appreciated  by 
him  was  conferred  by  Pennsylvania  College  in  electing  him 
to  preside  on  the  28th  of  June,  1882,  at  the  semi-centennial 
celebration  of  that  Institution.  The  large  attendance,  the 
character  of  the  addresses  and  the  varied  exercises  made  it 
an  occasion  of  interest.  His  remarks  on  taking  the  chair  are 
favorably  noticed  in  several  numbers  of  the  "  College 
Monthly."  He  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  Lancaster, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  there  in  1837. 

Traveling  in  Illinois  in  1838,  he  was  retained  at  Green- 
ville, Bond  county,  as  counsel  in  a  suit.  His  success  led 
him  to  be  employed  in  others.  This  induced  him  to  remain 
in  Greenville  and  open  a  law  office.  The  next  year,  1839 
he  was  elected  Probate  Judge,  an  office  held  for,  fourteen 
years  or  during  his  subsequent  residence  in  Bond  county. 

In  1844,  he  was  under  the  State  militia  law  elected  and 
commissioned  Mayor.  He,  with  Colonels  Parker  and 
Ferguson,  held  the  military  court  convened  at  Alton  in  1847. 
In  1846-7,  after  the  failure  of  the  banks  and  consequent 
great  scarcity  of  money,  the  State  being  largely  in  debt 
from  the  unsuccessful  attempt  at  railroad  building,  and  the 
State  warrants  being  at  a  heavy  discount,  repudiation  of  the 
State  debt  was  openly  advocated.  Judge  Dale  earnestly  de- 
nounced repudiation,  insisting  that  wastefulness  and  extrava- 
gance consequent  on  an  inflated  currency  had  caused  the 
debt,  but  that  a  system  of  retrenchment  should  be  inaugu- 
rated by  a  constitutional  convention,  and  that  the  debt  could 
in  time  be  honorably  paid  without  serious  inconvenience  to 
the  tax-payers.  A  State  Constitutional  Convention  being 
called  in  1847,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  that  body,  and  with 
the  friends  of  reform  worked  indefatigably  in  incorporating 
into  the  constitution  such  a  system  of  retrenchment  and 
such  provision  for  the  future  as  assured  the  gradual  reduc- 
tion of  the  public  debt,  and  made  the  new  constitution 
acceptable  and  welcome  to  the  people  of  the  State.  By  the 
convention  journal  it  appears  that  he  was  at  the  organization 
of  the  convention  appointed  a  member  of  the  Legislative 
Committee,  subsequently  of  the  Committee  of  Internal  Im- 
provements, and  at  the  close  of  the  convention  one  of  the 
committee  to  prepare  the  address  of  the  convention  to  the 
people  of  the  State. 

In  1853,  Judge  Dale  resigned  the  office  of  county  Judge 
of  Bond  county  to  accept  the  office   of  Register  of  United 


States  Land  Office  at  Edwardsville,  to  which  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  President  Pierce.  On  the  removal  of  this  office 
to  Springfield  he  was  elected  county  Judge  of  Madison 
county,  which  office  he  held  for  eight  years.  As  county 
Judge  of  Madison  county  he  manifested  the  same  prudence 
and  economy  in  the  management  of  the  county  affairs, 
the  same  devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  county  that  had 
rendered  his  administration  in  Bond  county  successful  and 
popular.  After  an  interval  of  between  eight  or  nine  years 
he  was  again  elected  county  Judge,  and  in  1877  and  1882 
re-elected,  and  at  present  fills  the  office. 

When  Judge  Breese  was  elected  Judge  of  the  circuit,  he, 
unsolicited,  appointed  Judge  Dale,  Master  in  Chancery  of 
Madison  county  ;  he  held  the  office  during  the  succeeding 
administration  of  Judge  Snyder. 

In  May  1849,  at  Vandalia,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Margaret  M.  Ewing.  Her  grandfather.  Finis 
Ewing,  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Cumberland  Presby- 
terian Church.  Her  maternal  grandfather  was  Col.  E.  C. 
Berry,  the  first  Auditor  of  the  State  of  Illinois.  Her  father. 
Gen.  W.  L.  D.  Ewing,  had  filled  many  public  places.  He 
had  been  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of  Illi- 
nois, had  also  represented  tliis  State  in  the  United  States 
Senate,  and  had  been  acting  Governor  of  the  State.  Mr. 
Dale  has  four  sons  living.  His  eldest  son  (Erving),  having 
died  whilst  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  (medicine)  in 
Kansas.  Tho.se  living  are,  James  B.,  Charles  S.,  Lee,  and 
Samuel  G. 

Judge  Dale  was  an  early  friend  and  advocate  of  free 
schools,  believing  that  our  government  depended  much  for 
its  strength  on  the  intelligence  and  virtue  of  the  people. 
He  rejoices  in  the  wonderful  improvement  he  has  witnessed 
in  tlie  school  system  of  the  State.  He  has  been  for  nearly 
forty  years  an  officer  under  the  common  school  law  of  the 
State,  and  is  now  President  of  the  Board  of  Education  of 
1    the  city  of  Edwardsville. 

We  have  stated  some  facts  in  the  life  of  Judge  Dale  from 
'  which  the  reader  may  infer  that  he  has  always  possessed  the 
esteem  and  confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens.  He  is  known 
as  a  man  of  the  strictest  integrity  ;  indeed,  throughout  his 
long  public  life,  no  man  has  ever  questioned  the  sincerity  of 
his  conduct  or  the  purity  of  his  motives. 

He  has  been  distinguished  throughout  his  whole  life  for  his 

industry.     His  life  has  been   one  of   incessant   application. 

llis  industry,  coupled  with  a  clear,  practical  mind,  rendered 

I    him  successful  as  judge,  legislator  and  lawyer.     Whatever 

'    he  undertakes,  is  undertaken  earnestly  and  accomplished 

with  thoroughness  and  correctness. 


362 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


JUDGE   MATTHEW   GILLESPIE— (deceased.) 


Judge  Matthew  Gillespie,  was  born  in  the  city  of 
New  York  on  the  26th  of  November,  1807,  and  was 
the  eldest  son  of  David  and  Sarah  Gillespie,  there 
being  but  two  children,  Matthew  and  Joseph.  The 
latter  is  yet  a  resident  of  Edwardsville,  and  one  among 
its  oldest  and  most  honored  citizens.  They  were  of  Scotch - 
Irish  parentage,  the  family  having  emigrated  from  Mona- 
ghan,  Ireland,  to  New  York  but  a  short  time  prior  to  Mat- 
thew's birth.  In  1819,  the  family  moved  to  Illinois  when 
Matthew  was  but  twelve  years  of  age,  and  with  his 
parents  settled  in  Madison  county,  where  he  continued 
to  reside  to  the  time  of  his  decease ;  and  where  the  priva- 
tions and  struggles  incident  to  pioneer  life  tended  to  deve- 
lop those  strong  and  leading  traits  of  character,  which  mark- 
ed his  after  life.  At  that  early  day,  the  facilities  for  obtain- 
ing an  education  were  very  limited  ;  he  therefore,  received 
no  more  than  a  common  school  education,  and  even  this  was 
mainly  due  to  the  instructions  of  his  mother.  It  was  to  her, 
more  than  all  others,  that  he  was  indebted  for  that  early 
training  which  made  him  so  useful  a  man  in  after  life. 


With  his  love  for  books,  he  became  familiar  with  modern 
history,  and  acquired  much  more  than  an  ordinary  know- 
ledge of  law  and  theology. 

In  February,  1827,  when  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  he, 
with  his  brother  Joseph,  proceeded  to  «the  Galena  lead 
mines  ;  from  which  he  returned  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year, 
when  he  married  Miss  Nancy  Gordon,  a  sister  of  the  Rev. 
Joseph  Gordon,  late  of  Vandalia.  Of  this  union  there  was 
but  one  child  born  who  lived  to  maturity — the  late  Judge 
David  Gillespie  of  Edwardsville.  His  wife  dying,  he  again 
married  March  10th,  1839,  Mrs.  Martha  Hynes,  nee  Mc- 
Grew,  a  lady  of  Scotch  parentage.  Only  three  children  of 
this  marriage  grew  to  man  and  womanhood  ;  Isabella  J, 
wife  of  Moses  B.  Sherman  ;  Nellie,  wife  of  W.  R.  Brink, 
both  residents  of  Edwardsville,  and  Joseph  J.  living  in 
San  Francisco. 

Judge  Gillespie  was  a  man  of  sanguine  temperament  and 
positive  qualities.  He  readily  arrived  at  decided  opinions 
on  all  subjects  presented  to  his  consideration,  and  ever  main- 
tained what  he  deemed  to  be  right  with   much  ability  and 


HISIORY   OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


36" 


zeal.  His  friendships  were  strong  and  enduring,  and  he  was 
ever  found  a  warm  champion  for  those  he  loved.  He  was 
a  good  judge  of  human  nature,  and  was  rarely,  if  ever  mis- 
taken in  the  character  of  men.  His  hospitality  and  charities 
were  fully  commensurate  with  his  means.  His  social  quali- 
ties were  of  the  best  order  ;  genial,  lively,  quick  at  repartee  ; 
he  threw  around  him  a  degree  of  animation  that  made  it 
impossible  to  feel  dejected  in  his  company. 

Mr.  Gillespie  was  an  able  and  efficient  public  officer ;  his 
qualifications  were  of  the  first  order,  and  his  faithfulness 
worthy  the  example  of  all  who  are  entrusted  with  public 
cares.  In  1832,  he  was  the  elected  Coroner  of  this  county ; 
from  1836  to  1838,  he  was  engaged  in  the  Land  Office;  in 
1839,  was  elected  Judge  of  Probate,  which  office  he  honora- 
bly filled  for  four  years.  Was  enrolling  and  engrossing 
clerk  in  the  State  Senate  in  1839  and  '40;  was  elected 
Treasurer  and  Assessor  in  1844,  for  four  years;  was  ap- 
pointed by  Gen.  Taylor,  Registerof  the  Land  Office  in  1849, 
for  four  years ;  was  subsequently  elected  Police  Magistrate 
of  Edwardsville,  which  office  he  continued  to  fill  to  the  time 
of  his  decease.  In  all  his  official  positions  he  performed  his 
duties  with  honor  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  his  constitu- 
ency. He  was  strongly  imbued  with  Whig  proclivities,  and 
was  a  great  admirer  of  Henry  Clay.  After  that  party  be- 
came disorganized  he  affiliated  with  the  Republican  party. 
He  was  an  old  and  intimate  acquaintance  of  President  Lin- 
coln, and  gave  him  the  most  ardent  support  for  the  office  of 
the  Chief  Magistracy  of  the  United  States.  The  house  of 
Mr.  Gillespie,  when  Mr.  Lincoln  was  stopping  at  Edwards- 
ville, was  one  of  the.  latter's  favorite  places  of  "  breaking 
bread,"  and  where  the  family  and  friends  enjoyed  the  rare 


treat  of  listening  to  the  fun-loving  anecdotes  so  peculiar  to 
Mr.  Lincoln. 

As  a  friend  to  youth,  Mr.  Gillespie  had  no  superior. 
He  was  a  zealous  advocate  of  temperance,  and  by  his  pre- 
cepts and  example,  he  labored  hard  to  further  the  welfare 
and  success  of  the  young  men  of  his  time.  But  of  all  his 
excellent  memories,  his  moral,  religious,  and  domestic  char- 
acter is  the  most  pleasant.  Early  in  life  he  made  a  profession 
of  religion,  and  attached  himself  to  the  Cumberland  Pres- 
byterian Church,  of  which  body  he  continued  a  consistent 
and  leading  member  during  its  organization  in  this  vicinity. 
In  1836,  he  united  with  the  Methodist  Church,  of  which  he 
continued  a  communicant  to  the  time  of  his  decease.  His 
earnest  liberality,  zeal,  and  sound  judgment  made  him  a 
valuable  member  of  the  church  and  of  society,  and  at  the 
time  of  his  death  he  was  one  of  the  trustees  of  McKendree 
College.  As  a  neighbor,  he  was  obliging  and  generous  to 
the  last  degree,  and  as  a  husband  and  father,  he  was  all  that 
affection  could  desire. 

He  passed  to  the  unknown  beyond,  on  the  evening  of  the 
24th  of  March,  1861.  His  last  words  were,  "  I  am  gone," 
and  he  instantly  breathed  his  last.  He  was  nearly  54  years  of 
age,  and  had  spent  a  large  portion  of  his  life  in  active,  public 
service,  and  it  can  be  truthfully  said,  that  the  world  is  better 
for  his  living.  At  this  writing,  his  widow  is  yet  living,  and  is 
a  resident  of  Edwardsville.  She  is  now  in  her  sixty-eighth 
year  of  age,  and  is  strong  physically  and  mentally  for  one 
of  her  years.* 

*For  much  of  the  above  we  are  indebted  to  an  article  published  in 
1801  by  Mr.  E.  M.  West,  who  was  a  warm  friend  of  Judge  Gillespie- 


364 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


(p^^-jC/Zt^ 


^/U(rio(<i, 


i,i/n<<ty^^ 


Is  of  Irisli  descent,  his  grandfather  being  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1769,  and  settled 
near  Philadelphia.  When  the  clash  of  arms  for  i-ight  and 
liberty  came,  he  was  one  of  the  first  in  the  ranks,  and  served 
with  distinction  throughout  the  war.  He  lived  to  rear  a 
large  family,  six  daughters  and  four  sons ;  among  whom  was 
William,  the  father  of  Nelson.  He  was  born  November 
20,  1786.  As  early  as  1809,  he  braved  the  wilds  of  the 
frontier,  and  came  as  far  west  as  St.  Louis.  In  1814,  he 
married  Sarah  Rattan,  and  located  permanently  on  Indiana 
Creek  in  Madison  county,  Illinois.  By  this  union  eleven 
children  were  born.  Nelson,  the  eldest,  was  born  August 
1st,  1815.  John  was  born  February  7,  1817.  William  N. 
January  9,  1819,  and  died  January  20,  1855.  Nancy  R., 
January  18,  1821.  Thomas  J.,  January  22,  1823.  James, 
February  20,  1825.  Paris,  February  24,  1827.  Matilda, 
January  10,  1819.  Amanda  F  ,  June  11, 1830.  Hampton, 
November  10,  1833.  Ann,  February  20,  1837,  Eliza 
Jane,  March  31,  1840.     Of  the  daughters,  four  are  yet  liv- 


ing :  Nancy  R.,  wife  of  Thomas  J.  Barnsback  ;  Amanda, 
wife  of  J.  B.  Job ;  and  Eliza  J.,  wife  of  Thomas  Belk,  are 
all  residents  of  the  county.  Ann,  wife  of  William  Love- 
land,  resides  at  Golden,  Colorado.  Besides  Nelson,  there 
are  two  other  sons  yet  living,  John  and  Hampton.  The 
latter  resides  on  the  old  homestead  in  section  13,  Wood 
River  township.  John  living  in  Macoupin  county.  Nelson 
was  married  to  Eleanor,  daughter  of  George  Kinder,  one  of 
the  earliest  and  most  respectable  citizens  of  Madison  county. 
This  union  occurred  March  22,  1838.  By  this  marriage 
eight  children  have  been  born,  six  of  whom  are  now  living, 
the  dates  of  their  births  being  as  follows :  Ann  M.,  born 
November  30,  1838  ;  Nancy  J.,  February  24,  1842;  Mary 
M.,  August  2,  1844;  William  L,  May  5,  1848,  died  near 
Papinsville,  Mo.,  January  26,  1878 ;  Sarah  Isabel,  born 
October  23,  1850,  died  February  21,  1851 ;  Phebe  E.,  Octo- 
ber 26,  1852;  Zephaniah  J.,  born  July  20,  1855  ;  Robert 
N.,  October  6,  1862.  Ann  M.,  and  Francis  M.  Wood  were 
married  May  5,    1870,  and  reside  in  Christian  county  j 


MRS.  ISABELLA  KINDER. 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


365 


Nancy  J.  and  John  F.  Jarvis  were  married  November  4,  I 
1869  ;  Mary  M.  was  married  to  Henry  C  Barnsback,  Janu-   i 
aryl7,  1877,  and  lives  in  Coles  county,  Illinois;  William 
T.,  now  deceased,  was  married  to  Jane   Kinder,  August  30, 
1871 ;  Zephaniah  married  Lillie  McKittrick,  and  now  re- 
sides near  the  old  homestead. 

Mr.  Montgomery  is  one  of  the  staunch  and  wealthy  men 
of  the  county.  His  farm,  consisting  of  573  acres  of  very 
valuable  and  cultivated  land,  lies  within  four  miles  of  the 
city  of  Edwardsville,  besides  other  lands  in  the  county, 
aggregating  in  all  over  one  thousand  acres.  He  is  also  the 
possessor  of  320  acres  in  Coles  county,  1,240  acres  in  Bates 
county.  Mo.,  and  800  acres  in  the  State  of  Iowa.  His  home- 
stead near  Edwardsville  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  county, 
and  as  a  stock  raiser  Mr.  Montgomery  ranks  among  the  first 
in  this  part  of  the  State. 

Among  his  many  cares,  he  does  not  forget  his  friends,  and 
delights  to  entertain  all  with  a  generous  hand,  his  hos- 
pitality being  well  known  among  the  large  circle  of  his 
acquaintances.  In  politics  he  is  a  life-long  Democrat,  yet 
so  reasonable  in  his  political  views,  that  he  desires  to  give 
exact  justice  to  all  parties,  and  that  political  supremacy 
shall  not  he  attained  by  intrigue  or  party  machinations. 

The  name  of  Montgomery  is  pioneer  in  Madison  county, 
and  for  generations  yet  to  come,  will  maintain  its  prominent 
place  as  being  among  the  first  families  of  "Old  Madison." 


ANSEL  L.  BROWN, 
The  present  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Edwardsville  Dem- 
ocrat, was   born   in   Edwardsville,  September  26th,    1847. 
47 


He  is  the  son  of  Edward  S.  and  Sarah  J.  (Lusk)  Brown. 
His  father  was  born  in  Upper  Alton,  Nov.  19,  1819,  and  his 
mother  was  born  in  Edwardsville,  Nov.  10th,  1828.  They 
were  married  April  10th,  1846.  The  issue  of  this  union  was 
Ansel  L.  and  a  daughter,  Mary  Lucretia,  who  was  born 
November  14th,  1849,  and  died  September  ;26th,  1850. 
The  father  was  the  son  of  Dr.  Erastus  and  Brittania  (Eas- 
ton)  Brown,  who  settled  at  Upper  Alton  in  1818,  the  former 
being  one  of  the  original  proprietors  of  that  place.  The 
mother  is  the  eldest  daughter  of  the  late  John  T.  and  Lu- 
cretia (Gillham)  Lusk,  who  were  among  the  early  settlers  of 
Illinois,  having  located  where  Edwardsville  is  now  laid  off 
and  platted,  about  the  beginning  of  the  present  century.  At 
the  time  of  the  death  of  Edward  S.  Brown,  which  occurred 
July  9th,  1850,  he  occupied  the  position  of  assessor  of  Madi- 
son county,  and  had  filled  the  position  for  several  preceding 
terms.  After  the  death  of  Mr.  Brown,  the  widow  intermar- 
ried with  the  late  John  R.  Torrence  in  1853,  and  the  issue 
of  this  union  was  a  son  and  daughter,  Harry  L.  and  Gillian 
L.  Torrence.  The  subject  of  this  notice  obtained  his  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  Edwardsville  and  at  the  City  Univer- 
sity at  St.  Louis,  Mo.  His  earliest  business  pursuits  were 
in  real  estate,  in  which  he  continued  until  his  purchase  of 
the  Edwardsville  Times,  May  1st,  1882.  Immediately  after 
the  purchase  of  that  paper,  the  name  was  changed  to  that 
first  mentioned,  the  material  was  increased,  and  the  capa- 
city of  the  office  generally  was  added  to ;  and  under  his 
vigorous  management  the  journal  has  assumed  a  respectable 
and  enviable  standing. 


^l-'' 


366 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


':a^i^,^^^^^^. 


Is  a  native  of  Berlin,  Prussia.  The  date  of  his  birth 
was  February  13, 1831.  His  father,  Charles  S.  Fangenroth, 
emigrated  to  America  in  1843.  He  settled  in  Madison  county, 
Illinois,  and  there  bought  an  improved  farm,  in  section  16,  T. 
4,  R.  8,  where  he  made  his  home  until  the  present.  He  is  now 
in  his  eighty-fourth  year,  and  is  still  a  vigorous  and  active 
man.  His  wife,  Augusta  Louise,  died  in  1854.  There  were 
two  children  born  to  them,  viz :  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
and  Augusta  Louise,  who  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Gerting,  a 
citizen  of  this  county.  Charles  W.  received  a  good  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  his  native  city.  His  school-days  ended 
with  his  coming  to  America.  Here  he  learned  the  English 
language,  which  he  acquired  in  a  very  short  time,  and  now 
speaks  it  with  as  much  purity  as  a  native  born  citizen.  In 
1852  he  commenced  farming  for  himself,  and  has  continued 
in  that  occupation  until  the  present. 

On  the  6th  of  January,  1852,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miriam,  daughter  of  Robert  McKee.  She  died  in  1854. 
On  the  16th  of  April,  1862,  he  married  Miss  Frances  Ann 
Richards,  daughter  of  William  Richards.  She  is  of  Eng- 
lish parentage,  and  was  born  in  Luzerne  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, August  21, 1841.   By  this  union  there  have  been  eight 


children,  six  of  whom  are  living.  Their  names  in  the  order 
of  their  births  are:  Alice  Frances,  born  March  21,  1864; 
Robert  Newton,  born  July  29,  1865;  Mary  Louise,  born 
February  7,  1867;  Ann  Jane,  born  May  14,  1868;  Charles 
W.,  born  August  19,1873;  Julia  Clara,  born  August  10, 
1875.  Katy  and  Edith  H.  died  in  infancy.  Both  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Fangenroth  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
Politically  Mr.  Fangenroth  was  originally  a  Democrat;  but 
in  1860  he  joined  the  Republican  party,  and  since  that  time 
has  been  a  consistent  member  of  that  political  organization. 
Mr.  Fangenroth  has  attained  considerable  prominence 
and  notoriety  throughout  the  county  and  state  as  an  experi- 
mental farmer,  and  has  been  the  means  of  adding  much  to 
the  store  of  agricultural  information.  "He  who  makes  two 
blades  of  grass  grow  where  only  one  grew  before  is  a  public 
benefactor."  Viewed  in  this  light  it  may  be  truly  said  of 
Mr.  Fangenroth  that  he  has,  through  his  many  experiments, 
benefited  his  brother  farmers  throughout  the  State.  He  is  an 
active  member  of  the  different  agricultural  societies  which 
have  for  their  object  the  advancement  of  the  agricultural 
interests  of  the  county. 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


SOI 


2^¥^^cr^^i 


tyt 


Among  the    representative   and    successful    farmers    of 
Madison  county,  is  the  subject  of  the  following  brief  sketch. 
He  was  born  in  Green  county,  Indiana,  October  24th,  1821.    1 
His  father,  Abner  Cotter,  was  a  native  of  Tennessee,  born    j 
near  Nashville.     He  was  a  farnierby  occupation.     He  re-   \ 
moved  to  Indiana  soon  after  it  was  admitted  to  the  Union, 
and  settled  in  Green  county,  bought  a  tract  of   laud  and   j 
commenced  improving  a  farm.  He  died  in  March  1827.     He 
married  Sarah  Kendall,  a  native  of  Ohio.    After  the  death 
of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Cotter  brought  the  family  to  Illinois, 
and  settled  iu  Edward.sville.     The  date  of  their  arrival  here 
was  October  Uth,  1827.     The  family  then  consisted  of  six 
children.     She  provided  for  their  support  until  the  fall  of 
1829,  when  she  married  Zadok  Newman,  by  whom  she  had 
six  children.     She   died  in   1852.     By  the   first  marriage 
there  are  two  sons  living,  John  S.  Cotter  and  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.     William  H.  had   but  slight  opportunities  for 
receiving  an  education  in  his  youth.     He  was  compelled  to 
become  self-supporting  at  an  age  when  most  youths  are  in 
school.     He  remained  at  home  at  work  on  the  farm  until  the 
summer  of  1842.     In  1840,  the  family  removed  to  Lawrence 
county,  Missouri,  where  subsequently  his  mother  and  step- 
father died.     In  1842,  Mr.  Cotter  returned  from  Jlissouri  to 
this  county,  and  commenced  work  for  Mr.  Joseph  Burroughs. 
In  1845,  he  rented  land  of  Mr.  Estabrook.     Soon  after  he 
purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  of  his  stepfather.     It  was  the 
tract  now  owned  by  and  on  which  is  situated  the  residence  of 
C.  P.  Smith.     In  185.3,  he  bought  a  farm  on  Ridge  Prairie, 
and  lived  there  until  1866,  then  purchased  his  present  farm 
in  section  32,  5-8,  and  there  remained  until  the  spring  of 


1882,  when  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Edwardsville.     On 
the  18th  of  February,  1846,  he  was  united  in   marriage  to 
Miss  Eliza   J.  Harrison,  a  native  of  Kentucky.    She  died 
November  1846.     One  child  was  born   to  them;  it  however 
died  in  infancy.     On  the  13th  of  December,  1849,  he  mar- 
ried hi.3  present  wife.     Her  maiden  name  was  Miss  Mary  A. 
Kimball,  daughter  of  Joseph  K.  Kimball.     She  is  a  native 
of  Madison  county.     By  this  union   there  have  been  ten 
children,  five  of  whom  are  living.     Those  that  are  deceased 
died  in    infancy.     The  names  of  the   children  living   are 
Sarah  E.  wife  of  Warren  C.  Cushman  ;  Charles  S.  who  mar- 
ried Rebecca,  daughter  of  Wiley  Preuitt ;  John  E.  who 
married  Anna,  daughter  of  Rev.  H.  Delicate ;  Julia  I.  wife 
of  John  M.  Livis  and  Fanny  F.  who  is  still  beneath  the  pa- 
rental roof.     Both  INIr.  aud  Mrs.  Cotter  are  consistent  and 
active  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church.     He  is  a  member  of 
the  order  of  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  also  belongs  to  the  chap- 
ter in  Royal  Arch  Masonry.     Politically  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  has  voted  that  ticket  upon  all  state  and  national  occa- 
sions since  the'organization  of  the  party.    He  has  represented 
his  township  in  the  Board  of  Supervisors  for  several  terms. 
In  his  habits  he  is  temperate,  and  iu  principle  a  prohibi- 
i   tionist.     Such  is  a  brief   sketch  of  Mr.  Cotter's  life.     He 
started  iu  life  poor,  but  by  persistent  energy   and  industry 
with  the  exercise  of  good  common  sense,  he  has  succeeded  in 
carving  out  for  himself  and  tho.se  depending  upon  him   a 
comfortable  competency,  and  at  the  same  time  making  and 
maintaining  for  himself  a  name  for  strict  honor  and  integrity, 
which  is  a  valuable  heritage  to  leave  to  his  posterity. 


368 


HISTORY   OF  MALISON   COUNTY,     ILLINOIS. 


i<l/^(^<!^ 


Captain  John  T.  Fahnestock,  is  a  native  of  Lyco- 
ming county  Pennsylvania.  The  family  is  of  German  ances- 
try, and  are  the  lineal  descendants  of  Laborious  Fahnestock, 
who  was  a  native  of  Haarlem  in  the  Province  of  Westphalia, 
Germany.  Diedrick  Fahnestock,  an  offspring  of  the  fivmily, 
emigrated  to  America  in  1726,  and  settled  in  the  colony  of 
Pennsylvania.  From  him  have  sprung  a  numerous  progeny. 
Abner  Fahnestock,  the  father  of  John  T.,  was  born  in  Ly- 
coming county,  Pennsylvania,  and  there  resided  until  1852, 
when  he  came  west  to  Illinois,  and  stopped  in  Alton  one 
year,  then  purchased  a  farm  in  Chouteau  township  and  en- 
gaged in  farming,  in  which  he  continued  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  May  4th,  1866.  He  married  Lavina  Mc- 
Carty.  She  died  March  1st,  1834,  leaving  two  sons,  William 
M.  and  Henry  A.  Fahnestock.  He  subsequently  married 
Matilda  Brewer,  a  native  of  the  same  county  as  himself  in 
Pennsylvania.  She  still  survives  her  husband,  and  at  pres- 
ent is  a  resident  of  the  county.  By  the  latter  marriage  there 
were  ten  children,  eight  of  whom  are  living.     John  T.  is   I 


the  third  in  the  family.  He  was  born  September  24th,  1838. 
He  was  reared  upon  the  farm  and  received  a  fair  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  his  neighborhood.  He  remained  at 
home  until  the  spring  of  1859,  when  in  company  with  four 
others,  he  went  to  Pike's  Peak  in  search  of  gold.  After  a  short 
sojourn  there,  he  was  convinced  that  a  longer  residence  at  the 
Peak  would  be  unprofitable.  He  accordingly  returned 
home  the  following  fall,  and  there  remained  until  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  late  war,  when  with  patriotic  devotion  to  his 
country,  whose  liberties  were  threatened  by  armed  force,  he 
enlisted  under  the  first  call  for  75,000  troops.  He  became  a 
member  of  Co.  I  9th  Regt.  Ills.  Vols.  The  regiment  was 
stationed  at  Cairo,  Illinois,  where  it  remained  the  greater 
portion  of  its  time  of  enlistment.  After  the  expiration  of 
his  term  of  service  he  returned  home  sick,  the  result  of  be- 
ing unused  to  camp  life,  and  change  of  water  and  climate. 
After  he  had  recovered  from  his  illness,  he  enlisted  for  three 
years  in  Co.  K  of  the  10th,  Kegt.  He  entered  as  a  pri- 
vate, and  passed   through  the  different  grades   to  Orderly 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


3G9 


Sergeant,  a  position  he  held  for  two  years.  In  186-t,  he  was 
promoted  and  commissioned  First  Lieutenant  of  Co.  K, 
and  held  that  rank  until  mustered  out  of  the  service,  the  date 
of  which  was  July  4th,  1865.  He  veteranized  with  the  regi- 
ment, December  31st,  1863,  while  the  army  was  in  Camp 
near  Rossville,  Georgia.  He  was  never  absent  from  his 
company  during  its  entire  service  except  for  a  short  time, 
when  he  was  detailed  as  Provost  Marshal,  and  at  another 
time  when  he  was  acting  Aid  de  Camp  on  the  Staff  of  Gen. 
Tillson.  He  participated  with  his  regiment  in  the  battles 
of  Island  No.  10,  and  Fort  Pillow.  Took  part  in  all  the  contests 
of  Gen.  Pope's  Army  in  moving  on  Corinth,  its  capture  and 
subsequent  pursuit  of  the  rebel  forces  to  Booneville,  the 
Atlanta  Campaign,  and  then  went  with  Sherman's  forces  in 
their  memorable  "March  through  Georgia  to  the  Sea." 
He  returned  home  at  the  close  of  the  war,  and  engaged  in 
different  occupations  until  L.  W.  Moore,  was  elected  Sheriff 
of  Madison  county,  when  he  was  appointed  deputy,  and  held 
the  position  for  two   years.     When  James   T.   Cooper   was 


elected  Sheriff  he  was  appointed  to  a  like  position,  which  he 
held,  for  eight  years.  In  1880,  he  was  nominated  for  the 
office  of  Sheriff  by  the  Republican  party  in  convention  as- 
sembled, and  in  the  ensuing  election  in  November,  was 
elected  by  a  handsome  majority,  and  is  now  serving  the  peo- 
ple in  that  capacity.  In  his  administration  he  has  been  effi- 
cient and  vigilant,  and  has  faithfully  executed  the  mandates 
and  orders  of  the  courts,  and  has  labored  to  uphold  the 
dignity  of  the  laws  he  has  sworn  to  execute  and  obey.  On 
the  8th  of  November,  1866,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Angelica  Boyd,  daughter  of  James  Boyd.  She  is  a 
native  of  Edwardsville.  Three  children  have  been  born  to 
them.  Their  names  are,  Alvin  E.,  Mattie  L.,  and  Nellie  B. 
Fahnestock.  Captain  Fahnestock  is  an  honorable  member  of 
the  order  of  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  member  also  of  the  K.  of  P.  In 
politics  he  is  a  staunch  and  active  Republican.  His  first 
presidential  vote  was  cast  for  Abraham  Lincoln  in  1860, 
and  from  that  time  to  the  present  he  has  not  wavered  in  his 
support  of  that  political  organization. 


370 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


<^y^.  (^/r(^:^.^i- 


William  M.  T.  Springer,  (deceased,)  the  second  son 
of  John  and  Elizabeth  Springer,  was  born  on  section  thirty, 
town  five,  range  eighty,  in  Madison  county,  Illinois,  August 
31,  1828.  He  was  reared  upon  the  farm  and  attended  the 
public  schools  of  his  neighborhood,  and  was  therein  fitted 
for  entrance  in  McKendree  College,  at  Lebanon,  Illinois, 
which  he  attended  during  1848  and  a  part  of  1849,  when 
his  health  becoming  impaired  he  returned  to  the  farm.  In 
the  spring  of  1850  he  in  company  with  some  of  his  neigh- 
bors fitted  out  teams  and  went  overland  to  California,  where 
he  remained  mining  until  the  summer  of  1851,  when  he  re- 
turned home  and  resumed  the  occupation  of  farming. 

In  the  spring  of  1852  in  connection  with  his  brothers, 
Thomas  O.  and  L.  C.  Springer,  he  erected  a  sawmill  on  section 
30,  town  5,  range  8,  in  Madison  county,  Illinois,  of  which 
he  took  the  principal  management  until  about  the  year  1875 
when  he  sold  his  farm  and  removed  to  Edwardsville.  Here 
he  engaged  in  the  business  of  hardware,  farm  machinery, 
etc.  In  1855  he  was  elected  School  Treasurer  of  town  5, 
range  8,  and  served  continuously  as  such  until  April, 
1876.  He  was  married  to  Margaret  J.  Barber,  daugh- 
ter of  Rev.  John  Barber,  formerly  of  Madi.son  county, 
Illinois,  January  7,  1857.  By  this  union  there  were 
born  six  children  to  wit:  Lizzie  T.,  Thomas  W.,  Jennie 
E.,   Mary  E.,   Josie   L.,    and    William   B.,  all    of    whom 


are  still  living  except  Lizzie  T.,  who  died  in  infancy. 
Politically  Mr.  Springer  was  originally  an  old  line  Whig, 
but  on  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party  he  joined 
its  ranks  and  continued  until  his  death,  an  active  member 
of  that  organization.  Both  he  and  his  estimable  wife  were 
active  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church  of  Salem.  He  was 
Superintendent  of  and  an  active  worker  in  the  Sabbath- 
school  at  that  place. 

Mr.  Springer  was  a  man  of  generous  impulses,  strict  in- 
tegrity, and  pure  moral  character,  a  kind  and  loving  hus- 
band and  father.  In  all  official  positions  to  which  he  was 
called,  either  civil  or  religious,  he  performed  his  duties  with 
honor  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  the  community  in  which 
he  resided.  He  was  a  member  of  the  order  of  A.  F,  and 
A.  M.,  R.  A.  M.,  and  also  member  of  the  Knights  of  Honor. 

In  the  latter  years  of  his  life  he  was  affected  with  asthma- 
tic or  bronchial  troubles,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1881,  started 
on  a  trip  to  Colorado,  for  the  benefit  of  his  health.  At 
Lawrence,  Kansas,  he  stopped  to  visit  a  sister,  where  he  was 
taken  ill  and  died  October  9,  1881.  His  remains  were 
brought  to  Edwardsville,  and  interred  in  Woodland  ceme- 
tery. His  demise  was  generally  felt  in  the  business  and  social 
circles  of  Edwardsville,  and  his  memory  is  held  in  great  es- 
teem by  hosts  of  friends  who  knew  him  as  an  upright 
Christian  man. 


HISTORY  OF  3f  AD  IS  ON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


371 


^C^/f/3r 


James  R.,  was  the  son  of  James  and  Ann  Brown,  and 
was  born  in  Bedford,  England,  January  24,  1836.  At  the 
age  of  fifteen  he  left  his  native  country  and  emigrated  to 
America.  He  went  direct  to  St.  Louis,  and  in  1853  came  to 
Edwardsville,  Illinois,  and  here  made  his  home  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  after  a  long  and  painful  illness,  April 
30,  1882.  He  learned  the  printer's  trade,  and  June  1856 
started  a  weekly  newspaper  in  Edwardsville,  called  the 
Madison  Enquirer.  Disposing  of  the  paper  by  sale  he  worked 
at  the  case  until  Aug.  11, 1858,  and  then  in  connection  with 
Theodore  Terry  issued  the  first  number  of  The  Madison 
Press.  He  soon  afterward  sold  his  interest  to  his  partner. 
In  October  1862  he  started  and  issued  the  first  number  of 
th"6  Edwardsville  Intelligencer,  of  which  paper  he  was  sole 
editor  and  [iroprietor  until  his  death.  As  a  newspaper  man 
Mr.  Brown  was  eminently  successful.     He  had  learned  every 


detail  of  a  country  printing  office,  and  was  not  only  a  good 
artistic  printer,  but  combined  with  it  good  executive  ability 
and  management.  He  was  a  good  ^vriter,  and  excelled  as  a 
paragraphist.  He  belonged  to  the  positive  order  of  men, 
and  therefore  never  hesitated  to  condemn  that  which  he 
deemed  to  be  wrong.  This  trait  of  character  sometimes  led 
him  to  be  unusually  severe.  When  his  friendship  and  con- 
fidence were  once  given  he  remained  constant  and  true.  He 
was  twice  married,  first  to  Mrs.  Sophia  W.  Cox,  a  daughter 
of  JIajor  Purcell  of  this  county.  The  marriage  occurred 
Aug.  24, 1858 ;  she  died  May  9, 1871.  On  the  28th  of  May, 
1874,  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  he  married  Miss  Matilda 
Wolf,  daughter  of  Frederick  A.  and  Caroline  Wolf,  of 
Edwardsville.  By  this  union  one  child,  a  son,  named  James, 
Jr.,  was  born.  He  died  July  15,  1879,  while  yet  iu 
infancy. 


372 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Ci^y?^ 


c/^^-Ci^tykJ- 


The  present  efficient  Circuit  clerk  of  Madison  county  is 
a  native  of  Hessen  Darmstadt,  Germany,  born  July  6, 1836. 
His  parents  were  Adam  and  Cliarlotte  (Frankenstein)  Daech. 
His  father's  family  consisted  of  five  children,  only  two  of 
whom  are  now  living,  William  and  Frank,  in  Edwardsville. 
In  1844,  Adam  Daech  emigrated  to  America,  locating  in 
St.  Louis,  and  subsequently  sent  for  his  family,  who  arrived 
about  1858.  He  died  in  Missouri,  in  1860,  and  his  wife,  the 
mother  of  William  Daech,  died  in  Edwardsville,  in  1863. 

William  Daech  received  his  education  in  the  common 
and  high  schools  of  his  native  province.  At  the  age  of  six- 
teen he  left  his  home  and  emigrated  to  the  West  Indies, 
where  he  became  overseer  of  a  large  sugar  plantation. 
While  there  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ann  pjlizabeth 
Wright,  a  lady  of  English  birth.  He  remained  in  charge 
of  the  plantation  until  1861,  when  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  landing  in  New  York  city  ou  the  4th  day  of  July,  in 
that  year.  From  thence  he  came  to  Kirkwood,  Missouri, 
where  his  mother  was  then  residing.  After  a  few  mouths' 
stay  in  Missouri,  he  moved  to  Edwardsville,  Illinois,  Janu- 
ary 1, 1862,  and  accepted  a  clerkship  in  the  distillery  of 


Ritter  &  Hunicke,  which  position  he  held  until  the  failure 
of  the  firm.  He  was  also  clerk  in  Phillip's  mill,  and  for  a 
time  engaged  in  teaming  between  Alton,  Edwardsville  and 
St.  Louis.  Upon  the  election  of  H.  Kuhlenbeck,  in  1868, 
to  the  office  of  Circuit  clerk,  Mr.  Daech  was  made  a  deputy 
in  his  office.  From  December  of  that  year,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  three  years  as  office  deputy  of  sheriff  Cooper,  he 
continued  as  clerk  or  deputy  in  the  circuit  clerk's  office  until 
August  1879,  at  which  time  he  received  the  nomination  of 
County  Treasurer,  and  was  defeated  by  a  small  majority. 
In  1880,  he  was  elected  to  the  Circuit  clerkship,  which  posi- 
tion he  at  present  occupies.  Politically,  Mr.  Daech  is  a 
staunch  Republican  He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church, 
and  was  the  first  clerk  of  that  society  in  Edwardsville.  His 
wife  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  United  Ancient  order  of  Druids  and  the 
United  order  of  Foresters. 

Mr.  Daech  has  reared  a  family  of  six  children—  Minnie, 
deceased  wife  of  Herman  E.  Wolf,  died  November  11, 
1880 ;  William  A.,  Frank  J.,  Edward,  Frederick  and  John 
H.,  residing  at  home. 


RESTAURANT    AND     PROPERTY    OF  FRANK    STENZEL    ED 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


373 


Major  THOS.  J.  ^EWSHAM. 

The  subject  of  tlie  Ibllowiug  biographical  sketch  is  a 
native  of  Preston,  Lancashire,  Englantl.  He  was  born  Nov. 
1st,  1832.  He  is  the  eldest  sou  of  James  and  Ann  Parkin- 
sou  Newshara.  His  parents  emigrated  to  America  in  the  fall 
of  1840.  James  Newsham  had,  however,  made  a  trip  to 
America  as  early  as  1817,  and  remained  here  until  1821, 
when  he  returned  to  England,  and  brought  his  ftiraily  here 
at  the  time  above  mentioned.  They  landed  at  New  Orleans, 
and  came  up  the  river  to  Harrisonvllle,  in  Monroe  county, 
Illinois,  and. soon  after  Mr.  Newsham  purchased  land  iu 
Prairie  Da  Long,  and  engaged  in  farming,  in  which  he  con- 
tinued until  his  death,  the  date  of  which  was  October,  1845. 
His  wife,  the  mother  of  Thomas,  died  in  1844.  After  the 
death  of  his  father,  young  Newshara  went  to  St.  Ljuis,  and 
apprenticed  himself  to  John  F.  Mitchell  to  learn  the  car- 
penter trade.  After  serving  two  years  he  worked  under 
instructions  for  another  year.  Four  months  later  his  indus- 
try and  desire  to  excel  earned  for  him  the  position  of  fore- 
man of  the  shop  At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  com- 
menced business  for  himself.  One  of  his  first  contracts  was 
the  ereciion  of  the  Convent  market-house.  He  remained  in 
St  Louis  until  1850,  then  came  to  Edwardsville.  Here  he 
worked  for  a  short  time  at  his  trade,  under  the  direction  of 
other  parties,  but  so  m  commenced  business  for  himself,  in 
which  he  continued  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  at 
which  time  he  and  Capt.  J.  G.  Robinson,  under  the  call  for 
75,000  troops,  organized  a  company  of  one  hundred  and 
sixteen  men,  and  tendered  their  services  to  the  government. 
On  the  22d  of  April,  18(51,  they  were  taken  to  Springfield, 
where  they  were  organized  into  a  company  of  eighty-four 
men,  which  was  known  as  Co.  I,  of  the  9t.h  Regiment  of 
Illinois  Infantry.  Mr.  Newsham  was  elected  1st  Lieut.,  and 
commissioned  April  25th,  1861.  The  9th  regiment  was  or- 
ganized at  Camp  Yates,  and  soon  after  received  orders  to 
proceed  to  St.  Louis  to  guard  the  Arsenal,  but  before  the  con. 
summation  of  that  order,  were  ordered  to  Cairo,  Illinois,  to 
protect  it  against  a  threatened  attack  by  the  rebel  forces 
gathered  at  Columbus,  Kentucky.  Company  I  was  sent 
up  the  river  to  protect  a  battery  which  had  command  of  the 
river  above  Cairo. 

On  the  25ih  of  May,  18G1,  Lieut.  Newsham  was  appointed 
and  commissioned  Adjutant  of  the  regiment.  Company  I 
remained  in  support  of  the  battery  ijutil  the  expiration  of 
their  term  of  service,  and  were  mustered  out,  July  24th, 
1861,  and  mustered  into  the  three  years'  service,  July  26th, 
two  days  later.  Lieut.  Newsham  was  mustered  in  as  Adju- 
tant of  the  regiment,  and  remained  with  it  until  Sept.  4th, 
1861,  when  he  was  detached,  and  appointed  Acting  Assistant 
Adjutant  General  of  the  Expeditionary  forces  that  captured 
Paducah,  Ky.;  Sept-  5th  following.  On  the  9th  of  Sept 
1861,  he  was  appointed  Acting  Assist.  Adjutant  General  on 
the  staff  of  Major-General  C  F.  Smith,  and  on  the  5th  of 
October  following  was  comaiissioned  by  the  President  as 
Assist.  Adj't  General  of  Volunteers,  with  the  rank  of  Cap- 
tain, and  ordered  to  report  to  Gen.  Smith  for  duty.  He 
remained  upon  the  staff  of  Gen  Smith  until  after  the  battle 
48 


and  capture  of  Fort  Donelson,  and  battle  of  Shiloh  or  Pi'ts- 
burg  Landing,  Tenn.  On  the  14th  of  April,  1862,  he  resigned 
his  position  on  account  of  ill  health.  His  resignation  was  ac- 
cepted by  Gen.  Grant,  and  a])proved  conditionally — those 
conditions  were  promotion.  He  returned  home,  sick,  and 
remained  at  home  until  he  had  in  a  measure  regained  his 
health.  In  the  summer  of  1802,  under  the  call  for  600,000 
additional  troops,  he  assisted  in  raising  the  117th  regiment, 
and  up)n  organization  was  elected  and  commissioned  Major, 
the  date  of  which  was  Sept.  I'Jth,  1862.  He  remained  with 
the  regiment  until  Dec.  20th,  1862,  when  he  was  detached 
and  took  command  of  the  Detachments  at  Fort  Pickering, 
Tenn.  The  many  honorable  positions  and  commands  he 
held  during  the  late  war,  are  best  told  in  the  followirg 
which  is  copied  from  the  records  on  file  in  the  War  Depart- 
ment at  Washington,  and  to  which  is  attached  the  highly 
complimentary  letter  of  Gen.  Sherman,  General  of  the 
Army : 

"With  Regiment  at  Cairo,  Illinois  .mil  Padiicali,  Ky ,  7ih  Sept. 
1861.  Asst.  Adj.  Gen.  on  Stall'  of  Gen.  C.  F.  Smith,  to  April  14th, 
1SG2.  Out  of  service  until  Sept.  19th,  1862.  With  Regiment  in  the 
Army  of  Tennessee,  to  Dec.  20th,  1862.  CommanJing  Delaehments 
at  Fort  Pickering,  Tenn.,  to  January  13ih,  IS63.  Act.  .Asst.  Inspector 
Gen.  at  Columbus,  Ky.,  to  Aug.  19ili,  1863.  Gen.  Picket  officer,  5th 
Div.,  IGlli  Army  Cor|).s,  to  Oct.  20th,  1863.  Commanding  Provisional 
Encampment  at  Fort  Pickering,  Tenn.,  to  April  13th,  1S64,  when  he 
resigned." 

Signed,  Thomas  M.  Vincent, 

Asst.  Adjt.  Gen. 
To  Gen.  Sherman,  Gen.  of  the  Army. 

The  following  is  the  letter  to  Major  Newsham  : — 

"  Headquarters  or  Army. 
Washington,  D.  C,  July  19ih,  1876. 
The  above  most  honorable  record  is  official,  and  I  take  great  plea- 
sure, in  adding  that  I  remember  Major  Newsham  well,  when  he  was 
on  the  Staff  of  Major  Gen.  C.  F.  Smith,  and  hereby  certify  that  he  was  _ 

held  in  high  esteem. 

W.  T.  Sherman,  Central." 

Major  New.«ham  retains  as  mementoes  and  souvenirs 
of  the  war,  many  letters  and  orders,  which  in  a  measure 
serve  to  keep  alive  the  memories  of  the  past,  and  call 
vividly  to  the  mind  the  many  incidents  and  perils  connected 
with  the  years  of  the  war,  which  were  the  most  eventful  of 
his  life.  It  may  he  said  of  him  that  he  was  the  trusted  and 
confidential  aid  and  comrade  of  men  who  then  and  since 
have  grown  great,  and  who  have  added  a  page  to  the  world's 
history.  He  was  selected  by  Gen.  Grant  as  bearer  of  des- 
patches from  Headquarters  to  Washington.  In  every  posi- 
tion which  he  was  called  upon  to  fill,  he  did  his  whole 
duty,  and  earned  the  commendation  of  his  superior  officers. 
His  health  failing  him  again,  he  was  compelled  to  re- 
sign, and  seek  rest  at  home.  His  resignation  bears  date 
April  13th,  1864.  He  was  afterward  cammissioned  Colonel 
of  the  1st  Regiment  Florida  Cavalry,  but  owing  to  his  con- 
tinued ill-health,  was  compelled  to  decline  that  flattering 
mark  of  honor  and  confidence.  This  closed  the  record  of 
Maj.  Newsham's  military  service.     That  he  was  a  brave  and 


374 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUXTY,    ILLINOIS. 


gallant  soldier,  the  records  and  many  commendatory  letters 
(if  his  superior  ofiicers  amply  testify.  Alter  his  retnrn  home, 
and  as  soon  as  his  health  would  permit,  he  re-eiigaged  in 
contracting  and  building,  and  has  t'ullowed  that  business  to 
the  present. 

On  the  7ih  of  Nov.  18.58,  he  was  united  in  raarrirtge  to 
Miss  Mary  Jane,  daughter  of  Judge  H.  K.  Eaton,  now  de- 
ceased. iShe  was  born  in  Edwardsville,  Sept.  28th,  1838. 
Four  children  have  been  born  to  them.  One  sou  and  three 
daughters.  The  son  died  in  infancy.  The  names  of  the 
daughters  are  :  Caroline  A  ,  who  is  the  wife  of  John  W. 
Sanncr,  a  prominent  farmer  of  Shelby  county.  111. ;  Matilda 
Alice  and  Mary  Elizabeth  are  yet  beneath  thg  parental  roof, 
Mrs.   >i'ewshain  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church.     ^lajor 


Newsham  is  a  member  of  the  order  of  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  and 
was  made  a  mason  in  England  in  1854,  in  the  Lodge  pre- 
sided over  by  the  Earl  of  Zetland,  and  now  by  the  Prince 
of  Wales. 

Politically  he  was  originally  a  member  of  the  Whig  party, 
lu  1860,  he  voted  for  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  from  that  time 
to  the  present,  has  been  a  Republican.  In  his  habits  he  is 
temperate,  and  an  advocate  of  prohibition.  He  has  been 
identified  with  every  temperance  movement  started  in  Ed- 
wardsville since  1850.  In  his  manners  he  is  a  pleasant  and 
agreeable  gentleman,  and  in  the  community  where  he  has 
long  resided,  is  regarded  as  an  honorable  man  and  a  good 
citizen. 


■cQ^-^j^S^^- 


THE    CITY    OF    ALTON. 


,HE  first  settlement  on  the  site  of  the 
present  city  of  Alton,  seem-j  to  have 
been  made  about  the  year  1783,  by  a 
Frenchman  named  Jean  Baptiste  Car- 
dinal. The  evidence  of  this  rests  on  the 
report  made  in  1813,  by  the  Board  of 
Commissioners  appointed  to  examine  the 
claims  for  land  within  the  district  of 
Kaskaskia.  The  Commissioners  state 
that  about  thirty  years  previous  Cardi- 
nal lived  at  Piasa,  five  or  six  leagues  above  Cahokia,  that  he 
there  built  a  house  and  resided  with  his  family,  but  was 
taken  prisoner  by  the  Indians,  when  his  family  were  obliged 
to  abandon  their  frontier  location  and  retire  to  the  village 
of  Cahokia  There  was  no  proof  before  the  Commissioners 
that  he  had  placed  any  land  under  cultivation.  Cardinal 
appears  to  have  conveyed  his  claim  in  the  year  1793  to  John 
Edgar,  then  a  prominent  and  wealthy  citizen  of  Kaskaskia, 
who  was  largely  interested  in  the  land  speculations  of  the 
time.  The  deed  was  witnessed  by  La  Violette  in  September, 
lTi)5,  and  acknowledged  before  William  Morrison  five 
months  afterward.  Cardinal  affixed  his  mark  to  the  deed, 
but  Edgar,  to  show  the  fairness  of  the  transaction,  produced 
a  letter  from  Cardinal,  dated  July,  1795,  ofiering  Edo-ar  the 
land,  which  letter  was  signed  by  Cardinal  himself  in  a  very 
good  hand.  These  facts  made  the  Commissioners  suspicious 
of  the  transfer,  and  they  recommended  that,  should  the 
claim  (for  a  tract  of  land   four  arpents  in  front  by  forty  in 


depth)  be  confirmed  by  congress,  "  the  confirmation  be  to 
the  said  Cardinal,  or  his  legal  representatives,  as  the  title 
papers  of  the  said  John  Edgar  appear  not  to  be  regular." 
It  is  altogether  probable  that  the  Piasa  where  Jean  Baptiste 
Cardinal  made  this  settlement  in  1783  was  on  ground  now 
covered  by  the  city  of  Alton.  While  five  or  sis  leagues 
fdll  short  of  the  real  distance  from  Cahokia,  a  matter  of  not 
so  much  importance  when  we  cDnsider  the  inaccurate  way  in 
which  distances  were  computed  at  that  time,  still  there  could 
scarcely  have  been  any  other  Pjasa  than  at  the  locality 
where  was  depicted  upon  the  rocks  the  famous  Piasa  bird, 
an  object  of  great  interest  to  the  French  from  their  first  ex- 
ploration of  the  countr.v,  and  the  story  of  which  was  one  of 
the  most  familiar  of  the  Indian  legends.* 

*The  figures  of  the  Piasa  bird  were  painted  on  the  face  of  th' 
rocky  bliiff,  just  above  the  city.  They  are  first  referred  to  by  Mai 
quette,  who  descended  the  Mi.-wissippi  in  the  summer  of  1673.  He 
says :  ''As  we  coasted  along  rocks  frightful  for  their  height  and  length, 
we  saw  two  monsters  painted  on  one  of  the  roek«,  which  startled  us  at 
first,  and  upon  which  the  boldest  Indicin  dare  not  gaze  long.  "They 
are  as  large  as  a  calf,  with  horns  on  the  head  like  a  deer,  a  frightful 
look,  red  eyes,  bearded  like  a  tiger,  the  face  somewhat  like  a  man's, 
the  body  covered  with  scales,  and  the  tail  so  long  that  it  twice  makes 
the  turn  of  the  body,  passing  over  the  head  and  down  between  the  leg?, 
ending  at  last  in  a  fish's  tail.  Green,  reJ  and  black  are  the  colors 
employed.  On  the  whole  the.se  two  monsters  are  so  well  painted  that 
we  could  not  believe  any  Indian  to  have  been  the  designer,  as  good 
painters  in  France  would  find  it  hard  to  do  as  well.  Besides  this  lliev 
are  painted  so  high  upon  the  rock  that  it  is  hard  to  get  conveniently  at 
them  to  paint  them."     Traces  of  these  figures  were  visible  till  some 


HISTORY   GF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


375 


la  the  year  1807  there  was  one  small  stone  buililiiig  to 
mark  the  site  of  the  present  city.     It  was  near  where  the 

time  after  1S40.  The  face  of  the  blufl'  on  which  they  were  depicted, 
lias  uow  been  quarried  away. 

The  tradition  connected  with  this  rock  existed  among  all  the  abori- 
ginal inhabitant-iof  the  West.  No  Indian  passed  up  or  down  tlie  river 
without  discharging  bis  arrow  at  the  painting,  and  after  the  Indians 
became  accustomed  to  lire-arms  bullets  were  substituted  for  arrows. 
Tlie  marks  of  ten  thousand  bullets  were  on  the  clifl".  Sometimes 
the  Indians  left  their  canoes  and  proceeded  to  the  bluffs  where  they  held 
a  .solemn  war  council,  concluding  the  whole  with  a  splendid  war  dance, 
manilisiing  all  tlie  while  the  most  exuberant  joy  in  the  recolleclion  of 
their  deliverance  from  this  great  mon-^ter. 

Tlie  legend  of  the  Piasa  is  told  as  follows  :  "  Many  thousand  moons 
before  the  arrival  of  the  pale  faces,  when  the  great  raegalouyx  and 
mastodon  whose  bones  are  now  dug  up  were  still  in  this  land  of  green 
prairies,  the  numerous  and  powerful  n.ation  called  the  Illinois,  inhabi- 
ted the  state  which  now  bears  their  name,  over  the  greater  portion  of 
which  their  hunting  grounds  extended.  For  many  years  they  con- 
tinued to  increase  in  numbers  and  prosperity,  and  were  deemed  the 
bravest  and  most  warlike  of  all  the  tribes  of  the  great  valley.  At 
length  in  their  most  populous  districts  near  the  residence  of  their 
greatest  chief,  there  appeared  an  enormous  animal,  part  beast,  and 
part  bird,  which  took  up  its  abode  on  the  rock  and  banqueted  daily 
upon  numbers  of  the  people,  whom  it  bore  off  in  its  immense  talons. 
It  was  covered  with  scales  of  every  possible  color,  and  had  a  huge  tail, 
with  a  blow  of  which  it  could  shake  the  earth.  From  its  head  which 
was  like  the  head  of  a  fox,  with  the  beak  of  an  eagle,  projected  im- 
mense horns,  and  its  four  feet  were  armed  with  powerful  claws,  in  each 
of  which  it  could  carry  a  buflalo.  The  flapping  of  its  enormous  wings 
was  like  the  roar  of  thunder,  and  when  it  dived  into  the  riverit  threw 
the  waves  far  up  on  the  land.  To  this  animal  they  gave  the  name  of 
the  bird  of  the  Piasa,  or  bird  of  the  evil  spirit  (according  to  some, 
"  the  bird  which  devours  men).  In  vain  did  the  Medicine  men  use  all 
their  power  to  drive  away  this  fearful  visitor.  He  would  be  satisfied 
with  nothing  but  human  flesh,  and  day  by  day  the  tribe  diminished  to 
feed  hia  insatiable  appetite.  Whole  villages  were  desolated,  and  con- 
sternation spread  through  all  the  tribes  of  the  Illinois. 

At  length  Owatoga,  a  chief  whose  fame  as  a  warrior  extended  even 
beyond  the  great  lakes,  separating  himself  from  the  rest  of  his  tribe, 
fasted  in  solitude  for  the  .space  of  a  whole  moon,  and  prayed  to  the 
Great  Spirit,  the  Master  of  Life,  that  he  would  protect  his  children 
from  the  Plasa.  On  the  last  night  of  his  fast  the  Great  Spirit  ap- 
peared to  him  in  a  dream,  and  directed  him  to  select  twenty  of  his 
warriors,  each  armed  with  a  bow  and  pointed  arrows,  and  conceal  them 
in  a  designated  spot.  Near  the  place  of  their  concealment  another 
warrior  was  to  stand  in  open  view  as  a  victim  for  the  Piasa,  which  they 
must  shoot  the  instant  he  pounced  on  his  prey.  When  the  chief 
awaked  in  the  morning  he  thanked  the  Great  .Spirit,  returned  to  his 
tribe,  and  told  his  dream.  The  warriors  were  quickly  selected  and 
placed  in  ambush.  Owatoga  offered  himself  as  the  victim,  willing  to 
die  for  his  tribe;  and  placing  himself  in  open  view  of  the  bluff,  he 
soon  saw  the  Piasa  perched  on  the  cliff  eyeing  his  prey.  Owatoga  drew 
up  bis  manly  form  to  its  utmost  height ;  and,  placing  his  feet  firmh- 
upon  the  earth,  began  to  chant  the  death-song  of  a  warrior.  A 
moment  after,  the  Piasa  rose  in  the  air,  and  swift  as  a  thunderbolt, 
darted  down  upon  the  chief.  Scarcely  had  he  readied  his  victim 
when  every  bow  was  sprung,  and  every  arrow  sjjcd  to  the  feather  into 
bis  boily.  The  Piasa  uttered  a  wild,  fearful  scream,  that  resounded 
far  over  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  expired.  Owatoga  was 
safe.  Not  an  arrow,  not  even  the  talons  of  the  bird  had  touched  him  ; 
for  the  Master  of  Life,  in  admiration  of  his  noble  deed,  had  held  over 
him  an  invisible  shield.  The  tribe  now  gave  way  to  the  wildest  joy, 
and  held  a  great  feast  in  honor  of  the  event,  and  to  commemorate  it, 
painted  the  figure  of  the  bird  on  the  side  of  the  rock  on  whose  sum- 
mit the  chieftain  stood.'' 


railwaj'  depot  now  stands,  and  was  used  by  the  French  as  a 
place  for  trading  with  the  Indians.  It  was  constructed  of 
loose  rock,  without  mortar,  and  its  roof  was  a  covering  of 
elm  bark.  The  early  American  settlers  could  not  tell  how 
long  it  had  been  standing,  and  it  i.s  possible  that  here  may 
have  been  the  original  location  of  Jeau  Baptiste  Cardinal. 

FOUNDATION  OF  THE  TOWN  BY  COL.  EUFUS  E.iSTON. 

The  first  to  recognize  the  advantages  of  the  site  of  Alton 
as  the  place  for  a  flourishing  town  seems  to  have  been  Col. 
Rufus  Easton,  of  the  neighboring  territory  of  Missouri. 
He  was  born  at  Litchfield,  Connecticut,  on  the  fourth  of 
May,  1774  ;  studied  law  in  Connecticut,  and  after  practicing 
\\\i  profession  a  couple  of  years  in  Oneida  county,  New 
York,  came  to  St.  Louis  in  the  year  1804.  He  enjoyed  the 
friendship  of  Gideon  Granger,  Aaron  Burr,  and  other  influ- 
ential men  of  that  day,  and  through  their  influence  was 
commissioned  by  President  JeflTerson,  Judge  for  the  terri- 
tory of  Louisiana.  In  the  year  1808  the  first  post  office 
wa^  established  in  St.  L)uis,  and  Rufus  Easton  was  appoint- 
ed postmaster.  From  ISH  to  I8l8  he  was  delegate  in 
Congress  from  Missouri  territory.  On  the  organization  of 
the  state  government  of  Missouri  in  1821,  he  was  appointed 
attorney  general  for  the  State,  and  held  that  office  till  1826. 
He  died  at  St.  Charles,  Jlissouri,  on  the  fifth  of  July,  1834. 
He  had  fine  executive  and  administrative  ability.  His  son, 
Alton  Rufus  Easton,  whose  Christian  name  was  given  to 
Alton,  commanded  a  regiment,  known  as  the  St.  Louis  Le- 
gion, in  the  Mexican  war,  and  is  still  a  resident  of  St. 
Louis. 

Col.  Easton  obtained  possession  of  land  in  the  vicinity, 
and  early  in  the  year  1817  laid  out  a  town  which,  in  ftonor 
of  his  son,  Alton  R.  Easton,  he  called  Alton.  It  is  also 
said  that  Langdon,  George  and  Alby  streets  were  named 
after  some  of  his  children.  The  town  was  laid  out  on 
fractional  sections  eleven  and  fourteen,  of  township  five 
north,  range  ten  west.*     The  old  town  plat,  or  Easton's 

^  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  lands  included  in  the  limits 
of  Alton,  showing  when  and  by  whom  each  quarter  and  fracliimal 
section  was  entered,  together  with  the  number  of  acre^  in  each. 
These  lands  are  comprised  in  sections  eleven  and  twelve,  and  frac- 
tional sections  ten,  thirteen  and  fourteen,  all  in  township  five  north 
and  range  ten  west  of  the  third  principal  meridian  : 

S.  E.  quarter  section  eleven,  containing  100  acres,  was  entered  by 
Andy  Donegan,  August  19,  1814.  S.  W.  quarter  section  twelve,  con- 
taining ItJO  acres,  was  entered  by  Andy  Donegan,  August  19,  1814. 
Fractional  section  thirteen,  containing  278.V  acres,  was  entered  by 
Andy  Donegan,  August  19,  1814.  Fractional  section  fourteen,  con- 
taining 93. l-')  acres,  was  entered  by  Andy  Donegan,  August  19,  IS14. 
N.  E.  and  N.  W.  quarters  section  twelve,  containing  .320  acres,  were 
entered  by  Lester,  and  Easton,  legal  representative  of  John  Lester, 
.  December  14,  1814.  S.  E.  quarter  secti<m  ten,  containing  29.13  acres, 
was  entered  by  heirs  of  Babo,  April  2-5,  1815.  N.  E.  quarter  section 
eleven,  containing  1G(J  acres,  was  entered  by  Wil.iam  Russell,  .\pril 

27,  181-^.  S.  W.  quarter  section  eleven,  containing  154  28  acres,  was 
entered  by  William  Russell,  April  27,  1815.  N.  W.  quarter  .section 
ten,  containing  29.13  acres,  was  entered  by  Dennis  Valentine,  April 

28,  1815.  East  half  S.  E.  quarter  section  12,  containing  80  acres,  was 
entered  by  James  Smith,  September  27,  1816.  West  half  ,S.  E.  quar- 
ter section  twelve,  containing  80  acres,  was  entered  by  James  Smith, 


37G 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Alton,  extended  from  Market  street  on  the  west  to  Henry 
street  on  the  east,  and  iroin  the  river  north  to  Ninth  street- 
The  firrft  step  which  C.)l.  Edston  took  towards  building  up 
the  town  was  tlie  establishment  of  a  ferry.  As  early  as  the 
year  1806  a  f<rrry  was  in  existence  on  the  Mississippi,  just 
above  the  mouth  of  Wood  river,  conducted  by  Eli  Lang- 
ford,  who  carried  passeng-TS  to  the  opposite  shores  of  both 
the  Miseissippi  and  the  ilissouri.  A  man  by  the  name  of 
Piper  had  a  ferry  across  the  Mississippi  at  the  mouth  of 
Hop  Hollow,  above  the  site  of  Alton.  This  ferry  afterward 
came  into  the  possession  of  Michael  Squire  and  a  man 
named  Smeltzer,  and  at  the  time  the  town  of  Alton  was 
founded  was  known  as  Smeltzer's  ferry  For  much  of  the 
time  the  landing  place  on  the  Illinois  side  was  several  miles 
above  Alton.  Sjneltzer  built  a  brick  house  on  the  Missouri 
side  witli  brick  ma<le  on  the  Illinois  side  of  the  river.  This 
house  gave  the  name  to  the  "  Brick  House  Bend,"  and  was 
in  existence  till  1SG6,  in  August  of  which  year  it  fell  down. 
Smeltzer  was  a  great  miser.  He  was  accustomed  to  ride 
with  a  tow-string  bridle.  Once  when  sick  he  told  his 
brother-in  law  that  he  had  a  barrel  of  silver  dollars  buried, 
but  died  finally  without  telling  where  the  money  was 
hidden. 

In  opposition  to  Smeltzer  a  man,  in  the  interest  of  Col. 
Easton,  established  at  Alton  a  ferry,  which  he  called  the 
Fountain  Ferry.  The  landing  place  was  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Little  Piasa,  or  as  the  ferry-man  called  it,  "Fountain 
Creek."  It  is  likely  that  the  name  of  "Fountain"  was 
given  to  the  creek  and  ferry  on  account  of  the  well-known 
cave  (or  fountain)  spring  in  wliich  the  cave  has  its  source. 
A  few  log  cabins  were  soon  afterward  built,  one  of  which 
was  used  as  a  ferry  house  to  accommodate  travelers  cross- 
ing the  river  at  this  point. 

The  first  year  gave  the  town  no  brilliant  promise  of  fu- 
ture growth.  Its  conditi  iii  in  the  year  lrfl8  is  thus  por- 
traytd  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  Lippincctt :  "In  a  few  days 
after  my  arrival  in  St.  Louis  I  was  employed  for  a  little 
while  to  do  some  writing  for  Rufus  Easton,  Esfj.  One  of 
the  jobs  executed  by  me  for  hira  was  making  a  fair  copy  of 
a  plat,  or  map,  of  Alton,  a  town  which  he  had  laid  out  the 
previous  year,  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  in  Illinois. 
The  map  was  designed  for  exhibition  in  the  East  in  order 
to  aflect  the  sales  of  lots.  I  took  some  pains  to  make  it 
look  well,  and,  I  believe,  gave  satisfaction.  After  a  few 
months  spent  by  me  as  clerk  in  a  store,  Col.  Easton  pro- 
posed to  me  that  I  should  take  a  stock  of  goods,  in  partner- 
ship with  him,  and  keep  a  store  at  Alton  or  neighborhood, 
and  accordingly  I  became  a  resident,  as  before  said,  in  Illi- 

September  27,  1816.  N.  W.  quarter  section  eleven,  containing  160 
acres,  viraa  entered  by  Bufus  Easton,  September  30, 1816.  N.  E.  quar- 
ter section  ten,  containing  149.60  acres,  was  entered  by  Abraham 
Prickett,  July  IS,  1817.  By  reason  of  tbe  diagonal  course  of  the 
streets  it  is  difficult  to  give  the  e.\act  boundaries  of  tliese  sections. 
Section  eleven  includes  the  central  p.art  of  the  incorporation  north  of 
a  line  drawn  east  and  we.^t  through  the  intersection  of  Market  and 
Sixth  streets.  Fractional  section  fourteen  is  immediately  souih  of  it, 
including  the  business  blocks.  Section  twelve  is  east  of  eleven,  frac 
tional  section  ten  immediately  west  of  it,  while  fractional  siction 
thirteen  is  east  of  fourteen  and  south  of  twelve. 


nois — now  become  a  State — on  the  first  of  December,  1818. 
It  wa?  not  in  Alton  that  my  store  was  opened.  Alton  was 
in  embryo.  When  Col.  Easton  brought  me  first  in  his  gig 
to  see  the  place,  there  was  a  cabin  not  far,  I  think,  from  the 
southeast  corner  of  the  penitentiary  wall,  or  corner  of  State 
and  Short  streets,  occupied  by  the  family  of  a  man  whom 
the  Colonel  had  induced  to  establish  a  ferry  in  competition 
with  Smeltzer's  ferry,  a  few  miles  above.  I  have  forgotten 
the  name  of  this  ferryman,  but  his  habitation  was  about  as 
primitive  and  unsightly  as  I  had  seen  anywhere.  I  do,  not 
think  he  was  overworked  by  the  business  of  his  ferry  at 
that  time,  for  the  old  east  and  west  road  passed  north  and 
out  of  sight  of  the  Fountain  Ferry,  and  it  was  not  easy  to 
persuade  travelers  to  try  the  new  one,  even  if  they  ever 
heard  of  it,  which  was  probably  rather  seldom." 

At  a  very  early  day  a  cabin  was  built  on  Shields'  branch 
by  James  Shields  who  lived  in  it  a  number  of  years.  From 
this  circumstance  the  creek  received  its  name. 

Hunter's  Spring,  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Second  and 
Spring  streets,  is  said  to  have  been  discovered  in  1804  by 
James  Preuitt  and  James  Stockden,  who  at  the  time  were 
living  on  the  bluft',  below  what  is  now  known  as  Alton  junc- 
tion. On  a  hot  Sunday  in  summer,  taking  their  rifles  they 
traveled  up  the  river  to  explore  the  country.  Becoming 
thirsty  at  noon  they  followed  up  a  small  stream  till  they 
came  to  its  source  in  the  rocks,  and  there  discovered  the  fa- 
mous spring,  since  known  as  Hunter's  spring. 

Near  this  spring  in  1811  a  man  named  Price  was  killed 
by  the  Indians.* 

In  the  year  1818  William  G.  Pinckard,  William  Heath  and 
Daniel  Crume  settled  on  ground  now  comprised  within  the 
city  of  Alton.  Pinckard's  and  Heath's  families  each  consist- 
ed of  a  wife  and  one  child,  and  Crume  was  their  brother-in- 
law.  They  emigrated  from  Springfield,  Ohio,  and  arrived 
at  what  is  now  known  as  Bozzatown  on  Shields'  branch,  on 
tbe  loth  of  October,  1818.  Four  weeks  were  occupied  in 
makitig  their  journey.  On  their  way  westward  they  occa- 
sionally met  emigrants  eastward  bound  who  declared  that  if 
they  (the  Pinckard  party)  went  to  Alton  they  would  all  die> 
as  the  country  was  very  unhealthful  and  the  "  graveyard  of 
the  West.  "  On  their  arrival  at  Shields'  branch  they  took 
possession  of  a  "  half-faced  "  camp,  as  it  was  called,  in  which 
the  whole  party  lived  for  nearly  two   months.     The  room, 

*  In  the  latter  |iart  of  ISIO  Price  and  Colter  built  a  log  cabin 
on  the  hill  above  the  spring  and  cleared  a  small  tract  of  land  in  the 
bottom.  Near  the  fame,  June  20, 1811 ,  they  were  in  the  field  at  work. 
Price  hoeing  corn.  Colter  was  plowing  ;  they  discovered  two  Indians 
approaching.  Price  said  "  I  will  go  to  the  cabin  and  get  the  gun.  " 
The  Indians  came  up  pretending  to  be  very  friendly,  the  larger  one 
gave  his  hand  to  Price,  at  the  same  time  seizing  the  gun  and  holding 
Price  while  the  other  Indian  ran  up  behind  Price  and  shot  him  in  the 
back,  being  so  near  that  the  powder  burned  a  hole  in  his  shirt  as  large 
as  a  person's  hand.  Colter  seeing  what  was  going  on  mounted  his 
hor.^^e  to  escape  but  received  a  shot  in  the  leg.  He  succeeded  in  giv- 
ing the  alarm.  Solomon  Preuitt  and  two  of  his  brothers  with  others 
gave  pursuit  until  coming  into  the  heavy  timber  in  Wood  River  bot- 
tom, night  coming  on  they  gave  up  the  pursuit.  The  ne.xt  day  they 
found  that  the  Indians  had  taken  refuge  under  a  large  tree  that  had 
been  blown  d  )wn  and  escaped. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


377 


which  was  about  sixteen  feet  square,  had  a  clap-board  roof 
with  a  hole  in  it  through  which  the  smoke  of  the  fire  escap- 
ed. About  one-half  of  the  floor  was  cos'ered  with  punch- 
eons, while  the  balance  served  as  kitchen  and  fire-place. 
Here  was  spent  some  of  the  coldest  and  most  disagreeable 
weather  of  that  winter.  Soon  after  their  arrival.  Major 
Charles  W.  Hunter,  proprietor  of  what  was  afterward  called 
Hunterst>wu,  made  an  offer  of  town  lots  to  the  party  if 
they  would  establish  a  pottery  ou  his  land.  The  proposi- 
tion was  partially  agreed  to,  and  Pinckard  and  his  comrades 
built  a  cabin  of  rouud  logs  on  Shields'  branch,  about  one 
hundred  yards  above  where  the  covered  bridge  now  stands. 
It  had  only  one  room,  sixteen  feet  square,  with  hewed 
puncheon  floor,  clap-board  roof,  and  was  chinked  and 
daubed.  Into  this  comfortable  cabin  the  families  moved 
one  week  before  Christmas,  1818.  For  some  days  previous 
the  weather  had  been  very  cold.  Ou  Christmas  day  the 
men  found  a  fine  bee  tree  on  the  branch,  and  the  honey 
contributed  greatly  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  festivities  of  the 
day. 

During  the  winter  of  1818-19  William  G.  Pinckard 
and  Daniel  Crume  made  a  contract  to  build  a  house  for 
Col.  Eiston.  This  house  was  built  of  hewed  oak  logs.  It 
had  two  large  rooms  with  one  open  space  between  them 
over  which  a  roof  was  thrown.  This  bouse  was  long  the 
stopping-place,  or  hoel,  of  the  villago  of  Alton.  For  many 
years  it  was  occupied  by  Thomas  G.  Hawley.  It  stood 
near  the  corner  of  Second  and  Piasa  streets,  and  when  torn 
down  in  1868  the  logs  were  found  to  be  as  sound  as  when 
placed  in  position.  Some  of  these  logs  came  into  the  pos- 
session of  H.  G.  McPike,  and  are  now  in  a  small  building 
erected  on  his  premises  as  a  memento  of  the  early  days  of 
Alton. 

Although  small  cabins  had  been  erected  previously  this 
was  the  first  structure  which  could  be  called  a  house  built 
upon  the  site  of  the  city  of  Alton. 

In  1819  William  T.  Pinckard,  assisted  by  Crume  and 
Heath,  built  for  Major  Hunter,  a  frame  house  which  was  the 
first  frame  building  erected  in  Hunterstown.  This  house 
stood  on  Second  street. 

About  four  hundred  yards  above  the  bridge  over  Shields' 
branch,  Pinckard,  Heath  and  Crume  built  a  large  log  cabin 
intending  to  start  a  pottery,  but  their  plan  was  not  carried 
into  execution.  The  cabin  remained  in  at)  unfinished  con- 
dition, and  for  many  years  afterward,  in  fact  as  late  as  1830 
or  1831,  was  used  in  warm  weather  as  a  meeting-house  for 
the  Methodists.  William  Heath  built  a  cabin  for  himself  on 
Shields'  branch,  just  below  the  covered  bridge  in  which  he 
lived  till  August,  1829,  when  his  wife  died. 

Joel  Finch  became  a  resident  of  Alton  in  1819.  He  was 
a  carpenter  and  began  building  houses.  During  the  year 
1819  he  built  a  house  for  Major  Hunter,  in  which  Hunter 
moved  the  same  year,  and  in  which  his  wife  died  not  many 
months  afterward.  In  this  year  a  row  of  small  teaements 
was  built  under  the  brow  of  the  bluff,  extending  along  where 
Second  street  now  is,  west  of  Piasa. 

In  order  to  induce  travelers  to  come  by  the  Fountain 
fjrry,  a  road  was  necessary  to  Alton  from  the  old  town  of 


Milton,  in  the  forks  of  Wood  river ;  and  it  was  found  indis- 
pensable to  build  a  bridge  over  Shields'  Branch.  A  frame 
bridge  was  accordingly  built  by  Joel  Finch,  under  contract 
with  Col.  Easton,  who  agreed  to  pay  him  two  hundred  dol- 
lars at  the  store  of  Thomas  Lippincott  in  Milton.  This 
bridge  was  constructed  very  near  the  site  of  the  present 
covered  bridge,  and  the  original  was  succeeded  by  one  or 
two  structures  of  a  similar  kind,  at  or  about  the  same  place, 
before  the  bridge  which  now  spans  the  Branch  was  erected. 
At  first  the  road  wound  partly  through  the  bottom,  but  was 
soon  made,  as  now,  along  the  slope  of  the  bluff. 

There  were  about  this  time  (1819)  two  families  residing 
between  Wood  river  and  Alton.  Ou  a  farm  adjoining  Wood 
river,  the  Widow  Meacham  had  resided  from  a  date  pre- 
vious to  the  war  of  1812.  Near  Alton  lived  James  Smith, 
whose  daughter  became  the  wife  of  Jubilee  Posey,  one  of 
the  pioneer  settlers  in  the  neighborhood  of  Troy. 

In  the  columns  of  the  Edwardsville  Spectator  of  the  18th 
of  April,  1820,  appears  the  following  advertisement.  The 
buildings  referred  to  are,  doubtless,  those  we  have  already 
mentioned  to  have  been  erected  during  the  year  1819  by 
Joel  Finch  and  Pinckard,  Crume  and  Heath  :  "The  sub- 
scriber has  just  finished  large  and  commodious  buildings, 
suitable  for  public  entertainment,  in  the  town  of  Alton,  on 
the  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  near  Fountain  ferry,  on  the  main 
road  to  Boone's  Lick  and  Salt  river.  lie  is  disposed  to  let 
them  on  moderate  terms,  when  suited  with  a  tenant.  From 
its  local  situation,  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  its  becoming  one 
of  the  best  stands  in  the  State.  CiiAS.  W.  Hunter." 

In  the  same  number  of  the  Spectator,  Matthias  P.  Ringer 
&  Co.  advertise,  that  "  Any  quantity  of  good,  unslacked 
lime  may  be  had  for  25  cents  per  bushel  at  Alton,  on  the 
Mississippi,"  from  which  it  would  seem  that  the  manufac- 
ture of  lime  was  begun  in  this  vicinity  at  an  early  day. 

On  the  same  page  of  the  same  paper  is  a  notice,  dated 
February  23d,  1820,  in  which  Eneas  Pembrook  calls  the 
attention  of  the  traveling  public  to  the  fact  that  "The  sub- 
scriber has  caused  the  roads  leading  to  and  from  Fountain 
ferry  to  be  put  in  good  repair  ;  and  he  has  an  excellent  set 
of  boats  and  hands."  Lest  travelers  "  be  not  misled  nor 
otherwise  delayed,"  he  gives  the  following  directions  :  "  On 
leaving  Milton  for  the  river,  keep  the  left  hand  road  to  the 
foot  of  the  bluff.  It  is  level  and  dry.  lu  travelling  to  the 
east,  from  St.  Charles  to  the  State  of  Illinois,  take  the  right 
hand  road,  when  you  get  within  about  a  mile  of  Smeltzer's, 
where  you  will  observe  the  marks  of  a  sign  board  knocked 
down.  In  passing  this  way,  you  will  not  be  ddained  by 
high  ^vinds." 

In  connection  with  the  fact  th  .t  Smeltzer  was  running  a 
ferry  in  competition  farther  up  the  river,  the  rea.son  for 
these  directions  is  very  obvious.  Pembrook  adds,  that  ho 
also  keeps  a  tavern  at  the  ferry  for  the  accommodation  of 
travelers.  Whether  this  Eneas  Pembrook  was  the  same 
person  who  started  the  Feuntain  ferry  in  1817,  it  is  impos- 
sible to  ascertain. 

Bjck's  Gazetteer  of  Illinois  and  Mis-souri,  written  in  1821, 
thus  speaks  of  Alton :  "  Alton,  although  yet  small,  pos- 
sesses natural  advantages  rarely  equaled.     Situated,  as  it  is, 


378 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


at  the  junction  of  three  large  and  navigable  rivers;  possess- 
ing a  fine  and  commodious  harbor  and  landing  for  boats  at 
all  seasons  of  the  year  ;  surrounded  by  a  fertile  country, 
rapidly  settling,  it  bids  fair  to  become  a  populous,  wealthy, 
and  commercial  town." 

The  superior  advantages  of  the  town  came  to  be  recog- 
nized by  some  of  the  leading  men  of  the  state,  who  obtained 
possession  of  a  claim  to  the  land  on  which  the  town  had 
been  laid  out  adverse  to  that  of  Col.  Kiifus  Easton.  Among 
the  opponents  of  Easton  were  such  men  as  Niniau  Edwards, 
(the  territorial  governor),  and  Nathaniel  Pope,  who  for 
many  years  sat  on  the  bench  of  the  United  States  District 
Court.  Easton  had  the  wealth,  legal  talent  and  experience 
of  influential  adversaries  to  contend  with.  Meanwhile,  as 
no  clear  and  undisputed  title  to  property  could  be  given, 
persons  who  would  have  become  purchasers  were  driven 
away,  no  permanent  improvements  were  made,  and  the 
town  languished.  This  difficulty  was  final'y  compromised 
by  a  division  of  the  land.  Among  the  portion  allotted  to 
Edwards,  Pope,  and  their  associates,  were  some  blocks  in 
the  northeastern  part,  now  partly  included  in  what  is  called 
Middletown. 

By  an  act  of  the  State  Legislature,  in  session  at  Vanda- 
lia,  approved  February  loth,  1S27,  Shadrach  Bond,  Wil- 
liam P.  McKee,  and  Gershom  Jayne,  were  appointed 
commissioners  to  select  and  procure  a  suitable  site  for 
a  penitentiary  on  the  Mississippi  river,  at  or  near  Alton, 
in  Madison  county.  They  were  directed  to  see  that  the  title 
be  secure,  and  were  authorized  to  cause  the  erection  of 
buildings  with  the  necessary  cells,  guard  houses,  work 
shops  and  other  apartments.  The  funds  for  defraying  the 
cost  of  the  building  and  other  expenses  were  to  be  obtained 
from  one-half  the  proceeds  of  the  sales  to  be  made  by 
James  Caldwell,  the  commissioner  appointed  to  sell  certain 
lands  within  the  Saline  reserve  of  Gallatin  county.  Dur- 
ing the  summer  of  IS'ii)  the  commissioners  selected  about 
seven  acres  on  the  bluff  which  William  Russell  ceded  as  a 
site  for  the  penitentiary.  The  contract  for  erecting  the 
building  was  let  by  the  Board  of  Inspectors  to  a  man 
named  Ivory,  who  brought  on  some  mechanics  and  worked 
on  the  building  for  some  time,  but  by  reason  of  some  mis- 
fortune, failed,  and  left  the  country.  The  contract  was 
then  re-let  to  Joel  Finch,  who  completed  the  wood  work, 
and  to  Laurence  Stone,  who  constructed  the  masonry. 
Work  was  begun  late  in  the  year  1830,  but  little  was  done 
till  the  following  spring,  when  the  construction  of  the  build 
ing  was  rapidly  carried  forward. 

In  June,  1828,  biock  one,  bounded  by  Front,  Second, 
Alby  and  Market  streets,  was  purchased  from  William 
Russell,  who  had  succeeded  to  the  interest  of  Col.  Rufus 
Easton,  by  Gershom  Flagg,  who  a  few  days  afterward  sold 
a  portion  of  the  block  to  William  Miller,  who  had  recently 
moved  from  Edwardsville.  Mr.  Miller  occupied  the  ferry 
house,  kept  a  small  grocery,  and  acted  as  agent  for  William 
Russell,  who  resided  in  St.  Louis  and  visited  Alton  at  occa- 
sional intervals. 

On  the  21st  of  August,  1829,  Beal  Howard  and  Charles 
Howard  arrived   in  Alton.    They  came   from    Maryland. 


There  was  at  that  time  an  old  frame  building  on  a  portion 
of  the  ground  now  occupied  by  the  mill  of  D.  R.  Sparks  & 
Co.,  which  had  been  previously  used  by  some  old  Indian 
traders.  This  building  in  1829,  and  for  .some  time  after- 
ward, was  occupied  by  Winthrop  S.  Gilman  as  a  ware- 
house. It  was  subsequently  replaced  by  one  larger  and 
more  substantia  ly  built  of  stone,  which  was  the  base  of 
operations  for  the  firm  of  Godfrey,  Gilman  &  Co.,  so  widely 
and  favorably  known  among  the  early  business  men  of  Al- 
ton. Beside  this  old  frame  house  and  the  ferry  house, 
there  were  only  a  few  log  cabins  to  constitute  the  old  town. 
These  cabins  had  been  inhabited  occajionally  by  transient 
residents  for  ten  years  previous.  Corn  was  growing  on  a 
portion  of  the  land  between  the  Little  Piasa  and  the  bluff, 
and  on  the  north  and  east  there  was  a  heavy  growth  of  tim- 
ber. Along  the  slope  of  the  bluff  wild  grape  vines  grew 
luxuriantly,  while  in  the  forest,  east  of  the  creek,  the  un- 
derbrush was  so  dense  that  the  river  could  scarcely  be  seen 
ten  rods  distant.  In  Hunterstown  resided  Major  Charles 
W.  Hunter,  and  a  few  others,  among  whom  were  a  man 
named  Taylor  and  his  sons-in-law.  Oiler  and  Million.  Of 
these  last,  their  chief  occupation  and  delight  was  bee-hunt- 
ing, and  they  certainly  feasted  on  corn-bread,  milk  and 
honey.  They  were  not  of  that  class  of  men  who  yield 
gracefully  to  the  requirements  of  civilization,  and  it  was  not 
long  before  they  sought  wider  freedom  in  a  location  farther 
out  on  the  frontier. 

In  the  year  1829  a  frame  building  was  erected  on  the  site 
of  the  present  Presbyterian  church  on  Market  street.  The 
workmen  were  brought  from  St.  Louis.  It  was  two  stories 
high,  about  thirty  feet  in  length,  and  was  occupied  by  Beal 
Howard  as  early  as  November,  1829.  This  is  said  to  have 
been  the  first  frame  dwelling  on  the  original  town  site.  lu 
September,  1829,  Gershom  Flagg  sold  the  east  half  of 
block  one  to  Charles  Howard,  who  on  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  block  put  up  a  small  log  dwelling.  It  stood 
just  opposite  the  place  occupied  afterward  so  many  years  by 
the  Alton  House.  In  1829,  a  few  days  after  the  arrival  of 
the  Howards,  a  Mr.  Jlintony  became  a  resident  of  the  town. 
He  purchased  a  piece  of  ground,  about  two  roods  in  extent, 
west  of  the  Little  Piasa  creek  and  south  of  where  Third 
street  now  is,  for  the  sum  of  one  hundred  dollars.  Upon 
this  ground  he  built  a  steam  saw  mill,  which  stood  a  littl' 
way  east  of  the  present  machine  shop  of  George  D.  Ha; 
den.  After  running  this  mill  about  two  years,  Mr.  Mintoi  _ 
sold  it  to  Ninian  Edwards.  It  then  came  into  the  manage- 
ment of  J.  S.  Lane,  a  son-in-law  of  Gov.  Edwards,  who 
leased  it  for  a  time  to  Don  Alonzo  Spaulding,  who  had  pre- 
viously resided  some  years  in  the  vicinity  of  Edwardsville. 
With  the  exception  of  a  cooper  shop,  carried  on  by  William 
Miller,  this  was  the  first  step  in  the  way  of  establishing 
manufactories  in  Alton. 

PROSPEROUS  GROWTH. — 1831-36. 
The  vigorous  and  healthy  growth  of  the  town  began  in 
the  year  1831.     The  previous  year  a  few  permanent  settlers 
were  added  to  the  place,  but  in  1831  the   tide  of  immigra- 
tion began  to  flow  in  more  strongly,  mercantile  houses  were 


HISTORY   OF    MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


379 


established,  and  several  important  business  enterprises  set 
on  foot.  Among  those  who  came  that  j-ear  were :  Samuel 
Avis,  Edward  Bliss,  Robert  M.  Dunlap,  Dr.  William  Emer- 
son, Mr.  Fleshman,  Stephen  Griggs,  Benjamin  I.  Oilman, 
William  Haydcn,  Elijah  Hayden,  A.  C.  Hankinson,  Jona- 
than T.  Hudson,  William  Manning,  Mark  Pierson,  Jacob 
D.  Smith,  and  Samuel  Wade. 

Edward  Bliss  erected  a  frame  building  and  opened  a  gen- 
eral store  in  the  spring  of  1831.  This  store  was  at  the  north 
side  of  Second  street  west  of  Little  Piasa  creek.  William 
Manning,  a  former  resident  of  Boston,  who  arrived  in  Alton 
April,  1»31,  soon  afterward  opened  a  store  on  Second  street, 
opposite  the  present  city  hall.  For  several  years  he  kept 
the  largest  stock  of  goods,  and  had  the  most  extensive  trade 
of  any  of  the  Alton  merchants.  He  was  assisted  in  the 
store  by  his  brother-in-law,  Samuel  Avis,  and  by  Mark 
Pierson.  He  died  in  October,  1855.  Mr.  Fleshman  was  a 
merchant  of  considerable  means,  and  for  some  "time  was 
actively  engaged  in  making  building  improvements.  He 
erected  a  two-story  brick  store,  the  first  substantial  mercan- 
tile building  in  the  place.  It  stood  on  the  south  side  of 
Second  street,  west  of  the  Pia.>^a,  and  was  destroyed  by  fire. 
Early  in  the  year  1831,  Elijah  Hayden  purchased  from 
William  llussell  the  land  from  where  the  present  building 
of  Topping  Bros,  now  stands,  to  one  lot  west  of  State  street, 
and  from  the  levee  north  to  Third  street.  This  purchase 
included  the  Fountain  ferry  privilege.  He  disposed  of  a 
large  portion  of  the  tract  of  ground  for  as  much  as  he  had 
paid  for  the  whole,  and  then  turned  his  attention  to  the  ferry 
which  had  been  discontinued  for  several  years.  He  had  a 
fine  opportunity,  as  the  boat  at  Smelter's  ferry  had  sunk, 
and  the  emigration  to  Missouri  and  points  westward  was 
very  heavy.  He  went  to  work  with  energy,  and  put  tlie 
ferry  in  good  order,  securing  a  fine  boat,  horses,  and  fixtures. 
Under  his  management  the  Fountain  ferry  became  a  source 
of  profit  to  the  owner  and  a  benefit  to  the  town.  At  times 
the  throng  of  emigrants  was  so  great  that  many  were  com- 
pelled to  camp  out  and  await  their  turn.  A  horse  boat  was 
first  used  which  was  afterward  replaced  by  one  propelled  by 
steam.  After  running  the  ferry  three  or  four  years  Mr. 
Hayden  sold  the  boat  and  ferry  privilege  to  Eli  and  Isaac 
J.  Foster.  Subsequently  the  ferry  was  kept  in  operation 
only  at  intervals  till  its  permanent  establishment  in  recent 
years. 

Dr.  William  S.  Emerson  was  the  pioneer  of  the  medical 
profe.ssiou.  He  was  the  first  physician  to  locate  in  the  town. 
His  professional  attainments  were  superior,  while  toward 
every  one  he  manifested  a  kind  and  gentlemanly  demeanor 
which  gained  him  the  good-will  and  respect  of  the  commu- 
nity. He  was  a  member  of  the  town  Board  of  Trustees  as 
early  as  1834  ;    in  a  few  years  he  returned  to  the  East. 

Jonathan  Trumbull  Hudson  was  the  first  lawyer  who 
opened  an  office  in  Alton.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first 
Board  of  Trustees  of  the  town,  of  which,  except  in  the  year 
1834,  he  was  president  during  the  four  or  five  years  of  his 
residence  in  that  place.  In  1832  he  built  a  two  story  dwell- 
ing near  the  corner  of  Second  and  Henry  streets.  He  had 
fine  natur.il  abilities  and  a  good   education.     His  manners 


were  genial,  and  he  was  well  fitted  to  become  a  popular  and 
successful  leader.  Thomas  G.  Hawley  and  Andrew  Miller 
had  become  residents  of  the  place  previous  to  the  year  1831. 
The  Rev.  John  M.  Peck  in  his  "  Guide  for  Emigrants  " 
written  in  1831  thus  spoke  of  Alton  as  it  was  at  that  date  : 
"Lower  Alton  is  thought  by  many  to  present  superior 
advantages  for  commerce  and  business  to  any  other  spot  ia 
the  State.  It  is  at  the  place  where  the  curve  of  the  Missis- 
sippi penetrates  the  farthest  into  the  interior  of  Illinois. 
It  is  within  one  mile  of  the  mouth  of  the  great  Missouri, 
sixteen  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois,  and  at  the 
junction  where  the  business  and  commerce  of  the  wide- 
spread regions  of  the  northeast,  north,  and  northwest,  must 
arrive.  The  great  road  from  all  the  northern  portions  of 
Illinois,  and  from  the  counties  that  extend  along  the  eastern 
side  of  the  Illinois  river,  in  the  direction  of  St.  Louis,  and 
the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  passes  through  this  place.  The 
Legislature  of  Illinois,  at  its  last  session,  memorialized  Con^ 
gress  to  have  the  great  National  Road,  now  being  constructed 
through  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illinois,  to  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment in  Missouri,  pass  at  or  near  this  place  ;  and,  many  are 
sanguine  in  expectation  of  this  result.  If  it  crosses  the 
Mississippi  aioue  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  Alton  lies  direct- 
ly in  its  route.  It  has  the  best  landing  for  steamboats  on 
the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  having  a  solid  rock  of  level 
surface,  of  suitable  height,  and  to  which  boats  at  any  stage 
of  water  can  come  and  discharge  and  receive  cargoes.  It 
has  been  selected  as  the  site  of  the  state  penitentiary,  which 
is  now  building ;  and  it  is  thought  by  many  that  it  will  yet 
become  the  seat  of  government  for  ths  state. " 

This  town  is  twenty  miles  north  of  St.  Louis,  and  sixty 
miles  west  from  Vandalia.  One  of  the  finest  bodies  of  tim- 
ber in  the  state  surrounds  it  for  several  miles  in  extent. 
Bituminous  coal  of  a  good  quality  and  in  common  use  by 
the  blacksmiths,  exists  in  abundance,  and  but  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  place.  There  are  inexhaustible  beds  of  lime- 
stone of  a  gopd  quality  for  buildings,  and  easily  quarried, 
and  a  species  of  sandstone,  possessing  a  fine  grain,  which  is 
quarried  and  dressed  for  monuments  and  architectural  pur- 
poses. Here  also  is  an  abundance  of  that  peculiar  species 
of  lime  used  for  water-cement.  The  population  of  this  place 
is  rapidly  increasing,  and  improvements  are  going  on  with 
great  activity." 

"  Building  lots  sell  from  twenty  to  one  hundred  dollars, 
according  to  situation.  The  policy  of  the  principal  pro- 
prietors is  to  sell  lots  thus  low,  but  on  condition  that  good 
buildings  shall  be  erected  on  them  within  one  year,  on 
penalty  of  a  forfeiture.  A  large  number  of  these  lots  were 
sold  a  few  months  past,  subject  to  these  conditions.  This  is 
the  finest  place  on  the  river  for  building  and  repairing  steam- 
boats. Land  is  reserved  for  a  large  boat  yard,  and  a  steam- 
boat is  contemplated  to  be  built  shortly  to  run  between  this 
place  and  St.  Louis." 

'•  With  all  these  advantages  Lower  Alton  is  not  without 
its  disadvantages.  As  my  object  is  to  give  an  impartial 
statement  relative  to  this  place,  I  shall  not  pass  over  them. 
It  is  too  much  confined  for  a  pleasant  situation,  being  sur- 
rounded on  the  west  and  north  with  abrupt  hills  and  bluffs. 


380 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


As  the  business  part  of  the  town  will  necessarily  be  about 
the  river  and  the  landing,  it  will  be  a  confined  place.  The 
south  and  southeast  is  open;  but  across  the  river,  an  exten- 
sive low  bottom  stretches  up  the  Missouri  and  alonr;  the 
Mississippi.  From  these  circumstances  it  will  be  more  ex- 
posed to  fall  fevers  than  on  an  elevated  and  airy  situation. 
St.  Louis  is  within  twenty  miles — a  place  admirably  located 
and  of  great  business.  It  now  draws  a  considerable  portion 
of  the  trade  of  Illinois,  and  will  be  a  powerful  rival  to  com- 
pete with.  These  difficulties  leave  the  future  prospects  of 
the  rise  of  a  great  commercial  city  shortly  at  this  point,  a 
li  tie  problematical  at  the  present.  Still  it  is  a  place  that 
merits  the  attention  of  men  of  capital  and  business.  Three 
or  four  mercantile  houses  are  already  established,  are  erect- 
ing warehouses,  and  calculate  upon  doing  a  large  business 
in  trade  with  the  interior.  Eight  or  ten  merchants  in  the 
wholesale  and  retail  line,  and  a  suitable  number  of  mechanics 
and  manufacturers,  would  soon  determine  the  question  of  a 
commercial  town.  Mechanics  of  almost  every  trade  are 
wanted  here;  coopers  to  supply  not  only  the  demand  here, 
but  the  St.  Louis  market,  in  casks,  barrels,  and  firkins. 
Another  large  tannery,  with  shoemaking ;  one  slaughter 
house  here,  now  in  opera  ion,  will  furnish  five  hundred  hides 
yearly.  A  soap  and  tallow  chandler.  Cabinet-makers  to 
supply  the  St.  Louis  market  with  furniture.  Much  of  the 
supply  of  that  market  is  now  brought  from  Cincinnati. 
Stone  and  brick  masons,  plasterers,  carpenters,  and  joiners 
are  much  needed.  Hirdly  any  msehanic,  needed  in  a 
rapidly  increasing  country,  but  might  do  well  at  Altoti. 
We  advi  e,  however,  that  none  but  sober,  industrious,, and 
enterprising  men  come  to  Alton,  either  Upper  or  Lower. 
The  idle,  profligate,  and  the  intemperate  will  find  the  lead- 
ing men,  and  a  large  majority  of  the  people,  combined 
against  them." 

"  Lower  Alton  in  March  last  (18S1)  had  thirty-two 
families  and  one  hundred  and  seventy  souls,  to  which  there 
h;is  been  considerable  increase.  There  were  at  that  time 
one  steam  saw  mill,  one  warehouse  for  packing  beef  and 
pork,  one  carpenter,  one  wagon  maker,  one  tannery,  one 
cooper  with  six  journeymen  and  three  apprentices,  two 
brickmakers,  one  brick  mason,  one  stone  mason,  one  black- 
smith, two  shoemakers,  one  lawyer,  one  tavern  and  boarding- 
house,  and  one  retail  store  There  are  now  in  addition,  one 
penitentiary  with  warden's  house  and  offices,  mechanic 
shops,  yard,  and  twenty-four  cells  for  convicts,  three  or  four 
wholesale  and  retail  stores,  one  physician,  one  week-day 
and  Sabbath-school,  several  mechanics'  shops,  and  a  plan 
under  consideration  to  establish  a  seminary  of  learning  in 
the  immediate  vicinity.  A  steam  fl  curing  mill  is  about  be- 
ing built." 

Preparations  for  building  a  steam  flouring  mill  were  made 
during  the  autumn  of  1831  by  William  Manning.  This 
was  the  first  important  manufacturing  establishment  in 
Alton,  and  the  project  of  building  it  excited  much  interest 
among  the  citizens  of  the  town,  and  especially  among  the 
fiirmei'S  of  the  surrounding  country,  who  were  anxious  to  be 
relieved  from  the  slow  and  wearisome  process  of  having 
their  grist  ground  at  the  old  band  mills.     Work  was  cim- 


menced  at  the  mill  in  September,  1831,  but  it  was  not  com- 
pleted and  placed  in  running  order  till  the  year  1833. 
Lewis  J.  Clawson  built  the  stone  work  and  masonry.  A 
man  known  as  Boss  Lee  was  the  first  contractor  for  getting 
out  the  frame,  but  afterward  William  Hayden  superin- 
tended the  construction  of  this  part  of  the  building.  When 
the  frame  was  ready  to  be  "raised,"  invitations  to  attend 
the  raising  were  sent  to  all  the  settlements  for  several  miles 
round,  and  on  the  appointed  day  not  less  than  one  hundred 
and  fifty  men  were  present,  gathered  from  curiosity  to  see 
the  progress  of  so  great  a  work,  and  to  lend  a  helping  hand. 
In  raising  the  first  "  bent,"  the  following  poles  broke  and 
down  came  the  massive  timbers,  fortunately  without  seriously 
injuring  any  of  the  men.  After  a  few  days,  during  which 
the  damages  resulting  from  this  accident  were  repaired,  a 
still  larger  number  of  persons  assembled  to  complete  ~the 
task.  A  whole  day  of  hard  labor  was  occupied  in  getting 
into  position  three  "bents,"  or  about  one  half  of  the  two 
lower  stories.  It  was  then  found  necessary  to  procure  an 
outfit  of  building  rigging  with  which,  and  some  ten  or 
twelve  men,  the  work  of  raising  was  completed.  During 
the  latter  part  of  the  year  1831,  Stephen  Griggs  became 
associated  in  tha  enterprise  with  Mr.  Manning.  A  stock 
company  was  afterward  organized,  called  the  "Alton  Manu- 
facturing Company,"  which  was  chartered  by  the  legislature 
on  the  first  of  Fei)ruary,  1833.  In  this  Mr.  Manning  was 
a  large  stockholder.  The  other  charter  members  were 
David  R.,  Stephen,  Nathaniel,  John,  and  Thomas  Griggs, 
William  Manning,  Winthrop  S.  Gilman,  Jonathan  T.  Hud- 
son, Elijah  Lincoln,  William  Miller,  Nathaniel  R.  Cobb, 
and  Aaron  D.  Weld.  The  capital  was  fixed  at  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars,  with  leave  to  extend  to  one  hundred  thousand. 

The  building  was  four  stories  in  height,  with  a  basement 
of  stone.  It  stood  on  the  site  of  the  present  water-works. 
When  built,  the  bluft",  which  has  since  been  removed,  ad- 
joined it.  It  was  intended  to  have  a  side  track  of  the  rail- 
road (it  was  supposed  that  Alton  would  have  railroad  con- 
nection with  other  parts  of  the  state  at  an  early  day)  extend 
along  the  summit  of  the  bluflf  to  a  door  in  the  upper  part 
of  the  mill,  from  which  the  car  loads  of  grain  could  be  car- 
ried by  spouts  to  any  part  of  the  mill  desired. 

The  mill  remained  under  the  management  of  the  st 
company  for  some  years,  and  though   it  was  in   charr 
skillful  millers  and  mechanics,  and  was  run  with  ecoi 
the  profits  were  only  nominal.     It  was  afterward  leasea  . 
various  parties,  among  whom  were  a  Mr.  Olney,  George  and 
Joseph  Brown,  and  McElroy,  Tibby  &  Co.     Messrs.  S.  &  P. 
Wise  made  important  improvements,  and  ran  it  with  success 
for  some  years.     The  stock  of  the  old  incorporation  finally 
passed  int(^  the  hands  of  J.  J.  &  W.  Mitchell,  who  added  a 
distillery  and  for  sorpe  time  carried  on  a  large  milling  and 
distillery   business.      F.  J.  Shooler   was   successor   to   the 
Mitchells,  and  was  the  last  occupant.     The  ground  on  which 
the  mill  stojd  about  the  year  1863,  passed  into  the  ppssession 
of  the  city,  and  the  mill  was  taken  down  and  removed. 

Jacob  C.  Bruner,  was  postmaster  in  1832,  and  for  some 
yeai-s  subsequent  to  that  date-  William  Barrett  began  the 
dry  goods  business  in  June,  1832.     The  first  newspaper,  the 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


381 


Alton  Spectator,  was  established    in   Jaiiuarj-,  1.832,  by  Ed- 
ward Breath  and  Orlean  M.  Adams. 

In  the  "  Gazetteer  of  Illinois,"  published  by  Mr.  Peck  in 
1834,  we  find  much  of  the  matter  concerning  Alton  pre- 
viously printed  in  the  "  Guide  for  Emigrants."  The 
author,  however,  stated  in  addition  that  "  the  corporate 
bounds  extend  two  miles  along  the  river,  and  half  a  mile 
back.  The  town  plot  is  laid  out  by  the  proprietors  upon  a 
liberal  scale.  There  are  five  squares  reserved  for  public  pur- 
poses and  a  large  reservation  is  made  on  the  river  for  a  pub- 
lic landing  and  promenade.  Market  street  u  150  feet  wide, 
other  streets  are  one  hundred,  eighty,  and  sixty,  according 
to  the  situation  and  public  accommodation.  Lower  Alton 
now  contains  (July,  1834),  sixteen  stores,  several  of  which 
do  a  large  wholesale  business,  two  public  houses,  and  several 
private  boarding-houses,  mechanics  of  various  kinds,  an 
expensive  steam  tlouring  mill  with  four  run  of  stones,  owned 
by  an  incorporated  company,  and  which  cost  8-5,000 ;  a 
steam  saw  mili  in  operation  and  another  projected ;  a  boat 
yard  contemplated,  and  a  dock  for  the  repair  of  steamboats, 
and  about  one  thousand  inhabitants.  There  is  also  a  print- 
ing office  which  publishes  weekly  the  Alton  Spectator,  a 
post-office,  two  lawyers,  three  physicians,  one  settled  minister 
of  the  gospel,  and  preaching  by  Presbyterians,  Episcopal 
Methodists,  Protestant  Methodists,  and  Baptists,  each  of 
which  have  churches  organized.  The  public  buildings  are 
the  penitentiary.  It  has  the  warden's  house,  guard  house, 
twenty-four  cells,  and  a  portion  of  the  wall  erected,  and  the 
other  parts  of  the  work  are  in  progress.  A  large  stone 
ineetine-house,  with  a  handsome  spire,  has  been  erected,  and 
will  soon  be  finished  for  the  Presbyterian  church  ;  the 
Protestant  Methodists  have  erected  a  small  but  neat  stone 
chapel ;  and  the  Baptist  church  have  just  commenced  build- 
ing a  convenient  house  of  worship.  A  week-day  school, 
under  good  regulation,  and  a  large  Sabbath-school,  are 
taught  here. 

•'  Landed  property  in  and  near  the  town  has  risen  in  value 
two  and  three  hundred  per  cent,  within  three  years.  Eligi- 
ble lots  have  been  recently  sold  for  several  hundred  dollars, 
and  lots  on  the  blufl^s  back  have  exceeded  one  hundred  dol- 
lars. The  facilities  for  business  of  various  kinds  will  draw 
men  of  capital  and  enterprise  to  this  place.  The  building 
and  repair  of  steamboats  may  be  made  an  extensive  business, 
and  no  place  on  the  western  waters  offers  equal  advantages. 
"With  this  object  in  view  a  foundry  for  casting  and  making 
all  kinds  of  machinery  is  contemplated.  Large  quantities 
of  provisions  will  be  packed  here,  and  business  of  every  de- 
scription must  increase  to  an  indefinite  extent." 

Among  the  institutions  which  the  active  and  enterprising 
business  men  of  that  day  considered  essential  to  the  prosperity 
of  the  town  was  a  good  hotel,  and  on  the  12th  of  February, 
1835,  the  Alton  Hotel  Company  was  incorporated  with  a 
capital  stock  of  twenty  thousand  dollars.  The  com])auy 
designed  erecting  a  large  and  tine  building  which  would  be 
creditable  to  the  city.  The  work  was  begun,  but  when  the 
financial  crisis  of  1837  came,  like  many  other  promising 
enterprises  throughout  the  state,  the  project  was  abandoned. 
Portions  of  the  foundation  remained  for  long  years  after- 
49 


ward.  The  building  was  to  extend  from  State  streit  east  to 
Belle,  about  two  hundred  feet,  and  from  Fourth  northward 
nearly  one  hundred  feet. 

The  year  1836  was  one  of  prosperity,  and  in  the  incor- 
poration of  several  large  companies  we  have  the  evidence 
that  the  business  men  of  Alton  were  looking  confidently 
forward  to  the  rapid  growth  of  the  place,  and  its  increased 
importance  as  a  manufacturing  and  commercial  centre.  On 
the  16th  of  January,  1836,  the  "  Alton  Shot  and  Lead 
Manufacturing  Company"  was  granted  a  charter.  The 
capital  stock  was  fifty  thousand  dollars.  Jonathan  A  Town- 
send,  Benjamin  I.  Oilman,  Isaac  Prickett,  Caleb  Stone, 
Isaac  Negus,  and  Sherman  W.  Robbins  were  the  members  of 
the  Conipan)'.  On  the  18t,ii  of  January,  1836,  the  "  Illinois 
ExportingCompany  "  was  incorporated,  with  power  to  carry 
on  the  manufacture  of  ilour,  wool,  hemp,  and  other  agricul- 
tural products,  and  to  erect  the  necessary  mills  and  machi- 
nery. The  capital  stock  of  the  company  was  placed  at  one 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  Neither  of  these  incor- 
porations were  able  to  put  their  projects  into  actual  opera- 
tion. 

The  Alton  Branch  of  the  State  Bank  of  Illinois  was  esta- 
blished in  183  3,  with  Benjamin  Godfrey  president,  and 
Stephen  Briggs  cashier.  A  branch  of  the  Shawneetown 
Bank,  with  D.  T.  Wheeler  as  cashier,  was  established  the 
subsequent  year.  On  the  7th  of  February,  1836,  the  "  Al- 
ton Marine  and  Fire  Insurance  Company "  obtained  a 
charter,  and  organized  with  a  capital  stock  of  twenty  thou- 
sand dollars,  exclusive  of  premiums,  notes,  and  profits  aris- 
ing from  business.  Benjamin  I.  Oilman  was  president,  and 
E  Marsh  secretary  of  the  company. 

EFFORTS   TO   BUILD   UP   ALTON. — PROJECTED    RAILROADS. 

When  Vandalia  was  made  the  capital  of  the  state,  in 
1819,  it  was  stipulated  that  the  seat  of  government  should 
remain  there  twenty  years,  but  at  the  expiration  of  that 
period  some  other  point  might  be  selected.  In  1834  the 
Legislature  voted  on  the  question  of  the  future  capital,  and 
chose  Alton.  Afterward,  however,  in  consideration  of  other 
advantages  conferred  by  the  Legislature,  Alton  yielded  this 
honor,  and  in  1837  it  was  resolved  to  make  Springfield  the 
seat  of  government. 

A  new  state  bank  was  chartered  in  1835,  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $1,500,000,  with  power  to  increase  to  $2,500,000. 
The  principal  bank  was  at  Springfield,  with  branches  at 
other  points.  Godfrey,  Oilman  &  Co.,  of  Alton,  were  largely 
concerned  in  negotiating  for  suras  of  money  in  the  East  to 
invest  in  the  stock,  and  when  the  bank  was  organized  were 
among  the  parties  prominent  in  its  control.  The  resources 
of  the  bank  were  freely  given  in  furtherance  of  the  ambi- 
tious scheme,  then  entertained  by  the  public  men  of  Illinois, 
of  building  up  Alton  as  a  commercial  rival  of  St.  Louis. 
To  this  end  Godfrey,  Oilman  &  Co.  were  loaned  $800,000, 
with  which  to  divert  to  Alton  the  immense  trade  of  the  lead 
mines  about  Galena,  of  which  St.  Louis  was  then  in  control. 
Godfrey,  Oilman  &  Co.  bought  largely  of  lead,  and  by 
reason  of  the  competition,  the  price  of  that  commodity  ad- 
vanced directly  from  -50  to  75  per  cent.,  but  after  holding 


:3S2 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


the  lead  a  long  time  in  store  in  the  East  for  a  corresponding 
advance  in  the  market  there,  sale  had  finally  to  bs  made 
at  a  ruinous  saorifice.  To  Stone,  Manning  &  Co.,  and 
Sloo  &  Cj.,  several  hundred  thousand  dollars  were  liiie- 
wise  advanced  to  operate  in  produce,  and  with  the  same  dis- 
astrous results.  To  their  movement  is  greatly  due  the  re- 
markable, but  transient,  prosperity  of  Alton  from  1835  to 
1837. 

About  this  period  the  people  of  Illinois  entertained  vast 
schemes  of  internal  improvements,  to  be  made  at  the. cost  of 
the  state.  Of  these  expected  improvements  Alton  secured 
the  lion's  share,  though  with  the  understanding  that  she 
should  relinquish  her  claim  to  be  the  capital  of  the  state. 
The  Internal  Improvement  Act  was  passed  in  February, 
1837,  and  by  it  Alton  was  made  the  terminus  of  three  great 
lines  of  railroad. 

One,  known  as  the  Southern  Cross-road,  was  to  extend 
from  Alton  to  Mt.  Carmel,  by  way  of  Edwardsville, 
Carlyle,  Salem,  Fairfield,  and  Albion.  From  Mt.  Carmel 
it  was  expected  a  line  would  be  built  through  Indiana  to 
iS'ew  Albany,  and  there  become  connected  with  the  great 
railroad  chartered  and  surveyed  from  the  Ohio  river  to 
Charleston,  South  Caroliua  Another  was  designed  to  run 
from  Alton  to  Shawneetown,  to  diverge  from  the  Southern 
Cross-road  at  Edwardsville,  and  thence  pass  through  Le- 
banon, Nashville,  Piuckneyville,  Frankfort,  and  Equality. 
At  Lebanon  this  road  was  to  be  intersected  by  one  running 
from  Belleville  to  the  Southern  Cros.s-road.  The  third  road 
was  projected  to  run  from  Alton,  by  way  of  Hillsboro,  to  a 
central  railroad  to  extend  north  and  south  through  the  state. 
For  this  last  8600,000  was  appropriated,  and  like  liberal 
sums  to  the  other  lines. 

Less  than  three  years  witnessed  the  collapse  of  the  great 
internal  improvement  system,  leaving  an  incubus  of  debt 
upon  the  state,  and  it  was  not  till  twelve  years  afterwards 
that  the  locomotive  reached  Alton. 

ALTON  IN   1837. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1837,  Alton  had  twenty 
wholesale  stores,  thirty-two  retail  stores  and  groceries,  four 
hotels,  two  of  which  had  commodious  accommodations;  four 
large  pork-packing  houses,  and  the  shops  of  numerous  me- 
chanics. The  professions  were  represented  by  eight  lawyers, 
seven  physicians,  and  seven  clergymen.  Four  newspapers 
were  published,  the  Alton  Spectator,  the  Alton  Ttlcgraph,  the 
Alton  Observer,  and  the  Illinois  Temperance  Journal.  A 
large  temperance  society  held  monthly  meetings,  and  a  ly- 
ceum  met  once  a  week  for  the  literary  improvement  of  its 
members.  There  were  two  schools.  Five  churches  had 
been  organized,  the  Baptist,  Presbyterian,  Methodist  Episco- 
pal, Methodist  Protestant,  and  Protestant  Episcopal,  all  of 
which,  with  the  exception  of  the  last,  had  erected  conve- 
nient houses  of  worship. 

There  were  two  banks,  one  a  branch  of  the  State  Bank  of 
Illinois,  and  the  other  a  branch  of  the  Bank  of  Illinois  at 
Shawneetown.  The  value  of  the  pork  packed  and  prepared 
for  the  market  ran  up  into   hundreds  of  thousauds  of  dol. 


lars;  and  other  products  were  shipped  from  the  place  in 
large  quantities.  In  four  years  the  value  of  real  estate  liad 
risen  more  than  a  thousand  per  cent. 

The  best  locations  near  the  river  sold  at  from  three  hun- 
dred to  four  hundred  dollars  per  front  foot.  Lois  in  more 
retired  situations,  for  private  residences,  commanded  from 
twenty-five  to  one  hundred  dollars  per  foot.  The  rent  of 
stores  was  from  four  hundred  to  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  and 
of  dwelling-houses  from  two  hundred  to  six  hundred  dollars. 
Some  of  the  large  wholesale  houses  did  a  business  amount- 
ing annually  to  from  a  quarter  to  a  half  million  of  dollars. 
Seven  or  tight  steamboats  were  owned,  either  in  whole  or  in 
part,  b)'  citizens  of  the  town ;  arrivals  and  departures  oc- 
curred every  day,  and  the  river  landing  was  a  place  of 
bustle  and  activity.  Alton  commanded  a  large  proportion 
of  the  trade  of  the  Upper  Mississippi  and  Illinois  rivers,  and 
of  the  interior  country  for  the  distance  of  a  hundred  miles. 
The  National  Road,  the  great  highway  between  the  Atlan- 
tic seaboard  and  the  "  Far  West,"  already  located  as  far  as 
Vandalia,  was  expected  to  cross  the  Mississippi  at  Alton, 
according  to  the  formal  request  to  Congress  of  the  State 
Legislature;  while  the  liberal  system  of  internal  improve- 
ments devised  by  the  State  of  Illinois  contemplated  making 
Alton  an  important  railway  terminus,  and  thus  securing  to 
her  the  commercial  supremacy  of  the  Upper  Mississippi 
Valley. 

A  traveler,  who  visited  Alton  in  1837,  thus  gives  his 
impress'ons  of  the  place  : 

"  The  far-famed  village  of  Alton,  situated  upon  the  Illinois  shore, 
a  few  miles  above  the  confluence  of  the  Mi-ssissippi  and  ihe  Missouri, 
soon  rose  before  us  in  the  distance.  When  its  multiform  declivities 
shall  have  been  smoothed  away  by  the  hand  of  enterprise  and  covered 
with  handsome  edifices,  it  will,  doubtless,  present  a  fine  appearance 
from  the  water  ;  as  it  now  remains,  its  aspect  is  rugged  enough.  The 
penitentiary,  a  huge  structure  of  stone,  is  rather  too  prominent  a  fea- 
ture in  the  scene.  Indeed,  it  is  the  tirst  object  which  strikes  the  atten- 
tion, and  reminds  one  of  a  gray,  old  baronial  ca.stle  of  feudal  days 
more  than  of  anything  else.  The  churches,  of  which  there  are  several, 
and  the  extensive  warehouses  along  the  shore,  have  an  imposing 
aspect,  and  offer  more  agreeable  associations  As  we  drew  near  to 
Alton,  the  fireman  of  our  steamer  deemed  proper,  in  testimonial  of  the 
dignity  of  our  arrival,  to  let  oil"  a  certain  rusty  old  swivel,  which 
chanced  to  be  on  board;  and  to  have  witnessed  the  marvelous  fashion 
in  which  this  manoeuvre  was  executed  by  our  worthies,  would  have 
pardoned  a  smile  on  the  visage  of  Heraclitus  himself  One  lanky- 
limbed  genius  held  a  huge  dipper  of  gunpowder ;  another,  .seizing 
upon  the  extremity  of  a  hawser,  and,  severing  a  generous  fragment, 
made  use  thereof  for  wadding;  a  third  rammed  home  the  charge  with 
that  fearful  weapon  wherewith  he  poked  the  furnace;  while  a  fourth, 
honest  wight, — all  preparation  being  complete, — advanced  with  a 
shovel  of  glowing  coals,  which,  poured  upon  the  touch-hole,  the  old 
piece  was  briefly  delivered  of  its  charge,  and  the  woods,  and  shores, 
and  welkin  rang  again  to  the  roar.  If  we  made  not  our  entrance  into 
Alton  with 'pomp  and  circumstance,'  it  was  surely  the  fault  of  any 
one  but  our  worthy  fireman. 

"  The  site  of  Alton,  at  the  confluence  of  three  large  and  navigable 
streams  (allusion  is  here  made  to  the  Missi)!sippi,  Missouri  and  Illi- 
nois.— Ed.)  ;  its  extensive  back  country  of  great  fertility  ;  the  vast 
bodies  of  heavy  timber  on  every  side  ;  its  noble  quarries  of  stone  ;  ita 
inexhaustible  beds  of  bituminous  coal,  only  one  mile  distant,  and  its 
commodious  landing,  .all  seem  to  indicate  the  design  of  Nature  that 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


383 


here  should  arise  a  populous  and  wealthy  town.     Tlie  place  has  heen 
laid  off  by  it.<  proprietors  in  liberal  style;  five  squares  have  been  re- 
served for  public  purposes,  with  a  promenade  and  landing,  and  the 
coriiorate  bounds  extend  two  miles  along  the  river,  and  half  a  mile 
into  the  territory.     Yet  Alton,  with  all  its  local  and  artificial  advan- 
tages, is  obnoxious  to  objections.     Its  situation,  in  one  section  abrupt 
and  precipitous,  while  in  another  depressed  and  confined,  and  the  ex. 
tensive  alluvion  lying  between  the  two  great  rivers  opposite,  it  is  be- 
lieved, will  always  render  it  more  or  less  unhe.ilthy  ;  and  its  unenvi- 
able proximity  to  St.  Louis  will  never  cease  to  retard  its  commercial 
adv.intages.    Until  within  six  years  past,  it  could  boast  but  few  houses 
and  little  business.     Its  population  now  amounts  to  several  thousands, 
and  its  ediliees  for  bu.-iness,  private  residence,  or  public  convenience, 
are  large  and  elegant  structures.    Its  stone  churches  present  an  impos- 
ing aspect  to  the  visitor.     The  streets  are  from  forty  to  eighty  feet  in 
width,  and  extensive  operations  are  in  progress  to  render  the  place  as 
uniform  as  its  site  will  admit.     A  contract  has  been  recently  entered 
upon  to  construct  a  culvert  over  the  Little  Piasa  Creek,  which  pas.ses 
through  the  centre  of  the  town,  upon  which  are  to  be  extended  streets. 
The  expense  is  estimated  at  sixty  thousand  dollars.     The  creek  issues 
from  a  celebrated  fountain  among  the  bluffs,  called  '  Cove  Spring.' 
Alton  is  not  a  little  celebrated  for  its  liberal  contribution  to  the  moral 
improvements  of  the  day.     To  mention  but  a  solitary  inst.ance :  a  gen- 
tleman of  the  place  recently  made  a  donation  of  ten  thousand  dollars 
for  the  endowment  of  a  female  seminary  at  Monticello,  a  village  five 
miles  to  the   north;  iind   measures   are   in  progress  for  carrying  it 
into   immediate   execution.    Two   railroads  are  shortly  to  be  con- 
structed from  Alton  ;  one  to  Springfiehl,  seventy  miles  distant,  and  the 
other  to  Mount  Carmel,  on  the  Wabash.     The  stock  of  each  has  been 
mostly  subscribed, and  they  cannot  fail,  when  completed,  to  add  much 
to  the  importance  of  the  place.     Alton  is  also  a  proposed  terminus  of 
two  of  the  state  railroads,  and  of  the  Cumberland  (or  National)  road. 
''  In  the  evening,  when  the  sultriness  of  the  day  was  over,  passing 
through  the  principal  street  of  the  town,  I  ascended  that  singular  range 
of  blufls  which,  commencing  at  that  point,  extend  along  the  river,  and 
to  which,  on  a  former  occasion,  I  have  briefly  alluded.     The  ascent  is 
arduous,  but  the  glorious  view  from  the  summit  richly  repays  the 
visitor  for  his  toil.    The  withering  atmosphere  of  the  depressed,  sun- 
burnt village  at  my  feet  was  delightfully  exchanged  for  the  invigorat- 
ing breezes  of  the  hills,  as  the  fresh  evening  wind  came  wandering  up 
from  the  waters.     It  was  the  sunset  hour.     The  golden  slanting  beams 
of  departing  day  were  reflected  from   the  undulating  bosom  of  the 
river,  as  its  bright  waters,  stretched  away  among  the  western  forests, 
or  from  a  .sea  of  molten,  glittering  silver.   On  the  left,  directly  at  your 
feet,  reposes  the  village  of  Alton,  overhung  by  hills,  with  the  gloomy, 
castellated   walls  of  Ahe  penitentiary  lifting  up  their  dusky  outline 
upon  its  skirts,  presenting  to  the  eye  a  perfect  panorama  as  you  look 
down  upon  the  tortuous  streets,  the  extensive  warehouses  of  stone, 
and  the  range  of  steamers,  alive  with  bustle,  along  the  landing.     Be- 
yond the  village  extends  a  deep  forest,  while  a  little  to  the  south 
sweep  off  the  waters  of  the  river,  bespangled  with  green   islands, 
until,  gratefully  exp.-inding  itself,  a  noble  bend  withdraws  it  from  the 
view.     It  is  at  this  point  that  the  Mis.souri  disgorges  its  turbid,  heavy 
ma-ssof  waters  into  the  clear  floods  of  the  Upper  Mississippi,  hitherto 
uncheckered  by  a  stain.     At  the  basse  of  the  bluffs  upon  which  you 
stand,  at  an  elevation  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  rushes  with  violence 
along  the  crags  the  current  of  the  stream ;  while  beyond,  upon  the 
opposite  plain,  is  beheld  the  log  hut  of  the  emigrant,  couched  beneath 
the  enormous  sycamores  and  sending  up  its  undulating  thread  of  blue, 
curling  smoke  through  the  lofty  branche.s.     A  lumber  steam-jiiill  is 
also  here  to  be  seen.     Beyond  these  objects,  the  eye  wanders  over  an 
interminable  carpet  of  forest-tops,  stretching  away  till  they  form  a 
wavy  line  of  dense  foliage  circling  the  western  horizon.     By  the  aid 
of  a  glass  a  range  of  hills,  blue  in  the  distance,  is  perceived,  outlined 
against  the  sky  ;  they  are  the  bluffs  skirting  the  beautiful  valley  of  the 
Missouri." — The  Far  West;  or,  A  Tow  Beyond  the  Mountains,  by  Ed- 
MCND  T.  Flago. 


LE.\DIXG  BUSINESS  MEN  AXD  E.\RLY  CITIZENS  OF  ALTON. 

Among  the  enterprising  business  men  to  whom  Alton^ 
mainly  owed  its  early  prosperity  were  Winthrop  S.  Gil. 
man  William  Manning,  Edward  Bliss,  Mr.  Fleshraan, 
Simeon  Ryder,  Benjamin  Godfrey  Caleb  Stone,  and  A.  G. 
Sloo.  The  firms  of  Godfrey,  Oilman  &  Co.,  Stone,  Man- 
ning &  Co.,  Sloo  &  Co.,  and  H.  Miller  &  Co.  were  con- 
spicuous for  business  activity  and  for  their  efforts  to  extend 
the  trade  of  Alton.  Godfrey,  Gilman  &  Co.  transacted 
a  large  business  and  had  a  wide  reputation  through- 
out the  western  country.  Both  Mr.  Godfrey  and  Mr.  Gil- 
man  were  men  of  philanthropic  liberality,  who  deserve 
especial  mention  in  any  history  of  Alton.  The  latter  is  still 
living  in  New  York  city.  Mr.  Godfrey  died  in  1862,  but 
there  remains  to  mark  his  memory  the  most  enduring  and 
honorable  of  all  monuments — the  Monticello  Female  Sem- 
inary, erected  by  his  munificent  liberality. 

Of  the  men  who  began  business  in  Alton  previous  to  1840 
only  a  few  are  now  living.  Dr.  E.  Marsh  began  business 
in  183'2,  Arba  Nelson  in  1836,  Isaac  Scarritt  in  1837,  Rich- 
ard Flagg  in  1837,  Robert  De  Bow  in  the  autumn  of  1835, 
Thomas  G.  Starr  in  January,  1838,  (establishing  the  first 
family  grocery  in  Alton)  William  Hayden  in  May,  1831, 
and  Michael  W.  Carroll  in  1832:  all  the.se,  after  conduct- 
ing business  for  many  years,  are  now  dead.  Amasa  S. 
Barry,  who  became  a  citizen  in  1837,  and  commenced  busi- 
ness in  1842,  is  now  a  resident  of  Chicago.  Of  those  still 
living  and  now  residents  of  Alton  are  Samuel  Wade,  who 
began  the  lumber  business  in  1831;  Perley  B.Whipple, 
who  commenced  business  in  October,  1835 ;  Horatio  B. 
Bowman  in  January,  1839;  Charles  Phinney  in  18  i8  ;  J. 
W.  Schweppe,  who  came  to  Alton  in  1837,  and  began  busi- 
ness in  1840  ;  Henry  Sweetser  in  1838 ;  George  Quigley  in 
1832;  and  Elisha  L.  Dimmock,  who  began  business  in 
1838. 

The  following  are  the  names  of  persons  who  became  resi- 
dents of  Alton  previous  to  the  close  of  the  year  1840  : 


George  B.  Arnold, 
Paul  Alt, 
Moses  G.  .Vtwood, 
John  Atwood, 
John  P.  Ash, 
A.  Alexander, 
Charlei  B.  Avio, 
Stephen  Aldrich, 
Orlean  M.  Adams, 
J.acob  C.  Bruner, 
Joseph  Brarahall, 
William  Barrett, 
Simuel  G-  Bailey, 
John  Bailhache, 
iSamuel  I'ush, 
W.  A.  Beatv, 
J.  R.  Bullock, 
Edward  Breath, 
Abraham  Breath, 
Nathaniel  N.  Buckmaster, 
George  T.  Brown, 
Barney  B    Barker, 
Horatio  B.  Bowman, 
Henry  W.  Billings, 
Amasa  S.  Barry, 
David  P.  Berry, 
John  W.  Buffum, 
George  Barry, 


Elijah  P.  Lovpjoy, 
J.  Leonard, 
Henry  Lea, 
Washington  Libhy, 
William  S.  Lincoln, 
Richard  Largent, 
John  Lincoln, 
William  Lamed, 
James  H.  Lea, 
Joshua  G.  Lamb, 
Stephen  Lufkin, 
William  K.  Levis, 
Edward  Levi.s, 
Usher  F.  Linder,   : 
John  A.  Langdon, 
William  P.  Lamoihe, 
William  McCorkle, 
Dr.  Ebenezer  Marsh, 
Solomon  E.  Moore, 
William  Martin, 
Francis  B    Murdock, 
Richard  McDouald, 
Jjimes  M.  Morgan, 
Washington  T.  Miller, 
Joshua  C.  Milnor, 
Horatio  G.  McClintock, 
Robert  McFarland, 
Samuel  L.  Miller, 


384 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Horace  BulTuin, 

John  Baltertim, 

James  1).  Kurns, 

Michael  W.  Carroll, 

Benjamin  F.  Child, 

Aaron  \V.  Corey, 

Amos  L.  Corson, 

John  W.  Chickering, 

John  Chaney, 

Effingham  Cuck, 

Aaron  Corey, 

Willian.  L.  Chappell, 

Benjamin  Clitibrd, 

Thomas  Cliflbrd, 

S.  B.  Catts, 

Shadrach  R.  Dolbee, 

Hezekiah  Davis, 

Alfred  Dow, 

S.  H.  Denlon, 

Robert  De  Bow, 

Eli-ha  L.  Dimmotk, 

Wm.  A.  Davidson, 

George  T.  M.  Davis. 

Dr.  Edward  W.  Dill, 

John  Dill, 

John  Dve, 

■VVilliamF.D'Wolf, 

Dr.  Benjamin  F.  Edwards, 

Rev.  Charles  A.  Farley, 

Eli  Foster, 

Isaac  J.  Foster, 

Richard  Flagg, 

George  W.  Fox, 

Moses  Forbes, 

Charles  E.  Frost, 

E.  F.  Fitield, 

Rev.  Frederick  W.  Grf)ves, 

Z.  Guild, 

Matthew  Gillespie, 

John  Green, 

Reuben  Geary, 

James  Gamble, 

William  S.  Gaskins, 

Benjamin  Godfrey, 

Dr.  Benjamin  K.  Hart, 

Judge  Ilezekiah  Hawley, 

Charles  Hubert, 

George  Heaton, 

J.  T.  Hulton, 

John  A.  Haldeman, 

William  Harned, 

John  Ilogan, 

John  W.  Hart, 

Junius  Hall, 

Dr.  Thomas  M.  Hope, 

Charles  Hubert, 

George  Holton, 

William  A.  Holton, 

Enos  H.  Harrison, 

Johnson  (colored), 

Edward  Keating, 

John  King, 

George  Kimball, 

George  Kelley, 

John  M.  Krum, 

Samuel  H.  Kenne<Iy, 

Lewis  Kellenberger, 

W.  F.  Leonard, 

H.  G.  Van 


William  McBride, 
George  McBride, 
Andrew  Mathers, 
John  Mullady, 
Thomas  Middleton, 
John  S.  IN'oble, 
Isaac  Negus, 
Levi  Nutt, 
Arba  Nelson, 
William  R   I'ajson, 
Samuel  C.  Pierce, 
William  Pope, 
Samuel  Pitts, 
Lawson  A.  Parks, 
T.  G.  Pettingell, 
William  Post, 
Anson  B.  Piatt, 
Stephen  Pierson, 
Charles  Phinney, 
John  Quigley, 
George  Quigley, 
John  Rowe, 
Sherman  W.  Robbins, 
George  Robbins, 
Calvin  Riley, 
A.  B.  Rofi; 
John  L.Roberts, 
John  Rowe, 
Simeon  Ryder, 
Andrew  Runzi, 
Richard  Shipley, 
George  Smith, 
J.  W.  Stoddard, 
Robert  Smith, 
Thomas  G.  Starr, 
Calvin  Stone, 
Newton  D.  Strong. 
A.  G.  Sloo, 
Caleb  Stone. 
James  E.  Starr, 
James  S.  Stone, 
John  W.  Schweppe, 
Henry  C.  Sweetser, 
John  Sigerson, 
James  Semple, 
Seth  T.  Sawyer, 
Jacob  Smith, 
William  Shattuck, 
A.  R.  Skidmore, 
Charles  Trumbull, 
Thomas  G.  Thurston, 
William  Tanner, 
Henry  Tanner, 
R.  M'  Tread  way, 
E.  Trtnchery, 
Erastus  'J'opping, 
John  R.  Woods, 
Perley  B.  Whipple, 
Timothy  L.  Waples, 
Thomas  Waples, 
Thomas  P.  W'oolridge, 
John  C.  'Woods, 
George  W.  Walworth, 
George  Ij.  Ward, 
Royal  \Veller, 
Thomas  Wallace, 
Green  Walker, 
John  Van  Antwerp, 
Waggenen. 


There  are  now  forty  persons  over  seventy  years  of  age, 
who  have  residedin  Alton  more  than  thirty  years. 

THE   MURDER   OF   LOVEJOY.* 

The  most  tragic  event  that  ever  occurred  in  the  history  of 
Alton  was  the  murder  of  Elijah  P.  Lovejoy  on  the  seventh 
of  November,  1837.     This  was   the  first   important  act   in 

*  We  have  given  a  short  account  of  Lovejoy  in  the  chanter  on  the 
Press,  as  that  article  would  be  incomplete  without  such  reference. 


that  great  struggle  between  freedom  and  slavery,  which  cul" 
miuated  a  quarter  of  a  century  afterward  in  the  war  of  the 
Rebellion,  and  which  ended  iu  the  complete  triumph  of  the 
priuoiples  which  the  ardent  Lovejoy  was  among  the  first  to 
espouse. 

Elijah  ParishLovejoy,  son  of  the  R3v.  Daniel  C.  Lovejoy,  a 
Congregational  minister,  was  born  at  Albion,  Maine,  on  the 
second  of  November,  1802.  After  graduating  at  Water- 
ville  college,  he  came  to  St  Louis,  where  he  first  taught 
school,  and  then  became  the  editor  of  the  St.  Louis  Times, 
a  whig  newspaper.  Soon  afterward,  in  1832,  he  united 
■with  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  the  same  year  entered 
the  Theological  Seminary  at  Princeton,  New  Jersey,  with 
the  view  of  preparing  himself  for  the  Presbyterian  ministry. 
He  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1833,  and  returned  to  St.  Louis, 
where  i  i  November  he  assumed  editorial  charge  of  the 
St.  Louis  Observer,  a  paper  started  as  the  organ  of  the  Pres- 
byterians in  Illinois  and  Missouri.  He  soon  incurred  the 
ill-will  of  the  Roman  Catholic  residents  of  St.  Louis  by  his 
strictures  on  the  doctrines  and  practices  of  their  church,  and 
his  articles  against  slavery  which  began  to  appear  in  1835, 
excited  intense  opposition.  The  owners  of  the  press  were, 
at  one  time,  obliged  to  publish  a  card  to  allay  the  excite- 
ment and  prevent  the  mob  from  destroying  their  property. 
A  letter  was  addressed  to  Mr.  Lovejoy  by  a  number  of  the 
leading  citizens  of  St.  Louis,  and  the  minister  who  had  re. 
ceived  him  into  the  church,  who  expressed  the  opinion  that 
slavery  was  sanctioned  by  the  Bible,  and  asked  him  to  desist 
from  its  further  discussion.  This  letter  was  published  in  the 
Observer  with  a  reply  from  Mr.  Lovejoy  in  which  he  claimed 
the  right  to  print  his  honest  convictions.  His  views  at  that 
period  favored  colonization  and  gradual  emancipation.  The 
proprietors  of  the  paper  finally  requested  him  to  retire  from 
its  management.  To  this  he  cheerfully  consented.  The 
paper,  however,  was  in  debt,  and  the  owners  gave  up  the 
press  and  material  to  a  Mr.  Moore,  the  endorser  on  a  note 
soon  to  fall  due,  aul  this  gentleman  insisted  on  Livejoy's 
continuance  as  editor,  provided  the  paper  was  removed  to 
Alton.  While  making  arrangements  for  the  publication  of 
the  paper  at  Alton  he  was  invited  to  return  to  St.  Louis, 
and  there  continued  his  editorial  labors  quietly  for  some 
months.  «^^^ 

An  editorial  which  appeared  in  May,  1863,  relative  to  the 
burning  at  the  stake,  by  a  mob,  of  a  negro,  who,  while  un- 
der arrest,  had  killed  an  officer  of  the  law,  and  one  in  June 
in  severe  criticism  of  Judge  Lawless  who,  in  his  charge  to 
the  grand  jury,  had  asserted  that  the  action  of  the  mob  was 
beyond  the  jurisdiction  of  the  law,  aroused  much  feeling 
among  the  slave  holding  citizens  of  St.  Louis,  and  it  was 
deemed  adsdsable  to  at  once  ship  the  press  to  Alton.  Part 
of  the  office  furniture  was  destroyed,  by  citizens  of  St. 
Louis,  before  it  could  be  removed. 

The  press  reached  Alton  before  daylight  on  the  morning 
of  Sunday,  the  twenty- first  of  July,  1836.  Mr.  Lovejoy 
proposed  to  let  it  remain  on  the  wharf  till  Monday,  but  after 
bearing  the  curious  inspection  of  the  crowd  all  day  Sunday, 
during  the  night  it  was  broken  into  pieces,  and  cast  into  the 
Mississippi.     When  this  cowardly  act  became   known    the 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


385 


next  day,  stroug  expressions  of  disapproval  were  made  by- 
citizens  of  Alton,  and  in  the  evening  a  large  public  meeting 
was  held  in  the  Presbyterian  church,  which  was  addressed 
by  Jlr.  Lovejoy  and  other  speakers.  Mr.  Lovejoy  stated 
ihat  he  had  come  to  Alton  to  establish  a  religious  news- 
paper, that  he  was  pleased  with  the  town,  and  that,  since 
most  of  his  subscribers  lived  in  Illinois,  it  was  desirable  that 
he  should  make  it  his  future  home.  He  regretted  that  his 
presence  should  cause  so  much  excitement.  Though  an 
uncompromising  enemy  of  slavery,  he  was  not  an  "  abolition 
ist,"  and  had  been  frequently  denounced  by  Garrison  and 
others  as  being  pro-slavery,  because  he  was  not  in  favor  of 
their  measures. 

It  was  said  that  at  this  meeting  he  pledged  himself  not 
to  discuss  the  subject  of  slavery  in  h  s  paper,  but  ten  of  the 
most  respectable  citizens  of  Alton  (George  H.  Walworth, 
A.  B.  RoA;  Solomon  E.  Moore,  Effingham  Cock,  John  W. 
Chickering,  James  Morse,  jr.,  F.  W.  Graves,  W.  L.  Chap- 
pell,  J.  H.  Alexander  and  Charles  W.  Hunter,)  subse- 
quently testified  that  he  closed  his  speech  with  this  remark  ; 
"  But,  gentlemen,  as  long  as  I  am  an  American  citizen,  and 
as  long  as  American  blood  runs  in  these  veins,  I  shall  hold 
myself  at  liberty  to  speak,  to  write,  and  to  publish  whatever 
I  please  on  any  subject,  being  amenable  to  the  laws  of  my 
country  for  the  same." 

The  citizens  of  Alton  contributed  money  for  the  purchase 
of  a  new  press,  which  soon  arrived,  and  on  the  eighth  of  Sep- 
tember, 1836,  the  first  number  of  the  Alton  Observer  was  is- 
sued. Its  discussions  were  at  first  mostly  confined  to  sub- 
jects of  a  literary  and  moral  character,  and  under  the  able 
management  of  the  editor  its  circulation  soon  extended. 
But  soon  the  question  of  slavery  was  again  brought  forward, 
and  it  was  evident  that  the  views  of  Mr.  Lovejoy  had  ad- 
vanced so  far  as  to  be  in  ftivor  of  immediate  abolition.  In 
his  paper  of  the  twenty-ninth  of  July,  1837,  at  the  in- 
stance of  the  American  Anti-Slavery  Society,  he  published 
a  call  recjuesting  signatures  to  petitions  for  the  abolition  of 
slavery  in  the  District  of  Columbia.  But  the  most  obnox- 
ious of  his  articles  written  on  the  fourth  of  July,  appeared  on 
the  sixth  of  July,  1837.  It  was  an  editorial  advocating  the 
formation  of  an  Illinois  State  Anti-Slavery  Society,  and  in 
it  he  said  : 

"This  day  reproaches  our  sloth  and  inactivity.  It  is  the 
day  of  our  nation's  birth.  Even  as  we  write,  crowds  are 
hurrying  past  our  window,  in  eager  anticipation  to  the 
appointed  bower,  to  listen  to  the  declaration  that  '  all  men 
are  born  free  and  equal ; '  to  hear  the  eloijuent  orator 
denounce  in  strains  of  manly  indignation  the  attempt  of 
England  to  lay  a  yoke  upon  the  shoulders  of  our  fathers, 
which  neither  they  or  their  children  could  bear.  Alas! 
what  bitter  mockery  is  this !  We  assemble  to  thank  God 
for  our  own  freedom,  and  to  eat  and  drink  with  joy  and 
gladness  of  heart,  while  our  feet  are  upon  the  necks  of 
nearly  three  millions  of  our  fellow-men!  Not  all  our  shouts 
of  self-congratulation  can  drown  their  groans  ;  even  that 
very  flag  of  freedom  that  waves  over  our  heads  is  formed 
from  material  cultivated  by  slaves,  on  a  soil  moistened  by 
their  blood,  drawn  from  them  by  the  whip  of  a  republican 
task -master. 


"  Brethren  and  friends,  this  must  not  be, — it  cannot  be, 
for  God  will  not  endure  it  much  longer.  Come,  then,  to  the 
rescue.  The  voice  of  three  millions  of  slaves  calls  upon 
you  to  come  and  '  unloose  the  heavy  burdens,  and  let  the 
oppressed  go  free.' " 

On  the  8th  of  July  an  anonymous  hand  bill  was  posted 
about  the  city,  calling  on  those  who  disapproved  the  course 
of  the  AlloiiOhserver  to  meet  at  the  public  market  on  the 
eleventh.  The  man  who  called  this  meeting  to  order  stated 
that  it  was  "  for  the  suppression  of  Abolitionism."  Resolu- 
lutions  strongly  disapproving  Mr.  Lovejoy's  course  were 
passed,  and  a  committee  consisting  of  Dr.  B.  K.  Hart,  Louis 
J.  Clawson,  Nathaniel  Buckmaster,  A.  Olucy  and  Dr.  J. 
Haldeman,  was  appointed  to  confer  with  Mr.  Lovejoy,  "  and 
ascertain  whether  he  intends  to  disseminate  through  the  col- 
umns of  the  Observer  the  doctrine  of  Abolitionism,  and  re- 
port the  result  of  their  conference  to  the  public."  This 
committee,  thirteen  days  afterward,  communicated  with  Mr. 
Lovejoy  by  letter  through  the  post-office.  He  replied  by 
denying  their  right  to  dictate  to  him  what  it  was  proper  to 
discuss,  and  at  the  same  time  tendered  them  the  use  of 
his  paper  to  refute  his  opinions,  if  they  were  wrong. 

The  St.  Louis  papers  about  this  time  were  influential  in 
stirring  up  the  deep  feeling  which  had  manifested  itself  at 
Alton.  The  iligsoiai  Republican,  which  was  generally 
taken  and  read  at  Alton,  in  its  issue  of  August,  1837,  said ; 
"  We  perceive  that  an  Anti-slavery  society  has  been 
formed  at  Upper  Alton,  and  many  others  doubtless  will 
shortly  spring  up  in  diflerent  parts  of  the  state.  We  had 
hoped  that  our  neighbors  would  have  ejected  from  amongst 
them  that  minister  of  mischief,  the  Observer,  or  at  least 
corrected  its  course.  Something  must  be  done  in  this  mat- 
ter, and  that  speedily!  The  good  people  of  Illinois  must 
either  put  a  stop  to  the  efforts  of  these  fanatics  or  expel 
them  from  the  community.  If  this  is  not  done,  the  travel 
of  emigrants  through  their  state,  and  the  trade  of  the  slave- 
holding  states,  and  particularly  Missouri,  must  stop.  Every 
one  who  desires  the  harmony  of  the  country  and  the  peace 
and  prosperity  of  all,  should  unite  to  put  them  down." 

At  nine  o'clock  of  the  evening  of  the  21st  of  August, 
1837,  Mr.  Lovejoy  was  assaulted  by  some  eight  or  ten 
persons  who,  it  is  said,  had  determined  to  give  him  a  coat  of 
tar  and  feathers,  and  then  send  him  adrift  in  a  canoe  down 
the  Mississip])!.  He  then  resided  at  Hunterstown  in  a  build- 
ing in  a  secluded  spot  below  the  road  that  led  to  Upper 
Alton  ;  and  it  was  while  on  his  way  home  from  the  drug- 
store with  some  medicine  for  his  sick  wife,  that  he  was 
roughly  stopped  by  the  crowd,  who  at  once  disclosed  their 
purpose.  With  great  coolness,  he  said  :  "  I  have  but  one 
request  to  make  of  you,  and  then  you  may  do  with  me 
what  you  please.  My  wife  is  dangerously  ill,  and  it  is 
necessary  that  she  should  have  this  prescription  imraedi- 
diately.  Will  one  of  you  take  it,  and  see  that  it  is  delivered 
at  the  house,  but  without  intimating  what  is  about  to  befal 
me?  I  am  in  the  hands  of  God  and  ready  to  go  with  you." 
This  request  was  complied  with,  and  after  a  few  moments  of 
silence,  one  of  the  party  exclaimed,  "Boys,  I  can't  lay  ray 
hand  on  as  brave  a  man  as  this ! "  and  turning  away,  he 


386 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


was  followed  by  the  others,  and  Mr.  Lovejoy  was  left  alone. 
But  at  a  later  hour  during  the  same  night  a  mob  entered 
the  Observer  office,  drove  out  the  employes  and  completely 
demolished  the  press.  Though  these  outrages  were  boldly 
committed,  no  attempt  was  made  by  the  city  officials  to 
bring  the  riotors  to  justice. 

After  the  destruction  of  the  second  press,  some  of  his 
friends  in  Alton  seem  to  have  begun  to  doubt  the  wisdom  of 
his  continuance  as  editor.  On  the  II th  of  September, 
1837,  Mr.  Lovejoy  addressed  a  letter  to  the  friends  of  the 
Observer,  the  subscription  list  of  whic  h  at  that  time  num- 
bered two  thousand  one  hundred  names,  in  which  he  offered 
to  resign  the  editorship.  A  meeting  of  the  supporters  of  the 
paper  was  acconlingly  held,  and  after  an  adjournment  and 
long  consideration,  it  was  decided  that  the  Observer  should 
be  re-established,  and  that  Elijah  P.  Lovej)y  ought  to  con- 
tinue its  editor.  Assurances  of  aid  came  freely  to  Mr.  Love- 
joy, — some  from  distant  states.  His  brethren  in  the  ministry 
also  expressed  a  wish  that  the  publication  of  the  paper 
should  go  on.  The  new  press  and  material  arrived  at  Alton 
on  the  2Ist  of  September,  18.37,  at  a  time  when  Mr.  Lovejoy 
was  absent  at  a  session  of  the  Presbytery.  Many  of  hii 
friends  gathered  around  it  as  it  was  conveyed  to  the  ware- 
house of  Gerry  &  Wilier.  No  violence  was  offered,  but 
cries  of  "There  goes  the  Abolition  press!  stop  it!"  were 
heard.  The  mayor,  John  M.  Krum,  now  a  resident  of  St- 
Louis,  seemed  desirous  of  protecting  it,  and  asked  that  it  be 
left  in  his  hands.  The  provision  he  made,  however,  was 
entirely  inadequate.  He  had  a  constable  posted  at  the  door 
of  the  warehouse  till  a  certain  hour  in  the  night ;  but  as  soon 
as  the  official  left,  ten  or  twelve  ruffians,  disguised  with  hand- 
kerchiefs over  their  faces,  broke  into  the  store,  and  rolled 
out  the  press  to  the  river  bank,  where  it  was  broken  up  and 
thrown  into  the  river.  Mayor  Krum  arrived  before  the 
work  of  destruction  was  completed,  and  ordered  the  party  to 
disperse,  but  without  efltct. 

About  ten  days  after  this  occurrence  while  at  St.  Charles, 
Missouri,  (to  which  place  he  had  accompanied  his  wife  on  a 
visit  to  her  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Celia  A.  French, 
and  who  was  a  former  resident  of  St  Charles,  Mr.  Love- 
joy was  violently  assaulted  by  a  mob  on  a  Sunday  evening. 
He  had  preached  twice  during  the  day,  and  at  about  nine 
at  night  the  house  in  which  he  was  stopping,  was  entered  by 
a  drunken  and  brutal  crowd.  It  is  probable  that  his  heroic 
and  devoted  wife  alone  prevented  the  mob  from  carrying  out 
their  murderous  purposes.  His  friends  insisted  on  his 
quitting  the  place  that  night,  and  before  daylight  he  was  on 
the  road  back  to  Alton,  leaving  behind  him  his  wife  and 
child. 

Another  press,  the  fourth  and  the  last,  was  ordered. 
The  means  to  purchase  it  were  furnished  by  some  friends  of 
free  speech  in  Ohio.  Some  thought  was  entertained  of  trans- 
ferring the  publication  of  the  paper  to  Quincy.  A  convention 
to  form  a  State  Anti-slavery  Society  met  on  the  twenty-sixth 
of  October,  1837,  in  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Upper  Alton. 
Some  of  the  opponents  of  the  object  of  the  meeting,  among 
them  Usher  F.  Linder,  then  attorney-general,  and  John  Ho- 
gan,  now  of  St.  Louis,  gained    control  of  the  convention  ; 


though  the  real  friends  of  the  anti-slavery  movement  met 
elsewhere  and  organized  a  State  Society,  of  which  Mr.  Love- 
joy was  made  corresponding  secretary,  and  recommended 
that  the  publication  of  the  Observer  should  be  continued  at 
Alton.  On  the  thirtieth  of  October,  the  Rev.  Edward 
Beecher,  then  president  of  Illinois  College,  delivered  an  ad- 
dress in  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Alton  in  which  he  ex- 
pressed himself  strongly  in  favor  of  defending  Mr.  Lovejoy 
to  the  last.  Mr.  Beecher's  speech  was  interrupted  by  a 
stone  being  thrown  through  one  of  the  church  windows, 
and  it  is  probable  that  serious  trouble  would  have  ensued 
had  not  ample  provision  been  made  to  repel  any  attack  by 
a  mob.  At  the  moment  the  stone  was  thrown,  William 
Tanner  called  a  company,  previously  organized,  to  arras, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  the  church  door  on  either  side  was 
flanked  by  a  row  of  armed  men,  whom  it  was  not  safe  for 
any  mob  to  attack.  Among  the  citizens  in  line  were  Enoch 
Long  and  Aaron  W.  Corey.  Mr.  Beecher  went  on  with  iiis 
address  to  the  close,  and  as  the  people  retired  Mayor  Krum 
called  on  the  outsiders  to  disperse.  The  promptness  of  their 
defense  was  due  to  the  fact  that  after  repeated  consultations 
between  Mayor  Krum,  Mr.  Lovejoy,  Winthrop  S.  Gilman, 
Henry  Tanner  and  others  a  company  of  fifty  men  had 
been  organized  to  resist  any  attack  on  Mr.  Lovejoy,  and  to 
protect  the  new  press  which  was  daily  expected  to  arrive. 

These  events  had  thrown  the  city  into  a  fevtrish  state  of 
excitement.  On  the  second  of  November,  18--i7,  only  five 
days  before  the  mournful  and  tragic  end  of  these  troubles, 
a  public  meeting  was  held,  participated  in  by  both  parties, 
"  to  take  into  consideration  the  present  excited  state  of  pub- 
lic feeling  in  the  city,  growing  out  of  the  Abolition  question 
and  to  endeavor  to  find  some  common  ground  on  which  both 
parties  might  meet  for  the  restoration  of  harmony  and  good- 
fellowship.  "  To  this  meeting  Winthrop  S.  Gilman  and  the 
Rev.  Edward  Beecher,  presented  a  series  of  resolutions 
which  declared  the  right  of  every  citizen  to  speak,  write,  or 
print  his  opinions  on  any  subject,  being  responsible  only  to 
the  law  for  the  abuse  of  that  right,  and  that  "  we  are  more 
especially  called  upon  to  maintain  this  principle  in  the  case 
of  unpopular  sentiments  or  persons,  "  as  in  no  other  cases 
will  any  etfjrt  to  maintain  them  bs  needed  ;  and  that  "  fur 
these  reasons  alone,  and  irrespective  of  all  moral,  political, 
or  religious  sentiments,  protection  was  due  to  the  person  and 
property  of  Mr.  Lovejoy,  the  editor  of  the  Alton  Observer  ; 
that  this  protection  should  be  offered  on  the  ground  of  prin- 
ciple solel}',  and  altogether  disconnected  from  approbation 
of  his  sentiments,  but  personal  character,  and  his  course  as 
editor  of  the  Alton  Observer.  " 

The  adoption  of  these  resolutions  was  opposed  by  Usher  F. 
Linder  and  others,  and  they  were  finally  referred  to  a 
committee  composed  of  Cyrus  Edwards,  John  Hogan,  Ste- 
phen Griggs,  Usher  F.  Linder,  H.  G.  Van  Wagenen,  Tho- 
mas G.  Hawley  and  Winthrop  S.  Gilman,  while  the  meeting 
adjourned  to  the  next  day. 

The  committee  next  day  oflfered,  instead  of  the  resolutions 
of  Mr.  Gilman,  resolutions  of  their  own,  to  the  effect  that 
it  was  sometimes  expedient  to  abstain  from  a  discussion  of 
principles,  in  tVemselves   deemed  r'ght  and  of  the  highest 


HISTORY   OF   MADIS0:N    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


387 


importance ;  and  that  without  desiring  to  restrain  the  liberty 
of  the  press  in  general,  it  was  indispensable  that  Mr.  Love- 
joy  should  not  be  allowed  to  conduct  a  paper  in  Alton  ;  and 
that  he  ought  to  retire  from  the  charge  of  the  Alton  Observer. 
These  vieivs  were  adopted  by  the  meeting.  Against  them, 
Wiuthrop  S.  Gilnian,  alone  of  the  committee,  presented  a 
protest.  He  thought  the  rigid  enforcement  of  the  law  would 
prove  the  only  protection  of  the  rigiits  of  citizens,  and  the 
only  safe  remedy  for  similar  excitements  in  future. 

Mr.  Lovejoy  addressed  the  meeting  in  a  speech  which 
excited  the  sympathy  of  his  hearers,  and  in  which  he  for- 
cibly and  bravely  stated  his  position.  After  referring  to  his 
respect  for  the  feelings  and  opinions  of  his  fellow-citizens, 
and  his  sorrow  that  he  was  compelled  to  differ  from  them, 
he  sai  1  that  he  was  impelled  to  the  course  he  had  taken 
because  he  feared  God,  and  as  he  should  answer  to  his  God 
on  the  great  day,  he  dared  not  abandon  his  sentiments,  or 
cease  in  all  proper  ways  to  propagate  them.  He  continued  : 
"  I,  Mr.  Chairman,  have  not  desired,  or  asked  any  com- 
promise. I  have  asked  for  nothing  but  to  be  protected  in 
ray  rights  as  a  citizen — rights  which  God  has  given  me,  and 
which  are  guaranteed  to  me  by  the  constitution  of  my 
country.  Have  I,  sir,  been  guilty  of  any  infraction  of  the 
laws?  Whose  good  name  have  I  injured?  When  and  where 
have  I  published  anythintr  injurious  to  the  reputation  of 
Alton?" 

"  You  have,  sir,  made  up,  as  the  lawyers  say,  a  false  issue ; 
there  are  not  two  parties  between  whom  there  can  be  a  com- 
promise. I  plant  myself,  sir,  down  on  my  unquestionable 
rights,  and  the  question  to  be  decided  is,  whether  I  shall  be 
protected  in  the  exercise  and  enjoyment  of  those  rights, — 
that  is  the  question,  sir :  whether  my  property  shall  be  pro- 
tected ;  whether  I  shall  be  suffered  to  go  home  to  my  family 
at  night  without  being  assaulted,  and  threatened  with  tar 
and  feathers,  and  assassination ;  and  whether  my  afflicted 
wife,  whose  life  has  been  in  jeopardy  from  continued  alarm 
and  excitement,  shall,  night  after  night,  be  driven  from  a 
sick-bed  into  the  garret,  to  save  her  life  from  the  brick-bats 
and  violence  of  the  mobs  ;  that,  sir,  is  the  question" 

Here,  much  affected  by  his  emotions,  he  burst  into  tears, 
and  the  sympathies  of  the  whole  meeting  were  deeply  excited. 
He  continued  :  "  Forgive  me,  sir,  that  I  have  thus  betrayed 
my  weakness.  It  was  the  allusion  to  my  family  that  over- 
came my  feelings.  Not,  sir,  I  assure  j'ou,  from  any  fear  on 
my  own  part.  Not  that  I  feel  able  to  contest  the  matter  with 
the  whole  community  ;  I  know  perfectly  well  I  am  not.  I 
know,  sir,  you  can  tar  and  feather  me,  hang  me  up,  or  put  me 
into  the  ilississippi  without  the  least  difficulty.  But  what 
then  ?  Where  shall  I  go  ?  I  have  been  made  to  feel  that  if  I 
am  not  safe  in  Alton,  I  shall  not  be  safe  anywhere.  I  recently 
visited  St.  Charles  to  bring  home  my  family,  and  was  torn 
from  their  frantic  embrace  by  a  mob.  I  have  been  beset 
night  and  day  at  Alton,  and  now,  if  I  leave  here  and  go 
elsewhere,  violence  may  overtake  me  in  my  retreat,  and  I 
have  no  more  claim  on  the  protection  of  any  other  com- 
munity than  I  have  upon  this  ;  and  I  have  concluded,  after 
consultation  with  my  friends,  and  earnestly  seeking  counsel 
of  God,  to  remain  at  Alton,  and  here  to  insist  on  protection 


in  the  exercise  of  my  rights.  If  the  civil  authorities  i-efuse 
to  protect  me,  I  must  look  to  God ;  and  if  I  die,  I  have 
determined  to  make  my  grave  in  Alton." 

Three  days  after  this  speech  of  Mr.  Lovejoy,  on  the  night 
of  the  6th  of  November,  the  fourth  press  reached  Alton.  It 
had  been  shipped  from  Cincinnati.  It  was  received  in  the 
dead  of  night  from  the  steamer  "Missouri  Fulton,"  whose 
captain  had  agreed  to  land  the  press  at  midnight,  even  if  he 
should  have  to  lay  his  boat  by  for  awhile  to  do  so,  by  the 
friends  of  Mr.  Lovejoy,  in  the  presence  of  the  mayor,  and 
taken  to  the  stone  warehouse  of  Godfrey,  Gilman  &  Co. 
Ample  preparations  had  been  made  to  defend  it.  About 
sixty  men,  well-armed  and  drilled,  were  stationed  on  the 
different  floors  in  companies  of  sufficient  strength  to  do  full 
execution  if  any  attack  on  the  press  should  be  made  by  the 
mob.  The  sound  of  a  horn,  blown  by  some  unknown  per- 
son, as  if  a  signal,  was  heard  ;  but  no  one  appeared  to  inter- 
rupt the  labors  of  the  defenders  of  the  great  i)rinciples  of  free 
speech  and  a  free  press  as  in  the  silence  of  the  midnight  hour 
they  transferred  the  mass  of  boxed-up  iron,  the  innocent 
cause  of  so  much  bitter  feeling,  from  the  river  bank  to  the 
third  floor  of  the  warehouse  of  the  largest  and  most 
responsible  firm  in  the  city. 

The  abseuce-of  any  hostile  demonstration  on  the  night  of 
the  6th  encouraged  the  friends  of  Lovejoy  to  hope  for  a 
peaceful  solution  of  the  difficulties,  but  as  the  night  of  the 
7th  approached  they  gathered  in  the  building  to  talk 
over  the  situation,  and  be  ready,  if  necessary,  to  defend  the 
press.  Nine  o'clock  came,  and  there  was,  as  yet,  no  sign  of 
disturbance.  The  company  of  men  began  then  to  disperse 
for  their  homes,  when  Mr.  Gilman  asked  some  few  of  the 
number  to  remain  through  the  night,  as  he  intended  staying 
as  a  precaution  in  case  the  warehouse  should  be  attacked. 
Nineteen  men  remained.  An  hour  more,  and  it  became 
evident  that  a  mob  was  gathering.  It  was  a  brilliant  moon- 
light night.  It  could  be  seen  that  the  mob  was  armed,  and 
their  blowing  of  tin  horns,  and  hootings  and  exclamations 
demonstrated  the  fact  that  plenty  of  liquor  had  been  flowing 
among  them.  A  part  of  the  mob  filed  in  front  of  the  ware- 
house on  the  south,  toward  the  river,  knocked  and  hailed 
the  building.  Mr.  Gilman  answered  from  an  upper  door, 
when  one  William  Carr,  presented  a  pistol  and  demanded 
the  press.  Edward  Keating,  a  lawyer  and  Henry  H.  West, 
who  had  been  made  acquainted  with  the  designs  of  the  mob, 
asked  to  see  Mr.  Gilraan,  and  were  incautiously  admitted  to 
the  building,  thus  enabling  the  mob  to  learn  the  smallness 
of  the  force  with  which  it  was  defended.  These  persons  in- 
formed Mr.  Gilman  and  his  party  that  unless  the  press  was 
given  up,  the  building  would  be  burned  over  their  heads  or 
blown  up  with  powder.  Early  in  the  evening  Enoch  Long 
had  been  selected  as  captain  of  the  defending  party.  His 
method  of  defense  was  much  milder  than  that  advocated  by 
some  of  his  men,  who  considered  it  best  to  fire  on  the  mob, 
and  make  short  work  of  it ;  but  Long  commanded  that  no 
one  should  fire  without  his  order,  an  order  which  he  hesitated 
to  give  from  mistaken  motives  of  mercy,  till  too  late  to  be 
of  value  in  intimidating  the  besiegers. 

The  active  attack  began  with  volleys  of  stones,  by  which 


388 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


the  windows  were  broken,  and  by  the  firing  of  two  guns. 
Tlie  forbearance  of  the  men  inside  emboldened  the  mob,  but 
wlien  a  shot  from  the  outside  had  entered  the  building  the 
order  was  given  to  one  of  the  men  to  fire.  The  shot  proved 
effective.  It  struck  a  man  named  Lyman  Bishop,  one  of 
the  mob,  who  died  before  he  could  be  removed  from  the 
ground.  This  incident  caused  only  a  short  lull  in  the  ope- 
rations of  the  attacking  party.  Some  bore  away  the  body  of 
Bishop,  others  summoned  re-enforcements,  while  the  grog 
shops  near  by  furnished  ready  material  to  feed  the  ruffian 
fire.  The  bells  of  the  city  were  rung,*  horns  blown,  and  an 
excited  multitude  came  rushing  to  the  warehouse,  some 
urging  on  the  drunken  mob,  and  some  using  their  efforts  in 
behalf  of  peace.  The  infuriated  mass  surrounding  the 
warehouse  cried  out  with  savage  jells  and  oaths,  that  they 
would  fire  the  building  and  shoot  every  abolitionist  as  he 
tried  to  make  his  escape.  Mayor  Krum  now  appeared  on 
the  scene,  and  he  was  asked  by  Lovejoy's  men  that  he  lead 
them  out  to  face  the  mob  and  order  them  to  fire  if  the  mob 
would  not  disperse  at  his  command.  His  answer  was  that 
he  had  too  much  regard  for  their  lives  to  do  that,  but  at  the 
same  time  he  justified  those  in  the  warehouse  in  their  defense. 
His  own  subsequent  efforts  to  disperse  the  mob  were 
powerless. 

Attempts  were  now  made  to  fire  the  building.  On  the  north 
side  there  were  no  windows  or  doors,  and  here  a  ladder  was 
placed  on  which  a  man  ascended  with  a  burning  torch  to 
ignite  the  roof.  The  position  of  the  ladder  made  it  impos- 
sible to  check  this  design  from  within,  and  Captain  Long 
callfed  for  volunteers  to  make  a  sortie  from  the  building  and 
dislodge  the  man  from  the  roof  Amos  B.  Roff,  Royal  Wel- 
ler  and  Mr.  Lovejoy  promptly  issued  forth  to  execute  this 
commission.  They  returned  to  the  building  in  safety,  but 
on  going  forth  a  second  time,  as  Mr.  Lovejoy  stepped  out 
into  the  bright  moonlight,  the  party  was  fired  on  by  assassins 
concealed  behind  some  lumber  piled  up  on  the  levee.  Five 
balls  entered  Mr.  Lovejoy's  body.  He  ran  back  into  the 
building  and  up  stairs,  exclaiming,  "  I  am  shot!  I  am  shot! 
I  am  dead!"  and  when  he  reached  the  counting-room  he 
fell  into  the  arms  of  one  of  his  friends,  and  was  laid  upon 
the  floor  where  he  instantly  passed  away  without  further 
struggle  and  without  again  speaking.  Mr.  Roff  and  Mr. 
Weller  were  both  wounded  by  the  same  volley. 

Soon  afterward  Edward  Keating  and  Henry  H.  West 
again  approached  the  building,  and  informed  Mr.  Oilman 
that  the  roof  was  on  fire,  and  offered,  in  behalf  of  the  rio- 
ters, that  if  the  press  should  be  surrendered,  the  fire  would 
be  extinguished,  and  no  further  harm  done  to  any  other 
property.  After  consultation  it  was  thought  best  to  aban- 
don the  building,  and  give  up  the  press.  There  was  pro- 
perty of  great  value  in  the  warehouse,  and  now  that  Love- 
joy was  dead,  no  further  good  could  come  of  hopeless  oppo- 
sition to  the  mob.  It  was  stipulated  that  the  defenders  of 
the  w  arehouse  f  should  be  allowed  to  depart  in  safety,  but 

*  It  jaan  interesting  fact  that  Sirs.  Graves,  wife  of  the  Presbyterian 
minister — a  slender  and  delicate  woman— opened  the  church  in  her 
l]iisbaud's  absence,  and  rang  the  bell  with  all  her  strength. 

fTlio  names  of  the  twenty  men  in  tlie  building  that  night  are  as 


no  sooner  had  they  left  the  building  than  the  rioters  broke 
their  truce,  and  fired  .after  them  more  than  a  hundred  shots, 
which,  owing  to  the  slope  of  the  ground,  passed  harmlessly 
over  their  heads.  The  press,  like  its  three  predecessors,  was 
broken  into  fragments,  which  found  a  resting-place  at  the 
bottom  of  the  Mississippi. 

The  next  morning  the  body  of  Lovejoy  was  removed  to 
his  late  home.  His  wife  was  absent  at  the  house  of  a  friend, 
so  prostrated  by  the  terrible  shock  that  her  life  was  despair- 
ed of  for  many  days.  His  brother,  Owen  Lovejoy,  was  at 
the  house  to  receive  the  corpse.  The  funeral  was  on  the 
9th  of  November,  a  rainy,  depressing  day.  The  burial  ser- 
vice was  simple,  and  consisted  merely  of  prayers  by  Mr. 
Lovejoy's  constant  friend,  the  Rev.  Thomas  Lippincott.  No 
inquest  was  held  over  the  body — no  flowers  were  strewn  upon 
the  coffin.  Thus  passed  away  Elijah  Parish  Lovejoy,  at 
the  age  of  thirty-five.  The  place  of  interment  was  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  city,  where  some  years  afterward  the  site 
for  the  Alton  Cemetery  was  selected.  In  laying  out  the 
cemetery  grounds  the  main  avenue  chanced  to  pass  over  the 
grave  of  Lovejoy,  and  his  ashes  were  then  removed  to  a  new 
locality.  The  spot  is  now  marked  by  a  simple  stone,  with 
the  inscription  : 

Hie  Jacet, 

Lovejoy, 
Jmn  Farce  Sepulio. 

The  death  of  Lovejoy  occasioned  a  profound  sensation 
throughout  the  country,  and  did  more  to  crystallize  the  op- 
position to  slavery  than  any  event  that  had  yet  occurred. 

At  the  January  term,  1838,  of  the  Municipal  Court  of 
the  City  of  Alton,  indictments  were  brought,  both  against 
persons  who  attempted  to  destroy  the  press,  and  those  in  de- 
fense of  the  building.  The  Grand  Jury,  of  which  Thomas 
G.  Hawley  was  foreman,  charged  Enoch  Long,  Amos  B. 
Roff,  George  H.  Walworth,  George  H.  Whitney,  William 
Harned,  John  S.  Noble,  James  Morse,  jr.,  Henry  Tanner, 
Roval  Weller,  Reuben  Gerry,  Thaddeus  B.  Hurlburt,  and 
Winthrop  S.  Gilman,  with  "  unlawfully,  riotously,  and  in  a 
violent  and  tumultuous  manner,"  resisting  an  attempt  to 
break  up  a  printing-press,  and  to  force  open  and  enter  the 
storehouse  of  Benjamin  Godfrey  and  Winthrop  S.  Gilman. 

Winthrop  S.  Gilman  was  granted  a  separate  trial,  and 
was  defended  by  George  T.  M.  Davis  and  Alfred  Cowles, 
then  leading  members  of  the  Alton  bar.  Usher  F.  Linder, 
the  Attorney-General  of  the  State,  assisted  the  prosecuting 
attorney,  Francis  B.  Murdock,  in  the  prosecution.  It  was 
shown  that  every  act  of  Mr.  Gilman  and  his  associates  was 
performed  with  the  concurrence  of  the  Mayor,  and,  as  those 
gentlemen  supposed,  with  the  authority  of  law.  Mr.  Gil- 
man was  promptly  found  "  not  guilty,"  and  a  nolle  prosequi 
was  then  entered  in  the  cases  of  his  associates. 

follows  :— Elijah  P.  Lovejoy,  Amos  B.  Rofi;  Royal  Weller,  William 
Harned,  James  Morse,  jr. ;  John  S.  Noble,  Edward  Breath,  George  H. 
Walworth,  J.  C.  Woods,  (leorge  H.  Whitney,  Reuben  Gerry,  Winthrop 
S.  Gilman,  Enoch  Long,  George  T.  Brown,  Samuel  J.  Thompson,  H. 
D.  Davis,  D.  F.  Randall,  D.  Burt  Loomis,  Thaddeus  B.  Hurlburt,  and 
Henrv  Tanner. 


ft£SIDENC£  OF  MAJOR   F  RAN  H_  M  00  R  E  ^  U  PP  E  R    ALTON ,  I  LL 


TA. 


m»^ 

, 

-J 

>i 

Jl   ■ 

M 

^ 


THE  MOB   A 
7!^    OF 


TTACHING 
NOVEMBEP 


NIGHT  OF  J H  L 


WAREHOUSE   OF  GODFREY    GILMAN  &  CO   M 

AT  THE  TIME  LOVEJOY   WAS  MURDERED   AND  HIS  PRESS    DESTROYED 


o 


/^^ 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


389 


The  same  Grand  .Jury  found  indictments  again?t  John 
Solomon,  Solomon  Morgan,  Levi  Palmer,  Horace  Beall, 
Josiah  Nutter,  James  Jennings,  Jacob  Smiih,  David  Butler, 
William  Carr,  James  M.  Rock,  and  Frederick  Bruchy,  for 
"unlawfully,  and  with  force  and  violence,"  entering  the 
storehouse  of  Benjamin  Godfrey,  and  Winthrop  S-  Gilman, 
and  "  unlawfully,  riotously,  and  with  force  and  violence," 
breaking  and  destroying  a  printing-press.  These  men  were 
also  acquitted,  and  thus  ended  judicial  investigation  of  all 
matters  connected  with  the  death  of  Lovejoy. 

SUBSEQUENT  HISTORY. 

The  commercial  crash  of  1837,  the  pro-slavery  riot  in 
which  Lovejoy  lost  his  life,  and  the  collapse  of  the  State 
railway  system  of  which  Alton  was  to  have  been  the  centre, 
all  contributed  to  the  downfall  of  the  business  prosperity  of 
Alton,  and  for  some  years  subsequent  to  1837,  trade  was 
stagnant  and  property  depreciated,  while  many  of  the  most 
enterprising  business  firms  met  with  financial  ruin.  About 
the  year  1842,  business  revived  again,  and  from  that  time  on 
the  city  has  had  a  healthy,  steady,  and  constant  growth. 

The  first  railroad  to  Alton  was  completed  in  September, 
1852.  The  Chicago  and  Mississippi  railroad  (now  a  part  of 
the  Chicago  and  Alton)  extending  to  Springfield,  began 
running  at  that  date.  To  the  enterprise  of  Benjamin  God- 
frey was  principally  due  the  construction  of  this  road.  The 
road  terminated  several  blocks  from  the  river.  St.  Louis 
passengers  were  transferred  to  boats  till  1861,  when  the  com- 
pany secured  railroad  connection  with  East  St.  Louis  by 
means  of  the  Terre  Haute  and  Alton  road,  which  was  used 
for  their  trafiic  till  the  completion  of  the  present  line  of  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Company  to  East  St.  Louis,  in  1864. 

Alton  in  1853  is  described  by  a  well  known  writer  (Gov. 
John  Reynolds)  as  a  city  of  twelve  churches,  six  public  free 
schools,  and  several  private  schol.istic  institutions,  three 
newspapers  of  which  two  were  daily,  with  nine  lawyers, 
eight  ministers,  ten  physicians,  and  three  large  and  commo- 
dious hotels  Two  hundred  dwelling-houses  and  twenty 
.  large  stores  were  erected  that  year.  Two  large  flouring 
mills  were  in  operation.  Between  forty  and  fifty  steam 
engines  and  saw  mil's  were  made  each  year,  and  a  large 
quantity  of  valuable  agricultural  machinery'.  Its  lime 
product  was  celebrated  throughout  the  Mississippi  valley. 
During  the  year,  exclusive  of  the  St.  Louis  packets,  eighteen 
hundred  and  eighteen  steamboats  arrived,  many  of  these 
boats  steamers  from  New  Orleans.  The  average  num- 
ber of  pa-ssengers  between  Alton  and  St.  Louis  each  day 
was  two  hundred  and  ten.  The  penitentiary  contained  two 
hundred  and  seventy-seven  prisoners.  The  receipt  of  wheat, 
corn,  and  oats,  ranged  from  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
to  three  hundred  thousand  bushels  of  each  staple.  Twenty- 
seven  thousand  head  of  hogs,  and  three  thousand  head  of 
cattle  were  slaughtered  and  packed. 

Alton  was  a  military  pest;  during  (he  war  of  the  rebel- 
lion, from  the  beginnii/g  of  the  year  1862  to  the  close  of 
the  war.  It  was  garrison^atjHtlereiit  times  by  theSi^venty- 
seventh  Ohio,  the  Tenth  Kansas,  the  One  Hundred  and 
Sixty;fi)urth  Illinois  and  the  Thirty-seventh  Iowa  infantry 
0  ^..^ 


regiments,  and  the  Fifteenth  regiment  of  the  United  States 
regular  army.  A  number  of  rebel  prisoners,  sometimes  as 
many  as  sixteen  hundred,  were  confined  in  the  old  peniten- 
tiary. About  two  hundred  of  them  died  and  were  buiied 
in  a  piece  of  ground  near  the  village  of  North  Alton.  The 
small  pox  at  one  t'rae  prevailed  among  the  prisoners,  and 
those  attacked  by  this  disease  were  taken  to  a  hospital  across 
the  river.  Those  who  died  there  were  buried  in  the  "  tow 
head,"  as  it  is  called,  and  since  the  construction  of  the  gov- 
ernment dyke  the  current  of  the  river  has  washed  their 
graves  away. 

lOWN   AND  CITY    CHARTERS, —  OFFICES. 

Alton  was  incorporated  as  a  town  on  the  6th  of  February, 
1833.  Previous  to  this  the  town  was  governed  by  a  Board 
of  Trustees,  though  the  date  at  which  the  first  organization 
was  efltcted  cannot  now  be  ascertained.  The  Legislature 
granted  a  charter  as  a  city  on  the  21st  of  Julj',  1837.  An 
election  was  held  on  the  11th  of  September,  1877,  at  which 
the  proposition  to  organize  as  a  city  under  the  general  law 
was  carried.  The  debt  of  the  city  on  the  first  day  of  April, 
1882,  was  S87.525.82.  The  City  Hall,  which  cost  in  the 
neighborhood  of  fifty  thou.sand  dollars,  was  completed  in 
1858.  The  city  receives  from  the  United  States  five  hun- 
dred dollars  a  year  rent  for  the  space  occupied  by  the  Post 
Oflice. 

From  1832  to  1834  Jonathan  T.  Hudson  was  president  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees;  1834-5,  J.  S.  Lane;  1835-6,  J.  T. 
Hudson  ;  1836-7,  lienjamin  K.  Hart.  The  first  election 
under  the  city  charter  was  held  in  1837.  From  that  time 
until  the  present  the  following  gentlemen  have  filled  the 
office  of  Mayor : 

1837-8 John  M.  Krum. 

1838-9 Charles  Howard. 

1839-40 John  King. 

1840-1 Stephen  (.Jriggs. 

1841-2 William  Martin. 

1842-3 Samuel  G.  Bailey. 

1843-4 Steplien  Pierson. 

1S44-6  (two  terms)  .     George  T.  M.  Davis. 

.  1846-7 George  T.  Brown. 

1847-8 Edward  Keating. 

1848-9 Robert  Ferguson. 

1849-51  (two  terms)  .  Samuel  Wade. 

1851-2 Henry  W.  Billings. 

1852-3 Thomas  M.  Hope. 

jJ853-4 Samuel  Buckmaster. 

1854-5 O.  M.  Adams. 

1855-6 Samuel  Wade.  — 

1856-7 Joseph  Brown. 

1857-8 Samuel  Wade.  -' 

1858-9 Lyne  S.  Metcalf. 

1859-60 William  Post. 

1860-62  (two  terms)  .   Lewi.s  Killenberger. 

—4802-3 Samuel  A.  Buckmaster.  ~ 

1863-6  (three  terms)    Edward  HoIli.ster. 

1866-7 William  Post.      ~ 

1867-8 Silas  W.  Farber. 

1868-72  (four  terms)    James  T.  Drummond. 

1872-3 Lucas  Pfcifii'nbergcr. 

1873-4 Charles  A.  Caldwell- 


390 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


1874-5 Lucas  Pfeiffenlierger. 

1875-7  (two  terms)  .     Alexander  W.  Hope. 

1878-9 Lucas  Pt'eitrenberger. 

1879-81 Henry  Brueggeraann. 

1881-83 Lucas  Pfeiftenberger. 

Olher  elective  offices  of  the  city  are  filled  iu  1882  as  fol- 
lows : 

Clerk James  Mc?»u!ly. 

Treasurer Gustavus  A.  Jotsting. 

Altorney James  E.  Dunnegan. 

Aldermen — First  Ward,  G.  Frank  Crowe,  Edward  A.  Burke. 

Second     "       Andrew  Clifford,  Denis  Noonan. 

Tliird      ''       .John  Curdie,  John  Armstrong. 

Fourth    "      Seth  S.  Hobarl,  David  Kyan. 

Fifih        "      George  II.  Weigler,  Noah  C.  Halheway. 

Sixth       "      Louis  Bissinger,  Victor  Bruch. 

Seventh  "      Joseph  Murphy,  Cliarles  A.  Herb. 

CITY   COURT   OF   ALTON. 

The  Alton  City  Court  was  organized  in  1859,  and  its  first 
session  was  held  on  the  11th  of  April  of  that  year.  The 
name  Was  changed  in  1874  from  the  Alton  City  Court  to 
the  City  Court  of  Alton.  It  has  jurisdiction  of  all  chancery 
and  common  law  causes,  except  murder.  Henry  W.  Bil- 
lings was  the  first  judge.  He  was  succeeded  in  1866  by 
Henry  S.  Baker,  who  remained  on  the  bench  till  the  Sep- 
tember term,  1881,  when  Alexander  H.  Gambrill,  who  now 
presides  over  the  court,  became  judge.  On  the  organization 
of  the  court,  James  William  Davis  was  clerk,  and  acted  as 
such  till  1861,  when  John  W.  Ash  assumed  the  duties  of 
the  office.  Patrick  Ward,  the  present  incumbent,  became 
clerk  in  1875. 

EARLY   HOTELS. 

The  best  known  hotel  of  Alton  was  the  old  Alton  House, 
which  occupied  the  corner  of  Front  and  Alby  streets.  A 
substantial  frame  building  was  erected  on  this  spot  in  1832 
by  Jonathan  T.  Hudson,  in  which  a  hotel  was  opened  under 
the  name  of  the  Alton  House.  Among  the  proprietors  in 
early  times  were  Andrew  Miller,  a  Mr.  Delaplain,  Samuel 
Pitts,  and  Washington  Libby.  This  building  was  destroyed 
by  fire  in  1837.  Calvin  Stone  replaced  it  by  a  brick  build- 
ing about  fifty  by  twenty-five  feet  in  dimensions,  and  three 
stories  in  height.  About  the  year  1844  it  came  into  the 
possessionof  Major  B.T.Burke,  of  Carlin  villa,  who  remodelled 
and  much  enlarged  it.  Various  parties  leased  it  for  short 
periods.  It  was  kept  for  many  years  by  Amos  L.  Corson, 
who  was  succeeded  in  the  spring  of  1866  by  William  Siem- 
ens, who  was  the  proprietor  till  it  was  burned  down  on  the 
eighth  of  January,  1870. 

The  Franklin  House  was  built  by  a  Mr.  Blakeley.  It 
was  afterward  purchased  by  Benjamin  Godfrey,  who  made 
additions  to  it.  For  a  period  of  ten  years  George  W.  Fox 
was  the  proprietor.  He  was  succeeded  by  Ephraim  Bliss, 
who  kept  the  hotel  four  years.  Samuel  Pitts  was  then  in 
charge  for  six  years  preceding  1861.  The  next  proprietors 
were  Edward  S.  and  Ilufus  H.  Lesure,  and  then  it  came  into 
the  possession  of  W.  H.  K.  Pile.  In  later  years  it  lost  the  dis- 
tinction it  once  enjoyed  of  being  a  popular  and  well-kept 
hotel,  and  was  known  under  several  differeui  names.     The 


building  is  still  standing  on  the  west  side  of  State  street, 
facing  Third  street. 

The  Piasa  House  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Fourth  and 
Piasa  streets  was  at  one  time  a  prominent  and  well  patron- 
ized hotel.  It  was  built  by  Judge  Hezekiah  Hawley  pre- 
vious to  the  year  1835  Among  its  proprietors  in  its  palmy 
days  were  Mrs.  Wait,  Mr.  Reno,  William  Weutworth,  Capt. 
William  Post,  Samuel  Brooks,  Jacob  C.  Bruuer,  and  John 
Hart  and  sons.  In  the  vicinity  was  the  old  terminus  of  the 
railroad  from  Springfield,  from  which  passengers  and  bag- 
gage were  transferred  to  the  boats,  and  its  situation  gave  it 
a  large  patronage.  After  the  railroad  track  was  extended 
to  the  river  and  rail  connection  made  with  East  St-  Louis^ 
the  hotel  declined  and  was  thereafter  maintained  in  but  an 
indifferent  way. 

The  old  Union  Hotel,  at  one  time  a  well  managed  house, 
was  where  the  first  Presbyterian  Church  now  stands,  in  the 
building  erected  by  Beal  Howard,  in  1829.  It  was  after- 
ward known  as  the  Virginia  House,  and  was  destroyed  by 
fire. 

CHURCHES. 

It  is  believed  that  the  Rev.  Thos.  Lippincott  preached  the 
first  sermon  in  Alton.  In  the  winter  of  1829-30,  William 
Miller,  Beal  and  Charles  Howard,  and  a  few  of  their  neigh- 
bors, began  holding  religious  services,  first  in  the  cooper 
shop  of  William  Miller,  and  afterward  in  new  buildings  as 
they  were  being  erected  from  time  to  time  and  were  yet 
unoccupied.  A  Sabbath-school  was  begun  in  1831.  Dur- 
ing that  year  the  Baptists  and  Presbyterians  united  in  hold- 
ing services  in  what  was  then  known  as  the  Lyceum  Hall. 
Rev.  Hubbel  Loomis  was  the  Baptist  minister,  and  Rev. 
Elisha  Jenny,  the  Presbyterian.  The  Protestant  Methodists 
had  occasional  services  at  which  Charles  Howard  usually 
officiated.  The  first  church  edifice  stood  on  the  ttortheast 
corner  of  Third  and  Market  streets,  the  site  of  the  present 
Episcopal  church,  and  was  a  stone  building,  about  sixty  by 
forty-five  feet  in  size,  erected  through  the  liberality  of 
Benjamin  Godfrey,  who  granted  the  free  use  of  it  to  both 
the  religious  societies,  organized  in  Alton,  the  Baptist  and 
Presbyterian.  It  was  adorned  by  a  neat  cupola  in  which 
was  a  bell,  the  gift  of  Mrs.  Gilman,  mother  of  Benjamin  I. 
Gilman. 

A  Presbyterian  church  was  formed  on  the  ninth  of  June, 
1821,  by  the  Rev.  Daniel  Gould  and  the  Rev.  Edward 
Hollister,  who  were  employed  by  the  Connecticut  Domestic 
Missionary  Society.  H.  H.  Snow  and  Enoch  Long  w^re 
elders.  In  1827,  removals  having  reduced  the  membership 
to  two,  the  church  was  united  with  the  church  at  Ed«ards- 
ville.  The  present  Presbyterian  church  was  organized  June 
19,  1831,  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  Lippincott,  with  eight  mem- 
bers. Enoch  Long  was  chosen  elder.  From  1835  to  1845 
the  congregation  met  in  the  church  on  the  corner  of  Third 
and  Market  streets,  for  one  year  in  a  frame  building  on  the 
corner  of  Third  and  Alby  streets,  and  in  June,  1846,  the 
present  Presbyterian  church  on  the  corner  of  Second  and 
Market  streets  was  dedicated.  The  Rev.  Thomas  Gordon 
is  now  the  pastor. 

The  First  Baptist  Church  was  constituted  on  the  10th  of 


HISTORY   OF  MADISONCOUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


391 


March,  1833,  with  a  membership  of  nineteen  persons.  Rev. 
Alviu  Bailey  was  the  first  pastor.  A  church  was  built  in 
1834,  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Third  and  Alby  streets. 
In  1831)  a  lot  was  purchased  for  three  thousand  dollars  at 
the  northeast  corner  of  Second  and  Easton  streets,  and  a 
church  erected  at  an  additional  cost  of  eighteen  thousand 
dollars.  This  building  burned  down  in  March,  1860,  and 
in  1861,  the  congregation  occupied  a  new  church  at  the 
corner  of  Fifth  and  Market  streets.  The  present  pastor  is 
the  Rev.  L.  A.  Abbott. 

The  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  sprang  from  a 
Methodist  class,  formed  in  1831,  of  which  "William  Miller 
was  leader.  In  1836  a  frame  church  was  purchased  on  the 
northeast  corner  of  Third  and  Alby  streets,  and  occupied 
five  or  six  years.  In  1814  a  stone  church  on  the  northeast 
corner  of  Fourth  and  Belle  streets  was  completed,  and  in 
1855  enlarged.  The  church  on  the  southeast  corner  of 
Si.vth  and  Market  streets  was  finished  in  1859.  The  con- 
gregation is  now  under  the  care  of  the  Rev.  S.  P.  Groves. 

St.  Paul's  Protestant  Episcopal  church  was  organized  in 
1836  with  si.K  members.  The  Rev.  Depuy  was  the  first 
rector,  and  after  his  departure  in  the  fall  of  1837,  Owen 
Lovejoy  was  lay  reader  for  several  months.  In  1843  the 
building  and  ground  on  the  corner  of  Third  and  Market 
streets,  the  site  of  the  present  church,  was  purchased,  and 
about  1850  the  old  building  was  removed  and  the  present 
church  edifice  erected  at  a  cost  of  thirteen  thousand  dollars. 
A  terrible  tornado  in  the  month  of  June,  1860,  demolished 
the  tower  of  the  church,  and  injured  the  roof,  altogether 
causing  damages  amounting  to  five  thousand  dollars.  The 
present  rector  is  the  Rev.  Thomas  W-  Haskins,  who  also 
has  pastoral  charge  of  Trinity  chapel. 

St.  Peter's  and  St.  Paul's  Roman  Catholic  church.  A 
frame  building  was  erected  in  Upper  Alton  in  1838  for  the 
use  of  the  Catholic  congregation,  of  which  Rev.  George 
Hamilton  was  pastor.  The  Rev.  Michael  Carroll  undertook 
the  building  of  a  new  church  on  the  corner  of  Third  and 
Alby  streets,  which  was  completed  in  1844.  This  structure 
was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1854,  when  the  building  of  the  pre- 
sent Cathedral  was  commenced.  In  1857  Alton  was  raised 
to  an  Episcopal  See,  and  the  Rt.  Rev.  Henry  D.  Juncker  was 
consecrated  as  first  bishop  ;  his  death  occurred  in  1868,  and 
the  Rev.  Father  P.  J.  Baiters,  formerly  pastor  of  St  Peter's 
church,  Belleville,  was  consecrated  as  bishop  on  the  twenty- 
third  of  January,  1870-  The  Rev.  Charles  J.  Zeiwisler  is 
now  the  pastor. 

The  German  Evangelical  Church  was  established  in  1850. 
The  church  is  situated  on  Henry  street.  The  Rev.  Carl 
Becker,  pastor. 

The  Unitarian  church  was  organized  in  1853.  After  the 
burning  of  the  Catholic  church  on  the  corner  of  Third  and 
Alby  streets,  in  1854,  the  ground  was  purchased  by  the 
Unitarians  who,  using  the  same  walls,  completed  the  present 
church  building      The  Rev.  J.  Fisher  is  the  pastor. 

The  First  Cumberland  Presbyterian  church  was  organized 
with  SBveateen  m^rabsrs  in  June,  1855.  Their  present 
church  building,  at  the  corner  of  Twelfth  and  Henry  streets, 
was  completed  in  1856. 


The  German  Methodist  church  was  organized  about  ]8.j8. 
The  church  is  on  Union  street,  and  the  congregation  is 
under  the  care  of  the  Rev.  Louis  Harmel. 

St.  Mary's  Catholic  church,  the  congregation  which  is 
composed  of  German  Catholics,  was  completed  in  1859. 
The  tornado  of  June,  1800,  destroyed  the  church  building, 
and  also  the  school-house  and  priest's  residence  adjoining. 
A  larger  and  finer  building  was  then  erected,  and  was  dedi- 
cated in  1861.     The  Rev.  Peter  Peters  is  pastor. 

The  Congregational  church  was  organized  in  1870.  The 
church  edifice  is  on  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Henry  streets. 
The  Rev.  E  G.  Chaddock  is  pastor. 

A  large  Union  mission  Sunday-school  was  organized  in 
185S,  under  the  care  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation. For  several  months  its  meetings  were  held  in  the 
upper  story  of  a  building  known  as  Hunter's  tavern;  after- 
wards in  a  vacant  store  owned  by  Major  Charles  AV".  Hunter, 
on  Second  street  near  Henry  ;  and  then  in  Weigler's  Hall, 
at  the  corner  of  Second  and  Henry  streets.  A  larg'i  mission 
Sunday-school  is  now  carried  on  in  Hunterstown  under  the 
care  of  the  Baptists  and  one  on  State  street  in  charge  of  the 
Presbyterians. 

There  are  two  churches  maintained  by  the  colored  popula- 
tion. The  Union  Baptist  church  was  organized  about  1840, 
and  occupies  a  church  edifice  at  the  corner  of  Seventh  and 
George  streets.     The  Rev  J.  T.  Pierman  is  pastor. 

The  African  Methodist  Episcopal  is  on  Third  street  be- 
tween Henry  and  Riilge  streets,  and  the  pastor  is  the  Rev. 
W.  H.  Beckley. 

ALTON  AND   ST.  LOUIS   PACKETS. 

The  first  steamer  to  begin  making  regular  trips  as  a  packet 
between  Alton  and  St.  Louis,  not  the  "  Tiskilwa, "  in  the 
year  1833.  This  boat  then  carried  the  mail.  She  was 
named  after  an  Indian  chief,  and  after  leaving  the  Alton 
and  St.  Louis  trade  was  sunk  in  1836,  in  collision  with  the 
steamer  Wisconsin.  The  "Alpha"  in  1837  was  the  next 
boat  to  begin  running  as  a  regular  packet.  She  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  Eagle,  commanded  by  captains  Wilson,  Reed, 
and  Clay,  of  St.  Louis.  In  1843  this  boat  was  bought  by 
captain  William  P.  Laraothe,  of  Alton.  In  January,  1844, 
captain  Lamothe,  in  connection  with  Messrs.  Starnes  & 
Springer  of  St.  Louis,  built  the  "Luella. "  In  1845  Frink 
&  Walker,  of  Chicago,  proprietors  of  stage  lines,  placed  in 
opposition  to  the  "  Luella,  "  the  "  Governor  Briggs,  "  cap- 
tain James  E.  Starr,  and  the  two  boats  soon  came  to  be  the 
property  of  one  joint-.stock  company.  In  1848  Messrs.  S. 
&  P.  Wise  with  captain  Thomas  G.  Starr  and  other  citizens 
of  Alton,  bought  the  "  Tempest,  "  with  which  an  opposition 
line  was  started.  At  that  time  the  fare  between  Alton  and 
St.  Louis  was  one  dollar.  The  year  1849  witnessed  a  warm 
competition  between  the  two  lines.  The  old  company  de- 
termined to  sharply  oppose  the  ''  Tempest, "  and  captain 
George  E.  Hawley  of  the  "Luella,"  cut  down  the  fare  to 
seventy-five  cents,  then  to  fifty,  then  to  twenty-five, 
then  to  ten  cents,  and  finally  carried  passengers  without 
charge  and  freight  for  nearly  nothing.  The  "  Tempest" 
was  prompt  to  meet  these  reductions,  and  lively  times  be 


392 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


tweeu  the  two  rival  lines  were  experienced  during  the  sum- 
msr  of  1849.  Each  boat  carried  a  ban  1  of  music  and  left 
at  the  sam3  hour.  Eich  was  anxious  to  make  better  time 
than  its  rival,  and  rosin  and  turpentine  were  burnt  freely 
with  the  wood  for  fuel.  At  that  time  there  was  no  law  re- 
Etricliug  engineers  as  to  the  amouut  of  steam  they  should 
carry.  After  furnishing  cheap  transportation  for  several 
months,  the  owners  of  the  boats  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
a  better  way  could  be  devised  for  the  management  of  their 
business,  and  consolidated  their  interests.  The  "  Luella" 
ran  in  the  trade  during  the  spring  of  1850,  and  the  "Tem- 
pest, "  the  balance  of  the  year,  and  the  whole  of  the  year 
1851.  Frink  &  Walter  sold  their  interest  in  the  company 
to  captain  Joseph  Brown,  who  in  partnership  with  S.  &  P. 
Wise  and  Gaty,  McClune  &  Co.,  of  St.  Louis,  bui't  the 
"  Altona,  "  which  began  running  in  December,  1851,  and 
was  then  the  fastest  boat  on  the  western  waters.  She  made 
the  run  from  St.  Louis  to  Alton  in  one  hour  and  thirty- 
seven  minutes,  which  for  many  years  afterward  stood  as  the 
fastest  time  ever  made  on  the  river  from  St.  Louis  to  Alton. 
In  September,  1852,  the  Chicago  &  Mississippi  railroad 
company,  on  the  completion  of  their  road  from  Springfield 
to  Alton,  purchased  the  Altona,  Capt.  D  C  Adams,  and 
the  "  Cornelia,"  Capt,  Lamothe,  for  the  accommodation  of 
their  freight  and  passenger  traffic  between  Alton  and  St. 
Louis.  Two  trips  were  made  each  day.  The  Cornelia  sank 
in  December,  1853,  and  the  Altona  the  first  day  of  January 
1854.  The  "St.  Paul,"  Capt.  Lamothe,  then  did  all  the 
business  till  March,  1854,  when  the  "  Keindeer,"  Capt. 
Adams,  and  the  "  Winchester,"  Capt.  John  A  Bruner,  were 
added  to  the  line.  These  boats  did  not  prove  profitable  in- 
vestments, and  were  sold,  J.  J.  &  W.  Mitchell,  W.  P. 
Lamothe,  Joseph  Brown,  and  Gaty,  McCune  &  Co.  becom- 
'ing  the  purchasers  and  agreeing  to  do  the  business  of  the 
railroad  between  the  two  points.  There  were  some  changes 
of  ownership  in  1857,  when  we  find  the  company  with  three 
boats,  the  Reindeer,  Baltimore  and  York  State.  The  Rein- 
deer sank  November  10th,  1857;  September  10th,  1859, 
the  York  State  sank ;  in  October  of  the  same  year  the 
"  David  Tatum  "  was  purchased,  and  the  following  Decem- 
ber witnessed  the  end  of  Baltimore  ;  she  sank  like  her  com- 
panion boats.  Several  different  boats  were  then  chartered 
until  the  company  built  the  femous  '  City  of  Alton,"  Capt. 
George  E  Hawley,  which  went  into  service  in  the  fall  of 
1860.  About  the  time  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  the 
railroad  company  began  sending  their  passer gers  through  by 
rail  over  the  Alton  k  Terre  Haute  railroad  (the  present  In- 
dianapolis &  St-  Louis)  when  the  "  City  of  Alton  "  was  with- 
drawn, and  ran  South  from  St.  Louis  in  command  of  Capt. 
AVilliam  Barnes.  In  June,  1862,  the  company  bought  the 
"  B.  M.  Runyan,"  Capt.  James  S.  Bellas,  which  ran  between 
Alton  and  St.  Louis  till  1864,  when  she  also  went  South  and 
sank  on  the  2lst  of  July,  proving  a  total  loss.  The 
'•  David  Tatum"  was  then  brought  into  requisition.  Mean- 
while, the  Chicago  &  Alton  railroad  company  (the  old 
Chicago  and  Mississippi)  had  extended  their  road  to  St. 
Louis,  and  all  the  railroad  freight  was  taken  from  the  boat 
toward  the  close  of  the   year  1864.     The  Tatum   continued 


to  run  during  January  and  February,  1865,  but  not  prov- 
ing profitable,  she  was  withdrawn,  and  the  Alton  trade 
abandoned  to  the  through  line  packets. 

After  a  month  or  more  Capt.  John  A.  Bruner,  in  connec- 
tion with  Tunstall  &  Holmes  and  others  of  St.  Louis,  began 
running  the  "  May  A.  Bruner.  "  In  the  summer  of  1865 
the  "  South  Wester  "  was  purchased,  and  ran  between  Alton 
and  St.  Louis,  till  the  winter  of  1868-9,  when  the  company 
built  the  Belle  of  Alton  which  was  in  service  between  Alton 
and  St.  Louis,  in  the  fall  of  1871,  when  she  was  sent  South, 
and  was  burned  at  New  Orleans,  on  the  28th  of  March, 
1872.  The  Schuyler,  in  the  fall  of  1871,  supplied  the  place 
of  the  Belle  of  Alton,  and  ran  till  the  next  year.  In  1872, 
the  Illinois  River  Packet  Company  placed  the  Illinois  in 
the  Alton  and  St.  Louis  trade,  and  she  ran  about  two  years 
and  a  half.  In  March,  1874,  Capt.  John  A.  Bruner,  pur- 
chased the  De  Smet  and  started  her  in  opposition  to  the 
Illinois,  which  was  now  taken  off.  In  the  summer  of  1874 
the  Eagle  Packet  company  began  business,  and  shortly 
afterward  Capt.  Bruner  and  this  company  con.solidated  their 
interests,  and  have  since  at  different  times  ran  the  "  De 
Smet,"  the  "  Bald  Eagle,"  and  the  "  Spread  Eagle,"  be- 
tween St.  Louis,  Alton,  and  Grafton. 

THE   ALTON   CEMETERY. 

The  grounds  now  embraced  in  the  Alton  Cemetery,  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  city,  were  formerly  the  property  of 
Major  C'harles  W.  Hunter,  and  had  been  used  for  burial 
purposes  from  a  date  early  in  the  history  of  Alton.  In 
March,  1845,  the  mayor  and  common  council  of  the  city  of 
Alton,  and  their  successors  in  office,  were  incorporated  as 
the  "  Alton  Cemetery,"  and  the  grounds  remained  under 
their  control  till  1875,  when  they  were  transferred  to  an  asso- 
ciation, incorporated  under  the  name  and  title  of  the 
"  2Vlton  Cemetery,"  of  which  all  the  lot  owners  were  made 
members.  The  present  officers  of  the  association  are : 
Charles  A.  Caldwell,  president,  and  H.  J.  Crane,  secretary 
and  treasurer.  This  association  agreed  to  assume  the  old 
indebtedness  and  enlarge  the  grounds,  which  now  comprise 
about  twenty  acres.  Here  is  the  grave  of  Elijah  P.  Love- 
joy.  In  laying  out  an  avenue  the  removal  of  his  remains 
was  made  necessary,  and  they  now  lie  about  one  hundred 
feet  from  the  place  of  their  original  interment.  A  lot  has 
been  set  apart  for  a  monument  which  the  Lovejoy  Monument 
Association  design  erecting  to  his  memory,  and  to  this  part 
of  the  cemetery  it  is  intended  to  remove  his  ashes  when  the 
monument  shall  have  been  built.  The  cemetery  contains  the 
graves  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  United  States  soldiers 
who  died  at  Alton  during  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  They 
belonged  to  the  Seventy-seventh  Ohio,  the  Tenth  Kansas 
and  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixty-fourth  Illinois,  and  the 
Thirty-seventh  Iowa  infantry  regiments,  and  the  Fifteenth 
regiment  United  States  regulars. 

****** 

There  are  two  Catholic  cemeteries,  with  commodious  and 
handsomely  arranged  grounds,  in  which  numerous  inter- 
ments have  been  made. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


393 


NEWSFAPEliS. 

Four  newspapers  are  published  iu  Alton.  The  Alton 
Tdegraph  is  a  daily  and  weekly  paper,  W.  T.  Norton, 
editor  and  proprietor.  Perriu  &  Smith  are  editors  and 
proprietors  of  the  Alton  Dcni'icrat,  published  daily  and 
weekly.  The  Alton  Banner  is  a  weekly  German  paper. 
The  Madison  County  Sentinel  is  issued  weekly  by  J.  J.  Mc- 
Inerney. 

PUBLIC   LIBRARY. 

The  Alton  Library  Association  was  organized  in  1852. 
Among  the  members  were :  P-  W.  Randle,  Norton  Johnson, 
W.  T.  Miller,  A.  S.  Barry,  Harvey  Baruett,  Isaac  Scarrilt, 
W.  H.  Turner,  A.  G.  Walford,  L.  S.  Metcalf  and  S.  W. 
Robbins.  A  small  collection  of  books  was  made,  which,  in 
February,  1866,  was  sold  at  public  auction  and  purchased 
by  a  number  of  the  ladies  of  Alton  for  the  sum  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty-five  dollars.  In  1869,  the  constitution  of 
the  association  was  amended,  and  twelve  ladies  elected  to 
manage  the  library.  In  April,  1871,  the  room  in  the  City 
Hall,  now  used  for  the  post-ofBce,  was  obtained  for  the 
library  and  fitted  up  at  the  expense  of  the  association.  In 
February,  1876,  the  library  was  moved  into  the  rooms  now 
occupied,  and  the  following  April  a  free  reading-room  was 
established.  There  are  about  five  thousand  volumes  in  the 
library.  The  library  rooms  are  open  on  Wednesday  and 
Saturday  afternoons  of  each  week.  Books  may  be  taken 
out  on  the  payment  of  an  annual  subscription  fee  of  two 
dollars  and  a  half  The  present  officers  are :  Mrs.  R.  G 
Perley,  jjresident ;  Mrs.  J.  P.  Laird,  vice-president;  Mrs.  C. 
L.  Wright,  corresponding  secretary  ;  Mrs.  M.  F.  Topping, 
recording  secretary.  Miss  Florence  Dolbee  is  the  librarian, 
and  Mrs.  C.  M.  Crandellat  the  head  of  the  book  committee. 

SECRET   AND   BENEVOLENT   SOCIETIES. 

Masonic. — The  history  of  Free  Masonry  iu  Alton  began, 
with  the  organization  of  the  Franklin  Lodge,  No.  25,  in 
1837,  uuder  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Missouri. 
There  was  at  that  time  no  Grand  Lodge  in  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois. The  charter  members  in  Franklin  Lodge  were  Jacob 
C.  Bruner,  Samuel  C.  Price,  Jabez  Carter,  J.  A.  Langdou, 
John  A.  Maxey,  H.  S.  Summers,  J.  D.  Combs,  A.  Hart, 
Charles  Howard,  and  R.  McFarland ;  Charles  Howard  was 
the  first  Master.  This  was  the  first  Masonic  Lodge  insti- 
tuted in  Madison  county.  It  remained  under  the  Missouri 
Grand  Lodge  till  1844,  when  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Illinois 
was  formed.  It  was  removed  to  Upper  Alton  in  1843,  where 
it  has  since  maintained  a  useful  and  active  existence.  Piasa 
Lodge,  No.  27,  was  granted  a  charter  in  October,  1844. 
Among  those  interested  in  its  establishment  were  John 
Bailhache,  Samuel  G.  Bailey,  and  David  Allen.  The  last 
named  was  the  first  Master.  Alton  Lodge,  No.  284,  was 
chartered  in  October,  1SL8,  and  is  not  now  in  operation.  In 
October,  1859,  Erwin  Lodge,  No.  315,  was  instituted, 
composed  largely  of  Masons  of  Germaa  nationality. 

Howard  Chapter,  No.  8,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  was  char- 
tered in  Upper  Alton,  where  it  met  till  November,  1851, 
when  it  was  removed  to  Alton.  The  name  was  changed  to 
Alton  chapter  in  1852     Alton  Council,  No.  3,  of  Royal  and 


Select  jSIasters  was  established  in  Feb.  18-53,  by  charter 
from  the  Grand  Council  of  Kentucky.  Belvidere  Comman- 
dery,  No.  2,  Knights  Templar,  was  instituted  in  September, 
1853.  The  charter  members  were  Josiah  Hunt,  B.  J.  Kirk- 
ham,  J.  W.  Schweppe,  and  William  H.  Tarner.  Constau- 
tine  Conclave,  No.  10.  Red  Cross  Knights  of  Rome  and 
Constantine  meet  at  Alton. 

Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. — Alton  was  the  early 
home  of  Odd-Fellowship  in  Illinois.  The  first  Lodge  of  Odd 
Fellows  in  the  State  was  organized  here  about  the  year 
1837,  and  was  known  as  Western  Star  Lodge,  No.  1.  Past 
Grand  Sire — Wildey,  the  founder  of  this  order  in  the  United 
Stales,  visited  Alton,  and  to  his  labors  is  largely  due  the  in- 
troduction of  Odd  Fellowship  in  Illinois.  Shortly  afterward 
Alton  Lodge,  No.  2,  was  formed.  The  third  Lodge  iu  the 
State  was  Clark  Lodge,  No.  3,  in  Greenville,  iu  Bond  county. 
The  Grand  Lodge  of  Illinois  held  its  fir.st  ses-sion  at  Alton 
in  August,  1838.  Among  those  connected  with  the  early 
history  of  the  order  in  Alton,  were  John  R.  Woods,  James 
E.  Starr,  John  R.  Batterton,  John  P.  Ash,  and  John  M. 
Krum.  The  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  in  Alton,  chiefly  on  ac- 
count of  extravagant  expenditures  became  embarrassed,  and 
ceased  work  in  October,  1839,  and  with  them  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  the  State.  The  Grand  Lodge  was  reorganized  in 
March,  1842.  Western  Star  Lodge,  No.  1,  was  never  re- 
vived, but  Alton  Lodge,  No.  2,  resumed  work,  and  is  now  in 
active  existence.  The  Encampment  was  instituted  at  Alton 
in  July,  183S.  It  soon  afterward  suspended  operations,  and 
was  re-opened  in  June,  1850.  The  bodies  of  Odd  Fellows 
now  in  existence  in  Alton,  are  Alton  Lodge,  No.  2,  Germa- 
nia  Lodge,  No.  299,  and   Wildey  Encampment,  No.  1. 

The  Knights  of  Pythias  are  represented  by  Fleur  de  LyS 
Lodge,  No.  68  ;  the  Kuiglits  of  Honor  by  Alton  Lodge,  No. 
920.  There  are  also  lodges  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Mutual  Aid  and  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen. 
Other  organizations  are  Alton  Turn  Verein,  the  German 
Benevolent  Society,  Lodge  of  Hope  and  Alton  lodges  of 
the  Order  of  Harugari,  the  Ancient  Order  of  Hibernians, 
and  the  Catholic  Total  Abstinence  Society. 

STREET   CAR   AND   OMNIBUS   LINES. 

A  street  car  line,  making  hourly  trips  between  Alton  and 
Upper  Alton,  has  been  in  operation  since  December,  1868. 
A  line  of  omnibuses  furnishes  communication  between  Alton 
and  North  Alton.  The  city  is  supplied  with  gas,  the  works 
for  the  manufacture  of  which  were  erected  in  1855. 

ALTON   WATER   WORKS  COMPANY. 

This  company  was  incorporated  in  1875,  with  a  capital 
stockof  S15l»,000,  and  completed  the  present  water  works 
after  the  city  had  expended  fifty  thousand  dollars  in  their 
construction.  These  works  were  placed  in  operation  on  the 
twenty-ninth  of  January,  1876.  and  have  a  capacity  of  four 
million  gallons  per  day.  Two  powerful  engines  at  the  river 
pump  the  water  to  a  reservoir,  situated  on  one  of  the  highest 
points  in  the  city,  at  an  elevation  of  two  hundred  and 
seventy-five  feet  above  the  Mississippi,  whence  the  water  is 
distributed.      The  completion  of  these  works  gave  Alton 


304 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


superior  means  of  estinguishiug  fires.  So  strong  is  the 
pressure  in  the  lower  part  of  the  city  that  ten  streams  of 
water  have  been  thrown  at  one  time  to  the  height  of  one 
luindred  and  fifty  feet.  The  use  of  steam  fire  engines  has 
thus  been  made  unueeessary.  All  the  stock  of  this  com- 
j>any  is  now  owned  by  Henry  Watson. 

TUE    FIRE    DEPAKTMENT 

Consists  of  a  chief  engineer,  assistant,  and  a  force  of  men 
strong  enough  to  man  the  two  hose  carriages  owned  by  the 
city.  Tiiero  are  two  engine-houses,  one  on  Market  street 
and  the  other  on  Second  street. 

THE  rniyciPAL  maxufactures  of  altox. 

Alton  has  many  advantages  as  a  manufacturing  pointy 
among  which  are  excellent  railroad  and  river  facilities,  cheap 
fuel,  and  a  healthy  and  advantageous  locatiou  in  the  midst 
of  a  rich  and  productive  region  of  country. 

THE   ILLIXOIS   GLASS   COMPASY 

Is  the  largest  and  most  important  manufacturing  establish- 
ment. Glass  works  were  started  on  Belle  sti'eet,  of  which 
in  Se[>tember,  1873,  the  Illinois  Glass  Company,  William 
Eliot  Smith,  president,  became  the  owner.  In  1876  the 
works  were  removed  to  their  present  location,  between  the 
line  of  the  Chicago  and  AJton  railroad  aud  the  river,  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  city.  At  that  date  there  was  only  one 
building.  The  second  glass-house  was  erected  in  1877,  the 
tiiird  in  1830,  and  the  fourth  in  18S2.  Four  hundred  and 
tlf[y  hands  have  been  employed,  and  on  the  completion  of 
the  prujected  improvements  this  force  will  be  increased  to 
six  hundred.  The  production  has  largely  consisted  of  green 
aud  amber  bottles,  which  have  been  sold  extensively  through- 
out the  We^t.  A  larger  amount  of  this  class  of  goods  has 
been  made  here  than  at  any  other  factory  in  the  United 
States.  It  is  also  proposed  to  begin  the  manufacture  of 
flint-glassware.  The  sand  used  is  brought  from  Pike  county, 
forty  miles  up  the  Mississippi,  opposite  Cap-au-Gris,  Mis- 
souri. The  value  of  the  production  in  1881  was  $450,000, 
which  will  be  increased  to  §650,000.  William  Eliot  Smith 
is  the  owner.     The  works  occupy  three  acres  of  ground. 

HAPGOOD   PLOW   COSIPA>T. 

This  company  has  a  large  brick  building  on  Front  aud 
Henry  streets,  and  employ  about  one  hundred  hands. 
Riding  plows,  walking  plows,  aud  cultivators  are  manu- 
factured. The  implements  made  have  a  just  reputation  for 
excellence,  are  sold  everywhere  throughout  the  West,  and 
the  manufacturers  have  been  uuable  to  supply  the  constantly 
increasing  demand.  Charles  H.  Hapgood  previously  car- 
ried on  the  business  in  Chicago  and  St.  Louis,  where,  iu 
each  city,  his  works  were  destroyed  by  fire.  The  factory 
was  established  at  Alton  in  1874.  The  company  was  incor- 
porated iu  December,  1879,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $150,000. 
The  president  is  Charles  H.  Hapgood  ;  the  vice-president, 
J.  P.  Black ;  the  trea  urer,  F.  H.  Ferguson  ;  and  the  secre- 
tary, Thomas  Bates. 


THE   ALTOS    AGRICCLTCRAL   WORKS 

Manufacture  threshing  machines,  horse  powers,  and  dif- 
ferent agricultural  implements.  With  the  machine  shop 
a  foundry  is  connected.  When  in  active  operation  seventy- 
five  or  eighty  men  are  employed.  The  works  are  now  owned 
by  Andrew  T.  Hawley.  They  were  first  started  by  N.  Han- 
sou  about  1840. 

ALTOX   CITY   JIILLS. 

The  Alton  city  mills  came  into  the  possession  of  E.  O. 
Stanard  &  Co.,  in  March,  1881.  Since  then  important  im- 
provements have  been  made,  and  the  capacity  enlarged,  so 
that  now  the  mill  is  the  largest  and  most  complete  in  Madi- 
son county.  There  are  thirty-two  sets  of  rolls,  and  flour  is 
manufactured  by  the  latest  improved  process.  Among  the 
well-known  brands  are  "Stanard's  Eoyal  Patent,"  "  Alton 
City  ]\IilI  Roller  Process,"  "  Burbridge's  Best,"  "  Stanard's 
Best"  and  "Eagle  Steam."  The  best  grades  of  flour  are 
shipped  directly  to  the  Ei^st,  and  shipments  are  also  made  to 
the  European  markets.  The  power  is  furnished  by  a  new 
Corliss  engine.  The  mill  building  is  one  hundred  by  one 
hundred  aud  twenty  feet  in  dimensions,  with  a  warehouse 
fifty  by  one  hundred  feet.  The  shipping  facilities  are  ex- 
cellent, cars  of  the  Chicago  aud  Alton,  and  Indianapolis 
and  St.  Louis  railroads,  running  alongside  the  mill.  The 
capacity  is  seven  hundred  barrels  every  twentj'-four  hours. 
Thirty-one  hands  are  employed. 

NATIOXAL   ROLLER   MILLS. — D.    R.  SPARKS  &    CO. 

These  mills  have  a  capacity  of  five  hundred  barrels  a  day. 
The  new  roller  process  was  adopted  in  February,  1S82,  aud 
superior  grades  of  flour  are  now  manufactured.  The  leading 
brands  are  the  "  Armadale  "  and  "  Roller  C  A.  Process  " 
There  are  twenty  three  setts  of  rolls.  Five  run  of  burrs 
were  retained,  aud  are  sometimes  used.  A  Harriss  Corliss 
engine  of  two  hundred  horse-power  runs  the  machinery. 
Eighteen  men  are  employed.  The  building  is  constructed  of 
brick  and  stone,  is  ninety-five  by  one  hundred  feet  in  di- 
mensions, and  four  stories  in  height  with  a  basement. 

EMPIRE   MILLS. 

The  E  u^)ire  Mills,  of  which  Matthew  Wilkinson  is  pro- 
prietor, are  ruu  on  the  custom  plan,  aud  have  a  capacity  of 
fifty  barrels  of  wheat  fljur  per  day.  There  are  two  run  of 
burrs,  one  used  for  grinding  wheat,  and  the  other  corn. 
Four  men  are  employed. 

MADISON   MtLI^. 

The  Madison  Mills,  in  Bozzatown,  are  owned  by  Oliver 
B.  Ground.  The  mills  have  three  run  of  burrs,  two  used 
for  wheat,  and  one  for  corn,  and  can  manufiicture  fifty  or 
si.xty  barrels  of  flour  every  twenty-four  hours,  aud  about  one 
hundred  barrels  of  mjal.  H.ilf-a-doz9u  miu  are  employed. 
The  best  grades  of  flour  find  a  maiket  in  Alton.  On 
Tuesdays  and  Saturdays  custom  work  is  done,  and  the  rest 
of  the  week  is  devoted  to  merchant  milling. 

DRUMMOXD   TOBACCO   COMPANY. 

This  factory  was  established  in  1862,  by  Myers  it  Pierce- 


HISTORY  01    MADISON  COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


395 


The  firm  afterward  became  Myers  &  Drummond,  nud  ia 
1873,  Dausman  &  Drummond.  In  1876,  the  company  was 
incorporated  as  the  Dausman  &  Drummond  Tobacco  Com- 
pany with  a  capital  stock  of  SHiU.OilO.  lu  1879  the  name 
was  changed  to  the  Drummond  Tobacco  Company.  The 
officers  are  John  N.  Drummond,  president,  Charles  H.  Ean- 
dle,  secretary  and  treasurer  and  J.  T.  Drummond,  general 
superintendent.  These  gentlemen,  with  John  E.  Hayuer, 
are  the  owners  of  the  stock.  The  works  occupy  a  three  story 
brick  building,  eighty  by  one  hundred  feet,  on  the  corner  of 
Front  and  Alton  streets,  with  a  warehouse,  fort3'-one  by 
eighty  feet,  on  the  corner  of  Second  and  Alton  streets-  Three 
hundred  and  fifty  hands  are  employed,  and  about  three 
million  pounds  of  plug  tobacco,  valued  at  $1,500,000,  are 
manufactured  annually.  The  same  company  also  carry  on  a 
factory  in  St.  Louis,  started  in  1880,  which  has  a  capacity 
of  five  million  pounds  each  year. 

ALTON    BOX   MANUFACTUKING   COMPANY. 

The  box  factory,  now  operated  by  this  company  on  the 
Mississippi  above  Alton,  was  established  by  John  E.  llay- 
ner  iu  187"2,  and  in  1877  the  present  company  was  formed, 
and  iu  1880  was  incorporated  with  a  capital  stock  of  thirty 
thousand  dollars.  The  president  is  G.  R.  Allen,  the  secre- 
tary, J.  M.  Ryrie,  and  the  treasurer,  John  E.  Hayner.  The 
company  also  own  a  saw  mill,  which  partly  furnishes  the 
lumber  used  in  the  manufacture  of  boxes.  Forty-five  hands 
are  employed  in  the  saw  mill,  and  three  million  five  hundred 
thousand  feet  of  sycamore  and  cottonwood  lumber  are  sawn 
annually.  In  the  box  factory  from  eighty  to  one  hundred 
hands  are  kept  at  work.  Boxes  of  sycamore  for  plug  to- 
bacco, are  the  principal  goods  manufactured,  though  tobacco 
butts,  cracker  boxes  and  barrel  headings  are  also  turned  out. 
This  is  one  of  the  largest  box  factories  in  the  West,  and  the 
boxes  are  shipped  to  towns  along  the  Mississippi  river  from 
Burlington  to  New  Orleans. 

MACHINE  SHOP — GEORGE  D.  HAYDEN. 

The  machine  shop  of  George  D.  Hayden  was  established  in 
1872;  it  now  employs  thirteen  men,  and  has  the  re])utation  of 
turning  out  work  of  a  superior  character.  Repairs  to 
stationary  and  portable  steam  engines  are  made  a  specialty, 
and  attention  is  paid  to  plumbing,  gas,  steam  and  water  fit- 
ting. The  shop  is  on  Second  street,  between  Piasa  and 
State. 

THE  ANTON  FOUNDRY  AND  MACHINE  SHOP, 

Is  carried  on  by  the  firm  of  Brunner  &  Duncan.  Orders 
are  executed  for  engines,  flouring  mills,  saw  mills,  pumps, 
pulleys,  shafting,  water  pipes,  brass  work  and  fittings  of 
all  kinds.     A  specialty  is  made  of  coal-mining  machinery. 

ALTON   PLANING    MILL, 

Was  established  by  the  firm  of  Martin  &  Boals,  in  18G4, 
and  moved  to  the  present  location  on  Second  street, 
between  Spring  and  Walnut,  in  1872.  The  building  now 
occupied  was  erected  by  the  Indianapolis  and  St.  Louis 
railroad  as  a  car  factory.  M.  H.  Boals  is  the  pr<sent 
proprietor.      Sash,   doors,   blinds,   frames,   mouldings   and 


brackets  are  made,  principally  for  the  home  market.  The 
mill  furnishes  work  for  twenty-fivo  men. 

WHEELOCK    &   GINTEK, 

Also  carry  on  the  manufacture  of  sash,  doors,  blinds, 
brackets,  mouldings  and  stair  rails  at  their  planing  mill 
on  Front  street,  between  George  and  Langdon.  This 
establishment  began  operations  in  1866  under  the  same 
management  as  now.     Twelve  hands  are  employed. 

CARRIAGES   AND   WAGONS. 

The  wagon  and  carriage  factory  of  Charles  Rodemeyer 
was  established  by  his  father,  Charles  Rodemeyer,  in  1854. 
Forty-five  men  are  employed  in  the  establishment,  and  all 
kinds  of  wagons,  buggies  and  carriages  are  made.  The 
annual  sales  amount  to  about  830,000.  Daniel  Miller 
manufactures  carriages  exclusively,  and  emploj's  twenty- 
five  hands.  His  factory  is  at  the  corner  of  Fifth  and 
Belle  streets,  and  began  operations  in  1869.  William 
Rodemeyer  is  engaged  iu  the  manufacture  of  buggies  and 
carriages  at  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  State  streets.  Wagons 
are  also  made  by  Nick.  Seibold,  George  Luft  and  J.  H. 
Koehne,  on  Belle  street,  and  Joseph  Amman,  in  Hunters- 
town. 

COOPERAGE. 

Cooper  establishments  are  carried  on  by  William  Arm- 
strong, Adam  Gundall,  Jacob  &  Thomas  Jun,  Fred  Holfert, 
John  Ubelhack  and  Henry  Laux.  The  most  of  these  are  iu 
the  lower  town.  The  largest  shops  are  those  of  Armstrong 
and  Gundall.  Flour,  apple  and  lime  barrels  comprise  the 
principal  articles  made,  for  which  a  strong  and  constant 
home  demand  exists. 

LIME. 

William  Armstrong  has  four  kilns  for  the  manufacture 
of  lime,  and  produces  from  one  hundred  thousand  to 
two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  barrels  each  year.  Cop- 
pinger  &  Biggins  have  one  kiln,  and  make  about  forty 
thousand  barrels  annually.  There  is  another  kiln  in  opera- 
tion, recently  owned  by  Theodore  Dietz.  The  stone  found 
about  Alton  is  a  very  pure  carbonate  of  lime,  and  burns 
into  the  best  and  whitest  lime  made  in  the  country.  It  has 
won  a  wide  reputation  throughout  the  West  for  its  excellence, 
and  the  Alton  manufacturers  ship  to  different  points  in  Illi- 
nois, Kansas,  Missouri,  Iowa  and  Nebraska. 

EARTHENWARE. 

J.  Wilhelm  &  Co.,  established  themselves  iu  the  manu- 
facturing of  earthenware  iu  Alton  in  1855,  in  a  stone  build- 
ino-  used  during  the  Mexican  war  as  headquarters  for  the 
quartermaster's  department.  They  employ  in  their  business 
a  capital  of  about  83000.  Their  supply  of  clay  is  obtained 
from  Whitehall  and  North  Alton. 

BRICK   MANUFACTORIES. 

J.  Henry  Hellrung  pursues  the  manufacture  of  brick,  a 
business  handed  him  from  his  father.  At  present  the  capacity 
of  his  works  is  about  a  half  million  per  annum. 

Ernest  N.  Ftldwick,  brick  manufacturer,  employs  from 


396 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


ten  to  fifteen  men,  and  manufactures  a  million  bricks  an- 
nually. 

Thomas  Corbctt  coniraenced  the  manufacture  of  brick  in 
1869.  Gives  employment  to  eighty  men  and  turns  out  600, 
000  bricks  annually. 

STONE   QUARRIES. 

Henry  Watson  commenced  the  quarrying  of  stone  in 
1859.  His  business  has  assumed  large  proportions,  giving 
employment  to  seventj'-five  hands,  and  aggregating  about 
$150,000  per  annum. 

James  Bannon's  quarries  have  been  in  operation  about 
fifteen  years.  They  give  employment  to  an  average  of 
twenty  men. 

THE    ALTON     CIDER     VINEGAR    AND    FRUIT     EVAPORATING 
COMPANY, 

Began  operations  in  the  summer  of  1881.  Large  quantities 
of  dried  fruit  are  manufactured  by  Williams'  evaporators, 
according  to  the  Alden  process.  The  works  are  on  William 
street,  between  Wall  and  Fourth  streets,  and  are  owned  by 
John  A.  Bruner. 

BREWERIES. 

There  are  two  breweries  in  Alton,  that  of  John  Jehle, 
between  Alton  and  North  Alton,  called  the  Alton 
Brewery.  This  makes  about  four  thousand  barrels  of 
beer  every  year.  The  product  is  sold  mostly  in  Alton,  and 
small  towns  within  a  radius  of  a  dozen  miles.  The  bluff 
City  brewery,  of  which  James  Carr  is  proprietor,  is  situated 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  city.  This  is  the  old  Yeckel  brewery, 
the  first  ever  started  in  Alton. 


Are  manufactured  by  John  A.  Neiuinger,  Henry  Bruegge- 
mann,  Kranz  Bros ,  George  Mold,  and  Frank  C.  Pelot,  Jr. 

SODA   AND   MINERAL   WATERS. 

The  following  gentlemen  are  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  soda  and  mineral  waters :  Schmidt  and  Knecht,  also, 
Christopher  Weisbach. 

ALTON   STONE,   BALLAST,   AND   MACADAM   COMPANY. 

This  company,  composed  of  Henry  Watson,  William 
Armstrong,  and  William  Huskinson,  in  February  1881,  put 
in  operation  a  crusher  to  reduce  the  limestone  rock  of  the 
bluflf,  above  Alton,  to  a  size  suitable  for  macadam  and  bal- 
last purposes.  The  crusher  is  one  of  the  largest  in  use. 
Twenty  car-loads  of  crushed  stone  can  be  furnished  daily. 
The  company,  in  the  spring  of  1882,  furnished  stone  with 
which  to  ballast  the  Chicago  and  Alton  railroad  from  Alton 
to  East  St.  Louis.  The  capital  invested  in  the  works  is 
about  twelve  thousand  dollars. 

Supervisors. — The  following  gentlemen  have  represented 
Alton  in  the  board  of  supervisors :  C.  A.  Herb,  H.  C. 
Sweetzer,  John  M.  Tonsor,  1876-77  ;  William  Hayden,  R. 
C.  Berry,  John  M.  Ton.sor,  C  A.  Herb,  1877-78 ;  G.  D. 
Hayden,  C.  A.  Herb,  C.  Ryan,  J.  M.  Tonsor,  1878-79 ;  N. 
E.  Hatheway,  F.  H.  Ullrich,  William  Hayden,  J.  M.  Ton- 


sor, 1879-80;  N.  E.  Hatheway,  F.  W.  Joesting,  J.  M. 
Tonsor,  G.  D.  Hayden,  1880-81  ;  I.  E.  Hardy,  F.  W. 
Joesting,  J.  J.  Mcluerney,  J.  M.  Tonsor,  1881-82  ;  John 
A.  Bruner,  J.  M.  Tonsor,  F.  H.  Ullrich,  James  M.  Cotter, 
1882-83. 

UPPER  ALTON. 

Upper  Alton  sprang  into  existence  about  the  same  time 
as  Alton,  though  in  the  earlier  years  of  its  history  it  had  a 
more  vigorous  growth  than  its  rival  by  the  river.  Joseph 
Meacham,  a  native  of  the  State  of  Vermont,  who  came  to 
Illinois  in  1811,  was  the  original  proprietor,  and  surveyed 
the  site  of  the  town  into  lots  in  the  year  1817.  He  proposed 
to  dispose  of  these  lots  by  lottery,  each  ticket  entitling  the 
holder  to  one  lot,  or  thirty  acres  more  or  less.  For  some 
years  there  was  considerable  trouble  with  the  titles.  Mea- 
cham, who  pre-empted  the  land,had  only  paid  the  land  office 
one  fourth  of  ihe  amount  due.  Under  the  rules  of  the  Land 
Office,  then  in  force,  he  received  a  certificate  of  entry,  and 
was  entitled  to  a  j^atent  on  jjayment  of  the  balance  of  tlie 
purchase  money.  Subsequently  he  became  financially  em- 
barrassed and  unable  to  pay  his  debts,  and  assigned  his  cer- 
tificate to  James  W.  Whitney,  Erastus  Brown,  John  Allen, 
and  Ebenezer  Hodges,  who  paid  the  balance  due  the  Land 
Office,  and  obtained  a  j)atent.  Meanwhile  Ninian  Edwards 
and  Charles  W.  Hunter  had  procured  judgments  against 
Meacham,  and  sold  under  execution  a  number  of  lots  for  which 
deeds  had  been  given  by  j\Ieacham  while  he  held  the  certi- 
ficate of  entry.  •  Litigation  followed,  and  a  compromise  was 
finally  made  by  which  Whitney,  Brown,  Allen,  and  Hodges, 
and  Edwards  and  Hunter,  divided  the  most  of  the  lots  be- 
tween them,  while  the  original  purchaser  was  crowded  out 
entirely. 

For  some  years  after  1817  Upper  Alton  (it  was  then 
simply  known  by  the  name  of  Alton),  both  in  population  and 
the  character  of  its  improvements,  surpassed  the  Alton  laid 
out  by  Easton.* 

Among  the  early  settlers  were :  Dr.  Augustus  Langworthy, 
Ebenezer  Hodges,  James  W.  Whitney,  Robert  Sinclair, 
Elisha  Dodge,  William  Kessler,  Benjamin  Spencer,  Heze- 
kiah  H.  Gear,  Isaac  Woodburn,  Benjamin  Steadman,  David 
Smith,  George  Smith,  Erastus  Brown,  the  Rev.  Bennett 
Maxey,  John  A.  Maxey,  John  Seeley,  Nathaniel  Pinckard, 
William  G.  Pinkcard,  John  Allen,  Willis  Webb,  Benjamin 
Hail,  Samuel  Delaplain,  Henry  P.  Ruudle,  Alauson  S. 
Wells,  Jonathan  Brown,  Ephraim  Marsh,  Levi  McNeil, 
Thomas  Allen,  Zachariah  Allen,  Shadrach  Brown,  William 
Heath,  Daniel  Crume,  Enoch  Long  and  Joel  Finch. 

James  W.  Whitney  was  a  lawyer,  and  for  some  years  pre- 
vious to  his  death  was  the  oldest  member  of  the  bar  in  the 
state.  He  died  in  Adams  county  at  the  age  of  eighty-five. 
He  was  familiarly  called  "  Lord  Coke."  Among  the  papers  of 
George  Churchill  was  found  this  memorandum  :  "  Whitney 

*  Meacham,  after  founding  Upper  Alton,  had  purchased  whatw.as 
known  as  the  Bates  farm,  and  projected  a  town  whicli  he  advertised 
as  Alton  on  the  river.  Major  Charles  W.  Hunter  became  interested 
in  (his  last  enterprise  in  1818,  .and  out  of  it  grew  Ilunterstown,  now 
incorporated  in  the  city  of  ."Vlton. 


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PLACES   OF  PUBLIC    INTEREST,  ALTON^ILL. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


397 


13  a  Yankee,  from  the  viciuity  of  Boston,  and  came  to  this 
country  in  1800.  Has  been  two  thousand  five  hundred  miles 
up  the  Missouri,  and  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Indians."  Dr. 
Augustus  Langworthy  had  come  to  Illinois  from  Vermont. 
On  the  establishment  of  the  po.st-office  in  1818  he  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster.  The  office  was  then  called  Alton, 
and  was  supplied  by  a  weekly  mail,  carried  on  horseback, 
on  a  route  from  Carlyle  to  St.  Charles,  Missouri,  crossing  | 
the  MJesissippi  at  Alton.  Dr.  Erastus  Brown  had  the  first  1 
drug  store  in  the  town,  and  the  Rev.  Bennett  Maxey  was 
the  first  minister  of  the  Gospel.  John  Allen  and  Benjamin 
Spencer  filled  the  office  of  justices  of  the  peace  in  1818,  and 
Willis  Webb  and  Benjamin  Hail  served  the  same  year  as 
constables.  Robert  Sinclair  was  deputy  sheriflT.  He  was 
shrewd,  eccentric,  and  illiterate.  He  was  found  guilty  of 
complicity  in  a  robbery,  and  though  present  when  the  ver- 
dict was  rendered,  escaped  before  the  officials  could  secure  ' 
him.  He  fled  to  Arkan.sas,  there  became  popular,  and  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature. 

Bennett  Maxey,  Erastus  Brown,  Isaac  Waters,  and  Zach- 
ariah  Allen,  laid  out  the  town  of  Salu,  adjoining  Upper 
Alton  * 

One  of  the  early  residents  of  Upper  Alton,  who  came  to 
the  place  in  1818,  describes  the  town  on  his  arrival  as  a  little 
village  of  log  cabins.  There  was  one  store  kept  by  Shad. 
Brown  in  a  little  log  house  in  the  extreme  south  part  of  the 
town.  It  was  a  general  store,  but  with  a  very  poor  and 
small  stock  of  goods.  There  was  a  double  log  cabin,  in  one 
room  of  which  whiskey  was  kept  for  sale,  and  in  the  other 
was  the  only  hotel  in  the  place.  William  Morris  was  the 
proprietor.  There  was  one  small  frame  building,  erected  by 
Benjamin  Spencer,  and  used  by  him  as  a  shop. 

The  first  school-house  was  a  small  log  cabin,  about  four- 
teen feet  square. 

*An  advertisement  in  the  Edwardsville  Spectator,  in  1S20, 
S2ts  forth  the  advantages  of  Salu,  and  gives  the  reason  for  the  laying 
out  of  the  town.     It  is  as  follows  : 

"  When  it  is  considered  that  the  Missipsipi  river  is  bounded  on  the 
east  by  alluvial  land,  from  four  to  seven  miles  in  width,  beginning  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Kaskaskia  River,  and  extending  to  two  miles  above 
the  junction  of  the  Missouri  River,  a  distanceof  eighty  or  one  hundred 
miles,  has  nowhere  in  this  distance  a  permanent  or  rocky  shore,  but 
overflows  the  country  in  unusually  high  freshets— and  when  it  is 
considered  that  from  the  termination  of  this  alluvial  land,  at  which 
place  the  town  of  Alton  is  situated,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois  river, 
the  shore  of  the  Mississippi  is  a  perpendicular  rock,  from  one  to  two 
hundred  feet  high,  with  only  here  and  there  a  narrow  break  admitting 
a  few  small  streams  of  water  to  flow  into  the  Mississippi,  but  not  pre- 
senting anywhere  a  situation  for  a  town — and  when  it  is  also  consi- 
dered that  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Illinois  river  for  some  distance  is 
rocky  and  broken,  and  then  it  becomes  low  bottom  land  for  more  than 
two  hundred  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river,  the  mind  is  irresistibly 
led  to  the  opinion  that  the  town  of  Alton  is  situated  on  a  conunandirg 
and  important  site,  there  being  nowhere  else  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the 
Mississippi  and  Illinois  rivers,  formore  than  three  hundred  miles,  a  good 
situation  for  a  town.  This  opinion  is  drawn  from  the  advantage  this 
place  may  receive  from  the  navigation  of  those  rivers.  Let  us  look 
forward  only  a  few  years  when  the  internal  navigation  shall  be  com- 
pleted from  the  Hudson  through  the  Lakes  to  the  Mississippi,  and  the 
importance  of  this  station  for  a  great  commercial  town  will  be  more 
fullv  appreciated. 
51 


The  floor  was  of  rough-hewn,  split  logs,  laid  in  a  manner 
as  rough  as  the  material.  This  structure  stood  in  the  south 
part  of  the  town,  and  was  soon  supplanted  by  another 
building  more  centrally  located  on  the  street,  or  road,  lead- 

''The  surrounding  country  equals  in  richness  of  soil  and  agricul- 
tural advantages  the  most  fertile  portion  of  the  western  country.  In 
addition  to  the  foregoing  considerations,  freestone,  lime-stone,  and 
stone  coal  abound  in  great  abundance  in  the  neighborhood  of  these 
places,  and  by  reference  to  the  actual  survey  of  this  state,  Alton  is 
found  to  be  nearly  due  West  from  Vandalia,  the  seat  of  government 
The  Mississippi  at  this  point  is  fifteen  miles  nearer  that  town  than 
any  other  navigable  water  of  the  state,  excepting  the  Kaskaskia  river 
which  is  navigable  to  Vandalia,  only  two  or  three  months  in  the 
year." 

"  But  even  here,  although  the  bank  is  rocky,  the  river  is  easy  of 
access,  and  there  is  a  good  boat  landing  or  harbor,  the  land  is  for  more 
than  one  mile  back  broken  and  uneven,  interspersed  with  hilU  and 
sink-holes.  Therefore,  the  site  for  the  town  of  Salu  is  considered 
more  eligible  than  others  which  can  be  selected  on  the  waters  of  the 
Illinois  and  Mississippi  rivers.  This  town  is  situated  on  the  first  high, 
rolling,  and  commanding  ground  from  the  river  in  section  six,  in  town 
five  north,  and  range  nine  west,  of  the  third  principal  meridian,  ad- 
joining, and  north  of  Upper  Alton,  in  the  County  of  Madison,  and 
State  of  Illinois.  There  are  no  ponds,  nor  stagnant  waters,  the  source 
of  so  much  disease  in  this  country  in  this  town,  nor  in  its  vicinity, 
but  it  is  well  supplied  with  springs  of  pure  water." 

"  The  great  road  leading  from  the  East  through  this  state  to  the 
Missouri  territory,  the  Boon's  Lick,  and  Silt  River  countries,  runs 
through  this  town,  and  crosses  the  Mississippi  at  the  well-known 
Smeltzer's  Ferry.  This  road  will  be  made  to  fork  at  this  town,  and 
run  also  to  Fountain  Ferry,  at  Lower  Alton.  These  two  ferries  are 
the  only  ones  of  any  importance  that  can  ever  be  established  on  the 
Mississippi  between  the  Illinois  and  Missouri  rivers.  The  great  Na- 
tional Road,  running  from  the  city  of  Washington  westwardly,  must 
neces-sarily  cross  one  or  the  other  of  these  ferries,  when  it  shall  be  ex- 
tended to  Missouri  and  the  Rocky  Mountains  The  important  road 
leading  from  the  South  to  the  military  boimty  lands  in  the  fork  of 
the  Mississippi  and  Illinois  rivers,  and  to  the  Sangarao  country,  must, 
from  the  peculiar  make  of  the  land,  either  on  the  West  or  on  the  East, 
run  through  this  town." 

"  Good  mechanics  of  moral,  industrious  habits,  and  respectable  men 
of  other  occupations,  will  receive  liberal  encouragement  to  settle  in 
this  town." 

"  It  may  be  considered  extraordinary  that  a  new  town,  bearing  a 
new  name,  should  be  laid  out  adjoining  Upper  Alton,  as  this  town  is 
well  situated,  and  already  contains  more  than  thirty  families.  It  i» 
from  these  considerations  that  the  town  of  Salu  is  laid  out,  and  the 
lot-s  offered  to  actual  settlers.  No  clear  and  indisputable  title  could 
heretofore  have  been  obtained  for  any  lot  in  Upper  Alton,  and  the 
legal  (luestions  connected  with  the  land  are  complicated  and  difficult. 
Under  these  cii  nunstances,  the  people  who  had  settled  in  Alton  could 
not  prudentially  make  improvements,  but  had  become  more  and  more 
convinced  of  the  unusually  healthy  and  commanding  situation  for  a 
great  town,  and  were  unwilling  to  remove  to  any  other  town,  or  part 
of  this  state  or  country.  Therefore,  the  subscribers  purchased  the  site 
for  the  town  of  Salu,  which  has  all  the  advantages  of  Alton,  and  have 
given  the  new  town  a  new  name,  because  Alton  embraced  Upper  and 
Lower  Alton,  two  separate  and  distinct  sites  for  towns,  situated  more 
than  one  mile  apart;  from  these  considerations  it  was  not  thought  ad- 
visable to  extend  Alton  to  greater  limits,  and  therefore  the  subscribers 
have  named  the  town  Salu." 

Bennett  Maxey. 
Erastus  Bkown. 
Isaac  Waters. 
Zachariah  Allen. 


398 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


ing  to  Milton.  This  was  likewise  built  of  logs,  but  was 
more  commodious  and  comfortable  than  its  predecessor,  and 
was  used  for  several  years.  The  seats  were  made  out  of 
slabs  hauled  from  the  saw-mill  at  Milton.  One  of  the 
pupils  of  those  days,  who  does  not  seem  to  have  entertained 
the  most  pleasant  recollections  of  this  school-room,  writes : 
"  The  small  scholars  were  required  to  sit  on  these  miserable 
benches  without  backs,  and  be  very  quiet,  though  some  of 
the  smallest  could  not  reach  the  floor  with  their  feet.  The 
larger  scholars  were  better  provided  for,  as  their  seats  were 
next  to  the  wall,  and  a  board  was  placed  in  front  of  them 
for  a  writing-desk.  Our  school-books  were :  Webster's 
Speller,  Walker's  Dictionary,  Pike's  Arithmetic.  Murray's 
Reader,  and  Murray's  English  Grammar."  Among  the 
early  teachers  of  this  school  was  Mr.  Rose,  Nelson  Aldrich, 
H.  H.  Snow,  Enoch  Long,  Rowlet  Maxey  and  Levi  McNeil. 
For  a  shcrt  time,  a  man  named  Jinks  held  sway  over  this 
temple  of  learning,  but  was  discharged  for  lying  down  and 
sleeping  on  the  benches  during  school  hours.  His  devotion 
to  whiskey  was  the  cause.  Except  for  this  one  failing,  he 
was  an  excellent  teacher. 

William  G.  Pinckard,*  William  Heath,  and  Daniel 
Crume,  and  their  families,  all  of  whom  had  removed  to  Illi- 
nois from  Ohio,  and  first  settled  at  Huuterstown  in  the  fall 
of  1819,  ciirae  to  Upper  Alton  (or  Salu)  ;  and  these  families, 
fifteen  persons  in  all,  spent  ihe  following  winter  in  a  log 
cabin  of  two  rooms.  That  winter  Pinckard  and  Heath  con- 
structed a  pottery,  and  in  the  spring  of  1820  began  the  man- 
ufacture of  pottery  ware,  for  which  there  was  a  great  demand, 
persons  coming  from  far  and  near  to  procure  dishes,  cups, 
crocks,  and  all  kinds  of  earthen  vessels.  Nathaniel  Pinck- 
ard, father  of  William  G.  Pinckard,  became  a  resident  of 
Upper  Alton  at  the  same  time.f 


*  Thomas  Stanton  Pinckard,  son  of  William  G.  Pinckard,  after  men- 
tioning that  his  father,  in  1834,  moved  from  Upper  to  Lower  Alton  ; 
in  1837  to  Middle  Alton,  and  in  1846  back  again  to  Lower  Alton, 
writes : 

"  I  have  a  vivid  recollection  of  several  of  the  old  settlers  who  were 
living  when  I  was  a  boy.  Abel  Moore,  in  his  Dearborn  wagon,  with 
his  wooden  leg.  Tommy  Nichols,  with  his  favorite  by-word,  '  Dad- 
burn  it.'  OldMcAuley  ;  old  George  Bell— all  old  rangers  in  the  In- 
dian troubles.  Often  these  men  visited  my  father's  house  when  I  was 
a  boy,  and  by  a  bright,  glowing  fireplace,  seated  on  father's  knee,  I 
listened  to  the  hairbreadth  escapes  and  thrilling  incidents  of  border 
life.  The  murder  of  the  Eeg.an  family  in  the  forks  of  Wood  River  in 
1814,  was  often  spoken  of  by  these  old  '  rangers,'  some  of  whom  par- 
ticipated in  the  pursuit  and  killing  of  the  .savage  murderers.  It  was  a 
common  occurrence  for  us,  children,  to  pick  up  Indian  arrow-heads  in 
the  timber  and  fields  of  Middle  Alton  up  to  1840." 

t  In  the  columns  of  the  Edwardsville  Spectator,  in  1820,  ap- 
pears an  account  of  a  Fourth  of  July  celebration  at  Alton  (Upper 
Alton)  that  year,  "which  excelled  anything  of  the  kind  heretofore  wit- 
nessed in  this  country.''  Hezekiah  H.  Gear,  momited  on  horseback, 
in  full  military  uniform,  was  the  marshal  of  the  day.  J.  W.  Whitney 
read  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  William  Jenks  delivered 
an  oration.  The  company  then  repaired  to  the  table,  where  a  plen- 
teous and  excellent  repast  was  served  by  Dr.  .Viignstus  Laugworthy. 
James  Smith,  an  aged  Revolutionary  Patriot,  and  one  of  the  first 
settlers,  presided,  asfisted  by  K.  P.  Day,  the  Vice-President.     Several 


From  the  time  they  made  their  home  in  Upper  Alton,  the 
houses  of  Nathaniel  Pinckard  and  William  G.  Pinckard 
were  the  stopping-places  of  the  pioneer  preachers,  and  reli- 
gious services  were  often  held  at  their  houses,  and  also  at 
that  of  Jonathan  Brown.  The  Revs.  Samuel  Thompson, 
Thomas  Randle,  John  Dew  and  Jesse  Walker  were  among 
the  early  ministers.  Nathaniel  and  Oliver  Brown  removed 
j  to  Illinois  in  1817  from  Champaign  county,  Ohio.  In  1818 
they  became  residents  of  Upper  Alton. 

The  first  postmaster,  Augustus  Langworthy,  appointed  in 
1818,  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  Bennett  Maxey  in  1824. 
The  Rev.  Mr.  Maxey  was  one  of  the  early  Methodist  circuit 
preachers  in  Virginia,  from  which  state  he  removed  to  Ohio, 
and  then  to  Illinois.  His  residence  was  in  "  Salu,"  and  con- 
sequently the  change  of  name  was  made  to  that  from  "  Up- 
per Alton."  In  1826  he  resigned  the  office,  and  George 
Smith  received  the  commission.  The  oflice  was  then  brought 
from  Salu,  and  the  name  changed  back  to  that  of  "  Al- 
ton." In  1835  David  Smith  received  the  appointment 
as  postmaster.  The  name  of  the  oflice  was  then  changed  to 
"  Upper  Alton,"  and  the  post-office  at  Lower  Alton,  which 
had  previously  borne  the  name  of  "  Lower  Alton,"  was  called 
"  Alton."  In  the  year  1849,  Frank  Hewitt  was  appointed 
posttnaster,  and  was  succeeded  in  18.53  by  Joseph,Chapman. 
James  Smith  was  ne.xt  placed  in  charge  of  the  oflice.  Aaron 
Butler  was  commissioned  in  1861,  and  was  followed  in  1866 
by  the  Rev.  T.  B.  Hurlburt.  Aaron  Butler  was  re-appointed 
in  1867.  Joseph  H.  Weeks,  the  present  incumbent,  has  had 
charge  of  the  office  since  1877. 

The  following  description  of  Upper  Alton  appears  in  the 
"Guide  for  Emigrants,"  published  by  John  M.  Peck, 
in  1831 : 

"  Its  situation  is  high  and  healthy,  and  it  contained  last 
spring  (1831)  thirty-five  families  and  two  hundred  souls. 
Its  numbers,  within  a  few  mouths,  have  augmented  nearly 
one-third.  The  soil  of  the  surrounding  country  is  fertile 
and  rolling;  the  prevailing  timber  walnut,  hickory  and  oak. 
In  March  it  had  two  stores,  one  tavern,  one  blacksmith  shop, 
one  ox  flouring  mill,  one  wagon-maker,  one  tannery,  one  sad- 
dlery, one  shoemaker,  one  brick-maker,  two  carpenters,  two 
physicians,  one  pottery  for  coarse  earthenware,  a  post-office 
and  a  brick  school-house  building.  Methodists,  Baptists 
and  Presbyterians  have  organized  societies,  and  preaching 
alternately  by  one  of  these  denominations  every  Sabbath. 
A  flourishing  Sabbath-school  is  kept  up.  At  Upper  Alton 
the  first  Sunday-school  in  Illinois  was  opened  in  1819." 

Three  years  later,  in  1834,  the  same  author,  in  his  "  Gaze- 
teer  of  Illinois,"  writing  of  Upper  Alton,  states  that  there 
were  "  three  stores,  one  house  of  entertainment,  three  physi- 
cians, various  mechanics,  a  pottery,  a  commodious  brick 
school-house  for  town  purposes,  a  steam  flouring-mill  now 

toasts  were  drank,  "  interspersed  with  suitable  pieces  of  vocal  and 
instrumental  music,  and  each  accompanied  with  the  discharge  of  a 
piece  of  artillery,  together  with  the  reiterated  cheers  and  plaudits  of 
the  company."  Benjamin  Spencer,  Hezekiah  H.  Gear,  Dr.  Hewetson 
of  Milton,  and  Robert  Sinclair  were  among  those  who  participated  in 
the  toasts. 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


399 


building,  no  grocery  or  whiskey-shop,  and  about  sixty  fami- 
lies."    He  adds : 

"  Upper  Alton  is  improving  ;  the  society  is  good,  and  it  is 
a  desirable  place  for  family  residence,  out  of  the  bustle  of 
business.  The  post-office  is  distinguished  as  'Alton.'  Upper 
Alton  was  laid  oft'  by  the  proprietor  in  1816,  and  incor- 
porated by  the  Legislature,  under  the  government  of  trus- 
tees, in  1821,  when  it  contained  seventy  or  eighty  families. 
In  1!^27  it  had  dwindled  down  to  seven  families.  It  was 
reduced  from  several  causes,  but  especially  from  various 
conflicting  claims  to  the  soil,  which  have  been  happily 
terminated  by  a  decision  of  the  court  of  chancery,  according 
to  the  mutual  agreement  of  all  the  claimants.  Hereafter, 
no  doubt  the  town  will  experience  a  regular  and  rapid  , 
growth.  The  Baptists,  Methodists  and  Presbyterians  hold 
worship  regularly  here." 

The  same  writer,  in  1839,  describes  the  place  as  containing   ^ 
eight  stores,  five  groceries,  two  lawyers,  five  physicians,  me- 
chanics of  various  descriptions,  a  steam  saw  and  flour  mill, 
and  about  tliree  hundred  families,  or  fifteen  hundred  inhabi-   ; 
tants.      The  Baptists,   Methodists  and  Presbyterians  have 
houses  of  worship.    The  Baptist  and  Presbyterian  houses  are 
handsome  stone  edifices,  with  spires  and  bells,  and  provided 
with   ministers.     There  are  seven  or  eight  ministers  of  the    \ 
gospel  connected  with  this  place,  some  of  whom  belong  to 
the  college  and  theological  seminary.    Others  are  agents  for 
some  of  the  public   benevolent  institutions,  whose  families  | 
reside  here.     Good  morals,  religious   privileges,  the  advan- 
tages for  education  in  the  college  and  in  three  respectable 
common-schools,  with  an   intelligent  and  agreeable  society, 
make  this  town  a  desirable  residence."     He  predicts  that 
"  Upper,  Lower  and  Middle  Alton  will   eventually  grow 
into  one  great  city."     Their  aggregate  population  was  at 
that  time  about  four  thousand. 

Another  writer,  Edmund  Flagg,  who  in  1838  published 
"The  Far  West,  or  a  Tour  Beyond  the  Mountains,"  visit,  d 
Upper  Alton  in  1839,  and  thus  describes  it : 

Note.  'At  sunrise  of  the  morning  succeeding  my  visit  to  the  hlnffs,  1 
was  in  the  saddle,  and  clambering  up  those  intolerably  steep  hills  on  the 
road  leading  to  the  village  of  Upper  Alton,  a  few  mile.s  distant.  The 
place  is  well  situated  on  an  elevated  prairie,  and  to  my  taste,  is  pre- 
ferable for  private  residence  to  any  spot  within  the  precincts  of  its 
rival  namesake.  The  society  is  poli.^hed,  and  a  fine-toned  morality  is 
said  to  characterize  the  inhabitants.  The  town  wa.s  originally  incor- 
porated many  years  ago,  and  was  then  a  place  of  more  note  than  it  lias 
ever  since  been  ;  but  owing  to  intestine  broils  and  conflicting  claims  to 
its  site,  it  gradually  and  steadily  dwindled  away  until,  a  dozen  years 
since,  it  numbered  only  seven  families.  A  suit  in  chancery  has  hap- 
pily settled  the.se  ditiiculties,  and  the  village  is  now  thriving  well.  A 
seminary  of  some  note,  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Baptist  persu,ision, 
has  within  a  few  years  been  established  here,  and  now  comprises  a 
very  respectable  body  of  students.  It  originated  in  a  seminary  form- 
erly established  at  Rock  Spring,  in  this  state.  The  present  buildings 
are  situated  upon  a  broad  plain,  beneath  a  walnut  grove,  on  the 
eastern  skirt  of  the  village.  I  visited  this  seminary,  and  was  much 
pleased  with  its  faculty,  buildings  and  design." 

CHORCHE.S. 

A  Methodist  cla-ss  was  formed  at  Upper  Alton  in  1817, 
the  members  of  which  were  Ebenezer  Hodges,  Mary  Hodges, 


Jonathan  Brown,  Delilah  Brown,  Oliver  Brown  and  John 
Seely  Mrs.  3Iary  Woodburu  was  the  next  person  to  unite 
with  this  class,  and  after  her  the  wife  of  William  G.  Pinck- 
ard.  The  first  religious  services  were  held  in  the  cabin  of 
Ebenezer  Hodges,  which  stood  where  afterward  the  old 
Baptist  church  was  built.  It  is  supposed  that  John  Dew 
was  the  first  preacher.  The  Rev.  Samuel  H.  Thompson 
ofliciated  as  pastor  from  1818  to  1820.  In  1835  the  first 
church  edifice,  a  frame  building,  was  erected.  In  1849  a 
brick  church  was  built.  The  Rev.  L.  E.  English  is  pastor 
of  this  church. 

The  Btptiist  Church  at  Upper  Alton  was  constituted  in 
1830,  by  Rev.  John  M.  Peck.  The  original  members  were 
eight  in  number.  The  Rev.  Ebenezer  Rogers  was  pastor 
from  1834  to  1838.  For  nearly  six  years  services  were 
held,  either  in  private  houses  or  in  what  was  known  as  the 
"  brick  school-house."  In  1826  a  house  of  worship  was  com- 
pleted, and  was  used  by  the  congregation  for  more  than  thirty 
years,  till  the  building  of  the  present  church  structure.  The 
church  is  now  under  the  pastoral  care  of  the  Rev.  David  T. 
Morrill. 

The  Presbyterian  church  was  organized  in  1837  with 
twenty-four  members.  The  first  minister  was  the  Rev. 
Elijah  P.  Lovejoy,  then  a  resident  of  Alton,  and  publisher 
of  the  Alton  06.*eri'er,  who  supplied  the  pulpit  till  the  in- 
stallation of  a  pastor.  In  1838  twenty-six  new  members 
were  received,  many  of  whom  had  been  connected  with  Con- 
gregational churches,  aud  to  meet  their  views  a  Union  form 
of  church  government  was  adopted.  A  house  of  worship 
was  built  in  1838,  and  in  1858  destroyed  by  fire.  A  new 
church  building  was  partially  completed  in  1861,  and  was 
dedicated  in  1865. 

There  are  two  church~es,  supported  by  the  colored  popula- 
tion, one  Methodist  and  the  other  Baptist,  in  Upper  Alton. 

EDUCATIONAL    IN.STITUTION.S. 

No  place  in  Illinois  ofliers  better  educational  advantages 
than  Upper  Alton.  Shurtleft'  College  is  well  known  as  one 
of  the  oldest  and  best  institutions  in  the  State,  and  the 
Wyman  Institute  is  a  liberally  patronized  and  well  govern. 
ed  school. 

THE   BUSINESS    INTERESTS 

of  Upper  Alton  are  represented  by  E.  G.  Webster,  Thomas 
R.  Murphy  and  Henry  Loehr,  as  general  merchants.  Mah- 
lon  Malson,  E.  0.  Reader,  August  Hildebrand,  and  Albert 
H.  Hastings  deal  in  groceries.  Henry  C.  Swift  and  Fred  J. 
Stebbins  are  in  the  drug  business.  Books,  stationery,  and 
gents'  furnishing  goods  are  sold  by  M.  A.  Leverett ;  i-toves 
and  tin  ware  by  Evan  E.  Betts  ;  and  boots  and  shoes  by 
Mrs.  K.  K.  Boyle  and  Louis  Ehrler;  F.  L.  Vogelpohl  is 
baker ;  Bradley  &  Col  and  Albert  H.  Hastings,  butchers ; 
Henry  L.  Walke,  shoemaker;  Robert  R  and  John  McRey- 
uolds,  wagon  makers  ;  Oliver  G.  Stelle,  architect  and  build- 
er;  and  Israel  H.  Streeper,  undertaker  ;  H.  S.  Darnielleand 
H.  H.  Rippe,  manufacture  cigars,  Cyrus  W.  Leverett  is  at- 
torney, and  Daniel  W.  Collett  and  Amos  E.  Benbow,  jus- 
tices of  the  peace.     The  physicians  are  Drs.  T.  P.  Yerkes, 


400 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


Edward  C.  Lemen,  and  Henry  T.  Burnap ;  Benjamin  P. 
Harris  is  principal  of  the  public  schools 

THE  SECRET   AND   BENEVOLENT   ORDERS 

Are  represented  in  Upper  Alton  as  follows ;  Franklin 
Lodge,  No.  25,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons ;  Frank- 
lin chapter,  No.  15,  Royal  Arch  Masons ;  Upper  Alton 
Lodge,  No.  466,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  ;  Madi- 
son Lodge,  No.  110,  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen; 
Upper  Alton  Lodge,  No.  1594,  Knights  of  Honor. 

TOWN    OFFICERS — 1882. 

President  of  the  Council,  J.  B.  Lathy.  Councilmen ; 
John  Atkins,  O.  L.  Castle,  W.  J-  Maharr,  and  Jones  Wor- 
den. 

The  population  of  the  town,  according  to  the  census  of 
1880,  was  fifteen  hundred  and  thirty-five,  and  is  now  about 
seventeen  hundred. 

NORTH  ALTON. 

The  town  of  Greenwood,  by  which  name  the  village  of 
North  Alton  was  formerly  known,  was  surveyed  into  lots  by 
James  C.  Tibbett,  and  the  town  plat  recorded  in  February, 
1853  Directly  across  the  line,  is  congressional  township 
six,  range  ten.  The  Buck  Inn  had  been  built  in  1837,  and 
a  post-office  was  establit^hed  in  1S68,  kept  by  P.  J.  Melling 
at  his  house,  in  township  six,  range  ten  and  called  Buck 
Inn.  William  Hall,  about  two  years  afterward  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster,  and  the  office  was  removed  to  the  present 
town  of  North  Alton      There  was  formerly  a  voting  pre- 


cinct, called  Greenwood,  which  compri-sed  parts  of  town- 
ships five,  range  ten,  and  six,  range  ten.  In  1875  the 
village  of  North  Alton  was  incorporated,  and  the  name  of 
the  post-office  was  then  changed  from  Buck  Inn  to  North 
Alton.  Within  the  corporate  limits  of  the  village  there  are 
about  nine  hundred  and  fifty  inhabitants.  George  F.  Long 
succeeded  William  Hall  as  postmaster,  and  George  F.  Barth, 
who  now  has  charge  of  the  office,  was  appointed  in  1880. 

There  are  two  general  stores  kept  by  H.  A.  Betz  &  Co., 
and  Charles  Henderson.  Anthony  Buri  and  Kohler  & 
Walter  are  the  proprietors  of  grocery  stores.  John  Redmond, 
and  William  P.  Kolb  deal  in  harness  and  saddles.  George 
F.  Barth  is  druggist.  There  are  two  millinery  stores,  one 
butcher  and  one  shoemaker  shop,  and  two  blacksmith  shops, 
one  livery  stable,  and  seven  saloons.  An  Episcopal  mission 
is  carried  on  under  the  care  of  St.  Paul's  Protestant  Episco- 
pal church  of  Alton.  The  North  Alton  Reformed  Club, 
a  prosperous  temperance  organization,  with  one  hundred 
members,  which  has  been  in  existence  about  five  years,  owns 
a  Temperance  Hall,  used  for  their  meetings.  Greenwood 
Lodge,  No.  421,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  was 
instituted  in  1870,  with  John  Rutledge,  William  Benson, 
William  R.  Jones,  Thomas  Hall,  Robert  Crawford,  Jacob 
Strong,  and  George  Moulding,  as  charter  members.  The 
board  of  village  trustees  for  18S2  is  composed  of  John  Toi  - 
sor,  Joseph  Krug,  Mathias  Hilt,  John  Kohne,  Frank  Wor- 
den,  and  C  W.  Colby. 

At  Coal  Branch,  in  congressional  township  five,  range  ten, 
there  is  one  store,  two  blacksmith  shops,  and  some  other 
business  establishments. 


BIOGRAPHIES. 


General  James  Semple  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the 
state  of  Illinois,  and  one  among  its  most  distinguished 
citizens,  who  have  contributed  to  its  prosperity ;  and  depart- 
ing, left  behind  them  monuments  of  their  labors  that  will 
be  remembered  and  lauded  for  centuries  yet  to  come.  He 
was  born  in  Green  county,  Kentucky,  January  5th,  1798. 
His  parents,  John  W.  and  Lucy  Semple  (nee  Robertson), 
were  natives  of  Virginia,  descendants  of  one  of  the  old 
Scotch  families  of  Remfordshire,  Scotland.  James  was  the 
eldest  in  a  family  of  nine  children.  He  received  a  fair  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of  Greensburgh,  Kentucky,  which  was 
supplemented  by  a  legal  course  pursued  in  Louisville.  Prior 
to  this,  however,  he  had  learned  the  calling  of  tanner  and 
currier,  a  business  which  proved  unsuited  to  his  tastes  and 
talents.  His  first  advent  to  the  state  was  in  1818,  locat. 
ing  iu  Edwardsville,  where  he  remained  for  a  short  time, 


when  he  returned  to  Kentucky.  In  the  year,  1820, 
he  moved  to  Chariton,  Jlissouri,  and  in  1822,  was  elected 
colonel  of  the  21st  regiment  of  the  Missouri  militia.  In 
1824,  he  was  licensed  to  practice  law  in  the  state.  In  1828, 
he  removed  to  Edwardsville,  where  he  continued  the  practice 
of  his  chosen  profession,  that  of  the  law,  with  great  success. 
He  was  exceedingly  diligent  and  careful,  and  being  a  man 
of  magnificent  presence  and  fine  manners,  he  rose  rapidly 
to  distinction.  Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  Black  Hawk 
war  he  was  commissioned  as  brigadier-general  on  Gen. 
Whiteside's  staff  Immediately  after  the  cessation  of  Indian 
hostilities,  he  engaged  iu  politics.  He  represented  ]Madison 
county  in  the  state  legislature  several  terms,  and  was  twice 
elected  speaker  of  the  house — a  merited  compliment  to  a 
natural  parliamentarian  and  statesman,  and  leader  of  his 
party.     He   had   become  so  prominent  in  national  affairs 

401 


402 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,   ILLINOIS 


in  1837,  that  he  was  appointed  by  President  Van  Buren, 
minister  to  Santa  Fe  de  Bogota,  and  it  is  related  by  the  old 
timers  that  the  General  was  somewhat  in  doubt  with  regard 
to  the  location  of  his  mission.  He,  therefore  took  into  his  con- 
fidence Abraham  Lincoln,  who  although  of  different  politics, 
was  a  warm  personal  friend.  After  consultation,  i\Ir.  Lin- 
coln confessed  that  he  was  as  ignorant  of  the  geography  of 
South  America  as  Semple.  They,  therefore,  concluded  to 
visit  a  book-store  and  post  themselves  upon  South  American 
history.  The  mission  was  accepted,  and  General  Semple 
took  passage  for  New  Grenada  in  January,  1838.  He  held 
his  position  here  until  1842,  when  he  returned  to  Edwards- 
ville,  and  the  following  year  received  the  appointment  of 
judge  of  the  supreme  court  of  the  state,  which  position  he 
resigned  after  a  few  months'  occupancy  to  accept  a  seat  in 
the  Uuited  States  Senate,  by  appointment  under  the  ad- 
ministration of  Governor  Ford,  to  fill  the  vacancy  of  Samuel 
McRoberts,  deceased.  In  this  body  he  stood  almost  alone 
in  the  advocacy  of  the  establishment  of  a  line  of  communi- 
cation with  the  Pacific  coast.  In  this  regard  his  keen  fore- 
sight placed  him  several  years  in  advance  of  his  age,  and 
he  was,  therefore,  subjected  to  ridicule  by  flippant  and  shal- 
low critics,  who  were  incapable  of  comprehending  his  broad 
conceptions  pertaining  to  the  future  great  republic.  In  1842 
and  '43,  General  Semple  specially  distinguished  himself  in 
speeches  made  at  Alton  and  Springfield,  Illinois,  relating  to 
the  "  Oregon  "  question,  which  was  then  agitating  the  minds 
of  the  people  of  the  states.  We  glean  the  following  from 
one  of  these  powerful  and  patriotic  speeches  :  "  I  regret 
that  the  Western  boundary  was  not  settled  in  the  late  treaty 
with  England  in  reference  to  boundary  lines  in  America,  and 
that  I  considered  the  right  of  the  United  States  to  the 
whole  of  Oregon  as  far  as  the  Russian  Boundaries,  as  clear 
as  the  noonday  sun  ;  that  the  right  of  the  state  of  Maine  to 
all  she  claimed  equally  as  clear.  But  a  foreign  nation  laid 
claim  to  a  part  of  that  territory  without  any  shadow  of  right 
whatever.  Yet,  we  have  seen  the  special  agent  of  the  nation 
refusing  even  to  discuss  the  question  of  right,  and  propo.sing 
for  the  sake  of  '  peace,'  to  divide  the  country  in  dispute  ; 
and  we  have  seen  that  proposition  agreed  to  by  the  executive 
and  senate  of  the  United  States.  For  his  part  he  was  as 
much  in  favor  of  peace  as  any  of  his  countrymen,  but  that 
he  would  prefer  war,  to  yielding  one  inch  of  territory  that 
justly  belonged  to  the  Uuited  States."  Through  the  eflorts 
of  Mr.  Semple,  Judge  Lyman  Trumbull,  Stephen  A.  Doug- 
las and  other  leading  men  of  the  West,  a  set  of  resolutions 
was  prepared  and  published  that  had  great  weight  with  the 
action  of  Congress  relating  to  the  Oregon  controversy. 

After  the  expiration  of  his  term  in  the  Senate,  in  1847, 
he  returned  to  his  home  in  Edwardsville.  Having  been  so 
long  absent  from  the  pursuit  of  his  profession,  legal  duties 
became  irksome  to  him,  and  he  retired  from  both  the  bench 
and  the  bar,  and  devoted  himself  to  business  (principally 
town  making),  a  taste  for  which  had  been  somewhat  culti- 
vated long  before,  in  laying  out  the  town  of  Highland.    He 


laid  off  an  addition  to  Alton,  which  perpetuated  his  name, 
and  to  which  he  removed  afterward,  but  sub.sequently  lo- 
cated in  Jersey  county,  Illinois. 

General  Semple  spent  considerable  time  and  money  in 
the  construction  of  a  self-propelling  wagon,  which  proved  to 
be  a  failure.  He  was  ahead  of  his  age.  The  enterprise 
would  have  resulted  in  a  success  had  he  lived  twenty-five  or 
thirty  years  later,  but  we  had  no  mechanics  at  that  day  who 
could  carry  out  his  plans.  Semple  was  robbed  of  all  that 
he  had  been  able  to  lay  up  of  his  salary,  as  he  was  on  his 
return  from  Bogota  ;  but  he  afterward  became,  by  judicious 
trading,  principally  in  lands,  moderately  wealthy.  He  was 
an  uncommonly  exact  and  methodical  man  in  his  business, 
and  could,  in  the  dark,  lay  his  hand  upon  any  paper  he 
wanted  from  his  desk  or  shelves.  He  was  pre-eminently 
straightforward  in  all  his  dealings,  professional,  political,  or 
private,  and  any  deviation  from  the  path  of  rectitude  met 
with  a  scathing  rebuke  from  him,  without  regard  to  conse- 
quences. He  observed  so  much  ignoble  conduct  in  political 
attairs,  that  he  became  disgusted  and  withdrew  from  public 
life.  Although  he  possessed  the  elements  of  great  popu- 
larity, "he  could  not  bend  the  pliant  hinges  of  the  knee,  that 
thrift  might  follow  fawning."  He  was  very  kind  and  affec- 
tionate in  his  family,  and  exceedingly  sociable  with  his 
neighbors.  He  was  six  feet  three  inches  in  height,  and  ad- 
mirably proportioned.  He  was  one  of  the  finest  specimens 
of  manhood  to  be  found  in  a  day's  journey.  His  style  of 
speaking  was  easy  and  flowing,  but  not  in  the  least  ostenta- 
tious. His  object  seemed  to  be  to  present  his  subject,  and 
not  himself,  to  his  auditors.  He  was  a  Democrat  of  the 
Jefferson  type,  but  would  not  brook  modern  innovations, 
invented  for  the  sake  of  expediency.  His  motto  was  to 
live  and  die  by  his  creed.  In  political  principles  he  thought 
there  was  but  little  room  for  improvement,  and  that  the 
stream  was  purest  at  the  fountain-head  ;  but  in  all  other 
aflfivirs  of  life,  he  was  pre-eminently  a  man  of  progress,  and 
had  no  concern  about  being  out  of  the  line  of  safe  precedents- 
Semple  was  a  public-spirited  man,  and  always  lent  his  aid 
and  influence  to  the  advancement  of  measures  which  he 
believed  would  be  conducive  to  the  public  welfare. 

He  was  married  to  Mrs.  Mary  S.  Mizner,  a  daughter  of 
Dr.  Cairns  of  Monroe  county,  Illinois,  June  5th,  1833.  Dr. 
Cairns  was  a  prominent  politician,  and  a  member  of  the 
first  Constitutional  Convention  of  Illinois,  and  bitterly  op- 
posed to  the  introduction  of  slavery  into  the  State. 
By  this  union  there  were  born  four  children,  of  whom  Mrs. 
Lucy  V.  Semple  Ames,  of  St.  Louis,  is  one;  Mrs.  Julia  E. 
Scott,  of  St.  Louis  ;  and  Eugene  Semple,  of  Oregon.  Mrs. 
I.  M.  Floyd-Jones  (nee  Mizner),  of  St.  Louis,  is  his  step- 
daughter. The  evening  of  Gen.  Scrapie's  life  was  passed  in 
one  of  the  most  sightly  spots  in  the  State — Trevue — an  ex- 
ponent of  his  own  excellent  taste,  a  home  naturallj'  beau- 
tiful, but  aided  by  art.  Here  he  passed  away,  December 
20th,  1866. 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


403 


X 


Among  those  who  have  contributed  largely  iu  energy 
and  in  means  towards  the  developmeat  of  their  native 
county's  resources,  Capt.  John  A.  Bruner  takes  a  prominent 
place.  He  was  born  in  Edwardsville,  September  1st,  18-2. 
His  parents  were  Jacob  C.  Bruner,  a  Kentuckian,  and  Mary 
D.,  a  native  of  Massachusetts.  They  were  married  in 
Kaskaskia  in  1821.  Jacob  C.  Bruner,  was  a  hatter  by  trade. 
Not  satisfied  with  the  trade  of  his  adopted  home,  he  opened 
branch  establishments  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.  and  Springfield  and 
Alton,  Illinois.  In  1833,  he  entered  into  general  merchan- 
dising in  Alton,  and  was  appointed  by  Andrew  Jackson  as 
postmaster  -  the  first  in  the  place.  Wheu  the  Illinois  State 
Prison  was  located  here  he  was  appointed  as  its  first  Warden. 
He  was  a  man  of  wonderful  resources,  great  executive  abili- 
ty and  untiring  energy.  He  died  in  June  1843.  His  wife 
was  a  school  teacher,  ai\d  as  such  numbers  among  former 
pupils  many  prominent  citizens  of  this  county. 

John  A.  Bruner  was  the  oldest  in  a  family  of  eight  chil- 
dren. He  received  a  ff.ir  common  school  education,  which 
was  supplemented  by  a  short  attendance  at  McKendree  Col- 
lege. In  1839,  he  commenced  his  long  and  active  career  as 
a  steam-boatman  on  the  unpretentious  Alton  ferry  boat, 
St  Charles.  The  next  year  he  became  pilot  on  a  boat  ply- 
ing between  Keokuk,  Warsaw  and  Churchville,  now  Alex- 
andria ;  then  on  a  boat  between  St.  Louis  and  Venice  and  St. 


Louis  and  Alton.  His  father's  sickness  and  death  inter- 
fered with  his  business,  and  in  1843,  hebecame  a  clerk  in  a 
hotel  in  Vicksburg,  Mississippi.  The  following  year  he 
embarked,  with  his  brothers,  in  the  grocery  trade  in  Alton. 
In  1847,  he  returned  to  steaniboating,  in  which  he  remained 
until  1881,  when  he  embarked  in  his  present  business, 
manufacturer  of  vinegar  and  cider  and  evaporator  of  fruit. 
He  wa.s  united  in  marriage  with  Catharine  Smith,  in  June, 
1844,  who  died  March  27th,  1847.  On  the  5th  of  January, 
1855,  he  was  married  to  JIaria  L.  Godfrey,  daughter  of 
Benjamin  Godfrey,  of  Godfrey,  Illinois,  by  whom  he  had  two 
children  one  of  whom  survives  the  wife  of  E.  B.  Widaman, 
near  Carliuville.  He  was  married  to  his  present  wife,  Ellen 
Thoni]ison,  September  27th,  1875  ;  a  bright,  intelligent,  boyi 
John  H.,  blessed  the  union. 

Politically  Capt.  Bruner  is  an  uiiswerving  democrat.  Al- 
though often  importuned  to  accept  ofiice,  he  has  never  con- 
sented, except  to  become  Supervisor  from  his  township,  a 
position  to  which  he  was  chosen  in  the  spring  of  1882,  and 
the  duties  of  which  office  he  is  faithfully  and  impartially 
discharging. 

In  business  life  active  and  straightforward  ;  in  social 
circles  a  true  and  firm  friend,  he  is  surrounded  by  many 
well  wishers. 


404 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


^^^/ 


"Was  born  March  8th,  1825,  in  Barren  county,  Kentucky. 
His  parents,  Isham  and  Martha  Hardy  (Edwards),  were  re- 
spectively Virginian  and  Kentuckian  by  nativity.  To  im- 
prove his  condition  in  life,  his  father,  a  farmer,  came  to 
Illinois  in  the  fall  of  1825,  making  the  trip  on  horse-back. 
He  located  in  Hamilton  county,  where  he  resided  until  18.S7, 
when  he  came  to  Alton.  Here  at  the  age  of  fifteen  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  commenced  attendance  at  school  in 
Upper  Alton.  For  a  part  of  his  attendance  of  five  years 
he  acted  as  janitor.  When  a  junior,  in  Shurtleff,  he  pre- 
sented himself  to  Dr.  B.  K.  Hart  as  a  student  of  medicine. 
The  Dr.  accepted  him  as  such,  and  he  laid  the  foundation 
for  a  life-time  devoted  to  his  profession.  In  1846,  when  the 
tocsin  of  war  sounded,  he  was  among  the  first  to  oflTer  his 
services  to  his  country.  After  a  year  thus  spent,  he  resumed 
his  studies  in  Louisville  University,  from  the  medical  de- 
partment of  which  institution  he  graduated  March  5th, 
1849.  During  the  prevalence  of  the  cholera  he  practiced 
in  ISIadison  Landing,  and  in  1852  he  opened  an  office  in 
Alton,  where  he  has  since  resided  In  1859,  he  visited  Pike's 
Peak,  where  he  remained  two  and  a  half  years.  Upon  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war  he  entered  the  service  first  as  con- 


tract Surgeon  at  Alton,  then  became  Acting  Assistant  Sur- 
geon U.  S.  Army.  In  all  he  remained  iu  the  service  four 
years  and  one  month.  As  a  practitioner  of  medicine,  the 
doctor  has  been  quite  successful.  Politically,  he  is  an  ardent 
Democrat.  His  qualifications  for  the  office  led  his  fellow 
citizens  to  elect  him  as  Supervisor,  the  duties  of  which  po- 
sition he  ably  discharged.  He  served  three  terms  as  a 
member  of  the  City  Council.  At  present  he  is  City  Physi- 
cian. 

Few  men  have  taken  a  deeper  interest  in  Masonry  than 
the  doctor.  He  was  made  a  Master  Mason,  June  28th,  1846  ; 
been  passed  to  K.  T.,  and  has  taken  all  the  degrees  in  Scottish 
rites.     His  zeal  knows  no  flagging,  and  his  interest  in  ma- 

!   sonry  is  abiding. 

j  The  doctor  was  married  to  Sarah  J.  Hardy,  August  12  h, 
1848.  By  this  union  there  have  been  born  nine  children, 
seven  of  whom  are  living. 

I  The  doctor  is  eminently  social.  He  is  a  skillful  and  suc- 
cessful practitioner,  combining  firmness  and  tenderness.  He 
overflows  with  kindness  and  good  nature.     In  all  his  rela- 

I   tions  to  the  public,  his  actions  are  prompted  by  pure  motives 

'   and  a  desire  for  the  general  good. 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


405 


\  V     V      ^ 


^-rln^  J/CLa^^ 


For  many  years  a  prominent  citizen  of  Alton,  was  born 
in  Craftsboro,  Vermont.  In  the  year  1836,  when  Alton  was 
engaging  so  largely  the  attention  of  eastern  men,  he  made 
his  way  hither.  His  first  pursuit  in  life  was  that  of  school- 
teaching  which  he  began  in  a  country  school-house  in  his 
native  State.  This  business  he  exchanged  for  that  of  hand- 
ling stoves  and  tinware.  Gradually  he  extended  this  busi- 
ness, embracing  the  handling  of  hardware  and  steel.  He 
52 


associated  with  himself  in  this  John  E.  Hayuer,  which 
partnership  continued  until  his  death,  in  March  1871.  Mr. 
NeUon  was  a  successful  merchant,  strict  and  just  in  all  his 
dealings ;  benevolent  without  ostentation.  He  left  a  large 
estate,  the  result  of  faithful,  earnest  labor.  He  was  twice 
married.  Had  six  children  by  the  first  wife.  His  last  wife, 
now  Mrs.  Crocker  survives  him. 


406 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


L^ZCy  fi^^-t^ftly 


A  NATIVE  of  Leicester,  Liviugston  Co  ,  New  York,  was  boru 
July  23,  1819.  He  is  the  sou  of  Lorey  Bulkley  and  Har- 
riet nee  Scott.  Both  his  parents  were  natives  of  Connec- 
ticut. His  father  was  a  farmer,  generous,  industrious  and 
upright  in  all  his  dealings.  He  died  at  Barry,  Pike  Co., 
Illinois,  July  24,  1859,  and  his  wife,  at  the  same  place,  a 
few  years  later.  Mrs.  Bulkley,  his  mother,  was.au  earnest 
Christian  and  a  devoted  member  of  the  Baptist  Church, 
and  by  her  earnest  piety,  consistent  Christian  life  and  care- 
ful training,  she  left  the  imperishable  impress  of  her  piety 
and  zealous  life  upon  her  sou. 

When  Justus  was  three  years  old  his  parents  removed  to 
Allegheny  Co.,  New  York,  a  cold,  rugged  'mountainous 
region,  and  here  the  surrounding  developed  in  him  a  spirit  of 
self-reliance,  economy,  industry,  and  temperance  that  has 
developed  and  modified  his  entire  life,  and  character. 
Until  seventeen  years  of  age  he  attended  school  during 
winter  in  a  log  school-house,  in  primitive  style,  and  in  summer 
worked  on  his  father's  farm.  He  early  developed  a  taste 
for  literary  pursuits,  and  was  especially  fond  of  mathe- 
matics.    When  seventeen  years  of  age  he  removed  with  his 


parents  to  Illinois,  and  settled  near  Barry,  in  Pike  county, 
on  a  farm.  During  the  session  of  the  Blue  River  Baptist 
Association,  near  Barry,  in  the  autumn  of  1837,  he  made  a 
public  profession  of  religion  and  united  with  the  Baptist 
church  at  Barry,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Joel  Sweet, 
who  baptized  him.  This  event  changed  his  entire  life.  He 
was  immediately  profoundly  impressed  with  his  duty  to 
preach,  but  for  six  years  fought  persistently  against  his  con- 
viction of  duty.  At  length,  duty  conquered  ;  he  prepared  to 
enter  the  Christian  ministry.  To  qualify  him  for  this  work 
he  entered  the  preparatory  department  of  Shurtleff  College 
at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  and  was  graduated  in  1847. 
After  his  graduation,  Rev.  Washington  Leverett  directed 
his  theological  studies.  Immediately  after  graduating  he  was 
elected  principal  of  the  Preparatory  Department  of  the 
college,  and  held  the  position  two  years,  until  the  death  of 
his  wife  determined  him  to  seek  a  home  elsewhere.  Hav- 
ing received  a  call  to  become  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church 
of  Jerseyville,  Illinois,  he  was  ordained  in  Upper  Alton,  at 
the  call  of  the  Jerseyville  church. 

At  the  expiration  of  four  years  he  resigned  to  become 


EISIORY   OF' MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


407 


Professor  of  Mathematics  in  his  Alma  Mater.  But  in  con- 
sequence of  bitter  opposition  awakened  by  his  ardent  espou- 
sal of  the  cause  of  Bible  Revision,  then  exceedingly  dis- 
tasteful to  many  of  the  trustees  of  the  college  and  of  his 
ministerial  coadjutors,  he  resigned  his  position  in  1855,  and 
during  nine  years  thereafter  held  the  pastorate  of  the 
church  at  Carrollton,  Green  Co.,  Illinois,  and  was  happy  and 
prosperous  in  his  work.  In  April,  1864,  he  accepted  a  call 
from  the  Baptist  church  at  Upper  Alton,  and  at  the  expira- 
tion of  one  year  and  a  half  was  elected  Professor  of  Church 
History  and  Church  Polity  in  Shurtleft'  College,  a  position 
he  still  holds.  Aside  from  his  regular  duties  he  acted  as 
president  of  the  college,  while  that  office  was  vacant  after  the 
resignation  of  Dr.  Read,  and  has  supplied  many  feeble 
churches  with  preaching  as  opportunity  offered. 

In  the  various  capacities  in  which  Dr.  Bulkley  has  acted, 
he  has  taken  a  leading  part,  and  has  occupied  a  prominent 
position  among  the  leading  men  of  his  own  denomination. 
The  Illinois  Baptist  Pastoral  Union  in  1851,  elected  him 
Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Ministerial  Obituaries,  and 
he  has  filled  that  position  at  every  annual  meeting  except 
one,  for  thirty  years.  During  that  period  the  preparation 
of  brief  sketches  of  nearly  three  hundred  Baptist  minis- 
ters in  Illinois,  deceased,  has  passed  under  his  supervision, 
and  been  prepared  for  permanent  record  in  the  minutes  of 
the  body.  In  1853,  1855  and  1859,  he  was  clerk  of  the 
Illinois  Baptist  General  Association.  In  1864,  he  was 
elected  Moderator  of  that  body.  He  was  elected  again  in 
1869,  and  served  continously  till  1877  inclusive.  He  has 
been  President  of  its  Board  since  1869,  and  still  occupies 
that  position.  His  service  in  this  capacity  has  been  marked 
by  promptness,  energy,  decision  and  executive  ability,  and 
during  the  entire  time  there  has  never  been  in  the  Associa- 
tion an  appeal  from  his  decisions,  and  but  one  appeal  in  the 
Board,  when  the  chair  was  not  sustained.  In  all  these  offices 
he  has  been  firm  and  decided,  but  kind  and  courteous.  In  his 
religious  views  he  is  positive  and  unwavering,  firmly  believ- 
ing that  the  Baptists  are  scriptural  in  their  doctrines  and 
polity,  and  yet  he  is  liberal  enough,  not  only  to  allow  others 
the  same  freedom  and  independence  of  opinion  that  he 
claims  for  himself,  but  he  honors  adherence  to  conscientious 
conviction  of  duty  and  faith  in  any  one  with  whom  he  may 
differ  in  religious  belief  In  political  life  he  was  formerly  a 
Whig,  and  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for  Wm.  Henry 
Harrison.  During  the  civil  war  he  was  a  firm  supporter  of 
the  government,  and  has  given  his  unwavering  support  to 
the  Republican  party  since  its  organization. 

He  has  been  three  times  married.  His  first  wife  wa.s  Miss 
Lucy  Perry  Ide,  of  Massachusetts  to  whom  he  was  married 
July  27,  1347.  She  died  August  24,  1848;  and  June  25th, 
1849,  he  was  married  to  Harriet  Green  Newell,  eldest 
daughter  of  Rev.  Isaac  D.  Newell.  He  lived  with  her  in 
great  domestic  bliss  about  thirty  years.  She  died  January 
4,  1879.  She  was  a  woman  of  many  virtues,  and  excellent 
qualities,  and  largely  contributed  to  the  success  of  her  hus- 
band.    They  had  born  to  them  one  son  and  eight  daughters. 


of  whom  six  daughters  are  now  living.  The  eldest,  wife  of 
Rev.  Charles  B.  Roberts,  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  at 
Decatur,  Illinois,  is  the  first  lady  graduate  of  Shurtleff  Col- 
lege. The  second  is  the  wife  of  Rev.  John  E.  Roberts, 
pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Kansas  City,  Mo.  She  is 
also  a  graduate  of  Shurtlefl'  College,  as  is  the  third  daugh- 
ter. The  next  two  will  graduate. in  June  1883.  Dr.  Bulk- 
ley  believes  that  women  should  have  all  the  advantages  of 
education  afforded  to  the  sterner  sex.  Hence  his  settled 
purpose  to  give  all  his  daughters  the  advantage  of  a  com- 
plete college  course  of  study.  His  third  marriage  was  June 
15th,  1880,  to  Mrs.  Mary  B.  Head  of  Carthage,  Illinois,  but 
a  native  of  Virginia,  a  most  estimable  Christian  woman. 

In  personal  appearance  Dr.  Bulkley  is  of  medium  height, 
of  slender  build,  swarthy  complexion,  black  heavy  hair  and 
beautiful  dark  keen  eyes,  grave  almost  to  severity.  He  is 
naturally  social,  domestic,  and  of  a  sympathetic  disposition. 
"  As  an  orator  he  is  emotional  and  enthusiastic,  with  a  won- 
derful magnetic  power  of  impressing  his  hearers.  His 
popularity  with  the  young  is  well  attested  by  the  fact  that 
he  is  invited  far  and  near  to  perform  the  ceremony  of  mar- 
riage ;  and  the  warm  place  he  holds  in  the  hearts  of  numer- 
ous Christian  families  of  his  acquaintance  is  equally  ap- 
parent in  the  eagerness  with  which  they  turn  to  him  for 
consolation  in  the  hour  of  their  bereavement.  A  warm- 
hearted, companionable  friend,  a  zealous  Christian  worker, 
and  able  theologian,  he  has  impressed  himself  strongly  upon 
the  social  and  religious  character  of  the  sphere  in  which  he 
has  moved."     He  is  now  63  years  of  age.* 


HERMANN  KLEINWORT, 

The  able  editor  of  the  Alton  Banner,  vias  born  in  Wedel, 
Germany,  March  23d,  1843.  His  father,  Martin  Kleinwort, 
was  a  thrifty  miller  in  his  native  village.  In  1869,  Her. 
mann  came  to  America,  to  try  his  fortunes.  He  had  acquired 
a  fine  education  in  the  school  at  Kiel  and  university  at  Leipsic. 
Hischosen  profession  wasthatof  thelaw,  to  the  study  of  which 
he  bent  all  his  energies,  graduating  in  that  branch  of  study 
from  Leipsic  University  just  beforestarting  for  America.  His 
objective  point  in  this  country  was  the  city  of  St.  Louis, 
Missouri.  On  arriving  there  he  entered  into  merchandis- 
ing. From  there  he  went  to  Texas,  thence  returned  to 
the  old  country.  In  1882,  he  again  came  to  America, 
whose  institutions  he  had  learned  so  well  to  love  during  his 
former  sojourn  ;  this  time  to  Alton,  where  he  bought  a  half 
interest  in  the  Banner,  of  which  paper  he  assumed  editorial 
charge.  Mr.  Kleinwort  is  an  agreeable  companion,  a  man 
of  good  judgment  and  fine  social  qualities.  Independent  in 
his  views  he  has  allied  himself  with  neither  political  party, 
but  supports  men  and  measures  as  meet  his  ideas  of  right. 
He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Independent  order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows. 

*  Largely  taken  from  the  U.  S.  Biographical  Dictionary. 


408 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


Charles  A.  Herb,  an  enterprising  and  successful  mer- 
chant, was  born  in  LofFeuane,  Wirtemberg,  September  21st, 
1846.  His  father,  Jacob,  was  a  cooper  by  trade. 
He  brought  his  family  to  America  in  1854,  making  the  trip 
across  the  ocean  in  the  "  Connecticut,"  a  three  mast  sail  ves- 
sel. For  Uyo  years  they  lived  in  St.  Johnsville  on  the 
Mohawk.  Because  of  loss  sustained  in  the  old  country  by 
being  robbed  Jacob  Herb  was  so  short  of  funds  as  to  be 
compelled  to  walk  from  Albany  to  Schenectady  on  the  way 
to  his  new  home.  In  1856,  he  came  to  Alton.  Charles  A- 
Herb,  entered  the  army  at  the  age  of  fifteen  as  drummer. 
He  first  enlisted  in  the  5th  Missouri  State  troops,  which 
were  soon  disbanded,  then  offered  himself  to  the  80th  Illinois 
Regiment,  but  was  rejected  on  account  of  size,  after- 
ward accepted  in  the  1st  Missouri  Infantry,  where  he  re. 
mained  two  years,  then  served  fifteen  months  iu  the  14th 
Missouri  Cavalry.  His  service  was  in  the  state  of  Missouri, 
Arkansas  and  Kansas.  In  1865,  after  the  war  was  over, 
he  was  with  those  who  made  the  treaty  with  the  Indians  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Little  Missouri.     For  a  time  after  the  war 


he  was  engaged  as  salesman  in  a  St.  Louis  house,  then  as  clerk 
inthegeueralstoreof  Conrad  Schaub,  of  Bunker  Hill,  Illinois. 
Whilst  a  resident  of  Macoupin  county,  he  held  several  offi- 
ces, for  which  he  proved  himself  well  adapted.  Was  City 
Marshal  of  Bunker  Hill,  for  five  years  City  collector,  was 
Deputy  Sheriff'  and  in  1870,  was  elected  Coroner.  In 
1872  he  came  to  Alton,  where  he  has  since  resided  engaged 
in  mercantile  pursuits.  During  the  years  1876-77  and '78 
he  was  a  member  of  the  county  Board  of  Supervisors,  the 
duties  of  which  position  he  discharged  with  general  satisfac- 
tion. He  has  been  a  member  of  the  City  Council  of  Alton 
three  terms  of  two  years  each.  Politically  he  is  an  earnest 
Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
order.  Masonic,  in  which  he  is  a  Knight  Templar,  and  Alton 
Turner's  Society.  When  the  Alton  Guards  were  organized 
he  was  made  1st  Lieutenant.  Mr.  Herb  was  married  to 
Barbara  Dye,  February  25th,  1^70.  By  her  he  has  four 
children. 

Mr.  Herb,  is  a  man  of  great  energy,  and  commands  the 
respect  of  all  who  know  him. 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


409 


Frederick  William  Joesting. — Was  born  in  Hanover, 
Germany,  November  5th,  1810.  He  was  the  son  of  Anton 
Deiderick  Joesting,  a  schoolmaster.  He  learned  the  baker's 
trade  in  the  old  country.  Came  to  America  in  1834,  locat- 
ing first  in  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania.  In  1837  he  came  to 
Alton,  and  in  1838  was  married  to  Otitia  Sack.  She  died  in 
1846.  He  was  married  again  December  11th,  1856,  to  Ida 
Holtzmeuller.  From  the  time  he  came  to  Alton  until  1864, 
when  he  retired  upon  a  competency,  the  result  of  the  exer- 
cise of  strict  business  principles  he  carried  on  the  baking  in- 
dustry, except  during  three  years,  when  he  tried  his  hand  at 
farming.     In  1844  the  high  water  drove  him  from  his  place 


of  business.  He  had  to  swim  to  his  ovens  and  put  his  pans 
on  top  of  the  house  to  keep  them  dry.  At  that  time  he  went 
by  skiff  from  State  to  Piasa  street,  so  high  was  the  water. 
Mr.  Joesting  was  a  natural  musician,  playing  equally  well 
the  violin,  piano  or  flute.  While  watching  his  baking  he 
would  be  found  playing  flute  or  violin.  A  world  of  happi- 
ness to  him  was  found  in  music. 

Persevering,  continuous  and  enegetic  eflxjrt  was  the  great 
secret  of  Mr.  Joesting's  success.  Sound  judgment,  and  a 
determined  power  of  will  hewed  out  for  him  the  means  to 
pass  life's  twilight  in  ease. 


410 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


^^iMy  ;^.^^ 


^^**<L^MC 


Taking  high  rank  among  pushing  business  men  of  A.lton, 
is  John  M.  Tonsor.  He  was  born  October  5th,  1827,  in 
Fuerstanberg,  Prussia.  His  father,  for  whom  he  was  named, 
was  a  farmer  iu  humble  circumstances.  In  the  troubles 
which  thrilled  all  Germany  in  1848,  and  which  are  popu- 
larly spoken  of  as  the  revolution  of  that  year,  Mr.  Tonsor 
was  an  active  participant.  In  common  with  thousands  of 
his  fellow-men,  he  sought  a  home  in  freedom-loving  America 
shortly  after  the  troubles.  He  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  the 
vessel  "Louisiana,"  landing  in  New  Orleans  in  1850.  Two 
years  thereafter,  he  came  to  Alton,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  For  three  years  he  was  engaged  as  teamster  by  a 
company  manufacturing  lime,  then  bought  a  team  and  drove 
his  own  dray.  From  this  humble  beginning  he  laid  by 
sufficient  to  become  a  liquor  merchant,  which  he  did  in 
1864.  Mr.  Tonsor  has  ever  been  an  ardent,  active  Demo- 
crat.    His  first  vote  was  cast  for  James  Buchanan,  in  1856. 


For  five  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  City  Council.  Ever 
since  the  adoption  of  township  organization  in  this  county, 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  county  board  of  supervisors,  a 
position  he  has  most  worthily  filled,  and  whose  duties  he  has 
most  faithfully  discharged.  He  has  also  been  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees  of  North  Alton  ever  since  its  organ- 
ization. He  is  a  member  of  the  Mascnie,  Odd  Fellows, 
German  Benevolent,  Turner  and  other  orders.  Mr.  Tonsor 
has  been  twice  married  :  fir.-t,  to  Mary  Ann  Maxinal,  June 
2.3d,  1855,  by  whom  he  had  three  sons,  Henry,  John  and 
Charles.  She  died  July  29,  1864.  His  present  wife  was 
Mary  Ann  Boosa,  to  whom  he  was  married  December  20, 
1864.  By  her  he  has  one  child  living.  Bertha  by  name. 
Physically,  Mr.  Tonsor  is  a  large  and  powerfully-built  man. 
His  proportions  make  him  a  conspicuous  personage  in  public 
assemblies.  His  sound  judgment  on  all  questions  of  general 
interest  receives  quite  universal  recognition. 


HISTORY  OF  MADIS02f    COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


411 


"WILBUR   T.  NORTON, 

The  son  of  an  eminent  Presbyterian  clergyman  and  writer 
the  Rev.  A.  T.  Norton,  is  the  able  editor  of  the  Alton  Tele- 
graph. Like  his  father,  a  ready  writer,  a  clear,  logical  think- 
er, an  independent  outspoken  citizen,  he  wields  much  in- 
fluence. His  father's  influence  was  exercised  from  the  pul- 
pit, and  as  a  minister,  whilst  his  is  from  the  press  and  of  a 
political  character.  The  Rev.  A.  T.  Norton,  and  wife,  Eliza 
Rogers  Norton,  removed  from  Connecticut  to  Illinois  in 
1835.  Alton  became  their  home,  and  here  on  September  10, 
1844,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born.  His  education 
was  obtained  in  the  schools  of  Alton,  and  ShurtleS"  College, 
from  which  institution  he  graduated  in  18(56.  During  the 
war  his  patriotic  ardor  led  him  to  join  a  company  of  stu- 
dents who  offered  their  services  to  the  government,  and 
whose  services  were  accepted.  They  were  placed  in  the 
133d  Regiment,  Illinois  Volunteers.  After  graduation  from 
Shurtleff' College  Mr.  Norton  entered  the  office  of  the  Alton 
Telegraph  as  associate  editor.  After  a  year  thus  spent  he 
became  part  proprietor  of  that  journal,  and  subsequently 
bought  out  his  partner's  interest.  The  Telegraph,  under  his 
eflieient  management,  has  accomplished  much  in  behalf  of 
Republicanism,  and  ever  keeps  step  in  the  music  of  progress, 
fearlessly  condemning  wrong  and  commending  whatever  is 
deemed  right. 

Mr.  Norton's  services  in  behalf  of  his  party  were  recog- 
nized in  1880,  by  his  being  made  a  Presidential  elector  from 
his  Congressional  district.  Affable  in  manner,  pleasing  in 
address,  Mr.  Norton  proves  himself  well  fitted  for  his  profes- 
sion. 


THOMAS  HARRISON  PERRIN, 

One  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Alton  Democrat,  was  born  in 
Alton,  Illinois,  in  1844.  His  parents,  Harrison  and  Isabella 
Perrin,  were  natives  of  England.  They  were  among  the 
pioneers  of  Alton,  having  located  here  in  1832.  His  father 
was  engaged  for  many  years  in  the  transfer  business.  He 
died  in  1862.  His  mother  is  yet  living,  and  is  now  eighty 
years  of  age. 

T.  H.  Perrin  early  availed  himself  of  the  opportunity 
afforded,  and  learned  the  printer's  trade  in  the  office  of  the 
Alton  Courier,  published  by  George  T.  Brown.  As  printer 
and  publisher,  he  has  made  a  record  of  which  he  feels  justly 
proud.  As  a  journeyman  printer  he  worked  in  the  Courier, 
the  Telegraph,  and  Democrat  offices.  His  first  venture  in 
journalism  was  the  purchase  of  the  Western  Cumberland 
Presbyterian,  a  weekly  religious  paper,  from  Rev.  J.  B. 
Logan.  This  paper  he  published  for  many  years,  when  he 
sold  it  to  the  Board  of  Publication  of  the  Cumberland  Pres- 
byterian Church.  In  connection  with  Dr.  Logan,  he  then 
commenced  the  publication  of  a  monthly  religious  paper  in 
the  interest  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  which 
was  sold  to  Dr.  W.  B.  Farr,  who  started  the  St.  Louis  Ob- 
server, which  is  now  published  by  T.  H.  Perrin  and  Rev.  W. 
C.  Logan.  In  1875  he  entered  into  partnership  with  E.  A. 
Smith  as  general  printers.      This  firm  bought  the  Alton 


Democrat  in  1876,  which  they  have  since  continued  to  pub- 
lish as  a  daily  and  weekly  newspaper.  Under  their  guid- 
ance, the  Democrat  has  become  a  power  throughout  jNIadisou 
and  adjoining  counties,  recognized  as  it  is  as  being  a  paper  of 
genuine  worth. 

Mr.  Perrin  is  a  most  active  and  zealous  member  of  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  and  devotes  much  time 
and  means  to  enhance  its  well-being.  In  the  church  he  has 
held  positions  of  prominence,  for  the  discharge  of  the  duties 
of  which  he  has  proved  himself  well  fitted.  At  present  he 
is  one  of  the  trustees  of  Lincoln  University,  Lincoln,  Illi- 
nois. 

A  friend  of  education  and  morality,  Mr.  Perrin's  influ- 
ence is  for  the  good  of  humanity. 


M.  H.  BOALS. 

The  life  history  of  him  who  head.'*  this  article,  though  it 
has  many  points  in  common  with  that  of  other  men,  partic- 
ularly of  that  large  class,  who  hailing  from  the  eastern  states 
have  contributed  so  largely  to  western  development,  has  yet 
many  interesting  features  peculiarly  its  own.  Born  of  a 
highly  respectable  family,  the  atmosphere  of  his  young  life 
.seems  to  have  been  permeated  by  influences  which  tended  to 
the  growth  of  his  nobler  nature,  while  the  circumstances  of 
his  earlier  manhood,  and  the  events  of  his  later  life  have  all 
assisted  in  the  development  in  him  of  the  true  man. 

M.  H.  Boals  was  born  in  Venango  count}',  Pennsylvania, 
April  3d,  1833,  the  seventh  in  a  family  of  thirteen  children. 
His  parents  were  Lanie  F.  and  Sarah  Boals.  His  father 
was  a  thrifty  farmer  who  brought  up  his  children  to  habits 
of  industry.  He  remained  with  him  until  he  reached  his 
twentieth  year  when  he  set  about  to  learu  the  carpenter's 
trade,  which  he  soon  mastered,  and  prosecuted  in  all  about 
twenty  years.  In  1854,  he  left  his  native  hills  for  a  home  in 
the  west  and  located  in  Alton.  In  1S63,  he  purchased  the 
planing  mill,  and  in  1866,  added  greatly  to  its  utility  by 
opening  a  lumber  yard  in  connection  therewith. 

With  the  years  came  experience  and  added  industry  in 
his  case.  In  1878,  he  commenced  the  manufacture  of  tile 
which  business  he  continues.  He  has  proven  himself  one 
of  the  few  men  who  can  successfully  prosecute  two  or  more 
independent  lines  of  business. 

He  was  married  to  Margaret  M.  Logan,  March  6th,  1857, 
by  whom  he  had  one  child.  She  died  February  29th,  1864. 
On  the  10th  of  April,  1867,  he  was  again  married  to  Juliette 
Johnson  Vaughan,  by  whom  he  has  six  children. 

Politically  he  is  an  ardent  and  prominent  Republican. 
With  the  origin  of  the  party  in  1856,  he  espoused  the  cause, 
voting  for  John  C.  Fremont  for  President.  His  contributions 
to  party  success  have  been  considerable.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias,  in  whose  workings  he  takes  a  great 
interest,  also  a  Knight  Templar  in  the  Masonic  order.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church.  In  a  word  Mr. 
Boals  is  one  of  the  pushing,  active  business  men  of  Alton. 
Anything  conducive  to  the  public  good  finds  in  him  a  friend 
and  supporter. 


412 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


HENRY  G.  McPIKE. 

This  gentleman  comes  of  good  old  Revolutionary  stock, 
his  ancestors  having  lived  in  America  many  years  prior  to 
the  struggle  for  Independence.  The  three  families,  McPike, 
Guest  and  Dumont,  were  of  vigorous,  energetic  blood  and 
high  literary  attainments. 

Capt.  James  McPike,  a  Scotchman,  came  to  the  United 
States  before  the  Revolution.  Henry  Guest,  Esqr.,  lo- 
cated on  the  present  town  site  of  the  city  of  New  Bruns- 
wick, in  New  Jersey,  where  his  stone  residence  over  a  , 
hundred  years  old,  yet  stands  in  good  repair.  He  had 
lived  there  a  long  lifetime,  and  in  1775,  was  so  old  that  he  | 
could  only  wheel  in  his  chair.  His  son,  Capt.  Moses  Guest, 
was  Captain  of  the  New  Jersey  Blues,  and  as  such,  entered 
the  Revolutionary  Army  at  the  same  time  with  Capt.  James 
jMcPike.  Both  were  with  General  Washington  at  Valley 
Forge — that  terrible  winter.  After  seven  years  of  untold 
hardship  and  suffering,  crowned  with  many  exhibitions  of  per- 
sonal prowess,  upon  the  declaration  of  peace  in  1783,  they 
returned  to  their  anxious  families. 

Capt.  McPike  came  to  Maysville,  Kentucky,  in  1795,  with 
his  family,  including  John  and  Richard,  his  sons.  Of  these 
Richard  did  valiant  service  in  the  war  of  1812. 

Moses  Guest,  whose  wife  was  Miss  Dumont,  having  sold 
his  merchant  vessel  (in  the  Montreal  and  West  India  trade) 
and  retired  from  active  business,  came  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
in  1817.  It  is  related  of  him  that  while  at  sea,  he  invented 
a  still  for  salt  water,  which  saved  his  passengers  and  crew 
from  horrible  deaths.  In  1823,  he  published  a  book  of 
poems  and  personal  reminiscences,  extending  through  a 
busy  and  interesting  lifetime. 

The  late  General  E.  Dumont,  of  Indianapolis,  Indiana, 
was  of  this  family.  His  mother,  Julia  L.  Dumont,  of  literary 
note,  was  the  authoress  of  a  series  of  American  Tales — and 
"  Life  Sketches  from  Common  Paths." 

Henry  Guest  McPike,  one  of  the  four  sons  of  John  Mc- 
Pike, located  in  Alton  in  1847  ;  at  that  time  he  was  under 
age.  His  brothers  were  Haley  (a  soldier  in  the  Mexican 
war,)  George  and  William.  H.  G.  McPike's  business  life 
has  all  been  spent  here.  It  has  been  characterized  by  ear- 
nest endeavor,  unswerving  fidelity  and  fixed  determination. 
Politically  Mr.  McPike  has  ever  been  true  to  his  early 
teachings.  His  father,  the  editor  of  a  Whig  paper,  and  an 
early  advocate  for  the  abolition  of  slavery ;  his  grand- 
fathers, both  revolutionary  patriots,  have  transmitted  to  him 
the  same  patriotic  ardor  that  ever  prompted  their  actions. 
Ever  active  in  politics,  he  has  never  sought,  but  many  times 
refused  office.  He  was  called  by  the  Department  to  act  as 
Deputy  Provost  Marshal  of  this  Congressional  District, 
during  the  most  trying  period,  and  upon  him  devolved  the 
management  and  decision  of  many  very  delicate  and  serious 
policies  of  the  War  Department.  He  has  represented  his 
fellow  citizens  in  many  unpaying  public  and  private  labors. 
Always  an  untiring  and  consistent  Republican,  laboring 
zealously  and  conscientiously  in  its  behalf,  he  has  devoted 
much  per.sonal  labor  and  considerable  expenditure  of  money 
in  its  interests.  He  has  represented  our  people  in  many 
conventions  and  public  assemblies — in  the  city  council — in 


consultation  with  Legislators  and  in  behalf  of  public  im- 
provements. In  a  general  sense  he  has  been  the  dispenser 
rather  than  the  seeker  for  public  positions  or  emolument. 
In  all  matters  pertaining  to  Agriculture  and  Horticulture 
he  takes  an  active  interest,  and  has  contributed  no  little  to 
the  advancement  of  these  arts.  To  tell  it  in  few  words  Mr. 
McPike,  true  to  his  purpose  is  actively  engaged  in  business, 
independent  in  action;  a  zealous,  energetic,  temperate,  public- 
spirited  citizen. 


J.  J.  McINERNEY, 

The  editor  of  the  Alton  Sentinel,  was  born  November  23, 
1853,  in  the  city  of  Alton.  His  parents  were  natives  of 
county  Clare,  Ireland,  and  came  to  this  country  in  1851, 
landing  at  New  Orleans,  thence,  in  1852  they  made  their 
way  up  the  Mississippi  river  to  their  present  home.  Austin 
Mclnerney,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  an 
honest,  law-abiding  laboring  man,  who  brought  up  his  son 
to  respect  morality,  and  observe  in  his  life  its  precepts.  At 
an  early  age  J.  J.  Mclnerney  graduated  from  the  Cathedral 
School  in  Alton,  in  fact  he  was  but  thirteen  years  old  when 
he  had  completed  his  course  of  study.  He  at  once  entered 
the  office  of  the  Cumherland  Presbyterian,  a  paper  published 
by  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Logan  in  Alton,  to  learn  the  printers' 
trade.  After  two  years  service  here  he  went  into  the  Tele- 
graph Office,  where  he  remained  until  seventeen  years  of 
age.  In  the  Spring  of  1876  he  entered  upon  his  first  ven- 
ture as  a  newspaper  publisher,  starting  in  company  with 
others  the  Alton  Morning  News.  The  paper  was  short- 
lived. In  1879  he  opened  a  neat  job  printing  office,  and  in 
October  of  that  year  commenced  the  publication  of  the  (Sen- 
tinel, an  independent  journal  devoted  to  the  interests  of 
Madison  and  adjoining  counties.  Politically  its  tone  is 
eminently  independent,  being  a  free  lance  in  dealing  with 
candidates  and  measures.  Wien  Mclnerney  had  but 
reached  his  majority  he  was  a  candidate  for  township  clerk 
of  his  township.  For  this  position  he  was  defeated  by  a 
majority  of  thirty-five  votes  in  a  poll  of  fifteen  hundred.  '  At 
present  he  is  an  independent  candidate  for  Legislative  hon- 
ors,— the  first  who  has  ever  had  the  temerity  to  thus  offer 
himself  before  the  people  of  Madison  County.  His  inde- 
pendence has  won  for  him  many  friends. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Alice  Mullen,  May  30th,  1881. 


HERMON  C.  COLE, 

Was  the  son  of  Nathan  and  Sarah  Cole,  and  was  born 
in  Ovid,  Seneca  county.  New  York,  May  9,  1813.  He 
was  the  third  of  seven  sons.  In  1821  his  father  re- 
moved with  his  family  to  lUinoistown,  now  East  St. 
Louis,  Illinois,  where  he  became  the  pioneer  pork  packer 
of  the  Mississippi  Valley.  Hermon  C.  received  his  educa- 
tional training  in  St.  Louis  and  Alton.  He  was  a  pupil  at 
one  time  of  Rev.  John  M.  Peck,  in  St.  Louis,  and  after- 
ward in  Alton  Seminary,  which  latter  became  Shurtleff  Col- 
lege, and  was  under  the  tuition  of  Rev.  H.  Loomis,  in  whose 


BUSINESS  BLOCK  OF  NEISUfi  &  flANDALL  ,    DEALIRS  /N  DRUGS.  HARDWARE 

AfJD    AGRICULTURAL     IMPLEMENTS.       BETHALTO,    ILLINOIS. 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


413 


family  he  boarded.  His  business  education  was  obtained 
partly  in  connection  with  his  father's  business,  and  in  em- 
ployment over  a  large  part  of  the  states  of  Missouri  and 
Illinois  in  the  purchase  of  cattle. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  opened  for  himself  a  store 
in  lUinoistowfi,  on  a  small  capital,  and  in  two  years  accumu. 
lated  several  thousand  dollars.  For  two  or  three  years  after 
this  he  was  an  invalid,  and  unable  to  attend  to  any  business. 
In  1837  his  father,  with  his  family,  removed  to  Chester,  Ran- 
dolph county,  Illinois,  where  he  built  and  opened  a  saw  mill, 
flour  mill  and  beef  packing  house,  and  Hermon  C.  opened 
and  successfully  conducted  a  general  store,  until  1840,  when 
he  sold  out,  and  his  father  dyiug,  he  becime  a  partner,  with 
his  brother  Abner,  in  the  flour  mill.  At  that  time  the  mill- 
ing business  was  very  precarious  owing  to  the  financial 
crisis  of  1837,  and  also  to  the  fact  that  wheat  was  raised  in 
very  limited  quantities  in  that  part  of  the  country.  In  the 
alternations  of  trade  Mr.  Cole  came  into  liabilities,  not  all 
his  own,  such  as  would  have  utterly  discouraged  many 
men,  and  led  others  to  accept  the  relief  offered  by  the  bank- 
rupt law,  but  he  steadily  pursued  the  course  of  integrity 
and  persevering  industry,  until  every  debt  was  paid,  and  a 
way  opened  to  complete  success.  In  1851  he  added  to  his 
business  a  general  store  which  soon  had  the  largest  trade  in 
southern  Illinois.  From  this  time,  continued  and  large 
successes  attended  his  enterprises.  In  1853,  the  old  mill 
was  removed  and  a  new  one  erected,  which  was  then  regarded 
as  a  model  mill.  In  1861  he  became  sole  owner  of  the  mill 
property,  his  brother  Abner  removing  to  Oregon  the  follow- 
ing year.  As  the  business  increased,  enlargements  were 
made  from  time  to  time  and,  the  mill  became  the  leadingone 
of  southern  Illinois,  with  a  capacity  of  grinding  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  barrels  daily,  provided  with  storage  capacity 
of  seven  thousand  barrels,  and  grain  warehouse  with  storage 
capacity  of  one  hundred  thousand  bushels.  An  extensive 
lumber  trade  was  also  added  to  his  other  business. 

Mr.  Cole's  operations  were  not  conducted  solely  for  his 
own  benefit.  He  sympathized  with  struggling  men,  and 
with  broad  views  of  the  needs  of  the  surrounding  country, 
he  engaged  in  enterprises  for  the  promotion  of  its  welfare 
and  growth.  At  his  own  expense,  he  improved  roads,  built 
bridges,  and  gave  employment  to  many  men.  He  en- 
couraged the  production  of  wheat,  and  introduced  the  Medi- 
terranean variety  in  1862. 

In  1867,  in  connection  with  his  brother  Nathan,  he  open- 
ed the  extensive  produce  commission  house  in  St.  Louis, 
under  the  name  of  Cole  Brothers,  which  became  and  still  is 
eminently  successful.  In  this  firm  he  continued  a  partner 
until  1872. 

His  business  enterprises  in  Randolph  county,  meanwhile 
continued  enlarging,  and  in  1872  he  added  to  them  a  bank- 
ing house.  At  this  time  he  was  president  of  the  Millers' 
Association  of  Illinois.  His  mercantile  business  was  varied 
and  extensive,  and  his  lands  in  several  counties  embraced 
over  ten  thousand  acres,  including  several  cultivated  farms. 
In  1868,  desiring  better  church  and  educational  facilities,  he 
removed  to  Upper  Alton,  where  was  enlarged  and  improved 
at  great  expense  the  beautiful  home  where  he  spent  as  much 
53 


of  his  time  as  his  business  allowed,  and  where  he  died  after 
a  short  and  painful  illness,  October  20,  1874. 

The  character  of  Mr.  Cole  S'^cured  for  him  both  tlie  re- 
spect and  affection  of  his  associates.  While  of  the  quick 
and  impulsive  temperament  that  makes  leadership,  he  was 
sympathizing  and  generous.  Positive  in  conviction  and 
expression,  he  was  yet  modest  and  forbearing.  Engaged  in 
practical  business,  he  was  alive  to  the  enjoyments  of  refine- 
ment and  taste  and  was  earnest  in  promoting  family  and 
public  education  and  culture. 

In  Chester  he  united  with  the  Baptist  church,  under  the 
ministrations  of  Rev.  U.  L.  Barber,  and  added  integrity  of 
Christian  character  to  an  elevated  manhood.  In  Upper 
Alton  he  became  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  a 
liberal  contributor  to  it.  He  became  a  trustee  and  benefac- 
tor of  Shurtleff"  College,  donating  at  one  time,  five  thousand 
dollars,  and  liberal  sums  at  other  times.  He  was  a  gener- 
ous helper  of  struggling  students,  and  of  worthy  indigence, 
wherever  he  found  it.  Few  men  possessed  greater  energy 
and  will  power,  and  these  elements  of  character  united  to  a 
sufficient  amount  of  cautiousness,  to  prevent  his  engaging 
in  speculations,  carried  him  to  the  front  in  business  circles, 
and  ultimately  crowned  his  efforts  with  the  highest  succ'ess. 
Mr.  Cole  was  twice  married.  First  in  June  1844,  to  Miss 
Emily  Cox,  of  Stamford,  Conn.,  who  was  a  faithful  compan- 
ion in  his  struggle,  and  successes  until  her  death  October  14, 
1859,  and  who  left  to  him  six  children,  named  Charles  B., 
Zachary  Z.,  Alice  E  ,  Henry  C,  Eunice  E.,  and  Edward  E. 

In  February,  1862,  he  was  married  to  Sarah  J.,  daughter 
of  Rev.  Isaac  D.  Newell,  one  of  the  most  eminent  early 
Baptist  ministers  of  Illinois,  of  whom  a  sketch  appears  in 
the  history  of  the  Baptist  church  in  this  county.  She  was 
then  the  widow  of  Mr.  Joseph  S.  Flanagin,  a  young  mer- 
chant of  Bunker  Hill.  Five  children  were  born  of  this 
marriage,  viz:  Cora  V.,  Grace,  Hermon,  Newell,  and  Na- 
than. His  death  left  his  widow  with  the  important  and 
difficult  trust  of  the  sole  guardianship  of  the  persons  and 
property  of  their  five  children,  a  trust  for  which  she  is 
eminently  qualified  by  natural  endowments  and  educatior, 
and  in  the  discharge  of  which  her  course  has  been  a  con- 
tinued and  conij)lete  success.  November  26,  1879,  she  was 
married  to  Prof.  John  C.  C  Clarke  of  Sburtlefl'  College, 
and  still  resides  at  her  home  in  Upper  Alton. 

The  following  extract  from  the  records  of  the  Merchants' 
Exchange  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  shows  the  esteem  in  which 
Mr.  Cole  was  held  by  his  brother  merchants,  and  presents  a 
very  just  view  of  some  elements  of  his  character. 

St.  Louis,  October  24,  1874. 

Mr.  George  P.  Plant  offered  the  following  preamble  and 
resolutions : 

On  the  morning  of  October  20,  1874,  Hermon  B.  Cole,  a 
member  of  the  Union  Jlerchants'  exchange  of  St.  Louis, 
departed  this  life  a,i  the  family  residence  in  Upper  Alton  at 
the  ripe  age  of  sixty-two,  after  an  illness  of  about  ten  days. 

Mr.  Cole  has  long  been  identified  with  the  business  in- 
terests of  St.  Louis,  and  of  the  country  adjacent,  especially 


414 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


in  southern  Illinois,  and  attained  to  eminence  in  all  the  re- 
lations of  life. 

He  needed  no  public  proclamation,  no  elevation  to  office, 
to  determine  his  standing.  His  high  rank  was  admitted  by 
common  consent,  and  his  innate  modesty  forbade  any  other 
announcement.  His  business  example  was  regarded  a  safe 
call  to  financial  investments.  His  business  habits  were  an 
unremitting  challenge  to  young  men  hoping  for  success. 
His  integrity  and  honor  did  not  involve  a  question.  His 
enterprise  and  energy  were  the  eagle  and  lion  united,  high 
in  purpose  and  strong  to  execute.  Success  was  the  certain 
crown  of  such  a  life.  As  a  manufacturer  his  establishments 
became  a  market  for  the  produce  of  a  large  surrounding 
country,  and  as  a  merchant  he  made  a  market  for  his  manu- 
facture, and  reflected  a  good  name  upon  all  associated  with 
him. 

In  social  life  he  was  humble,  genial,  mirthful ;  a  man 
■whom  children  loved,  and  the  poor  approached  as  a  com- 
panion and  benefactor,  who  had  trod  their  paths  and  knew 
by  experience  their  joys  aud  sorrows. 

Educational  and  religious  institutions  had  substantial  evi- 
dence of  his  sympathy,  and  the  benedictions  of  friends  and 
the  smiles  of  an  approving  Providence  surrounded,  entered, 
and  blessed  his  home. 

In  a  life  thus  well  spent  he  had  the  best  preparation  for 
the  better,  eternal  life  upon  which  we  believe  he  has  entered. 


To  acknowledge  unobtrusive  worth  and  to  perpetuate  the 
memory  of  true  greatness  so  beautifully  exemplified  in  the 
life  and  character  of  our  departed  friend  we  are  called  toge- 
ther to  day,  therefore. 

Resolved,  That  the  Union  Merchants'  Exchange  of  St. 
Louis  in  the  death  of  Hermon  C.  Cole  has  lost  a  member  of 
rare  business  capacity  and  attainments,  of  sterling  integrity, 
of  unsullied  honor,  enterprising,  energetic,  wise  and  prudent 
whose  good  example  we  commend  with  confidence  to  the 
young  men  of  the  west,  as  a  model  for  their  emulation. 

Res  lived,  That  we  regarded  him  in  civil  life  as  a  true 
gentleman,  modest,  affectionate,  genial,  considerate  of  the 
rights  and  feelings  of  others,  and  tender  towards  those  whom 
misfortune  had  humbled.  Although  dead  he  yet  speaks  to 
us  of  noble  manhood  and  a  good  life  in  the  midst  of  per- 
plexing cares. 

Resolved,  That  we  tender  to  the  family,  the  brother  and 
the  sorrowing  friends  of  the  deceased,  our  sincere  sympathy, 
assuring  them  that  his  loss  will  be  deeply  mourned  in  the 
business  community  as  well  as  in  the  home  circle. 

Resolved,  That  this  preamble  and  these  resolutions  be 
placed  upon  the  records  of  this  Exchange,  and  that  a  copy 
thereof  be  furnished  to  the  afflicted  family. 

The  resolutions  were  seconded  by  Gov.  Stanard,  who 
spoke  of  the  esteem  in  which  the  departed  was  held  by  his 
brother  millers,  and  then  unanimously  adopted. 


-^*l^e^t^ 


WOOD    RIVEE. 


lOWNSHIP  5,  Range  9,  known  as 
"Wood  River,  lies  in  the  northwes- 
tern part  of  the  county,  and  borders 
on  the  Mississippi.  It  is  bounded 
on  the  north  by  Fosterburg,  on  the 
east  by  Fort  Russell,  on  the  south  by 
Chouteau,  and  on  the  west  by  the 
Mississippi  river  and  Alton.  The  Mis- 
sissippi river  crosses  the  southwest 
corner,  and  includes  within  its  waters  -about  five  sections. 
No  finer  or  more  productive  body  of  land  is  probably 
contained  within  the  western  half  of  the  county.  The  sur- 
face is  sufficiently  undulating  to  insure  excellent  surface 
drainage  Originally  it  was  mainly  covered  with  good  tim. 
ber,  but  has  long  since  yielded  to  the  woodman's  axe,  and 
beautiful  farms  now  greet  the  eye  of  the  passing  traveler. 
Patches  of  timber  are  interspersed  here  and  there,  sufficient 


at  least  for  the  purpose  of  fuel,  building  material,  etc.  The 
soil  is  mainly  composed  of  a  gray  loam,  and  especially 
adapted  to  the  culture  of  wheat.  Rattan's  Prairie,  which 
lies  in  the  north  and  east  part  of  the  township,  is  composed 
of  a  darker  quality  of  soil,  and  has  very  much  the  appear- 
ance of  the  prairie  land  in  the  central  part  of  the  State.  It 
is  credited  with  being  somewhat  richer  than  the  soil  of  the 
timber.  But  a  small  portion  of  the  township  contains  the 
rich  alluvium  of  the  American  Bottom.  A  peculiar  forma- 
tion known  as  Sand  Ridge,  lies  in  the  southeast.  It  is  a 
large  sand  bar,  four  or  five  miles  in  length,  aud  about  one 
and  a  half  in  breadth,  which  by  some  convulsion  of  nature 
has  been  deposited  here. 

The  principal  water  course  is  Wood  River,  from  which 
the  township  received  its  name,  flowing  in  a  southerly  direc- 
tion, discharging  its  waters  into  the  Mississippi,  in  section 
28.  This  stream  has  two  branches,  known  as  East  and  West 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


415 


Forks.  The  former  enters  the  township  in  the  northeast, 
and  flows  in  a  southwesterly  direction,  and  unites  with  the 
latter  in  section  16.  The  West  Fork  enters  in  the  extreme 
northwest,  and  meanders  in  a  southerly  direction,  and 
unites  with  the  other  branch,  as  aforementioned.  The  rail- 
roads are  numerous,  reaching  off  like  arms  from  a  common 
center,  in  sections  16  and  17.  One  branch  of  tlie  Indianapo- 
lis and  St.  Louis  railroad  enters  from  the  northeast,  in  sec- 
tion 1,  describes  a  crescent  in  its  course  through  the  township, 
and  passes  out  in  section  34.  The  other  branch  of  the 
road  enters  in  section  5,  connecting  with  the  main  line  in 
section  16.  The  C  and  A.  road  leading  from  Alton 
crosses  the  Wood  River  line  in  sec.  18,  forms  an  elbow  near 
the  Indianapolis  and  St.  Louis,  and  extends  with  it  on  a 
]>arallel  line  through  the  township  The  old  Madison 
County  railway  crosses  the   southern   boundary,  extending 


east  and  west,  and  forms  a  junction  with  the  former  roads  in 
section  34. 

THE   EARLY    HISTORY 

of  Wood  River  dates  back  nearly  eighty  years,  and  has 
recorded  in  its  career  more  stirring  events  tlian  the 
most  of  its  sister  townships.  It  was  here  within  the  forks  of 
Wood  River  that  occurred  the  brutal  Indian  mas.«acre  in  the 
summer  of  1814,  a  full  account  of  which  may  be  had  in  the 
pioneer  chapter.  This  sad  affair,  which  threw  the  little 
band  of  pioneers  and  their  families  into  such  a  consterna- 
tion, transpired  on  Sunday,  the  10th  day  of  July,  1814.  The 
place  where  this  ghastly  tragedy  was  enacted,  is  situated  in 
the  southeast  quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  secticn  4, 
on  the  premises  now  owned  by  John  Brown  and  sister.  In- 
stead of  a  place  covered  with  timber,  as  it  was  at  the  time 
of  the  massacre,  it  is  now  part  of  a  cultivated  field.* 


WOOD    RIVER    FORT,    1812-1814. 


Susan  Paddock,  of  Fort  Russell,  kindly  furnished  us  with 
the  above  correct  sketch  of  the  old  Wood  River  Fort  as  it 
was  when  the  families  of  this  vicinity  fled  to  it  on  the  night 
of  the  massacre.  It  was  situated  on  a  little  rise  of  ground 
near  the  barn  now  owned  by  William  Gill,  who  resides  in 
section  10. 

Another  sensational  sSmt  of  Wood  River  occurred  in 
1823,  at  the  house  of  Abel  Moore.  It  was  the  killing  of 
William  Wright  by  Eliphalet  Green.  Some  dispute  arose, 
when  Green  grasped  a  gun  and  deliberately  shot  his  oppo- 
nent. Green  was  tried,  convicted,  and  executed.  Judge 
Reynolds,  afterward  governor  of  the  state,  was  then  on  the 


bench.  The  time  fixed  for  execution  was  just  four  weeks 
from  the  day  of  conviction.  This  was  the  first  case  tried  for 
a  capital  oflfense  in  Madison  county,  and  the  second  in  the 
state. 

The  first  white  man  to  settle  in  the  wilds  of  Wood  River 
was  Thomas  Rattan.  He  came  from  Ohio  in  1804,  and  lo- 
cated in  section  13.  This  was  prairie  land,  and  composed 
of  black  soil,  richer  in  appearance  than  the  surrounding 
timber  land.  The  prairie  afterwards  received  his  name, 
which  it  bears  to  this  time.     He  reared  a  large  family,  and 

*  For  a  full  account  of  this  lr.ngp(ir  fee  page  81. 


416 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


soon  after  the  war  of  1812  removed  to  Greeu  county,  where 
all  traces  of  the  family  are  lost.  Martin  Preuitt  and  family 
came  about  the  same  time,  and  settled  on  Sand  Ridge,  the 
history  of  whom  will  be  found  in  the  chapter  on  Fort  Rus- 
sell. 

Toliver  Wright,  a  native  of  Virginia,  settled  near  the 
mouth  of  Wood  River  in  the  Spring  of  1806.  He  bought 
out  the  improvement  right  of  Shadrach  Williams.  At  his 
coming  he  had  a  wife  and  several  children.  Mrs.  Wright's 
maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Ray.  The  family  lived  in  this 
place  two  years,  when  they  moved  to  section  10,  and  occu- 
j)ied  the  place  now  owned  by  William  Gill-  In  the  war  of 
1812,  Mr.  AVright  joined  the  Rangers.  He  was  detailed  as 
captain  of  a  company  of  spies,  and  in  the  fall  of  1812,  while 
on  the  way  to  Peoria,  he  was  shot  by  an  Indian  and  mor- 
tally wounded.  He  was  taken  back  to  the  Wood  River 
Fort,  where  he  died  in  about  six  weeks  after  being  wounded. 
Mrs.  J  P.  Owens,  of  Fort  Russell,  is  a  grand-daughter  of 
Mr.  Wright. 

Abel  Moore,  one  of  the  pioneers,  was  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  and  migrated  to  Kentucky  in  1804,  and  thence 
to  Illinois  in  1808.  He  located  in  section  4,  now  Wood 
River  township.  His  family  then  consisted  of  his  wife  Mary, 
nee  Bates,  and  two  children,  William  and  Joel,  then  respec- 
tively ten  and  eight  years  of  age,  both  of  whom  were  among 
the  victims  of  the  Wood  River  massacre.  Eight  other  chil- 
dren were  born  at  the  old  home&tead  in  section  4,  as  follows  : 
John,  Nancy,  Sarah,  Joshua,  Rachel,  Lydia,  Anna  and 
Franklin.  Only  three  of  this  large  family  are  now  living  ; 
Nancy,  who  resides  in  California  ;  Lydia,  widow  of  Madison 
Williams,  who  lives  near  Bethalto,  in  section  2  ;  and  Major 
Franklin  Moore,  of  Upper  Alton.  The  latter  has  a  history 
as  eventful  as  his  father  before  him,  having  served  with  dis- 
tinction through  the  entire  late  war.  Indeed,  he  has  the 
h mor  of  holding  the  first  commission  in  the  state  under  the 
''  Three-hundred-thousand  call."  Such  were  the  services  he 
rendered  his  country  on  the  battle-field,  that  he  received  the 
soubriquet  of  "Fighting  Frank."  Abel  Moore  died  in  1846, 
at  the  age  of  63  years.  Mrs.  Moore  died  the  day  before  her 
husband,  aged  61.  They  lie  side  by  side  on  the  very  spot 
of  ground  where  their  pioneer  cabin  was  constructed.  In 
the  sale  of  the  old  homestead  the  children  reserved  this  sa- 
cred spot  as  a  lasting  tribute  to  their  departed  parents.  The 
old  farm  is  now  owned  and  occupied  by  George  Cartwright. 
George  and  William  Moore,  brothers  of  Abel,  came  with  the 
latter  and  their  father  as  far  as  Ford's  Ferry,  on  the  Ohio 
river,  where  they  separated  from  Abel,  and  went  to  Boon's 
Lick,  Missouri,  where  the  father  died.  The  following  year 
the  brothers  and  their  families  came  to  Illinois,  and  settled, 
near  their  brother  Abel  in  section  10.  William's  family 
consisted  of  his  wife  and  two  sons,  John  and  George,  both 
of  whom  were  also  victims  at  the  Wood  River  massacre. 
Two  children  were  afterward  born  to  the  family.  They  all 
moved  to  Pike  county,  Illinois,  in  1830.  George  had  no 
children  when  he  came,  but  two  were  born  while  residing 
here,  Margaret  and  Walter.  The  family  migrated  to  Inde- 
pendence, Mo.,  in  1837.  Mr.  William  Gill  now  occupies 
and  owns  his  farm.     Both  William  and  George  were  gun- 


makers,  and  followed  their  trac'e  in  the  township.     The  lat- 
ter also  manufactured  powder. 

Reason  Reagan  and  family  came  about  the  same  time  as  the 
Moores,  but  we  have  been  unable  to  glean  any  satisfactory 
history  of  their  nativity,  etc.     A  lone  apple-tree  now  stands 
near  where  their  cabin  was  located,  at  the  time  of  thedeath 
of  Mrs.  Reagan  and  her  children   at  the  hands  of  the  In- 
dians.    Another  pioneer  was  William  Montgomery,  who  was 
born  in  Kentucky,  and  came  from  his  native  state  a  single 
man  in  1S09,  and  first  stopped  in  St.  Louis,  having  but  one 
dollar  in  his  possession.     In  the  year  1814,  he  came  over  to 
Illinois,  and  located  on  Indian  Creek  in  Fort  Russell.    The 
same  year  he  married  Sarah  Rattan.     He  remained  here 
about  three  years,  when  he  moved  into  Wood  River,  and 
settled  in  section  13.     He  reared  a  large  family,  consisting 
of  twelve  children,  Nelson,  John,  William  N.,  Nancy  R  , 
Thomas  J.,  James,  Paris,  Matilda,  Amanda  F.,  Hampton, 
Ann,  and  Eliza  Jane.      Mr.   Montgomery  became  a  very 
prominent  and  prosperous  farmer,  owning  at  his  death, — 
which  occurred  in  the  ftill  of  1849,-2,000  acres  of  land. 
Mrs.  Montgomery  died  two  years  before  her  husband.   Three 
sons  and  four  daughters  are  yet  living,  Eliza,  wife  of  T.  W.  L. 
Belk,  Wood  River ;  Nelson  and  Nancy  R.,  wife  of  Thomas 
Barnsback,  Edwardsville  ;  John,  who  resides  in  Macoupin 
county ;  Ann,  in  Colorado  ;  Amanda,  wife  of  Z.   B.   Job, 
of  Alton,  and  Hampton,  who  occupies  the  old  homestead  in 
section  13.     These  children  are  all  well-to-do  in  the  world, 
and  are  among  the  most  respected  citizens  in  their  various 
localities.     Two  brothers,  George  and  Thomas    Davidson, 
came  from  South  Carolina  about  1306,  and  settled  in  section 
36.     Both  were  men  of  families.     The  former  established  a 
tannery  on  his  premises  in   1810,  where  be  conducted  the 
business  until  1818,  when  he  sold  out  to  a  man  by  the  name 
of  Smith,  and  moved  to  Bond  county.     Thomas  improved  a 
good  farm,  and  was  a  prominent  man  in  his  neighborhood, 
having  served  many  years  in  the  capacity  of  justice  of  the 
peace.     He  died  long  ago,  and  none  of  the  family  are  now 
residents  of  the  county.   Prominent  among  the  early  settlers 
was  the  Collet  family,  consisting  of  Mrs.  Anna  Collet  and 
her  three  sons,  John  W.,  Robert,  and  Mark.     They   came 
from  Philadelphia  to  Illinois  in  1817,  and  located  at  the 
now   extinct   town  of  Milton,   situated    on   Wood   River. 
Mark  lived  but  two  years,  and  Robert  moved  to  Galena  in 
1819.     Mrs.  Collet,  the  mother,  subsequently  moved  to  St. 
Louis,  where  she  died  about  1830.      John  W.  was  married 
to  Miss  Mary  Ground  in  1829.    From  this  union  two  chil- 
dren were  born,  Daniel  W.,  and  John  W.,  jr.    Mr.  Collet 
lived  until  1846,  and  his  wife  died  about  two  years  ago, 
1880.     Daniel  and  John,  jr.,  both  reside  at  Upper  Alton, 
and  are  much  respected  citizens.     It  is  said  that  from  the 
seed  of  some  poppies  sown  by  Mrs.  Anna  Collet  in  1817, 
grew  plants  which  are  yet  alive,  and  which  bloom  every 
year. 

Another  early  settler  of  Milton  was  Thomas  Lippincott, 
who  was  born  at  Salem,  New  Jersey,  in  1791.  At  the  age 
of  twenty-five,  he  married  Patty  Swift.  In  the  fall  of  1817, 
he  started  westward,  and  landed  in  St.  Louis  in  Feb.,  1818. 
In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  brought  a  small  stock  of 


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HOTELL.    AND     SuS/WESS     B LO CK  .  o r  C.  H.  T LI  C H  BETHALTO,  III. 


HISTORY   OF   MADISOl^    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


417 


goods  to  Jlilton,  and  commenced  business  under  the  firm 
Dame  of  Lippincott  &  Co.  Rut'us  Eastou,  of  St.  Louis,  fur- 
nished the  capital,  and  Mr.  Lippincott  conducted  the  busi- 
ness. He  landed  his  goods  from  a  keel-boat  at  what  is  now 
the  city  of  Alton.  Mr.  L.,  in  his  uieraoirs,  says  that  Alton 
was  then  in  a  state  of  nature.  His  first  dwelling  at  Milton 
was  a  log-cabin  10x18  feet.  His  business  affairs  at  ]\Iilton 
were  not  a  success.  The  town  was  a  very  sickly  place  on 
account  of  the  stagnant  water  caused  by  the  mill-dam 
thrown  across  the  river  at  this  point.  The  following  year 
his  wife  died.  In  1820  he  married  again,  but  only  a  few 
months  had  passed  when  he  was  called  upon  to  bury  his 
second  wife.  He  soon  afterward  moved  to  Ed*ardsville,  and 
from  that  time  fortune  seemed  to  turn  in  his  favor.  He 
again  married  and  reared  a  large  family.  General  Charles 
E.  Lippincott,  of  Chandlerville,  III.,  is  a  son  of  the  third  wife- 
His  life  was  a  busy  and  useful  one.  He  died  at  Pana,  111., 
in  1869. 

James  Huston  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  moved  to 
Kentucky  when  a  boy.  He  mirried  Judith  Fountain  in 
1808,  and  in  1819  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Upper 
Alton.  The  family  at  that  lime  consisted  of  his  wife  and 
five  children,  only  one  of  whom  is  now  living  in  Madison 
county, — Sarah  Wood,  wife  of  Joshua  Wood.  There  are 
several  others  who  settled  here  in  an  early  day,  but  at  this 
late  date  it  is  impossible  to  get  even  a  synopsis  of  their  his- 
tory, they  having  moved  away  or  died,  leaving  none  of  their 
descendants  in  the  county.  Among  this  class  are  John 
Vickery,  who  settled  in  section  twelve,  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  Z.  B.  Job  and  Wm.  Ogle,  who  settled  in  the  same 
sections  on  the  property  now  owned  by  Robert  Kennedy. 
Then  there  were  the  Starkeys,  the  Odells,  the  Seeleys,  the 
Wallaces  and  others.  Those  of  a  later  date  and  now  living 
are  the  Lowes  of  Upper  Alton,  Capt.  J.  A.  Miller,  and  Esq. 
W.  L.  Pigott,  of  Bethalto ;  E.  B.  Handle,  of  the  same  place, 
an  old  resident  of  the  county  ;  William  R.  Wright,  of  Upper 
Alton;  Col.  Andrew  F.  Rodgers,  in  section  three,  this  town- 
ship ;  Amos  Squires,  in  section  twenty-two  ;  William  Gill, 
section  ten ;  Susan  W.  Cooper,  of  Upper  Alton  ;  Sarah  Ann 
Badley,  section  nine ;  I).  W.  Stockel,  in  section  ten,  and 
others  too  numerous  to  mention. 

Only  three  militia  claims  are  laid  in  this  township.  Those 
claims  were  founded  on  an  act  of  congress  granting  one  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  to  each  militiaman  enrolled  and  doing 
duty  in  Illinois  on  the  first  day  of  August,  1790,  within  the 
district  of  Kaskaskia.  They  are  as  follo\ys  :  "  Claim  1855, 
Baptiste  Lionais,  Nicholas  Jarrot,  400  acres  ;  affirmed,  situ- 
ated opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri."  This  claim  was 
laid  in  section  32,  and  has  long  since  been  in  the  Mississippi 
river.  The  landing  of  the  Madison  County  Coal  Company 
was  formerly  situated  on  this  claim.  "  Claim  2603,  George 
Biggs,  John  Whiteside,  100  acres,  located  on  Wood  river, 
including  a  mill."  This  claim  was  laid  in  section  17,  and 
was  situated  in  the  old  town  of  Milton.  "  Claim  756,  John 
Sullivan,  Larkin  Rutherford  and  —  Harrison,  440  arpents." 
This  land  lay  mostly  in  sections  8  and  9,  and  embraced  the 
farm  of  the  Hon.  Cyrus  Edwards,  and  was  the  only  claim  in 
the  vicinitv- 


The  following  were  the  first  land  entries  :  August  23d, 
1814,  Abel  Moore,  in  section  4,  entered  several  acres.  On 
the  same  day,  George  Moore  entered  the  northwest  quarter 
of  section  ten,  160  acres.  August  24th,  1824,  Charles 
Kitchens  entered  the  southeast  and  the  southwest  quarters 
of  section  three,  320  acres.  John  Walker  entered  on  the 
26th  of  August,  1814,  the  southeast  fraction  of  section  19. 
Absalom  Woolum  entered  328  acres  in  section  3,  September 
13.  1814. 

The  trials,  vicissitudes  and  hardships  of  these  early  s?ttler3 
sound  more  like  a  romance  than  actual  facts  to  one  of  this 
age,  where  every  opportunity  of  education,  culture  and 
pleasure  is  within  his  grasp.  The  facilities  of  rapid  transit 
from  state  to  state,  and  city  to  city,  has  almost  wiped  out  the 
idea  of  distance,  and  all  the  wants  of  man  are  virtually 
landed  at  his  very  door.  What  a  transition  is  this  from  the 
"  good  old  days  of  our  fathers !  "  What  would  the  young 
men  of  to-day  think  of  loading  a  flatboat  at  the  mouth  of 
Wood  river  with  the  simple  produce  of  those  early  times, 
and  then  being  obliged  to  pilot  the  rude  craft  down  the  Mis- 
sissippi to  the  New  Orleans  market?  And  yet  the  trip  down 
the  river  was  not  the  hardest  part  of  going  to  market, — for, 
after  the  produce  was  sold,  they  were  obliged  to  trudge 
back  on  foot  to  their  homes.  This  may  seem  over-drawn, 
but  several  of  the  old  men  now  living  assured  us  that  they 
have  often  heard  their  fathers  give  an  account  of  their  trips 
to  market  at  New  Orleans  as  above  described.  It  also 
seems  a  little  strange  that  guns  and  gospel  were  so  closely 
mingled  in  those  days.  The  inside  of  their  places  of  wor- 
ship bristled  with  their  rifles.  Instead  of  a  gilt-edged  Bible 
or  hymn-book  in  their  hand,  it  was  their  gun  they  carried  ; 
for  at  any  time  they  might  need  it  to  protect  themselves  and 
families  from  the  prowling  Indians.  Indeed,  they  were 
obliged  to  be  so  much  on  the  alert  for  this  savage  foe,  that 
serious  results  sometimes  accrued  therefrom.  One  case  of 
this  kind  happened  to  the  Starkey  family.  They  were  then 
living  in  the  timber  close  to  Rattan's  Ravine.  In  the  year 
1814,  Jesse  Starkey  and  his  sou  had  gone  out  to  hunt  their 
horses,  which  had  wandered  off  some  distance  from  the  set- 
tler's cabin.  As  was  the  custom  then,  each  one  bore  his 
rifle.  It  was  a  foggy  morning,  and  they  had  separated  to 
make  a  more  thorough  search.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  many  of  the  early  settlers  wore  buckskins,  and  in  many 
other  particulars  their  dress  resembled  somewhat  that  of  the 
Indian's.  The  father  and  son,  in  their  tramping  through 
the  timber,  had  unconsciously  strayed  near  each  other.  A 
thicket  of  brush  separated  them,  so  that  nothing  but  vague 
glimpses  of  either  could  be  obtained.  Both  came  to  the 
same  conclusion,  that  is,  that  the  party  gliding  behind  the 
brush  was  an  Indian.  Then  commenced  a  hurried  prepara- 
tion to  see  who  should  get  the  first  shot.  The  father  was 
the  first  to  shoot;  but  what  must  his  feelings  have  been  when 
he  found  that  he  had  shot  his  own  son  ?  Fortunately,  the 
wound  was  not  mortal,  and  the  boy  finally  recovered.  Little 
forts  or  block  houses  were  situated  at  every  few  miles,  for 
the  convenience  of  resort  in  case  of  any  hostile  demonstra- 
tions on  the  part  of  the  savages.  Beside  the  Wood  River 
fort,  there  was  another  in  this  tuwiK-hip,  situated  in  .section 


418 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


21,  and  known  as  Benen's  fort.  It  was  constructed  in  1811, 
and  was  located  on  the  land  now  owned  by  A.  E.  Benbowe, 
about  a  mile  south  of  the  old  site  of  Milton.  Jacob  Preuitt, 
son  of  Solomon  Preuitt,  was  born  in  this  fort.  This  birth 
and  that  of  Isaac  Cox,  who  was  born  in  1812,  were  among 
the  first  in  the  township.  Tradition  says  the  latter  was  the 
first  born  in  Wood  River.  But  there  are  grave  doubts  as  to 
the  correctness  of  this  traditional  statement.  It  must  be 
remembered  tliat  Thomas  Rattan  had  then  been  residing 
here  eight  years,  and  a  few  others  nearly  as  long. 

The  first  place  of  interment  is  situated  in  section  24,  and 
is  known  as  "  Vaughan's  Graveyard."   It  is  now  overgrown 
with  timber,  but  it  is  said  once  to  have  been  a  cleared  spot 
of  ground.     In  this  cemetery  the  bodies  of  the  killed  at  the 
Wood  River  massacre  are  buried.     On  a  small  sandstone 
we  deciphered  the  following  inscription  :  "  William  and  Joel 
Moore  were  k  lied  by  the  Indians,  July  10th,  1814."     The 
letters  are  nearly  obliterated  by  age.     There  are  also  the 
names  of  Ogle,  members  of  the  family  of   William  Ogle. 
John  Rattan's  name  also  appears.   It  is  engraven  on  a  sand- 
stone— a  broken  piece — and  reads:  "Deceased  Oct.  11th, 
1821,  age  74."     Several  are  so  old  and  dim,  they  cannot  be 
deciphered.  The  oldest,  which  is  legible,  bears  the  following 
name  and  date:  "James  Odell,died  September  11th,  1809." 
Thus  it  is  evident  that  this  place  of  interment   antedates 
1809.     Upon   this  same  ground  was  built  the  first  church- 
house,  about  the  year  of  the  above  inscription.     The  house 
was  a,  small  log-cabin,  and  was  constructed  by  the  Baptist 
denomination.     A  frame  building  was  afterward  built  in  its 
place,  but  it  too  passed  away  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury ago.     Rev.  William  Jones  was  the  early  pastor.     And, 
apropos  of  this,  we  will  relate  a  little  anecdote,  as  handed  us 
by  one  of  the  old  settlers.     It  is  traditional,  however,  and 
we  give  it  for  what  it  is  worth.     It  is  said  the  circumstance 
occurred  in  the  days  of  the  first  house,  the  log-cabin,  ser- 
vices then  being  conducted  at  the  house  of  "  Uncle"'  Johnny 
Rattan.     The  Rev.  David  Badgley,  from  St.  Clair  county, 
was  over  in  this  part  of  the  moral  vineyard  aiding  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Jones  in  conducting  a  series  of  meetings.     At  this  par- 
ticular time  the  Rev.  Badgley  was  engaged  in  making  the 
exhortation,  and  Brother  Jones  was  sitting  by  his  side.  Now 
in  those  times,  not  even  the  minister  of  the  gospel,  made  any 
great  pretensions  to  dressing   in   esthetic  style.     Suspend- 
ers were  unknown   among   them,  and   the  pantaloons  were 
supported  at  the  hips  by  what  was   called  a  draw-string. 
Brother  Badgley  had  become  very  much  warmed  up  with 
his  subject,— so  much  so,  in  fact,  that  he  was  not  aware  that 
the   draw-string  of  his  pants   had  by  some  unexplainable 
cause  become  untied.     In  short,  he  was  the  only  one  present 
that  was  ignorant  of  the  fact.     From  all  appearances  there 
was  soon  likely  to  be  a  very  embarrassing  catastrophe.  Bro. 
Jones  took  in  the  situation,  and  nudged  his  brother,  and  at 
the  same  time  gave  an  ominous  glance  and  nod  at  Badgley's 
unmentionables.     But   the  Rev.  B.  was  equal  to  the  occa- 
sion.    He  stopped,  quietly  secured  a  knot  in  the  string,  and 
proceeded  with  his  discourse  as  though  nothing  had  hap- 
pened. 

Among  other  early  preachers,  besides  those  already  mcn- 


tioneil,  were  Bennett  Maxey,  Nathaniel  Pinckard,  Thomas 
Raudle,  and  Samuel  Thompson,  all  of  the  Methodist  per- 
suasion. 

The  first  school-house  was  situated  in  section  4,  on  the 
land  now  owned  by  George  Cartwright.  The  house  was  an 
unpretentious  one,  being  constructed  simply  cf  rough  logs. 
The  first  teacher  was  an  old  man  by  the  name  of  Peter 
Flinn.  He  taught  here  some  little  time,  and  went  to  pirta 
unknown.  The  early  Ju.sticas  of  the  Peace  were  Nathaniel 
Pinckard,  Wm.  G.  Pinckard,  John  Allen,  and  Benjamin 
Spencer.  These  were  all  magistrates  as  early  as  1818.  The 
first  Sunday  school  was  organized  by  Mrs.  Thos.  Lippincott, 
at  the  old  town  of  Milton,  in  1819.  This  was  not  only  the 
first  Sunday-school  in  Wood  River,  or  Madison  county,  but 
it  was  the  first  in  the  state  of  Illinois.  The  first  to  practice 
medicine  here  was  Dr.  Tiffin,  who  resided  about  three 
miles  down  the  river  at  a  point  then  called  St.  Mary's.  He 
afterward  moved  to  Edwardsville,  an  1  thence  to  St.  Louis. 
Erastus  Brown  was  also  an  early  physician.  The  first  post- 
office  was  established  at  Milton  in  a  very  early  day,  but 
at  just  what  date  none  now  living  are  able  to  tell. 
Richard  Cartledge  opened  a  coal  mine  in  section  1,  as  early 
as  1839.  No  shaft  was  sunk,  as  coal  could  be  procured  by 
drifting  into  the  bluff.  The  first  blooded  stock  was  iutro- 
trodueed  in  1840,  by  a  man  of  the  name  i  f  Van  Wagner. 
It  consisted  of  hogs  and  horned  cattle,  imported  from 
Europe.  It  may  not  be  generally  known,  but  in  an  early 
day  (1818,  or  before)  there  was  quite  an  extensive  packing 
house,  established  at  the  mouth  of  W^ood  river,  in  section  28. 
D.  E.  Tiffin  was  the  proprietor.  Both  beef  and  pork  were 
packed  here  for  the  foreign  markets. 

The  first  town  or  village  of  any  sort  in  Wood  River  was 
the  town  of  Milton-  The  exact  date  of  its  inception  is 
now  difficult  to  determine,  but  from  the  best  proofs  at  hand 
it  must  have  commenced  its  existence  about  1808-9.  It 
was  situated  three  miles  from  the  mouth  of  Wood  river, 
in  section  17.  The  town  was  undoubtedly  started  by 
John  Wallace  and  Walter  J.  Seeley,  as  they  owned  in  1818 
nearly  all  of  the  improvements  in  the  village.  They  were 
transacting  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Wallace  & 
Seeley,  and  owned  three  mills,  two  saw-mills  and  a  grist 
mill.  A  dam  was  thrown  across  the  river  here  which  gave 
a  head  for  water  jx)wer.  The  saw  mills  were  located  at  op- 
posite sides  of  the  river,  and  at  either  end  of  the  dam.  The 
town  also  contained  a  distillery,  one  store,  a  blacksmith  shop 
and  a  tavern.  The  latter  was  kept  by  Joel  Bacon,  and  the 
store  was  conducted  by  Thomas  Lippincott,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Lippincott  &  Co.  This  was  in  1818,  and  Milton 
was  then  flourishing  and  enjoying  its  palmiest  days.  The 
miasma  rising  from  the  back  water  caused  by  the  dam,  pro- 
duced a  great  deal  of  sickness  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year, 
and  Milton's  sun  began  to  set.  A  few  years,  and  it  was 
nearly  depopulated.  Another  decade  and  the  buildings 
were  torn  down  and  removed  to  other  parts  ;  only  one  rickety 
building  was  left  standing,  tenantless  and  silent.  Other  ex- 
tinct towns,  were  Chippewa,  Gibralter,  and  we  also  find  the 
name  St.  Mary's;  but  they  were  all  in  the  Mississippi  or 
the  bottom   of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  nearly  half  a  century 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


419 


ago.  Chippewa  was  situated  directly  opposite  the  mouth 
of  the  Mi-^fouri,  and  could  boast  of  one  of  the  first  steam 
mills  in  Madison  county.  Gibraltar  was  about  a  mile  above 
the  mouth  of  Wood  river  and  located  on  the  west  bank.  St. 
Mary's  must  have  been  a  place  or  town  in  name  only. 
Abraham  Preuitt,  now  residing  at  Dorsey's  station,  says  that 
Dr.  Tiffin  settled  near  the  mouth  of  Wood  river  and  built  a 
two  story  house,  and  the  place  was  called  St.  Mary's.  Lip- 
pincott  in  his  Memoirs  also  speak  of  Dr.  Tiffin  residing  at 
the  aforementioned  place. 

VILLAGE   OF    BETHALTO. 

Thii  is  a  thriving  little  town,  situated  on  the  Intlianapolis 
and  St.  Louis  railway,  and  contain*  a  population  of  about 
800.  It  was  laid  out  by  Joel  U.  Starkey,  and  the  plat  was 
recorded  June  23d,  1854.  The  original  site  was  located  in 
the  southeast  quarter  of  section  1,  but  other  additions  have 
been  made,  and  now  about  one-fifth  of  the  population  reside 
over  the  line  in  Fort  Russell  township.  The  town  was  first 
called  Bethel,  but  as  soon  as  the  post-office  was  established 
it  became  necessary  to  change  the  name,  as  there  was 
already  another  town  of  the  same  name  in  the  state.  A 
compromise  was,  therefore,  effected  between  the  two  names, 
Bethel  and  Alton,  Beth-alto.  The  first  building  was  a  board 
shanty,  sixteen  feet  square,  erected  by  Thomas  Smith,  in 
1854,  and  situated  on  what  is  now  the  widow  Mape's  place 
on  Oak  street.  Mr.  Smith  utilized  it  for  a  dwelling,  and 
also  kept  a  small  stock  of  groceries.  The  next  business 
house  was  built  by  Wm.  Tyron  in  the  spring  of  1855.  It 
was  a  frame  building  30x40,  and  situated  on  Prairie  street 
and  Railroad  avenue.  Mr.  Tyron  put  in  a  general  stock  of 
goods,  and  continued  business  for  some  years.  The  house  is 
yet  standing,  and  is  occupied  by  Charles  Bruening  for  a 
general  store.  The  next  industry  in  the  town  was  a  brick 
yard,  established  by  John  A.  Miller,  in  the  spring  of  1856, 
and  located  north  of  the  railroad  on  the  corner  of  Mill  and 
Oak  streets.  The  same  spring  the  firm  of  Hamilton  &  Pig- 
gett  erected  a  steam  circular  saw  mill  on  the  north  side  of 
the  railroad  on  Oak  street,  between  Second  and  Third.  At 
that  time  the  present  site  of  Bethalto  was  covered  with 
heavy  timber,  as  was  also  a  portion  of  the  surrounding 
country.  In  consequence  of  this  the  mill  flourished  and  did 
a  thriving  business,  but  in  a  few  years  timber  became  scarce, 
and  it  was  moved  to  Hamel  township.  William  Tyron  kept 
the  first  post  office.  This  was  in  1855.  The  first  hotel  was 
built  and  kept  by  Anthony  B.  Carroll  in  1858.  It  was  situ- 
ated on  Prairie  street  and  Railroad  avenue,  and  north  of  the 
railroad.  The  first  blacksmiths  were  the  firm  of  Richard  & 
Samuels.  The  trade  was  established  in  1856,  and  located 
on  Second  and  Oak  streets  north  of  the  railroad.  The  first 
church  was  erected  by  the  Catholics,  and  dedicated  in  the 
summer  of  1862.  It  is  a  frame  structure  in  a  very  good 
state  of  preservation,  and  was  considered  in  the  day  of  its 
construction  a  pretty  fair  building.  The  first  Justice  of  the 
Peace  elected  in  the  corporation  was  John  A.  Miller, 

Incorporation. — Bethalto  was  incorporated  as  a  town  under 
a  special  act  in  force,  April  19th,  1869.  The  first  officers 
elected   were,    Jacob    Huppert,    President   of    the  board ; 


trustees,  John  P.  Richards.  J.  P.  Gumming,  J.  C.  Bau- 
gert,  and  John  Jackson.  April  23d,  1873,  an  election  was 
held  to  determine  whether  the  town  should  incorporate  as  a 
village  under  the  general  law,  with  the  following  result:  For 
village  organization  14  votes  ;  against  village  organization  9 
votes.  The  majority  being  in  favor  of  organization,  an 
election  was  called  May  5th,  following,  for  the  purpose  of 
choosing  village  officers.  The  following  named  persons  were 
elected :  Stephen  A.  Albro,  President  of  Board  ;  Trustees, 
Conrad  H.  Flick,  John  V.  Richards,  Adam  Elspermann, 
Charles  Gundall  and  John  Stolze ;  Clerk,  William  E.  Lehr  ; 
Police  ^Ligistrate,  John  A.  Miller.  Frank  M.- Handle  was 
appointed  village  constable,  F.  W.  Stolze,  Supt.  of  streets, 
and  Lewis  Kleim,  treas.  The  present  board  recently  elected 
are  :  John  Wiedraer,  E.  W.  Reid,  John  Dippold,  F.  Weaver, 
B.  Picker,  and  John  Falkenberg;  Clerk,  W.  H.  Battles. 
The  town  is  in  good  condition  financially,  and  the  walks  and 
other  improvements  indicate  a  tasty  and  prosperous  people. 
One  of  the  largest  and  most  extensive  flouring  mills  in 
Madison  county  is  located  here. 

President  Merchant  Mills  and  Elevator. — John  W.  Kauff- 
man,  proprietor.  This  industry  was  established  in  1859,  by 
James  Neimrick,  it  then  having  three  run  of  stone  with  a 
capacity  of  manufacturing  100  barrels  of  flour  daily.  In 
1877,  it  was  torn  down,  and  rebuilt  by  the  firm  of  Meyer  & 
Guye  with  a  daily  capacity  of  500  barrels.  In  1879,  both 
of  the  firm  died,  and  the  following  year  it  was  leased  by  E. 
O.  Stanard  &  Co.,  for  twelve  months.  January,  1881,  it  was 
purchased  by  J.  W.  Kauff"man  who  increased  its  capacity  to 
600  barrels.  In  March  1882,  a  complete  change  was  made 
in  the  grinding  apparatus,  substituting  the  Gray  roller  system 
in  the  place  of  burrs.  This  is  a  new  departure,  and  consid- 
ered far  in  advance  of  the  old  system.  Its  former  capacity 
remains  unchanged.  The  mill  proper  is  54x80  on  the 
ground,  and  five  stories  in  height,  and  has  a  stone  basement. 
The  elevator,  which  is  run  in  connection  with  the  mill,  is 
40x80  feet  base,  and  85  feet  high.  It  has  the  capacity  of 
elevating  15,000  bushels  of  grain  daily,  and  of  storing  70,- 
000  bushels  of  wheat.  A  ware-house  is  detached  65x150 
feet,  and  will  store  10,000  barrels  of  flour.  A  cooper  shop  is 
conducted  in  connection  with  the  works,  and  is  a  part  of  the 
property.  The  whole  concern  covers  one  and  a  half  acres 
of  ground.  It  is  located  on  the  I.  &  St.  L.  Railway.  The 
switch  from  the  mill  to  the  road  is  owned  and  operated  by 
the  proprietor  of  the  mill.  The  capital  invested  is  estimated 
at  $125,000.  Fifty  men  are  employed  by  this  enterprise. 
Flour  is  shipped  mainly  to  the  Eastern  states  and  Europe. 
This  vast  machinery  is  driven  by  a  250  horse-power  engine. 
No  elevator  or  mill  in  the  county  has  better  facilities  for  re- 
ceiving and  discharging  grain,  feed,  flour,  etc  ,  than  this. 
The  elevator  is  hopper-bottom,  or  in  regular  elevator  style, 
and  so  conveniently  arranged  for  changing  grain  from  bin 
to  bin  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  use  the  scoop  in  any  part  of 
the  building.  The  mill  contains  a  bran  bin  capable  of 
holding  ten  car  loads  of  bran,  and  a  smaller  one  that  holds 
four  car  loads  of  shorts.  A  corn  elevator  also  belongs  to  the 
concern.  It  is  a  frame  building  16x30  feet  on  the  ground 
and  30  feet  high,  and  stores  5,000  bushels  of  corn.     The 


420 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


whole  business  U  under  the  general  superiutendence  of  John 
AViedmer. 

Karnack  Mill — This  mill  was  established  by  the  firm  of 
Ewan  &  Flick  in  the  fall  of  1872,  and  passed  wholly  into 
tiie  hands  of  the  senior  member  of  the  firm,  J.  T.  Ewan,  in 
the  fall  of  1879.  It  is  located  on  Prairie  street,  a  little 
north  of  the  railroad.  It  is  a  frame  building,  two  stories 
high  with  a  basement,  and  28x60  feet  on  the  ground.  The 
engine  rojm  is  one  story,  and  16x40  feet.  The  mill  has 
four  run  of  burrs,  and  has  the  capacity  of  grinding  100 
barrels  of  flour  daily,  and  gives  employment  to  twelve  men. 
The  annual  manufactured  product  is  estimated  at  $165,000. 
The  capital  invested  is  $14,000.  The  flouring  is  done  by  an 
improved  process,  and  the  flour  sells  well  in  the  Eastern 
markets;  it  is  however,  mainly  confined  to  custom  work. 
The  machinery  is  driven  by  a  forty-horse  power  engine.  A 
cooper  shop  is  run  in  connection  with  the  mill.  It  is  a  de- 
tached building  20x30  feet  in  size. 

Coal  J/wte-j.^There  are  two  small  coal  mines  near  the 
suburbs  of  the  town.  One  is  owned  by  David  Brunton,  the 
other  by  Michael  Mayer.  Bethalto  is  situated  over  a  fine 
vein  of  coal  which  is  from  five  to  eight  feet  in  thickness,  and 
it  is  obtained  by  going  only  about  70  feet  below  the  surface. 
The  only  wonder  is,  that  this  industry  receives  so  little  at- 
tention. The  shafts  in  operation  do  but  very  little  work, 
and  are  not  prepared  to  do  anything  like  an  extensive 
business. 

Sheridan  Home. — Conrad  H.  Flick  proprietor.  This 
house  has  been  recently  built,  and  is  a  fine  brick  building 
three  stories  high,  and  with  basement  under  ground.  It  is 
nearly  square,  being  45x56  feet  base.  It  contains  sixteen 
guest-rooms  and  two  store  rooms  ;  also  a  commodious  office 
and  sample  room.  A  dumb-waiter  is  arranged  to  communi- 
cate from  the  kitchen  to  the  basement,  and  the  house  con- 
tains all  other  conveniences  peculiar  to  a  good  hotel.  It  is 
located  on  the  corner  of  Third  and  Oak  streets.  The 
property  is  valued  at  $6,000,  and  it  is  indeed  an  ornament 
to  the  town.  There  are  three  other  hotels  in  the  village. 
The  Union  Hotel,  H.  J.  Hensech,  proprietor ;  Bethalto 
House,  John  Cooper,  proprietor;  and  the  Cooper's  Ex- 
change, with  John  Husum  as  proprietor. 

Public  Hall. — This  is  situated  in  the  second  story  of  the 
Neisler  building.  It  is  40x60  feet  in  size,  and  is  conveniently 
arranged  with  stage  and  stage  fixtures,  and  is  seated  with 
chairs  capable  of  accommodating  500  persons.  The  stage  is 
16  feet  in  depth,  and  has  a  breadth  of  thirty  feet.  It  is  ar- 
ranged with  foot-lights  and  has  three  sets  of  scenery. 

A  Cornet  Band  was  organized  about  two  years  ago,  and 
it  is  now  in  good  working  order.  There  are  thirteen  mem- 
bers in  the  band,  and  they  are  all  well  uniformed.  It  contaius 
eleven  horns,  two  tenor  drums  and  one  bass  drum.  The  in- 
struments and  uniforms  cost  about  $500. 

School  House. — This  is  a  fine  brick  building  situated  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  village,  and  was  constructed  in  1867,  at 
a  coat,  including  furniture,  of  $7,000.  It  is  two  stories 
high,  with  a  cupola  and  bell,  and  contains  four  rooms.  Four 
teachers  are  employed,  and  it  is  sutably  graded  for  the  best 
advancement  of  the  pupils.     There  are  three  church  houses 


of  fair  dimensions,  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian,  United 
Baptist  and  the  Catholic.  For  a  full  history  of  these  socie- 
ties see  Ecclesiastical  chapter. 

We  here  append  a  directory  of  the  present  business  of  the 
village  not  already  mentioned. 

General  Stores. — W.  H.  Battles,  Lewis  Klein  and  Charles 
Bruening. 

Gh'oceries,  Queensware,  etc. — John  Hickerson. 

Druggists  and  Pharmacists. — Neisler  &  Randall. 

Boot  and  Shoe  Store. — Charles  C.  Bangert. 

Hardware,  Tinware  and  Agricultural  Implemeuts.— 'Neis- 
ler &  Randall. 

Hardware,  Groceries  and  Agricultural  Implements. — John 
A.  Miller. 

Furniture  and  Undertaking. — George  Dorr. 

Tin  Ware. — Isaac  Scammill. 

Watch  Maker  and  Jeweler. — August  Smitz. 

Harness  and  Saddlery. — John  Gray. 

Physicians. — N.  B.  Richards,  E.  W.  Reed,  Joseph  Cobb. 

Black-smithing. — John  Bahr,  Gottleib  Klem. 

Wagon  Maker. — Charles  Buck. 

Painters. — Charles  Andrews,  Angil. 

Barbers. — August  Smitz,  John  Russell. 

Restaurants. — JSIary  McAliney,  Hannah  Gill. 

Livery  Stable. — Joseph  Starkey. 

Justices.— iohn  A.  Miller,  C.  H.  Flick. 

Notaries,  Insurance  and  Real  Estate  Agents. — W.  L.  Pig- 
gett,  John  A.  Miller. 

Carpenter  and  Builder. — C.  H.  Flick. 

Shoe  Makers  — Charles  Langhart,  Charles  Bangert  and 
Charles  Gundall. 

Meat  Market. — John  Falkenburg. 

Mdliners  and  Dress  Makers. — Laura  Smith,  Mrs.  Cobb. 

Carpet   Weaver. — Caroline  Starkey. 

Postmaster. — W.  H.  Battles. 

There  are  also  five  saloons  in  the  town  at  this  writing. 

SOCIETIES.* 

Bethalto  Lodge,  No.  406,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  was  chartered 
October  5th,  1846,  with  18  charter  members.  Whole 
number  enrolled,  74.  Present  membership,  24.  The  Lodge 
meets  before  the  full  moon  in  each  month.  It  has  a  good 
lodge  room,  and  is  in  good  condition  financially. 

United  Ancient  Order  of  Druids,  Teutonia  Grove,  No. 
25.  This  society  was  organized  September  9th,  1871,  and 
chartered  September  27th,  1874,  with  a  membership  of  six. 
There  have  been  46  members  enrolled  ;  five  have  died  since 
organization.  There  are  now  25  members  enrolled  and  in 
good  standing.  The  society  has  paid  out  for  sick  benefits. 
$929.  Each  of  the  five  deceased  members  have  received 
$500.  The  Lodge  meets  the  first  and  third  Fridays  in 
each  month,  in  the  village  Hall.  It  is  in  excellent  condition 
financially. 

EMERALD 

Was  laid  out  by  George  W.  Carr  and  George  A.   Smith, 
and  the  plat  recorded  July  14th,  1858.     It  is  situated  on 

*  \Vc  are  iiidobtoil  lo  tlie  secretaries  of  the  societies  for  lliese  data. 


HISTORY   OF  MAD  ISO  y    COUNTY,    ILIINOIS. 


421 


the  east  line  of  a  tract  of  land  containing  180  acres,  being  a 
part  of  the  east  half  of  section  16.  This  town  is  better 
known  as  Alton  Junction,  and  is  named  Wanda  station  by 
the  railroad  corporation.  The  I.  and  St.  L.  railroad  trans- 
fer and  feed  all  the  stock  passing  over  the  line  at  this  point. 
The  road  has  six  long  switches  here,  and  one  switch  engine 
is  kept  busy  in  making  transfers,  etc.  The  Tile  works  of 
M.  H.  Bowles  &  Co.,  are  located  a  little  above  the  station, 
and  are  one  of  the  most  extensive  industries  of  the  kind  in 
this  part  of  the  state.  Not  less  than  $100,000  have  been 
invested  in  establishing  the  works,  and  they  give  employment 
to  about  twenty  men.  All  sizes  of  tile  are  manufactured 
from  two  inches  in  diameter  to  the  largest  sewer  pipe. 
There  are  two  general  stores  at  the  station.  John  Koch  and 
George  Smith  are  the  proprietors.  The  former  is  also  post- 
54 


master.  There  is  also  a  blacksmith  shop  conducted  by 
David  D.  Tomlinson,  besides  fiye  saloons  and  two  boarding- 
houses.  The  town  contains  about  250  inhabitants,  and  has 
an  air  of  considerable  push  and  business. 

Salu  was  laid  out  and  the  plat  placed  on  record  August 
1st,  1825,  by  Bennett  Maxey,  Erastus  Brown  and  Zachariah 
Allen.  It  is  situated  in  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  6, 
on  the  first  high,  rolling  ground  from  the  river.  It  long 
since  merged  into  Upper  Alton,  as  the  latter  place  grew  in 
importance,  and  Salu  is  now  known  only  in  history  and  on 
paper  According  to  the  census  of  1880,  Wood  River  town- 
ship contained  a  population  of  4,885,  composed  of  various 
nationalities.  S.  B.  Gillham  has  the  honor  of  representing 
the  township  in  the  county  board  since  townshij)  organiza- 
tion in  1876. 


422 


HISTORY    OF    MAD  I  SOX    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


'^^^C^ 


Bartlett  Hinds  Mills,  was  born  in  Montrose,  Penn- 
sylvania, on  the  22d  day  of  October,  1815.  He  married 
Delia  Halsey,  at  Fairfield,  N.  Y.,  August  26th,  1841.  The 
family  for  a  time  lived  on  the  paternal  farm,  west  of  Mont- 
rose. He  afterward  taught  school  and  made  some  prepara- 
tion for  the  practice  of  the  law,  and  was  editor  of  the  Inde- 
pendent EepublicMi.  This  with  a  short  engagement  in  mer- 
cantile pursuits  occupied  him  until  January,  1852.  There 
were  born  of  the  marriage  in  and  near  Montrose,  Charles 
Francis  Mills,  born  29th  day  of  May,  1843,  Martha  Lewis 
Mills,  born  18th  day  of  March,  1845,  and  Henry  Edmund 
Mills,  born  24th  day  of  June,  1850.  In  January  1852,  the 
family  removed  to  Candor,  Tioga  county.  New  York,  where 
was  born  Ruth  Catharine  Mills,  on  the  3d  day  of  May, 
1853.  lu  1854,  the  family  moved  west,  and  settled  at  Up 
per  Alton,  Illinois,  where  Mr.  Mills  continued  to  reside  until 
his  death,  July  30th,  1877  Oncoming  West  Mr.  Mills 
became  interested  in  the  cause  of  Temperance,  principally 
laboring  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Good  Templars- 
He  was  for  many  years  Grand  Worthy  Secretary  of  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  Missouri,  having  an  office  in  St.  Louis,  and 


for  several  terms  was  Right  Worthy  Grand  Secretary  of  the 
National  Lodge  of  the  United  States  and  Canadas.  For 
eleven  years  he  published  the  official  organ  of  the  order 
known  as  "  The  Good  Templar."  At  the  breaking  out  of 
the  war,  although  past  the  age  for  active  engagement  and 
not  being  physically  strong  enough  for  service,  he  took  an 
active  interest  in  encouraging  those  who  could  go,  and  in 
sustaining  them  by  aid  and  comfort  at  home.  He  was  one 
of  the  charter  members  of  the  first  Union  League  started  in 
Upper  Alton,  which  was  among  the  first  organized  in  the 
State.  He  organized  the  first  Ladies'  Union  League,  com- 
posed their  ritual  and  caused  the  organization  to  spread  over 
the  entire  State,  thus  starting  a  movement  which  caused  large 
amounts  of  money,  clothing  and  sanitary  stores  to  be  col- 
lected for  the  use  of  the  army  in  the  field  besides  educating 
public  sentiment  to  the  necessity  of  a  vigorous  prosecution 
of  the  war.  He  had  imbibed  strong  anti-slavery  sentiments 
from  his  father,  Josiah  Mills,  who  had  been  an  old  revolu- 
tionary veteran. 

He  was  for  some  time  Financial  Agent  and  a  Trusteee  of 
Shurtleff  College.     In  1868  he  became  engaged  in  the  in- 


HISTORY   OF    MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


423 


surance  business  in  St.  Louis,  still  making  his  residence  in 
Upper  Alton,  and  in  1870,  became  editor  of  the  Western 
Insurance  Review,  which  he  continued  to  edit  until  his 
death,  furnishing  copy  to  the  last  number  which  appeared 
before  his  death.  He  became  a  member  of  the  ]5aptist 
church  while  yet  a  young  man,  and  was  a  regular  attendant 
upon  the  services  of  the  Upper  Alton  Baptist  Church,  and  a 
frequent  attendant  upon  the  meetings  of  the  Edwardsville 
Baptist  Association. 

The  immediate  ancestors  of  Bartlett  H.  Mills,  were  Josiah 
Mills,  who  married  Elizabeth  Sturdevant  in  January  1812. 
Josiah  Mills,  was  born  in  Roxbury,  Mass.,  on  the  7th  of 
October,  1763.  In  his  14th  year,  then  a  homeless  orphan, 
he  enlisted  in  the  Revolutionary  army  as  a  drummer.  After 
a  year's  service  he  received  a  musket  which  he  carried  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  Was  at  the  battles  of  White  Plains, 
with  Gates  at  Stillwater  and  Saratoga,  with  Washington  at 
Trenton,  Princeton,  the  march  through  the  Jerseys,  Valley 
Forge  and  Yorktown.  Emigrated  soon  after  the  war  to  Joy, 
Oxford  county,  Maine.  In  1804,  he  received  a  commission 
(now  in  possession  of  the  family  at  Upper  Alton)  as  Captain 
of  Massachusetts  volunteers,  ]\Iaine,  being  then  a  province  of 
Massachusetts.  Removed  to  Susquehanna  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  with  Bartlett  Hinds  (^after  whom  B.  H.  INIills  was 
named)  made  the  first  settlement  near  Montrose  in  1817. 
He  died  on  his  farm  west  of  INIontrose,  March  23d,  1833. 
He  was  a  pensioner  of  the  Revolution.  See  Blackman's 
history  of  Susquehanna  county.  Pa.,  pp.  313  and  314. 

Elizabeth  Sturdevant  Mills,  mother  of  B.  H.  Mills,  was 
born  in  Danbury,  Conn.,  in  1771,  and  died  in  Montrose, 
Pa.,  in  September,  1841.  Her  father  was  Elder  Samuel 
Sturdevant  of  the  extensive  Sturdevant  family  of  Braintrim, 
Skinners  Eddy  and  Lacyville,  Pa.  Their  ancestry  is  traced 
back  to  an  original  Sturdevant,  who  was  stolen  from  London 
Bridge  when  a  boy,  and  brought  to  America  and  sold  for 
his  passage.  From  his  looks  and  clothing  he  was  supposed 
to  be  of  noble  birth,  and  in  his  last  years  was  advertised  for 
in  England,  but  owing  to  his  age  and  the  rigors  of  the  voy- 
age he  did  not  go  to  answer  the  call. 

Delia  (Halsey)  Mills,  was  born  in  Fairfield,  Herkimer 
county.  New  York,  on  the  5th  day  of  February,  1817,  and 
was  married  to  B.  H.  Mills,  August  2t!th,  1841.  After  the 
death  of  her  husband  in  1877,  she  removed  to  St  Louis, 
and  lived  with  her  son,  Henry  E.  Mills,  until  the  summer  of 
1881,  when  she  removed  to  Greenville,  Illinois,  to  live  with 
her  daughter,  Ruth  C.  Mills,  Principal  of  Almira  College. 
Her  immediate  ancestors  were  Sylvanus  Halsey  and  Cordelia 
( Sayre)  Halsey.  The  Halseys  were  descended  from  Thom- 
as Halsey  who  died  in  1078,  at  Southampton,  Jjong  Island, 
and  was  one  of  the  twenty  original  settlers  of  Lynn,  Massa- 
chusetts. In  lt)37,  he  was  a  resident  of  Lynn,  and  in  1638, 
he  owned  there  100  acres  of  land.  His  first  wife  was  mur- 
dered by  the  Indians  (See  Howell's  History  of  Southampton 
and  Prime's  History  of  Long  Island,  pp.  94  and  96.)  The 
arms  of  the  family  in  Hertfordshire,  England,  are  Argent, 
three  boars'  head,s,  couped  in  pale  sable.  He  came  from 
England  in  the  Speedwell  in  163.5.  The  original  Thomas 
Halsey.  d.  1678,  had  a  son,  Thomas  Halsey.   The  ■■^  Thomas 


had  a  son  Josiah  b.  1656-7  Feb.  15  ;  David  b.  Apr.  12, 1663, 
d.  1732  and  others.  '"  Josiah  d.  1739  had  ason.Deacju  Jo- 
siah, b.  169-,  d.  1744.  Deacon  Josiah  had  a  son,  Israel.  Israel, 
had  a  son,  Willnian,  b.  1750,  d.  1786.  Willman  Halsey  had 
a  sou  Barzillai,  a  son  Sylvanus,  father  of  Delia  (Halsey)  Mills. 
Her  mother,  Cordelia  (Sayre)  Halsey,  was  a  descendant  of 
Thomas  Sayre,  the  first  of  that  name  in  Southampton,  and 
one  of  the  eight  original  "  Undertakers,'  so  called  because 
they  bought  a  vessel  and  came  in  it  to  Southampton.  The 
great  age  to  which  these  early  settlers  lived  in  the  salt  at- 
mosphere and  on  the  abundant  oyster  and  fish  diet  which 
they  enjoyed  would  have  proved  profoundly  discouraging  to 
modern  "  Undertakers."  He  came  to  Southampton  in  1640, 
and  was  originally  from  Bedfordshire,  England.  (See  Ho- 
well's History  of  Southampton,  p.  18.)  Inl63S,  heandhisson 
Job  had  each  60  acres  of  land  allotted  to  them  in  Lynn, 
Mass.  The  arms  of  this  family  in  Bedfordshire,  England, 
are  Gules,  a  chevron  ermine  between  three  sea  gulls.  Ar- 
gent, Thomas  Sayre  d.  1670,  b.  about  1594,  had  a  son 
^Francis,  and  others.  Francis  had  a  son,  Ichabod,  '"  Icha- 
bod  had  a  son  '  Joshua,  who  was  in  the  Revolutionary  war 
with  General  Clinton.  '  Joshua  had  ason  -  Joshua,  who  had 
a  son  Paul,  b.  Oct.  22,  1766,  who  married  Mary  Halsey,  Dec. 
9,  1784,  and  had  among  other  children  Cordelia  Sayre,  who 
married  Sylvanus  Halsey,  and  was  the  mother  of  Delia 
(Halsey)  Mills.  The  Sayre  or  Sears  family  is  traced  to  one 
Richard  Sears  who  lived  in  1507.  The  name  is  evidently 
French,  and  Captain  Thomas  Sayre,  of  Southampton,  claims 
that  there  is  evidence  that  the  family  were  originally  Hu- 
guenots, and  settled  in  England  after  some  hostile  edict  in 
France.  It  is  recorded  that  one  Stephen  Sayre  left  South- 
ampton and  returned  to  England  and  became  High  Sheriff 
of  London,  which  office  he  held  at  the  tine  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  when  his  American  sympathies  could  not  be  re- 
pressed, and  for  their  expression  he  was  compelled  to  retire 
to  France.  There  he  found  relatives  of  their  orignal  stock 
with  whom  he  remained  until  his  subsequent  return  to 
America. 

Charles  Francis  Mills,  was  born  in  Montrose,  Pa.,  on 
the  29th  day  of  May,  1843.  Attended  Shurtleff  College  up 
to  the  Sophomore  year.  Enlisted  as  private  in  the  124th 
Regt.  Illinois  Vols.  Was  appointed  Hospital  Steward,  U. 
S.  A.  by  Western  Depot  at  Camp  Butler,  Illinois,  and  at 
Nashville,  Tenn.  After  the  war,  was  engaged  in  the  insu- 
rance business  in  St.  Louis,  and  subsequently  removed  to 
Springfield,  Illinois,  where  he  is  engaged  as  Assistant  Sec- 
retary of  the  Board  of  Agriculture  of  the  State  of  Illinois, 
and  also  in  the  breeding  of  Clyde.sdale  Horses,  Jersey  Cattle, 
Cotswold  Sheej)  and  Berkshire  Swine,  in  all  of  which  enter- 
prises he  has  achieved  success.  He  was  married  on  the  26th 
day  of  May,  1869,  to  Mary  E.  Bennett,  and  has  three  chil- 
dren, Minnie,  William  and  Carrie. 

Martha  Lewis  Mills,  was  born  on  the  farm  in  Bridgewater 
township,  near  Montrose,  on  the  18th  day  of  ISIarch,  1845. 
Was  married  to  Captain  Joseph  H.  Weeks,  now  Postmaster 
at  Up|)er  Alton,  and  died  in  Upper  Alton,  in  1869,  leaving 
one  son,  Charles  Henry  Weeks,  born  in  Upper  Alton,  on  the 
3d  day  of  August,  1866.     Henry  Edmund  Mills,  was   born 


424 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


in  Montrose,  Pa  ,  on  the  24th  day  of  June,  1850.  Was 
graduated  at  Shurtleff  College,  in  June,  1869,  taught 
school  one  year  and  entered  the  St.  Louis  Law  School,  and 
was  graduated  in  May,  1872,  having  passed  the  best  exami- 
nation in  his  class  of  21  and  being  awarded  the  prize  of 
$50  for  the  best  Thesis.  Received  the  degree  of  A.  M.  from 
Shurtleff  in  June,  1874.  Was  married  to  Emma  Brown 
Sprague,  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.  August  30th,  1877,  and  has  two 
children,  Edith  Cynthia,  born,  in  St.  Louis,  July  2d,  1878, 
and  Constance,  born  at  St.  Louis,  July  15th,  1880.  In  1878  he 
published  a  work  entitled  a  Treatise  on  the  Law  of  Eminent 
Domain  which  was  favorably  received  by  the  press  and  the 
profession.  In  July  1881 ,  purchased  his  present  residence  in 
Upper  Alton,  and  continues  the  practice  of  the  law  in  St. 
Louis.  Is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Shurtleff 
College,  and  author  of  several  valuable  treatises  on  law. 

Ruth  Catharine  Mills,  was  born  in  Candor,  Tioga 
county,New  York,  on  the  3d  day  of  May,  1853.  Was  gradu- 
ated from  Shurtleff  College  in  June  1876,  receiving  the  de- 
gree of  A.  B.  Was  instructor  in  Latin,  French  and  Litera 
ture  at  Mount  Carroll  Seminary,  Mt.  Carroll,  Illinois,  for 
five  years.  In  1851,  took  charge  as  principal  of  Almira 
College,  Greenville,  Illinois,  in  which  capacity  she  is  at 
present  engaged. 

Emma  Brown  (Sprague)  Mills,  was  born  on  the  19th  day 
of  September,  1855,  in  Lowell,  Washington  county,  Ohio, 
and  was  married  on  the  30th  day  of  August,  1877,  to  Henry 
E.  Mills  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  She  has  devoted  herself  to 
instrumental  music  in  which  she  has  become  proficient  both 
on  the  piano  and  pipe  organ,  having  been  for  five  years  or- 
ganist at  Dr.  Brooks'  Church,  in  St.  Louis. 


CAPT.  JOHN  A.  MILLER, 

Is  a  native  of  Baltimore,  Maryland,  where  he  was  born 
June  26th,  1826.  He  is  the  eldest  child  of  Samuel  L.  and 
Susan  (Kirby)  Miller.  His  mother  died  in  Baltimore  when 
he  was  a  child  of  five  years  of  age.  His  father  subsequently 
married  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Frances  Belk, 
a  native  of  Leeds,  England.  He  was  born  in  Baltimore  in 
1802,  emigrated  to  Alton  in  1834,  where  he  was  among  the 
first  to  engage  in  the  manufacture  of  lime.  This  employ- 
ment was  succeeded  by  that  of  brick-maker,  which,  in  turn, 
gave  way  to  farming,  near  Omph- Ghent,  in  which  avocation 
he  passed  the  evening  of  a  well-spent  life  Mr.  Miller  waa 
one  of  the  pioneers  of  Odd  Fellow.ship  in  the  West,  and 
aided  in  establishing  the  first  lodge  of  that  order  west  of  the 
Alleghanies.  He  was  a  charter  member  of  the  Lodge  at 
Alton,  and  was  regarded  with  the  highest  esteem  and  vener- 
ation by  his  brethren  of  the  Mystic  Tie  wherever  he  was 
known.  He  was  an  earnest,  active  member  of  the  Cumber- 
land Presbyterian  Church,  in  which  he  became  an  elder. 
His  life  was  characterized  by  devotion  to  principle,  earnest- 
ness of  purpose  and  exemplary  action.  He  died  in  August, 
1880. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  married  on  the  17th  of 
March,  1853,  to  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Jane 
Hagerman,  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  who  moved  to  Lawrence- 
burg,  Indiana,  where  Mrs.  Miller  was  born  November  10th, 
1822. 


np 


JOHN  WIEDMIR,  SUPERlNTENDEt^T. 


THESE    MILLS      ARE     HUN     E NT/ RELY    i 


PRESIDENT  MILLS, BETHALTO,  ILLS.  PROPERTY  OF  JOHN  W.  KAUFFMAN. 


THE      ROLLER        SYSTEM. 


J 


PARK   MILLS   ST.  LOUIS,  MO.  PROPERTY  OF  JOHN  W.  KAUFFMAN. 


HISTORY    OF    MADISON    COUNJY,    ILLINOIS 


425 


^Wvnr 


^ 


,    ^^a^-j/y^^^        ^p/^-^-^^ 


There  is,  perhaps,  nothing  of  which  a  man  may  be  more 
excusably  proud  than  of  gallant  service  in  the  cause  of  hi.s 
country,  nor  is  there  any  service  which  lives  longer  in  the 
grateful  memory  of  a  people.  Major  Moore  was  among 
those  who  early  offered  their  services  to  their  country  in  it^^ 
hour  of  peril,  and  who  never  deserted  their  posts  until  a  con- 
quered peace  had  crowned  their  efforts.  He  was  born  in 
Madison  county,  Illinois,  September  2d,  1826.  His  parent::! 
were  North  Carolinians,  from  whence  they  first  emigrated  to 
Kentucky,  thence  to  Wood  River,  this  county,  in  1808. 
They  had  in  all  eight  children,  of  whom  Franklin  was  the 
youngest.  Franklin's  first  attendance  at  school  was  to  that 
taught  by  Sophia  Loomis  (Edwards)  in  his  father's  cabin  in 
1832.  He  subsequently  attended  Shurtleff  College.  He 
was  married  to  Telitha  Elliott,  near  Bunker  Hill,  Macoupin 
county,  June  4th,  1846.  By  her  he  had  six  children,  one 
of  whom  died  during  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  and   the 

others  are  much  scattered.     One,  a  doctor,  in  Dallas,  Texas ; 
55 


another,  a  farmer,  same  State ;  a  daughter,  now  the  wife  of 
Shields  Preuitt,  lives  in  Fort  Worth,  Texas ;  another,  the 
wife  of  H.  E.  Rupert,  Dallas,  Texas;  the  youngest  is  a 
student  in  Shurtleff  College.  His  wife  died  May  31st,  1872. 
Major  Moore  has  principally  followed  farming,  although 
for  six  or  seven  years  he  operated  a  saw-mill  on  Wood  River. 
Major  Moore's  military  record  is  quite  fully  set  forth  in  the 
chapter  devoted  to  such  history.  His  patriotic  ardor  found 
full  vent  on  many  a  hard  contested  field  of  battle,  where  he 
was  ever  eager  to  discharge  his  full  duty  and  more. 
Wounded  by  a  rifle  ball,  August  27, 1862,  we  find  him  again 
a  leader  of  the  fight  on  September  3d  following.  As  a  com- 
mander, he  was  kind  to  his  men,  and  ever  aggressive  towards 
the  enemy.  He  accepted  fearful  odds,  but  his  military 
genius  ever  triumphed.  In  political  faith  an  earnest  Re- 
publican, the  Major  has  contributed  no  little  to  his  party's 
success  iu  various  campaigns.  Companionable  himself  he 
enjoys  the  society  of  hosts  of  friends. 


HELVETIA. 


I  HIS  township  is  situated  in  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  county  Its  name  is  of 
recent  date,  to  wit:  1876.  In  prior  years 
it  was  known  as  Highland  precinct,  1S40 
to  1876;  from  1812  to  1817  it  was  part 
of  Sugar  creek  precinct,  and  after  the 
organization  of  Bond  county,  became  a 
part  of  old  Silver  creek — a  townshi]) 
extending  from  the  St.  Clair  county 
line  in  the  south  to  the  southern  boundary  line  of  Canada 
in  the  north.  The  township  is  designated  as  No.  3  north, 
5  west  of  the  3d  principal  meridian  line.  The  boun. 
dary  lines,  south  and  east,  were  established  in  April, 
and  the  northern  one  in  May,  1808,  by  Messenger  and  Moore, 
United  States  surveyors.  Section  lines,  etc.,  were  run  some 
five  years  later.  The  field  notes  of  Madison  county  state 
that  the  area  of  this  township  contains  22.998Tff'o  acres. 

The  first  arrival  of  white  settlers  may  have  been  in  1804, 
when  Joseph  Duncan  with  a  few  others  made  the  extreme 
southeast  corner  of  the  county  their  home.  At,  or  very 
nearly  the  same  time  the  Higgins  and  the  Hobbs  arrived 
also.  Mii6.  H.  Hobbs  stated  she  knew  the  settlement  to  have 
existed  in  1808;  the  principal  part  of  the  settlement,  how- 
ever, was  locat-d  in  Clinton  county,  oiily  one-half  mile 
south  of  the  Madison  county  line.  The  buffalo  had  barely 
disappeared  from  the  state ;  the  elk  was  still  seen  at  times, 
deer  were  roaming  in  herds,  large  carnivorous  animals— the 
panther,  the  lynx  and  bear  infested  the  timber,  and  when  at 
night  stillness  was  expected  to  reign,  numberless  wolves  raised 
their  hideous  voices.  The  Carolina  parrot  yet  roosted  in  the 
trees,  and  each  season  of  spring  rains  brought  countless 
numbers  of  water-fowl  to  lakes  and  ponds  into  which  the 
prairies  were  then  converted.  The  surfaces  of  these  prairies 
were  covered  with  high  grass  ;  the  hill  tops  bore  occasional 
groves  of  trees,  and  the  general  proportion  of  timber  and 
prairie  was  subject  to  alternate  changes,,  caused  by  prairie 
fires,  which  at  times  swept  down  into  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  the  creek  banks. 

The  Howards  settled  in  the  southwest  corner  of  township 
4-5,  in  the  year  1809,  but  it  is  not  certain  whether  they  then 
knew  anything  of  the  existence  of  the  Duncan  settlements, 
six  miles  south  of  them.  No  progress  seems  to  have  been 
made  in  settling  this  part  of  the  county  prior  to  1815. 
The  war  of  1812,  between  the  United  States  and  England, 
had  broken  out.  England  succeeded  in  making  allies  of  the 
Indians  on  the  frontier,  who  had  before  been  friendly  and 
inoffensive.  They  had  roamed  through  this  and  other 
426 


counties  as  peaceful  hunters,  and  were  often  seen  at  the  log 
cabin  of  the  pioneer.  Now  they  were  foes.  Reports  of 
murders  and  depredations  reached  the  isolated  settlers,  and 
they  realized  the  terrible  fact  that  the  greatest  calamity  of 
border  life,  Indian  warfare,  was  upon  them.  It  became  a 
period  of  anxious  care.  Liable  to  surprise  by  a  merciless  foe 
at  any  hour  of  the  day  or  night,  the  few  scattered  families 
huddled  together  in  block-houses  enclosed  by  a  row  of  strong 
posts,  called  forts,  whenever  alarm  was  given.  In  the  intervals 
they  tilled  their  small  fields,  with  the  rifle  on  the  shoulder. 
Cox's  fort,near  Old  A  vision,  aflTorded  shelter  to  thesettlers  on 
Sugar  creek.  It  was  never  attacked,  but  a  Mrs.  Jesse  Bailes, 
daughter  of  one  Bradsby,  then  living  on  Silver  creek,  was 
shot  in  1814,  by  Indians  on  Sugar  creek.  She  fled  across 
the  prairie  to  her  father's  house,  where  she  died  of  her 
wounds.  Mrs  Bailes  was  a  relative  of  Joseph  Duncan, 
probably  a  sister-in-law.  Peace  was  concluded  in  1814,  and 
thelllinois  settlements  were  generally  restored  to  tranquillity. 
Joseph  Duncan,  James  Good,  Gilbert  Watson  and  Jonathan 
L.  Harris  made  their  settlements  on  Sugar  creek  now  per- 
manent. Duncan  had  been  a  ranger  during  the  war,  and 
on  his  return  located  on  the  east  side  of  the  creek,  on  section 
15.  Duncan  was  a  man  of  fair  education  for  that  day.  He 
was  appointed  justice  of  the  peace  in  181V,  and  when  the 
office  became  elective  in  1827,  his  neighbors  chose  him  and 
continued  to  elect  him  their  justice  term  after  term.  Duncan 
filled  that  office  for  nearly  forty  years.  In  later  years  he  had  a 
post  office  established  at  the  place  and  was  for  many  years 
postmaster.  He  died  in  1852  His  wife  was  a  Cuddy,  aunt  of 
George  Cuddy,  so  well  and  favorably  known  by  the  present 
generation  of  the  township.  The  Duncans  raised  a  family  of 
five  children,  four  daughters  and  a  son,  Hugh  M.,  who  became 
the  father  of  a  large  family,  and  was  looked  upon  as  one  of 
the  best  and  most  respected  men  •of  his  time.  He  lost  his 
life  by  accident;  being  thrown  out  of  his  carriage  while  on 
his  way  to  attend  a  funeral.  The  daughters,  none  of  whom 
survive,  were  :  Linnie,  who  married  .John  S.  Carrigan  ;  Sarah. 
Alexander  Forrester;  Rebecca,  B.  C.  Plant,  and  Mary, 
married  James  A.  Berry.  Mr.  Duncan  and  many  others 
lived  for  years  on  their  lands  as  squatters.  The  records  of 
the  county  contain  the  following  in  reference  to  entering 
land :  William  Morrison  *  entered  section  36  on  the  10th  of 
April,  1815,  and  thus  became  the  first  bona  fide  landowner 

*  William  Morrison  bouglit  those  land.s  on  speculation ;  he  had 
been  a  resident  of  Kindolph  county  since  1790;  was  a  merchant  and 
contractor,  and  died  in  1837. 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


427 


of  the  township.  Gilbert  Watson,  the  friend  and  companion 
of  Joseph  Duncan,  entered  the  southeast  quarter  of  section 
22,  directly  south  of  where  Duncan  had  squatted,  and  James 
Gingles  (Jingles),  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  26,  on  the 
14th  of  November,  1816.  Watson  remained  a  resident  of 
the  township  until  his  death  ;  none  of  his  descendants,  how- 
ever, remained  in  the  county.  His  farm  is  now  owned  by 
A.  Thalmann.  The  Gingles,  or  Jingles  lived  nearly  fifty 
years  in  the  townshij),  but  none  of  them  are  residing  there 
this  day.  James  Good,  also  a  companion  of  Duncan, 
remained  in  the  township  until  his  death,  but  none  of  his 
descendants  have  remained 

John  L.  Hearrin  entered  160  acres  in  section  o"),  December 
12,  1816,  and  James  Ramsay,  160  acres  on  the  2.'5d  of 
December,  1S16.  Duncan  and  Good,  who  had  been  squatters 
since  their  arrival,  entered  their  tracts  on  the  27th  of 
October,  1817-  J.  Duncan's  farm,  which  has  remaiued  in 
possession  of  the  family  to  this  day,  is  the  oldest  farm  in  the 
township.  Jonathan  L.  Harris  settled  in  the  edge  of  the 
timber  on  the  old  trail  from  Duncan's  to  Carlyle.  He  had 
a  horse-mill  there,  which  he  continued  to  operate  until  1834- 
He  left  the  county  in  1840,  and  now  resides  in  Clinton 
county,  only  a  short  distance  from  his  old  place. 

Robin  Craigg  came  to  the  settlement  about  the  year 
1818.  He  improved  a  farm  on  the  east  side  of  Sugar  creek, 
and  remained  there  the  balance  of  his  days.  Madison 
Craigg,  a  son  of  Robin,  was  a  skillful  mechanic,  cart- 
wright,  and  established  himself  in  business  at  Edwardsville. 
Henry  and  William,  his  brothers,  were  farmers,  and  their 
sister  became  the  wife  of  R.  Shields. 

Lee  Cuddy,  brother-in-law  of  Joseph  Duncan,  brought 
his  family,  consisting  of  George,  John  (still  living"),  Shelby, 
Ephraim,  Anna,  and  Elizabeth,  his  children,  to  Madison 
county  in  1823,  settling  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Joseph 
Duncan.  The  Cuddys  had  resided  for  many  years  in  Union 
county,  Illinois.  Lee  Cuddy  cultivated  a  farm  on  the  west 
side  of  Sugar  creek,  now  known  as  the  Bellra  place.  Sub- 
sequently he  moved  to  Deck's  prairie,  where  he  died. 

John  Gracey  settled  on  the  north  half  of  section  11  as 
early  as  1818,  cleared  some  30  acres  and  continued  his  resi 
dence  there  until  183.5,  when  he  removed  to  Hancock  county. 
His  brother,  Joseph,  had  also  cleared  a  small  field  in  the 
same  section,  sold  his  improvement  to  Alexander  Forrester, 
and  removed  to  Bond  county. 

Allen  Bryant,  also  an  early  settler,  improved  what  is 
no\v  known  as  the  Anton  Schuler  place  in  section  2.  He 
died  on  the  farm,  but  none  of  his  children,  two  girls  and 
four  boys,  have  remained  in  the  county. 

B.  GuUick  settled  the  H.  Drancourt  farm  in  section  26, 
and  established  a  distillery  there  ;  which  he  operated  for 
many  years.  He  died  on  his  farm  ;  his  family  left  Madison 
and  went  to  Bond  county,  where  one  of  his  sons  is  now 
sheriff. 

Alexander  Forrester  says  he  came  to  the  township  in 
1829.  The  families  mentioned  on  this  page,  he  says,  were 
all  personally  known  to  him  as  living  there  at  the  time  of 
his  arrival.  Forrester  raised  his  first  crop,  a  little  patch  of 
corn  near  Highland,  just  north  of  the  township    line.     He 


IkkI  come  in  company  «ith  Thomas  Carr  from  Sumner 
c)unty,  Tennesssee,  inteuiling  to  start  a  tan  yard-  This 
plan  was  soon  abandoned,  bark  being  scarce  and  lime  high, 
priced.  Carr  returned  souih  after  sojourning  three  years  in 
the  township  But  Forrester  remained,  e  .listed  in  the 
service  during  the  Black  Hawk  war,  and  then  joined  a 
ranging  company,  on  an  expedition  west,  where  the  com- 
pany had  to  act  as  guards  to  traders  freighting  across  the 
plains.  This  ranging  company  was  enlisted  out  of  Bond, 
Madison  and  Fayette  counties,  100  strong,  commanded  by 
Captain  Matthew  Duncan  of  Vandalia-  After  having 
served  eleven  months  the  men  were  discharged  and  sent 
home.  In  1833,  Forrester  bought  Joseph  Gracey 's  improve- 
ment, and  married  Sarah  H.  Duncan,  daughter  of  Joseph. 
He  now  went  to  work  in  earnest  to  improve  his  place.  After 
the  first  year  he  moved  his  buildings  to  the  edge  of  the 
prairie  where  he  now  lives.  He  has  been  married  three 
times  and  raised  a  family  of  ten  children.  Mr.  Forrester  is 
80  years  of  age,  hale  and  hardy  enough  to  be  taken  for 
a  man  of  65  or  70  years;  a  trip  to  Edwardsville  and  return 
(nearly  50  miles)  on  horseback  in  one  day  is  but  sport  to 
the  old  gentleman. 

Norris  W.  and  James  Ramsay  came  into  the  township  at 
an  early  day.  They  were  sons  of  John  Ramsay,  who  settled 
in  Clinton  county  in  1818  They  first  located  in  the  south 
part  of  the  township  where  James  had  bought  160  acres  of 
land  as  early  as  1816.  In  1834,  they  settled  the  AV.  T. 
Ramsay  place  in  section  12,  where  they  farmed  in  common 
for  many  years.  Norris  was  married  early  in  life,  and 
raised  a  family  of  ten  children,  of  whom  only  four,  one  son 
and  three  daughters,  lived  to  the  age  of  maturity,  two  of 
whom  are  now  living.  William  S.,  on  the  old  place,  and 
Rachel,  now  INIrs.  James  Lessley,  living  at  Sparta,  Randolph 
county,  Illinois. 

Elder  James  Ramsay  did  not  marry  until  he  was  of 
middle  age.  He  raised  no  family  ;  he  was  a  Presbyterian 
preacher.  Norris  died  in  1863,  and  James  in  1864,  both 
on  the  home  place. 

Norris  W.  was  road  supervisor  when  the  Carlyle  and 
Edwardsville  road  was  laid  out  and  opened  to  road  from  the 
east  line  of  the  township  to  Highland.  Was  a  great  worker, 
and  started  in  life  with  nothing  but  his  energy.  The  proceeds 
of  his  labor  in  breaking  40  acrcs  of  prairie  land  and  making 
4000  fence  rails,  enabled  him  to  buy  his  first  "  property," 
a  horse.  Norris  owned,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  1,016 
acres  of  land  and  quite  an  amount  of  personal  wealth.  He 
was  a  Pre.'-byterian  in  religion  and  a  Djmocratin  politics. 

Herbert  Hobbs,  mentioned  abave,  was  a  North  Carolinian. 
He  settled  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  34,  in  1824, 
where  he  improved  a  small  farm  but  never  entered  the  land. 
About  1842  he  entered  land  in  section  32,  and  continued  to 
live  on  that  land  until  his  death,  in  1846.  His  widow  was 
living  as  late  as  1876.  Two  of  his  sons,  T.  A.  and  Frank 
Hobbs,  are  residents  of  the  township  to  this  day. 

John  Hobbs,  a  brother  of  Herbert,  settled  the  Calvin  Lee 
place  (section  33)  in  1826,  and  lived  on  the  land  until  he 
died.  James  R.  Hobbs,  the  only  surviving  son  of  a  family 
of  seven  children,  resides  now  in  Joplin,  Mo. 


428 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Thomas  Savage  settled  iii  the  township  as  early  as  1827, 
and  improved  a  small  farm.  He  met  with  an  accident  in 
St.  Louis,  that  caused  his  death  some  25  years  ago.  He  left 
a  widow  and  seven  children. 

Adam  Kile,  a  son  of  Adam  Kile,  Sr.,  cue  of  the  pioneers 
of  Marine  township  settled  in  this  township  in  1825,  a 
neighbor  of  Savage. 

^  The  settlements  in  the  west  half  of  the  township  were  of 
later  date,  and  less  numerous  than  those  of  the  east  half 
The  prairie  lands  were  at  first  overlooked  and  ignored 
Their  advantages  being  once  understood,  they  soon  attracted 
the  greater  part  of  new  arrivals. 

Up  to  this  time  immigration  was  scarcely  perceptible,  and 
the  increase  of  population  very  slow.  The  first  white  child 
born  in  the  township  was  H.  M.  Duncan.  His  older  sisters, 
born  in  1806  and  1809,  saw  the  light  of  the  sun  first  in 
Clinton  county,  where  their  father's  first  cabin  had  been 
erected.  Altogether,  up  to  1830,  not  more  than  25  families 
inhabited  the  township,  and  they  may  have  cultivated 
five  hundred  acres  of  ground.  The  agricultural  pursuits 
were  simple  and  limited  ;  each  family  cultivated  from  ten  to 
twenty  acres  of  ground,  a  farm  of  40  acres  tilled  being 
almost  deemed  a  hazardous  enterprise.  Corn  and  wheat 
were  their  main  productions,  and  until  1830  they  also  raised 
cotton  for  home  use,  picking  it  in  September. 

The  families  held  but  a  limited  intercourse,  mostly  among 
themselves.  The  nearest  church  was  at  Pocahontas,  in  Bond 
county,  ten  miles  off.  Divine  service,  after  the  Presbyterian 
creed,  was  held,  however,  on  Sugar  creek,  in  a  private  cabin. 
In  1824  George  Ramsay  taught  school  there  also.  James 
A.  Ramsay  succeeded  in  1828,  and  John  Shinn  in  1830.  It 
seems  that  James  A.  Ramsay  caused  a  school  and  meeting- 
house (church)  to  be  erected  about  the  year  1825  or  1826. 
It  stood  near  Craigg's  improvement,  was  constructed  of 
hewn  logs,  and  known  as  the  Ramsay  church  (Presbyte- 
rian). Mr.  Forrester  remembers  to  have  attended  church 
here  in  1829,  and  it  is  in  this  building  where  James  A. 
Ramsay  and  John  Shinn  taught  school.  Subsequently  the 
congregation  built  a  church  on  section  28.  This  building 
was  bought  by  R.  N.  Ramsay,  and  is  now  used  as  a  tenant 
house.  The  neighborhood  church  is  now  in  Clinton  county, 
one  mile  south  of  the  Madison  county  line. 

About  this  time  townships  3-4  and  4-5  formed  an  election 
precinct,  and  the  elections  were  held  at  Joseph  Duncan's 
residence,  called  Pleasant  Hill.  In  subsequent  years  but 
few  additions  are  to  be  made  to  the  pioneers  of  American 
birth,  among  whom  mention  is  to  be  made  of  Calvin  Lee,  a 
native  of  Illinois,  born  in  Fayette  county,  111.,  who  died  here 
in  1844.  His  three  surviving  sons,  Calvin,  Pinkney  and 
Green,  farmers,  are  to  this  day  residents  of  the  township. 

Oliver  Hoyt,  a  New  Yorker,  settled  on  the  farm  where  he 
now  resides  in  1836.  He  was  the  second  man  in  the  neigh- 
borhood to  risk  prairie  farming.  He  bought  the  improve- 
ment of  a  man  named  Giloman,  near  Sugar  creek,  and 
moved  the  cabin  and  what  rails  there  were  to  his  place  on 
the  prairie.  He  occupied  the  cabin  for  seven  or  eight  years 
as  bi.^  dwelling  ;  he  subse<|uently  erected  better  and  more 
comfortable  buikling:*,  and  the  house   now   occupied  as  a 


dwelling  is  the  third  one  built  on  the  same  site.  The  farm 
of  Mr.  Hoyt  has  in  the  course  of  time — forty-five  years — 
Tiecome  one  of  the  finest  and  best  farms  of  the  township. 

James  Billingsley  tried  prairie  farming  a  year  or  two 
earlier  on  W.  Hagnaur's  land.  He  afterward  moved  to 
Pike  county,  and  from  thence  to  Texas,  where  he 
died. 

E.  M.  Morgan,  born  in  Clinton  county,  just  across  the 
Madison  county  line,  January,  1817,  settled  in  1844  on  sec- 
tion 31.  He  was  the  only  son  of  John  Morgan,  the  pioneer 
of  Clinton  county,  Illinois.  A  sister  of  E.  M.  Morgan,  Mary 
A.,  was  married  to  George  Richardson,  who  resided  at  the  old 
Morgan  homestead  during  his  life.  E.  M.  Morgan  was  a 
good  man  in  the  truest  sense  of  the  word.  He  was  from  1857 
to  1861  appointed  associate  justice  of  the  Madison  county 
court.  In  later  years  he  opened  a  store  on  his  land  on  sec- 
tion 31,  and  had  a  post-office  established  there,  with  himself 
as  postmaster,  and  named  St.  Morgan.  Judge  Morgan  died 
May  16,  1881,  and  was  interred  with  all  the  honors  and 
ceremonies  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  The  site  of  the 
former  post-office,  St.  Morgan,  has  now  developed  into  a 
little  village,  with  the  tavern  of  Nicholas  Zopf — the  old 
democratic  wheelhorse  of  his  vicinity — as  centre  place, 
Frederick  Hanzelmann  as  blacksmith,  and  John  Kaeser  as 
wagon-maker. 

The  attention  of  European  immigrants  was  called  to  the 
fertile  soil  of  Illinois  at  an  early  date  ;  a  number  of  them 
h  d  shared  in  the  trials  and  hardships  of  actual  pioneer 
life,  as  stated  in  the  chapter  on  Immigration.  The  town- 
ship of  Helvetia  was  now  to  receive  her  full  portion  of  the 
foreign  element,  and  a  full  portion  it  proved  to  be. 

The  first  Europeans  arriving  did  not  exactly  make  this 
township  their  home,  but  were  so  intimately  connected  with 
the  inhabitants  of  it  as  to  become  a  part  of  them.  Under 
the  leadership  of  Dr.  Caspar  Koepfli,  of  Sursee,  canton 
Lucerne,  Switzerland,  a  cluster  of  Swiss  parties  arrived  in 
1831 ;  among  them  Joseph  Suppiger,  whose  name  is  honor- 
ably connected  with  every  enterprise  in  the  locality.  He 
was  one  of  the  most  useful  men  which  the  township  ever 
possessed,  equally  devoted  to  the  interests  of  the  locality 
and  to  those  of  the  country  at  large.  For  nearly  twelve 
years  he  had  filled  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  ;  higher 
offices,  though  repeatedly  tendered,  had  no  charm  for  him, 
and  were  politely  but  decidedly  refused.  Mr.  Suppiger 
died  April  24,  1861.  Artthony  Suppiger,  a  younger  brother 
of  Joseph,  was  also  of  the  party,  and  he  alone  remains  to 
speak  of  their  manifold  experiences.  Mr.  Anthony  Sup- 
piger, a  public-spirited  man  and  exemplary  citizen,  has 
repeatedly  been  called  to  fill  local  offices,  and  in  1865  he 
became  a  member  of  the  county  court. 

Dr-  Koepfli  was  accompanied  by  his  sons,  Joseph  and 
Solomon  ;  Bernhard  Koepfli,  and  Dr.  Caspar  Koepfli,  Jr., 
arrived  later.  These  earlier  pioneers  were  re-enforced  by 
constant  arrivals.  They  all  clustered  around  the  home- 
steads of  the  Suppigers  and  Koepflis.  In  1836  an  event 
occurred  that  made  the  northern  part  of  Helvetia  township 
the  centre  of  life  and  activity  of  this  Swiss  colony.  It  was 
the  foundation  of 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


429 


THE   TOWN    OF   Hrr.IILAXD. 

The  era  of  town  aud  city  foundations  in  Illimiis  is  cotem- 
porary  with  the  internal  improvement  fever.  A  railroad 
leading  from  Mount  Carmel  to  Alton,  and  passing  through 
this  township,  was  in  contemplation.  General  James  Sempk, 
then  a  member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  ninth 
General  Assembly  of  Illinois,  from  this  county,  together  with 
Joseph  Su])piger  and  Solomon  Koepfli,  selected  section  5  of 
this  township  for  the  site  of  a  future  town.  The  new  railroad 
wa*  formally  recognized  by  the  State,  and  an  appropriation  of 
81,600,000  made  for  the  construction  of  this  and  the  Alton  ( — ) 
Shawneetown  railroad.  February  27, 1837.  General  Semple 
was  Speaker  of  the  House  during  the  term  of  the  tenth  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  1836  to  1838,  and  a  warm  personal  friend  of 
Abraham  Lincoln,  who  represented  Sangamon  county  at 
that  time.  The  question  of  naming  the  town  was  mooted 
by  the  parties  interested,  the  names  of  New  Switzerland  and 
Helvetia  being  suggested.  Semple  thought  those  names  to 
be  rather  foreign,  and  being  by  birth  a  Scotchman  of  the 
Highlands,  and  his  associates  hailing  also  from  elevated  re- 
gions, the  name  of  Highland,  as  complimentary  to  the  three 
founders  was  adopted.  The  original  plat  of  the  town,  as  re- 
corded, shows  not  only  the  projected  railroad,  but  also  the 
depot  grounds  aud  an  additional  railroad,  named  "Die 
Belleville  und  St.  Louis  Zweigbahn,"  (branch  road  to  Belle- 
ville and  St.  Louis.)     The  road  was  never  built. 

The  foundation  of  the  town  was  succeeded  by  the  terrible 
commercial    crisis   of    1S37.     The    little    community   was 
virtually  without  any  circulating  medium  iu  the  form   of 
money  for  years.     Xo  debts  could  be  paid  except  in  cattle 
or  produce,  but  even  these  were  nearly  worthless.     Despite 
all  these  discouraging  surroundings,  the  population  developed 
a  certain  activity.     A  steam  mill  was  erected  as  early  as 
1837  by  a  copartnership,  Joseph  Suppiger  &  Co.,  consisting 
of  Joseph   Suppiger,  Dr.  F.  Ryhiner,  and  Caspar  Meyer. 
The  capacity  of  the  mill  was  then  about  30  barrels  of  flour 
in  24  hours.     It  had  a  saw-mill  attached  to  it.     From  1840 
to   1850,  the  firm  was  composed  of  Joseph,  Melchfor,  and 
Bernard  Suppiger,  James  Reynohls,  and  David  Thorp. ~~  A   ' 
fourth  brother,  David,  bought  Bernard's  share  in  1850.     In 
1854,  James  Reynolds  sold  out  to  Bernard  Suppiger,  who 
then  became  again  a  partner  of  the  firm.     In  1866,  the  mill 
passed  into  the  hands  of  David  Suppiger,  Robert  Suppiger, 
(oldest  sou  of  Bernard),  Hale  M.  Thorp,  and  Henry  Wein- 
heimer.     The  latter  sold  his  share  to  Otto  Suppiger,  (young- 
est son  of  Bernard),  and  Edwin  J.  Raith  in  1880.     H.  M. 
Thorp's  interest,  1,  was  recently  bought  liy  Adolpli  Rucg^er, 
the  present  treasurer  of  Madison  county.     The  name  of  the 
firm  is  now  David  Suppiger  &  Co.     The  first  building  was 
put  up  by  Joseph  Suppiger,  and  the  machinery  for  both 
grist  and  corn  mill  by  au  eastern  millwright,  named  Gale,  a 
brolher  of  the  late  "Benny"  Gale,  who  lived  in  section  14 
in  this  township  until  recently.     Additional  improvements  ! 
were  constructed  in  1845  by  Ingersoll,  also  an  eastern  man.    ' 
In  1857  the  whole  mill  was  remodeled,  the  saw-mill  removed, 
55  ' 


and  a  new  engine  constructed  under  the  supervision  of  Cap- 
tain Julius  Ruith  *  the  father  of  the  present  partner. 

These  mills  have  ground  three  and  a  half  million? 
of  bushels  of  whe;it  since  18  J7,  of  which  three  mi  lions 
have  b.'en  ground  since  1857.  Their  products  have 
found  a  market  in  St.  Louis,  Terre  Haute,  New  Orleans, 
New  York,  Boston,  Baltimore,  Albany,  England,  Ireland 
Scotland  and  Belgium.  The  present  capacity  is  250  barrels 
per  day.  The  highest  price  paid  for  wheat  was  82.45  in 
gold  in  1858,  and  §3.50  in  greenbacks  in  1867.  The  lowest 
price,  62]  cents,  was  paid  in  1851.  Flour  brought  then 
S3.50  per  barrel,  S14. 00  gold  in  1858,  and  §17.50  greenbacks 
in  1867.  The  mills  have  now  been  operated  45  years, 
and  the  proprietors  state  with  pride  and  satisfaction,  that 
during  all  this  time  no  accident  causing  the  loss  of  life  or 
limb  has  ever  occurred,  nor  have  the  works  ever  been  injured 
by  fire.  The  company  have  always  used  French  burr  stones 
for  grinding  wheat.  The  gross  value  of  all  mill  products 
turned  out  in  1881  exceeds  the  sum  of  8200,000,  and  that  of 
all  productssince  1837  reachesalmost  five  millions  of  dollars. 
j  The  first  mechanic  of  Highland  was  a  wagon  niak'er, 
I  named  Krucker,  from  St.  Gall,  Switzerland.  His  first  wagon 
was  completed  in  1839.  Krucker  had  formerly  worked  at 
gun  carriages  for  Carrera,  the  celebrated  half  breed  ruler  of 
Guatemala,  in  Central  America.  Lang,  a  blacksmith,  re- 
moved to  Nauvoo  in  1840.  Charles  Kinne  started  a  harness 
shop  about  the  same  time.  The  first  store  in  Highland  was 
opened  by  Elijah  Ellison,  on  the  site  of  the  Highland  House. 
David  Thorp  opened  a  store  at  the  site  of  the  present 
bank  in  1838  or  1839,  and  became  first  postmaster  of  High- 
land, which  heretofore  had  to  send  to  Clifton,  in  Clinton 
county,  and  then  to  Troy  for  their  mails. 

Jacob  Eggen,  who  had  arrived  in  1833,  sjarted  a  brick- 
yard soon  after,  and  connected,  in  company  with  Labhard,  a 
pottery  with  it.  The  first  vessels  for  the  St.  Louis  White 
Lead  Works  were  made  in  this  pottery.  Mr.  Eggen  was 
also  the  founder  of  a  distillery,  and  later  a  bakery,  the  first 
in  Highland,  and  still  in  existence,  now  conducted  by  R. 
Bauraann.  The  first  hotel  of  the  town  was  opeued  by 
Anthony  Buchniann. 

In  1843,  the  town  became  a  station  on  the  stage  route  be- 
tween Vandalia  and  St.  Louis' and  a  proud  day  it  proved 
for  the  town  people  when  the  first  stage  coach,  drawn  by 
four  hor.-es,  came  thundering  along  through  the  town. 

A  wool  carding  machine  was  erected  by  N.  Smiley  in 
1843;  in  after  years  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Stahl, 
who  converted  it  into  a  yarn  factory.  The  works  were 
greatly  enlarged  by  Bosshard  and  Feickert,  but  never  be- 
came remunerative. 

BREWERIES. 

John  Guggenbuehler  was  the  founder  of  this  industry.  He 
started  the  Jeferson  Jireivery  in  1843,  which  afterward 
passed  into  the  hands  of  Daniel  Wild.  In  1865  it  was  con- 
solidated with  the 

*Capt,  Raith  had  won  hi.*  caplaincv  in  tlie  Mexican  war.  He  com- 
manded a  regiment  in  the  civil  war,  and  fell  in  llie  liattle  of  Sliiloli, 
lea'ling  a  charge. 


430 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


ITIgldaml  Brewery,  founded  in  1854,  by  Charles  L.  Ber- 
nays,  who  in  185G  took  Gerhard  Schott  and  M.  F.  Schott  in 
as  purtucrji.  Bernays  sold  bij  whole  interest  to  these  par- 
ties in  1857.  Soon  after  Gerhard  Schott  sold  his  interest, 
and  Martin  F.  and  Christian  Schott  remained  sole  proprie- 
tors until  1870,  when  Christian  Schott  withdrew  from  the 
business.  It  has  been  since  and  is  now  most  successfully 
managed  by  M.  F.  Schott.  The  capital  invested  is $40000  ; 
the  capacity  of  the  brewery  is  6,000  barrels  per  year,  and 
gives  occupation  to  12  laborers,  whose  wages  amounted  to 
§8,000  in  1S81.  The  value  of  products  sold  in  1851  was 
§45,000,  and  about  §400,000  since  1870. 

DISTILLERY. 

Jacob  Eggen,  together  with  Ludwig  Gruetli,  started  a 
distillery  in  1844,  with  Henry  Hermann  and  George  Ruegger 
as  partners.  In  1849  the  business  passed  into  the  hands  of 
Anthony  Miller,  Henry  Hermann,  and  J.  J.  Spiudler,  and 
was  successfully  continued  until  1865,  when  the  partnership 
wa?  dissolved.  The  capacity  of  the  works  was  ab  )ut  15  barrels 
of  high  wines  per  day.  Amount  of  corn  used,  200  bushels 
per  day.  A  rectifying  apparatus  was  connected  with  the 
distillery  since  1849.  Henry  Hermann  continued  in  the 
business  another  year,  when  he  turned  his  attention  to  the 
erection  of  the 

HIGHLAND   CITY  MILLS. 

Henry  Hermann,  John  Leder,  and  C.  H.  Seybt,  partners — 
capital  stock,  $100,000.  The  old  firm  has  undergone  some 
changes,  and  at  ihis  day,  the  capital  stock  is  composed  of 
7  shares,  of  which  Henry  Hermann  and  C-  H.  Seybt  own 
each  2 ;  and  John  Hermann,  Emil  Hermann  and  Mrs 
Blakeman,  each  1  share.  The  products  of  these  mills  are 
favorably  known  in  both  hemispheres,  and  command  first 
prices     Last  year's  transactions  amounted  to  over  $300,000. 

EARLY    SCHOOLS   AND   CHURCHES. 

The  founders  of  Highland  made  great  efforts  to  provide 
for  the  education  of  the  children  at  the  very  beginning  of 
the  settlement,  ready  to  sacrifice  the  last  dollar  for  that 
purpose.  A  Miss  Slater  was  retained  as  teacher,  although 
there  was  no  school-house  provided ;  she  taught  in  the 
houses  of  the  various  families.  Joseph  Suppiger,  the  man 
■who  taught  and  labored  for  all,  succeeded  at  an  early  day — 
probably  in  1839  or  1840,  to  raise  funds  enough  to  erect  a 
school-house.  It  was  built  by  Joseph  Mueller,  on  what  is 
now  called  Methodist  Hill,  at  an  expense  of  $300.  Re- 
ligious services  were  held  occasionally,  as  itinerant 
preachers  of  any  creed  or  denomination  happened  to  come 
into  the  settlement.  The  school-house  on  Methodist  Hill 
was  open  to  all.  Joseph  Rieger,  a  Lutheran  preacher,  who 
had  for  years  been  a  missionary  among  the  Indians,  made 
regular  visits  to  Highland  until  1S41.  Father  Maragno 
■was  the  first  Catholic  priest  to  come  to  Highland.  Pro- 
testants and  Catholics  united  to  erect  an  edifice  for  public 
devotion  for  all  Christians,  irrespective  of  dogmas  and  rites 
in  1844. 

Music,  vocal  and  instrumental,  was  practiced  from  the 
verv  beginning.     Some  few  of  the  old  oruard  are  surviving. 


and  it  is  with  pride  and  delight  that  the  old  .^ielf-constructed 
bass,  serviceable  to  this  day,  is  shown,  although  the  materials 
out  of  which  it  was  so  skillfully  "built,"  were  "annexed," 
or  appropriated  without  price. 

The  musicians  of  1840  were,  Edward  Hammer,  1st  vio- 
lin ;  Charles  Kiune,  2nd  violin  ;  Fritz  Kinne,  bass.  (Ham- 
mer and  Fritz  Kinne,  cabinet  makers,  had  procured  the 
materials  while  in  Louisville,  and  built  the  instrument). 
David  Suppiger,  clarionet ;  .Joseph  and  Melchoir  Suppiger, 
violins  ;  and  John  Suppiger,  flute,  united  with  the  old  guard 
soon  after  their  arrival. 

Theatrical  performances  commenced  in  184S  with  Anthony 
Beck    (Saline),   Mrs.   Durer,   Miss.  Staffelbach,    Melchoir 

Suppiger,  Rudolf  Fischer,  C.  Wasen,  and Schubert  on 

the  stage.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  Boernstein  and  also  Mrs.  C. 
L.  Bernays  participated  with  great  zeal  in  1849  and  1850. 

Vocal  music  was  cultivated  by  an  organized  society,  in  1850, 
composed  of  Jacob  Kleiner,  Christian  Branger  (dead), 
Henry  Zobrist,  Dominic  Brey,  Christian  Rubin  (dead), 
Chr.  Feutz,  Samuel  Krebs,  Vincent  Steiner,  Hugo  Reichert, 
Joseph  Schepperle  and  Albsrt  Waldschmidt,  (dead). 

The  village  was  now  past  its  infancy.  The  stormy  years 
of  1847  to  1849,  when  the  whole  continent  of  Europe 
seemed  to  be  in  a  state  of  revolution,  had  driven  large  num- 
bers of  immigrants  to  America,  and  Highland  received  its 
full  share.  The  town  developed  rapidly,  many  business 
houses  threw  their  doors  open  to  the  public,  the  shops  of  the 
mechanics  resounded  with  the  bustle  of  busy  labor,  the 
prairies  surrounding  the  towu  had  been  converted  into  fields 
of  plenty,  and  all  seemed  to  prosper.  But  the  breaking  out 
of  the  civil  war  called  the  men  to  arms.  The  mechanic  of 
the  workshop  threw  down  the  hammer,  the  farmer  boy  left 
his  plow,  the  teacher  his  school,  the  clerk  his  pen,  to  take 
up  the  gun  in  defense  of  the  republic,  which  had  given  to 
all  a  cherished  home,  with  a  promise  of  a  future  of  plenty. 

The  war  over,  those  who  had  been  spared,  returned  to 
their  former  fields  of  labor.  The  town  had  now  a  popula- 
tion of  nearly  two  thousand  inhabitants.  The  log  cabins 
and  light  frame  buildings  were  disappearing,  substantial 
houses  built  of  brick,  perhaps  200  in  number,  gave  the 
towu  a  city4ike  appearance. 

An  agitation  to  incorporate  the  town  resulted  in  the  adop- 
tion of  a  towu  charter,  which  was  enforced  April  1865.  The 
names  of  the  towu  officials  are  here  introduced : 


1805,  Prest.,  Jacob  Eggen. 

"     Triis.  Jos.  Speckars, 

''         "      Henry  Weinheimer, 

"         "       Xavier  Suppiger, 

"        "       Frank  Appel. 

"     Clerk,  B.  E.  Iloflmann, 
1866,  Prest.,  John  Bucbter. 

''    Tru3.,  Leopard  Knoebel, 
"       J.  E.  Blaltner, 

''        "       Alvis  Bruegger, 

"  '      ''      Cbristopber  Menz. 

"    Town  Magistrate,  Clias.  Bees- 
chenstein. 

"     Clerk,  B.  E.  Hoffmann. 
1807,  Prest,  J.  II.  Williiiiann. 


1867  Trus.,  Cbas.  Kinne, 
"        "       Dr.  A.  FeUler, 
''        "       Alvis  Bruegger, 
''         "      Andrew  Just. 
John  Blattner. 
Joseph  Harnisch. 
Stephen  Schwarz. 
George  Kuegger, 
Henry  Hermann, 
Andrew  Just. 
B.  E.  Hoffmann. 
Charles  Kinne. 
Stephen  Schwarz 
Dr.  A.  Felder, 
Chas.  Feickert, 


Clerk, 
,  Prest., 
Trus., 


Clerk, 
I,  Prest., 
Trus., 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


431 


1869  Trus.,  Martin  Ilalin. 
"     Clerk,  John  Blallner. 

1870,  Pre-t.,Chas.  Kiniie. 
"     Trus.,  J.  J.  Spindler, 
"         "       Xavier  Siippiger, 
"        "      Martin  Ilalin, 
"         "      Stephen  Schwarz. 
"     Clerk,  John  Blattner. 

1871,  Prest.,  John  Suppiger. 
"     Trus.,  Lorenz  Winter, 
"         "      J.  J.  Spindler, 
"         '•      J.  J.  Biiner, 
"        "       Christ.  Hotz. 
■'     Clerk,  John  Blattner. 

1872,  Prest.,  Charles  Kinne. 
"     Trus.,  Jos.  Speckard. 
''        ''      Fritz  Pagan, 
''         "      J.  J.  Briner, 
"        "      Louis  Apple. 
"     Police  Mag'st.,  Jacob  Eggen. 
"    Clerk,  Chas.  Boeschenstein. 

1873,  Prest.,  .J.  H.  Willimann. 
"     Tru.^.,  Lorenz  Winter, 
"         "       Jacob  Kamm, 
''         "       Arnold  Stocckling, 
"        "       Chri.-tian  Hotz. 
•'     Clerk,  .\lexander  Beck. 

1874,  Same  as  in  1873. 

1875,  Prest.,  J.  H.  Willim.inn. 
"     Tru.s.,  Louis  Kinne, 

''  "       Timothy  Gruaz, 

''  "  Cha-s.  F.  Kuhnen, 
"  "  George  Durabeck. 
"     Clerk,  John  Menz. 

1876,  Prest.,  J,  H.  Willimann. 
"  Trns.,  Stephen  Schwarz, 
"         ''      Dominik  Weber, 


1870  Tnis.,  Chas.  F.  Kuhnen. 
"  "  George  Dumbeck, 
"     Clerk,  Chas.  Bo&*chenstein. 

1877,  Prest.,  J.  H.  Willimann. 
"  Trus.,  Stephen  Schwarz, 
•'        •'      Dominik  Weber, 

"  "  John  Wickenhausen, 
■'  "  Fred.  Zinmierraann. 
"     Clerk,  .\dolph  Riiegger. 

1878,  Piest.,  Morilz  Huegy. 
•'    Trus.,  L.  Grapp, 
"        "      Dominik  Weber, 
•'        "      John  Wickenhausen, 
"         "      John  Buchter. 
"     Clerk,  Chas.  Ilagnauer. 

1879,  Prest.,  Moritz  Huegy. 
"     Trus.,  L.  Grapp, 
"         "      Dominik  Weber, 
"         "      John  Guggenbuebler, 

"      Jac  Grossenbacher. 
Clerk,  Chas.  Bosshard. 
18S0,  Pre.«t.,  Fred.  B.  Suppiger. 
"      Trus.,  Henry  Mueller, 
"        "        Dominik  Weber, 
•'        "       John  Guggenbuebler 
"        "       Jac.  Grossenbacher. 
"     Clerk,  Charles  Bosshard. 

1881,  Prest.,  Fred.  B.  Suppiger. 
Above  Trustees  re-elected. 

''     Clerk,  Alexander  Beck. 

1882,  Prest.,  Fred  B.  Suppiger. 
''     Trus,,  L.  Grapp, 
"         "       Edward  Boe.schenstein, 
"         "      Htnry  Hediger, 
"         "       Jac.  Grossenbacher. 
"     Clerk,  Alexander  Beck. 


The  government  of  the  town  was  an  easy  task.  The  oflS- 
eers  have  invariably  acted  with  prudent  economy ;  as  at 
a  time  of  the  all-prevailing  railroad  fever,  the  citizens  voted 
a  subvention  of  .$10,000  to  the  Vandalia  road— August  12, 
1867,— the  town  board  wisely  levied  a  special  tax  to  meet 
interest  and  payment  of  amount  borrowed  at  fixed  periods 
of  time ;  the  last  payment  on  account  of  this  railroad  debt 
became  due  and  was  paid  in  1875,  eight  years  after  the  crea- 
tion of  the  debt.  The  town  has  not  paid  a  corporation  tax 
since,  has  its  streets  and  sidewalks  in  good  condition,  no 
debts  to  pay,  and  .$2500.29  in  its  cash-box,— March  31, 
1882. 

The  town  is  divided  into  four  wards,  some  of  which  have 
been  classed  as  follows  :  1st  Ward  is  known  as  the  Red 
Quarter;  3d  Ward,  Fort  Sumter ;  and  4th  Ward,  Methodvst 
Quarter;  why  the  second  Ward  has  been  slighted  is  un- 
known to  the  writer.  The  name  of  "  Fort  Sumter"  is  of 
recent — war  times — date.  Some  of  its  valiant  denizens  were 
decidedly  loud  in  the  denunciations  of  secession,  and  it  was 
on  their  account  that  the  ward  was  given  this  name. 

Some  of  the  leading  manufiictorics  of  the  town  have  been 
named  above.  We  may  add  here  the  Highland  foundry, — 
a  stock  concern, — N.  Rohr's  planing  mills  and  door  and 
sash  factory  ;  Grossenbacher's  Custom  Mills,  the  Highland 
Mineral  Water  Factory. 


Grain-elevators,  erected  near  the  depot  grounds,  facilitate 
the  shipment  of  the  agricultural  products  of  this  and  adja- 
cent townships. 

Great  sacrifices  have  been  made  in  endeavors  to  open  ccal 
mines,  but  without  success.  Artesian  wells  have  been  sunk, 
and  are  now  supplying  some  of  the  manufactories  with 
water. 

The  population  of  the  town,  nearly  all  of  direct  European 
immigration,  have  retained  a  great  many  features  of  their 
native  lands.  The  "  Vereine  "  (.societies  for  rational  enjoy- 
ments and  recreation)  are  as  numerous,  or  more  so,  than  in 
any  of  the  villages  of  the  "  Fatherland."  A  few  lines  may 
be  devoted  to  a  briefs  :etch  :— 

SOCIETIE.S   AND    LODGES. 

Highland  Library  Association,  organized  December  9th, 
1859,  A.  E.  Bandelier,  President. 

First  Board oj  Trustees. — Frederick  Ryhiner,  Joseph  Sup- 
piger, Sjlomjn  Koepfli,  John  Suppiger,  aad  A.  E.  Ban- 
delier. 

This  association  collected  a  valuable  library,  carefully 
selecting  works  that  would  answer  the  respective  needs  of 
pupils,  teachers,  and  people  of  all  vocations  in  life.  In  order 
to  create  a  desire  for  study  and  self  education,  courses  of 
lectures  on  natural  science  were  arranged  during  the  winter 
months,  and  practically  illustrated  by  an  expensive  physical 
apparatus.  The  lecturers  were:  Professor  Baer,  Julius 
Hammer,  Drs.  Ryhiner,  Suter,  Bernavs  and  Halter,  and 
Messrs.  A.  E.  Bandelier,  C.  L.  Bernays,  A.  F.  Bandelier, 
and  others.     See  personal  mention  below. 

Highland  was  at  its  best.  The  library  of  1859  has  been 
constantly  enlarged,  and  is  now  in  charge  of  the  literary 
section  of  the  Turn-Verein,  open  to  all  in  the  comfortable 
reading  room  of  the  society. 

Joseph  Suppiger  heretofore  mentioned,  born  in  Lucerne, 
Switzerland,  was  educated  for  the  pulpit  at  the  Jesuit 
College.  Not  being  disp  >sed  to  devote  himself  to  this  voca- 
tion, he  entered  the  cloth  factory  of  his  father  and  uncle, 
Joseph  and  John  Suppiger,  as  bjok-keeper.  He  emigrated 
to  the  U.  S.  in  1831,  as  stated  heretofore.  Father  and  uncle 
followed  in  1833. 

Solomon  Koepfli.  The  families  of  Koepfli  and  Suppiger 
were  by  no  means  in  favor  witli  the  Ultramontanes  of  their 
native  Canton,  and  this  circumstance,  together  with  the 
prospect  of  finding  a  larger  field  of  occupation  for  their  nu- 
merous families,  induced  them  to  emigrate.  Solomon 
Koepfli,  a  son  of  Dr.  C.  Koepfli,  mentioned  heretofore,  was, 
as  Hon.  G.  Koerner  in  his  work,  "  Das  Deutsche  Element," 
spea4is  of  him,  as  prudent  and  calculating,  as  active  and  en- 
terprising. His  main  aim  was  to  advance  the  prosperity  of 
the  Swiss  colony,  as  well  as  the  town  of  Highland.  He 
lent  a  helping  hand  to  every  public  enterprise,  was  untiring 
in  the  improvement  of  public  roads,  and,  in  later  years,  in 
his  efforts  to  secure  railroad  facilities  for  his  town.  The  au- 
thorities of  the  county,  as  well  as  the  committees  of  the  Le- 
gislature, were  incessantly  besieged  by  him  with  petitions 
and  propositions.      His  labors,  though   not  always  accom- 


4:32 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


panied  with  success,  triumphed  iu  the  end,  and  gave  to  him 
a  wonderful  political  influeuce.  The  American  population 
held  him,  who  was  always  iu  the  lead  and  never  seemed 
fatigued,  in  higher  estiraaiiou  than  the  German.  His  energy 
was  by  many  regarded  as  egotism  and  self-aggrandizement,  i 
and  envy  took  every  opportunity  to  question  his  motives. 
It  may  be  that  he  insisted  too  rigorously  on  what  he  thought 
to  be  his  rights,  and  that  his  decided  and  sometimes  hasty 
acts  gave  offense.  However,  he  was  the  proper  man  in  the 
proper  place.  The  rapid  growth  of  the  settlement,  the  good 
reputation  it  enjoys,  even  beyond  the  limits  of  the  state, 
are,  in  part,  his  work,  as  well  as  that  of  Joseph  Suppiger. 

Solomon  Koepfli,  though  deeply  interested  in  political  life, 
never  sought  office,  only  once,  in  18G2,  consenting  to  become 
a  delegate  to  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  Illinois.  His 
over-fdtiguing  labors  during  the  session  of  this  convention 
undermined  his  otherwise  robust  health.  He  tried  to  im- 
prove it  by  repeated  visits  to  Europe.  At  his  last  sojourn 
at  Zurich,  he  occupied  his  time  with  preparations  for  the 
execution  of  his  favorite  plan — to  found  a  high  school  at 
Highland.  He  was  also  engaged  in  a  literary  work,  the 
history  of  the  Swi.ss  Colony  iu  Madison  county,  but  death 
intervened  soon  after  he  returned  to  Highland,  18G!1.  His 
labors  in  the  improvement  of  public  schools  should  also  be 
mentioned,  as  well  as  his  readiness  to  materially  aid  the 
public  schools  at  home. 

Dr.  F.  Ryhinee,  born  December  7,  180G,  died  July  14, 
1879.  Dr.  Ryhiner  was  a  graduate  of  the  Uuiversity  of 
Heidelberg,  had  frequented  the  Universities  of  Vienna, 
Prague,  and  heard  lectures  iu  Paris.  Became  military  sur 
geon  of  his  native  city,  Basel,  iu  1833.  He  got  entangled 
in  political  troubles  on  account  of  his  broad  and  liberal 
views,  and  became  disgusted  with  affairs  generally.  He  came 
to  the  U.  S.  in  1835,  and  became  a  resident  of  Highland  in 
1837.  He  has  always  been  known  as  a  public-.spirited  man. 
As  a  physician  he  was.  peer  to  all. 

A.  E.  Basdeliee,  a  native  of  the  Jura  region,  the  French 
part  of  Canton  Berne,  Switzerland,  educated  for  the  legal 
profession  at  Lausanne,  he  became  a  member  of  the  Superior 
Court,  when  scarcely  21  years  of  age  and  presiding  judge  a 
few  years  later.  "  The  happiest  period  of  my  liie  soon 
ended,  for  unfortunately,"  says  Mr.  Bandelier,  "  did  the 
sovereign  people  see  fit  to  elect  me  to  the  legislative  council, 
although  I  had  never  felt  any  inclination  for  political  labors." 
Mr.  Bandelier  was  soon  after  called  to  the  government 
council.  The  political  troubles  of  those  years  caused  a  radi- 
cal change  ;  a  new  constitutional  convention  was  called,  of 
which  Mr.  B.  became  a  member.  He  was  again  offered  the 
presidency  of  the  superior  court,  but  refused  to  accept  and 
chose,  as  he  says,  to  look  for  once  beyond  the  narrow  boun- 
daries of  Switzerland.  He  visited  Brazil  in  1847,  in  com- 
pany with  his  friend,  J.  Balsiger,  and  arrived  in  1848  in 
Highland,  where  in  1854,  he  in  company  with  Dr.  F.  Ryhin- 
er and  M.  Huyge,  opened  the  well,  and  to  this  day  favorably 
known  banking  house  of  F.  Ryhiner  &  Co.  He  is  the  only 
surviving  partner  of  the  firm.  The  Home  Government  of 
Switzerland,  remembering  the  sterling  qualities  of  this  man, 
made  him   consul   of  that  Republic  at  an  early    date ;  his 


consulate  embraced  not  only  the  Mississippi  valley  to  New 
Orleans,  but  extended  southeast  to  the  Carolinas. 

Mr.  Bandelier's  labors  as  school  director  of  Highland 
from  1858  to  18(i0  are  still  remembered,  as  elevating  the 
schools  to  their  present  proud  rank. 

PROFES.SOR  B.VEK,  au  educated  and  eminent  pedagogue 
of  Zurich,  had  for  years  tried  "  Latin  "  farming  in  Texas. 
Horace's  celebrated  ode  : 

Beatus  ille  qui  proeul  negoliis, 
Ut  prisca  gen.s  mortalium 
Biira  paterna  bubus  exercet  suis 
Solutus  omni  foenere. elc. 

found  but  indifferent  application  in  Texas,  and  Mr.  Baer, 
bidding  farewell  to  the  lone  star  state,  hastened  to  the  Swiss 
Eldora,  where  he  took  charge  of  the  public  schools  as  priu- 
cipal  and  with  the  assistance  of  but  two  other  teachers,  suc- 
ceeded to  manage,  instruct  and  greatly  advance  not  less 
than  300  pupils.  His  labors  were  not  appreciated  by  all, 
for  many  were  incompetent  to  comprehend  them.  He  laid 
down  the  ferule  in  1862.  His  weary  head  was  laid  to  rest 
in  the  same  year.  A  grateful  community  erected  a  monu- 
ment in  honor  of  this  pioneer  pedagogue.  The  writer  of 
these  sketches  conducted  the  mourning  children  to  the  grave 
of  their  beloved  friend  and  teacher  in  September,  1862,  to 
decorate  it,  and  the  monument  with  the  choicest  flowers  of 
the  beautiful  gardens  of  Highland. 

Julius  Hammer,  candidatus  iheologcc,  a  somewhat  ec- 
centric gentleman,  but  of  sterling  qualities,  was  cast  on  the 
shores  of  America,  in  consequence  of  insurrections  and  civil 
wars  in  Germany.  He  bore  the  joys  and  ills  of  bachelor 
life  with  the  ease  of  a  philosopher  for  many  years,  and  when 
painful  and  incurable  disease  seized  upon  him,  he  died  as 
only  stoics  can. 

Carl  Ludwig  Bernays,  a  journalist  of  note,  and  con- 
noisseur of  fine  arts  of  distinction,  came  to  Highland  in 
1848,  engaged  in  commercial  and  manufacturing  pursuits. 
Ill  luck  seemed  to  have  pursued  him.  Losses  by  fire  made 
him,  comparatively  speaking,  a  poor  man  ;  but  men  of  fer- 
tility of  brain  as  Bernays  enjoyed  are  never  without  re- 
sources. Adversity  might  bend  him,  but  never  break  him. 
He  was  a  splendid  writer,  a  man  of  most  liberal  views.  His 
articles  published  iu  the  "  Anzeiger"  of  St.  Louis,  from  1858 
to  1861  were  forcible  and  pointed,  and  made  the  German 
element  of  St.  Louis  a  unit  in  opposition  to  secession.  Ber- 
1  nays  was  U.  S.  consul  at  Zurich,  and  Helsingaer,  and  after 
I  resigning  this  position  he  entered  the  U.  S.  army,  advancing 
to  the  rank  of  colonel,  and  remaining  in  the  field  until  the 
war  was  ended.  After  the  war  he  took  up  the  journalistic 
:  pen  again,  plying  it  as  pointedly  as  every  before,  never  lay- 
ing it  down  until  1880  when  he  was  called  off  to  attend  the 
grand  parade  of  the  mysterious  realms  beyond. 

Adolf  F.  Bandelier,  born  August  6,  1840,  came  to 
Highland  in  1848.  His  education  is  principally  the  work 
of  his  parents.  A  great  linguist,  he  mastered  various  mod- 
ern languages  and  has  studied  the  classical  works  of  France, 
Germany  and  England.  In  later  years  he  perfected 
himself  in  the  Spanish  tongue  and  now  understands  the  lan- 
guage of  various  Indian  nations  in  Mexico.     His  researches 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON   COUNTY,   ILLINOIS 


AZZ 


iu  Mexico  have  raised  him  to  a  national  prominence.  The 
scientific  world,  deeply  interested  in  several  pamphlets  pub- 
lished by  hira,  at  the  request  of  Prof.  Jlorgan.of  Rochester, 
are  now  awaiting  with  anxiety,  the  publication  of  a  work 
contemplated  by  A.  F.  Bandelier,  who  has,  for  several  years, 
braved  the  dangers  of  life  among  the  savages,  for  the  sake 
of  science. 


HELVETIA   SCIIUETZEN   VEREIN-SHARPSHOOTERS,- 


-1861. 


Henry  Hermann  first  presiding  ofiicer.  This  society  is 
still  in  existence.  Its  rolls  contain  the  names  of  139 
members,  many  of  whom,  however,  have  fired  off  their  last 
cartridge,  and  now  are  awaiting  the  often  mentioned'  horn 
of  Gabriel  to  recall  them  to  action.  This  society  has  done 
much  to  make  Highland  as  attractive  as  it  is  now.  A 
beautiful  park,  donated  by  Joseph  and  Solomon  Koepfli  to 
the  society  in  trust,  has  been  embellished  at  great  expense, 
and  has  ever  since  1863  been  the  favorite  place  of  resort. 
Thousands  have  gathered  there  from  almost  every  state  of 
the  Union  to  participate  in  the  festivities  by  this  society. 
List  of  names  : — 


Ily.  Hermann, 
(jeo.  Kuegger- 
.Ino.  Huchter. 
Dr.  R.  Halter. 
Fritz  Pagan,  pr. 
B.  .V.  Siippigcr. 
David  Siippiger. 
Jacob  Weber,  sr. 
Doni.  Wiget. 
Martin  Seliott. 
(xei).  Sleinegger. 
J.  U.  Kurth. 
Peter  Voegeli. 
Nic  Voegeli. 
Hv.  Laengli. 
The.  Mengi. 
Fr.  Ileger. 
J.  II.  Willimann. 
Tim.  Gruaz. 
J.  Spoeni. 
B.  Ilurlimann. 
Aug.  J.  Pagan. 
Kiul.  Blattner. 
.Tohn  Mcnz. 
F.  Eychner. 
Ad.  iSandelier,  Jr. 
L<iiii.s  Kinne. 
Moritz  Iluegy. 
F.  C.  Ryhiner. 
F.  Unger. 
J.  F.  .Vekermann. 
Arnold  Freitag. 
Jos.  Koepfli. 
X.  Suter. 
S.  KoepHi. 
Wm.  Schaeffer. 
An.  Hammer. 
Wm.  Zeller. 
Sell.  H  after. 
.Tvil.  Lani. 
B.  E.  Hofrmann. 
Ad.  Bandelier,  sr. 
J.  Amsler. 
D.  Weber. 
F.  Senn. 
Hy.  Gleyre. 
Val.  Kreuzer. 


Aug.  Flecklies. 
John  Faesi^ler. 
Cha.s.  Feickert. 
Jac.  Zimermann. 
C  F.  Kuhnen. 
€.  Schott. 
Hy.  Riedlinger. 
R.  Baumann. 

C.  Baer. 
Clias.  Bossliard. 
F.  Kacmpff. 

S.  T.  Mason. 
J.  F.  Cooper. 
Jno.  Guggenbuehler. 
H.  Melzger. 
L.  Appel. 
M.  Feilliauer. 
Peter  .Streif. 
Rut).  Widmer. 
AVend  Heger. 
Sam.  Blattner. 
Dr.  A.  Felder. 
B.  Siii)piger,  sr. 
Const.  Rilliet. 
Celestine  Bros.sard. 
A.  Iloeufli. 
Val.  Krenzer. 
Mich.  Kaempff. 
Con.  Meyer. 
Xavier  Siippiger. 
Bern.  Durer. 
A.  Bruckner. 
Jno.  Snppiger. 
And.  Wehrly. 
J.  F.  Wachsmuth. 
Rud.  Duckliard. 
Rob.  Suppiger. 
M.  Hofer. 
J.  Gro.«senbacher. 
J.  Fischbach. 
J.  P.  Frie,s. 
Caspar  Kamm. 

D.  Wild. 

J.  Weber,  .Jr. 
Hy.  Weinlieimer. 
F,  Hegner. 


J.  Obeding. 

H.  Blattner. 

M.  StreiB". 

P.  Jacober. 

■S.  Kleiner. 

A.  Ott. 

F.  Schneider. 

J.  Mueller. 

.1.  Bircher. 

C .  Bircher. 

F.  StreiB". 

J.  Kamm. 

O.  Schlegel. 

C.  Suppiger. 

Ad.  Ruegger. 

J.  Riche. 

Nic.  Rohr. 

.Tac.  Menz. 

Jac.  Krutz. 

.1.  S.  Hoerner. 

.Jas.  Keith. 

Jno.  Wettstein. 

L.  Ruhr. 

C.  Hoffmann. 

F.  Gleyre. 

J.  Hermann. 

Clias.  Lambelet. 

Hy.  Wirz. 

L.  Englehom. 

Dr.  J.  Wirlh. 

F.  B.  Suppiger. 

J.  Bachniann. 

Hv.  Mueller. 

Hy.  Riniker. 

vS.  Leutwiler,  .Jr. 

J.  Amsler. 

Jas.  F.  Law. 

J.  G.  Dumbeck. 

John  Khrbard. 

J.  C.  GarlKild. 

Wm.  Schaeller. 

Jacob  Buehlmann. 

Rud.  Bruner. 

Aug.  Iberg. 

L.  Senn. 

Jolin  Kraenchi. 


to  erect  a  public  hall  of  fine  architecture,  large  enough  to 
comfortably  seat  700  persons.  The  musical  organizations 
of  the  day,  theatrical  troups,  amateur  or  professional,  poli- 
tical meetings  find  accommodations  in  the  building.  We  ap- 
pend an  alphabetical  list  of  the  members— 87 — is  added  : 


Adelmann  Theo., 
Ammann  Jos.  C., 
Appel  Jac  .M., 
Appel  Louis, 
Appel  Loviis  J., 
Appel  William, 
Baer  Erwin, 
Bandelier  Ad.  Eug., 
Bandelier  Ad.  F., 
Beck  Athos, 
Blattner  John, 
Blattner  Louis, 
Boeschenstein  Chas.  sr., 
Botschenstein  Chas.  jr., 
JBoeschenstein  Edward 
BoUmann  Henrv, 
Bosshard  Chas ,' 
Briner  J.  J., 
Buehlmann  Jacob, 
Chipron  P.  C, 
Christian  Jacob, 
Debrunner  Albert, 
Dumbeck  George, 
Ernest  Louis, 
Freuler  Fritz, 
Grautzow  Louis, 
Gruaz  Tim., 
Gubler  Frank, 
Guggenbuehler  John, 
Guggenbuehler  Xavier, 
Ilalfer  Eri.est, 
Hellmuth  P.  F., 
Hermann  Emil, 
Hermann   John, 
Hermann  Robert, 
Hoerner  Jno.  S.,   , 
Hofl'mann  B.  E., 
Kamm  Kobt., 
Kamm  William, 
Keith  James  A., 
Kempff  Fritz, 
Kinne  Fritz, 
Kinne  Eaiil, 

^immeiu 


Kinne  Louis, 
Knoebel  J.  B., 
Kuhnen  Chas.  F., 
LeutwillerSam, 
Laon  Dave, 
Maechtlen  C.  L., 
Machtlen  Jac, 
Manhart  Louis, 
Mason  Leroy, 
Menz  Jacob, 
Mever  Henrv, 
Jlilltr  Jas.  H., 
Mueller  Adidph, 
Mueller  Gustave, 
NoheJ.T., 
Oshler  Arthur, 
Osthoft'  Albert, 
Pabst  Selmar, 
Kaitli  Edw.  J., 
Koth  Geo., 
Ruegger  Adolph, 
Ruegger  Arnold, 
Ryhiner  F.  C, 
Schott  Chr., 
Schott  M.  J., 
Schott  Otto, 
Siedler  Robt., 
Schuepbach  .Vd., 
Spindler  .J.  .J., 
Stamm  M., 
Stanim  Adolph, 
Stoecklin  Arnold, 
Suppiger  Chas.  B., 
Suppiger  David, 
Sti|  piger  Leo., 
Suppiger  Otto, 
To.ld  Joseph, 
Weber  Duni., 
Weber  Fred.  E., 
Weber  .John, 
WildiJohn, 
AVildhaber  Henry, 
WiggeuhaiLser  John, 
lann  Jacob. 


HIGHLAND    TURN  VEREIN — ORGANIZED  MAY  1866. 

This  society  has  enjoyed  the  greatest  popularity  ever  be- 
stowed upon  an  organization  of  the  kind  in  the  town.  Do- 
nations have  poured  in  from  all  sides, enabling  the  "  Verein  " 


HARMONIE   SINGING  CLUB — ORGANIZED,  DEC.  8,  1867- 

First  president,  F.  Kaeser. 

Charter  members :  Jacob  Weber,  Samuel  Weber, 
— Vogt,  Jacob  Morath,  Fritz  Kaeser,  John  Kaeser,  Alfred 
Bosshard,  Erwin  Bosshard,  Jli.  Butikofer. 

Additional  members : — Jacob  Menz,  Fritz  Frenler,  Gott- 
lieb Huber,  Jacob  Frenler.  Fritz  Siegrist,  J.  J.  Briner,  John 
Moser,  Christian  Koch,  Henry  Hediger,  and  Casper  Blum. 
Jacob  Simons  has  been  musical  director  since  1876. 

Lovers  of  vocal  music,  after  all  the  best  can  be  produced, 
must  be  delighted  to  hear  this  club.  The  writer  was  fortu- 
nate enough  to  listen  to  some  of  their  most  beautiful  pieces 
at  a  recent  day,  and  takes  pleasure  to  make  mention  of  it  in 
these  pages. 

HIGHLAND    LODGE   583  A.  F.  AND   A.  MASONS — CHARTERED 
OCTOBER  6,  1868. 

On  the  11th  of  September,  1867,  Jerome  Gorin,  Grand 
Master  of  Masons  of  the  state  of  Illinois,  granted  a  dispen- 
sation to  Curtis  Blakeman,  Robert  Halter,  John  B.  Knoe- 
bel, G.  Rutz,  H.  E.  Todd,  Robert  Suppiger,  H.  M.  Thorp, 


434 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


and  Henry  Laengle  to  meet  and  work  with  John  Bevens  of 
Marine  Lodge  355  as  Worshipful  Master.  On  the  6th  day 
of  October,  18G8,  a  charter  was  granted  to  Highland 
Lodge  No.  583,  with  the  above  and  Otto  Brodtbeck,  Louis 
Kinne,  and  Louis  Appel  as  charter  members.  The  first 
officers  were  Robert  Suppiger,  W.  M.,  H.  M.  Thorp,  S.  W., 
Louis  Kinne,  J.  \V.,  Curtis  Bleakemau,  Treasurer.  Galens 
Rutz,  Secretary,  Otto  Brodtbeck,  S.  D.,  Louis  Appel,  J.  D., 
and  H.  E.  Todd,  Tyler,  who  were  installed  and  the 
lodge  constituted  by  S.  V.  Grossman  as  proxy  of  the  M.  W. 
Grand  Master,  November  19,  1868. 

The  present  officers  are  :  Edwin  J.  Raith,  W.  M.,  John 
Guggenbuehler,  S.  AV.,  Ernst  Hoefle,  J.  W.,  L.  E.  Kinne, 
Treasurer,  Robert  Suppiger,  Secretary,  J.  C.  Ammann,  S. 
D  ,  H.  M.  Mason,  J.  D  ,  Albert  Debrunner,  Tyler. 

The  present  membership  is  40.  Since  the  granting  of  the 
dispensation  the  lodge  has  had  66  applicants,  49  of  which 
were  accepted,  five  of  which  have  not  received  the  master's 
degree.  By  death  the  lodge  has  lost  five  members,  to  wit : 
Curtis  Blakemau,  April  26,  1875,  Robert  Halter,  October  4, 
1S77,  G.  \V.  Herrin,  January  29,  1879,  P.  D.  Mervin, 
April  18,  1881,  and  \V.  J.  Collins,  October  7,  18:!1. 

Druids.  Highland  Lodge  44,  V.  A.  O.  D.,  organized  Sep- 
tember 19,  1874. 

Charter  members:  Martin  Hahn,  Frank  'Lorenze, 
Arthur  Odhler,  Charlei  Boeschenstein,  Frank  Weiss,  and 
Fritz  Kunz.  The  lodge  has  now  eighteen  members  in 
good  standing,  officers  as  follows:  J.  J.  Briner,  E.  E., 
Henry  Hebrank,  Martin  Hahn,  and  Daniel  Grosseubacher. 

Odd  Fellows.  Highland  Lodge,  No.  651,  I.  0.0.  F.,  in- 
stituted, February  1,  1878. 

The  charter  members  were :  James  N.  Jarvis,  J.  B. 
Purviance,  Charles  Boeschenstein,  Arnold  Stoecklin,  and 
Jacob  Buehlniann. 

This  lodge  has  now  24  members  in  good  standing.  The 
present  officers  are :  Ernest  Hoefle,  N.  G.,  Jacob  Maecht- 
leu,  V.  G.,  Charles  Bjescheustein,  Secretary,  and  Arnold 
Stoecklin,  Treasurer. 

Knights  of  Honor.  Highland  Lodge,  No.  1605,  K.  of  H. 
was  instituted  May  15,  1879,  with  29  charter  members,  to 
wit :  Arnold  Stoecklin,  Charles  Boeschenstein,  H.  E.  Todd, 
James  H.  Miller,  Robert  Hagnauer,  Charles  Bosshard,  Fritz 
Kunz,  Frank  Weiss,  Jacob  Maechtlen,  James  A.  Keith, 
Jacob  Zimmermann,  Dr.  J.  Wirth,  L.  L.  Maechtlen,  E.  J. 
Raith,  W.  J.  Collins,  T.  J.  Richardson,  Louis  Grantzow, 
Emil  Chipron,  Adolph  Mueller,  J.  V.  Roseberry,  Fred 
Harnist,  J.  C.  Ammann,  S  Pabst,  Jacob  Menz,  Henry  Rini- 
ker,  E.  B.  Huegy,  F.  B.  Suppiger,  H.  Meyer,  and  P.  C. 
Chipron. 

The  lodge  hast  lost  oae  member,  W.  J.  Collins,  by  death, 
October  7,  1881. 

It  is  now  composed  of  49  members,  officers  as  follows : 
F.  B.  Suppiger,  S.  P.  Dictator,  Robert  Suppiger,  Dictator, 
C.  L.  Maechtlen,  V.  D  ,  J.  H.  Miller,  A.  D.,  H.  E.  Todd, 
Guide,  Emil  Chipron,  Chaplain,  E.  J.  Laith,  Reporter,  S. 
Pabst,  F.  R.,  A.  Mueller,  Treasurer,  H.  J.  Wildhaber, 
Guardian,  and  P.  C.  Chipron,  Sentinel. 

The  Highland    Agricultural    society  founded    January, 


1869,  by  A.  E.  Bandelier,  Jacob  Eggen,  John  Balsigcr  and 
others,  has  developed  great  activity.  In  later  years  agri- 
cultural and  mechanical  expositions  were  introduced,  and 
have  proved  a  decided  success. 

The  Gruetli  Oerin  a  society  organized  with  a  view  of  mu- 
tual assistance  in  need  or  disease,  as  well  as  for  the  purpose 
of  mental  culture,  was  founded  in  1871  by  Charles  Boesch- 
enstein, F.  Kunz,  and  Jacob  Weber. 

Highland  is  now,  1882,  one  of  the  most  enterprising  and 
prosperous  towns  of  the  county.  The  commercial  interests 
are  represented  by  the  Banking  House  of  F.  Ryhiner  & 
Co.,  and  the  mercantile  houses  of  (1  Kinne  &  Co.,  J.  J. 
Spiudler,  Lorenz  Winter,  Ammann  Wildi,  J.  H.  Wil- 
linianu,C.  F.  Kuhnen,  George  Roth,  P.  C  Chipron,  Thorp, 
Kinne  &  Suppiger,  L.  Grantzow,  August  Majonier,  A.  H. 
Junod,  Robert  Suppiger  and  others  ;  the  leading  tradesmen 
and  mechanics  are  M.  Stamm,  J.  J.  Briner,  Arnold  Stoeck- 
lin, Charles  Suppiger,  Henry  Hediger,  Wiggenhauser  and 
Streif,  M.  Kempf,  O.  Schlegel,  John  Riffijl,  Jacob  Freuler, 
A.  Marxer,  J.  Mueller,  Louis  Knoebel,  Stephen  Schwarz, 
Henry  Mueller,  Joseph  Speckart,  Caspar  Kamm,  Otto  Spel- 
lerberg,  Charles  Tuffli,  etc.  Professionals:  T.  J  Richardson, 
John  Blattner,  Law :  Dr.  A.  Felder,  Dr.  J.  B.  Knoel)el,  Dr. 
G.  Rutz,  Dr.  J.  Wirth,  Dr.  Walliser,  Dr.  P.  E.  Hellmuth. 
Physician,  Surgeon  and  Dentist.  Timothy  Gruaz,  Notary, 
Financial  Land  and  Insurance  Agency ;  Alexander  Beck, 
Insurance,  Charles  Boeichenstein,  Notary  and  Justice  of 
the  Peace. 

Hotel  accommodations,  as  comfortable  as  may  be  desired, 
by  Albert  Orthoff,  Jacob  Zimmermann,  Peter  Giesler,  Casi- 
mir  Hoffmann,  J.  G.  Dumbeck,  Mueller  Wick  and 
others.  Highland  counts  a  number  of  retired  farmers 
among  its  inhabitants,  who  of  late  are  being  jocularly  named 
'■  Zinsli  JBuere." 

The  public  buildings  of  the  town.  Churches,  Hospital, 
and  School-houses,  have  been  mentioned  elsewhere. 

An  effective  volunteer  fire  brigade,  with  complete  appara- 
tus, have  in  all  cases  fought  the  fire  fiend  with  success. 

The  publishing  houses  of  J.  S.  Hoerner  and  C.  Boeschen- 
stein, are  mentioned  in  the  article  on  the  Press. 

As  stated  above,  the  town,  and  in  a  measure  the  township, 
are  essentially  a  Swiss  colony,  but  mention  should  also  be 
made  of  other  nationalities  identified  with  the  growth  and 
subsequent  developments  of  both. 

Soon  after  the  laying  out  of  the  town  of  Highland,  the 
Swiss  colonists  were  reinforced  by  a  numerous  immigration 
from  the  grand  duchy  of  Baden.  In  1840,  the  fiimilies  of 
Bender,  Meyer,  Hammer  and  Bader  arrived.  Seventy-two 
persons  arrived  in  1841,  among  whom  were  Hotz,  Federer, 
Rail,  Trautner,  Fellhauer,  Essenpreis,  Weber,  Kustermann 
Holzinger,  Voegele,  Schwarz,  Frey,  Sjhaefer,  Bellm,  Bartli, 
Koch,  Winter,  Woll,  Ehrhardt,  Hirsch,  Weiduer,  Knopf 
Metzger,  Hoffmann,  and  Zopf.  Calentiu  Krenzer,  a  Bavarian 
had  preceded  those  parties  a  few  years.  Most  of  these  fami- 
lies settled  east,  or  northeast  of  Highland,  in  a  semi-circle, 
extending  not  more  than  six  or  seven  miles  from  Highland. 

They  all  had  to  become  "  pioneers,"  for  their  means  were 
insufficient    to   buy   improvements.     Their  privations  were 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


435 


numerous,  and  many  not  used  to  the  tropical  heat  of  the 
American  summer,  nor  the  terrible  cold  of  our  winter  bliz- 
zards, would  exclaim — "  Oh,  had  we  remained  in  the  father- 
land?" Their  frugality  and  diligence  enabled  them  to  over- 
come all  privations,  and  their  toils  were  richly  rewarded. 
Fields  of  plenty  appeared  iu  the  course  of  a  few  years 
throughout  the  settlement,  which  in  time  had  become  as 
prosperous  as  any  other  in  the  blessed  county  of  Madison. 
These  people  were  all  devout  Catholics,  and  in  1844  they 
were  able,  with  the  assistance  of  their  Swiss  friends,  Solomon 
Koepfli,  Dr.  Caspar  Koepfii,  and  Jao  b  Durer,  and  others,  I 
to  erect  their  first  church  edifice.  The  first  permanent  | 
priest  of  this  congregation  was  Rev.  Father  P.  Limacher, 
1850. 

The  ecclesiastical  chapter  gives  a  succinct  and  accurate 
account  of  the  wonderful  development  of  this  church,  and  of 
the  noble  works  of  priests  and  members. 

We  next  turn  to  what  is  called  the  "  French-  Settlement" 
in  the  township.  It  is  of  more  recent  date.  Swiss  colonists 
from  the  French  Cantons,  among  them  A.  E.  Bandelier, 
John  Balsiger,  Constant  Rilliet,  and  F.  Vulliet,  had  domi- 
ciled among  their  countrymen  as  early  as  1848.  Wielandy, 
Pury,  and  others,  had  done  likewise,  without  forming  a  dis- 
tinct French  settlement.  In  1856,  however,  steps  were  taken 
to  colonize  the  French  speaking  immigrants  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  township. 

This  French  settlement,  located  south  of  the  town  of 
Sebastopol,  was  then  started  by  L.  Tremblay,  a  resident  of 
Clinton  county.  He  was  well  accjuainted  with  the  village 
life  in  the  agricultural  parts  of  France,  and  succeeded  iu 
selling  his  lands  in  Madison  county  to  these  new  comers  in 
small  tracts,  frequently  containing  only  five  acres,  or  even  less. 
The  northeast  forty  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  24 
has  thus  been  divided  into  nine  tracts,  all  highly  cultivated 
now.  It  looks  more  like  a  small  village  than  a  number  of 
"farms."  John  B.  De  Fountain  erected  a  wind  mill  in 
1858.  It  grinds  corn  and  saws  lumber.  The  churches  built 
here  are  mentioned  in  another  chapter.  L  Tremblay  was  a 
native  of  France,  but  had  arrived  many  years  prior  to 
the  foundation  of  his  settlement.  He  died  last  year  (1881), 
leaving  a  widow  and  four  children,  three  of  whom  reside  in  the 
settlement,  the  fourth  having  removed  to  Bond  county. 

SEBASTOrOL. 

The  town  of  Sebaslnpol,  the  centre  of  attraction  for  the 
neighborhood,  was  laid  out  by  Timothy  Gruaz  in  1860.  Mr. 
Gruaz  had  opened  a  store  in  the  settlement  in  1S58,  and 
erected  tlie  store  building,  now  occupied  by  John  C.  Steiner, 
in  1859.  The  name  of  the  town  originated  in  a  humorous 
conversation  between  T.  Gruaz  and  Norris  Ramsay,  who,  as 
the  nestor  of  the  settlement,  was  asked  by  the  former  to 
name  the  projected  town.  Ramsay  declined  doing  so,  when 
Gruaz  cautioned  him,  saying :  Mr.  Ramsay,  you  had  better 
give  my  town  a  name,  and  do  it  soon,  for  these  Frenchmen 
around  here  will  presently  invent  some  long  outlandish  and 
jaw-breaking  name,  Sebastopol,  for  instance,  if  you  don't 
name  it.     The  store  at  the  time  was  full  of  French  custom- 


ers, laughing  at  the  conversation  and  the  odd  name  suggested. 
On  the  next  day,  Mr.  Ramsay  came  around  to  the  store,  as 
was  his  wont,  and  entered  it  with  the  (jueslion :  "  Well,  and 
how  is  Seba  topol  to-day?"  The  name  was  established. 
The  village  is  now  composed  of  about  a  dozen  houses,  has  a 
general  store,  owned  by  J.  C.  Steiner,  two  blacksmith  shops, 
John  C.  Luchsinger  and  Elislia  Demoulin  ;  cartwright, 
Rudolf  Kaufmann ;  one  shoemaker  shop,  August  Keiser.  The 
town  has  never  had  a  post-office,  but  by  courtesy  of  the  post- 
master of  Highland  is  daily  supplied  with  a  mail,  carefully 
packed  up  in  a  U.  S.  mail  bag,  and  convej'ied  to  Steiner's 
store  by  his  freight  team. 

The  retrospect  of  less  than  70  years,  during  which  the 
township  has  become  what  it  is  at  the  present  day,  gives 
satisfaction.  Sixty-seven  years  ago  not  an  acre  of  the  23,000 
acres  in  the  township  was  in  private  hands;  now  every  acre 
is  made  useful.  Sixty  years  ago  there  was  neither  a  public 
place  of  worship  nor  a  school  house  iu  the  township,  and 
now  there  is  a  score  of  them.  The  population,  less  than  500 
in  1840,  has  increased  to  3,300  in  1882 

Official  statistics  of  1881  give  the  following  figures  in  re- 
lation to  productions:  162,420  bushels  of  corn,  228,450  of 
wheat,  35,223  of  oats,  23,235  of  fruit,  62,400  gallons  of 
wine,  1,557  tons  of  hay,  other  field  products  in  proportion. 
Dairy  products  were  valued  at  over  810,000,  and  the  receipts 
from  the  sale  of  fattened  cattle  and  hogs  amounted  to  over 
$30,000. 

The  lands,  18,220  acres,  of  which,  under  the  plow,  repre- 
sent a  cash  value  of  $900,000,  the  town  property  is  worth 
$325,000,  and  the  personal  property  amounts  to  a  value  of 
at  least  $400,000,  aggregating  $1,625,000.  The  taxes  of 
1881,  for  all  purposes,  amounted  to  $13,834.48,  of  which 
$40.15  remained  unpaid. 

The  township,  a  political  corporation  since  the  adoption 
of  township  organization,  April,  1876,  was  represented  in 
the  county  board  until  1882  by  H.  M.  Thorp,  whose  sterling 
qualities  soon  secured  him  a  most  prominent  position  in  the 
board,  although  his  party,  the  Republican,  was  largely  in 
the  minority  there. 

At  present,  1882,  Helvetia  township  is  officered  as  follows : 
Louis  Latzer,  Supervisor ;  Lewis  Feutz,  Clerk  ;  H.  E.  Todd, 
Assessor;  Robert  Hagnauer,  Collector;  Christian  Hotz, 
Christian  Koch,  and  Christian  Baumaun,  Highway  Commis- 
sioners; David  Suppiger,  Lewis  Latzer,  and  William  Hag- 
nauer, Trustees  of  Public  Schools  ;* Robert  Suppiger,  School 
Treasurer;  and  Charles  Boeschenstein,  and  John  Buchtcr, 
Justices  of  the  Peace. 

Several  of  the  citizens  of  Helvetia  have  filled  county- 
offices,  among  whom  mention  is  to  be  made  of  the  late  E.  M. 
Morgan,  associate  justice  from  1857  to  1861,  succeeded  by 
Constant  Rilliet  in  1861.  The  late  Garrett  Crownover, 
member  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  I860  to  1862; 
Hon.  Henry  Weinheimer,  ditto,  1872  to  1874;  the  late 
George  Rucgger,  sheriff,  1864  to  1866 ;  B  E.  Hoffmann, 
county  clerk,  1809  to  1877,  and  Adolph  Rueggcr,  oldest  son 
of  G.  Rucgger,  county  treasurer  since  1877. 


BIOGRAPHIES. 


TIMOTHY  GRUAZ. 

Few  men  have  passel  more  active  lives  tlian  Timothy 
Gruaz ;  fewer  yet  have  acconiplishtd  more.  Belonging  to 
the  cUiss  of  thinkers,  he  mapped  out  for  himself  an  inde- 
pendent course  in  life — distinctively  his  own.  A  fair  share  of 
success  has  fallen  to  his  lot ;  that  it  has  not  characterized 
all  his  ambition  is  partly  due  to  the  fact  of  his  physical 
disability.  He  was  born  in  Lyons,  France,  June  8th,  1831, 
of  Swiss  parents.  His  father,  John  Francis,  was  a  merchant. 
His  mother  was  Mary  Anna  Lerck.  In  1833,  when  Timothy 
was  a  lad  of  seven,  his  parents  returned  to  the  laud  of  their 
nativity,  locating  in  Lausanne.  Here  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  enjoyed  rare  opportunities  for  the  acquisition  of 
knowledge  under  the  direction  of  such  master  teachers  as 
La  Harpe,  Monnard  and  Vinet.  His  parents  were  Wesleyan 
Methodists  in  faith,  their  minister  being  the  eminent  mission- 
ary. Rev.  Cook.  Those  of  this  belief  were  subjected  by  the 
Swiss  authorities  to  persecution,  which  caused  many  to  seek 
a  home  in  free  America.  Of  this  number  were  the  Gruazes  ; 
they  came  to  Highland  in  1849.  In  IS-oC,  Mrs.  Gruaz  died 
here.  In  1868,  John  Francis  Gruaz  returned  to  his  native 
land  where  he  died  January  13,  1881,  having  attained  the 
good  old  age  of  eighty-four  years.  Timothy  Gruaz'  first 
labor  in  this  country  was  as  teacher  in  the  household  of 
Captain  Ledugerber,  near  Shiloh,  St  Clair  county,  then  of 
Adol[)li  Bandelier;  then  as  assistant  in  the  store  of  Huegy 
&  Bandelier.  On  the  1st  of  July,  1851,  these  parties  opened 
a  bank  in  Highland  and  installed  him  as  book-keeper,  teller 
and  cashier,  at  a  salary  of  §S  per  month.  This  salary  looked 
large  at  the  time  in  comparison  with  the  $4  per  month  he 
had  formerly  earned  and  out  of  which  he  saved  sufficient  to 
purchase  a  couple  of  cows  which  he  gave  his  father.  Being 
of  a  speculative  turn  he  commenced  laying  the  foundations 
of  his  successful  business  career  by  buying  the  present 
village  site  of  Sebastopol  and  laying  out  the  town.  In  com- 
pany with  Huegy  &  Baudelier  he  prosecuted  merchandising 
here  for  three  years,  when  ill  health  compelled  abandonment 
of  such  pursuits.  In  1862  he  bought  the  Hiijhland  Bute,o{ 
which  he  remained  proprietor  and  editor  for  six  years.  In 
1868  he  visited  Europe,  traveling  extensively  over  the  Con- 
tinent. Upon  his  return  he  enlisted  his  energies  in  real 
estate  and  insurance,  a  business  he  has  since  prosecuted.  A 
traveler  from  ta«te  he  has  passed  much  time  abroad.  His 
letters  to  the  St-  Louis  papers  and  the  local  press  have 
attracted  much  attention  by  their  force  and  vigor.  Par- 
ticularly is  this  true  of  his  letters  from  Mexico,  a  country 
■whose  customs  are  happily  set  forth  by  his  ready  pen.  Politi- 
cally, Mr.  Gruaz  is  a  Democrat.  He  was  married  June  8th, 
1872,  to  Josephine  Ruegger,  nee  Durer,  widow  of  George 
Ruegger. 
4.16 


CHARLES  B0E.5CHENSTEIN,  Jr  , 
Editor  aud  publisher  of  the  H!ghland  Herald,  was  born 
October  27,  1862,  in  the  town  of  Highland,  Madison  county, 
Illinois.  It  was  here,  in  the  common  schools,  that  he  received 
his  early  education.  However,  he  attended  Smith  Academy 
for  a  time,  and  when  the  Hiyhland  Herald  was  about  to 
collapse,  he  then  discontinued  his  studies  to  take  charge  of 
the  Herald,  in  August,  1881.  Politically  he  is  an  ardent  De- 
mocrat, and  his  paper  wields  a  large  influence  in  the  ranks 
of  this  party.  His  father,  Charles  Boeschenstein,  Sr.,  was 
born  on  the  9th  of  March,  1829,  at  Stein  Am  Rheim.  canton 
Schaffhausen,  Switzerland,  immigrated  to  America  in  1848, 
aud  arrived  at  New  Orleans  in  February,  1849.  After 
working  about  in  South  St.  Louis  which  was  then  known  as 
"  Wiebush,"  he  came  to  Highland  in  1850,  where  he  has 
lived  ever  since.  After  arriving  at  the  latter  place,  he 
made  his  living  by  working  on  farms  and  putting  his  hand 
to  work  at  almost  anything.  For  years  he  carried  the 
mail  between  Highland  and  Trenton,  on  the  0.  &  M.  rail- 
road, and  between  Highland  and  St.  Louis.  In  1857  he 
was  married  to  Rosette  Heder.  Of  this  union  there  were 
eight  children,  four  of  whom  are  dead.  Of  those  living 
Charles  is  the  oldest.  In  1861  he  was  elected  constable, 
aud  in  1865  justice  of  the  peace,  which  office,  together  with 
the  office  of  notary  public,  he  still  holds.  He  is  a  charter 
member  of  the  Odd  Fellows,  Knights  of  Honor,  Druids  and 
Good  Templars  (the  latter  lodge  is  disbanded),  and  of 
Gruethi,  Turner  and  Singing  Societies.  He  was  for  years  a 
member  of  the  board  of  education,  and  as  such  was  secre- 
tary of  the  board.  He  has  always  taken  a  great  interest  in 
educational  matters  and  public  enterprises.  During  the 
war  he  was  a  staunch  Unionist,  aud  a  leader  of  the  liberal 
league  ;  in  1872  he  joined  the  Greeley  movement  and  is  now 
a  Democrat. 


C.  P.  CHIPRON. 

Prominent  among  the  energetic,  pushing  business  men 
of  Highland  is  C.  P.  Chipron,  who  was  born  in  Paris, 
France,  March  30,  1834.  His  father  was  a  commission 
merchant  in  that  city.  In  1848  he  came  to  America,  his 
objective  point  being  St.  Louis.  After  remaining  here  a 
year  he  moved  to  Highland,  where  he  died,  September  23d, 
1880.  The  subji^ct  of  this  sketch,  familiarly  known  as  Paul, 
had  the  advantages  of  the  best  schools  in  his  native  city, 
and  early  manifested  a  genius  for  invention.  He  followed 
farming  near  Highland  until  1867,  when  he  commenced 
operating  in  agricultural  machiner3'.  This  was  a  field  of 
labor  much  more  congenial  to  his  tastes,  and  one  too  which 
afforded  him  opportunities  to  exercise  his  peculiar  talents  to 


LAENGLE'S  HOTEL  ~  HENRY  LAENGLE  PROPRIETOR,     ST.  JACOBS.  IWNOIS. 


RESID£/JCE&  OffJCE  OF  T/MOTHY  CRUAZ,  NOTARY  PUBUC  &  FINANCIAL  AGENT,  H/GHUNO, ILL. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


437 


their  highest  degree.  In  1868  he  erected  the  machine  shops 
with  which  he  has  since  been  connected.  Whilst  a  farmer 
in  1860,  he  invented  an  improvement  in  self-rakers  which  he 
disposed  of  to  D.  M.  Osborn  &  Co.,  and  which  has  been 
largely  used  since.  The  second  patent  issued  to  him  was 
for  a  corn  sheller,  bearing  date  February  11,  1868.  This 
sheller  has  t.aken  premiums  wherever  exhibited,  notably  at 
the  Illinois  State  and  the  St.  Louis  Fairs.  The  award  of 
these  premiums  where  competition  was  great— entering  into 
generous  rivalry  with  many  makes — was  certainly  very 
gratifying  to  Mr.  Chipron  and  his  hosts  of  friends. 

Self-binders  arrested  his  attention,  forced  as  he  was  in 
selling  agricultural  machinery  to  handle  them  largely,  and 
an  improvement  made  by  him  seems  destined  to  be  univer- 
sally adopted.  It  is  saying  only  what  is  richly  deserved 
when  Mr.  Chipron  is  declared  to  be  one  of  the  best  and 
most  expert  machine  men  in  the  State. 

He  was  married  to  Mrs.  Alice  Wielandy,  March  2,  1858. 
By  this  union  there  have  been  born  six  children,  two  of 
whom  are  now  teachers  in  good  positions.  Politically  he  is 
a  pronounced  Republican,  taking  an  active  part  in  every  cam- 
paign and  contributing  largely  to  his  party's  success.  He  is 
especially  proud  of  the  fact  that  his  first  ballot  was  cast  for 
Abraham  Lincoln  for  President.  He  has  held  the  position 
of  Chief  of  the  Fire  Department,  city  of  Highland,  and 
under  his  charge  the  efficiency  of  the  department  was 
materially  enhanced.  In  business  circles  he  is  recognized  as 
being  energetic,  zealous  and  successful.  His  mechanical 
ingenuity  finds  full  exercise  in  the  prosecution  of  his 
business. 

JOHN  S.  HOERNER, 
The  able  editor  of  the  Hlcfhland  Union,  was  born  January 
28,  1846,  in  Remlingeu,  Bavaria,  Germany.     He  came  to 
56 


America  with  his  parents  in  1856,  arriving  in  Edwardsville 
in  October  of  that  year.  After  obtaining  a  common  school 
education,  he  commenced  as  apprentice  to  the  printer's  trade, 
October  17,  1860,  in  the  office  of  the  Madison  Advertiser. 
From  there  he  went  to  the  office  of  the  Free  Fress.  In  order 
to  perfect  himself  in  the  art  he  learned  to  love,  he  served 
an  additional  apprenticeship  in  the  large  book  and  job 
printing  house  of  A.  Weibusch  &  Son,  St.  Louis,  Missouri. 
Having  quite  mastered  his  trade,  he  went  to  Alton,  where 
he  worked  in  both  the  Telegraph  and  Democrat  offices. 
Thence  he  went  to  Highland  in  the  fall  of  1865,  where  he 
took  charge  of  the  Union  office  as  foreman.  In  December 
of  the  same  year  he  purchased  the  Union  office  in  connection 
with  Dr.  G.  Rutz,  and  in  1874  became  sole  proprietor  of  that 
office.  As  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Union,  he  has  estab- 
lished a  fine  reputation,  and  his  is  one  of  the  best  equipped 
offices  to  be  found  in  southern  Illinois. 

His  father  died  in  1859,  three  years  after  reaching  this 
country.  Thenceforward  the  support  of  a  widowed  mother 
devolved  upon  him,  and  well  did  he  discharge  his  duties  as 
a  son.  During  the  first  year  after  his  father's  death,  he  was 
compelled  to  saw  wood  for  neighbors  to  gain  a  livelihood. 
His  mother  died  in  Highland,  January  •2d,  1874.  He  was 
married  to  Rosa  Eggen,  daughter  of  Jacob  Eggen,  May  9th, 
1878. 

Mr.  Hoerner  is  a  pronounced  and  active  republican.  As 
editor  of  a  republican  paper  he  has  contributed  much  to  his 
party's  success.  He  is  a  member  of  several  orders,  in  the 
workings  of  which  he  takes  a  lively  interest.  Among  them 
are  the  Masonic,  Knights  of  Honor,  and  Turnverein. 

Mr.  Hoerner  is  an  honor  to  his  profession, — a  live, 
thorough-going  business  man,  of  that  systematic  class  who 
succeed. 


JARVIS. 


fHIS  TOWNSHIP,  the  bounflaries  of 
^vhich  coincide  with  those  of  congres- 
t^ioiial  township,  3  North,  range  7  West, 
was  so  named  in  honor  of  the  Jarvis 
lamily,  menbers  of  which  were  among 
the  early  settlers  of  this  part  of  the 
county. 
The  first  settlers  in  the  township  arrived 
in  1803.  In  J;he  spring  of  that  year,  the  Greggs,  (sometimes 
spelled  Gragg),  came  from  Kentucky,  and  Robert  Seybold 
from  Virginia.  In  an  address  delivered  by  Dr.  John  S. 
Dewey,  on  the  4th  of  July,  1S76,  he  states  that  "Jacob 
Gregg,  the  father,  settled  the  Baird  place  and  planted  the 
old  pear  tree  in  1804,  which  has  done  faithful  service  since, 
and  in  18G4,  yielded  a  crop  which  sold  in  Dubuque, 
Iowa,  for  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars.  Philip 
Gregg  settled  the  place  owned  by  Julius  A.  Barnsback ; 
Titus,  the  place  owned  by  Ignatius  Riggln ;  John,  James 
H.  Taylor's  place  on  the  west  of  the  prairie,  and  Herman 
Gregg,  the  site  of  Troy.  Robert  Seybold  made  a  settle- 
ment on  section  eight,  not  far  from  John  Gregg  and  near  the 
head  of  Cantine  creek.  The  township  was  not  surveyed  till 
the)'ear  1806.  These  pioneers  were  soon  followed  by  other 
settlers,  among  whom  were  William  F.  Purviance,  John  Jar- 
vis,  Robert  McMahau,  Jesse  Reufro,  William  Hall,  James 
Watt,  and  some  others,  all  of  whom  had  made  their  homes 
here  previous  to  the  organization  of  the  state  government 
in  1818.  The  first  entries  of  land  in  the  township  were 
made  on  the  10th  of  September,  1814,  by  Titus  Gregg  and 
John  Jarvis.  The  former  entered  the  north  half,  and  part 
of  the  south  half,  in  all  five  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  in 
section  four.  Robert  Seybold  entered  one  hundred  acres, 
part  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  seven,  Oct.  20th, 
1814.  September  23d,  1815,  David  Gaskill  entered  seventy- 
nine  and  a  half  acres  in  section  seven.  May  1st,  1815,  Pierre 
Menard  entered  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  section  one. 

AA-^illiam  F.  Purviance,  whose  name  appears  above  as  one 
of  the  early  pioneers,  was  born  in  Cabarrus  county.  North 
Carolina,  in  1783,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1809.  He  first 
worked  at  the  trade  of  a  wheelwright  with  Titus  Gregg,  who 
was  a  wheelwright  and  blacksmith,  and  carried  on  those 
branches  of  business  ou  the  present  farm  of  Ignatius  Riggin, 
north  of  Troy.  After  paying  a  visit  to  Tenuessee,  he  was 
married  iu  1811  to  Rebecca,  daughter  of  Robert  Seybold, 
and  then  settled  two  miles  north  of  Troy,  in  what  is  now 
Pin  Oak  township.  About  the  year  1816  he  moved  back  to 
Jarvis  township,  settled  on  section  seven,  west  of  Troy, 
438 


where  he  lived  till  his  death  in  December,  1870.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  first  graud  jury  convened  at  Edwardsville 
after  the  orginization  of  Madison  county,  and  survived 
longer  than  any  other  member  of  that  body,  He  was  once 
appointed  a  justice  of  the  peace  while  Illinois  was  yet  a 
territory,  but  never  transacted  any  of  the  duties  of  that  office. 
For  many  years  he  carried  on  a  wheelwright  shop  on  his 
farm.  In  the  early  times  he  made  spinning  wheels,  both  for 
spinning  flax  and  cotton,  and  at  his  wheels  the  pioneer  wo- 
men of  the  country  spent  many  a  busy  hour.  Two  of  his 
children  are  yet  living  in  the  county ;  James  Purviance, 
who  was  born  in  1811  and  resides  on  part  of  the  land  which 
his  father  entered,  and  William  H.  Purviance,  a  citizen  of 
Troy.  James  Purviance  is  now  one  of  the  oldest  persons 
living  in  the  county,  who  was  boru  within  its  limits. 

George  Bridges  and  Daniel  Semple  settled  southeast  from 
Troy  in  1808,  and  Walter  Denny  and  William  Skinner  also 
came  up  at  a  very  early  period.  John  Lamb  became  a 
citizen  of  this  part  of  the  county  in  1810.  All  these  were 
from  Kentucky  and  Tennessee. 

Robert  McMahau  settled  on  Ridge  prairie,  two  miles  and 
a  half  southwest  from  Troy.  He  was  born  in  Virginia, 
emigrated  thence  to  Lexington,  Kentucky,  and  in  that  state 
married  Margaret  Clark.  He  removed  to  Illinois  in  1793, 
and  settled  near  New  Design.  His  wife  and  four  children 
were  killed  by  the  Indians,  and  he  and  his  eldest  daughter 
taken  prisoner.  He  married  a  second,  wife  and  raised  a 
large  family.  He  died  in  1822,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three. 
In  1795,  John  Jarvis,  a  native  of  Virginia,  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  settlement  on  the  1st  of  January,  1813.  He 
moved  from  Turkey  Hill,  a  short  distance  southeast  of 
Belleville,  in  St.  Clair  county,  where  he  had  settled  about 
the  year  1806.  The  Turkey  Hill  settlement  was  the  only 
American  settlement  made  in  St.  Clair  county  previous  to 
the  year  1800,  and  in  the  history  of  St.  Clair  county  we 
find  that  Franklin  Jarvis,  a  brother  of  John  Jarvis,  was  a 
member  of  the  original  colony  which  settled  Turkey  Hill  in 
1797.  John  Jarvis  bought  of  Herman  Gregg  his  improve- 
ment. On  the  10th  day  of  September,  1814,  he  made  the 
first  entry  of  land  from  the  government  ever  made  in  Jarvis 
township.  He  kept  a  house  of  entertainment  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  emigrant  travel  moving,  westward,  and  in 
1816  built  a  band  mill.  This  mill  was  a  great  convenience 
to  the  settlers.  The  travel  to  it  caused  the  convergence  of 
the  rude  bridle  paths  and  cart  ways  to  this  point,  so  that  the 
site  of  the  mill  became  the  most  desirable  place  in  the  vicini- 
ty for  the  establishment  of  a  store.     Jarvis'  band  mill  may 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


439 


thus  be  said  to  have  been  the  origin  of  the  town  of  Troy. 
Jarvis  left  behind  him  the  name  and  reputation  of  a  good 
man.  Although  in  his  youth  accustomed  to  slavery  he  be- 
came conscientiously  opposed  to  the  practice  of  holding 
human  beings  in  bondage,  and  sacrificed  his  own  pecuniary 
interests  in  slaves.  He  was  probably  the  first  practical 
abolitionist  in  Jarvis  township.  He  requested  that  his  faith- 
ful old  slave,  Ben,  should  be  buried  near  him.  He  died  on 
the  29th  of  October,  1823.  He  had  three  sons  (by  the 
second  marriage,)  John,  Wesley  and  Fletcher,  who  grew  up 
and  lived  in  Troy  till  they  died.  Many  of  their  descendants 
still  reside  at  Troy. 

George  Churchill,  who  settled  on  section  eight,  west  of 
Troy,  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable  men  who  ever  lived  in 
the  township.  In  early  life  he  had  learned  the  printing 
business  and  after  coming  to  the  township,  he  at  intervals 
went  to  St.  Louis  and  worked  in  the  printing  offices  of  that 
place.  He  remained  a  bachelor,  and  his  habits  were  pecu- 
liar and  eccentric.  He,  however,  was  held  in  high  estima- 
tion by  the  community,  and  was  several  times  sent  as  a  rep- 
resentative to  the  legislature.  Here,  though  he  was  no  ora- 
tor, and  indeed  never  attempted  to  make  a  speech,  his  talent 
as  a  ready  writer  came  in  play,  and  he  drafted  a  considerable 
part  of  the  bills  brought  forward  by  his  side  of  the  house. 
He  was  one  of  the  most  active  opponents  of  the  efforts  to  in- 
troduce slavery  into  the  state  in  1824.  His  votes  in  the  leg- 
islature excited  the  displeasure  of  those  opposed  to  his  views, 
and  he  and  Nicholas  Hanson,  a  fellow  member  of  the  assem- 
bly, were  burned  in  effigy,  at  Troy. 

Jesse  Renfro,  who  lives  a  mile  and  a  half  east  of  Troy,  is 
DOW  one  of  the  oldest  residents  of  Madison  county.  He  was 
born  in  Lincoln  county,  Kentucky,  in  1796.  In  the  year 
1810,  when  he  was  fourteen,  his  father,  James  Renfro,  emi- 
grated from  Kentucky  to  Illinois.  The  family  spent  the 
winter  of  1810-11  in  Ridge  Prairie,  three  miles  south  of 
Troy,  a  short  distance  from  Downing's  station,  a  fort  erected 
for  the  protection  of  the  settlers  against  the  Indians  in  the 
edge  of  the  present  county  of  St.  Clair.  In  the  spring  of 
1^11,  the  family  moved  to  section  twenty-four  of  township 
three,  range  eight.  James  Renfro  died  in  the  fall  of  1814, 
■while  on  a  visit  to  Kentucky.  In  the  spring  of  1814,  Jesse 
Renfro,  then  not  quite  eighteen,  enlisted  as  a  mounted  ran- 
ger in  Capt.  Samuel  Whiteside's  company  which  was  en- 
gaged in  the  protection  of  the  frontier  settlements.  He 
served  a  year  as  a  ranger  and  six  months  additional  in  the 
militia  service.  In  September,  1817,  he  married  Letty 
West,  daughter  of  Isaac  West,  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of 
the  present  Collinsville  township,  and  settled  in  section 
eleven  of  Jarvis  township,  where  he  has  resided  ever  since. 
This  marriage  ceremony  was  performed  by  Joseph  Eberman, 
a  son-in-law  of  John  Jarvis,  who  at  that  time  filled  the 
office  of  justice  of  the  peace.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Renfro  lived 
together  quietly  on  this  spot  nearly  sixty-five  years,  till  the 
death  of  Mrs.  Renfro,  which  occurred  in  March,  1882.  In 
the  year  1817,  when  Mr.  Renfro  settled  at  this  place  he 
remembers  the  following  persons  who  were  living  in  the 
township  : 

At  Troy,  John  Jarvis  to  whom  reference  has  already, 
been  made. 


Joseph  Eberman,  a  son-inlaw  of  ]\Ir.  Jarvis.  He 
was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace  in  the  township,  having 
received  his  appointment  soon  after  the  war  of  1812-14. 
He  built  a  house  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Market  streets, 
on  the  spot  now  occupied  by  Fred.  Auwarter's  store,  which 
he  used  as  a  tavern.  Titus  Gregg,  who  lived  north  of  Troy 
on  the  present  farm  of  Ignatus  Riggiu.  Mr.  Renfro  re- 
members him  as  a  conservative  and  unprogressive  man  who 
grumbled  excessively  at  the  passage  of  the  law  establishing 
a  free  school  system  to  be  supported  by  taxation.  He 
thought  every  man  should  school  his  own  children.  The 
land  on  which  Herman  Gregg  lived  covered  the  site  of 
Brookside.  About  the  year  1818  a  Kentuckian  by  the 
name  of  Laban  Smart  began  making  an  improvement  on 
section  one.  Samuel  Wood,  who  lived  on  section  five,  was  a 
native  of  Kentucky.  He  was  a  Baptist  preacher,  and  an 
honest,  upright  man,  held  in  estimation  by  the  community. 
His  son,  Andrew  Wood,  is  still  a  resident  of  the  township. 
Calvin  and  Horatio  McCray  came  to  the  township  and  made 
settlements  on  section  five  in  the  year  1816  or  1817.  They 
•were  from  Connecticut.  Most  of  the  early  settlers  were  of 
Southern  origin,  and  the  McCrays  on  account  of  their  New 
England  birth,  were  called  "Yankees,"  a  term  which  had 
been  brought  into  some  disrespect  by  the  sharp  tricks  of 
some  Yankee  clock  peddlers  and  itinerant  vendors  of 
various  articles,  who  had  traveled  through  the  country. 
The  name,  however,  was  subsequently  redeemed  by  settlers 
from  the  eastern  states  who  set  the  community  good  ex- 
amples of  sobriety,  thrift  and  enterprise.  Horatio  McCray 
was  one  of  the  fifst  to  give  much  attention  to  the  raising  of 
stock.  Calvin  McCray  was  for  some  years  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  at  Troy.  About  the  year  1830  he 
started  on  his  farm  a  mill  for  grinding  grain  which  was  in 
operation  only  a  short  time.  It  was  worked  by  means  of  a 
tread  power  and  a  yoke  of  oxen.  Bennett  Posey,  one  of  the 
early  residents  of  section  six,  is  still  living  in  Pin  Oak 
township.  His  father.  Jubilee  Posey,  came  to  this  county 
during  the  winter  of  1810  11,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the 
ranging  service  during  the  war  of  1812-14.  James  White- 
side made  an  early  improvement  on  section  six.  His  father, 
Joel  Whiteside,  and  his  uncle,  Capt.  Samuel  Whiteside,  were 
among  the  first  settlers  of  what  is  now  Collinsville  township. 
Gaines  Moore,  a  son-in-law  of  John  Jarvis,  lived  in  1817  on 
section  eight.  Jesse  Rountree  in  1818  began  making  an 
improvement  on  part  of  the  land  entered  by  Jesse  Renfro 
in  section  eleven.  He  afterward  moved  to  one  of  the  coun- 
ties north  of  Madison.  David  Heudershott,  a  Virginian  by 
birth,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  on  section  ten.  He  was 
in  favor  of  slavery,  and  is  said  to  have  been  one  of  those 
connected  with  the  burning  of  Churchill  and  Hanson  in 
effigy  at  Troy  for  their  opposition  in  the  legislature  to  the 
efforts  of  the  pro-slavery  men  to  secure  in  Illinois  the  adop- 
tion of  the  slave  system.  He  thought  that  the  establishment 
of  .slavery  would  raise  the  price  of  land  and  he  would  be 
enabled  to  sell  out  at  a  good  figure.  William  Vinyard, 
previous  to  1820,  had  made  a  settlement  on  section  two.  In 
section  tvvelve  Stephen  Col  Iyer  wiis  an  early  resident.  He 
was  a  tanner  by  trade,  and  carried  on  a  tan  yard  on  his  farm. 


440 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


The  first  house  on  section  thirteen  was  built  by  a  man  named 
Nowlaud.  He  was  a  local  Methodist  minister  and  preached 
occasionally.  He  sold  his  place  to  one  Maxey,  and  though 
the  property  has  since  passed  through  several  different  hands, 
part  of  the  original  log  house  now  used  as  a  barn,  is  still 
standing.  Section  fourteen  was  first  settled  by  two  brothers, 
John  and  Jacob  Haj^ler.  Cleveland  and  Benjamin  J. 
Hagler  were  sons  of  John  and  Jacob  Hagler.  William 
Good  was  also  an  early  resident  on  this  section.  The  Hag- 
lers  and  Goods  lived  within  a  short  distance  of  one  of  the 
oldest  schools  in  the  township,  a  circumstance  which  was  of 
much  convenience,  for  Benjamin  J.  Hagler  had  thirteen 
children  in  his  family  and  William  Good  fifteen.  William 
R.  Hagler,  an  early  resident  of  the  county,  was  a  native  of 
North  Carolina.  After  residing  some  years  in  Tennessee  he 
came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Jarvis  township  in  1818. 
He  died  in  1832.  On  section  sixteen  the  early  settlers  were 
Abraham  Van  Hooser,  Daniel  Reese,  and  Coulson  Townsend. 
Van  Hooser's  land  remained  in  the  possession  of  his  de- 
scendants till  within  a  year  or  two.  J-  P.  Anderson  had 
settled  south  of  Troy,  at  a  comparatively  early  date,  and  i 
-was  prominent  and  active  as  a  business  man.  To  the  south 
of  Troy,  John  and  Charles  Edwards  were  early  settlers. 
John  Edwards  filled  for  many  years  the  position  of  justice 
of  the  peace,  and  discharged  the  duties  of  this  otfice  in  a  satis- 
factory manner.  William  Hall  became  a  citizen  of  the 
township  in  1815,  and  selected  a  location  on  section  twenty- 
nine.  He  had  a  family  of  six  sons  and  two  daughters,  and 
many  of  his  descendants  are  now  honored  and  respected  resi- 
dents of  the  county. 

James  W.  Watt  settled  in  the  prairie  two  or  three  miles 
south  of  Troy  in  1817.  He  came  to  Illinois  from  Green 
county,  Kentucky,  and  was  the  son  of  James  Watt,  who  had 
been  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  Mr.  Watt  was 
for  fifty-eight  years  a  leading  menaber  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church.  He  died  in  December,  1861.  He  left  several 
children  residing  in  the  county.  John  Cook,  the  father  of 
Harrison,  William  and  Wesley  Cook,  was  an  early  resident 
of  the  township.  The  place  originally  settled  by  John 
Gregg,  in  section  seven,  was  afterwards  purchased  by  Syl- 
vanus  Gaskill,  a  native  of  the  State  of  New  York.  Gregg 
moved  to  Arkansas.  Between  1825  and  1830  Gaskill 
carried  on  a  hoise  mill  at  this  place.  Early  Methodist 
meetings  were  frequently  held  at  Gaskill's  house.  S.  W. 
Cowles,  who  is  now  a  resident  of  Troy,  became  a  citizen  of 
Jarvis  township  in  1829.  His  step-father,  James  Mills,  with 
whom  he  came,  settled  two  miles  south  of  Troy. 

Josiah  Caswell  came  from  Vermont  in  1823,  and  after 
living  for  a  time  east  of  Troy,  purchased  the  place  now 
owned  by  William  Donoho,  west  of  the  town.  On  the  west 
edge  of  the  town,  from  1834  to  1838,  he  kept  a  store.  He 
moved  to  Macoupin  county  in  1838,  and  afterwards  died 
in  Green  county.  His  son,  O.  H.  Caswell,  is  still  a  resident 
of  Troy.  John  Cook,  father  of  William  Cook,  now  residing 
in  the  township,  first  settled  in  the  present  Collinsville  town- 
ship, and  afterward  became  a  resident  of  this  township.  The 
hou.se  which  he  built  is  still  standing.    Morris  M.  Armstrong, 


a  native  of  Warren  county,  Kentucky,  and  now  a  citizen  of 
Troy,  has  been  a  resident  of  the  county  since  1816. 

We  give  in  this  form  a  list  of  the  early  settlers  of  the 
township.  Many  of  their  names  have  been  aheady  referred 
to: 

William  Hayes, 
David  Moore, 
Gaines  Moore, 
Henry  Hall, 
William  Hall,  jr., 
William  Kingston, 
Samson  Kingston, 
Baptiste  St.  .John, 
Kivers  McCormack, 
Stephen  Dewey, 
William  Beard, 
Israel  Turner, 
John  Kiggin, 
Milton  Hall, 
William  W.  Hall, 
George  Bolton, 
Thomas  Bolton, 
James  Downing,  of  Down- 
ing Station, 
John  Harrington, 
David  Hendershoit, 
Fiehl  Jarvis, 
Samuel  Vincent, 
Anderson  Smith, 
James  Simmons, 
Andrew  W.  Waddle, 
Hardy  Warren, 
Walter  Denny, 
Isaac  Clerk, 
Giles  Kelley, 
G.  W.  Kerr, 
Elijah  Renshaw, 
Harry  Riggin, 
James  Newell, 
James  Riggin, 
AVhitmill  Harrington, 
Nicholas  Russell, 
John  I'ainier, 
Henry  A.  Longstaff, 
Jesse  Rountree, 
Andrew  Black, 
James  Watt. 


Titus  Gregg, 
.John  Jarvis, 
Joseph  Eberman, 
Abraham  Van  Hooser,  sr., 
Abraham  Van  Hooser,  jr., 
Henry  Peck, 
Daniel  Reeea, 
.Joshua  Armstrong, 
William  Robinson, 
Job  Robinson, 
Josiah  Caswell, 
George  Churchill, 
William  Howard, 
William  Vineyard, 
Jesse  Renfro, 

Cleveland  Hagler, 

Benjamin  J.  Hagler. 

Andrew  Stice. 

William  Hall, 

John  Hall, 

Robert  McMahan, 

Noah  Hall, 

Lyman  Gillet, 

Jonathan  Denton, 

Sylvanus  Gaskill, 

David  Gaskill, 

Jacob  Gregg, 

William  F.  Purviance, 

Valentine  Van  Hooser, 

Joseph  Snodgrass, 

Isaac  K.  McMahan, 

Robert  K.  McMahan.  jr., 

Thomas  S.  McMahan, 

Andrew  Moore, 

JohnC.  Kiggin, 

Dr.  Thomas  Baker, 

Calvin  McCray, 

Horatio  McCray, 

Samuel  Wood, 

Alexander  Coulee, 

John  Conlee, 

Isaac  Conlee, 


The  first  school  taught  in  the  township,  was  on  the  western 
line  of  section  eight  in  the  year  1811.  The  teacher  was 
Greenberry  Randle,  who  agreed  to  teach  the  principles  of 
arithmetic  as  far  as  the  "  Double  Rule  of  Three."  In  this 
school  the  Kinders,  Jarvises,  Gaskills,  and  others  of  the  early 
settlers  received  the  first  elements  of  an  education  and  laid 
the  foundation  for  their  subsequent  usefulness  as  honored 
and  respected  citizens.  No  school  was  established  in  Troy 
till  the  year  1824.  One  of  the  early  teachers  of  the  town- 
ship is  still  living,  Jesse  Renfro.  He  one  year  taught  a  six 
months'  school  on  section  ten  for  one  hundred  dollars,  and 
furnished  the  necessary  books  to  all  the  scholars. 

Among  the  early  churches  of  the  township  wastheGilead 
Methodist  church,  which  stood  on  section  fourteen.  This 
was  the  first  building  erected  in  the  township  for  religious 
purposes,  though  early  Methodist  meetings  had  been  held  at 
the  house  of  John  Jarvis  and  elsewhere.  The  church  was 
also  used  as  a  school-house,  and  Jesse  Renfro  taught  here 
several  years  between  1830  and  1840.  The  old  church  was 
a  plain,  square  frame  structure,  about  twenty  by 
thirty  feet  in  dimensions,  weather  boarded  on  the  outside 
with  clap-boards.  The  interior  was  plastered.  Logs  split 
open  with  pins  fastened  in  the  round  side  formed  the  benches. 


irrSTOIiY  OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


441 


The  edifice  was  of  course,  destitute  of  paiut.  Among  the 
early  preachers  here  were  the  Rev.  Samuel  H.  Thonipsou, 
John  Dew,  J.  H.  Benson,  and  Washington  C.  Ballard,  a  lo- 
cal minister. 

On  the  southwest  corner  of  the  same  section  (fourteen)  a 
church  was  subsequently  built  by  the  Baptists,  in  which 
preaching  was  only  held  a  few  years.  In  the  northern  part 
of  section  fourteen  is  an  old  graveyard  still  in  use,  in  which 
the  first  interment  was  the  wife  of  John  Hagler.  An  Old 
School  Baptist  church  was  established  on  section  sixteen.  The 
Methodists  of  the  western  part  of  the  township  found  the 
Zion  Methodist  church  on  section  nineteen ;  the  present 
building  was  erected  in  1838. 

A  Roman  Catholic  church  was  established  on  section 
twenty-seven,  with  the  services  in  the  German  language. 

The  land  of  Troy  township  is  a  good  average  in  fertility 
and  value  of  the  lands  of  lEadison  county.  About  one- 
third  of  the  townshij)  is  embraced  in  Ridge  prairie,  than 
■which  there  is  no  better  land  in  the  county.  The  bottom  of 
Silver  creek,  which  flows  south  through  the  eastern  part  of 
the  township,  is  unusually  wide  and  subject  to  overflow,  which 
lessens  its  value  for  agricultural  purposes.  South  of  Troy,  is 
what  is  known  as  the  "  black  jack  "  district.  It  contains  a 
good  deal  of  fine  land,  is  excellent  for  the  cultivation  of 
wheat,  and  the  farms  here  sell  at  high  figures.  This  part  of 
the  township  is  inhabited  mainly  by  a  German  population, 
most  of  whom  are  good  farmers. 

SUPERVISORS. 

Ignatius  Riggin  was  the  first  elected  in  1876,  and  served 
two  terms,  and  in  1878  was  succeeded  by  J.  A.  Barusback, 
who  by  re-election  has  continued  in  the  oflice  to  the  present. 


The  land  on  which  the  town  of  Troy  is  mainly  built  was 
entered  by  John  Jarvis  in  September,  1814.  In  1818,  the 
year  Illinois  became  a  state  ;  there  was  a  store  carried  on 
here  by  Stephen  Dewey,  a  tavern  by  Joseph  Eberman,  and 
the  place  was  called  Columbia.  Jarvis  had  a  horse  mill  at 
his  residence.  In  the  year  1819,  Jarvis  sold  ten  acres  of 
the  land  lying  south  of  his  residence  to  James  Riggin  and 
David  Hender.shott,  who  surveyed  the  tract  into  lots  and 
laid  ofl"  the  town  of  Troy.  Ten  dollars  an  acre  was  the  price 
paid  for  this  land.  The  name  of  Troy  was  given  to  the 
place  by  James  Riggin. 

James  Riggin  and  his  brother,  Harry  Riggin,  had  come 
to  Troy  in  1818,  and  afterward,  in  1822,  were  followed 
by  another  brother,  John  C.  Riggin,  father  of  Ignatius  Rig. 
gin,  now  a  resident  of  Jarvis  township.  They  were  born  in 
Sevier  county,  Tennessee.  Their  father  was  a  Methodist 
preacher  who  traveled  a  circuit  in  East  Tennessee  eight 
years,  and  then  went  to  farming  with  the  view  of  securing  a 
better  support  for  his  family. 

After  the  town  was  platted  a  store  was  started  in  which 
James  Riggin,  Harry  Riggin,  and  Samuel  Reid  were  part- 
ners. All  were  alike  without  means  or  any  previous  know- 
ledge of  the  mercantile  business,  but  with  Henry  Hayes  who 
lived  in  the  Six-mile  prairie  in  the  Bottom  as  their  backer, 


they  bought  three  hundred  dollars  worth  of  goods  and  began 
business.  Afterward,  George  W.  Carr,  came  out  from  St. 
Louis,  to  help  run  the  establishment.  He  had  a  good  edu- 
cation, bright  talents,  and  was  a  good  business  man  though 
inclined  to  dissipation.  From  him  James  Riggin  learned 
the  business,  but  the  store  not  proving  profitable,  he  loaded 
the  goods  in  a  one-horse  wagon  and  moved  them  to  Lebanon; 
where  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  for  many  years, 
and  accumulated  considerable  property.  Harry  Riggin 
moved  to  ^Menard  county.  In  1829,  John  C.  Riggin  pur- 
chased the  farm  north  the  of  town  originally  settled  by  Titus 
Gregg.  The  money  with  which  to  buy  this  land  he  secured 
during  a  trip  to  the  Galena  lead  mines  in  1828.  He  lived 
on  this  farm  till  his  death  in  18G9. 

One  of  the  earliest  buildings  in  Troy  was  a  house  on  the 
southwest  quarter  of  Main  and  Market  streets,  built  by 
David  Gaskill.  It  was  so  rough  in  its  construction  that 
Mr.  Carr  and  others,  in  a  playful  spree,  tore  it  down  and 
burned  the  rough,  round  logs  that  they  might  not  again  dis- 
grace the  town.  On  the  northwest  corner  of  the  same  streets 
stood  a  building  which  in  1822  was  occupied  by  Calvin  Mc- 
Cray  as  a  storehouse.  McCray  was  one  of  the  early  mer- 
chants of  the  town,  and  carried  on  business  for  a  number  of 
years.  He  owned  the  whole  block.  A  log  cabin  stood  on 
it,  and  to  this  a  frame  addition  was  made,  and  in  this 
Horatio  McCray,  a  brother  to  Calvin,  kept  "  accommoda- 
tions for  travelers."  The  block  pissed  into  the  possession 
of  Jacob  C.  Gonterman,  who  continued  the  tavern.  A 
frame  store-house  was  built  by  Riggin  and  Hendershott  on 
the  northeast  corner  of  Main  and  Market  streets,  and  on 
the  southeist  corner  Joseph  Eberman  built  a  frame  house  for 
tavern  purposes. 

The  growth  of  the  town  was  slow.  It  was  not  till  many 
years  afterward  that  the  inhabitants  were  acco  nmodated  with 
a  post  office,  and  then  the  appointment  was  given  to  George 
Churchill,  whose  house  was  in  the  Ridge  Prairie  a  mile  and 
a  quarter  west  of  the  town.     This  was  in  the  year  If.  33. 

In  the  year  1831,  the  firm  of  White  &  Merritt  conducted 
the  only  store  in  town.  It  stood  on  the  corner  where  Fred 
Auwarter's  store  now  is.  Lswis  Scantland  kept  a  public 
house  which  occupied  the  site  of  the  present  White  Horse 
hotel.  He  subsequently  sold  out  to  a  man  named  Hickman. 
A  harness  maker,  named  Abner  Kelly,  was  also  a  resident  of 
the  place  at  that  time. 

The  town  plat  on  which  the  names  of  William  Hender- 
son, John  Reed,  Frederick  T.  Kraft't  and  Theodore  J.  KrafTt 
appear  as  proprietors,  was  placed  on  record  on  the  fifth  of 
March,  1839.  Mechanicsburg,  laid  out  by  Josiah  Caswell, 
is  recorded  as  an  addition  to  Troy. 

Andrew  Mills  has  lived  in  Troy  since  March,  1842,  and 
has  always  been  intimately  connected  with  the  business 
afiliirs  of  the  town.  Since  ISGO  he  has  filled  the  office  of 
police  magistrate.  Troy  contained  but  few  inhabitants  when 
be  became  a  resident  of  the  place.  The  only  store  was  kept 
by  John  Brady  in  a  small  building  on  Market  street  now 
occupied  as  a  barber  shop.  The  building  on  the  southwest 
corner  of  INLain  and  Market  streets,  now  used  as  the  Bulletin 
office,  had  been  occupied  a  short  time  previously  by  Fred 


442 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Kraffc  who  had  erected  the  building  and  carried  on  a  store 
there  for  some  time.  This  building  was  without  an  occu- 
pant iu  the  spring  of  1842.  William  Heuders(m  kept 
tavern  in  a  building,  one  end  of  which  was  log  and  the 
other  frame,  which  stood  on  the  site  of  the  White  Horse 
hotel.  John  Henderson,  now  a  resident  of  Christian  county, 
a  son  of  William  Henderson,  had  hired  a  journeyman 
blacksmith  and  carried  on  the  blacksmith  business.  The 
same  year,  1842,  a  man  named  Curtis  came  to  the  place  and 
began  work  at  his  trade  of  a  blacksmith.  George  Hulme  at 
that  time  served  the  community  as  tailor,  but  shortly  after- 
ward moved  to  a  ftirm  east  of  the  town.  Thomas  P.  Moore 
and  Andrew  Kimberlin  kept  groceries.  Moore's  place  was  in 
a  building  erected  by  a  man  named  Bardsley  which  stood 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street  from  the  White  Horse  hotel. 
His  building  is  still  standing  and  looks  about  the  same  now 
as  then.  Moore  lived  in  a  two-story  frame  house  on  Market 
street  east  of  the  present  post-office,  still  standing  and  owned 
by  Mrs.  Martin.  His  place  of  business  now  is  ou  the  north 
side  of  Market  street,  opposite  the  post  office.  Daniel  Peter- 
man  was  engaged  in  the  carpentering  business.  In  the 
spring  of  1842,  Dr.  Green  was  the  only  physician.  The  suc- 
ceeding summer  he  removed  to  Marine,  and  his  place  was  sup- 
jdied  by  Dr.  J.  K.  Reiner,  who  practiced  his  profesdon  here 
for  a  number  of  years  and  died  in  Minnesota,  The  post- 
office  was  kept  in  John  Brady's  store,  though  George 
Churchill  being  west  of  the  town,  held  the  commission  as 
postmaster. 

Among  those  promiently  identified  with  the  business  inter- 
ests of  the  place  still  living  is  Julius  A.  Barnsback.  He 
opened  a  store  in  Troy  in  1846,  and  for  several  years  carried 
on  a  large  and  prosperous  business.  He  acted  as  postmas- 
ter, and  also  as  agent  for  J.  P.  Yoris  &  Co.,  the  proprietors 
of  the  St.  Louis  and  Terre  Haute  stage  line.  When  Mr. 
Barnsback  came  to  Troy  in  1846,  the  place  contained  about 
a  dozen  houses  and  a  population  of  less  than  one  hundred. 

The  route  of  the  National  Road,  which  had  been  con- 
structed as  far  as  Vandalia,  had  been  surveyed  through 
Troy.  Over  this  route  passed  a  daily  line  of  stages  running 
between  St.  Louis  and  Terre  Haute,  Indiana.  The  arrival 
and  departure  of  these  stages  was  the  great  feature  of  the 
day.  The  stages  going  east  left  St.  Louis  in  the  morning 
and  reached  Troy  during  the  forenoon.  Going  west  they 
usually  passed  through  the  town  late  at  night.  Troy  was  the 
first  station  out  from  St.  Louis  at  which  horses  were  changed. 
After  the  building  of  railroads  connecting  with  the  East  the 
through  stage  line  was  taken  off.  A  hack  line  was  then  es- 
tablished between  Highland  and  St-  Louis,  which  passed 
through  Troy  and  Collinsville,  and  carried  the  mail.  This 
line  was  kept  up  till  the  building  of  the  Vandalia  railroad. 

In  1842  there  was  no  polling  place  at  Troy,  and  the  voters 
had  the  privilege  of  casting  their  ballots  at  any  polling 
place  within  the  limits  of  the  county.  The  most  voted  at 
Edwardsville.  The  Troy  voting  precinct  was  established 
about  the  year  1844. 

It  was  not  till  the  year  1824  that  a  school  was  started  at 
Troy,  and  not  till  1842  that  a  church  was  organized.  The 
latter  year  the  Rev.  William  Chambcrlin,   who  had   been 


appointed  itinerant  missionary  for  Southern  Illinois  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Alton,  and  the  Rev.  Thomas  Lippincott,  the 
first  Sabbath-school  in  the  state,  held  a  protracted  meeting 
in  a  grove  or  block  twenty-two,  west  of  where  the  White 
Horse  hotel  now  stands.  This  meeting  resulted  iu  the  or- 
ganization (on  the  sixth  of  October,  1842,)  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  The  original  thirteen  members  were  Dr.  J. 
K.  Reiner,  Cyrus  Scott,  Benjamin  Posey,  Mrs.  E.  C.  Reiner, 
P.  Scott,  G.  W.  Scott,  James  Perigo,  S.  A.  Scott,  E  Davis, 
Cintha  Scott,  I.  Perigo,  E.  Scott,  and  E.  Goodwin.  J  K- 
Reiner  and  James  Perigo  were  ordained  elders.  In  1843' 
the  members  strained  their  means  to  erect  a  rough  house  of 
worship  in  block  thirty-nine  of  W.  Jarvis'  addition  to  Troy- 
Twenty  dollars  were  paid  for  the  lot  on  which  the  church  was 
built.  Dr.  J.  K.  Reiner,  Wesley  Jarvis  and  Andrew  Kimber- 
lin, the  latter  two  having  become  members  of  the  church, 
were  prominent  in  securing  the  construction  of  the 
church  edifice,  which  was  a  neat  frame,  twenty-four  by 
thirty  feet  in  dimensions.  The  studdings  were  hewed  poles, 
covered  in  with  split  weather-boarding.  The  floor  was 
made  of  one  foot  wide,  unmatched  plank.  The  old  oak 
seats  were  the  gift  of  the  Collinsville  Pres-byterian  church. 
Among  the  early  pastors  were  the  Rev.  William  Chambcr- 
lin, the  Rev.  Thomas  Lippincott,  the  Rev.  J-  R.  Dunn,  and 
the  Rev.  Calvin  Butler.  The  old  church  gave  place  to  a 
fine  brick  structure  erected  in  1871,  at  a  cost  often  thousand 
dollars,  during  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  Robert  Stuart- 
Rev.  J.  D.  Gchring  is  the  present  pastor. 

In  1843  a  Methodist  church  was  also  built.  Its  site  was 
then  in  the  woods.  Dr.  Dewey,  in  his  Centennial  address, 
remarks  that  by  some  of  the  members  the  church  "  was  said 
to  have  been  built  by  the  devil,  as  most  of  the  movers  were 
irreligious,  and  were  actuated  by  strife  against  the  Presby- 
terians, and  not  by  religious  motives."  The  building  was 
erected  for  no  particular  denomination,  but  when  completed 
was  given  by  vote  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  congregation. 
Afterward,  in  1847,  a  bell,  which  had  belonged  to  a  sunken 
steamer,  was  bought  of  James  B.  Eads,  of  St.  Louis,  who 
was  then  a  diver  and  wrecker  on  the  river,  and  placed  on 
the  church.  This  bell  was  afterward  removed  to  the  school- 
house.  The  old  church  was  succeeded  by  the  present  brick 
structure  on  Main  street,  the  erection  of  which  was  largely 
due  to  William  J.  Barnsback  and  William  Donoho.  The 
Rev.  C.  J.  T.  Tolle  is  now  pastor  of  this  church. 

The  Baptists  built  their  firs|  church  on  Main  street  in 
1848.  This  building  was  supplanted  by  a  larger  and  more 
handsome  structure  in  1876.  Among  the  ministers  who  oc- 
cupied the  pulpit  at  various  times  were  the  Rev.  John  M. 
Peck,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Harris,  Elijah  Dodson,  Elihu  J.  Palmtr, 
T.  W.  B.  Dawson,  John  Padon,  John  H.  Mize  and  W.  D. 
Ross. 

The  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  was  built  in  Gonter- 
man's  addition  to  the  town  in  1865.  The  church  has  a  large 
membership  among  the  German  population.  The  Rev.  Mr. 
Cleppesch  is  pastor.  In  connection  with  the  church  the 
Lutherans  maintain  a  school,  which  is  quite  largely  attended 
by  the  children  of  the  congregation. 

The  church  of  the  German  Reformed  congregation  was 
built  in  1S76. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISONCOUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


443 


In  1856  a  large  and  substantial  brick  school  building  was 
erected.  It  is  two  stories  in  height,  aud  contains  four  reci- 
tation rooms.  The  principal  of  the  school  is  Arthur  G. 
Caned}%  with  Jane  Mills,  Jennie  Rawsonaud  Alice  Badgley 
as  assistants. 

In  addition  to  the  public  school  facilities  there  will  soon 
be  in  operation  a  High  School,  which  will  afford  to  the  young 
people  of  the  town  educational  advantages  of  a  superior 
order.  By  the  will  of  the  late  Angel  ine  McCray  Dewey, 
widow  of  Dr.  John  S.  Dewey,  her  estate,  estimated  as  worth 
in  the  neighborhood  of  thirty  thousand  dollars,  is  left  to  five 
trustees,  citizens  of  Troy,  with  directions  that  the  income 
shall  be  used  in  the  erection  of  a  suitable  building  for  school 
purposes,  and  the  maintenance  of  a  high  school.  The  bene- 
fits of  this  institution  are  extended  gratuitously  to  anj'  person 
under  the  age  of  twenty-six  years  residing  in  the  town  of 
Troy,  or  within  the  limits  of  the  common  school  district  or 
districts,  in  which  the  territory  of  the  town  of  Troy  may  be 
included.  The  trustees  have  purchased  the  former  residence 
of  Dr.  Dewey,  in  which  suitable  changes  will  be  made,  with 
the  view  of  placing  the  school  in  active  operation  at  an  early 
date. 

Dr.  John  S.  Dewey  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts  and 
became  a  resident  of  Troy  in  1846.  He  stood  high  as  a 
physician,  and  secured  an  extensive  practice.  He  was  sur- 
geon of  the  109th  regiment  Illinois  Volunteers  during  the 
war  of  the  rebellion.  He  was  twice  elected  to  the  legisla- 
ture. His  death  occurred  on  the  17th  of  July,  1879.  His 
wife  was  the  daughter  of  Calvin  McCray,  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Jar  vis  township. 

The  first  number  of  the  Commercial  Bulletin,  the  first 
newspaper  in  Troy,  was  issued  on  Saturday,  April  20,  1872. 
James  N.  Jarvis  was  the  publisher.  This  was  the  foundation 
of  the  Troy  Bulletin,  which  has  been  regularly  published 
since  May,  1872.  Henry  B.  Morriss  is  the  present  editor 
and  proprietor. 

In  1848  the  members  of  Neilson  Lodge,  Ko.  2-1,  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  erected  a  hall  on  Main  street. 
The  upper  part  of  it  is  used  for  lodge  purposes,  and  here  all 
the  secret  societies  of  Troy  hold  their  meetings.  School  was 
held  occasionally  in  the  lower  part  of  the  building  till  the 
erection  of  the  present  school-house.  The  lower  floor  is  now 
occupied  as  a  public  reading  room,  carried  on  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Royal  Purple  Temperance  Association  of 
Troy,  of  which  William  Donoho  is  president,  and  Jane  Mills 
secretary. 

The  Troy  Cemetery  had  its  origin  in  the  gift  to  the  town 
of  an  acre  of  ground  to  be  used  for  burial  purposes  by  Wes- 
ley Jarvis,  about  the  year  1843.  The  town  afterward  pur- 
chased additional  ground.  The  cemetery  now  embraces  three 
and  one-half  acres.  It  contains  a  number  of  handsome  and 
tasteful  monuments  erected  to  the  memory  of  the  dead,  the 
most  costly  of  which  is  that  which  marks  the  graves  of  Dr. 
John  S.  Dewey  and  members  of  the  McCray  family. 

The  Troy  Park  As-socintion  was  founded  in  February,  1882, 
with  the  purpose  of  procuring  and  preserving  a  public  square 
or  park.  The  A.ssociation  has  a  capital  stock  of  one  thou- 
sand dollars,  divided  into  share.s  of  twenty-five  dollars  each. 


A  square  of  ground  immediately  south  of  the  school-house 
has  been  purcha.sed,  which  is  to  be  laid  out  a.s  a  ])ark.  The 
officers  of  the  Association  are :  President,  Dr.  F.  A.  .Sabin  ; 
Vice  President,  William  Freudenau  ;  Secretary,  Henry  II. 
Padon  ;  Treasurer,  Frederick  Gerfew.  The  four  ])ersons 
above  mentioned,  with  David  Seligraann,  comprise  the  board 
of  directors. 

INCOKPORATION — BUSINES.S  IN  PERESTS. 

Troy  was  incorporated  by  act  of  the  legislature  in  18.57. 
No  changes  have  since  been  made  in  the  charter.  The  first 
president  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  was  John  Padon. 

The  population  of  the  town  is  now  about  one  thousand, 
and  with  Brookside,  the  settlement  formed  south  of  the 
town  about  the  railroad  depot,  is  considerably  in  excess  of 
that  figure.  The  plat  of  the  town  of  Brookside  wa.s  re- 
corded Sei)tember  26,  1873 :  Susan  Taylor,  Sylvania  E. 
Ground,  James  M.  Taylor  and  Julius  A.  Barnsback,  pro- 
prietors. 

MILLS. 

The  milling  business  has  been  the  most  active  and  im- 
portant manufacturing  industry. 

The  Troy  City  Milh,  were  built  in  1856,  by  John  R. 
Swain  &  Brother.  Mr>  Swain,  who  was  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Troy,  and  at  one  time  sheriff  of  the  county, 
had  erected  a  mill  on  the  same  spot  some  years  before 
which  burned  down.  It  is  supposed  to  have  been  set 
on  fire  by  an  incendiary.  The  present  mill  is  constructed 
of  brick,  and  at  the  time  it  was  built  was  considered 
one  of  the  finest  mills  in  Southern  Illinois.  It  has 
an  excellent  situation,  adjacent  to  a  pond  of  water,  fed 
by  springs,  which  has  never  been  known  to  be  dry.  The 
mill  has  a  capacity  of  about  three  hundred  barrels  per  day. 
The  present  proprietors  are  Gustav  Vetter  &  Co. 

The  Brookside  Mills,  near  the  railroad  depot,  were  built 
in  1877,  and  have  a  capacity  of  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  barrels  of  flour  per  day.  William  Donoho  is  the  pro- 
I  prietor.  This  mill  is  provided  with  machinery  of  the  most 
1  approved  description,  and  manufactures  flour  by  the  new 
patent  process. 

Brookside  Coal  Co. — In  1880  work  was  begun  on  a  coal 
shaft  near  the  railroad  depot.  A  five  and  a  half  foot  vein 
of  coal  was  found  at  a  depth  of  three  hundred  and  thirteen 
feet.  It  was  ready  for  operation  in  the  early  part  of  the 
year  1881,  and  the  work  of  mining  and  raising  coal  has 
since  been  successfully  prosecuted.  This  mine  is  the  farthest 
east  on  the  line  of  the  Vandal ia  railroad  in  this  State. 
Beside  supplying  the  local  demand  and  that  of  towns 
farther  east  on  the  line  of  the  railroad  considerable  quanti- 
ties of  coal  are  shipped  to  St.  Louis.  William  Freudenau 
is  president  of  the  company. 

The  remaining  business  interests  of  the  town  are  repre- 
sented as  follows : 

General  Merchants, — .Samuel  Rawson  &  Bro.,  F.  M.  Au- 
warter,  David  Seligmann,  Stolte  &  Feldner,  Louis  Karges 
&  Son  (Brookside). 

Hardware,  Groceries  and  Drugs. — Henry  A.  Risser. 

Hardware  and  Tin- — Jacob  Gebauer. 


444 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


Stoves  and  Tin  Ware. — William  Hampe. 

Furniture. — J.  Stieiihaus. 

Drug  St 'res. — S.  Kingston,  J.  P.  Lytle  &  Co. 

Lumber. — Henry  H.  Padon. 

Agricultural  Implements. — James  B.  Thomas,  Henry  INIar- 
tin,  Frederick  Gerfeu. 

Jilacksmith  and  'Wagon  Maker. — Frederick  Gerfeu. 

Blaekimith  and  Plow  Maker. — Elias  Burke. 

Blacksmith. — John  Riebold. 

Carpenters  and  Builders. — John  Seybold,  James  Seybold, 
John  and  James  Peterman,  Stolte  &  Salter. 

Shoe  Shops. — Joseph  Kiesel,  Andreas  Klein,  Bennett 
Smith. 

Watches  and  Jeivelry  — Fred.  Simon. 

Livery  Stable. — S.  W.  Cowles. 

Saddler  and  Harness  Maker. — Frank  L.  Hampton. 

Tailor. — Julius  Nill. 

Butchers. — John  Diemling,  Ernst  Albrecht. 

White  Horse  Hotel. — William  Jleiuers. 

Johnson  House- — Mrs.  Sarah  Johnson. 

Physicians. — Dr.  F.  A.  Sabin,  Dr.  Fred.  Zenders,  Dr. 
Charles  Sehott,  Dr.  J.  J.  Brown,  Dr.  Fred.  Zenk. 

Postmistres-i. — Mattie  Johnson. 

Justices  of  the  Peace. — Frank  L.  Hampton,  James  N. 
Jarvis. 

Police  Magistrate. — Andrew  Mills. 

SECRET  SOCIETIES. 

NEILSON    LODGE,    NO.    25,    INDEPENDENT     ORDER    OF 

ODD   FELLOW.S, 

Was  instituted  on  the  14th  of  July,  1847.  The  charter 
members  were  J.  K.  Reiner,  John  S.  Dewey,  John  R.  Swain, 
T.  J.  Brady,  Thomas  McDowell,  and  Andrew  Kimberlin. 
The  present  officers  of  the  lodge  are,  George  B.  Henderson, 
N.  G. ;  Dr.  J.  J.  Brown,  V.  G. ;  George  Rawson,  Secretary ; 
Henry  A.  Risser,  Treasurer. 


TROY  LODGE,  NO.  588,  ANCIENT,  FREE  AND  ACCEPTED 

MASONS, 

Was  chartered  October  6,  18G8.  The  original  members 
were  Samuel  Rawson,  Dr.  F.  A.  Sabin,  Stephen  G.  Barnes, 
Dr.  John  S.  Dewey,  A  Lindermaun,  Jesse  Padon,  William 
Dunoho,  George  Rawson,  John  Carney,  Julius  A.  Barnsback 
William  Shaw.  The  officers  now  are:  Elias  Burke,  W.  M. , 
Dr.  F.  W.  Zenders,  S.  W. ;  M.  W.  Powell,  J.  W. ;  Julius 
A.  Barnsback,  Treasurer :  George  Rawson,  Secretary. 

PISGAH    ENCAMPMENT,  NO.  104,    INDEPENDENT    ORDER 
OF  ODD   FELLOWS, 

Was  instituted  October  11,  1870,  with  Samuel  Rawson, 
Fred.  W.  Zenders,  T.  H.  Bell,  F.  A.  Sabin,  J.  P.  Anderson, 
J.  W.  Staton,  and  G.  W.  C.  Gates,  as  charter  members. 
The  present  officers  are  :  Andrew  Rawson,  C.  P. ;  Henry  H. 
Padon,  S.  AV- ;  F.  W.  Zenders,  H.  P. ;  George  Rawson, 
Scribe ;  Henry  A.  Risser,  Treasurer ;  Joseph  Granger, 
Junior  Warden. 

MAYFLOWER  LODGE,  NO.   1586,  KNIGHTS  OF  HONOR, 

Was  instituted  May  1,  1879.  The  present  officers  are: 
James  Bosomworth,  Dictator  ;  Joseph  Granger,  Vice  Dicta- 
tor; Henry  H.  Padon,  Asst.  Dictator;  Frank  L.  Hampton, 
Reporter  ;  Andrew  Rawson,  Financial  Reporter ;  George 
Rawson,  Treasurer. 

MADISON  COUNCIL,  NO.  356,  LEGION  OF  HONOR, 

Was  instituted  in  December,  1880.  Elias  Burke  is  now 
Commander;  William  Freudenau,  Post  Commander ;  Gus- 
tav  Vetter,  Vice  Commander;  Philip  Eckert,  Treasurer; 
Jacob  Clipper,  Secretary. 

The  present  board  of  trustees  of  the  town  of  Troy  is 
composed  as  follows  ;  Julius  A.  Barnsback,  John  F.  Jarvis, 
William  J.  Vetter,  David  Seligmann,  William  Schultz. 


•^^^g^^^^3^^- 


PIN    OAK. 


^^i'  QMPRISES    the   whole  of  town  four,  range 
seven.    It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Hamel, 
on  the  east  by  Marine,   on '  the   south    by 
Jarvis,  and  on  the   west   by   Edwardsville 
township.     Silver  creek  flows  in  a  southerly 
direction   through  the  eastern  part  of  the 
township,  entering  at  section  1  and  passing 
out  section  36.     Along  this  stream  the  land 
is  considerably  broken,  and  there  is  a  heavy 
growth  of  young  timber.      When   the  township  was    first 
settled,  it  is  said  a  deer  might  have  been  seen  at  a  great  dis- 
tance, from  point  to  point,  across  this  stream.     Only  here 


and  there  a  large  tree,  and  no  undergrowth,  interrupted  the 
view.  Since  settlement  began  the  fires  have  been  kept  out 
and  for  the  past  sixty  years  the  timber  has  grown  rapidly. 
At  present  large  trees  thickly  cover  what  once,  within  the 
memory  of  man,  was  a  vast  undulating  plain,  covered  only  by 
the  grasses  indigenous  to  the  soil.  Ou  section  16,  at  the  head 
of  a  small  stream,  there  was  a  Pin  Oak  grove,  from  which  the 
township  took  its  name.  Here,  in  the  early  times,  was  the 
militia  training  ground. 

Joseph  Bartlett,  Lockhart  and  Taylor,  were  the  first  set- 
tlers. The  latter  two  made  small  improvements  near  the 
Pin  Oak  grove.     Uncle  Joe  Bartlett,  as  he  was  familiarly 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


445 


called,  located  in  section  21.  They  settled  here  in  1809. 
Bartlett  became  a  permanent  and  prominent  citizen.  He 
was  born  in  the  state  of  Virginia,  January  13,  1775,  and 
emigrated  to  the  vicinity  of  Kuoxville,  Tennessee,  where 
he  resided  many  years.  From  there  he  went  to  Kentucky 
and  thence  to  the  territory  of  Illinois  in  1897.  lie  first 
located  near  the  old  village  of  Milton,  in  the  Wood  river 
settlement,  where  he  remained  until  1803.  He  then  settled 
as  above  stated.  During  the  Indian  troubles  he  served  as  a 
ranger,  and  took  part  in  the  building  of  Fort  Russell.  He 
also  built  a  fort  or  block  house  on  the  west  eighty  of  the 
northwest  quarter,  section  21.  This  block  house  stood  about 
three  hundred  yards  west  of  where  his  daughter  now  resides, 
on  the  north  side  of  the  road.  He  was  one  of  the  party 
that  gave  chase  to  the  Indians  that  committed  the  Wood 
river  massacre.  He  was  also  in  the  Black  Hawk  war, 
accompanied  by  three  of  his  sons.  He  built  a  double  log- 
house  on  the  state  road  on  the  tract  that  is  well  known  as 
the  Bartlett  place.  His  block  house  remained  standing  un- 
til about  1834,  when  he  tore  it  down,  moved  it  near  his 
residence  and  converted  it  into  stables.  Mr.  Bartlett 
was  married  to  Patience  McCoy,  April  5,  179S.  She 
was  born  February  ^2,  1778.  He  raised  a  family  of 
seven  children,  and  died  January  1,  1864.  Martin 
settled  a  place  on  the  southern  line  of  Hamel  township. 
Nicholas  located  a  short  distance  north  of  his  brothers. 
William  settled  the  place  where  C.  B.  Gonterman  now  lives. 
Jesse,  the  youngest  son,  lived  in  the  old  homestead.  Sarah 
married  George  Day,  who  settled  a  place  in  the  north-eastern 
part  of  section  9.  Rachel,  the  youngest,  became  the  wife  of 
Daniel  E.  Adams.  She  is  the  only  survivor  of  the  family, 
and  now  a  widow.  Lydia  married  William  Kirkpatrick, 
who  settled  in  Montgomery  county.  She  had  two  children, 
and  died  many  years  ago.  Uncle  Joe  attended  school  only 
eight  days.  He  often  related  this  fact.  In  after  life,  by 
close  application  and  intuition,  he  qualified  himself  quite 
creditably.  He  was  the  first  assessor  and  treasurer  of  the 
county.  A  former  writer  has  said  of  him,  "  He  was  a  man 
of  domestic  habits,  and  did  not  even  visit  the  neighboring 
city  of  St.  Louis,  though  less  than  twenty-five  miles  distant, 
for  forty-four  years  previous  to  his  death,  which  occurred 
December  25,  18G3.  The  horse  ferry  had  just  been  estab- 
lished about  the  time  of  his  last  trip  there,  in  1819,  and  his 
surviving  friends  state,  that  having  but  little  curiosity  for 
things  new  or  strange,  he  never  went  to  see  a  steamboat  or 
railroad,  neither  did  he  visit  a  county  fair  nor  camp  meet- 
ing during  his  life,  a  period  of  ninety-one  years,  preferring 
to  devote  his  whole  time  to  his  domestic  afl!kirs  and  his  books. 
He  was  a  man  of  excellent  mind,  well  stored  with  informa- 
tion, especially  in  politics.  In  his  day  he  was  considered  a 
walking  history  of  Tennessee,  and  for  many  years  acted  as 
justice  of  the  peace.  He  ■was  county  treasurer,  and  held 
other  oflBces  of  trust  and  responsibility.  He  had  a  large 
and  well-selected  library,  and  also  a  file  of  the  papers  then 
published  in  this  state  and  Tennessee." 

Paul  Beck  located  on  section  5,  before  the  war  of  1812. 
During  that  struggle  he  was  a  ranger.     His  cabin  was  built 
in  the  style  of  a  block  house,  in  which  he  lived  manv  years. 
57 


September  6,  1814,  he  entered  the  northeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 5.  The  same  day  George  Hutton  entered  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres.     These  were  the  first  land  entries  in  4-7. 

George  Coventry,  a  native  Englishman,  came  to  Madison 
county  from  Christian  county,  Kentucky,  in  1813.  He  was 
married  in  Kentucky  to  Sarah  Stanford,  August  10,  1805. 
He  had  four  children  born  to  him  in  that  state,  two  of  whom 
died.  John  W.  and  Indiana  he  brought  with  him  to  this 
county.  The  latter  has  since  died  ;  the  former  is  one  of  the 
well-known  citizens  of  the  county.  Two  children  were  born 
in  this  county,  William  M.  and  Elciann ;  the  former  lives 
in  Davenport,  Iowa,  and  the  latter  is  now  Mrs.  George  Bay- 
less,  of  Montgomery  county.  111.  Mr.  Coventry  was  a  mill- 
wright by  trade.  Upon  coming  to  the  county  he  first  stopped 
with  Thomas  Davidson.  Subsequently  he  came  to  Edwards- 
ville  and  kept  a  public  house.  At  an  early  day  he  bought 
the  Paul  Beck  place,  which  consisted  of  a  block  hou.se, 
several  other  small  buildings,  and  a  horse-mill.  He  opera- 
ted the  horse-mill  for  some  time.  The  place  was  afterward 
known  as  the  Governor  Cole  place.  Mr.  Coventry  afterward 
moved  to  Belleville,  and  subsequently  returned  to  the  coun- 
ty and  located  near  Salem,  in  the  bottom,  where  he  died 
July  15,  1819.  His  wife  survived  him  until  May  24,  1874, 
when  she  died,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-eight  years. 

September  10,  1814,  John  Robinson  entered  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  thirty-two,  and  the  southwest  quarter  of 
section  thirty-three,  where  he  started  an  improvement  which 
he  afterward  sold  to  Jubilee  Posey.  April  14,  1815,  John 
R.  Jones  entered  the  greater  part  of  section  fourteen.  All 
other  entries  were  of  a  later  date. 

Jubilee  Posey,  a  native  of  Georgia,  came  to  Madison 
county  in  1811,  being  at  that  time  about  seventeen  years  of 
age.  He  came  to  the  territory  in  company  with  an  older 
brother,  Chesley  Posey,  who  settled  in  St.  Clair  county.  Ju- 
bilee Posey  was  a  ranger  during  the  war  of  1812,  and  ren- 
dered valuable  services  in  guarding  the  settlers  during  that 
eventful  period.  Immediately  after  this  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Catharine  Smith.  He  purchased  an  improve- 
ment, started  by  John  Robinson,  on  section  thirty-two,  where 
he  afterward  improved  a  good  farm  and  resided  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  August  4,  1878,  when  he  was  eighty- 
five  years  of  age.  In  the  latter  part  of  his  life  he  drew  a 
pension.  He  was  twice  married,  and  raised  a  large  family 
of  children.  Of  his  children  by  his  first  wife,  four  still  sur- 
vive. Bennet  Posey  was  born  in  the  county  in  1823.  He 
is  a  farmer  and  resides  on  part  of  his  father's  estate.  Julia 
is  now  the  widow  of  John  McKec ;  Martha  married  James 
Thomas  ;  Chesley  is  a  farmer,  living  in  Clinton  county,  Illi- 
nois. Of  the  second  marriage  there  were  born  to  him  three 
girls.  He  accumulated  a  considerable  amount  of  property, 
and  in  every  relation  of  life  maintained  the  name  of  an 
honorable  and  honest  citizen,  and  died  regretted  by  a  wide 
circle  of  friends. 

Laban  Smart  came  to  the  county  in  1816,  and  settled  in 
section  one,  town  three,  range  seven.  He  was  a  native  of 
North  Carolina  and  came  here  from  Kentucky.  He  con- 
tinued farming  until  about  183-i,  when  he  lost  his  wife. 
Thev  had  raised  a  large  familv  of  children  wi        hom  the 


44G 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


old  geatleman  lived  until  his  death,  some  three  years  later. 
He  served  as  a  soldier  during  the  Revolutionary  war,  and 
drew  a  pension.  Wiley  Smart,  the  oldest  son  that  came  to 
■4his  county,  (for  some  members  of  the  family  were  left  in 
Kentucky),  was  among  the  first  settlers  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  county.  About  1832,  he  exchanged  fiirms  with  Peter 
Long  and  then  located  on  the  Long  farm,  where  he  continued 
to  reside  until  his  death  in  1850.  He  raised  quite  a  large 
family  of  children,  some  of  whom  settled  in  Shelby  county, 
Illinois,  and  others  went  west.  He  was  twice  married,  and 
served  in  the  war  of  1812.  Peter  Smart,  the  next  son,  im- 
proved the  Gerhardt  StruckofF  place,  in  section  36,  as  early 
as  1S20,  where  he  resided  until  1849,  when  he  moved  west 
He  died  in  Putnam  county,  Mis.souri,  some  ten  years  later. 
His  family  was  not  large.  Henry  B.,  the  next  son,  was  born 
in  the  year  1830.  He  settled  on  section  35,  where  his  son, 
H.  A.  Smart,  now  lives,  as  early  as  1830.  Here  he  improved 
a  large  farm.  He  died  in  1882.  His  wife  was  a  Miss 
Thompson,  who  came  here  with  her  uncle,  Thomas  Ray,  in 
1818.  They  raised  a  family  of  seven  children.  Alsey  S. 
and  Henry  A.  are  farmers  in  the  township.  Maria,  now 
Mrs.  John  Smith,  and  Martha  E.,  now  Mrs.  Whiteside,  also 
live  in  the  township. 

Jacob  Gonterman,  son  of  Henry  Gonterman,  a  native  of 
Germany,  was  born  in  Maryland,  March  27,  1764.  He 
moved  with  his  parents  to  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  where 
he  afterward  married  Hannah  Stark,  daughter  of  Jonathan 
Stark.  They  moved  into  Christian  county,  where  ten  children 
were  born  to  them.  They  emigrated  from  Kentucky  to 
Madison  CDunty,  and  lauded  here  in  the  fall  of  1816,  and 
immediately  located  on  section  20,  where  he  began  an  im- 
provement. Shortly  after  his  coming,  he  built  on  his  place 
a  horse-mill  that  was  operated  for  many  years.  His  oldest 
son,  Caleb  B.,  was  born  August  20,  1797,  and  was  married 
to  Elizabeth  Miller,  March  14,  1819.  He  resided  in  this 
township,  and  raised  a  family  of  nine  children.  For  many 
years,  in  early  times,  he  was  captain  of  a  militia  company ,  and 
ever  after  he  was  known  as  Captain  Gonterman.  His  death 
occurred  September  11,  1861.  C.  B.  Gonterman,  Jr.,  his 
youngest  child,  lives  in  section  17.  Rev.  Thomas  Ray, 
a  Kentuckian,  came  in  1818,  and  settled  in  the  northeast 
part  of  section  1 1  ;  now  the  place  of  his  daughter.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  church  and  one  of  the  early  preachers 
in  this  settlement.  He  was  a  successful  farmer,  and  gathered 
about  him  a  good  deal  of  property ;  he  was  twice  married  and 
raised  two  daughters  by  his  second  marriage :  Adeline,  now 
Mrs.  John  Keown,  and  Mary,  now  Mrs.  Mary  Fruit,  of 
Edvvardsville.  The  old  gentleman  terminated  his  pilgrimage 
on  his  place,  October  21,  1S54,  in  the  eighty-first  year  of  his 
age.  James  Pearce,  a  nephew  of  Joseph  Bartlett,  settled  the 
H.  Kuhn  place,  in  section  21,  in  1815,  where  he  lived  three 
years,  and  then  located  in  the  southern  part  of  Leef  town- 
ship. Alvis  Hauskins  came  to  the  county  in  1819,  from 
Rutherford  county,  Tennessee,  with  his  step  father,  Willorby 
Adams.  He  was  then  twelve  years  of  age.  In  1825,  he 
began  farming  near  Bethalto.  In  1832,  he  entered  a  farm 
in  section  10,  where  his  sou,  Elias,  now  lives.  Here  he 
built  a  cabin  in  the  spring  of  1832,  and  resided  until  1863. 


He  has  been  twice  married  and  has  raised  a  family  of  twelve 
children.  The  old  gentleman,  for  some  years,  has  been  a 
transient  resident;  not  claiming  any  special  place  as  home. 
Elias  Hauskins  was  born  on  the  place  where  he  now  resides, 
in  1832.  John  Minter,  from  Kentucky,  was  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  the  county.  He  first  located  in  Montgomery 
county  when  he  came  to  the  state.  He  settled  the  place 
where  John  Minter,  Jr.  now  lives,  more  than  fifty  years  ago. 
The  latter  was  born  on  this  farm.  The  elder  Minter  lived 
here  until  his  death.  He  raised  a  family  of  six  children,  four 
boys  and  two  girls,  five  of  whom  are  now  living.  Thomas 
and  John  are  unmarried,  and  reside  on  the  old  homestead. 

James  Tunnell  was  the  fourth  son  of  William  and  Mary 
Tunnel],  of  East  Tennesse.  In  1814  he  was  married  to 
Dicy  Hauskins,  and  in  1816  he  came  to  Illinois  with  his 
family  and  became  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Fort  Russell.  He 
purchased  land  of  Rev.  William  Jones,  near  Bethalto,  which 
he  afterward  sold  to  W.  Adams.  His  death  occurred  in 
1825.  His  widow  married  Rev.  Thomas  Ray,  of  this  county, 
in  1827.  The  family  then  became  residents  of  Pin  Oak 
township,  where  they  continued  to  reside.  Mr.  Tunnell  had 
two  children:  Nancy  Elvira  and  William  West.  The  for- 
mer married  Levi  Harnsberger.  They  have  afaniily  of  three 
children  living,  viz.:  Mary  Jane,  wife  of  Harrison  Wood, 
now  residing  in  St.  Jacobs  ;  William  Augustus,  of  Kansas 
City,  and  Charles  E  ,  residing  with  his  parents  at  Green- 
castle.  William  West  Tunnell  was  born  February  23, 1824, 
in  Madison  county.  He  was  married  to  Letitia  McKee, 
February  7,  1850.  He  reared  a  family  of  eight  children, 
five  of  whom  are  now  living,  viz.:  Robert  F.,  Ella  F.,  wife 
of  A.  M.  Ghost,  of  Denver,  Colorado ;  James  E.,  Charles 
W.  and  Frank  W.,  all  of  whom  reside  in  Edwardsville. 
He  died  October  7,  1S65.  Mrs.  Tunnell  was  born  July  1, 
1833,  and  died  January  4,  1874. 

Mathias  Handlon,  from  Kentucky,  came  herewith  George 
Kindler,  about  1810,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years.  He  sub- 
sequently married  Miss  Harriet  Walker,  and  improved  a 
place  near  Lamb's  Point,  where  he  remained  several  years. 
Upon  leaving  this  locality,  he  settled  in  the  southern  part 
of  Pin  Oak,  in  the  edge  of  the  timber  on  the  east  side  of 
section  thirty-two,  where  he  bought  an  improvement  of  a 
man  named  Burroughs.  This  was  before  1825.  He  built 
the  house  and  barn  where  his  son  George  now  lives  in  1831, 
and  resided  there  until  his  death  in  1856  He  left  a  widow 
and  seven  children,  four  girls  and  three  boys.  George  and 
Walker,  his  sons,  are  farmers  in  the  township.  The  elder 
Handlon  was  a  Ranger  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  also  went 
through  the  Black  Hawk  war.  He  was  a  successful  farmer, 
and  when  he  died  left  his  family  in  good  circumstances. 
Samuel  McKitrick,  a  native  of  Ireland,  was  one  of  the  early 
settlers  in  the  southern  part  of  the  township.  He  bought  an 
improvement  on  section  twenty-eight  before  1825.  He  after- 
wards improved  the  place  where  his  son  William  now  lives, 
and  made  it  his  home  until  his  death.  He  raised  a  family, 
all  now  deceased  except  William  and  Elizabeth.  The  latter 
is  now  Mrs.  James  Montgomery.  Edmond  Fruit  was  boru 
in  Randolph  county,  North  Carolina,  November  1st,  1786. 
When  about  sixteen  years  of  age,  his  father,  James  Fruit, 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


447 


went  to  Christian  county,  Kentucky,  where  he  afterward 
died.  Ediuond  was  married  in  that  county  to  Miss  Polly 
Gray,  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  who  came  to  Kentucky 
with  her  parents  when  quite  young.  They  had  one  child 
born  to  them  in  Kentucky,  Cicero,  who  died  a  young  man. 
In  1811,  Mr.  Fruit  came  to  the  Territory  of  Illinois,  but  on 
account  of  the  Indian  troubles  returned  to  Kentucky.  In 
1817,  he,  in  company  with  his  two  brothers,  Enoch,  and 
Alexander,  and  John  Walker  started  west  again.  Coming  to 
Illinois,  the  two  brothers  proceeded  to  what  is  now  Missouri, 
because  of  the  chances  of  its  becoming  a  slave  State.  Walker 
lived  here  for  some  time,  and  then  moved  to  Oregon.  Mr. 
Fruit  in  the  spring  of  1818  located  in  the  northeast  corner 
of  section  nineteen,  where  he  continued  to  reside  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  March,  181)1.  Before  the  State 
was  admitted  into  the  Union,  he  was  appointed  by  the  Ter- 
ritorial Governor  a  justice  of  the  peace,  but  he  returned  the 
commission,  not  accepting  the  office.  In  after  years  he  was 
11  member  of  the  Board  of  County  Commissioners.  He 
improved  a  large  farm.  He  was  twice  married,  and  reared 
a  family  often  sons  and  five  daughters  that  lived  to  become 
men  and  women.  His  second  wife  was  Jane  B.  Robinson,  a 
daughter  of  Alexander  Robinson,  of  Bond  county,  Illinois. 
His  sons  were  Cicero,  Franklin,  Washington,  John,  Perry, 
Jefferson,  Enoch,  William,  James,  and  Henry.  The 
daughters  were  Eliza,  Amanda,  Mary,  Sarah,  and  Maggie. 
John  and  Jefferson  are  farmers  in  Hamel  township.  Mary, 
now  the  widow  Wilson,  resides  in  Edwardsville,  and  Maggie 
lives  with  her.  Amanda  married  Jackson  Hedges,  and  is 
DOW   a  widow  living  in   Nebraska. 

James  Keown  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Olive  town- 
ship. As  early  as  1830,  he  began  an  improvement  on  the 
southern  township  line  of  Pin  Oak,  in  section  thirty-five. 
He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  was  in  the  engage- 
ment at  New  Orleans.  He  raised  a  large  family,  but  only  a 
few  of  his  descendants  now  live  in  the  county.  Michael 
Dunn,  who  lives  on  section  three,  came  to  the  county  with 
his  father,  Patrick  Dunn,  in  1836,  from  Ireland.  Patrick 
settled  in  Fort  Russell  township.  In  1846,  he  went  to  Han- 
cock county,  Illinois,  where  he  remained  only  a  short  time, 
and  then  returned  to  Madison.  He  died  at  his  son's  a  num- 
ber of  years  ago.  When  Michael  Dunn  settled  the  place 
where  he  now  lives  his  cabin  was  among  the  first  built  out 
in  the  prairie.  He  bought  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
acres  of  Andrew  F.  Young,  at  two  dollars  per  acre.  J.  B. 
McKee,  who  lives  on  section  three,  is  a  descendant  of  one  of 
the  old  families  of  Madison  county.  John  McKee,  Sr.,  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  came  to  the  county  in  1816,  with  a 
family  of  eight  children,  viz. :  James,  John,  Joseph,  Paten, 
Samuel,  ^lary,  Lutitia,  and  Miram.  James  was  killed  when 
a  young  man  by  the  falling  of  a  limb,  while  chopping  in  the 
woods.  John  married  ^lelinda  Watt,  daughter  of  James 
Watt,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  ]Madison  county,  and  lived 
on  his  father's  homestead  place  for  a  long  time.  His  last 
years  were  spent  in  the  neighborhood  of  Troy,  where  he  died. 
Joseph  married  Emma  Wright,  daughter  of  James  Wright, 
and  improved  a  place  south  of  his  father's,  on  the  same  tract 
of  land  where  Joseph  McKee,  Jr. ,  now  lives.     Paten  married 


Miss  West,  daughter  of  Tilghraan  AVest-  For  a  number  of 
years  he  was  employed  in  the  land  ofl5ce.  He  afterwards 
improved  a  farm  southwest  of  Elwardsville,  known  as  the 
Ballard  place.  Subsequently  he  went  to  Belleville,  Illinois, 
where  he  dieJ.  Samuel  married  Miss  Mary  Tiiompson, 
daughter  of  Rev.  Samuel  Thompson,  who  was,  for  many 
years,  a  practicing  physician  in  Eilwardsville,  and  who  now 
lives  in  Kansas.  Mary  married  William  Watson,  and  Lu- 
titia became  the  wife  of  Robert  McKee. 

John  McKee,  sen  ,  lived  many  years  in  Edwardsville,  and 
was  the  first  register  of  the  land  office,  which  he  held  from 
1816  to  1818.  He  then  improved  a  good  farm  (now  the 
George  Kinder  place),  on  the  Troy  road,  south  of  Edwards- 
ville. He  accumulated  a  large  estate  here,  where  he  died 
more  than  half  a  century  ago.  His  wife  survived  him  many 
years,  and  afterward  married  Rev.  John  Barber,  sen.,  a  pio- 
neer Cumberland  Presbyterian  preacher. 

Robert  McKee,  a  nephew  of  John  McKee,  sen  ,  came  to 
the  county  with  his  uncle  John  in  1816.  He  was  at  that 
time  a  young  man,  twenty-one  or  twenty-two  years  of  age. 
He  married  Lutitia  McKee  soon  after  his  coming  here.  He 
entered  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  24,  Edwardsville 
township,  and  immediately  commenced  the  improvement  of 
a  farm,  where  he  resided  until  his  death.  He  was  twice  mar- 
ried, his  second  wife  being  Nancy  Cornelison.  He  raised  a 
family  of  five  children  by  his  first  wife,  three  girls  and  two 
boys,  viz  :  Mary  Ann,  who  married  Carroll  Parkenson,  and 
now  lives  in  Wisconsin  ;  John,  who  married  Julia  Posey, 
now  deceased;  Margaret,  who  became  the  wife  of  Peter  Par- 
kenson, now  deceased  ;  Sarah  A.,  who  married  John  P.  Me- 
Farland,  and  now  lives  in  Iowa  ;  and  James  B.,  the  young- 
est of  the  family,  who  was  born  in  1828.  He  married  Miss 
Helen  F.  Ottwell,  daughter  of  one  of  the  prominent  old 
residents  of  Madison.  He  located  where  he  now  re- 
sides in  1852,  and  has  a  finely  improved  farm.  Robert 
McKee  had  a  family  of  sis  children  by  his  second  wife,  viz  : 
Lutitia,  ^lirara,  Jane,  Joseph  N.,  Robert,  and  Nancy  M. 
Lutitia  married  William  W.Tunnell,  now  deceased;  Miram 
became  the  wife  of  Charles  Faiigenroth,  now  deceased;  Jane 
married  Robert  Kinder,  and  lives  on  the  old  home  place  ; 
Joseph  N.  is  a  farmer  of  Edwardsville  township;  Robert 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two ;  Nancy  IM.  married  Thomas 
Jud}',  of  this  township.  Tho.s,  J.  Barusback,  who  improved 
one  of  the  finest  farms  in  the  township,  began  his  improve- 
ment in  1854.  January  13,  1842,  he  was  married  to  Misa 
Nancy  J.  Montgomery.  His  death  occurred  March  9th, 
1880.     He  left  a  widow  and  a  family  of  four  children. 

William  W.  Barnsback,  also  a  prominent  farmer  of  the 
township,  was  born  in  the  county,  January  24th,  1813.  He 
learned  the  blacksmith  trade  in  Potosi,  Missouri.  He  mar- 
ried Miss  Nancy  Watt,  April  23, 1834.  After  his  marriage,  he 
started  the  improvement  where  his  widow  now  lives  ;  he 
also  opened  a  blacksmith  shop  here,  and  made  a  specialty  of 
plows  anil  farm  implements.  It  is  said  that  he  made  the 
first  iron  mould-board  plow  that  was  used  in  this  settlement. 
He  worked  at  his  trade  here  twenty-two  years,  where  he 
continued  to  resiile  until  his  death,  which  event  occurred 
April  4th,  1872.     He  left  a  widow  and  f^ur  chi'dren. 


448 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Jacob  Barnsback  died  Marcb  10th,  1861 ;  was  twice 
married,  leaving  a  widow  and  eight  children. 

Elias  Hayes  settled  on  section  25,  northeast  quarter,  in 
an  early  day. 

Joseph  Gaskill  settled  the  J.  H.  Smith  place,  section  24, 
before   1830.      Alfred  Riggin  settled   on  the  same   tract. 

Oliver  Bolster  settled  the  H.  Bremermanu  place,  section 
24.  He  owned  a  large  tract  of  land  here,  and  died  in  Ma- 
rine township  in  1865,  without  rearing  a  family. 

]\Iajor  Geary  settled  the  place  where  G.  Loos  now  lives, 
section  13.  He  owned  a  large  tract  of  land  here,  and  when 
he  died,  left  a  large  family,  all  of  whom  have  since  left  the 
state.  Many  of  his  descendants  are  now  living  in  Missouri. 
The  last  five  settlers  above  mentioned  located  in  the  town- 
ship about  the  same  time. 

Among  the  first  Germans  to  locate  in  the  township  were  : 
F.  Schramm,  old  man  Gusevelle,  and  John  Eichmann. 
The  first  school  was  taught  by  a  Mr.  Atwater,  in  a  small  log 
building  that  stood  on  section  32.  In  the  early  times,  school 
was  kept  in  an  abandoned  cabin  that  stood  near  the  cabin  of 
James  Keown,  and  on  his  land,  in  section  35.  Among  the 
early  teachers  were  Thomas  S.  Waddle,  who  improved  a 
farm  on  the  same  section,  southeast  quarter,  where  he  died 
nearly  forty  years  ago.  His  wife  died  about  the  same 
time,  and  they  were  buried  in  the  same  grave.  A  great 
many  deaths  occurred  in  the  settlement,  about  this  time,  of 
a  disease  called  by  the  early  settlers  "  a  plague."  Mr. 
Waddle  was  one  of  the  early  justices  of  the  peace,  and 
served  the  county  as  commissioner.     He  was  a  Whig  in  po- 


litics, and  a  very  influential  citizen.  None  of  the  family  or 
descendants  now  live  in  this  settlement. 

There  is  quite  a  large  colored  settlement  in  the  township. 
The  first  colored  man,  Robert  Crawford,  was  located  here 
by  Governor  Cole,  who  gave  him  a  small  farm  situated  in 
sec  ion  9.  Crawford  was  a  preacher,  and  he  induced  others 
of  his  race  to  settle  here.  Michael  Lee  came  and  bought  a 
small  farm,  now  part  of  the  Blair  estate,  where  he  resided 
until  his  death.  Crawford  afterward  went  to  Montgomery 
county,  where  he  died.  Other  early  colored  settlers  were  : 
Samuel  Vanderburg,  Henry  Daugherty,  and  Thomas  Sex- 
ton. They  were  generally  honest  and  upright  in  their  deal- 
ings. Henry  Blair,  the  most  successful,  died  in  1880,  leav- 
ing quite  a  large  estate.  His  widow  and  family  live  in  the 
old  place.  This  settlement  increased  steadily  until  it  num- 
bered fully  three  hundred.  It  is  now  considerably  dimin- 
ished. They  built  two  churches  on  section  15,  of  the  Meth- 
odist and  Baptist  denominations  respectively.  They  have  a 
separate  school  district,  and  conduct  their  own  school,  gen- 
erally employing  colored  teachers. 

The  gentlemen  whose  names  appear  below,  have  served 
the  township  as  supervisors :  James  B.  McKee  was  elected 
1876,  and  was  in  office  one  term.  George  Handlon,  elected 
in  1877,  served  one  term.  D.  A.  Hagler  was  supervisor  for 
1878-79.  James  B.  McKee  was  re-elected  in  1879,  and 
served  one  term.  Alsey  S.  Smart,  elected  in  1880,  held  the 
office  two  terms.  Elias  Hauskius  was  elected  in  1882,  and 
is  the  present  incumbent. 


BIOGRAPHIES. 


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The  Barnsback  family  is  of  Genuaii  ancestry.  George 
Frederick  Julius  Bereuback  was  boru  iu  Osterode,  Ger- 
many, July  2od,  1781,  and  emigrated  to  the  United  States 
in  the  year  171I7,  touching  first  at  Philadelphia,  from  whence 
he  soon  removed  to  Kentucky.  He  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Mary,  daughter  of  Thomas  Minter,  about  the  year 
1807,  and  from  thence  removed  with  his  family  to  St.  Clair 
county,  Illinois  iu  1809 — there  being  but  two  counties,  St. 
Clair  and  Randolph,  organized  within  the  limits  of  the  State 
at  that  tim3.  In  the  year  1840  Mr.  B.  changed  the  ortho- 
graphy of  his  name  to  Barnsback,  since  which  the  family 
retained  it  in  that  manner.  His  family  consisted  of  ten 
children,  as  follows :  Jacob  J.,  born  April  21st,  1808 ; 
George  J.,  born  Blarch  2d,  1810,  and  who  died  November 
21st,  1839  ;  William  J.,  born  January  24th,  1813,  died  April 
4th,  1872;  Johu  J.,  boru  April  10th,  1815;  Thomas  J., 
born  March  29th,  1817  ;  Hannah  J  ,  born  July  18th,  1819, 


and  married  to  Siiadrach  Gillham  June  20th,  1837.  Hen- 
rietta J.,  born  December  10th,  1821,  and  died  August  7th, 
1823;  Marinnna  J.,  born  April  7th,  1824,  and  died  Janu- 
ary 13th,  1839.  Julius  J.,  born  May  14th,  1826,  and  Isa- 
bella J.,  born  January  4th,  1829,  and  married  to  Jeremiah 
Job  in  the  year  1846.  The  children  and  grandchildren  of 
the  family  above  given,  now  make  a  large  proportion  of  the 
population  of  Madison  county. 

Thomas  J.  Barnsback  chose  for  life-partner  Nancy  J., 
daughter  of  William  Montgomery,  and  sister  of  Nelson 
Montgomery;  they  were  married  January  13th,  1842.  Their 
family  consisted  of  six  children :  John,  who  was  born  Janu- 
ary 27th,  1844,  and  died  June  6th,  1845  ;  Sarah  Elizabeth, 
born  October  22d,  1846,  was  married  to  William  W.  Jarvis, 
now  a  prominent  citizen  of  Troy,  in  this  county,  December 
18U7;  Julia  Ann  was  born  April  6th,  1850,  and  married 
Frederick  W.  Wolf,  November  25th,  1868,  and  reside  near 

419 


450 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON    COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


Edwardsville,  in  this  county  ;  Jeremiah,  boru  August  18th, 
1851,  and  died  January  20th,  1853;  Lucy  Jane  was  born 
December  21st,  1854,  and  Fannie  was  born  March  7th, 
1860.  Thomas  J.  Barnsback  died  March  9,  1880.  In 
his  life  he  was  more  than  ordinarily  successful,  and  by 
his  superior  judgment  and  good  management  succeeded  in 
acquiring  a  large  jjroperty.  He  took  a  great  interest  in 
stock  raising,  and  in  breeding  fine  stock,  and  in  that  particular 
did  the  county  much  good.  He  belonged  to  the  enterprising 
class  of  citizens;  was  public-s])iiited  ;  and  enterprises  that 
had  for  their  object  the  advancement  of  the  material  in- 
terests of  the  county,  always  found  in  him  an  active  friend. 
He  was  adverse  to  speculation  of  any  character,  but  was 
devoted  to  his  occupation  as  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser. 
As  a  citizen  he  was  much  respected.  All  unite  in  saying 
that  in  every  transaction  he  was  honest,  upright  and  hon- 
orable to  a  fault. 


JOHN  H.  SMITH 

Was  born  in  Frederick  county,  Virginia,  January  26th, 
1827.  His  father,  James  Christopher  Smith,  who  was  a  na- 
tive of  same  county,  went  with  his  father,  Christopher,  to 
Ohio  about  1828,  and  there  died.  James  C,  his  son,  moved 
to  Holmes  county,  same  state,  in  1829,  and  in  1839  went  to 
Lawrence  county,  Indiana.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he 
came  to  Effingham  county,  Illinois.  One  year  later  he 
went  to  Clay  county,  which  was  his  home  until  January 
13,  1843,  when  he  died.  He  married  Elizabeth  Tewalt,  a 
native  of  Frederick  county,  Va.  She  died  in  November, 
1843.  There  were  eight  children  by  that  marriage,  five  sons 
and  three  daughters.  Five  children  are  yet  living.  John 
H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  the  third  in  the  family.  He 
was  raised  on  the  farm,  and  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools,  which  ceased  when  he  was  twelve  years  of 
age.  Mr.  Smith  remained  at  home  until  1847,  then  went 
to  St.  Louis,  and  in  January  following,  1848,  came  to  Madi- 
son county,  and  stopped  in  the  town  of  Alhambra,  where  he 
and  W.  W.  Pierce  hunted  game  for  the  St.  Louis  market. 
The  next  spring  he  came  down  to  the  part  of  the  country 
where  he  now  lives,  and  worked  on  a  farm,  first  for  seven, 
and  afterwards  for  ten  dollars  per  month.  He  soon  after 
bought  one  hundred  and  sixteen  acres  on  Smart's  Prairie, 
forty  acres  of  which  were  improved,  and  continued  there  un- 
til January,  1853,  then  sold  the  farm  and  bought  one  hun- 
dred and  ten  acres  in  section  twenty-four  of  Pin  Oak  town- 
ship. The  latter  was  slightly  improved,  and  had  on  it  a  small 
log  cabin,  and  there  he  has  lived  ever  since.  He  has  built 
a  large,  fine  dwelling-house,  barns  and  out-houses,  and  has 
now  a  beautiful  place,  as  will  be  seen  on  another  page  of 
this  work. 

On  the  23d  of  August,  1849,  he  married  Miss  Maria 
Smart,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Sally  Smart,  old  settlers  of 
Madison  county.  Henry  Smart  was  a  native  of  North  Caro. 
liua,  and  Mrs.  Smart  of  Kentucky.  Mrs.  Smith  was  born 
near  where  she  yet  lives.     Twelve  children  have  been  born 


to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith,  eight  of  whom  are  living.  Their 
names  in  the  order  of  their  birth  are  :  James  H.,  who  mar- 
ried Miss  Elizabeth  Boliger  ;  Martha  Jane,  wife  of  F.  M. 
Bartlett ;  "William  A.,  married  Miss  Elvina  Shadrick  ;  Sid- 
ney L.,  married  Miss  Julia  Dietz  ;  Mary  Alice,  Itha  Ra- 
chael,  John  A.,  and  Narcissa  E.  Smith.  Those  that  are 
married  live  in  the  township,  and  the  others  are  yet  at  home. 
Mrs.  Smith  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church.  Politically 
Mr.  Smith  has  been  a  Democrat  since  1852,  when  he  cast 
his  vote  for  Franklin  Pierce  for  President.  He  is  an  hon- 
ored member  of  the  order  of  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  belongs 
to  Troy  Lodge  No.  588.  He  has  been  reasonably  successful 
in  life,  all  of  which  is  owing  to  his  industry  and  energy.  He 
is  a  good  man  and  much  respected  in  his  neighborhood. 


CALEB  B.  GONTERMAN. 

The  Gonterman  family,  on  the  paternal  side,  is  of  German 
ancestry.  Henry  Gonterman,  the  great-grandfather  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Germany.  Caleb  B.,  the 
father,  who  was  better  known  as  Capt.  Gonterman,  was  born 
in  Kentucky.  He  came  with  his  father,  whose  name  was 
Jacob,  to  Illinois,  in  1818,  and  settled  in  what  is  now  known 
as  Pin  Oak  township,  and  there  entered  and  bought  land, 
and  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  until  his  death. 
The  latter  event  occurred  in  September,  1861.  He  married 
Miss  Elizabeth  Miller,  daughter  of  Michael  Miller,  of  Mon- 
roe county,  Illinois.  She  died  in  1848.  He  afterward 
married  Mrs.  Gillenwaters  nee  Hall.  She  is  also  dead.  By 
the  first  marriage  there  were  five  sons  and  four  daughters,  six 
of  whom  have  survived  the  parents.  Caleb  B.  is  the  youngest 
of  the  family ;  he  was  born  in  section  27,  in  Pin  Oak  town- 
ship, Madison  county,  Illinois,  October  1st,  1834.  He  grew 
to  manhood  on  the  farm,  and  remained  in  the  county  to  the 
present  time,  except  two  years,  when  he  was  absent  in  Ohio. 
In  1858  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Marine  Prairie, 
and  farmed  it  for  eight  years,  then  sold  out  and  purchased 
the  land  where  he  now  resides.  It  was  slightly  improved, 
but  all  the  buildings,  (of  which  there  is  a  large  and  com- 
modious farm-house  on  the  place),  have  been  erected  by 
him.  There  he  has  resided  since  1866.  On  the  22d  of 
December,  1858,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lydia, 
daughter  of  Jesse  and  Nancy  Bartlett,  old  and  prominent 
settlers  of  Madison  county.  She  was  born  in  Madison 
county.  May  16,  1837.  The  Bartletts  were  among  the  first 
settlers  in  the  county.  There  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Gonterman  three  children,  whose  names  are  Thomas 
E.,  Jessie  O.  and  Laura  A.  Gonterman.  Mr.  Gonterman 
has  been  a  staunch  Democrat  since  1856,  when  h'e  cast  his 
first  vote,  which  was  given  for  James  Buchanan  for  Presi- 
dent. The  Gontermans,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  foregoing, 
belong  to  the  pioneer  families  of  Illinois.  Several  genera- 
tions have  been  born  and  passed  away  since  they  came  to 
Illinois.  They  were  all,  in  their  occupations,  wedded  to  the 
soil,  and  were  then,  as  they  are  now,  among  the  substantial 
farmers  of  the  county. 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


451 


^ 


<14je ' 


/%iAtZZl 


Was  a  native  of  Madison  county,  born  February  5,  1810. 
He  was  the  son  of  Jesse  Bartlett,  who  was  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  the  state.  Here  he  grew  to  manhood,  and  May  12,  1831, 
married  Nancy  Ann,  daughter  of  Daniel  E  and  Sarah  (In- 
gram) Adams,  who  died  May  21,  1855.  In  May,  1857,  he 
married  his  second  wife,  whose  name  was  Sophia  Stallings. 
By  the  first  marriage  ten  children  were  born,  whose  names 
are  given  in  the  order  of  their  birth  :  Joseph,  who  married 
Nancy  Ann  Whiteside,  by  which  union  there  are  five  sons 
and  one  daughter ;  Daniel,  who  is  dead.  He  married  Sarah 
Elizabeth  Sappington,  and  left  three  children.  Lydia  is 
the  wife  of  Caleb  B.  Gonterman,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren. William  R.  is  dead.  He  married  Mexana  Green, 
and  left  six  children.  Sarah,  wife  of  Elias  Hauskins,  who 
has  four  children.  Nancy  Catherine  has  been  thrice  married, 
lately  to   William    Seuacer.     She  has   two  children  living 


by  her  former  husbands.  Martha  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Frede- 
rick W.  Berger,  who  have  four  children.  Rhoda  Adeline, 
who  is  the  wife  of  William  S.  Judy.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren. Jesse  Allen,  died  in  his  fifth  year,  and  John  in  his 
infancy. 

By  the  second  marrriage  of  Mr.  Bartlett  there  were  seven 
children,  whose  names  are  :  Anna  Eliza,  James  JI.,  Austin 
(dead),  George  Sherman,  Lincoln  S.,  Charles  F.,  and  Mar- 
tin E.  The  latter  three  are  also  dead.  Mr.  Bartlett  remained 
in  Madison  county  until  August,  1870,  when  he  removed 
to  Chariton  county,  Missouri,  and  there  remained  until  his 
death,  January  11,  1873.  His  body  was  brought  back,  and 
now  lies  interred  in  the  old  burial  ground  on  the  old  home- 
stead. He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  was 
first  lieutenant  of  a  company. 


452 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


WILLIAM  MAY 


Was  bora  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  March  3,  1833.  He  came 
to  America  in  1847,  with  his  father,  Valentine  Maj;  landed 
at  New  Orleans ;  came  up  the  river  to  St.  Louis,  and  in 
April  of  the  same  year  came  to  Madison  county,  and  settled 
one  mile  north  of  Marine,  where  he  bought  land,  and  lived 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  August  2,  1878.  He  mar- 
ried Catharine  Steg,  a  native  of  Bavaria;  she  died  in  1860. 
There  were  thirteen  children,  seven  of  whom  are  living  ; 
William  is  the  eldest  He  remained  at  home  until  his 
twenty-third  year.  He  then  followed  teaming  for  a  few 
years.  In  1856  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  in  section 
24  of  Pin  Oak  township,  and  the  next  year  moved  on  it  and 
commenced  its  improvement.  To  that  eighty  he  has  added 
until  he  now  has  about  seven  hundred  acres  of  as  fine  land 
as  there  is  in  the  township.  All  of  it  is  improved,  with  fine 
buildings.  A  view  of  the  place  can  be  seen  on  another  page. 
On  the  13th  of  February,  1856,  he  married  Elizabeth  Wid- 
mar,  a  native  of  Bavaria,  born  October  22,  1833.  She 
came  to  America  in  1835.  Thirteen  children  were  born  to 
tbem— twelve  living.  Their  names  and  births  are  given  : 
William,  born  April  26,  1857;  Lena,  July  28,  1858; 
Henry,  March  25, 1860  ;  Otto,  November  17, 1861 ;  Emma, 
born  September  23,  1864,  died  September  14,  1865;  Anna, 
born  December  27,  1867  ;  Mina,  November  7,  1869  ;  Louise, 
July  17,  1871;  Karl,  April  29,  1873;  Albert,  March  15, 
1875;  Daniel,  March  24, 1877  ;  Leo,  January  9,  1880.  Both 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  May  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
He  has. been  a  Republican  since  1856,  at  which  time  he  cast 
his  vote  for  John  C  Fremont.  He  is  one  of  the  represen. 
tative  farmers  of  Madison  county,  and  one  of  its  most 
successful  ones. 


ELIAS  HAUSKINS, 

Was  born   in   section  ten,  in  Pin  Oak  township,  ^Madison 
county,  Illinois,  March  15,  1832.     He  is  the  son   of  Alvas 
Hauskins,  who  was  born  in   Rutherford   county,  Tennesee, 
March    16,  1807,  and  who  came  with  his  father  to  Illinois 
in  1819,  and  settled  in   Pin  Oak  township  in  this  county  on 
the  place  where  he  still  resides.  On  the  18th  of  December, 
1828,  he  married  Sarah  Lawrence  She  died  in  1860.  On  Feb- 
ruary 15,  1863,  he  married  Mrs.  Lydia  W.  Rathburn  nee 
Smith.     She  died   in  1874.     By  the  first   marriage  there 
were  twelve  children,  eleven  of  whom  survived  the  mother- 
Three  of  the  sons  were  soldiers  in  the  late  war.    Thomas  en- 
listed in  company  I,  9th  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers,  and 
veteranized  with  his  regiment,  and  was  mustered  out  and 
honorably   discharged  at  the  close  of  the  war.     He    was 
twice  wounded,  and  at  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing  was 
taken  prisoner.       James  Hauskins  enlisted   in   1862,  and 
went  through  the  war.     Edward,  another  brother,  enlisted 
during  the  last  year  of  the  war.     It  will  be  seen  that  the 
family  are  of  patriulic  stock.  In  1832,Mr.  Hauskins  entered 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  ;   it  is  the  same   on 
which  the  subject  of  this  article  now  resides.     Elias  is  to  the 
manor  born.     He  was  raised  upon  the  farm,  and  attended 


the  subscription  schools  in  the  winter  months.  He  remain- 
ed home  until  he  was  of  age,  then  he  visited  the  land  on 
which  he  now  lives,  and  continued  to  lease  and  farm  it  un- 
til 1870,  when  he  bought  it  and  has  made  his  home  there  to 
the  present  time. 

On  the  25th  of  February,  1857,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Mary  Cornelia  Stevenson,  who  was  born  in  Howard 
county,  Missouri.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Augustus  Ste- 
venson. She  died,  February  16, 1865.  On  the  4th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1867,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sally  Bart- 
lett,  daughter  of  Jesse  Bartlett,  one  of  the  oldest  settlers 
of  Madison  county.  She  was  born  in  Pin  Oak  township,  in 
this  county.  By  the  first  marriage  there  were  three  chil- 
dren, whose  names  are  Sally,  Charles,  and  Fanny  Hau- 
skins. By  the  latter  marriage  there  are  four  children  living. 
Their  names  are  Jesse  Alvas,  (Belle  died  in  her  eighth 
year),  Mary,  Katie,  and  Jacob  Hauskins.  Both  he  and  his 
estimable  wife  are  members  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
church. 

Politically  Mr.  Hauskins  is  a  Republican.  He  was  op- 
posed to  slavery  and  early  espoused  the  cause  of  human 
freedom,  and  in  1856  when  the  party  was  formed  which  was 
opposed  to  that  institution  he  joined  its  rank.?,  and  cast 
his  vote  for  John  C.  Fremont.  From  that  time  to  the  pre- 
sent, he  has  been  an  active  and  consistent  member  of  that 
political  organization.  He  has  beeu  frequently  honored  by 
hi-i  fellow  citizens  with  offices  of  local  trust,  and  at  present 
represents  his   township  in  the  Board  of  Supervisors. 

The  Haii.-skins  family  is  an  old  one  in  this  county.  They 
are  of  E  igli^h  aud  Irish  ancestry.  They  came  to  America 
prior  to  the  Revolution  and  the  great-grandfather  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  took  pj,rt  in  that  memorable  struggle. 
They  are  also  an  old  family  in  this  county.  They  came 
here  while  it  was  yet  a  frontier  State,  helped  to  subdue  the 
wilderness  and  make  this  country  a  fit  habitation  for  the 
people  of  the  present.  In  the  early  Indian  wars  they  took 
part.  Lucien  the  uncle  of  Elias  was  a  soldier  in  the  Black 
Hawk  war  of  1831-32.  It  is  with  pleasure  that  we  record 
these  brief  remarks,  and  give  an  outline  sketch  o  f  the 
Hauskins'  family. 


ALSEY  S.  SMART. 
The  Smart  family  are  of  English  ancestry.  Peter 
Smart,  the  great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of  the  sketch,  was 
a  native  of  the  Carolinas,  aud  was  born  February  7,  1730. 
He  had  two  sons,  named  Laban  and  Amos  Smart,  both  of 
whom  were  soldiers  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  were 
with  Gen.  Morgan  at  the  memorable  battle  of  the  Cowpens. 
The  present  Smart  family  are  the  descendants  of  Laban 
Smart,  who  was  born  November  9,  1758.  He  married 
Susanah  Simmons  in  North  Carolina,  by  whom  he  had  ten 
children,  one  of  whom  was  Henry  B.,  the  father  of  Alsey  S. 
He  was  born  in  Chatham  county,  N.  C,  August  25,  1800, 
and  came  with  his  parents  to  Kentucky  in  1806,  where  they 
remained  until  1816,  then  moved  to  the  territory  of  Illinois, 
and  settled  in  Madison  county,  in  what  is  now  known  as 
Jarvis    township,    where  the    father  of    Alsey    afterward 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


453 


entered  land,  improved  a  farm  and  made  his  home  until  his 
death,  which  took  place  January  22,  1882.  He  proftssed 
religion,  joined  the  regular  Baptist  church,  and  lived  in  full 
communion  with  that  Christian  organization  during  life, 
and  died  in  the  belief  and  full  faith,  that  he  would  meet 
his  Redeemer  in  the  world  beyond.  He  was  one  of  the  pio- 
neers of  the  State,  and  the  prairie  known  as  "  Smart's  Prairie' ' 
took  its  name  from  the  family,  as  they  were  the  first  actual 
settlers  in  that  section  of  the  county.  He  married  Sally 
Thompson  on  November  9,  1826.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
Henry  and  Mary  (Ray)  Thompson,  who  were  natives  of 
Kentucky.  The  Rays  were  among  the  pioneers  of  Ken- 
tucky, and  were  companions  of  Daniel  Boone.  Mrs.  Smart's 
parents  died  while  she  was  yet  in  her  infancy,  and  she  was 
brought  to  Illinois  by  her  uncle.  Elder  Tliomas  Ray, in  1818, 
and  was  living  in  this  township  when  married  to  Mr.  Smart. 
She  died  in  1879.  There  were  eight  chddren,  the  offspring 
of  that  union.  Their  names  are,  Alsey  S.,  Maria,  wife  of 
John  H.  Smith,  i\Iartha  E.,  the  widow  of  Samuel  White- 
side, Henry  A.,  Itha  J.,  wife  of  B.  P.  Harris,  of  Chetopa, 
Kansas.  Lucy  married  Alexander  Taylor,  died  and  left  five 
children.  Alsey  S.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  the  eldest  of 
the  family.  He  was  born  in  "  Smart's  Prairie,  "  Madison 
county,  Illinois,  September  23,  1827.  In  his  youth  he  was 
in  delicate  health,  and  was  weak  physically,  and  in  conse- 
quence it  was  thought  he  would  be  unable  to  perform  manu- 
al labor,  and  was  therefore  sent  to  school,  and  therein  gain- 
ed a  better  education  than  usually  fell  to  the  lot  of  boys  in 
his  days.     When  the  gold  excitement  broke  out  in  Califor- 


nia in  1849,  he  in  company  with  a  number  of  others  made 
the  trip  across  the  plains  and  mountains  in  ox  carts  to  the 
land  of  gold.  Mr.  Smart  remained  in  California  for  two 
)'ears  mining  gold  That  change  of  life  and  roughing  it 
had  the  effect  of  hardening  up  his  constitution,  and  he  re- 
gained his  health  and  robust  form.  In  18ol  he  returned 
home  by  the  Isthmus  of  Panama ;  here  he  re-engaged  in 
farming  on  the  place  where  he  now  lives,  and  there  has 
made  his  home,  quietly  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and 
stock  raising  until  the  present. 

On  the  7th  of  December  1854,  he  married  Miss  Rhoda 
Giger,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Nancy  (McAdams)  Giger. 
She  died  July  25,  1862,  leaving  two  children  named, 
Jerusha,  wife  of  George  Anderson,  and  Sally  Smart.  On 
the  20th  of  October,  1864,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Joslyn, 
a  native  of  Greene  county,  Illinois.  She  died  August  10, 
1874,  leaving  one  child,  named,  Henry  W.  Smart. 

In  matters  of  religious  belief  Mr.  Smart  is  inclined  to  be 
liberal.  He  is  a  respected  member  of  the  Masonic  fraterni- 
ty, and  belongs  to  Troy  lodge,  No.  588.  Politically  he  has 
always  voted  the  Democratic  ticket  upon  State  or  national 
occasions.  He  has  represented  the  township  in  the  Board ' 
of  Supervisors.  In  1877  he  was  elected  one  of  the  Justices 
of  the  Peace,  w^as  re-elected,  and  is  now  serving  his  third 
term.  Mr.  Smart  is  one  of  the  old  settlers  of  the  county, 
and  like  them  he  is  a  plain,  unassuming,  honest  man,  striving 
to  do  his  duty  to  his  fellow  men,  and  live  a  life  that  will  be 
marked  by  no  act  that  would  condemn  him  in  the  estima- 
tion of  his  fellow  citizens. 


--gstt^^^t^ 


COLLIlSrSVILLE. 


:HE  history  of  the  early  settlement  and 
subsequent  progress  and  development  of 
the  township  and  city  of  Collinsville, 
present  many  features  that  are  interest- 
ing. It  is  one  of  the  southern  tier  of 
townships,  bounded  on  the  North  by 
Edwardsville,  East  by  Jarvis,  South  by 
St.  Clair  county,  and  West  by  Nameoki. 
The  surface  is  divided  between  uplands 
and  bottom,  the  former  being  about  two- 
thirds,  to  one-third  of  the  latter.  The  bluffs,  which  form 
a  chain  running  almost  due  north  and  south,  across  the 
■western  part  of  the  toAvnship,  are  very  irregular  in  size 
and  shape.  In  many  places  they  are  very  rugged,  and 
in  others,  gracefully   sloping   into  the  bottom  lands.    Su- 


gar Loaf  Mound  is  the  most  prominent  point  on  the  bluffs 
in  this  township.  It  is  cone-shaped,  rising  to  a  considerable 
height,  and  is  supposed  to  be  the  work  of  the  mound  builders. 
The  territory  is  well  drained  by  Cantine  and  Cahokia 
creeks  and  their  numerous  tributaries.  These  streams  also 
furnish  an  abundance  of  water  for  stock  and  manufacturing 
purposes.  Originally  much  of  the  surface  of  this  township 
was  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  timber,  most  of  which 
has  been  cleared  and  replaced  with  finely  improved  farms, 
yet  there  remains  enough  along  the  variou.^  streams  for  all 
local  demands.  The  fertility  of  the  celebrated  American 
Bottom,  is  90  widely  known,  that  it  is  needless  to  mention  it 
here.  The  soil  on  the  upland  is  of  a  lighter  character,  though 
as  rich  and  productive  as  any  in  the  county. 


454 


HISTORY    OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


FIBST  SETTLEMENTS. 

Epiiraim  Conner,  was  the  first  American  settler  in  Madi- 
son couuty,  and  Collinsville  ha^  the  honor  of  having  had 
this  individual  locate  within  her  borders.  This  settlement 
was  made  early  in  the  year  1800,  and  was  twenty  miles  in 
advance  of  other  settlements.  Conner  was  a  squatter,  and 
one  year  later,  in  1801,  Samuel  Judy  purchased  his  im- 
provements and  settled  on  the  place.  This  is  known  as 
claim  number  338,  made  by  Sir.  Judy.  It  lies  partly  in  T. 
3,  K.  8,  and  partly  in  T.  4,  R.  S,  the  residence  being  in  section 
5  of  T.  3,  R.  8  or  Collinsville.  Samuel  Judy,  born  Aug. 
19tb,  1773,  was  a  son  of  Jacob  Judy  a  native  of  Switzerland, 
who  settled  in  Kaskaskia  in  1788.  The  elder  Judy,  was  a 
gunsmith  by  trade.  He  resided  at  Kaskaskia  foui  years'  and 
then  moved  to  the  New  Design  settlement  in  Monroe  county. 
He  had  a  very  early  mill,  which  was  patronized  by  settlers 
ev^n  from  a  great  distance.  He  died  at  his  mill  seat  in 
1807.  Samuel  Judy,  then  a  lad  of  fifteen  years,  came  with 
his  fiither  to  Illinois,  and  became  a  hardy,  resolute  pioneer 
and  a  conspicuous,  honorable  and  enterprising  citizen.  In 
his  youth  he  was  ever  ready  to  enter  into  any  campaign 
against  the  Indians,  and  in  many  of  those  desperate  conflicts 
Gov.  Reynolds  says  he  proved  himself  to  be  the  "  bravest 
of  the  brave.  "  In  the  frontier  troubles  during  the  war  of 
1812  he  was  always  actively  employed  in  the  service.  He 
was  in  command  of  a  company  of  spies  in  the  campaign  un- 
der Gov.  Edwards,  in  1812,  against  the  Indians,  also  in  the 
year  following  he  was  Captain  of  a  company  in  the  army 
under  Gen.  Howard.  In  all  of  his  military  services  he  was 
active  and  efiicient,  and  at  the  same  time  prudent  and,  cau- 
tious. In  the  fall  of  1812  he  was  elected  to  the  legislative 
council  of  the  Illinois  territory.  This  being  the  first  legisla- 
ture that  convened  under  the  Territorial  Government,  was 
necessarily  an  important  assembly.  This  position  he  held 
for  four  years,  and  was  an  excellent  member.  He  was 
elected  to  the  office  of  County  Commissioner  for  many  years. 
Col.  Judy  was  a  very  energetic  man,  and  improved  a  large 
plantation  and  became  wealihy.  He  manufactured  the  first 
brick,  and  erected  the  first  brick  house  in  Madison  county. 
This  was  built  in  1808,  and  is  located  just  within  the  limits 
of  Collinsville  township,  on  the  line  dividing  sections  5  and 
6.  It  is  a  two  story  house,  and  can  still  be  seen  in  good  con- 
dition. He  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret  Whiteside,  sister 
of  General  Samuel  Whiteside,  and  reared  a  large  family. 
Their  children  were  as  follows  :  Jacob,  who  married  a  daugh- 
ter of  Wm.  B.  Whiteside,  May  16th,  1797,  was  Register  of 
the  Land  Office  at  Edwardsviile,  and  died  IMay  15,  1850,  in 
Weston,  Mo.,  of  which  place  he  had  long  been  a  resident. 
Sarah  Judy  was  born  August  21st,  1800,  and  married 
Ambrose  Nix;  she  died  January  14th,  1852.  Samuel  Judy, 
Jr.,  was  born  September,  1801,  and  married  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Stephen  Whiteside;  they  settled  in  Green 
county.  Ills,  and  he  died  there  about  1870.  Thomas  Judy 
was  born  December  19th,  1804.  Nancy  was  first  married 
to  Moses  Whiteside,  son  of  Wm.  B.  AVhiteside;  she  nest 
married  John  Owens  ;  her  third  husband  was  Thomas  Grant; 
she  is  yet  living,  and  enjoying  the  evening  of  her  days 
among  her  children  and  many  friends.     Kathcriue  died   at 


the  age  of  seventeen  or  eighteen  years,  just  entering  woman- 
hood. Margaret  was  first  married  to  John  McGaughey  and 
next  to  Moses  Barber ;  she  is  now  dead.  After  a  long  and 
very  useful  life.  Col.  Samuel  Judy  died  January  12th,  1838. 
Further  mention  of  this  family  is  made  in  the  chapters  on 
Pioneer  and  Civil  History  in  this  work. 

In  1802,  there  were  several  additional  settlements  made, 
including  the  Whitesides,  Robert,  Samuel  and  Cyrus  Sey- 
bold,  Grotts  and  others.  The  heads  of  these  families  were 
all  brave,  hardy  pioneers,  who  had  already  been  in  the 
country  for  many  years  and  who  were  accustomed  to  a  fron- 
tier life.  Robert  Seybold  and  Grotts  were  soldiers  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  The  country  was  then  exposed  to 
Indians,  not  entirely  friendly  to  the  whites,  and  it  required 
the  most  fearless  man  and  womaa  to  brave  the  dangers 
and  hai-dships  of  the  frontier.  The  Dennis  and  Van  Meter 
murder  had  recently  occurred  in  this  neighborhood  and  the 
settlers  were  distrustful  of  the  Indians.  In  the  winter  of 
1802,  "  Turkey  Foot,  an  evil-disposed  and  cruel  chief  of  a 
band  of  Pottawatomie  Indians,  while  returning  home  from 
Cahokia  to  their  towns  toward  Chicago,  met  Alexander  Den- 
nis and  John  Van  Meter,  at  the  foot  of  the  Mississippi  bluff, 
about  five  miles  southwest  of  the  present  town  of  Edwards- 
viile. The  country  contained,  at  that  day,  very  few  inhab- 
itants above  Cahokia ;  and  Turkey  Foot,  seeing  the  Ameri- 
cans extending  their  settlement  towards  his  country,  caught 
fire  at  the  spectacle,  and  killed  those  two  men."  As  above 
stated,  this  depredation  must  have  occurred  in  the  north- 
west corner  of  this  townships 

In  1803  Samuel  and  Joel  Whiteside  settled  and  made  a 
claim  in  the  northeastern  portion  of  the  township.  The 
Whitesides  were  a  firm  and  intrepid  faruily,  and  were  among 
the  most  noted  men  engaged  in  Indian  warfare  in  Illinois. 
For  many  years  the  name  Whiteside  struck  terror  among 
the  red  skins.  Their  progenitors  were  of  Irish  descent, 
reared  on  the  frontiers  of  North  Carolina.  The  old  patri- 
archs, William  and  .John,  were  soldiers  in  the  Rev^Jutionary 
war,  and  acted  well  their  part  in  that  struggle.  These  two 
brothers  came  to  Illinois  in  1793  and  settled  at  New  Design- 
They  reared  large  families  and  many  of  their  descendants  are 
living  in  the  West.  Samuel  and  Joel  Whiteside  made  the 
fir.«t  improvements  on  the  uplands  in  this  township.  Samuel 
Whiteside  rose  to  considerable  distinction  in  the  frontier  wars, 
and  was  promoted  to  Brigadier  General.  The  Whitesides 
are  mentioned  more  fully  in  other  portions  of  this  work. 

We  give  below  the  numbers  and  names  of  a  few  claims  made 
in  this  township.  The  original  claimant  of  claim  602,  was 
Peter  Casterline.  It  lies  mostly  in  section  32  just  west  of 
Collinsville.  Casterline  settled  here  soon  after  1800,  and  re- 
sided here  for  some  time.  Claim  1061  was  made  by  John 
Whiteside,  consisting  of  100  acres,  mostly  in  sections  1  and  2. 
Claim  600  was  made  by  Levi  Piggot,  and  contained  100  acres. 
This  lies  mostly  in  section  29.  Piggot  was  an  old  resi- 
dent of  St.  Clair  county.  Francis  Louval  made  claim  number 
331,  consisting  of  10)  acres.  This  claim  includes  the  military 
claim  of  William  Young  Whiteside,  M30,  and  is  located  in 
the  northwestern  part  of  the  township.  Henry  Cook  settled 
it     Claim  338  was  made  by  .Samuel  Judy,  100  acres.     There 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


455 


were  four  claims  located  here  together,  apparently  about 
1830.  Claim  1653  was  made  by  Isaac  West.  This  was 
surveyed  about  1802,  and  is  in  section  19.  West  was  an 
actual  settler  and  had  considerable  improvements  in  1802, 
and  continued  to  reside  on  this  place  until  1812,  when  he 
sold  out  to  William  Rabb. 

The  south  boundary  of  the  township  was  surveyed  in 
December  1807,  by  John  Messenger,  the  east  boundary  in 
January  1808,  and  in  May  1810,  the  township  was  surveyed 
and  sub  divided  into  sections. 

A  Frenchman  by  the  name  of  Da  Lorm,  from  Cahokia, 
settled  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  township,  not  far 
from  Cantine  creeek  in  1804.  The  Indians  having  become 
less  hostile,  several  new  settlements  were  made  before  1812, 
when  they  again  became  troublesome,  which  somewhat  re- 
tarded immigration,  and  caused  some  of  the  French  settlers 
to  remove  to  their  villages. 

The  first  laud  in  this  township  was  entered  August  22d, 
1814,  by  John  Turner.  It  consisted  of  160  acres,  iu  section 
25.  September  15th,  1814,  William  Gillham  entered  253 
acres  in  section  8.  September  23d,  1S14,  David  Gaskill  enter- 
ed 161  acres  in  section  13.  liobert  McMahan  entered  159 
acres  in  section  13,  August  2-J,  1814.  September  5th,  1814, 
Micajah  Cox  entered  80  acres  in  section  5.  Sept.  28th,  1814, 
Michael  Healy  entered  W.  ^,  S.  E.  i  of  section  11,  80  acres. 
Section  16,  reserved  as  school  land,  was  sold  in  1837. 

In  1813,  Abner  Kelly,  Josiah,  William,  Andrew  and 
John  Wallace  with  their  families,  settled  under  the  bluffs. 
The  Wallaces  soon  removed  to  the  Marine  settlement,  and 
subsequently  went  to  Boonville,  Missouri.  Kelly  located 
in  the  northern  part  of  section  20,  near  the  Sugar  Loaf 
Mound,  where  he  remained  for  a  short  time,  and  removed 
to  the  eastern  side  of  the  township.  He  reared  a  family  of 
seven  children.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Muirhcid,  residing  with  her 
son,  William  Terry,  in  Colliusvillc,  is  the  only  one  now 
living.     She  is  sixty-nine  years  of  age. 

Michael  Squiers  settled  on  section  28,  on  the  Stephen 
Johnson  place,  as  early  as  1814.  He  had  three  sons,  Amos, 
Joseph  and  Wates,  but  none  of  the  descendants  of  this  family 
are  now  living  in  the  neighborhood.  Michael  Squiers  was 
the  first  person  buried  in  the  Connellsville  Cemetery. 

John  Hadley  was  born  in  Maryland  in  1776,  of  English 
parents,  and  when  a  young  man  went  to  Kentucky,  where 
he  married  a  lady  by  the  name  of  Guthrie.  This  family 
came  from  Virginia,  and  settled  in  Madison  county  at  a  very 
early  date.  Iq  1817,  Mr.  Hadley  removed  with  his  family 
to  Illinois,  and  settled  on  Pleasant  Ridge,  in  this  township, 
June  20th  of  that  year.  He  was  a  volunteer  in  the  ranging 
service  of  1812.  He  reared  a  family  of  children,  who  grew 
up  and  settled  around  him.  Of  his  sons,  James,  Dempsey, 
and  William,  only  one,  William,  is  now  living.  Dempsey  died 
here,  and  James  died  in  Missouri,  whence  he  moved  a  few 
years  ago.  William  Hadley  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1806, 
and  is  well  known  to  many  of  the  citizens  of  the  county. 
He  is  a  Methodist  minister,  and  was  among  the  early 
preachers  in  Madison.  At  present  he  is  living  at  Carbon- 
dale  in  this  State,  while  members  of  his  family  are  still 
residents  of  the  county. 


John  Williamson,  a  native  of  Virginia,  came  here  from 
Tennessee  with  his  wife  and  three  children,  one  son  and 
two  daughters,  in  1819.  He  purchased  of  Michael  Squiers 
100  acres  of  land  in  the  S.  E.  }  of  section  28,  where  he  resided 
till  his  death  in  October  1828.  Mrs.  Stephen  Johnson, 
who  is  a  step-daughter  of  Mr.  Williamson,  is  the  ouly  one 
of  this  family  living.  She  is  iu  her  seventieth  year,  still 
hale  and  hearty.  David  Morgan  settled  where  William 
Combs  now  lives,  about  1817.  A  Mr.  Bennett,  Abraham 
Clapole,  Mathews,  MoflTatt  and  Richard  Muirheid,  settled 
under  the  bluffs  west  of  Collinsville,  before  1820.  Muirhei  1 
died  there.  Stephen  Johnson  arrived  in  Madison  county 
in  1818.  He  was  present  at  the  treaty  made  by  the  Com- 
missioners of  the  United  States,  with  the  Kickapoo  Indians, 
at  EJwardsville,  August  6.h,  1819.  Jlr.  Johnson  was 
a  carpenter  by  trade.  He  located  in  Collinsville  about 
1829,  where  he  married  the  stepdaughter  of  John  William- 
son, above  mentioned. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812,  and  treaties  of  peace 
had  been  made  with  the  Indians,  the  county  began  rapidly 
to  fill  up  with  emigrants  from  many  of  the  southern  States, 
and  CjUinsville  received  her  share  of  these  settlers.  In  a 
short  time  the  rattle  of  the  saw  and  grist  mills  was  heard  ; 
the  rude  log  and  pole  cabins  of  the  pioneers  were  replaced 
with  larger  and  more  comfortable  frame  buildings ;  schools 
and  churches  were  established,  and  a  country  that  a  few 
years  before  was  a  vast  wilderness,  inhabited  only  by  wild 
beasts  and  the  fiercer  red  man,  was  changed  to  a  civilized 
and  highly  improved  region. 

The  following  named  parties  were  also  among  the  older 
settlers:  William  Hall,  Philip  Teter,  Robert  Rundle,  Syl- 
vanus  Gaskill,  John  Conoway,  Richard  Long,  George  Arm- 
strong Luther  Drury,  Mr.  Revis,  Lewis  Scandlin,  Hampton 
McKinney,  Benjamin  Johnson,  William  Wagner,  James 
Hutchinson,  Jacob  Swigart  and  some  of  the  Lemens.  Guy 
Morrison  was  also  an  early  settler,  and  a  very  large  land- 
owner at  one  time  in  this  township.  John  A.  Cook  was 
prominent  among  the  later  settlers.  He  was  a  native  of 
Virginia,  and  came  to  this  state  about  1833  or  1834.  He 
was  married  to  Mrs.  Lucinda  Bowman,  a  daughter  of  Rev. 
James  Lemen,  of  St.  Clair  county,  April  18,  1836.  She 
was  the  widow  of  Samuel  Bowman,  of  Green  county,  a  cap- 
tain in  the  Black  Hawk  war,  who  was  shot  through  the 
body  by  the  Indians,  on  the  2J  of  August.  1832,  in  the  final 
bloody  contest  with  that  savage  chieftain,  in  this  state.  In 
April,  1836,  Mr.  Cook  purchased  of  Ezra  Post  the  cortheast 
quarter  of  section  23,  and  in  August  of  the  same  year  he 
sold  the  same  to  John  L.  Clark,  and  bought  of  Andrew 
Waddle  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  1,  where  he  re- 
sided until  his  death,  July  15,  1869,  in  the  si.\tieth  year 
of  his  age.  His  wife,  Lucinda,  died  August  25,  1867, 
in  the  fifty-third  year  of  her  age.  They  were  the  parents 
of  twelve  children,  of  whom  but  four  survive.  John  L. 
Clark  was  also  an  early  settler  The  late  John  Ander- 
son, born  in  New  Jersey  in  1793,  and  a  patriot  of  the 
war  of  1812,  came  west  and  located  in  the  Marine  settle- 
j  ment,  Madison  county,  in  1820.  He  subiequently  became 
1   a   resident   of  this    township,    where    he    died    April    11, 


4r>6 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


1875.  J.  J.  Renfro,  residing  in  section  24,  was  born 
in  Madi-iou  county  in  1830.  His  wife,  Nancy  E.  Gas- 
kill,  was  born  in  this  county  in  1839.  Fielding  Wool- 
ridge,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  settled  in  the  county  in  1830. 
Hon.  D.  D.  Collins,  a  native  of  Portland,  Maine,  a  retired 
farmer,  residing  on  section  27,  came  to  the  county  in 
1843.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  is  Anderson,  was  born 
in  Madison  county  in  1826.  Mr.  Collins  was  an  associate 
judge  of  the  county  for  several  years,  and  is  among  the  pro- 
minent and  respected  citizens  of  Collinsville.  John  Ander- 
son, late  husband  of  Mrs.  M.  L.  Anderson,  residing  on  section 
23,  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  and  settled  in  the  county  in 
1822.  The  above  named  parties  are  among  the  oldest 
settlers  now  living  in  the  township. 

EAI5LY    MILLS. 

The  first  .settlers  in  Collinsville  experienced  much  incon- 
venience in  milling ;  they  were  frequently  compelled  to 
travel  many  miles  with  ox-teams  or  on  horseback,  to  have 
their  grists  ground,  and  then  often  waited  several  days  for 
their  turn.  One  of  the  nearest  mills  was  that  of  Judy's, 
in  Monroe  county.  The  earliest  mills  were  very  rude 
affairs,  propelled  by  ox  or  horse  power,  a  full  description  of 
which  can  be  seen  in  the  Pioneer  chapter.  About  the  first 
mill  in  this  region  was  that  of  Talbott's,  on  Cantine  creek, 
just  south  of  Collinsville.  It  was  first  propelled  by  horse- 
power, and  subsequently  by  water.  Col.  Samuel  Judy,  and 
others  also,  had  horse-mills. 

About  1812  Isaac  West  sold  his  claim  to  William  Eabb, 
who  in  the  spring  of  1S13  erected  a  large  four-story  frame 
water-mill,  with  a  run  of  three  or  four  burrs.  It  was  pro- 
pelled by  the  water  of  Cahokia  creek,  on  the  banks  of  which 
it  was  located,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  west  of  where 
School  creek  empties.  It  was  a  merchant  mill,  quite  exten- 
sive for  those  days.  The  flour  is  said  to  have  been  of  an 
excellent  quality,  and  found  a  good  market  in  St.  Louis,  New 
Orleans  and  other  southern'cities.  Mr.  Rabb  also  had  a  store, 
with  a  complete  stock  of  general  goods.  He  was  a  German, 
and  a  man  of  considerable  ability  and  prominence.  He 
was  elected  in  1814  to  represent  Madison  county  in  the 
third  Territorial  Legislature,  and  held  other  important 
positions.  In  1820  Mr.  Rabb  sold  his  property  and  business 
interests  to  Joseph  Hertzogg,  who  added  to  it  a  distillery. 
Hertzogg  continued  the  business  for  several  years,  until  his 
death.  Many  of  the  older  citizens  remember  Hertzogg's 
mill. 

Dempsey  Guthrie,  who  settled  about  two  miles  northeast  of 
Collinsville,  operated  a  horse-mill  that  was  in  existence  in 
1818.  A  Mr.  Pickern  erected  a  saw  and  grist  mill  in  1825, 
on  Cantine  creek,  south  of  Collinsville,  which  after  operating 
several  years,  he  sold  to  Luther  Drury,  and  it  subsequently 
passed  through  several  hands. 

SCHOOLS. 

In  1804  or  1805,  a  school  was  taught  in  a  log  cabin  on 
Peter  Casterline's  place,  about  a  mile  west  of  the  present 
site  of  Collinsville.  The  teacher  was  one  James  Eradsbury, 
■who  continued  at  this  point  about  one  year.     The  school  was 


attended  by  children  from  all  the  neighboring  settlements. 
It  is  related  that  many  grown  men  and  women  sought  Mr. 
Bradbury's  instruction  in  learning  their  A,  B,  C's.  This 
was  undoubtedly  the  first  public  school  in  Madison  county. 
In  1812  a  school  was  taught  in  Samuel  Judy's  door. yard,  by 
Eli^ha  Alexander.  A  Mr.  Thompson  taught  there  in  1813, 
and  the  year  following  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Yancy,  and 
after  him,  in  1816,  came  Mr.  Enlow,  who  taught  a  term  of 
six  months.  Benaiah  Robinson,  a  pupil  of  Eulow's,  finished 
the  unexpired  term  of  the  school. 

There  were  several  log  cabin  schools  in  this  township,  but 
little  of  their  history  can  be  gleaned.  They  were  all  sub- 
scription schools  ;  the  teacher  "  boarded  around."  At  this 
wiitingthe  several  districts  have  large  and  well  furnished 
school-houses,  where  school  is  taught  the  greater  part  of 
the  year.  *  This  township  has  been  represented  in  the 
Board  of  Supervisors  by  B.  R.  Hite,  ever  since  township 
organization  in  1876. 

PLEASANT  RIDGE, 

located  in  the  centre  of  section  10,  is  entirely  a  German  set- 
tlement. Henry  and  William  Blum  were  the  first  settlers. 
It  is  surrounded  by  a  beautiful  rolling  prairie,  adorned  with 
rich  and  finely  improved  farms,  occupied  principally  by 
thrifty  Germans.  The  little  village  contains  a  general  store 
and  saloon,  kept  by  Chirles  Anacker  ;  blacksmith  shop,  by 
John  C.  Shoettle,  and  a  shoemaker,  Frederick  Nordmaier. 
The  Lutheran  society  have  a  fine  brick  church  and  school- 
house,  in  which  is  taught  a  parochial  school. 

THE  TEN  MILE  HOUSE, 

is  a  general  store  and  saloon,  located  on  the  St.  Louis  road 
in  section  6  of  this  township. 

CONFIDENCE  COAL  AND  MINING  COMPANY. 

This  mine  is  situated  two  and  one-half  miles  north-east  of 
Collinsville,  on  the  line  of  the  Vandalia  railroad.  The 
shaft  was  sunk  in  the  spring  of  1870,  by  Seybt,  Bandelier 
&  Co.  In  the  fall  of  1870,  the  mine  was  leased  to  ,the 
Bartlett  Coal  and  Mining  Co.,  and  it  was  extensively  worked 
by  them  until  the  spring  of  1873,  when  they  forfeited  their 
lease  and  Seybt,  Bandelier  &  Co.,  began  operating  it  and 
have  continued  to  the  present.  The  depth  of  the  shaft  is 
219  feet  to  the  surface  of  the  coal,  and  the  vein  will  average 
seven  feet.  The  mine  is  0{>erated  by  machinery,  run  by 
compressed  air.  They  employ  50  men,  and  the  average 
amount  of  coal  raised  is  eighteen  car  loads  per  day.  The 
company  have  in  all  eighteen  buildings  including  the  tipple 
house,  office,  boarding  houses  and  dwellings.  Most  of  the 
dwellings  are  situated  on  the  blufi"s  a  short  distance  east  of 
the  mine. 

HEINTZVILLE 

is  a  new  town,  surveyed  and  platted  in  the  fall  of  1880,  by 
Walter  Rutledge,  for  J.  L.  Heintz,  the  proprietor.  The 
plat  contains  about  ten  acres  in  the  S.  E.  quarter  of  S.  E. 
quarter  of  section   27.     It  was  named  in   honor  of  the  pro- 

*  See  Oiapter  on  Common  Schools. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


457 


prietor,  an  energetic  and  go-ahead  gentleman.  It  contains 
at  this  writing  twenty  two  houses,  twenty-six  families  and 
about  150  population,  quite  a  rapid  growth  for  two  years. 
The  business  interests  are  one  store,  a  blacksmith  shop,  zinc 
works,  coal  mine  and  stone  quarry. 

The  Stone  Quarry  is  located  on  blufl's  on  the  south  side  of 
the  Vandalia  railroad  which  passes  through  the  village. 
The  rock  is  a  hard  grey  limestone,  which  makes  an  excellent 
material  for  foundation  and  building  purposes.  There  were 
about  500  perches  quarried  in  1881,  and  the  proprietor  in- 
tends working  it  more  extensivtly  the  coming  year.  It  is 
owned  and  operated  by  J.  L.  Heintz. 

Heintz  Bluff  Mine  was  sunk  in  1876,  by  J.  L.  Heintz.  It 
is  165  feet  to  the  surface  of  the  coal,  and  the  vein  will 
average  from  seven  and  one-half  to  eight  feet  in  thickness. 
July  1st,  1881,  Mr.  Heintz  sold  the  mine  to  J.  H.  Wicklitfe, 
who  is  now  operating  it  with  Mr.  Heintz  as  superintendent- 
The  mine  employs  about  65  men  and  raises  about  90,000 
bushels  of  coal  per  month. 

CITY  OF  COLLINSVILLE. 

This  is  the  largest  and  most  important  place  ou  the  line 
of  the  Vandalia  Railroad,  in  Madis-m  .county.  It  is  ten 
miles  east  of  St.  Louis,  and  about  twelve  miles  south  of  the 
county  seat,  in  the  heart  of  a  rich  agricultural  and  coal  re- 
gion. Coal  mining  and  manufacturing  are  the  chief  inter- 
ests of  the  place. 

The  original  town  plat  was  laid  out  by  the  representatives 
of  Wm.  B.  Collins,  deceased,  Joseph  L.  Darrow  and  Ho- 
race Look.  It  constituted  a  part  of  the  N.  E.  i  of  thirty- 
three,  jind  a  part  of  the  X.  W.  i  of  section  thirty-four,  of 
three-eight  or  Collinsville  township.  The  plat  was  recorded 
in  the  office  of  county  clerk  May  12,  1837.  Since  this  date 
there  have  been  seventeen  additions  made  to  the  plat. 

The  first  settler  on  the  present  site  of  Collinsville  was 
John  A.  Cook,  who  entered  land,,  erected  a  log  cabin,  and 
made  some  improvements  in  the  eastern  part  of  section 
thirty  four,  about  1816.  "In  1817  three  brothers,  Augus- 
tus, Anson  and  Michael  Collins,  from  Litchfield,  Connecti- 
cut, purchased  the  premises  of  Mr.  Cook,  and  immediately 
commenced  improvements.  They  soon  erected  a  distillery, 
of  logs,  with  two  s' ills— one  of  thirty  gallons'  and  the  other 
of  sixty  gallons'  capacity — a  frame  store-house,  a  large, 
double-decked  ox-grist  and  saw  mill,  cooper,  blacksmith, 
wagon  and  carpenter  shops,  tan  yard,  and  several  dwellings. 
Thus  was  laid  the  foundation  of  the  present  city  of  Collins- 
ville. To  this  place  these  brothers  first  gave  the  name 
Unionville,  which  was  subsequently  changed  to  its  present 
name."  The  following  letter  from  the  pen  of  the  late  Rev. 
Thomas  Lipjiincott,  gives  a  good  description  of  the  place  at 
the  time  of  his  visit : 

"  I  think  it  was  in  the  winter  of  1820-21,  that  I  went  in 
company  with  Major  William  H.  Hopkins  to  the  southern 
part  of  the  county  ;  and  visited  a  place  of  business  enter, 
prise  that  even  then  had  begun  to  attract  attention.  These 
were  mills — saw  mill  and  flour  mill — driven  by  horses  or 
oxen,  a  distillery,  a  store,  a  tan  yard,  and  a  shoemaking 
shop,  all  carried  on  by  five  brothers   who  had   con)e  from 


Litchfield,  Connecticut,  and  were  united  in  the  enterprise. 
I  do  not  know  if  they  had  then  laid  out  a  village,  which 
they  called  Unionville,  but  they  did  so  then  or  afterwards. 
At  the  time  of  this  visit  I  only  saw  one  of  the  brothers,  who 
was  at  work  on  a  large  frame  house — large,  even  now — 
which  they  were  erecting  preparatory  to  the  coming  of  their 
venerable  parents  and  sisters.  The  names  of  the.se  brothers 
were  Augustus,  Anson,  Michael,  William  B.,and  Frederick 
Collins.  A  noble  band  of  brothers.  While  actively  and 
energetically  driving  their  business  in  the  most  economical 
and  profitable  way,  and  rapidly  accumulating  wealth,  they 
were  far  from  being  unmindful  of  the  higher  interests,  so- 
cial and  spiritual,  of  themselves  and  those  around  them. 
One  of  their  fir^t  cares  was  the  erection  of  a  commodious 
(for  those  days)  and  well  arranged  place  of  worship ;  which 
also  served  the  purpose  of  a  school-house.  Only  one  of  the 
brothers,  Augustus,  was  then  married.  In  due  time  thrte 
others  became  so.  William  B.  Collins  married  a  daughter 
of  Mr.  Hertzogg,  of  St.  Louis,  then  running  a  mill  in  the 
American  B  jttom  ;  Michael,  a  daughter  of  Captain  Blake- 
man,  and  Frederick,  a  daughter  of  Captaiu  Allm,  both  of 
Marine  settlement.  I  said  they  were  growing  wealthy. 
Each  attended  to  a  special  department,  and  all  worked  in 
unison.  It  was  their  aim  and  boast  to  have  the  products  of 
their  labor  of  the  best  quality.  Their  whisky  was  consid- 
ered first  rate,  and  their  inclined  wheel  ox-mill  flour  com- 
manded an  extra  price  in  eastern  markets.  Not  only  had 
they  a  store  at  their  own  establishment  on  the  Cantine  creek, 
but  opened  a  depot  at  St.  Louis  for  their  commodities.  They 
obtained  a  post-office,  but  iuasmuch  as  there  was  one  place 
by  the  name  of  Unionville  in  the  State,  the  Postmaster 
General  changed  the  name  of  this,  which,  being  accepted  by 
them,  thencelbrth  was  known  as  Collinsville."  *  *  *  * 
"  They  were  convinced  at  length  that  the  distilling  business 
was  ivrong,  was  unchristian,  and  ceased  operations;  and,  in- 
stead of  selling  the  machinery,  as  they  might  have  done  for 
a  round  sum,  they  totally  demolished  the  building,  broke  up 
the  generators,  took  the  huge  tanks  to  their  dwellings  for 
cisterns,  and  sold  the  wash-tubs  to  farmers  for  granaries.  I 
have  seen  these  double  hogsheads  or  tubs  at  different  farm 
houses,  full  of  wheat  or  other  small  grain,  while  yet  there 
were  few  or  no  barns  in  the  county.  The  partners  then 
separated  ;  Augustus  soon  died  ;  several  went  to  the  Illinois 
river  and  established  mills,  &c.  at  Naples ;  and  Wm.  B. 
Collins  remained  alone  at  Collinsville,  carrying  on  the  busi- 
ness— minus  the  distillery — until  his  death.  ***** 
All  are  now  gone,  including  the  oldest  son,  Amos  M.  Collins 
of  Hartford,  the  well-known  philanthropist  and  Christian, 
but  the  youngest  brother,  Frederick,  who  resides  in  Quincy, 
and  a  sister,  the  widow  of  him  who  has  been  ever  known 
among  Presbyterians  as  the  apostle  to  the  great  west,  the 
venerated  Solomon  Giddiugs."  *****  All  the 
members  of  this  family  are  now  deceased. 

In  1820,  a  Mr.  Wilcox,  from  New  York,  located  in  Col- 
linsville, and  began  the  tanning  business,  which  he  after- 
ward increased  to  forty-nine  vats,  and  carried  on  the  business 
successfully  for  ten  years,  when  he  sold  out  to  Hiram  L. 
Ripley.     Mr.  Ripley  c'butinued  the  business  several  yeais, 


458 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


and  is  still  living  in  the  city.  Another  New  Yorker,  Horace 
Look,  came  west  in  1818,  and  first  stopped  in  St.  Louis, 
where  he  married  and  went  to  Edvvardsville,  and  in  1821 
permanently  settled  in  Collinsville.  He  was  a  harness 
maker,  and  formed  a  partnership  in  that  business  with  Mr. 
Wilcox.  Mr.  Look  was  an  early  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
was  postmaster  in  Collinsville  fur  nearly  thirty  years.  He 
reared  a  family  of  eight  children,  four  of  whom  are  now 
living.  Oliver  P.  Look  in  Collinsville  is  the  only  one  re- 
tiding  in  Illinois.  Mr.  Look  died  on  Christmas  day,  186-3. 
Among  other  early  and  enterprising  residents  were  Benjamin 
Johnson,  Aaron  Ford,  Isaac  and  Eheuezer  Lockwood,  James 
Haffey,  Jesse  Glover,  Aaron  Small,  Dr.  Gunn,  Dr.  Samuel 
Hall,  Dr.  Gurnsey,  Dr.  Strong.  Dr.  Henry  Wing.  Dr.  Wm. 
S.  Edgar,  Dr.  J.  L.  Darrow,  and  Captain  William  N.  Wick- 
litfe.  Dr.  Gunn  was  the  first  physician.  Richard  Withers, 
a  blacksmith,  and  enterprising  man,  had,  at  one  time,  quite 
an  extensive  plow  factory.  Peter  and  Paul  Wonderly  had 
a  distillery,  and  operated  the  first  coal  mine. 

Daniel  Berkey,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  came  west  in 
1819,  and  settled  in  St  Clair  county,  just  south  of  Collins- 
ville. In  1830,  he  moved  and  made  this  place  his  perma- 
nent home.  Jonathan  J.,  the  third  son  of  Dauiel  Berkey, 
is  now  among  the  oldest  settlers  in  this  neighborhood. 
Joshua  S.  Peers  came  from  New  York  with  his  father,  who 
settled  in  St.  Clair  county  in  1832.  Mr.  Peers  was,  for 
many  years,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Collinsville,  and  one  to 
whom  we  are  indebted  for  much  of  the  history  of  this  town- 
ship and  city. 

CHURCHES- 

The  first  house  of  worship  was  a  frame  building  erected  in 
1818.  It  was  a  union  church,  used  by  all  denominations, 
and  also  for  school  purposes.  The  first  sermon  is  said  to 
have  been  preached  by  a  Baptist  divine.  Rev.  Salmon  Gid- 
dings  organized  a  Presbyterian  society  here  in  1817.  Revs. 
James  and  Joseph  Lenien,  Thomas  Lippincott,  and  Isaac 
McMahan  were  among  the  early  preachers.  There  are  at 
present  five  churches  in  the  city,  viz. :  Presbyterian,  Metho- 
dist, Episcopal,  Catholic  and  Lutheran.  A.  complete  history 
of  these  churches  may  be  seen  in  the  Ecclesiastical  chapter. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  earliest  schools  were  taught  in  the  union  church 
above  mentioned.  Philander  Braley,  who  had  been  teach- 
ing here  for  some  time,  erected  a  house  with  his  own  means, 
and  established  a  private  school.  Mr.  Braley  was  a  good 
teacher,  and  his  school  at  one  time  had  quite  a  reputation, 
and  was  patronized  by  parties  from  St.  Louis,  and  other 
places.  He  afterwards  moved  to  Carlinsville,  where  he  still 
resides.  The  Braley  school  house  which  can  yet  be  seen,  is 
a  two  story  frame  building,  the  property  of  Dr.  H.  L.  Strong, 
situated  on  the  southwest  side  of  Center  street,  south  of 
Main.  Mr.  Braley  was  followed  by  Rev.  Charles  E.  Blood, 
l)astor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Blood  erected  a  two 
story  frame  building  on  the  same  lot  as  the  present  school- 
house,  and  established  an  academy.  He  introduced  the 
higher  branches  and  prepared  students  for  college.  This 
school  existed  about  five  years  when  the  building  was  pur- 


chased by  the  directors,  and  in  it  the  first  public  schools  were 
taught.  It  was  used  for  that  purpose  until  18(J7,  when  it 
was  moved  and  now  forms  a  part  of  Wilson's  bell  factory,  and 
a  new  three  story  brick  school  house  was  erected.  It  was 
built  on  the  same  lot,  and  in  1872  was  destroyed  by  fire. 
Contracts  were  almost  iuimediately  let  for  the  building  of 
the  present  house,  which  was  completed  in  1873.  It  is  a 
handsome  three  story  brick  structure,  with  dressed  limestone 
and  yellow  fire-brick  trimmings,  surmounted  with  a  cupola. 
It  contains  twelve  rooms,  four  on  each  floor.  It  is  a  graded 
school,  employing  nine  teachers. 

Cemeteries. — There  are  three  burying  grounds,  the  Col- 
linsville Cemetery,  and  the  Catholic  and  Lutheran. 

Incorporation. — Collinsville  was  first  incorporated  under 
the  general  law  as  a  village  iu  1850.  We  find  on  the 
records,  that  the  following  named  gentlemen  were  elected 
trustees  and  met  in  first  session,  November  30,  IS.jQ  :— Presi- 
dent, D.  D.  Collins ;  A.  Tufts,  clerk  ;  J.  J.  Fisher,  H.  L. 
Ripley  and  Horace  L-jok.  September  30, 1872,  there  was  au 
election  held  to  vote  on  city  organization,  which  resulted  in  one 
hundred  and  one  votes  for,  and  .seventy-eight  votes  against, 
a  majority  of  twenty-three  votes  for  city  organization.  Ou 
the  llih  of  November,  1872,  an  election  was  held  and  the 
following  city  ofticers  elected  :  Muyor—Sohn  Becker.  Al- 
dermen— A.  W.  Brown  James  Combs,  J.  J.  Fisher,  C.  Kalb- 
fleisch,  A.  M  Powell,  J.  M.  Verneuil.  City  Clerk— i.  G. 
Gerding.  City  Attorney— EAvia.r(\  Wilburn,  {not  inaugu- 
rated.) Appointed  Officers.  City  Marshal— John  G.  Blake. 
City  Superintendent  of  Streets— John  G.  Blake.  The  town 
from  its  beginning  had  only  a  gradual  growth  until  the 
building  of  the  Vandalia  railroad  through  here  iu  1868, 
which  gave  it  a  new  impetus,  and  it  soou  became  more  pros- 
perous. Her  coal  intensis  were  soon  developed  aud  became 
an  important  fivctor  in  her  business.  Her  beautiful  heights 
were  sought  by  citizens  of  St.  Louis,  as  suburban  homes  ; 
houses  in  pleasing  variety  of  architecture  were  here  and 
there  erected,  and  Collinsville  became,  not  only  a  mining 
aud  manufacturing  place  but  a  city  of  residences.  In  1880 
it  contained  2,893  inhabitants. 

MINING    AND   MANUFACTURING   INTERESTS. 

There  is  a  fine  body  of  bituminous  coal  underlying  the 
whole  surface  of  this  region  of  country,  and  in  the  vicinity 
of  Collinsville  the  vein  will  average  from  seven  and  a  half 
to  eight  feet  in  thickness.  The  oal  found  at  a  depth  of 
160  to  190  feet  is  of  an  excellent  quality,  and  is  exten- 
sively mined.  The  mines  have  a  slate  and  lime- 
stone roof,  and  are  comparatively  dry.  Some  of  them  are 
mentioned  above,  as  they  are  not  within  the  corporate  limits 
of  the  city. 

COLLINSVILLE   COAL   AND   MINING   COMPANY. 

This  company  is  the  owner  of  the  first  shaft  that  was 
sunk  in  Collinsville.  It  is  the  first  mine  east  of  the  depot, 
and  was  sunk  by  Peter  Wonderly,  about  20  years  ago.  The 
mine  was  then  worked  by  horse  power. 

The  company  consists   of  George  Savitz,  president ;  and 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


459 


J.  H.  WicklifFe,  who  are  owners  and  proprietors  of  the 
mines. 

They  operate  two  shafts,  tlie  second  of  which  was  sunk  in 
1873.  The  depth  is  150  feet  to  the  surface  of  the  coal,  and 
the  vein  will  average  seven  and  a  half  feet  in  thickness. 
They  employ  100  men;  capacity  ot  the  mines  11,000  bush- 
els per  day.     OfBce,  414  Olive  street,  St.  Louis. 

LUMAGHI   MINE 

Was  opened  in  1869,  by  Octavius  Lumaghi,  and  is  still 
owned  and  operated  by  him.  The  shaft  is  165  feet  deep ; 
the  vein  will  average  from  7  to  8  feet.  The  average  amount 
of  men  employed,  sixty. 

CANTINE  CO.\L   AND    MINING   COMPANY. 

The  Cantiue  mine  was  sunk  in  1873,  by  Morrison  and 
Ambrosius,  and  is  now  owned  by  the  above  named  company. 
The  depth  of  the  shaft  is  182  feet  to  the  coal,  which  aver- 
ages 7i  to  8  feet  in  thickness.  The  company  employ  about 
65  men.  The  average  amount  of  coal  mined  in  1881  was 
100,000  bushels  i)er  month.  The  officers  of  this  company 
are:  President,  C.  A.  Ambrosius  ;  Treasurer  and  Secretary, 
J.  G.  Gerding. 

ABBEY   COAL   AND   MINING  COMPANY. 

This  is  the  most  extensive  mining  company  on  the  line  of 
the  Vandalia  Railroad.  However,  there  is  only  one  mine 
operated  by  them  in  Madison  county,  the  others  being  in 
St.  Clair.  The  shaft  near  the  depot  at  CuUinsviile,  desig- 
ated  as  "  Abbey  No.  3,"  was  sunk  by  Reid  and  Strain,  in 
1875,  and  the  following  year  leased  it  to  the  above  comi)any. 
It  is  138  feet  to  the  top  of  the  coal.  The  vein  will  run  from 
seven  to  8  feet  in  thickness,  and  it  is  worked  entirely  by 
machinery,  employing  GO  men  on  top.  The  Lawrence  Mine 
No.  4,  is  similar  to  that  of  No.  3,  being  a  machine  mine. 
The  others  are  worked  by  the  old  system,  employing  in  all 
froni  400  to  500  men.  In  1881  the  Abbey  company  raised 
in  all  their  mines  13,400  car  loads,  or  about  5,000,000 
bushels.  ^ 

THE   COLLINSVILLE   MILL 

Is  an  old  building,  having  been  in  existence  for  twenty-five 
or  thirty  years.  The  older  portion  was  built  by  James  Mat- 
thews. There  have  been  several  additions  made  to  it  since, 
and  it  has  been  many  times  remodelled.  It  is  now  owned 
and  operated  by  Baker  &  Co.  It  has  four  run  of  burrs, 
with  a  capacity  of  grinding  150  bis.  per  day.  It  is  a  mer- 
chant mill,  and  the  brands  Argentine  and  Sonora  are  an  ex- 
cellent quality  of  flour. 

CANTINE    MILL. 

This  mill  is  owned  by  F.  Lange,  and  leased  and  operated 
by  J.  Higley.  It  is  four  stories  high,  frame,  and  has  a  run 
of  four  burrs,  with  a  capacity  of  manufacturing  150  bis.  per 
day.  Several  good  brands  of  flour  are  manufactured,  and 
find  a  market  in  St.  Louis  and  other  cities. 

COLLINSVILLE   ZINC   WORKS. 

In  1875,  Dr.  Octavius  Lumaghi  erected  works  for  the 
smelting  of  zinc  ore,  at  bis  coal  mine,  and  operated  them 


until  the  fall  of  1881,  when  he  leased  them  to  Parks  &Bros. 
After  operating  about  three  months  Messrs.  Parks  &  Bros, 
failed,  and  in  January,  1882,  the  works  were  leased 
by  Reichenbach  &  Co.,  who  are  operating  them  very  sue- 
ces.sfully.  They  also  leased  the  works  at  Heintzville,  giving 
them  altogether  four  furnaces.  The  works  have  three  cal- 
cining kilns,  to  prepare  the  ore  for  the  smelting  furnaces, 
ore  crushers,  clay  mill,  and  a  regular  pottery  for  manufac- 
turing the  retorts.  They  are  the  Belgian  pattern  of  furnace. 
There  are  two  kinds  of  ore  used,  silicate  and  blende,  which 
are  brought  from  Joplin  and  Webb  City,  Mo.,  and  manu- 
factured into  spelter,  and  shipped  mostly  to  the  east.  The 
works  have  a  capacity  of  6000  lbs.  spelter  per  day,  consum- 
ing four  car  loads  of  ore  per  week,  and  about  600  bushels 
of  coal  per  day,  and  employ  fifty  men, 

THE    STOCK    BEI,L    FACTOEY 

Of  0.  B.  Wilson  was  established  several  years  ago.  The 
present  owner,  Mr.  Wilson,  is  the  successor  of  I.  C.  Moore. 
He  purchased  the  business  and  property  of  Moore  in  1876, 
since  which  he  has  made  several  important  improvements  in 
the  machinery  and  process  of  manufacturing,  and  added  new 
furnaces,  forges,  etc.  The  machinery  is  run  by  steam  power, 
and  from  150  to  200  doz^u  bells  are  manufactured  per  day, 
It  employs  from  ten  to  twenty  men.  Mr.  Wilson  has  in- 
vented, and  patented,  a  process  for  coating  bells  with  brass 
which  is  a  great  time  and  labor  saving  item.  His  bells  are 
sold  directly  to  dealers  in  ail  the  cities  in  the  United  States, 
and  they  give  the  best  satisfaction. 

BLUM  &  SCHOETTLE's    STOCK   BELL  FACTORY, 

Was  established  in  July,  1879.  It  is  a  one  story  building 
arranged  and  fitted  up  with  all  the  necessary  furnaces,  forges 
and  machinery  for  manufacturing  a  good  article.  They 
have  a  capacity  of  manufacturing  100  dozen  bells  per  day, 
employing  from  twelve  to  fifteen  men.  The  bells  are  sold  iu 
all  parts  of  the  country. 

MACHINE   SHOP. 

This  is  a  new  enterprise,  established  by  Allen  &  Son, 
practical  general  machinists.  It  is  a  well  fitted  shop,  with 
improved  machinery,  run  by  steam  power,  and  all  kinds  of 
work  are  done  in  good  style. 

BRICK    YARD. 

This  is  located  in  the  northeastern  limits  of  the  city.  It 
contains  two  kilns,  and  about  70lt,000  brick  are  annually 
burned.  They  arc  made  by  hand.  It  is  owned  by  Fred. 
Hoga,  and  was  established  in  1879. 

THE   COOPER   SHOP 

Owned  and  carried  on  by  Charles  Hartmann,  employ  six 
men  and  manufacture  about  500  barrels  per  week. 

NURSERY  AND  SEEDS. 

John  W.  Kropf,  at  the  west  end  of  Main  street,  has  about 
one  acre  of  plants  and  nursery  stock.     He  deals  iu  all  kinds 


460 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


of  vegetable  and  flower  seeds  and  green  house  plants,  which 
are  always  fresh  and  guaranteed. 

BUSINESS  OF  1882. 

Physicians. — J.  L.  K.  Wadsworth,  H.  L.  Strong,  Charles 
Odtmann,  Frederick  Biendemuehl,  A.  M.  Powell,  J.  W. 
Davis. 

General  Stores— J.  L.  Loyet,  C.  H.  Pabst,  F.  C.  Metz, 
Bertram  &  Snodgrass,  John  H.  Kuhlenbeek,  C.  A.  Single- 
tary,  Kalbfleisch  &  Son,  Charles  Anwater,  M.  Weisenben- 
berger,  J.  Wilbert  &  Son,  Solomon  Hartman,  Roberts  & 
Son. 

Drugs  — Wadsworth  &  Son,  Herman  Graze,  Charles  P. 
Ochsner. 

Hardware  and  Tin  Stores. — John  Schoettle,  Christian 
Blum,  Martin  Brede,  Albrecht  &  Werter. 

Hardtvare  and  Machinery. — W.  D.  Gardiner. 

Farniture  and  Undertaking. — Moritz  Wilhelm,  Charles  F. 
Heinecke,  Martin  Schroepple. 

Groceries.— ■!>.  C.  Wiukler,  Gus  Eoedger,  J.  N.  Chilton, 
August  Guy. 

Confectioneries. — G.  W.  Scharpf,  James  Bullock,  Lewis 
Hoffmann,  David  W.  Jones,  J.  Dudley. 

Restaurant  and  Bakery. — William  McKeag. 

Bakeries. — Gus.  Gang,  Conrad  Mueller,  Henry  Dewald. 

Vegetable  and  Produce. — H.  R.  Johnson,  William  B. 
Whittaker. 

Jewelry. — William  Stevens,  Fred.  Bron. 

Livery. — O.  C.  Look,  George  Blake. 

Meat  Markets. — Jonathan  Turner,  Valentine  Loyet,  Mat- 
thews &  Knedler,  Peter  Sweitzer. 

Harnes.?  Shops.— H.  M.  Sanders,  J.  H.  B.  Willoughby, 
Charles  Korinek. 


Hotels. — Berry  House,  Mrs.  William  Berry,  proprietress ; 
Central  House,  William  Terry,  proprietor;  Gaskill  House, 
S.  W.  Gaskill,  proprietor ;  American  House,  Daniel  Steele, 
proprietor. 

Neivs  Depots  and  Stationery. — Max  Zucker,  Wadsworth  & 
Son,  Miss  S.  H.  Nelson. 

Shoe  Shops. — M.  Eoedger,  AdamSchroeppel,  J.  Bandhauer. 
Luther  Robinson,  Henry  Stumpf,  John  Breslyn. 

Segar  Stores  and  Manufactories. — J.  H.  Meier,  Lorenz 
Klein,  James  O'Connell,  Max  Zucker. 

Tailor  Shops-— Frank  Suchy,  John  Masek. 

Wagon  Shop. — John  Gronau. 

Carpenter  Shoji.i. — Joseph  Judy,  M.  Eberhardt,  Philip 
Listerman. 

Dry  Goods  and  Clothing. — ^Jacob  Fisher. 

Millinery. — John  N.  Davis,  C.  A.  Singletary. 

Broom  Factory. — Kneedler  &  Schultz. 

Feed  Store. — William  H.  Brown. 

Blacksmith  Shop. — Peter  Klina,  John  Kalina,  Timothy 
Kane,  Adam  Wendler. 

Architect. — G.  A.  Miller. 

Dentist— T.  S.  Wilson. 

Newspapers. — Collinsville  Weekly  Herald,  J.  N.  Peers, 
proprietor  ;  Collinsville  Star,  W.  A.  Wetmore,  proprietor. 

Buss  Line  — 0.  C.  Look. 

Justices  of  the  Peace. — J.  M.  Lawrence,  Daniel  Weaver^ 
L.  Robinson.- 

Lumber  Yard. — J.  W.  Peers. 

Saloons. — James  Smith,  Thomas  &  Hadfield,  Philip  Wil- 
bert, Henry  Huffendieck,  Daniel  Steele,  Mrs.  Christian 
Wacker,  George  Baumgoertner,  Casper  Saunier,  Albert 
Vujtch,  Joseph  Berka,  Joseph  Kalina. 


BIOGRAPHIES. 


y^2^^>^^^^u^, 


Was  bora  September  13,  1841,  in  Marion  county,  Illiuois, 
the  third  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  nine  cliildren  born 
to  Louis  and  Dorothea  Hite  (RufTner).  His  mnther  was 
of  the  family  of  Ruftners,  well  known  throughout  the 
Kanawha  Valley,  West  Virginia,  as  having  establi!^hl(l  ihe 
salt  works  there.  Louis  Hite  was  a  farmer,  a  contractor  on 
railroads  and  a  politician.  At  the  age  of  twenty  six  years 
he  served  his  fellow  citizens  as  a  member  of  the  Ohio  Legis- 
lature. In  1858,  he  was  engrossing  clerk  in  the  Illinois 
Senate.     He  died  in  Potosi,  Missouri,  December  24,  1881. 

Benjamin  R.  Hite,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  obtained  a 
common  school  education  in  the  schools  of  Salem  and  Col- 
linsville.     To  the  latter  place,  his  present  home,  he  came  in 

1866.    His  qualifications,  eminently  fit  him  for  representative 
59 


positions  and  his  fellow  citizens  appreciating  this  fact  honored 
him  with  a  seat  in  the  2sth  General  Assembly  of  Illinois, 
and  have  kept  him  as  supervisor  in  the  county  board  ever 
since  the  inauguration  of  township  organization.  He  was 
chairman  the  fourth  and  seventh  years  of  his  service.  He 
was  married  to  Sarah  E.  Griffith,  daughter  of  Joseph  W. 
Griffitl),  one  of  the  pioneers  of  this  county,  Feb.  8,  1866. 
Four  sous  have  gladdened  this  union. 

Mr.  Hite  is  a  pronounced  Democrat  politically,  and  a  re- 
cognized party  leader.  At  a  Democratic  convention  recently 
held  he  was  nominated  for  County  Treasurer  by  acclama- 
tion and  elected  to  that  office  in  November  1882.  Possessed 
of  eminently  social  qualities,  he  has  hosts  of  friends.     His 

business  qualifications  fit  him  well  for  positions  of  trust. 

461 


462 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


^;:t:J^t^^t?Z/^ 


Was  born  ia  Hobokeu,  New  Jersey,  in  1793.  His 
parents  were  David  and  Gertrude  (Nagel)  Anderson.  Upon 
the  breaking  out  of  the  war  of  1812,  he  offered  his  services 
and  was  accepted  as  drummer  boy.  A  pension  granted  him 
in  this  behalf  served  as  a  constant  reminder  of  his  soldier 
boy  days,  during  the  last  years  of  his  life.  In  1820  he 
came  west  and  located  in  the  Marine  settlement.  lu  1822, 
he  married  Susan  S.  Creamer,  in  Kaskaskia,  by  whom  he 
had  twelve  children.  By  the  death  of  his  wife  he  was  left 
for  some  years  a  widower.  On  the  23d  of  April  1868, 
he  was    married  to    Margarett    L.   Cream?r,  by  whom  he 


had  two  children.  Mr.  Anderson  was  eminently  success- 
ful ;  he  amassed  considerable  property,  which  he  improved 
after  a  manner  worthy  of  emulation.  His  houses,  barns, 
orchards,  etc,  all  bespeak  his  excellent  taste.  He  died 
April  11,  1875.  His  widow  lives  on  the  old  homestead, 
about  two  miles  from  Collinsville,  surrounded  by  such 
luxuries  as  a  competency  can  yield.  Mr,  Anderson  was  a 
man  of  commanding  presence  ;  of  unquestioned  integrity  of 
character;  of  excellent  business  qualifications,  and  of 
philanthropic  ways. 


HISTORY    OF   MAD  ISO  I^    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


463 


CONRAD  A.  AMBROSIUS 
Is  a  native  of  Germany,  born  in  1839.  His  father  emi- 
grated to  America  in  1842,  first  locating  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.  In 
1849  he  removed  to  the  vicinity  of  Collinsville,  and  engaged  in 
farming.  Conrad  A.  is  the  second  son  of  afaniily  of  four  chil- 
dren. In  his  youth  he  received  a  liberal  education,  and  early 
in  life  began  the  vocation  of  a  farmer,  which  pursuii  he  con- 
tinued until  1874,  at  which  time  he  embarked  in  the  business 
of  coal  mining,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Collinsville.  He  is 
now  president  of  the  Cantine  Coal  and  Mining  Company  of 
that  place,  a  position  for  which  he  is  eminently  qualified. 
Mr.  Ambrosius  has  filled  the  position  of  alderman  in  his  city 
for  a  term  of  five  years,  and  has  served  as  street  commis- 
sioner for  the  same  length  of  time.  He  is  still  in  the  prime 
of  a  vigorous  manhood.  Though  beginning  his  career  with 
little  but  strong  hands  and  a  willing  heart,  his  life  has  been 
a  success,  having  accumulated  considerable  wealth,  consist- 
ing of  coal  lands  and  valuable  city  property  ;  and  has  filled 
positions  of  trust  and  responsibility  in  the  community.  In 
1862  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Maria  Smith, 
which  union  has  been  blessed  with  seven  children. 


JOHN  BECKER. 

This  gentleman  is  the  present  mayor  of  the  thriving  city 

of  Collinsville.     He  is  the  grandson  of  one  of  Napoleon's 

old  soldiers,  and  a  son  of  John    Becker,  who   was  born  in 

Bavaria,  and  emigrated  to  America  in  1833.    He  landed  in 


New  York,  and  there  married  Eva  Nichols,  by  whom  he  had 
a  family  of  twelve  children.  John  Becker,  of  whom  we 
write,  was  born  in  the  city  of  New  York,  July  2oth,  1837, 
being  the  eldest  of  the  family.  In  1839,  his  father  immigra- 
ted to  Missouri,  locating  in  Perry  county,  where  he  remained 
a  short  time,  moving  thence  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  died  in 
1873.  Young  Becker  received  his  schooling  in  Perry 
county  and  in  St.  Louis.  The  first  business  in  which  he  en- 
gaged was  clerking  in  a  store,  after  which  he  went  to  Cin- 
cinati,  Ohio,  where  he  was  employed  for  three  years  in  the 
upholstering  business.  He  again  returned  to  St.  Louis,  and 
served  an  apprenticeship  at  milling  in  the  Saxony  Mills,  of 
that  city. 

On  the  20th  of  ilay,  1860,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Wilhelmina  Maye,  of  St.  Louis,  Misourri,  and  ten 
children,  eight  of  whom  are  living,  have  blessed  their  liappy 
wedlock.  In  1864,  Mr.  Becker  located  permanently  in  Col- 
linsville, where  in  company  with  George  C.  Berg,  he  pur- 
chased the  flouring  mill,  which  he  has  since  continued  to 
operate  so  successfully.  He  is  now  sole  owner  and  proprie- 
tor. In  1872,  at  the  time  Collinsville  was  organized  as  a 
city,  Mr.  Becker  was  honored  with  being  elected  the  first 
mayor,  to  which  position  he  has  been  twice  re-elected,  filling 
the  office  at  this  writing.  He  has  led  an  active,  energetic 
life,  and  his  enterprising  spirit  has  been  felt  in  all  the  move- 
ments to  advance  the  business  and  social  interests  of  his 
city,  since  he  became  a  resident.  In  his  official  positions  he 
has  shown  executive  ability  and  attends  well  the  duties  of 
his  office.     He  is  a  popular  and  much  respected  citizen. 


ST.    JACOBS. 


'  HIS  township  comprises  the  whole  of  town 
3,  range  6.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north 
by  IMarine,  on  the  east  by  Helvetia  and 
on  the  west  by  Jarvis  township,  and  on 
the  south  by  St.  Clair  county.  The  prin- 
cipal stream  is  the  east  fork  of  Silvi  r 
creek,  that  flows  through  the  northwest 
part,  in  a  southerly  direction.  A  con- 
siderable quantity  of  tiraler  is  found  along  this  stream  ;  but 
the  township  is  substantially  prairie,  embracing  many 
sections  of  the  Looking  Glass  Prairie.  In  its  natural  state 
it  was  a  most  beautiful  tract  of  country.  It  is  said  by  a 
former  writer :  '' It  looked   more  like  a  great   park  than  a 


wild  country.  This  was  not  like  many  other  prairies,  a 
monotonous  level,  where  the  eye  can  find  no  resting-place ; 
but  out  of  this  plain,  covered  with  luxuriant  gra.ss  and  flowers 
of  all  colors,  rose  a  great  number  of  beautiful  and  shapely 
hills,  all  easy  to  ascend,  and  many  covered  with  a  growth  of 
fine  trees.  Small  water-courses,  frequently  embellished  with 
fine  willows,  crossed  the  prairie  in  all  directions.  A  number 
of  small  groves  made  up  of  trees  of  great  variety,  such  as 
linden,  oak,  hickory,  buckeye  and  locust,  ornamented  the 
scenery.  The  landscape  in  all  directions  was  surrounded 
by  the  limber-crowned  hills  of  Silver  creek,  and  the  rich 
forests  of  Sugar  cr^ek.  The  country  at  this  time  was  in 
its  natural  state.      Along  the  skirt  of  timber  ynu    might 


464 


HISTORY    OF   MADJSON    COUNTY,    JLJ.l^OIS. 


see  at  ditfereut  points,  not  far  apart,  a  small  field  pushed 
out  into  the  prairie,  the  cabins  mostly  hidden  by  the  treis, 
and  only  the  smoke  arising  from  them  disclosing  the  abode 
of  man." 

THE    FIRST   SETTLEMENTS 

were  made  along  the  timber's  edge,  on  the  east  side  of  Silver 
creek,  by  some  hnrdy  pioneers  from  Krntueky  and  Ten- 
nessee, iu  1810.  The  families  of  John  Lindley,  of  Augustus, 
William  and  Cyrus  Chilton,  of  Harrison  and  Smeltzer, 
lived  here  in  peace  and  quietness  until  the  war  with  Eng- 
land broke  out  in  1812,  and  the  Indians  began  to  show 
themselves  hostile.  The  Chiltons  and  their  neighbors  wh(p 
lived  in  this  and  adjoining  townships,  built  a  fort  and 
stockade  for  defence.  The  fort  stood  in  the  northwest  corner 
of  section  17,  near  where  Augustus  Chilton  .settled,  and 
eleven  families  received  shelter  here  the  first  winter.  The  fort 
was  commanded  by  Major  Isaac  Ferguson  and  Capt-  Abra- 
ham Howard.  This  fort  was  never  attacked  by  the  Indians. 
From  Jesse  J.  Renfro,  a  worthy  old  citizen  of  Madison,  and 
a  Ranger  during  the  war  of  1812,  we  received  a  description 
of  this  fort.  During  the  winter  of  1814,  he  with  a  dozen 
other  rangers,  wss  placed  on  guard  here  under  the  com- 
mand of  Pamuel  Whiteside.  At  this  time  the  pioneers 
lived  at  their  homes  in  the  settlement,  and  would  only  come 
into  the  fort  upon  hearing  of  some  Indian  depredations,  but 
after  a  short  time  would  become  pacified  and  return  to  their 
cabins.  This  fort  was  constructed  by  picketing  around  four 
or  five  cabins  The  pickets  were  logs  from  eight  to  ten 
inches  through,  set  on  end  close  together,  and  eleven  or 
twelve  feet  in  height.  On  each  corner  of  the  picketing 
were  log  houses,  projecting  over  so  that  the  sides  of  the 
fort  might  be  covered  by  the  rifles.  Such  a  venture  would 
be  fraught  with  many  dangers,  difficulties  and  privations 
The  desert  wastes,  the  forest  gloom  and  the  near  proximity 
of  savage  Indians,  seem  to  have  possessed,  however,  no 
terrors  for  these  hardy  pioueers.  What  must  have  been 
the  nature  of  their  lonely  musings  during  the  long  and 
weary  months  of  isolation,  is  difficult  to  imagine.  Suf- 
fice it  to  say,  with  a  fortitude  unsurpassed,  and  a  tenacity 
of  purpose  which  knew  no  defeat,  they  patiently  bided  their 
time,  never  dreaming  in  the  early  years  of  this  voluntary 
exile  that  this  was  destined  to  be  a  populous  and  pros- 
perous farming  community.  It  is  related  by  an  old  set- 
tler that  during  the  early  Indian  troubles  a  lone  Indian 
committed  some  overt  act  near  the  fort.  Capt  Howard 
took  his  trail,  riding  a  little  bay  animal  that  was  well 
remembered  by  the  old  settlers  in  later  years.  After  a 
ninety  miles'  chase  in  a  northeast  direction,  alone  in  a 
strange  land  and  among  savages,  he  by  his  adroitness  and 
bravery,  killed  the  Indian  and  brought  his  bleeding  scalp 
to  the  fort.  Within  the  walls  of  this  old  fort  occurred 
the  first  birth  in  this  part  of  the  county,  that  of  Thomas 
Chilton  ;  also  the  first  marriage  ceremony  was  solemnized 
here,  Joseph  Ferguson,  a  brother  of  the  Major,  and  Miss 
Virginia  Smeltzer  being  the  contracting  parties.  It  was 
here  that  they  enjoyed  the  bliss  of  courtship,  made  their 
solemn  vows  of  marriage  and  passed  their  days  of  honey- 
moon.   Here,  too,  may  be  recorded  the  first  death,  being  that 


of  Augustus  Chilton,  who  laid  down  his  life  and  the  cares 
of  this  world  at  a  good  old  age,  and  was  buried  in  the 
timber  near  the  fort,  where  since  many  others  have  been 
laid  to  rest.  No  stone  marks  his  grave.  About  1820  a 
town  was  laid  out  here,  and  called  Augusta,  but  the  plat 
was  never  recorded.  No  lots  were  sold,  and  the  town  only 
existed  in  the  imagination  of  its  originators.  The  Chiltons 
settled  in  the  near  vicinity  of  the  fort,  as  also  did  the  Har- 
rison and  Smeltzer  families.  Cyrus  Chilton  afterward  im- 
proved a  place  about  half  a  mile  we.st  of  Herrin's  Grove. 
.John  Liudley  was  a  great  hunter  and  a  very  successful 
beaver  trapper.  He  first  settled  in  the  timber  in  the  south- 
west pan  of  section  18,  near  a  spring  that  affords  running 
water  at  this  time.  He  afterward  improved  a  farm  out 
in  the  prairie,  where  he  died,  his  wife  surviving  him  many 
years.  Their  children  were  John,  Matthew,  Lucinda,  Han- 
nah, Elizabeth,  Ellen  and  Mary. 

Mr.  Liudley 's  father,  Simon  Liudley,  settled  on  Silver 
Creek,  in  the  north  edge  of  St.  Clair  county,  iu  1812.  He 
was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  an<l  emigrated  from  Ken- 
tucky to  this  state,  and  first  settled  in  what  is  now  Bond 
couuty.  His  family  of  three  sons  and  four  daughters  were 
well  grown  on  coming  to  this  state.  He  was  a  man  of  good 
education,  a  pioneer  Baptist  preacher  and  surveyor.  About 
1820  he  moved  uf^rth,  and  settled  in  what  is  now  Sangamon 
county,  where  he  resided  until  his  death. 

John  Giger,  a  Pennsylvania  German,  entered  several 
tracts  of  land  in  section  five,  Nov.  8,  1816,  where  he  im- 
proved a  good  firm  and  resided  until  his  death.  He  raised 
a  family  of  f  )ur  son-t  and  one  daughter.  She  married  Ben- 
jamin Rfimmer;  and  the  sons,  Jacob,  John,  Joseph,  and 
Moses,  married,  raised  families,  and  improved  farms  in  the 
county. 

Gilmore  Anderson,  from  Bourbon  county,  Kentucky, 
settled  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  seventeen  in  1816. 
He  was  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  family  of  four  sons 
and  two  daughters,  viz  :  William,  Carroll,  Robert  G.,  James 
G  ;  Nancy,  who  married  John  Penn  ;  and  Sarah,  who  mar- 
ried a  man  named  Flynn.  He  died,  and  she  afterward 
married  Jacob  Giger.  All  are  now  deceased  but  Nancy, 
who  lives  in  Texas.  The  sons,  after  they  grew  to  maturity, 
all  went  to  other  states,  with  the  exception  of  James  G  , 
who  remained  and  lived  on  the  old  homestead.  His  father 
lived  only  a  few  years  after  coming  here.  Of  James  G.  An- 
derson's children,  John  P.,  James  G  ,  Elizabeth,  now  Mrs. 
Miller;  Nancy,  now  Mrs.  Stephens;  Elvira,  now  i^Irs  Lamb, 
live  in  the  township.  Gilmore  resides  in  Litchfield,  Illinois 
Mr.  Anderson  was  the  first  blacksmith  of  the  township,  and, 
iu  company  with  William  Faires,  a  wood-worker,  made 
many  wagons  for  the  early  settlers,  and  manufactured  the 
old  wooden  mould-board  plow.  In  1831,  Mr.  Anderson  en- 
listed as  a  soldier  in  the  Black-Hawk  War.  His  soldierly 
bearing  brought  him  into  notice.  He  was  soon  promoted  to 
the  post  of  Major  of  his  regiment,  which  position  he  filled 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  one  of  the  worthy  and 
much  respected  citizens  of  the  township,  and  was  represent- 
ing the  county  iu  the  commissioners'  board  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  September  25,  1847. 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


465 


William  Faires,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  was  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  the  township.  He  located  on  the  north- 
east quarter  of  secti  )n  thirty-one,  now  the  James  A  Smith 
place.  He  afterward  improved  a  farm  on  section  thirty- 
f  lur.  He  raised  a  family  of  nine  children,  viz:  Naomi,  now 
Jlrs.  Abner  Pyle;  Wilson,  William  H.,  Eliza,  now  Mrs. 
Abraham  Thomas,  who  lives  in  Macon  county,  Illinois ;  Sa- 
nh  Ann,  now  Mrs.  John  Barton,  who  lives  in  Reno  county, 
Kansas;  Elim,  who  raised  a  family  here,  was  killed  by  light- 
ning, while  working  in  a  harve.«t  field  ;  Mary,  who  was  the 
wife  of  George  Cuddy,  now  deceased,  raised  a  family,  and 
lived  in  Helvetia  township ;  James  died  wliile  yet  a  y  ung 
man  ;  Jane  married  William  Woods,  and  lived  only  a  short 
time  after  her  marriage.  The  old  gentleman  was  a  first-class 
wagon  maker  of  his  time,  and  worked  at  his  trade  many 
years.     He  died  on  the  place  he  improved,  section  34. 

Herrin's  Grove,  section  16,  was  settled  by  John  Herrin  as 
early  a?  1816.  His  house  stood  on  the  old  Goshen  and  Ohio 
Salt-works  road,  which  was  laid  out  in  1808,  and  which 
extends  in  a  southeasterly  direction  through  the  township 
He  entertained  travelers,  sold  feed  to  the  emigrants,  and  the 
timber  round  about  the  Grove,  at  times,  was  filled  with  the 
camps  of  the  frontiersmen.  These,  with  the  camp-fires  and 
the  white  covered  wagons,  presented  a  scene  resembling  an 
army  camp.  He  raised  a  large  family,  and  resided  here  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  more  than  half  a  century  ago. 
One  of  his  sons,  G.  W.,  improved  a  farm  on  section  11, 
where  he  died  in  1880,  leaving  a  widow  and  a  large  family 
of  children. 

Phillip  S>arcy,  a  Tennesseean,  came  in  November,  1817, 
and  improved  a  farm  adjoining  Giger's,  where  he  lived  until 
his  death.  Two  of  his  sons,  George  W.  and  Edward,  live  in 
the  township ;  the  former  in  the  village  of  St-  Jacob's,  and 
the  latter  a  farmer  on  the  old  home  place.  Nancy,  now  Mrs. 
Potter,  lives  in  Edwardsville.  These  three  are  the  only  de- 
scendants of  the  family  living. 

Wesley  Dugger,  born  in  North  Carolina,  April  30,  1793, 
grew  to  manhood  in  that  state,  then  went  to  Tennessee, 
where  he  married  Charlotte  Young,  a  native  of  Virginia. 
He  lived  sixteen  miles  east  of  Nashville  till  the  fall  of  the 
year  1817,  when  he  emigrated  to  Illinois  and  settled  on  sec- 
tion 3  of  this  township.  He  carried  on  farming,  had  a  horse 
mill,  and  for  some  years  kept  a  store,  the  first  in  this  part  of 
the  county,  which  was  entered  and  robbed,  and  was  once 
destroyed  by'fire.  He  was  successful  as  a  business  man,  and, 
for  that  day,  acquired  a  considerable  amount  of  property. 
He  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812-14,  enlisting  with 
the  Tennessee  troops,  and  serving  under  Gen.  Jackson  at  the 
battle  of  New  Orleans  He  died  Feb.  14,  1850.  His  wife 
died  April  23,  1846.  They  raised  a  family  of  nine  children, 
of  whom  five  were  boys,  and  four  girls.  John  C.  Dugger 
settled  the  F.  S.  Pike  place.  He  improved  a  good  farm 
here,  on  which  he  died,  leaving  a  widow,  one  son  and  five 
daughters.  Jarrett  Dugger  settled  the  A.  Zwilchenbart 
place.  About  1828  he  erected  an  ox-mill,  which  he  operated 
several  years,  until  he  sold  out ;  then  Mr.  Zwilchenbart  ran 
the  mill  for  a  long  time.  Mr.  Dugger  moved  north  into 
Macoupin  county. 


Henry  Burton  Thorp  was  born  in  Stratford,  Conn.,  April 
30,  179.3.  In  1819  he  came  to  Madison  county  with  Capt. 
Curtis  RIakeman,  driving  a  four-horse  team  for  the  captain- 
Two  years  previous  he  had  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of 
land  entered  in  section  two,  this  township,  where  he  started 
an  improvement,  and  then  returned  to  the  east  for  his  wife, 
who  lived  only  a  short  time  after  her  arrival  in  this  new 
country,  leaving  one  child,  Hatinah,  who  afterwards  mar- 
ried William  Hull.  Mr.  Thorp  subsecjuently  returned  to 
the  east  for  a  second  wife,  and  married  Sarah  Sheppard,  of 
Redding,  Conn.  He  immediately  returned  with  his  wife, 
and  brought  out  one  of  his  brothers,  Samuel  Thorp,  who,  in 
1833,  returned  east,  and  influenced  another  brother,  Nathan, 
to  try  his  fortune  in  the  far  west.  Nathan  Thorp  had  five 
grown  daughters,  three  of  whom  were  afterward  married 
at  their  father's  house  on  the  same  occasion,  the  Rev.  John 
H.  Benson  officiating.  H.  B.  Thorp  had  a  family  of  seven 
children  by  his  second  marriage,  viz :  Harriet,  Henry  B., 
Eliza,  Charles,  Frank,  William,  and  George.  His  occupa- 
tion was  principally  that  of  a  farmer.  He  and  his  brother 
Samuel,  as  early  as  183<>,  built  a  distillery  on  their  place, 
and  continued  to  run  it  for  several  years.  David  Thorp  had  a 
store  here  in  early  times.  He  and  Albert  Judd  built  a  distillery 
on  the  Marine  and  St  Jacob's  wagon  road,at  the  Silver  Creek 
ford.  Henry  B.  Thorp  died  Jan.  14th,  1849;  his  wife  died 
the  27th  of  January  following.  Mr.  Thorp  was  a  public- 
spirited  man,  and  lived  beloved  and  respected  by  all  who 
knew  him. 

John  Howard,  a  son  of  the  widow  Howard,  who  built  the 
first  cabin  in  the  southeast  part  of  Madison  county,  settled 
the  Sohler  place,  near  the  Augusta  church,  in  an  early  day. 
He  was  a  ranger  during  the  Indian  troubles.  In  the  Legis- 
lature of  1818,  he  represented  his  county,  and  was  the  first 
Justice  of  the  township,  and  filled  the  office  until  his 
death.  He  had  a  liberal  education  for  his  time,  was 
honest  and  upright  in  his  dealings,  and  lived  a  much  re- 
spected citizen.  He  reared  two  sons  :  Abraham,  the  eldest, 
lived  on  his  father's  old  homestead  until  his  death,  ant^now 
lies  buried  in  the  Augusta  graveyard  ;  Riley,  the  youngest, 
lives  in  Iowa.  Nicholas  Kyle,  a  son  of  Adam  Kyle,  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  Marine  township,  located  in  the  e<lge  of 
the  timber  northwest  of  St.  Jacobs,  among  the  early  settlers, 
where  he  improved  quite  a  large  farm,  and  built  a  sub-tan- 
tial  brick  house  which  was  among  the  first  of  that  kind  of 
structures  in  this  part  of  the  county.  He  was  the  first 
constable  of  the  township  His  family  consisted  of  three 
sons  and  two  daughters.  William  Parkinson,  a  native  of 
White  county,  Tenn.,  came  to  the  township  in  1816,  and 
lived  on  the  Searcy  farm  which  was  originally  the  Chilton 
place,  near  the  old  fort-  May  31,  1817,  he  entered  his  first 
land,  the  west  half  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  one. 
eighty  acres.  After  his  family  grew  up  and  settled  in  life 
for  themselves,  he  sold  out  and  moved  to  Wisconsin,  where 
lie  died.  None  of  his  family  now  live  in  the  county. 
Washington  Parkinson,  his  brother,  came  two  years  later. 
The  first  two  crops  he  raised  in  the  Marine  prairie.  In 
1820,  he  settled  the  E  C.  Dugger  place,  section  two.  The 
records  show  that  he  entered  this  tract  of  eighty  acres  in  the 


466 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


fall  of  1816.  He  had  three  children  born  to  liitn  in  White 
county,  Tenn.,  viz.:  William,  George,  and  Alfred  J.,  and 
two  in  Madison  county,  viz.:  Catharine,  who  died  a  young 
girl,  and  Melinda  B.,  who  married  Edward  C.  Dugger. 
The  old  gentleman  improved  a  fine  farm,  was  a  successful 
farmer,  and  lived  here  a  quiet  citizen  until  he  was  assassi- 
nated, in  184G.  He  was  in  his  sitting  room  just  after  sup- 
per, when  some  one  unknown,  in  the  darkness  of  the  night 
fired  a  shot  through  the  window  and  during  the  excitement 
that  ensued  made  his  escape.  The  murderer  has  never  been 
brought  to  justice.  Alfred  J.,  his  son,  who  was  born  in 
White  county,  Tennessee,  January  20,  1816,  is  one  of  the 
prominent  farmers  of  the  township,  having  often  been 
called  upon  to  fill  important  positions  of  honor  and  trust. 
At  the  present  writing  he  is  a  member  of  the  State  Legisla- 
ture. In  1842,  Miss  Mary  E.  Baldwin  became  his  wife,  and 
they  have  had  nine  children,  seven  sons  and  two  daughters. 
JorJen  Uzzle,  a  Tennesseean,  settled  iu  the  edge  of  the 
timber  on  section  three,  about  the  same  time  the  Duggers 
located  here.  In  early  years  camp-meetings  were  held  at 
his  place  or  near  his  spring,  on  what  was  called  the  Uzzle 
camp-meeting  grounds.  He  was  a  devout  member  of  the 
Methodist  church.  He  died  on  his  old  homestead,  leaving  a 
widow  and  quite  a  family  of  children.  James  A.  Smith, 
who  lives  on  section  31,  came  to  the  county  from  Tennessee, 
with  his  father,  Thomas  Smith,  in  1827.  In  1835,  the  latter 
with  his  family  went  to  Arkansas.  After  a  short  stay, 
James  A.,  returned  to  Madison  county,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  Edmund  Townsend,  who  lives  on  the  same  section, 
while  not  a  very  old  settler  of  this  county,  was  born  iu  this 
vicinity.  His  father,  Whitfield  Townsend,  a  native  of 
North  Carolina,  settled  in  the  northern  part  of  St.  Clair 
county,  in  1814.  William  C.  ]\IcAlilly  located  on  the  place 
where  he  now  lives,  in  1840.  (For  early  history  of  the 
family  see  Saline  township). 

W.  B.  Bradsby,  who  lives  on  section  thirty-two,  was  born 
on  the  township  line,  now  the  Erastus  Pyle  place,  in  1846. 
He  is  a  son  of  John  Bradsby,  who  was  a  descendant  of  the 
Bradsby  family,  of  St-  Clair  county.  Early  in  the  spring 
of  1804,  William  EI.  Bradsby,  in  company  with  two  other 
young  men  from  Kentucky,  located  on  Silver  Creek,  about 
three  miles  north  of  the  present  town  of  Lebanon,  where 
they  made  an  improvement  and  raised  a  crop.  In  the  fall 
of  the  same  year  the  elder  Bradsby  brought  the  balance  of 
the  family  from  Kentucky  and  located  on  a  form  where  he 
continued  to  reside.  Reynolds  in  his  Pioneer  History  says: 
"  The  Bradsby  family  were  brave  and  energetic  pioneers. 
They  possessed  good  talents  and  were  fearless  and  intrepid, 
they  were  firm  and  decisive,  when  they  took  a  stand,  and 
were  also  moral  and  correct,  and  made  good  citizens.  The 
elder  Bradsby  taught  school  in  various  neighborhoods.  His 
sons  were  in  the  Ranging  service,  and  made  good  soldiers. 
In  1814,  William  H.  Bradsby  represented  St.  Clair  county 
iu  the  territorial  legislature.  He  became  a  physician,  and 
was  quite  prominent  in  the  early  history  of  Washington 
county." 

The  first  school  was  taught  in  the  old  fort,  by  David 
Smcltzer.     The  first  school  house,  a  small  log  cabin    put  up 


about  1818,  stood  near  the  site  of  the  fort.  The  second  was 
built  in  the  Dugger  settlement,  and  stood  near  the  Uzzle 
spring.  Alexander  Trucsdale  was  one  of  the  first  teachers. 
He  was  also  a  preacher,  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
faith.  For  several  years  prior  to  the  building  of  this  house, 
school  was  taught  by  Edmunds  and  others,  in  an  abandoned 
cabin  that  stood  near  the  Dugger  ox  mill.  John  Kyle  also 
taught  near  Wesley  Dugger's  place,  before  any  school-house 
was  built  in  this  settlement.  He  afterward  improved  a 
farm  in  Helvetia  township,  being  one  of  the  first  settlers 
there. 

Augusta  Church  was  the  first  house  of  worship,  and  was 
built  near  the  site  of  an  old  log  school-house,  by  the  Metho 
dists  about  thirty  >ears  ago.  It  is  a  brick  building,  and 
stands  in  the  southeast  part  of  section  seven,  in  a  good  state 
of  preservation.  For  many  years  before  this  church  wa.s 
built,  the  congregation  met  at  the  residence  of  John  C. 
Dugger  who  was  a  worthy  member  of  the  church,  and  was 
mainly  instrumental  in  the  construction  of  the  building. 
Between  the  site  of  the  old  fort  and  the  place  where  the 
Augusta  church  now  stands,  in  early  times,  the  militia  were 
accustomed  to  meet,  this  being  their  training  ground.  It 
was  here,  also,  that  the  young  athletes  of  the  country  gath- 
ered to  exhibit  their  muscle.  Each  settlement  or  neighbor- 
hood would  have  its  champion,  and  as  this  was  the  place  of 
general  resort  for  sports  of  an  athletic  kind,  many  are  the 
tales  told  by  the  old  settlers  of  feats  perf  jrmed  and  plaudits 
won  by  the  wrestlers,  runners  and  jumpers. 

Among  the  Germans  first  to  come  to  this  township  was 
Dr.  Henry  C.  Gerke,  who  emigrated  from  his  native  land, 
Laar,  in  Hessen  Cassel,  Germany,  to  America,  coming  direct 
to  Madison  county  in  1824.  He  left  his  family  behind 
him,  and  afterward  crossed  the  ocean  several  times.  On 
his  second  trip,  in  1830,  he  brought  with  him  his  oldest  son, 
William  H.  The  Dr.  located  on  the  Herrin  place,  Her- 
rin's  Grove,  and  placed  his  son  William  H.  in  the  Marine 
settlement.  In  1842,  William  H.  married  Mi^s  L^vina 
Blakeman,  a  daughter  of  Capt-  Curtis  Blakeman.  Mrs 
Gerke  died  young,  leaving  one  child.  Judge  Henry  C.  Gerke, 
of  Edwardsville.  Mr.  Gerke  never  married  again,  and 
died  in  the  Marine  settlement  in  1840,  about  six  years  after 
his  wife's  death.  Dr.  Gerke  was  a  classical  scholar,  besides 
being  educated  to  the  profession  of  law.  He  was  the  author 
of  several  volumes,  published  in  Germany,  relating  to  the 
history  of  North  America,  and  especially  to  that  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi valley.  These  works  were  largely  distributed 
throughout  G  ruiany,  and  it  was  through  their  influence, 
and  the  efforts  of  the  Doctor,  that  this  part  of  the  Stale  has 
become  so  largely  populated  by  the  Germans.  He  was 
thoroughly  democratic  in  his  views  of  government  and  po. 
litical  economy  ;  in  fact  the  very  cause  that  induced  him  to 
come  to  America  was  on  account  of  her  free  institutions. 
In  1836  he  brought  to  this  country  the  remainder  of  hig 
family,  consisting  of  his  wife  and  son,  John  P.  The  Doctor 
lived  on  his  place  iu  St.  Jacobs  until  his  death  in  1842.  He 
left  a  vast  estate,  and  a  wide  circle  of  friends.  His  widow 
survived  him  until  1871,  and  died  at  Marine,  at  the  resi- 
dence of  her  grandson,  Judge  Henry  C.  Gerke.     John   P. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


467 


Gerke  was  married  to  Bertha,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Eliz- 
abeth Stoffelbach  of  this  township,  in  18-13.  and  had  two 
daughters.  At  his  father's  death  he  fell  heir  to  the  property 
in  St.  Jacobs.  He  was  an  artist  of  considerable  celebrity, 
and  executed  many  valuable  paintings,  now  greatly  admired- 
He  resided  mostly  in  St.  Louis,  where  he  died  in  1847. 

Theodore  and  Joseph  Miller  came  with  their  widowed 
mother,  three  brothers  and  three  sisters,  in  1835,  from  Ba- 
den, Germany.  The  mother  died  five  years  later.  Theodore 
improved  a  large  farm  in  section  20,  where  his  son,  J.  G. 
Miller,  now  lives,  and  became  one  of  the  foremost  men  of  the 
township.  He  served  for  a  time  as  constable.  Afterward 
he  was  elected  magistrate,  the  office  of  which  he  filled  twelve 
years.  In  1870  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  State.  In  1846  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Anderson, 
daughter  of  Major  James  G.  Anderson,  became  his  wife. 
His  brother  Joseph  lived  here  for  many  years,  and  was  a 
successful  farmer.  Afterward  he  went  to  Lebanon,  St. 
Clair  county,  whe-e  he  resided  until  his  death.  Samuel 
Frey  made  a  good  farm  of  the  prairie,  section  22.  He  came 
to  the  county  in  1^40,  and  has  been  a  very  sucecssful 
farmer.  Henry  Frey,  a  brother,  improved  a  good  farm 
adjoining,  on  the  east,  where  he  accumulated  much  propert)'. 
He  died  several  years  ago,  leaving  two  sons,  who  are  promi- 
nent farmers  of  the  township.  Peter  Frutiger  came  to  St- 
Jacobs  in  1842,  and  improved  a  large  farm  in  sections 
23  and  24.  He  has  been  dead  manj'  years.  Several  of 
his  children  are  worthy  citizens  of  the  township.  Jacob 
Leder,  who  lives  on  section  one,  is  a  native  of  Switzerland. 
He  came  here  in  1837.  Rudolph  Baer,  also  a  native  of 
Switzerland,  arrived  in  1844,  with  his  father,  who  improved 
a  good  farm  on  the  prairie,  in  section  fourteen,  where  Ru- 
dolph now  lives.  Christ.  Hirni  also  made  a  farm  on  the 
prairie,  on  .section  thirteen.  Jacob  Leutwiller  also  improved 
a  farm  on  the  same  section.  Henry  Ritter,  who  lives  near 
Herriu's  Grove,  has  resided  there  since  1844.  John  Schniitt, 
south  of  the  grove,  is  one  of  the  early  Germans,  as  are  also 
P.  Juckweiler,  who  now  lives  in  St.  Jacobs,  Jacob  Schroth" 
first  store-keeper  of  St.  Jacobs,  and  A.  Zwilchenbart,  who 
bought  the  Dugger  Ox-mill  and  farm.  Henry  Laengle 
came  to  the  county  in  184ti,  and  since  that  time  has  been 
engaged  in  farming  and  hotel-keeping.  He  built  his  brick 
hotel  in  St  Jacobs  in  1879. 

The  following  gentlemen  have  represented  the  township 
in  the  board  of  supervisors  :  F.  S.  Pike,  1876-'77,  re-elected 
1877-78;  E.  N.  Peterson,  187S-'79;  James  S.  Miller, 
1879-'80;  John  P.  Anderson,  1880-'81,  re-elected  18S1,'82, 
and  is  now  in  oflBce. 


TOWN   OF   ST.  JACOBS. 

The  first  house  was  built  by  Jacob  Schutz,  where  he 
sold  whisky  by  the  gallon.  In  1849  Jacob  Schroth  started 
a  store ;  he  bought  two  and-a-half  acres  off  the  corner  of 
Jacob  Schutz's  fiirm,  being  in  the  northwest  part  of  the 
northeast  forty  of  section  16  ;  he  built  a  small  house  (since 
enlarged),   now   the   St.   Jacob's   House.     He   entertained 


travelers  and  had  a  wagon-yard  in  connection  with  his  saloon 
and  store.  In  June,  18.51,  he  got  a  post-office  established, 
and  because  his  name  was  Jacob  and  Jacob  was  the  original 
owner  of  the  land,  and  the  blacksmith's  name  was  Jacob, 
they  concluded  to  name  the  place  of  the  then  cross-roads 
St.  Jacobs.  Mr.  Schroth  ccmtinued  in  business  here  until 
his  death  in  1:^60.  His  wife  was  then  commissioned  post- 
mistress, and  continued  the  business  many  years.  In  18.50 
Jacob  Willi  started  a  blacksmith  shop  and  worked  at  his 
trade  several  years;  he  is  now  on  a  farm  half  a  mile  north 
of  town,  in  good  circumstances.  The  third  house  was  put  up 
by  Louis  Schiele.  It  is  in  part  now  the  Pfaclzer  Hof.  Mr. 
Schiele,  in  1866,  laid  out  the  town  of  St.  Jacobs,  in  the 
southeast  quarter  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  9. 
The  village  increased  principally  around  the  Schroth  corner 
and  on  the  St.  Louis  wagon-road,  until  the  construction  of 
the  railroad,  since  which  the  growth  has  been  almost  entirely 
toward  the  depot.  There  were  about  twenty  houses  in  the 
place  before  the  railroad  was  built.  The  census  of  1880 
gave  it  a  population  of  four  hundred  and  sixty-one.  Dr.  Buck 
was  the  first  physician  In  1866,  Edward  Dee  and  William 
C.  M'AIilly  built  a  saw-mill  a  quarter  of  a  mile  north  of  the 
town.  They  afterward  sawed  out  a  frame  and  put  up  a 
small  grist  mill,  and  then  took  into  partnership  with  them, 
Charles  Valier,  who  was  a  practical  miller.  The  mill  com- 
menced grinding  in  1869  ;  since  that  time  it  has  been  owned 
by  several  different  parties.  The  saw-mill  has  long  since 
been  abandoned.  The  mill  has  been  greatly  improved  from 
time  to  time,  and  it  now  standi  a  substantial  frame,  four- 
stories  high  with  basement,  having  four  run  of  burrs  and  a 
capacity  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  barrels  per  day. 
It  is  owned  and  operated  by  Joseph  Peeler  and  Jacob  Willi. 
The  saw-mill  near  the  depot  was  put  up  in  1880  ;  now 
owned  by  John  Bartle.  The  Independent  Bucket  Factory 
was  started  in  June,  18SI,  by  John  Schaefer.  It  employs 
from  six  to  eight  men. 

The  school  building  is  a  two  story  brick  of  four  rooms, 
where  three  teachers  are  employed.  J.  W.  Welles  has  been 
the  principal  for  the  past  three  years.  There  are  two 
churches.  The  Lutheran,  a  neat  brick  structure,  was  built 
in  1869  ;  the  Methodist,  a  frame  building,  in  1879. 

The  St.  Louis,  Vandalia  &  Terre  Haute  railroad  passes 
through  the  northern  part  of  the  township,  entering  near 
the  center  of  section  1,  and  passing  out  near  the  southwest 
corner  of  section  7.  St.  Jacobs  is  situated  on  this  line  at 
nearly  an  equal  distance  from  the  eastern  and  western 
boundaries  of  the  township.  Its  location  in  the  midst  of  a 
fertile  and  prosperous  country  secures  for  it  a  good  trade. 
It  is  the  shipping  point  for  Marine,  a  village  of  eight  hundred 
inhabitants,  five  miles  distant. 

PRESENT   BUSINESS. 

Phjsiciam. — B.  F.  Stephens,  E.  Miller,  H.  R.  Kirsten. 

Postmaster. — G.  W.  Hays. 

Hotels. — Henry  Laengle,  Laengle's  Hotel ;  Louis  Wasem, 
Pfaelzer  Hof ;  Henry  Schmitt,  St.  Jacob's  House  ;  Ernst 
Pahmeyer,  Rail  Road  Hotel. 


468 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


General  Stores. — G.  W.  Searcy,  Karges  &  Williams,  F. 
Sohler. 

Lumber  Yard,  Lime,  Cement,  etc. — E.  N.  Peterson. 

Dealer  in  Hanhvare  awl  Farming  Implements. —  John 
Schaefer. 

Grain  Dealers- — Anderson  &  Wiseman. 

Druff  Stores. — Charles  Spies,  H.  F.  Wood. 

FiirniiHrv  a7id  Undertaker.— H.  A.  Reichenbecher. 

Harness  and  Saddles. — Theodore  Schmidt,  Fred.  Pfunder. 

Meat  Market  — Louis  Schiele  ;   J.  Freys. 


Merchant  Tailor — F.  Gain. 

•Blacksmith  Shops. — Fred    Spies,  Joseph  Beekler,  Leonz 
Buehlraann. 

Wagon  Shops- — Leonz  Buehlmann,  Henry  Maurer. 

Wagon-maker. — Fritz  Graf. 

Bakery. — H.  Meyer. 

Barbers — Melch  Hochul,  Thomas  Cannon. 

Shoemakers- — Joseph  Hilbi,  C.  M.  Petry. 

Cigar  Manvjactorij. — W.  Fisher. 


■^^^^^3^i!^9^^- 


BIOGRAPHIES. 


GEORGE  W.  SEARCY. 

The  Searcy  family  are  among  the  old  settlers  and  the 
descendants  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Madison  county. 
Philip  T.  Searcy,  the  father,  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina 
born  in  1802.  He  was  left  an  orphan  while  yet  youug  in 
years;  he  was  taken  by  his  guardian,  Granser  Dugger,  to 
Tennessee,  and  brought  by  him  to  Illinois,  November  17, 
1817.  The  Dugger  family  stopped  for  a  short  time  in  the 
forks  of  Silver  creek,  then  a  part  of  Marine  township,  in 
Madison  county,  but  soon  after  moved  to  Bond  county,  and 
Battled  on  Hurricane  Fork  of  Shoal  creek;  three  years  later 
they  returned  to  Madison  county  and  permanently  located 
on  the  piece  of  land  upon  which  they  settled  when  they  first 
came  to  Illinois.  Mr.  Dugger  entered  laud  in  .sections  5  and 
6,  of  what  is  now  St.  Jacob's  township.  From  the  Dugger 
family  sprang  a  numerous  progeny.  John,  Wesley,  Jarret, 
sons  of  Mr.  Dugger,  were  soldiers  of  the  war  of  1812,  and 
also  of  the  Black-Hawk  war  of  1831-'32.  Philip  T.  Searcy 
married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Granser  Dugger.  She  was 
the  widow  of  John  Hunter,  by  whom  she  had  one  son,  named 
John  Andrew  Hunter;  he  was  also  a  soldier  of  the  Black- 
Hawk  war.  Mr.  Searcy  died  February  13,  1861,  and  his 
wife  February  13,  1864.  There  were  twelve  children  born 
to  Philip  T.  and  Elizabeth  Searcy,  three  of  whom  are  now 
living.  Their  names  are  Nancy  Jane,  Edward  C  and  George 
W.  Thomas  J.  was  a  soldier  in  company  I)  of  the  -SOth 
Illinois  Volunteers.  At  the  battle  of  Perryville,  October  8, 
1862,  he  was  wounded,  and  died  two  years  later  from  the 
effect  of  the  wound.  Edward  C.  was  also  a  soldier  in  the 
same  company  and  regiment,  and  was  captured  by  the  rebels 
when  in  the  act  of  bearing  his  wounded  brother  from  the 
field      George  W.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  on 


the  old  homestead  March  6,  1834.  He  there  grew  to  man- 
hood, and  remained  at  home  until  twenty-one  years  of  age; 
he  then  clerked  for  his  half  brother,  Mr.  Hunter,  for  two 
years.  Realizing  that  he  had  insufficient  education,  he  spent 
the  winter  of  18.57-'58  in  school.  The  fall  previous,  he  had 
been  elected  constable,  a  position  he  held  for  twelve  years. 
In  the  spring  of  1858,  he  purchased  sixty  acres  of  land  in 
section  17,  and  there  made  his  home  until  1866,  when  he 
moved  to  section  18,  where  he  had  purchased  one  hundred 
and  fifty-five  acres.  On  this  tract,  in  former  years,  stood 
Fort  Shilton,  one  of  the  block-houses  during  the  Indian 
troubles  in  1812. 

Mr.  Searcy  made  his  home  on  section  18  until  the  spring 
of  1880,  when  he  removed  to  the  village  of  St.  Jacobs,  and 
there,  on  the  28th  of  February,  1882,  engaged  in  general 
merchandising;  in  which  he  still  continues.  On  the  2d  of 
April,  1858,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Ann  Taylor.  She  was 
born  on  the  '  Old  Chase "  farm,  in  St.  Jacob's  township 
December  6,  1833.  Her  parents  were  natives  of  Virginia, 
and  removed  to  North  Carolina,  tlien  to  Illinois  and  .settled 
in  White  county,  and  subsequently  came  to  Madison.  There 
were  four  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Searcy;  one  living 
named  George  L.,  who  was  born  June  2,  1860.  The  others 
died  in  infancy  and  early  childhood.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Searcy  attached  themselves  to  the  M.  E.  Church  while  young. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  ;  he  was  justice  of  the  peace 
for  his  township  for  four  years,  and  was  special  deputy 
sheriff  for  six  years.  During  the  late  war  he  was  enrolled 
officer  from  November,  1864,  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
In  his  manners  he  is  plain  and  unassuming,  and  his  charac- 
ter and  reputation  is  that  of  an  honorable  and  honest  man. 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON'    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


469 


;H^  ^.  ^^<:^ 


The  subject  of  this  memoir  was  born  on  section  31,  in  St. 
Jacob's  Township,  Madison  County,  Illinois,  Aug.  14tli, 
1832.  His  father,  William  Faires,  was  born  in  North  Caro- 
lina, Aug.  5th,  1789.  He 'emigrated  to  Illinois  in  ]82(>- 
and  settled  on  what  was  then  and  since  known  as  Terrappiii 
Ridge  in  this  county.  His  first  settlement  was  in  section 
31,  T  3,  R  3.  He  afterward  moved  to  section  33,  and  tlieif 
died,  Feb.  14th,  1855.  He  married  Elizabeth  Orr,  who  was 
born  in  North  Carolina,  January  17th,  1791.  The  date  of 
the  marriage  was  January  13th,  1813.  She  died  in  August 
1863.  There  were  nine  children  by  that  marriage,  four 
sons  and  five  daughters.  Two  sons  and  three  daughters 
have  survived  the  parents  and  are  yet  living.  William  B. 
is  the  youngest  of  the  family.  He  was  brought  up  on  the 
farm  and  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  the 
neighborhood.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  commenced  the 
trade  of  blacksmithing,  but  soon  abandoned  it  to  engage  in 
farming.  He  purchased  two  hundred  acres  of  raw  unim- 
proved land  in  section  26,  where  he  now  resides,  and  com- 
menced its  improvement,  and  there  he  has  remained  to  the 


present  time.  To  his  original  purchase  he  has  added  until  he 
has  now  over  five  hundred  acres  of  fine  land,  all  of  which  is 
under  cultivation.  He  also  commenced  dealing  and  trading 
in  live  stock  when  he  commenced  farming,  and  those  two 
businesses  have  been  his  chief  occupation  up  to  the  present 
time.  In  April,  1864,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  M. 
J.  Putnam,  daughter  of  Hiram  Putnam.  She  was  born  in 
Wilson  county,  Tennessee,  in  1842.  By  this  union  there 
have  been  eight  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Faires.  Their 
namfs  in  the  order  of  their  birth  are,  William  A.,  Charles 
Henry,  Elizabeth  O  ,  Horace  Greeley,  Julia  Ann,  Lula 
Jane,  (the  latter  two  are  twins)  Edward  Allen  and  Hattie 
Faires.  Mr.  Faires  is  a  member  of  the  ancient  and  honor- 
able order  of  A.  F.  A.  M.  Politically  he  has  always  voted 
the  Democratic  ticket.  Mr.  Faires  may  be  regarded  as  one 
of  the  old  settlers  of  Madison  county.  He  has  lived  here 
fifty  years.  His  father's  family  were  among  the  pioneers  of 
the  state.  In  the  present  and  years  gone  by  the  neighbors 
of  Mr.  Faires  have  known  him  as  an  open,  generous-hearted 
man,  a  true  friend  and  an  honest,  upright  man. 


470 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


''/^^-5^^^         JuyCi^ 


The  Pyle  family  is  of  Eoglish  aud  Welsh  ancestry. 
Samuel  Pyle,  the  ancestor  of  the  present,  family  was  of 
Quaker  origin  and  came  with  William  Penn  to  America 
in  1682,  and  made  the  first  settlement  in  Pennsylvania 
and  founded  the  city  of  Philadelphia.  Subsequently  his 
offspring  removed  south  and  helped  to  form  the  settle- 
ments along  the  coast  in  the  Carolinas.  There  they  lived 
during  the  revolutionary  war,  and  iu  which  struggle  both 
the  paternal  and  maternal  grandfathers  of  Abner  Pyle  took 
part.  Abner  Pyle,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  born  in  Chatham  county.  North  Carolina.  The  family 
moved  to  Kentucky  soon  after  that  state  was  admitted  to  the 
union,  and  remained  there  until  18 IS,  when  they  came  to 
Illinois  and  settled  in  Jackson  county  in  a  section  that  is 
now  .a  part  of  Perry  county.     Mr.  Pyle  was  one  of  the  first 


commissioners  of  the  latter  county,  and  helped  to  locate  the 
coanty  seat  and  lay  out  the  town  of  Pinckneyville.  He  re- 
mained a  citizen  of  Perry  county  until  the  death  of  his 
wife,  then  came  to  Madison  county,  where  he  lived  with  his 
sons  until  his  death,  which  event  occurred  in  July,  1863- 
He  married  Sarah  Wells,  a  native  of  South  Carolina.  She 
died  in  Perry  county,  January  25,  1825.  By  the  union  of 
Abner  and  Sarah  Pyle  there  were  twelve  children,  ten  of 
whom  lived  to  maturity  and  raised  families.  Abner  Pyle, 
Jr.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  iu  Christian  county, 
Kentucky,  January  25th,  1809,  and  was  a  mere  boy  when 
the  family  came  to  Illinois.  Here  he  grew  to  manhood  and 
received  such  instruction  as  the  public  schools  of  Perry 
county  afforded.  His  first  effort  in  public  life  was  acting  as 
surveyor  of  Perry  county,  a  position  he  was  appointed  to  by 


HISTORY    OF    MADISON    COU^'TY,    ILLINOIS. 


471 


Gov.  Duncan.  He  afterward  engaged  in  farming  and 
trading.  In  1848,  lie  moved  to  St.  Clair  county  and  re- 
mained there  until  March  ITth,  1859,  when  he  purchased 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  section  twenty-six,  of  St. 
Jacob's  Township,  in  Madison  county.  He  improved  his 
land,  added  more  tn  it,  and  there  he  has  resided  to  the  pres- 
ent. In  May,  1833,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary 
llogue.  She  died  in  1844,  leaving  one  son  named  Andrew, 
who  grew  to  maturity,  married,  and  died  in  1879,  leaving 
a  wife  and  two  children.  On  the  19th  of  August,  1848,  he 
married  Naomi  Bradsby,  widow  of  John  Bradsby.  Her 
maiden  name  was  Faires,  daughter  of  William  and  Eliza- 
beth (Orr)  Faires.  She  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  Janu- 
ary 14,  1815.  By  her  marriage  with  John  Bradsby  she  had 
three  children,  named  Francis  M.,  Mary  E.  and  William  D. 
Bradsby.     By  her  marriage  with  Mr.  Pyle,  there  are  also 


three  children,  whose  names  are  Martha  A.,  wife  of  James 
Thompson,  Lyman  and  Henry  B.  Pyle.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs- 
Pyle  are  members  of  the  Christian  Church.  Politically  he 
was  originally  an  old  Jacksoniau  Democrat.  His  first 
presidential  ticket  was  cast  for  the  hero  of  New  Orleans. 
From  that  time  to  the  present  he  has  not  swerved  in  his 
allegiance  to  the  party  of  his  first  choice.  Mr.  Pyle  is  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  Illinois,  and  is  a  connecting  link  between 
this  and  a  race  of  hardy  and  venturesome  men  that  are 
rapidly  passing  away.  A  few  more  years  will  witness  their 
departure,  and  they  will  only  exist  in  the  memories  of  the 
older  people  and  in  the  pages  of  history.  Would  that  the 
free,  generous,  open-hearted  pioneer  of  old  could  always  be 
with  us  and  teach  us  by  example  what  open  and  true  hospi- 
tality is,  and  means.     To  that  class  belongs  Mr.  Pyle. 


CHOUTEAU. 


I  HIS  township  lies  wholly  in  the  Ameri- 
can Bottom,  and  was  once  covered 
with  heavy  timbers  of  oak,  elm,  walnut, 
hickory,  ash,  etc.  The  soil  is  composed 
of  the  rich  alluvium  peculiar  to  the 
Mississippi  bottom.  It  contains  more 
sand,  however,  than  the  bottom  further 
down  the  river,  in  St.  Clair  county.  It 
is  variously  interspersed  with  lakes  or 
sloughs,  the  larger  of  which  lies  in  the  north  and  east,  and 
occupies  about  600  acres.  Long  Lake,  so  called,  enters  the 
township  in  sec  4  and  extends  southward  entirely  through 
the  territory.  It  is  a  theory  by  the  more  thoughtful,  and 
close  observing,  that  this  was  once  the  original  bed  of  Wood 
River,  and  that  it  emptied  its  waters  into  the  Mississippi 
further  down.  Chouteau  Island  lies  at  the  southwest,  and 
comprises  about  four  sections,  one-half  of  which  extends  into 
township  4,  range  10.  The  island  is  formed  by  Chouteau 
slough  on  the  east,  and  the  Mississippi  river  on  the  west. 
There  was  a  peculiarity  about  the  timber  on  this  island  as  com- 
pared with  that  on  the  rest  of  the  bottom,  it  being  of  the  soft  or 
porous  kind,  such  as  cotton-wood,  lynn,  etc.  The  passage 
from  the  main  land  to  the  island  is  effected  by  a  dike  thrown 
across  the  slough  about  three  hundred  yards  from  the  Missis- 


sippi. The  township  is  well  supplied  with  railroads,  the 
Chicago  and  Alton  and  the  Indiana  and  St.  Louis  railways  pass- 
ing side  by  side,  through  its  entire  territory.  They  enter 
from  the  north  in  section  three,  take  a  southerly  course  and 
pass  out  in  section  thirty-three.  The  Wabash,  St.  Louis  & 
Pacific  road  enters  in  section  thirteen,  extends  southwest, 
and  joins  the  former  road  in  section  twenty-seven,  crossing 
the  southern  line  of  the  township  on  the  same  grade.  Chou- 
teau is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Wood  River  township,  on 
the  east  by  Edwardsville,  south  by  Nameoki,  and  west  by 
the  Mississippi  river.  It  contains  about  thirty  sections  of 
land,  and  had  a  population  in  1880,  of  1,094. 

EARLY   SETTLEMENTS. 

The  honor  of  the  first  white  settlement  in  Madison  county 
belongs  unquestionably  to  this  township.  As  near  as  can  be 
determined  the  French  established  a  small  settlement  on 
Chouteau  island,  as  early  as  1750.  Not  only  does  Gov. 
Reynolds  so  establish  the  date,  but  there  were  evidences 
many  years  ago,  substantiated  by  those  now  living,  and  be- 
fore the  river  had  encroached  upon  the  Illinois  side,  that  the 
above  date  is  not  far  from  correct.  Mr.  Amos  Atkins,  who 
is  now  61  years  of  age,  and  who  was  born  on  the  island,  in- 
formed the  writer  that  when  he  was  a  mere  boy  there  was  an 


472 


HISTORY    OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


apple  and  pear  orchard,  the  trees  of  which  were  t^o  large 
that  they  must  have  been  planted  raiinv  year^  before.  One 
pear  tree,  he  says,  was  at  least  a  foot  and  a-half  in  diameter, 
and  the  apple  trees  were  not  far  from  the  same  size.  It  was 
near  this  orchard  where  the  French  settlers  biiiied  their  dead. 
When  the  river  encroached  upon  the  banks,  reaching  this 
place  of  burial,  many  a  ghastly  skeleton  was  washed  from  its 
long  resting  place.  The  citizens  of  the  island  kindly 
gathered  up  the  remains  as  best  they  could,  and  re-buried 
them  in  what  is  now  the  corner  of  Amos  A'kins'  pasture,  in 
sec.  19,  From  present  appearances  in  the  conduct  of  the 
river,  it  is  only  a  question  of  time  when  these  same  skeletons 
will  again  be  washed  by  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi. 

We  are  unable  to  present  more  than  one  of  the  names  of 
these  early  French  settlers,  that  of  La  Croix,  who  afterward 
moved  to  Cahokia,  where  he  died.  Many  years  ago  the 
island  was  known  as  Big  Island,  but  was  afterward  called 
Chouteau,  in  honor  of  Pierre  Chouteau.  It  is  from  the 
island  that  the  township  receives  its  name. 

The  first  settlement  made  by  the  Americans,  was  by  the 
Gillhams  about  1802.  Their  ancestor,  Thomas,  was  a 
native  of  Ireland,  and  emigrated  to  this  country  prior  to  the 
Revolution,  and  he  and  his  sons  served  in  the  war  for  inde- 
pendence of  the  Colonies.  His  family  consisted  of  five  sons 
and  two  daughters.  Thomas,  the  eldest,  was  never  a  citizen 
of  Illinois,  but  his  sons  all  moved  to  this  state  and  settled  in 
the  American  Bottom.  Their  names  were  Thomas,  James, 
William,  John  and  Isaac.  That  which  led  to  their  settle- 
ment here,  is  shrouded  with  a  romance  of  heart-aches  and 
suffering,  a  brief  synopsis  of  which  is  substantially  as  fol- 
lows :  *  James,  the  second  son,  was  born  in  South  Carolina, 
where  he  married,  and  afterwards  moved  to  Kentucky  and 
settled  with  his  little  family,  upon  the  then  western  frontier 
They  had  three  sons  and  one  daughter,  between  the  ages  of 
four  and  twelve  years.  In  the  summer  of  1790,  while  Mr. 
Gillham  and  his  son  Isaac  were  at  work  in  the  field,  a  band 
of  Kickapoo  Indians,  from  Illinois,  were  prowling  in  that 
neighborhood.  Coming  upon  the- cabin  of  Mr.  Gillham, 
thev  stalked  into  the  house,  and  at  once  took  the  mother  and 
children  captives.  Mrs.  Gillham  was  so  overcome  that  she 
recollected  nothing  distinctly  of  the  capture,  until  she  was 
brought  to  her  senses,  by  one  of  the  boys,  Samuel,  exclaim 
ing,  "  Mother,  we  are  all  prisoners."  But  why  harrow  the 
minds  of  our  readers,  by  relating  the  long,  weary  march, 
and  the  untold  hardships  of  their  journey  through  the 
wilderness,  until  their  captors  reached  the  village  of  the 
Kickapoos,  then  situated  in  Logan  county,  Illinois.  What 
must  have  been  the  feelings  of  father  and  son,  on  returning 
to  their  little  cabin,  to  find  the  fearful  evidences  that  those 
they  loved  so  well  were  in  the  hands  of  the  cruel  savages '. 
As  there  was  no  appearance  of  blood  about  the  premises, 
Mr.  Gillham  became  satisfied  that  his  family  were  mere 
captive.'^,  and  that  they  were  still  unharmed.  He,  and  one  of 
his  neighbors  soon  started  on  the  trail,  but  after  a  long  and 
tedious  march  they  lost  all  trace  of  it,  and  were  obliged  to 
return.     But  hope  that  his  wife  and  children  were  yet  in  the 

*  For  lluse  facts  we  are  indebted  to  the  Madison  Ccunly  Gazetteer. 


land  of  the  living,  buoyed  him  up,  and  he  resolved  that  he 
would  continue  the  search  until  they  were  found.  According- 
ly he  sold  out  his  little  improvement  in  Kentucky,  placed 
his  son  Isaac  in  the  family  of  a  friend,  and  soon  began  the 
long,  and  almost  hopeless  search.  He  traveled  all  through 
the  Western  frontier,  visiting  Vincent,  ( now  Vincenues  ), 
Kaskaskia,  and  afterwards  at  Fort  Washington,  Cincinnati, 
to  confer  with  Gen.  St.  Clair,  then  Governor  of  the  North- 
West  Territory.  He  here  learned  that  the  Indians  were 
about  to  take  the  war-path  against  the  white  settlement. 
Nothing  daunted  he  proposed  to  push  into  the  wilderness, 
and  visit  every  tribe  until  he  found  his  family,  but  was  dis- 
suaded from  such  a  hopeless  and  perilous  effort  by  Gen.  St. 
Clair,  and  others  who  were  familiar  with  the  state  of  affairs 
in  the  Indian  country. 

Five  years  had  passed  since  the  commencement  of  this 
vain  search,  when  Mr  Gillham  learned  from  some  French 
traders,  that  the  chief  of  the  Kickapoos,  had  promised  to 
give  up  all  American  captives  for  a  certain  ransom.  This 
was  a  bolt  from  a  clear  sky  to  him  who  had  hoped  and 
waited  so  long.  He  at  once  took  two  guides  with  him,  and 
proceeded  to  the  Indian  village,  situated  on  Salt  Creek 
Imagine  if  you  can,  the  joy  of  all  when  on  his  arrival  here, 
the  long  lost  family  were  found  alive  and  well.  The  young- 
er son,  Clement,  was  unable  to  speak  a  word  of  English, 
nor  could  he  recognize  his  father.  Some  of  the  old  settlers 
who  are  yet  living,  inform  us  that  they  recollect  him  well, 
and  that  he  always  acted,  and  had  more  the  general  appear- 
ance of  an  Indian  than  of  a  white  man.  The  family 
returned  to  Kentucky  where  they  remained  about  two  years. 
But  Mr.  Gillham  could  not  forget  the  beautiful  prairies  of 
Illinois  that  he  had  seen  while  in  search  of  his  family. 
Accordingly  in  1797  he  moved  with  his  family  to  the  state 
and  located  in  the  American  Bottom,  not  far  from  Kaskat- 
kia.  He  remained  here  until  about  1802,  when  he  removed 
to  the  Bottom  above,  and  settled  in  what  is  now  Chouteau 
township.  Three  children  were  born  to  them  after  the  re- 
union of  the  family,  James  H.,  David,  and  Nancy.  None 
of  them  are  now  living,  yet  several  of  their  descendants  are 
citizens  of  the  county.  The  coming  of  t  is  pioneer  to  the 
State,  was  really  the  introduction,  and  cause  of  the  settle- 
ment of  the  pioneer  Gillham  families,  and  to  give  a  history 
of  each  would  require  a  large  volume.  In  1824,  it  is  said 
that  this  numerous  family  could  poll  over  five  hundred  votes. 
Wilson  W.  Gillham,  who  resides  in  section  twelve,  is  one 
of  the  descendants  of  this  stock.  Samuel  P.  Gillham,  a  son 
of  John  the  pioneer,  died  a  few  years  ago,  leaving  much 
valuable  data  of  the  history  of  early  times.  His  death  was 
regretted  by  a  large  circle  of  friends.  In  the  Pioneer  chap- 
ter will  be  found  a  more  detailed  account  of  these  sturdy 
;   fathers. 

At  this  writing,  there  are  but  few  aged  persons  residing  in 

this  township   who  were  born  here  in  an  early  day.     One 

among  them  is  Amos  Atkins,  born  in  1821.     His   father, 

John  Atkins,  was  a  native  of  Massachuisetts,  and  when  but 

I   sixteen  years  of  age  enlisted  as  a  patriot  in  the  Eevolution- 

I   ary  war,  where  he  served  with  merit  until  peace  was  declared. 

!   After  the  close  of  the  war  he  moved  to  Kentucky,  where  he 


RESiDZNCZ  OF   H  ENRY     W  AT  S  O  N  _  A  LT  O  N  J  LLI  N  O  I  S  . 


RtS.  HOT  EL    AND   STORE  Of    W '-  W.  MA  RS  H ,  B  US  h  \/l  L  L  E  ,  3  MILES  M  .W.  OF  MITCH  ELL  STATION  MADISON  CO-  ILL. 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,   ILLINOIS 


473 


married  his  wife,  Miss  Nancy  Stewart.  In  1807,  he  moved 
to  Illinois,  and  settled  in  what  is  now  Venice  township.  He 
afterward  moved  to  Missouri,  but  not  liking  the  country  he 
returned  to  Illinois,  and  finally  located  in  Naraeoki  town- 
ship, where  he  died  at  an  old  age  many  years  ago.  His 
wife  survived  him  but  few  years.  Three  children  were  born 
to  the  family  at  the  time  of  their  coming,  William,  John, 
Jr.,  and  Charles.  Three  other  children  were  born  in  Illi- 
nois. None  of  the  family  are  now  living.  Amos,  son  of 
John  Jr.,  is  now  residing  on  Chouteau  Island  in  section  24. 
Even  he  is  advanced  in  years,  and  has  seen  many  hardships, 
and  especially  those  connected  with  the  great  floods  of  the 
Father  of  Waters.  In  1844  the  water  came  into  his  house 
several  feet  deep,  and  the  family  were  obliged  to  abandon 
their  Home,  and  flee  to  the  blufi'  for  safety.  Within  the  last 
year  he  informs  us,  that  he  was  surrounded  by  a  sea  of 
water,  it  intruding  to  the  very  door  of  his  residence,  and 
that  they  were  fearful  lest  their  house  would  be  undermined, 
and  perhaps,  be  washed  into  the  angry  flood.  Mr.  Atkins 
has  lived  to  sec  a  portion  of  his  farm  go  into  the  river. 
The  channel  is  now  far  eastward  from  where  it  was  when  he 
was  a  boy.  He  predicts  that  it  is  only  a  question  of  time 
when  his  whole  farm  will  be  the  river  channel. 

Andrew  Emert  was  one  of  the  early  settlers.  He  was 
bora  in  Pennsylvania,  and  came  to  the  American  Bottom 
about  1807,  and  located  in  section  33,  near  the  southern 
boundary  of  the  towusliip  On  his  advent  here  he  had  a 
wife  and  four  children,  Elizabeth,  Andrew,  Sarah,  and  Henry. 
Two  other  children  were  born  of  this  marriage  ;  Polly  and 
Rose  A.  He  was  twice  married ;  from  the  latter  re- 
union four  children  were  born,  Rachel,  Eliza,  William,  and 
James.  The  father  and  mother  died  many  years  since,  and 
but  three  of  the  children  survive  them  ;  they  are  all  resi- 
dents of  Madison  county  at  this  writing.  The  widow  of 
William,  Harriet  Emert,  lives  in  section  10,  and  owns  one 
of  the  best  farms  and  farm  houses  in  the  township.  Two  of 
the  old  living  settlers,  are  the  widows  of  Joseph  C  and 
Thomas  Dunnagan,  wee  Sarah  M.,  and  Elizabeth  Davidson, 
the  father  of  whom  was  a  pioneer  who  settled  in  the  southern 
part  of  Edwardsville  township.  From  the  above  it  will  be 
seen  that  two  brothers  married  sisters.  The  husbands  of  these 
old  ladies  were  the  sons  of  Isaiah  Dunnagan,  the  first  settler 
of  Fort  Russell,  and  of  whom  a  brief  history  will  be  found 
in  the  chapter  on  that  township.  A  son  of  Sarah  M.,  is 
residing  with  her,  and  conducts  the  affairs  of  the  old  home- 
stead farm,  situated  in  section  12.  They  are  a  happy,  and 
hospitable  family,  partaking  of  the  traits  of  their  ancestors. 
Henry  Job  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  when  a  small 
boy  went  to  Virginia.  Moved  to  Missouri  in  an  early  day, 
and  thence  came  to  JIadison  county  and  settled  in  this  town- 
ship in  1839,  where  he  died  about  1842.  Mrs.  JIary  E. 
Montgomery,  widow  of  Paris  Montgomery,  is  a  daughter, 
and  the  only  one  of  the  family  residing  in  the  county. 

Among  other  early  settlers  of  about  the  same  period,  we 
record  the  names  of  the  Hickles,  the  Bridges,  the  Ribolds. 
the  Pettingills,  and  the  Days.  As  stated  at  the  outset,  for 
some  cause,  there  arc  but  few  early  settlers  now  living.  It 
must  be  that  the  Boltom  is  not  conducive  to  longevity. 
61 


The  following  are  some  of  the  claims  founded  on  an  Act 
of  Congress  granting  a  donation  of  one  hundred  acres  of 
land  to  each  militiaman  enrolled,  and  doing  duty  in  the  Il- 
linois territory,  on  the  1st  day  of  August,  1790,  within  the 
district  of  Kaskaskia :  "Claim  18C9,  Jean  Brugier,  Nicho- 
las Jarrot,  100  acres."  This  claim  lay  a  little  above  the  old 
town  of  Madison,  and  has  long  since  been  washed  into  the 
Mississippi.  "Claim  115,  Charles  Hebert,  [alias  Cadieu) 
Nicholas  Jarrot,  100  acres.  Affirmed  and  located  with 
others  on  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  about  two  miles  below 
the  mouth  of  Mad  river,  now  Wood  "  This  claim  is  also  in 
the  river.  "  Claim  1841,  Baptiste  Lecompte,  Nicholas  Jar- 
rot, 100  acres."  This  claim  was  in  section  seventeen,  close 
to  Madison  Landing,  and  is  now  in  the  river.  Claims  18S0, 
Louis  Menard,  Nicholas  Jarrot,  section  eight;  and  113,  Jo- 
seph Ives,  Nicholas  Jarrot,  section  seventeen,  and  several 
others  are  now  submerged  in  the  river.  "Claim  545, 
David  Waddle,  100  acres.  Affirmed  and  located  with 
two  other  militia  claims  in  Six  Mile  Prairie.  (This 
survey  includes  the  militia  claim  of  Alexander  Waddle, 
and  the  improvement  right  of  250  acres  of  this  claimant.") 
They  lie  mostly  in  sections  31  and  32.  The  above  are  sub- 
stantially the  early  militia  claims  of  Chouteau.  The  first 
land  entry  was  made  by  David  Stockton,  Sept.  13th,  1814, 
being  several  acres  in  sections  4,  Sept.  14th,  1814.  James 
Gillham  entered  205.  75-100  acres  in  section  1.  Samuel 
Gillhara  entered  6.i,  37-100  acres  in  section  17,  the  17th  of 
Sept.  1814.  John  McTaggon  on  the  20th,  following,  entered 
several  acres  in  section  3,  Sept.  29th,  of  the  same  year, 
James  Gillhara  entered  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  15, 
160  acres. 

From  some  of  the  reminiscences  left  by  Samuel  P.  Gillham 
we  are  able  to  glean  many  facts  of  the  pleasures,  hardship?, 
customs,  and  dangers  of  the  hardy  pioneers  of  the  western 
fronti  r.  In  1811,  the  Indians  manifested  a  war-like  spirit, 
giving  evidence  to  the  settlers  that  it  would  be  wise  on  their 
part  to  prepare  for  an  emergency  in  case  of  any  hostile  dem- 
onstrations on  the  part  of  the  Indians.  Indeed,  they  had 
already  murdered  one  of  the  settlers,  and  wounded  another 
near  Hunter's  Spring,  now  within  the  city  of  Alton.  This 
overt  act  threw  the  people  into  a  fever  of  excitement,  and 
they  soon  gathered  together  and  erected  a  block  house,  sit- 
uated iu  section  l,on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Lemuel  South- 
ard. It  was  understood  by  all  the  faniilics  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, that  iu  case  of  any  signs  of  Indian  hostility  the 
news  was  to  be  spread  abroad  in  the  settlement,  and  all  were 
to  flee  for  protection  to  the  Fort.  In  after  years  the  build- 
ing was  utilized  for  school  purposes,  as  will  be  mentioned 
in  its  proper  connection.  No  signs  of  the  old  Fort  now 
exist. 

The  pioneers  tilled  the  soil  but  little,  and  their  wants  were 
few.  A  small  patch  of  corn,  enough  for  family  use,  and  a 
little  wheat,  with  a  few  garden  vegetables,  were  sufficient  to 
satisfy  their  wants,  so  far  as  food  was  concerned,  with  the 
exception  of  their  meats,  which  were  principally  confined  to 
wild  game,  then  so  plenty  in  all  parts  of  the  West.  Deer 
and  wild  turkeys  abounded  in  great  numbers,  and  bee-trees 
wer>2  so  coramju  that  they  were   found  without  an  effort. 


474 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


They  also  cultivated  small  patches  of  cotton  and  flax  of 
■which  to  manufacture  their  garments  ;  the  men,  however, 
were  dressed  more  or  less  with  buckskin.  Nearly  every  set- 
tler had  his  tan  trough  whereby  he  tanned  his  own  leather 
and  manufactured  the  material  for  his  family  shoes.  Their 
means  of  transportation  in  getting  what  litile  they  had  to 
market,  was  chiefly  the  ox  team  and  wooden  cart.  One  old 
settler  says:  it  was  as  late  as  1837,  before  he  beard  the  name 
of  "buggy."  Cattle  and  hogs  were  their  chief  reliance  for 
money.  These  were  marketed  in  St.  Louis,  and  were 
bought  in  the  interest  of  the  packing  houses.  The  articles 
of  barter  were  mainly  deerskins,  honey,  and  beeswax  For 
these  they  would  get  in  exchange  their  supply  of  groceries, 
a  d  other  indispeusables  for  housekeeping.  And  yet  with  all 
these  hardships  and  inconveniences,  they  were  a  happy  and 
cjiitented  people. 

The  first  marriage  solemnized  in  this  township  among  the 
Americans,  was  probably  that  of  James  Gillham  and  Polly 
Good,  January,  1809.  The  groom  was  the  second  son  of 
John  Gillham  who  was  one  of  the  first  pioneers  of  that  name. 
Four  children  were  born  to  this  couple :  Sally,  Polly  A., 
Kaucy  and  Martin.  One  of  the  oldest  places  of  interment 
of  the  American  settlers  was  a  neighborhood  burial  ground, 
situated  on  the  preniio,es  of  Samuel  Gillham.  It  was  at  his 
house  that  church  services  were  held  in  an  early  day,  and 
his  land  was  also  the  camp  ground  for  the  militia  when 
called  upon  to  muster.  The  first  school  was  taught  in  the 
summer  of  1813,  by  Vaitch  Clark.  The  school-house  was 
the  little  fort  or  block  house,  situated  in  section  1,  which  has 
already  been  mentioned.  The  second  teacher  was  M.  C. 
Cox,  who  taught  in  the  summer  of  1814.  It  seems  that 
there  was  an  interruption  in  ihe  school  until  the  winter  of 
1817-'18,  when  it  was  again  revived,  and  taught  by  a  man 
named  Campbell,  in  the  same  old  fort;  he  taught  at  intervals 
for  nearly  two  years,  and  here  the  young  pioneers  enjoyed 
their  only  school  privileges  and  advantages.  It  is  said  that 
the  religious  privileges  were  much  better  than  the  educational. 
There  were  several  pioneer  preachers,  and  their  meetings 
were  frequent.  The  services  were  conducted  in  the  cabins  of 
the  settlers.  The  earthquake  of  1811  caused  many  accessions 
to  the  church,  it  being  a  prevalent  idea  among  them  that  the 
world  was  about  to  come  to  an  end,  and  those  outside  of  the 
fold  made  haste  to  join  the  church.  Several  good  and  lasting 
conversions  were  made,  while  others,  after  the  fear  had 
passed  away,  soon  fell  back  to  their  old  habits. 

Justices  of  the  peace,  at  an  early  day,  in  Chouteau,  were 
unknown,  because  the  township  was  so  sparsely  settled. 
Those  in  the  south,  having  any  business  before  a  magistrate, 
would  take  their  cases  before  Samuel  Sqniers,  in  Mameoki. 
Those  in  the  Gillham  settlement  would  go  to  Alton,  and 
those  in  the  northeast,  to  Edwardsville.  This  department  of 
government  in  Chouteau  is,  therefore,  of  a  comparatively 
modern  date.  Among  the  early  physicians  were  Doctors 
TifEu,  Claypole  and  White.  The  former  resided  at  St. 
Marys,  near  the  mouth  of  Wood  river,  but  afterward  moved 
to  St.  Louis,  where  he  gaiued  considerable  celebrity  as  a 
physician.  Dr.  Claypole  lived  at  Edwardsville,  and  White 
at  St  Louis.     The  first  post-office  was  established  at    '  Old 


Madison,"  in  1839.  Moses  Job  was  the  postmaster.  At 
that  time  a  stage  line  extended  from  Galena  to  St  Louis, 
and  Madison  was  situated  on  the  route.  The  first  mill  was 
built  by  a  man  named  Dare,  about  1819  or  1820,  and  located 
iu  section  32,  on  the  property  now  owned  by  William  Sippy. 
It  was  a  rude  affliir,  and  was  propelled  by  oxen.  A  small 
distillery  was  connected  with  it.  About  1837,  the  property 
was  purchased  by  Samuel  Kinder,  who  ran  it  but  a  short 
time,  when  it  went  to  decay.  Moses  Job  kept  the  first  store, 
and  sold  the  first  goods.  The  business  was  conducted  at  Old 
Madison ;  he  had  a  small  stock  suitable  to  the  wants  of  his 
customers,  and  also  handled  the  mail  for  the  people  in  that 
vicinity.  This  was  in  1839.  It  was  near  this  place  that  the 
first  church-house  was  built  in  about  1<S4(),  by  the  Baptist 
denomiualion.  It  is  a  small  frame  building  without  much 
architectural  pretensions.  It  is  yet  standing,  but  in  a  condi- 
tion so  dilapidated  that  it  is  not  occupied  for  any  purpose. 
It  withstood  the  flood  of  1844,  and  if  it  had  not  been  situated 
some  distance  from  Old  Madison,  it,  like  the  rest,  would  have 
been  in  the  river  some  years  ago.  The  remains  of  an  orchard 
stand  near  the  bank  of  the  river  at  this  point,  and  some  of 
the  trees  had  recently  toppled  into  the  flood,  wish  the  roots 
still  clinging  to  the  soil  in  which  they  had  been  planted. 

But  one  village  plat  has  ever  been  placed  upon  record 
from  this  township.  There  are  two  or  three  little  hamlets 
situated  in  various  parts  of  its  territory,  where  a  small  busi- 
ness is  transacted. 

MITCHELL    STATION 

Was  laid  out  by  the  C.  &  A.  Railway  Company,  and  is  situa- 
ted in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  33,  and  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  34.  The  town  contains  two  general 
stores,  one  of  which  is  owned  by  the  firm  of  Hinze  & 
Krueger,  and  the  other  is  kept  by  Henry  Reinamaun. 
Henry  Quinn  owns  a  blacksmith  shop,  and  also  keeps  a 
grocery  store.  Meat  market,  A.  Rapp,  proprietor  ;  physi- 
cian, D.  E.  Smalley ;  post-master,  Robert  Krueger.  The 
little  village  may  boast  of  a  go  ,d  Catholic  church  building 
and  parsonage.  Father  Kaenders  is  the  officiating  priest. 
The  town  lies  on  both  sides  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton,  Wabash, 
St.  Louis  &  Pacific,  and  the  Indianapolis  &  St.  Louis  rail- 
roads, and  with  such  facilities  will  in  time,  undoubtedly, 
become  quite  an  important  point.  Old  Madison,  which  has 
already  been  mentioned,  was  a  little  hamlet  established 
about  1830,  by  Nathaniel  Buckmaster  and  John  Montgom- 
ery, and  situated  in  section  17.  In  its  glory  it  contained  a 
store,  blacksmith  and  wagon  shop,  post  office,  and  one  saloon. 
It  stood  upon  the  sand,  the  floods  came,  and  it  is  no  more. 
The  present  Madison  situated  one-fourth  mile  below  was  laid 
out  the  same  year  that  old  Madison  was  washed  away,  1865. 
Amos  Atkins  built  a  store-house  and  placed  a  general  stock 
of  goods  in  it,  and  was  the  proprietor  for  some  time,  but 
afterward  sold  out  to  his  son-inlaw,  AVilliam  Harshaw,  who 
is  the  present  proprietor.  There  are  also  here  a  blacksmith 
and  wagon  shop.  The  former  is  conducted  by  John  Link, 
and  the  latter  by  R.  E,  Shultz. 

Salem,  another  hamlet,  is  located  in  the  northeast  corner 
of   section   1.     It   received  its  name   from  the  old  Salem 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


475 


church,  which  is  situated  just  across  the  line  iu  Wood  River 
township.  The  place  was  subsequently  named  Gillhara.  In 
l'<74,  J.  K.  Fdhaestock  opened  a  store  here,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  a  post  office  was  established  and  called  Wanda. 
It  is  now  known  also  by  the  name  of  Salem.  Mr. 
Fahnestock  still  conducts  the  store,  and  is  postmaster. 

Bush  Corner  is  located  in  section  16,  and  contains  two 
grocery  stores,  one  kept  by  Mrs.  H.  Marsh,  and  the  other 
by  Henry  Oldenburg.  Saloons  are  conducted  in  connection 
with  the  stores.  The  following  named  persons  have  repre- 
sebted  the  township  as  members  of  the  county  boanl :  Amos 
Atkins  was  elected  in  1876,  and  served  until  1878.  D.  A. 
Pettingill  elected  ia  1878,  and  served  one  term.  Amos 
Atkins  re-elected  in  1879,  has  served  to  this  date,  1882, 
being  the  present  incumbent. 

Chouteau  has  had  many  ups  and  downs  since  its  first  set- 
tlement. The  floods  have  at  intervals  made  havoc  with 
the  products  and  improvements  of  the  people,  and  the  Mis- 
sisfcippi,  like  a   cancer,  is  continually  eating  at  its  vitals. 


Even  within  the  last  eight  years,  serious  inroads  have 
been  made,  especially  in  sections  11,  12,  and  17.  A  part  of 
the  estate  of  Wm.  Emert,  nearly  the  whole  of  the  property 
of  Henry  Hoberg,  L.  V.  Bogy,  F.  M  Christy,  and  about  a 
half  mile  of  the  American  Dike  in  see.  17,  are  now  in  the  river. 
The  people  of  Chouteau  manifest  a  great  deal  of  pluck  and 
energy  in  securing  their  farms  from  inundations.  They  employ 
a  system  of  drainage  that  they  may  be  enabled  to  cultivate 
their  lauds  as  early  iu  the  season  as  possible.  The  construction 
of  the  American  dike  was  a  great  enterprise,  and  was  completed 
in  18G6,  at  an  exj)ense  of  $100,000.  It  commences  in  section 
9,  and  extends  southward  through  the  entire  township,  fol- 
lowing the  course  of  the  river  and  Chouteau  slough,  and 
thence  it  passes  into  the  township  below.  Its  entire  length 
is  twenty-one  miles,  with  an  altitude  from  three  to  twenty 
feet.  This  dike  has  been  of  immense  value  to  the  husband- 
men of  the  Bottom.  Indeed,  it  is  the  salvation  of  their  in- 
dustries, and  with  its  aid  Chouteau  ranks  with  the  first  land 
in  the  county  for  productiveness. 


FORT    RUSSELL. 


I  HE  early  history  of  this  township  dates 
back  over  three-quarters  of  a  century, 
its  first  settlement  commencing  as  early 
as  1803.  When  township  organization 
was  adopted  in  1876,  the  commissioners 
gave  this  territory  the  name  of  Fort 
Russell,  in  honor  of  the  old  fort  which 
was  situated  in  section  34,  on  the  premi- 
ses now  owned  by  the  heirs  of  John  S. 
Wheeler  deceased.  This  fort  was  erected  early  in  the  fall 
of  1812,  under  the  direction  of  Gov.  Edwards,  who  was  then 
the  executive  officer  of  Illinois  Territory.  This  frontier 
post  was  made  the  headquarters  for  military  stores  and  mu- 
nitions of  war  by  the  Governor.  It  was  named  Fort  Rus- 
sell, in  honor  of  Col.  Wm.  Russell,  a  regular  commissioned 
officer  ill.  the  United  States  army.  He  was  placed  in  com- 
mand of  a  regiment,  consisting  of  ten  companies  of 
rangers  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  the  frontier  against  the 
depredations  of  the  Indians,  who  had  taken  the  war  path 
in  the  interest  of  the  English  then  at  war  with  the  United 
States.  Gov.  Reynolds  in  his  history  entitled  "My  Life  and 
Times,"  says,  that  the  fort  was  supplied  with  the  cannon  re- 
moved from  old  Fort  Chartres,  and  with  these  and  other  mili- 
tary decorations,  Fort  Russell  blazed   out  with  considerable 


pioneer  splendor.  The  pickets  of  tlie  stockade  remained 
here  for  several  years  after  the  war.  George  Belk,  now  resi- 
ding in  Oraph-Ghent  township,  has  in  his  possession  a  barrel 
in  a  good  state  of  preservation  that  was  manufactured  from 
the  white  oak  pickets  surrounding  the  fort,  by  Joseph  New- 
man, the  grandfather  of  W.  E.  and  J.  R.  Newman. 

This  is  one  of  the  best  townships  in  Madison  county  ; 
the  land  lies  high  and  rolling,  and  the  splendid  farms 
and  farm-houses  form  a  landscape  beautiful  to  behold. 
AVheat  is  the  staple  product.  An  eastern  man  ouce 
visiting  the  central  part  of  the  state  of  Illinois,  said 
in  looking  over  the  country,  that  all  he  could  see  was 
corn  and  sky,  but  the  product  is  changed  here,  and  the  ex- 
clamation would  now  be,  nothing  but  wheat  and  sky.  The 
soil  is  mainly  a  rich  clay  loam,  with  a  small  sprinkling  of 
sand,  and  in  some  localities  gravel  appears  at  the  surface. 

Liberty  prairie,  lying  between  Cahokia  and  Indian 
creeks,  is  very  fertile  and  finely  improved,  while  in  an  early 
day  it  was  considered  worthless  and  uu])ro(luctive  as  com- 
pared with  the  heavy  timbered  land  situated  near  the  water 
courses.  Originally  the  township  was  about  two-thirds  tim- 
ber, but  at  this  time  it  is  nearly  cleared  away,  and  fine  farms 
now  occupy  the  place  of  the  forest. 

Fort  Russell,  town  5-8,  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  More 


476 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,     ILLINOIS. 


township,  on  the  east  by  Hamel,  south  by  Edwardsville  and 
west  by  Wood  River.  Prior  to  township  organization  this 
territory  comprised  a  part  of  Edwardsville,  Oraph-Glieut  and 
Bethalto  precincts.  It  is  now  just  six  miles  square,  and  con- 
tains upwards  of  23,000  acres  of  land.  The  natural  drain- 
age of  the  township  is  very  good,  the  northeast  bfiug  drained 
by  Paddock's  creek,  while  in  the  southeast  the  Cahokia 
winds  through  sections  13,  24,  25,  26,  and  passes  out  in  sec- 
tion 35.  The  western  portion  is  drained  by  Indian  creek 
and  its  tributaries.  This  stream  receives  its  name  from  the 
fact  of  its  being  in  an  early  day  the  grand  camping  ground 
of  the  Indian-.  The  bottom  was  very  fertile,  and  contained 
a  bountiful  growth  of  native  grass,  hence  it  became  a 
favorite  stamping  ground  for  the  natives.  An  Indian  vil- 
lage was  once  located  on  the  land  now  owned  by  Wiley 
Preuitt  in  section  18.  Arrowheads,  stone  axes  and  other 
relics  of  the  Indians  may  be  found  to  this  day  along  the 
creek.  Tiling  is  being  introduced  to  a  considerable  extent, 
so  there  is  but  little  if  any  waste  land  now  in  the  township. 
The  railroad  facilities  are  limited  ;  the  AVabash,  St.  Louis  & 
Pacific  railway  enters  the  township  in  the  southeast,  in 
section  24,  and  passes  out  in  section  25.  The  I.  &  St.  L.  R. 
R.  traverses  the  northeast  corner  of  section  6  ;  and  the 
Madison  county  railroad — now  Wabash — touches  the  south- 
west. 

FIIiST    SETTLEMENTS. 

The  history  of  the  first  settlement,  and  the  first  pioneer 
of  Fort  Russell  has  never  been  placed  in  print  until  this 
time.  Former  historians  have  disagreed  with  regard  to  the 
date,  and  so  far  as  the  name  of  the  pioneer  is  concerned,  all 
are  wrong,  not  giving  the  honor  to  whom  honor  is  due.  For 
some  reason  historic  gleaners  have  placed  the  date  all  the 
way  from  180G  to  1810  ;  and  have  further  recorded  that 
Major  Isaac  Ferguson  was  the  party  who  blazed  the  way  for 
coming  generations.  We  do  not  wish  to  clip  the  laurels 
from  any  of  the  early  settlers,  but  facts  are  stubborn,  and 
we  must  record  the  events  of  history  as  they  are,  without 
veering  from  the  path  of  truth.  To  Isaiah  Dunnagan 
belongs  the  honor  of  being  the  first  settler  of  what  is  now 
Fort  Russell.  He  was  a  native  of  Georgia,  and  came  to 
III  nois  in  1803,  and  squatted  in  section  31,  a  little  north 
and  east  of  the  old  Salem  Church,  situated  just  over  the  line 
in  Wood  River.  He  had  a  wife  and  two  children,  Joshua, 
and  Thomas.  Their  first  home  was  a  little  log  cabin,  but  he 
afterward  improved  a  small  farm  and  built  a  good  log 
house.  Four  children  were  born  here,  Louisa,  Abner  F., 
Joseph  C,  and  Isaiah  Jr.  Mr.  Dunnagan  died  in  1814,  at  the 
old  home.  Mrs.  Dunnagan  lived  until  1834;  but  before 
her  death  she  entered  40  acres  of  land  for  each  of  her 
children  in  sections  one  and  twelve  in  Chcniteau  township. 
Only  one  of  the  children  are  now  living,  Joshua,  who  re- 
sides in  Jlontana  Territory  ;  two  of  whose  daughters  are 
residents  of  Alton.  Liuisa  has  one  daughter  residing  at 
Bethalto,  wife  of  Esquire  \V.  L.  Piggott.  The  widow  of 
Joseph  C,  is  among  the  oldest  residents  of  Chouteau,  men- 
tion of  whom  will  be  found  in  the  chapter  of  that  township. 

From  the  best  evidences,  after  a  careful  research,  Joseph 
Kewraau  was  the  second  pioneer  in    this   territory,  having 


settled  here  as  early  as  180 1.  He  was  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  with  his  wife — nee  Rabb, — and  f  )ur  children. 
Zadock,  Maria,  John  and  Andy,  left  their  native  state  for 
the  purpose  of  trying  their  fortune  in  the  wilds  of  the  Wtst. 
They  reached  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  the  mother  and  chil- 
dren, in  company  with  several  other  families  who  were  then 
pushing  westward,  came  across  the  country  on  pack  horses, 
often  being  obliged  to  swim  their  horses  across  the  swollen 
streams,  and  to  convey  the  women  and  children  over  in  bark 
canoes,  constructed  for  the  occasion.  At  one  stream  they 
were  delayed  for  a  week  or  more,  and  suffered  much  from 
the  lack  of  provisions.  Among  the  families  of  these  hardy 
few  were  the  Fords,  one  of  whom  (Thomas),  afterwards  be- 
came the  Governor  of  the  state  of  Illinois.  Mr.  Newman 
constructed  a  small  fl.t  boat  at  Cincinnati  to  convey  his 
goods  and  chattels,  and  thus  made  his  way  down  the  Ohio 
and  up  the  Mississippi  rivers,  stopping  at  St.  Louis.  He 
then  joined  his  family,  when  they  came  to  what  is  now  Fort 
Russell  township,  and  squatted  in  section  34,  on  the  property 
now  owned  by  the  heirs  of  J.  C.  Burroughs  and  C  P.Smith. 
He  constructed  a  pole  cabin  and  moved  into  it  where  they 
lived  for  some  timf>,  when  he  built  a  comfortable  hewn  log 
house.  The  old  gentleman  was  a  mechanical  genius, 
it  having  often  been  said  that  he  could  construct  almost  any- 
thing from  wood  with  the  most  meager  set  of  tools.  As  early 
as  1819,  he  had  constructed  a  turning  lathe,  and  also  did  the 
coopering  for  his  neighborhood.  One  child  was  born  to  the 
family  after  coming  to  the  county,  Emily,  who  afterwards 
became  the  wife  of  Robert  Clark.  Mr.  Newman  served  as 
the  first  road  overseer  in  the  county.  He  was  a  useful  man 
in  the  community  in  the  day  he  lived,  and  died  about  1825, 
leaving  many  warm  friends  to  cherish  his  memory. 

Zadock,  the  eldest  of  the  family,  and  the  father  of  J.  R. 
and  Wm.  E.  Newman,  married  Miss  Martha  Ewing,  in  1810. 
The  ceremony  was  performed  by  the  Rev.  William  Jones, 
and  the  marriage  was  probably  the  first  solemnized  in  the 
township.  T\Irs.  Newman  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and 
with  her  parents  in  an  early  day,  moved  to  Kentucky,  and 
thence  to  Illinois.  She  died  at  their  old  home  in  section 
34,  in  1828.  After  his  wife's  death,  Mr.  Newman  subse- 
quently married  Mrs.  Sarah  Cotter,  widow  of  Abner  Cotter, 
and  afterwards  moved  to  Missouri,  where  he  died  in  1864. 
Six  children  were  born  by  the  first  marriage — only  two  of 
whom  are  living,  J.  R.,  and  William  E.,  who  are  prominent 
farmers,  residing  in  section  11,  Fort  Russell  township.  The 
third  improvemeut  was  made  by  the  pioneer.  Major  Isaac  H. 
Fero-uson,  who  is  usually  credited  with  being  the  first  settler 
of  the  township.  He  emigrated  from  Kentucky  here  in  1806, 
and  settled  in  section  18,  on  the  land  now  owned  by  James 
Jones.  In  about  1806  or  7  he  sold  out  his  improvement  to 
William  Jones,  and  removed  to  what  is  now  Marine  town- 
ship. The  family  consisted  of  his  wife  and  two  children, 
Melinda  and  John  L.  Mellnda  died  in  St.  Jacobs  in  1880, 
and  John  L  died  two  years  before  in  Marine.  Major  Fer- 
guson had  command  of  a  little  fort  in  St.  Jacobs  during  the 
war  of  1812,  and  it  was  here  that  he  gained  his  military 
title  of  Major.  He  left  the  county  in  1842.  and  moved  to 
Texas.      When    the    war    with  Mexico  broke  out,  he    was 


HISTORY   OF  ITADISOIf    COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


477 


among  the  first  to  enlist  in  the  cause.     He  contracted  an 
illness  while  in  the  service,  and  die<l  in  the  city  of  Mexico. 

B,ev.  William  Jones,  who  bought  the  claim  of  Major 
Ferguson,  was  b)rn  in  Virginia,  and  in  an  early  day 
migrated  to  Kentucky,  and  thence  to  Tennessee.  From 
that  state  he  came  to  Illinois  about  1806,  and  located  on 
the  Sand  Ridge,  near  Alton  Junction.  A  few  years  later 
he  bought  out  Ferguson,  and  moved  on  to  the  claim.  It 
was  then  but  a  small  clearing,  co  taining  but  ten  acres  of 
land,  and  a  cabin.  His  family  then  consisted  of  his  wife 
and  five  children,  Martin,  John,  Laviua,  Letitia,  and  AVil- 
liam.  Seven  other  children  were  born  to  the  family  after 
coming  to  the  state.  Only  one  of  this  large  family  is  now 
living  in  the  county,  James,  who  resides  in  section  18,  on 
the  old  pioneer  farm  of  his  father.  William  Jones  was  an 
active  and  prominent  man  in  his  day,  having  been  one  of 
the  pioneer  teachers  of  the  gospel,  and  organized  one  of  the 
first  church  societies  in  the  county.  He  served  as  county 
commissioner  in  1820,  besides  filling  other  places  of  honor 
and  trust  in  later  days.  He  died  at  the  old  homestead  in 
1844,  at  the  advanced  age  of  73  years.  Mrs.  Jones  died 
several  years  prior  to  her  husband.  Both  are  buried  in  the  old 
cemetery  in  Wood  River  township,  situated  in  section  24. 
In  the  days  of  Indian  troubles  a  block  house  was  built  on 
the  north  half  of  section  18,  upon  the  land  then  owned  by 
Martin  Preuitt,  father  of  Solomon  Preuitt,  who  died  but  a 
few  years  ago.  In  the  spring  of  1817,  the  fort  was  taken 
down  and  removed  to  the  premises  of  William  Jones,  and 
from  the  information  given  by  James,  his  son,  it  would 
appear  that  at  that  time  it  was  used  for  a  residence  by  the 
Jones  family  as  the  latter  informs  us,  that  it  was  in  this 
block  house  that  he  was  born.  Ephraim  Woods,  a  brother- 
in-law  of  the  Rev.  Jones,  came  to  the  township  soon  after  Mr. 
Jones  and  settled  in  the  same  neighborhood.  His  wife  was 
a  sister  of  Solomon  Preuitt.  Robert  Wood,  residing  at 
Bethalto,  is  a  son  of  Ephraim,  and  the  only  one  of  the 
family  living  in  the  county.  John  Finley  came  from 
Virginia,  and  settled  here  about  the  same  time  as  Mr.  Woods. 
He  settled  in  section  20,  but  removed  to  Green  county, 
Illinois,  in  an  early  day.  He  was  one  of  the  first  justices  of 
the  peace  in  this  part  of  the  State,  having  been  appointed 
as  such  by  Gov.  Edwards  in  1810,  when  Illinois  was  one  of 
the  frontier  territories.  Jacob  Linder  and  family,  came  to  the 
county  and  settled  near  the  Finleys  in  the  same  year,  but 
removed  to  parts  unknown  soon  after  the  war  of  1812.  No 
further  history  of  the  family  is  obtainable  at  this  time. 
Another  pioneer  was  John  Springer,  who  was  born  in  Har- 
rod"s  Fort,  Kentucky,  in  1784.  He  emigrated  from  Wash- 
ington county  of  that  State  to  Illinois  in  the  fiill  of  1810, 
and  stopped  in  what  is  now  Bond  county,  on  Shoal  Creek, 
near  Greenville.  When  the  Indian  troubles  commenced, 
two  years  later,  he,  with  other  families  of  that  section,  took 
refuge  in  the  old  Jones'  Fort.  In  the  fall  of  1814,  he 
moved  to  Madison  county,  and  settled  in  section  30  of  this 
township.  When  he  first  came  to  the  state  he  drove  a 
four-horse  wagon,  in  which  was  stowed  his  little  family,  and 
household  goods.  Three  extra  horses  were  brought  along, 
but  during  his  stay  on  Shoal  Creek,  they  were  all  stolen  by 


the  Indians.  He  manufactured  a  one  horse  cart,  and  with 
this  outfit  brought  his  family,  consisting  of  his  wife  and 
three  children,  Sirah  A  ,  Elihu,  and  Susannah,  to  Fort  Rus- 
sell. He  constructed  a  substantial  hewed  log  house  on  his 
laud,  and  was  as  comfortably  situated  as  the  pioneer  times 
could  make  him.  Mrs.  Springer  died  in  the  summer  of 
1825,  and  the  following  year  Mr.  Springer  again  married, 
his  wife's  maiden  name  being  Elizabeth  Byrd.  By  this 
union  ten  children  were  born,  Thomas  O.,  William  M.  T., 
Martha  E.,  Levi  C,  Nancy  E.,  Emily  P.,  John  W.,  Lu- 
cinda,  Joshua  S  ,  and  Joseph  E.  Only  three  of  the  family 
are  now  residents  of  the  county.  Thos.  O.  resides  at  the 
old  homestead  in  section  30.  His  neat  farm  residence  is 
built  nearly  upon  the  very  ground  that  the  old  pioneer  log 
house  occupied.  Mr.  Thomas  Si)ringer  has  represented  his 
township  in  the  county  board,  and  is  one  of  the  leading 
citizens  of  the  county.  Levi  C.  Springer  lives  in  Godfrey, 
and  Emily  P.,  wife  of  R.  C.  Gillham,  resides  in  Edwards- 
ville  township. 

Early  in  the  summer  of  1849,  the  cholera  broke  out  in 
this  neighborhood,  and  John  Springer,  the  pioneer,  and  his 
wife  were  both  stricken  with  the  dread  malady,  and  died 
only  a  few  hours  apart.  They  were  buried  the  same  day, 
and  one  grave  became  their  sepulchre.  Seven  other  deaths 
occurred  within  a  week,  and  many  more  were  afflicted.  In 
fact,  so  extensively  did  it  prevail  in  this  neighborhood,  that 
there  were  scarcely  enough  well  persons  to  bury  the  dead 
and  take  care  of  the  sick.  And  what  made  it  more  serious 
for  the  people,  it  was  in  the  midst  of  harvest,  and  it  was 
almost  impossible  to  procure  hands  sufficient  to  secure  the 
crop.  Many  are  the  woful  narratives  related  by  the  old 
citizens  of  the  hardships  and  afflictions  of  that  summer. 

One  of  the  leading  and  prominent  early  S'ttlers  was 
Gershom  Flagg.  He  was  born  in  the  State  of  Vermont  in 
the  fall  of  1792,  and  moved  with  his  father  to  Richmond, 
Vermont,  in  1800.  Here  he  grew  to  manhood,  and  when 
he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  joined  the  Vermont  militia,  and 
saw  service  in  the  war  of  1812.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he 
commenced  the  study  of  civil  engineering  in  Burlington, 
Vt.  Completing  his  studies  in  1816,  he  turned  his  face 
westward,  making  his  first  stop  in  Indiana.  He  remained 
here  until  the  winter  of  181G-'17,  when  he  took  a  flat-boat 
and  went  to  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  and  thence  overland  to 
St.  Louis.  The  following  spring  he  came  over  the  river  to 
Madison  county,  and  located  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 3,  town  5-8,  receiving  a  patent  of  the  same  October  '.:0, 
1823.  Mr.  Flagg  was  one  of  the  government  stall"  of  sur- 
veyors in  this  part  of  Illinois,  about  the  time  of  its  admis- 
sion into  the  Union  in  1818,  and  from  thenceforth  became 
one  of  the  prominent  men  of  his  times.  He  improved  an 
excellent  farm  and  became  one  of  the  first  horticulturalists 
in  the  State.  He  aided  largely  in  introducing  grafted  fruit 
in  the  orchards  of  the  early  settlers.  His  orchard  of  grafted 
fruit  was  planted  in  1822,  it  being  among  the  first  in  the 
county.  As  late  as  1845,  Solomon  Robinson,  of  Collinsville, 
wrote  a  letter  to  the  Prairie  Farmer,  stating  "  That  Mr. 
Flagg,  a  Green  Mountain  boy,  but  not  a  greenhorn,  under- 
took to  make  a  farm  on  the  prairie  in  Madison  county,  and 


478 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


was  told  by  the  settlers  in  the  thick  woods  that  he  was  crazy 
to  think  of  cultivating  land  that  was  so  poor  as  not  to 
bear  timber."  This  farm  is  situated  in  Liberty  Prairie,  and 
is  now  considered  among  the  valuable  lands  in  the  county- 
111  the  fall  of  1827,  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Jane  Rich- 
niond,  nee  Paddock,  eldest  daughter  of  Gains  Paddock.  But 
one  child  was  born  to  them,  Willard  C.  Mr.  Flagg  died  at 
the  old  home  in  section  30,  in  the  spring  of  1857.  His  wife 
survived  him  six  years  her  death  occurring  in  December, 
1863.  Hon.  Willard  'C.  Flagg,  their  only  child,  was  born 
Sept.  16th,  1829.  He  became  a  prominent  citizen  in  the 
community,  representing  with  credit  his  constituency  one 
term  in  his  senatorial  district  in  the  State  Legislature.  In 
1856,  he  married  Miss  Sarah  Smith,  of  St.  Louis,  a  highly 
accomplished  lady.  He  was  also  an  appointee  of  the  United 
States  Government  as  collector  of  revenues.  He  died  in  the 
spring  of  1878,  lamented  by  a  large  circle  of  friends.  His 
widow  survives  him  and  at  this  writing  is  residing  at  the 
old  Flagg  homestead  wich  her  three  children,  two  daughters 
and  one  son.  Much  credit  is  due  to  her  and  her  late  hus- 
band for  the  data  of  this  chapter,  and  other  early  history  of 
tlie  county.  Willard  C  ,  her  husband,  had  contemplated 
l)lacing  in  print  the  early  history  and  events  of  Fort  Russell, 
but  death  claimed  him  before  his  noble  effort  was  completed. 
Mrs.  Flagg  has  kindly  furnished  the  writer  of  this  article  with- 
her  husband's  historic  notes  and  manuscript. 

Another  early  settler  was  Gains  Paddock,  whose  farm  ad- 
joined Mr.  Flagg's,  and  they  were,  therefore,  near  neighbors 
and  were  close  friends  until  their  death.  Mr.  Paddock  was  a 
native  of  Massachusetts,  born  in  1758.  When  in  the  seven- 
teenth year  of  his  age  he  enlisted  in  the  war  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, where  he  served  until  its  close.  In  1786,  he  was  married 
to  Mary  Wood,  and  the  following  year  moved  to  the  State 
of  Vermont,  where  he  resided  until  the  fall  of  1815.  The 
Western  fever  then  took  possession  of  many  of  the  people 
of  the  New  England  States,  and  he  among  others  said 
"  Westward  Ho ! "  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  was  his  objective 
point,  where  he  arrived  late  in  that  year.  Subsequently  he 
removed  to  St.  Charles,  Mo.,  and  from  thence  to  St.  Louis 
in  the  spring  of  1817.  The  next  year  he  crossed  the  Miss- 
issippi river,  and  came  to  Madison  county  where  he  pur- 
chased the  northeast  quarter  of  section  three,  now  Fcrt 
Russell.  Here  he  resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
the  summer  of  1831.  Mrs.  Paddock  survived  her  husband 
nineteen  years,  dying  the  15th  of  July,  1850.  They  were  a 
family  that  stood  high  in  the  estimation  of  all  who  knew 
them,  and  were  widely  known  for  their  charity  and  benevo- 
lence. Ten  children  were  born  to  these  pioneers,  Jane — 
afterward  wife  of  Gershora  Flagg,  Mary,  Salome, — married 
Pascal  P.  Enos,  Susan,  Joanna,  Sprout  Wood,  Julia,  after- 
ward wife  of  Henry  Reily,  and  secondly  of  E.  C.  Blankin- 
ship,  Eveline,  Orville,  and  Elvira.  Only  two  of  this  large 
family  of  children  are  living,  Susan  and  Eveline,  who  are 
residing  in  section  three,  at  the  old  homestead.  They  par- 
take of  the  kindness  and  hospitality  ^\hich  was  so  charac- 
teristic of  their  parents.  The  latch-string  is  always  out,  and 
the  sojourner  is  warmly  welcomed,  as  was  the  custom  of  the 
olden  time.     The  old  Indian  trail  from  Lake  Michigan  to 


the  Mississippi  river,  passed  just  across  the  laud  occupied  by 
their  present  residence,  and  this  trail,  in  places,  from  lorg 
usage,  was  worn  to  a  considerable  depth.  Mr  Paddock  was 
a  descendant  from  one  of  the  pilgrim  ancestors  who  settled 
in  Plymouth,  Mass.,  in  early  colonial  times.  Many  of  the 
relics  of  coins,  etc.,  that  existed  in  the  time  of  the  Pilgrim 
Fathers  are  in  the  possession  of  the  Paddock  sisters,  having 
been  passed  down  from  generation  to  generation  as  heir 
looms  of  the  family. 

John  Estabrook,  then  a  single  man,  joined  with  the  Pad- 
docks, and  other  emigrants,  at  Marietta,  Ohio,  and  was  with 
the  former  in  their  various  meanderings  until  they  came  to 
this  county.  He  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  and  in  1815, 
concluded  to  try  his  fortune  in  the  western  frontier.  He 
therefore  started  out  single  and  alone,  and  by  chance 
fell  in  with  the  Paddock  family  as  above  stated.  On  coming 
to  the  county,  he  was  favorably  impressed  with  the  appear- 
ances of  the  land  in  Madison,  and  especially  of  what  is  now 
called  Liberty  prairie.  He,  therefore,  made  his  settlement 
in  section  fifteen.  On  his  land  he  built  a  small  log  cabin, 
where  he  kept  bachelor's  hall,  mainly,  until  his  marriage 
which  occurred  in  1820.  His  wife  was  Miss  Nancy  White, 
and  by  their  union  ten  children  were  born,  John,  Edward, 
Lucy  A.,  Emeline,  James,  Albert,  Harriet,  William  L., 
Clara,  and  Sarah ;  all  of  whom  were  born  in  the  township, 
except  Clara,  who  was  born  in  Wisconsin  while  her  parents 
were  in  that  State  on  a  visit  for  the  benefit  of  Mr.  Esta- 
brook's  health.  Mr.  E.  improved  a  good  farm  and  was  one 
of  the  substantial  citizens  of  his  time.  His  death  occurred 
on  the  second  of  May,  1881  Mrs.  Estabrook  survived  her 
husband  but  a  few  months.  They  lie  side  by  side  in  the  old 
Liberty  Prairie  Cemetery.  All  of  their  children  are  living, 
except  Lucy  Ann  ;  only  two,  however,  are  residents  of  the 
county,  Emeline,  wife  of  William  Gait,  living  in  section 
fourteen,  and  William  L.,  who  at  this  writing,  resides  in  sec- 
tion nine. 

Mr.  William  Gait,  one  of  the  enterprising  farmers  of  the 
township,  is  a  native  of  Scotland,  and  came  with  his  father 
to  America.  The  family  then  consisted  of  five  children, 
Margaret,  Elizabeth,  Alexander,  William,  and  Jean.  They 
landed  at  New  Orleans,  La ,  in  1844,  and  from  thence  came 
to  St  Louis  up  the  Missouri  river.  The  father  stopped  in 
Missouri,  but  William  and  Alexander  came  over  to  Madi- 
son county,  and  purchased  land  in  sections  14,  5-8. 
This  was  in  1845;  Alexander  remained  here  but  a  short 
time,  and  subsequently  moved  to  Galena,  where  he  was  ac- 
cidentally killed  by  the  kick  of  a  horse,  in  1847.  William  is 
the  only  one  of  the  family  now  living,  and  is  enjoying  life 
at  the  old  farm,  highly  esteemed  by  all  who  know  him. 

Mrs.  Gait  has  in  her  possession  some  of  the  old  papers  of  her 
father,  John  Estabrook,  and  among  them  we  find  one,  now 
rusty  with  age,  which  is  the  constitution  of  the  first  temper- 
ance society  established  in  Fort  Russell  township,  and  one  of 
the  first  in  the  county.  This  association  was  a  branch  of 
the  Madison  county  Temperance  Society,  and  met  at  the 
house  of  John  Estabrook  the  23d  of  March,  1833,  when 
the  constitution  and  by-laws  were  adopted.  The  following 
are  the  names  of  the  persons  signing  that  instrument :  Mrs. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


479 


Sarah  Newman,  Miss  Julia  Newman,  Miss  Nancy  Cotter, 
Mrs.  Lettice  White,  Mrs.  Rebecca  Barber,  Lethie  Barber, 
Betsy  Barber,  Mrs.  Nancy  Estabrook,  Mrs.  Letitia  Robin- 
son, Mrs.  Elizabeth  Robinson  Polly  Ann  Robinson,  Letitia 
Gordon,  Miss  Jane  B.  Robinson  David  Swett.  David  Lin- 
coln, Zadock  Newman,  John  Estabrook,  David  Robin.son, 
Wm.  S.  B.  Robinson,  Charles  Hubbard,  Mrs.  Lucinda  Hub- 
bard, Louis  D.  Palmer,  Elihu  J.  Palmer,  John  M.  Palmer, 
Zeuas  Webster,Mrs.  Paruell  Webster,  Miss  Cordelia  Webster, 
Miss  Permelia  Webster,  Winfield  S.  Palmer,  John  Speer, 
Mrs.  Betsy  Speer,  Miss  Rebecca  Bridgeman,  Thomas  Fer- 
guson, Auely  Stotts  and  Mrs.  Polly  Stotts.  Only  two  of  the 
above  named  persons  are  now  residing  in  this  part  of  the 
county,  Wm.  S.  B.  Robinson  and  Mrs.  Jane  Chapman,  nee 
Robinson. 

One  who  figured  very  prominently  among  the  pioneers, 
and  who  lived  to  see  the  development  of  his  country,  and 
the  wilds  of  the  AVest  transformed  into  comfortable  homes, 
was  Major  Solomon  Prcuitt,  a  native  of  Virginia.  He  emi- 
grated to  Illinois  from  Teunes  ee,  with  his  father,  Martin 
Preuitt,  in  1806,  and  located  on  Sand  Ridge  Prairie,  three 
miles  east  of  Alton,  now  Wood  River  township.  It  was 
here  that  Mrs.  Martin  Preuitt  died  in  1807.  Solomon  was 
the  youngest  of  the  family,  and  he,  with  his  father,  lived 
alone  at  this  place  fur  some  years.  In  1813  Major  Solomon 
Preuitt  enlisted  in  the  Unittd  States  service,  and  joined  the 
Rangers  on  the  frontier,  where  he  served  until  the  close  of 
the  war.  Four  years  prior  to  his  entering  the  service,  he 
married  Miss  Rebecca  Higgins,  who  was  then  seventeen 
years  of  age.  In  1818  he  moved  to  Fort  Russell  township, 
and  located  in  section  18.  It  was  here  that  his  father, 
Martin  Preuitt,  died  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  ninety  seven 
years.  In  1831,  when  Black  Hawk  and  his  braves  took  the 
war-path.  Major  Preuitt  was  one  of  the  first  to  enlist  in  the 
cause  of  subduing  the  Indians.  He  was  elected  captain  of 
a  company,  and  served  with  credit  until  the  disbanding  of 
the  regiment,  at  the  mouth  of  Fox  river.  On  his  ar- 
rival home  he  was  elected  Major  of  the  militia,  an  office 
which  he  held  for  many  years  with  credit  to  himself  and 
those  he  commanded.  He  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife 
dying  in  the  fall  of  18J5.  He  afterward  married  Elizabeth 
Higgins,  a  sister  of  his  former  wife.  No  children  were  born 
by  this  union.  Ten  children  were  born  by  the  first  mar- 
riage, Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob,  Martin,  James,  Elizabeth, 
William,  Nancy,  Wiley  and  Mary,  only  one  of  whom  is  now 
living  in  Fort  Russell, — Wiley,  who  is  residing  in  section 
18,  not  far  from  the  farm  of  his  father.  Abraham,  Isaac, 
James  and  Nancy,  wife  of  John  Dillon,  are  residents  of 
various  parts  of  the  county.  Major  Preuitt  died  suddenly 
at  his  old  home  on  the  9th  of  January,  1875,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-five  years.  He  was  a  history  within  himself  of  the 
pioneer  times  of  Madison  county,  and  if  living  to-day,  many 
incidents  and  facts  of  those  days  could  be  recorded  that  the 
present  historian  is  not  able  to  glean.  Elizabeth,  his  second 
wife,  passed  away  nearly  twenty  years  ago.  They  are  now 
resting  in  the  family  burial-ground  in  section  18. 

Daniel  A.  Lnnterman  came  from  Kentucky  to  this  state 
in  1818,  during  the  excitement  of  the  grand  influx  of  im" 


migratioE  to  the  Prairie  state.  He  first  located  in  St.  Clair 
county,  where  he  remained  for  one  year.  The  spring  fol- 
lowing he  came  into  ^ladison  county,  and  engaged  in  the 
profession  of  school  teaching.  His  family  then  consisted  of 
his  wife,  Sally,  and  one  son,  William  A.  He  taught  his 
first  school  in  a  log  cabin  situated  on  the  premises  now 
owned  by  James  Jones,  familiarly  known  in  early  times  as 
the  Ferguson  improvement.  This  cabin  was  arranged  with 
two  fire-2)laces,  and  mud  and  stick  chimneys  A  log  was 
cut  out  on  one  side,  a  few  feet  from  the  floor,  for  lighting 
purposes.  The  teacher's  post  in  the  room  was  also  lighted 
by  a  small  aperture  made  by  cutting  through  the  logs. 
William  A.  Lanterman,  who  was  then  attending  his  father's 
school,  informed  the  writer  that  his  first  book  was  made  by 
pasting  letters  upon  a  wooden  paddle.  This  was  a  very 
convenient  arrangement,  as  it  served  the  purpose  of  a  primer 
and  also  for  correcting  refractory  pupils.  Mr  Lanterman 
continued  the  calling  of  teaching  for  a  few  years,  when  he 
b  ught  the  farm  of  Jacob  Linder,  in  section  19.  In  1843 
he  was  elected  county  school  commissioner,  which  office 
he  filled  with  credit  to  himself  and  constituency.  Several 
children  were  born  to  the  family  at  this  homestead.  Mr. 
L.  died  here  in  the  fall  of  1875,  being  then  in  the  eighty- 
ninth  year  of  his  age.'  William  A.  is  the  only  one  of  the 
family  now  living,  and  resides  in  section  16,  where  he  owns 
a  large  and  well  cultivated  farm.  His  family  consists  of 
his  wife  and  six  children,  three  sons  and  three  daughters. 
Mr.  L.  and  wife  possess  the  hospitality  of  their  pioneer 
ancestors,  and  are  enjoying  their  old  age  in  peace  and 
plenty. 

Voluey  P.  Richmond,  grand.son  of  Gains  Paddock,  came 
with  his  grandfather  to  the  county  in  the  year  before  stated. 
He  was  then  less  than  a  year  old.  His  mother  was  Jane 
Richmond,  who  afterwards  became  the  wife  of  Gershoin 
Flagg.  At  the  age  of  twenty-nine  years,  Volney  P  ,  was 
married  to  Miss  Victoria  West;  they  have  two  children, 
Edward  W.,  and  Isabel  G.  Mr.  R.  now  resides  in  section 
ten,  and  is  a  thrifty  and  prominent  farmer.  He  has  in  his 
possession  the  old  compass  that  was  used  by  the  govern- 
ment surveyor.  Mr.  Flagg  and  John  Estabrook  were  in  h's 
employ,  surveying  the  lands  of  this  part  of  the  state.  He 
also  has  a  valuable  relic  of  the  Revolutionary  time,  consist- 
ing of  a  pouch  and  a  powder  horn,  picked  up  on  the  battle 
field  of  Bunker  Hill.  The  former  is  manufactured  from 
moose  hide,  and  sewed  together  with  buckskin  strings.  The 
buttons,  which  are  Uied  for  enolodngthe  pjuch,are  cut  from 
rawhide.  Even  at  this  time  it  contains  two  bullets  of  difll'rcut 
sizes,  one  of  which  is  said  to  be  British  lead  and  was  ex- 
tracted from  the  body  of  the  eoldier  who  wore  it.  The  horn 
is  of  the  ordinary  size,  and  is  engraved  with  the  letters,  bear- 
ing the  name  of  Jonathan  Lawrence.  He  also  has  in  his 
possession  the  muster  roll  of  Gains  Paddock's  company 
of  Revolutionary  soldiers.  One  who  figured  promiently 
in  the  county' was  E  nanuel  J.  West.  He  came  from 
Indiana  about  181^0,  and  located  in  section  7,  on  the 
ftirm  now  owned  by  F.  H.  Herren.  lu  1824,  he  moved  to 
Edwardsville.  He  had  a  family  of  five  children,  only  one 
of  whom  is  living.  She  resides  in  Kentucky.    There  arc  two 


480 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


grand-children  living  in  Fort  Russell,  the  children  ofVolney 
P.  Richmond.  Mr.  West  took  an  active  part  in  politics, 
and  in  an  early  day  represented  the  county  in  the  Legi^la- 
ture.  Later  he  was  appointed  minister  to  Ptru,  South 
America,  and  died  on  tlie  passage  to  that  country.  In  his 
lifetime,  and  while  residing  in  Fort  Russell,  he  was  the  owner 
of  several  indentured  slaves.  They  were  afterwards  liberated. 
Another  of  the  early  settlers,  was  Joseph  Robinson,  a  native 
of  North  Carolina.  He  came  to  the  county  in  1815,  and 
located  in  section  five,  Edwardsville  township.  He  drove  a 
four-horse  team  overland,  bringing  his  family  in  a  covered 
wagon  so  coramin  in  those  days.  His  family  consisted  of  his 
wife  and  three  children,  Margaret,  Eliza,  and  William  S  B. 
John  and  Mary  Ann,  were  born  in  this  county.  He  bought 
160  acres  of  land  on  which  was  a  small  cabin,  and  here  com- 
menced the  life  of  a  pioneer.  Only  two  of  the  children  now 
reside  in  the  county,  William  S.  B.,  and  Eliza,  widow  of  the 
late  Rev.  Joel  Knight.  The  former  moved  to  the  township  in 
18.'!2,  and  settled  in  section  11.  Mrs.  Robinson  died  Septem- 
ber 10th,  1879.  She  was  Miss  Letitia  A.  White,  and  from  this 
marriage  five  sons  were  born,  Lewis  C.  Sidney,  W.  J.,  J.  A., 
and  J.  H.,  only  two  of  whom  reside  in  the  township,  Sidney, 
and  J.  H.  Mr.  Robinson  now  lives  with  his  son  Sidney. 
Edmond  Owens,  another  early  comer,  was  from  Tennessee, 
but  born  in  South  Carolina.  He  migrated  from  the  former 
state  to  Illinois  in  1838,  and  first  located  in  Fosterburg 
township,  section  28.  He  came  here  with  his  wife  and  six 
children,  Gaines,  Anna,  Susan,  Elizabeth,  Payton,  and 
Jojiah  P.,  only  three  of  whom  are  now  living  in  Madison, 
Liza,  Gaines,  and  Josiab  P.;  the  latter  resides  jn  section  20, 
and  is  a  prosperous  farmer.  His  wife  is  one  of  the  old  resi- 
dents in  the  county.  She  was  Sarah  L.,  daughter  of  Martin 
Jones. 

Among  others  now  living  who  are  old  citizens,  and  promi- 
nent farmers,  are  Luther  W.  Lyon,  Henry  Engelhart,  the 
Belks,  C.  P.Smith,  JNimrod  Still  well,  D.  C  Scheer,  and 
others.  Henry  Belk,  father-in-law  of  Russell  Newman,  is 
a  native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  and  came  to  America  in  a 
very  early  day.  He  is  now  9^  years  of  age,  and  probably 
the  oldest  resident  citizen  in  the  county. 

Mr.  Lyon  is  now  residing  with  his  son-in-law,  Wiley 
Preuitt,  in  section  18.  He  planted  one  of  the  first  grafted 
orchards  in  this  part  of  the  county.  He  has  in  his  posses- 
sion a  relic  of  Revolutionary  times,  being  a  gun  taken  from 
the  Hessians  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown  by  his  grandfiither. 
It  has  been  remodeled  by  attaching  a  cap  lock,  and  is  in  a 
good  state  of  preservation. 

The  following  are  among  the  first  land  entries  made  in  the 
township.  On  the  lath  of  August,  1814,  Ephraim  Wood, 
entered  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  17.  September 
12  h,  1814,  Martin  Preuitt,  entered  several  acres  in 
section  18,  and  at  the  same  time  Thomas  Daniel  entered 
the  whole  of  section  20,  except  160  acres.  September  21st, 
1814,  Isaac  Hill  entered  344  22-100  acre?  in  section  19. 
During  the  same  month  William  Jones  entered  different 
tracts  in  sections  18,  19,  and  20.  There  were  quite  a  num- 
ber of  entries  made  in  the  year  1814,  but  we  have  given 
sufficient  names  to   show  who  were  the  first  to  enter  their 


farms.  J.  L.  Ferguson,  son  of  Isaac  Ferguson,  the  pio- 
neer, was  the  first  born  in  the  township.  His  birth  occurred 
in  1807,  in  sectijn  20,  on  the  farm  owned  by  John  Huron. 
The  first  death  also  occurred  in  the  Ferguson  family,  about 
1807  or  '8-  The  interment  was  made  on  the  farm  now  owned 
by  James  Jones.  The  first  school  was  taught  by  the  Rev. 
William  Jones  in  1818,  at  the  old  block  house,  then  situated 
in  section  18,  on  the  Jones  homestead.  At  this  writing  a 
few  apple  trees  cover  the  spot.  The  first  regular  school- 
house  constructed  was  in  1819,  and  situated  in  section  20. 
A  school  was  taught  in  it  the  same  year.  Abraham  Amos 
and  Wdliam  Jones  were  the  first  to  preach  the  gospel,  the 
former  being  a  Methodist  minister  and  the  latter  a  Baptist. 
The  early  services  were  conducted  at  the  house  of  Isaiah 
Dunnagan,  in  1809.  The  Rev.  Abraham  Amos  was 
then  in  charge  of  the  ministry  in  the  interest  of  the  M.  E. 
Church  in  the  counties  of  Madison,  Monroe,  and  St.  Clair. 
The  first  organized  Sabbath-school  was  instituted  by  John 
M.  Peck  and  William  Oltwell,  in  the  spring  of  1824,  at  the 
house  of  Dunnagan.  The  German  Lutheran  denomination 
constructed  the  first  church  house  in  1842,  near  the  store  of 
F.  Gaertner  in  section  23.  The  second  church  was  built  by 
the  Methodist  congregation  at  Liberty  Prairie,  in  18.50.  The 
Baptist  congregation  commenced  their  house  late  in  the  fall 
of  the  same  year,  but  did  not  complete  it  until  the  following 
year.     Both  houses  are  yet  standing. 

LIBERTYVILLE 

Is  a  little  hamlet  composed  of  a  few  houses  scattered  along 
the  old  Greenville  road.  At  this  time  there  is  only  a  wagon 
and  blacksmith  shop,  conducted  by  Ludwig  Silland.  There 
was  once  a  store  and  post-office  at  this  point,  but  they  have 
some  years  since  been  abandoned. 

There  are  several  well-kept  public  burial  places  in  the 
township ;  one  of  the  largest  is  situated  on  Liberty  Prairie. 
The  ground  was  deeded  to  the  county  for  said  purpose  by 
Mr.  J.  Scott.  Another  is  located  at  Paddock's  Grove,  and 
still  another  near  F.  Gaertner's  on  the  Springfield  road.  The 
latter  is  attached  to  the  German  Lutheran  Church — St. 
James  Congregation. 

The  following  are  the  first  Justices  of  the  Peace  appointed 
or  elected  in  the  township :  John  Finley  was  appointed  in 
1810;  John  Springer  in  1813;  Jesse  Starkey  in  1819; 
Daniel  A.  Lanterman,  1821;  Emanuel  J.  West  in  1822; 
and  Gershom  Flaggin  1825.  Isaiah  Dunnagan  was  the  first 
to  shoe  the  horses  and  mend  the  clevises  and  linch  pins  for 
pioneers.  His  shop  was  a  rude  afl'air,  situated  on  his  pre- 
mises in  section  31.  This  shop  was  in  running  order  as  early 
as  1805.  John  Drum  was  also  an  early  blacksmith  ;  his  shop 
was  situated  in  section  29.  The  first  person  to  establish  a 
store  and  sell  goods  was  John  Newman  in  1818  or  '19.  The 
building  or  store-room  was  a  little  log  concern,  and  located  in 
section  14.  Volney  P.  Richmond  was  the  first  postmaster, 
and  the  office  was  situated  on  the  premises  of  Gaius  Pad- 
dock, and  known  as  the  Paddock's  Grove,  P.  O.  Mr.  Rich- 
mond also  kept  a  small  stock  of  goods  at  that  time,  combin- 
ing this  business  with  his  official  duties  as  postmaster.  This 
was  in  1838.    Both  a  water  and  a  honse  grist-mill  were  con- 


SOLOMON    PREUITT. 


480 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


grand-children  living  in  Fort  Russell,  the  children  of  Volney 
P.  Richmond.  Mr.  West  took  an  active  part  in  politics, 
and  in  an  early  day  represented  the  county  in  the  Legisla- 
ture. Later  he  was  appointed  minister  to  Peru,  South 
America,  and  died  on  the  passage  to  that  country.  In  his 
lifetime,  and  while  residing  in  Fort  Russell,  he  was  the  owner 
of  several  indentured  slaves.  They  were  afterwards  liberated. 
Another  of  the  early  settlers,  was  Joseph  Robinson,  a  native 
of  North  Carolina.  He  came  to  the  county  in  1815,  and 
located  in  section  five,  Edwardsville  township.  He  drove  a 
four-horse  team  overland,  bringing  his  family  in  a  covered 
wagon  so  common  in  those  days.  His  family  consisted  of  his 
wife  and  three  children,  Margaret,  Eliza,  and  William  S  B. 
John  and  Mar}' Ann,  were  born  in  this  county.  He  bought 
160  acres  of  land  ()n  which  was  a  small  cabin,  and  here  com- 
menced the  life  of  a  pioneer.  Only  two  of  the  children  now 
reside  in  the  county,  William  S.  B.,  and  Eliza,  widow  of  the 
late  Rev.  Joel  Knight.  The  former  moved  to  the  township  in 
18  i2.  and  settled  in  section  11.  Mrs.  Robinson  died  Septem- 
ber 10th,  1879.  She  was  Miss  Letitia  A.  White,  and  from  this 
marriage  five  sons  were  born,  Lewis  C.  Sidney,  W.  J.,  J.  A., 
and  J.  H.,  only  two  of  whom  reside  in  the  township,  Sidney, 
and  J.  H.  Mr.  Robinson  now  lives  with  his  son  Sidney. 
Edmond  Owens,  another  early  comer,  was  from  Tennessee, 
but  born  in  South  Carolina.  He  migrated  from  the  former 
state  to  Illinois  in  1838,  and  first  located  in  Fusterburg 
township,  section  28.  He  came  here  with  his  wife  and  six 
children,  Gaines,  Anna,  Susan,  Elizabeth,  Payton,  and 
Joiiah  P.,  only  three  of  whom  are  now  living  in  Madison, 
Liza,  Gaines,  and  Josiah  P.;  the  latter  resides  jn  section  20, 
and  is  a  prosperous  farmer.  His  wife  is  one  of  the  old  resi- 
dents in  the  county.  She  was  Sarah  L.,  daughter  of  Martin 
Jones. 

Among  others  now  living  who  are  old  citizens,  and  promi- 
nent farmers,  are  Luther  W.  Lyon,  Henry  Engelhart,  the 
Belks,  C.  P.  Smith,  Nimrod  Still  well,  D.  C  Scheer,  and 
others.  Henry  Belk,  father-in-law  of  Russell  Newman,  is 
a  native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  and  came  to  America  in  a 
very  early  day.  He  is  now  9-1  years  of  age,  and  probably 
the  oldest  resident  citizen  in  the  count}'. 

Mr.  Lyon  is  now  residing  with  his  son-in-law,  Wiley 
Preuitt,  in  section  18.  He  planted  one  of  the  first  grafted 
orchards  in  this  part  of  the  county.  He  has  in  his  posses- 
sion a  relic  of  Revolutionary  times,  being  a  gun  taken  from 
the  Hessians  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown  by  his  grandfather. 
It  has  been  remodeled  by  attaching  a  cap  lock,  and  is  in  a 
good  state  of  preservation. 

The  following  are  among  the  first  land  entries  made  in  the 
township.  On  the  I5th  of  August,  1814,  Ephraim  Wood, 
entered  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  17.  September 
12  h,  1814,  Martin  Preuitt,  entered  several  acres  in 
section  18,  and  at  the  same  time  Thomas  Daniel  entered 
the  whole  of  section  20,  except  160  acres.  September  21st, 
1814,  Isaac  Hill  entered  344  22-100  acreS  in  section  19. 
During  the  same  month  William  Jones  entered  different 
tracts  in  sections  18,  19,  and  20.  There  were  quite  a  num- 
ber of  entries  made  in  the  year  1814,  but  we  have  given 
sufficient  names  to   show  who   were  the  first  to  enter  their 


farms.  J.  L.  Ferguson,  son  of  Isaac  Ferguson,  the  pio- 
neer, was  the  first  born  in  the  township.  His  birth  occurred 
in  1807,  in  sectijn  20,  on  the  farm  owued  by  John  Huron. 
The  first  death  also  occurred  in  the  Ferguson  fiimily,  about 
1807  or  '8.  The  interment  was  made  on  the  farm  now  owned 
by  James  Jones.  The  first  school  was  taught  by  the  Rev. 
William  Jones  in  1818,  at  the  old  block  house,  then  situated 
in  section  18,  on  the  Jones  homestead.  At  this  writing  a 
few  apple  trees  cover  the  spot.  The  first  regular  school- 
house  constructed  was  in  1819,  and  situated  in  section  20. 
A  school  was  taught  in  it  the  same  year.  Abraham  Amos 
and  William  Jonss  were  the  first  to  preach  the  gospel,  the 
former  being  a  Methodist  minister  and  the  latter  a  Bapti-st. 
The  early  services  were  conducted  at  the  house  of  Isaiah 
Duunagan,  in  1809.  The  Rev.  Abraham  Amos  was 
then  in  charge  of  the  ministry  in  the  interest  of  the  M.  E. 
Church  in  the  counties  of  Madison,  Monroe,  and  St.  Clair. 
The  first  organized  Sabbath-school  was  instituted  by  John 
M.  Peck  and  William  Ottwell,  in  the  spring  of  1824,  at  the 
house  of  Dunnagan.  The  German  Lutheran  denomination 
constructed  the  first  church  house  in  1842,  near  the  store  of 
F.  Gaertner  in  section  23.  The  second  church  was  built  by 
the  Methodist  congregation  at  Liberty  Prairie,  in  18-50.  The 
Baptist  congregation  commenced  their  house  late  in  the  fall 
of  the  same  year,  but  did  not  complete  it  until  the  following 
year.     Both  houses  are  yet  standing. 

LIBERTYVILI.E 

Is  a  little  hamlet  composed  of  a  few  houses  scattered  along 
the  old  Greenville  road.  At  this  time  there  is  only  a  wagon 
and  blacksmith  shop,  conducted  by  Ludwig  Silland.  Tiiere 
was  once  a  store  and  post-offiee  at  this  point,  but  they  have 
some  years  since  been  abandoned. 

There  are  several  well-kept  public  burial  places  in  the 
township ;  one  of  the  largest  is  situated  on  Liberty  Prairie. 
The  ground  was  deeded  to  the  county  for  said  purpose  by 
Mr.  J.  Scott.  Another  is  located  at  Paddock's  Grove,  and 
still  another  near  F.  Gaertner's  on  the  Springfield  road.  The 
latter  is  attached  to  the  German  Lutheran  Church — St. 
James  Congregation. 

The  following  are  the  first  Justices  of  the  Peace  appointed 
or  elected  in  the  township :  John  Finley  was  appointed  in 
1810;  John  Springer  in  1813;  Jesse  Starkey  in  1819; 
Daniel  A.  Lanterman,  1821;  Emanuel  J.  West  in  1X22; 
and  Gershom  Flaggin  182-5.  Isaiah  Dunnagan  was  the  first 
to  shoe  the  horses  and  mend  the  clevises  and  linch  pins  for 
pioneers.  His  shop  was  a  rude  afl^air,  situated  on  his  pre- 
mises in  section  31.  This  shop  was  in  running  order  as  early 
as  1805.  John  Drum  was  also  an  early  blacksmith  ;  his  shop 
was  situated  in  section  29.  The  first  person  to  establish  a 
store  and  sell  goods  was  John  Newman  in  1818  or  '19.  The 
building  or  store-room  was  a  little  log  concern,  and  located  in 
section  14.  Volney  P.  Richmond  was  the  first  postmaster, 
and  the  office  was  situated  on  the  premises  of  Gaius  Pad- 
dock, and  known  as  the  Paddock's  Grove,  P.  0.  Mr.  Rich- 
mond also  kept  a  small  stock  of  goods  at  that  time,  combin- 
ing this  business  with  his  official  duties  as  po.straaster.  This 
was  in  1833.    Both  a  water  and  a  hor.se  grist-mill  were  con- 


SOLOMON    PREUITT. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


481 


structed  about  the  year  1815,  or  perhaps  earlier.  The 
former  was  built  by  John  Newman,  and  his  father  Jo- 
seph, and  situated  on  Indian  Creek  on  section  28.  It  was 
a  wonderful  piece  of  mechanism,  inasmuch  as  the  entire 
machinery  was  constructed  of  wood,  even  to  wooden  cogs  for 
the  fanning  mill.  The  machinery  was  utilized  for  both 
saw  and  grist-mill.  It  has  gone  with  the  things  that  were 
many  years  ago.  Mr.  John  Newman  also  constructed  the 
first  frame  house  in  the  township,  section  14.  This  house  is 
now  standing,  and  in  a  fair  state  of  preservation.  John  Fin- 
ley  built  the  horse-mill,  and  it  was  located  in  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  20,  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  John  Hu- 
ron. By  some  it  is  said  this  mill  was  built  prior  to  1815. 
John  Springer  introduced  the  first  blooded  stock  into  the 
township  in  1845  It  was  the  short  horn  Durham  breed, 
and  was  imported  from  Ohio.  The  raising  of  horses,  horned 
cattle,  etc.,  is  not  made  a  specialty  by  the  farmers  of  Fort 
Russell  ;  wheat  is  the  grand  production,  and  so  well  is  the 
soil  tilled  that  the  people  raise  bountiful  crops,  and  are  fast 
gaining   in    wealth.     For   the    most  part,  good    roads  and 


bridges  are  found  in  all  parts  of  the  township;  two  fine  iron 
bridges,  with  stone  abutments,  span  Indian  creek.  There 
are  no  towns  in  this  territory,  except  a  small  portion  of 
Moro,  and  Bethalto,  the  history  of  which  will  appear  in  their 
respective  township  chapters.  In  section  23,  on  the  line  of 
the  old  stage  route  between  St.  Louis  and  Springfisld,  ap- 
pears the  business  house  of  F.  Gaertner,  and  the  blacksmith 
shop  of  B.  Schwarzkopf  A  coal  mine  owned  by  Green  & 
Brothers,  is  situated  about  a  mile  from  Moro,  in  section  6. 
It  was  sunk  in  1880.  The  shaft  is  90  feet,  and  the  coal  vein 
41  feet  in  thickness,  and  is  of  excellent  quality.  The  coal  is 
raised  by  horse-power,  and  it  furnishes  coal  in  quantities 
only  to  supply  local  demands. 

We  here  append  the  names  of  those  who  have  represented 
the  township  on  the  county  board  since  its  organization  : 
John  B.  Gibson  was  elected  in  1876,  re-elected  in  1877,  '78 
and  '79,  serving  until  the  spring  of  1881.  T.  O.  Springer, 
elected  in  188!,  and  served  one  term.  The  present  incum- 
bent is  H.  C.  Lanterraan. 


BIOGRAPHIES. 


-♦-V o — %-♦- 


<:^0Ajvv\QfteJyriH7f\ 


NANCY  ESTABEOOK. 


John  Estabrook,  ( deceased ),  was  born  in  Lexington, 
Mass.,  March  15th,  1799,  and  died  at  his  home  in  Fort  Rus" 
sell  township,  May  2d,  1881.  In  his  youth  he  received  a 
limited  education.  Desiring  to  improve  his  condition  in 
life,  and  believing  the  great  West  offered  larger  and  better 
opportunities  to  a  young  man  who  was  willing  to  forego  the 
pleasures  of  older  countries,  and  endure  the  hardships  of 
frontier  life,  he  turned  his  footsteps  westward  and  in  company 
with  Gershom  Flagg  and  Paul  Enos  left  his  native  state  in 
1816.  Arriving  at  Pittsburg,  they  bought  a  flat  boat  and 
started  down  the  river,  and  after  a  toilsome  journey  of  three 
mouths,  arrived  at  St.  Louis,  which  was  then  a  small  French 
village.  Young  Estabrook  found  work  and  remained  there 
two  years.  In  1818  they  came  to  Madison  county,  and  all 
three  invested  in  lands  in  the  same  neighborhood.  There 
482 


John  Estabrook  cultivated  his  land  until  his  death.  He 
also  engaged  in  other  pursuits,  such  as  milling,  buying  and 
selling  land,  speculating,  etc.  In  1820  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Nancy  White,  who  was  a  native  of  Charlotte, 
North  Carolina.  She  died  November  3d,  1881.  There 
were  ten  children  born  to  John  and  Nancy  Estabrook,  nine 
of  whom  are  living,  and  all  heads  of  families.  Their 
names  in  the  order  of  their  birth  are:  John,  Emeline 
James,  Albert,  Harriett,  William  L.,  Clara,  Sarah,  Lucy  A., 
deceased.  William  L.  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war,  and 
served  three  and  a  half  years.  He  was  a  member  of  Co. 
E.  25th  Regt.  Wis.  Vol.  Infty. 

John  Estabrook  was,  in  some  respects,  a  remarkable  man. 
To  quote  from  one  who  knew  him  long  and  intimately  :  "  He 
never  used  tobacco  in  any  form,  never  drank  a  glass  of  spirits 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


483 


or  beer  as  a  beverage,  never  played  a  game  of  chance  or  bet 
a  dollar,  never  had  a  lawsuit  or  open  quarrel  with  any  man, 
never  held  an  office,  civil  or  military,  never  was  sued  and 
never  failed  to  pay  a  debt — either  for  himself  or  security  for 
others  when  called  upon  to  do  so  ;  never  took  a  newspaper 
without  paying  the  subscription  in  advance  ;  never  was  too 
late  for  the  railroad  cars,  nor  stood  on  the  bank  of  the  river 
and  asked  how  long  has  the  boat  been  gone.  *  *  *  * 
A  man  of  more  than  ordinary  strength  of  mind  and  force 
of  will,  he  made  a  success  of  every  enterprise  he  undertook. 
Attending  to  all  the  minutiai  and  details  of  business,  he 
suffered  very  few  losses, and  his  success  in  business  was  such  as 
caused  a  constant  increase  of  property  to  the  close  of  his  life. 
Judging  of  the  future  with  almost  prophetical  vision,  his  ex- 
pectations rarely  failed  of  being  realized,  and  his  iinowledge 
and  judgment  of  character  were  intuitive.  Strictly  hon- 
est and  always  truthful  himself,  he  was  intolerant  of  decep. 
tion  in  others.  The  writer  has  known  him  well  for  forty- 
eight  years,  and  has  had  through  all  these  years  business 


relations  with  him,  and  for  him  with  others,  and  never  knew 
him  to  vary  a  point  from  the  strictest  rules  of  honor  and 
justice.  Of  deep  religious  convictions,  he  was  a  true  Chris- 
tian and  ever  ready  to  aid  in  sustaining  religious  institutions. 
Though  a  member  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  church, 
he  was  truly  Catholic  in  his  views  and  free  from  sectarianism. 
Although  more  than  ordinarily  successful,  he  pursued  no 
devious  paths  to  acquire  property  or  fame.  An  honest  and 
honorable  man.  His  sympathetic  nature,  his  old  time  sim- 
plicity of  life  and  manner,  his  singleness  of  purpose  to  be 
right  and  to  do  right,  his  dignified  manner,  freedom  from  any 
narrow  or  jealous  feeling,  regarding  with  sacredness  and  per- 
forming with  fidelity  all  the  obligations  which  family,  society 
and  religion  imposed.  To  him  death  had  no  terror  and  the 
grave  no  victory.  The  funeral  took  place  from  the  old 
homestead,  improved  by  him  over  fifty  years  ago.  *  *  * 
I  We  stop  a  moment  in  the  whir  of  active  life  to  pay  this 
I  merited  tribute  of  regard  to  the  life  and  memory  of  a  valued 
friend  and  an  old  and  honored  citizen." 


484 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON    COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


\--^ 


<M/.6). 


The  Spriuger  family  in  Madison  county  are  of  Swedish- 
German  descent,  and  trace  back  their  lineage  to  Otto  the 
Great,  Emperor  of  Germany,  born  in  the  year  a.  d.  912. 
Christopher  Springer,  a  lineal  descendent  of  the  21st  genera- 
tion from  Otto  the  Great,  was  born  a.  d.  1592,  in  Germany, 
and  subsequently  by  cession  of  German  territory  to  the 
King  of  Sweden,  became  a  subject  of  and  attached  to  that 
kingdom,  where  he  became  prominent  in  the  councils  of 
the  King  and  a  successful  and  influential  officer  in  the  set- 
tlement of  treaties  with  foreign  nations,  greatly  to  the  ad- 
vantage of  his  sovereign,  for  which  he  was  munificently 
rewarded  by  grants  of  large  landed  estates  by  the  King. 
His  son,  Charles  Christopher  Springer,  the  first  to  come  to 
Amerwa,  was  born  at  Stockholm,  Sweden,  a.  d,  1647. 
When  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  having  completed  his 
education  in  the  Swedish  language,  he  was  sent  by  his  father 
to  London  to  finish  his  education  in  English,  and  was  placed 
in  charge  of  the  Swedish  Ambassador,  and  became  an 
inmate  of  his  family.  In  an  unguarded  moment  he  was  un- 
luckily   pressed  on  board    an    English    merchant   vessel. 


brought  over  to  America  and  sold  into  slavery  to  an  English 
planter,  in  the  Colony  of  Virginia.  From  Ferris'  history 
of  the  Swedes  on  the  Delaware,  page  281,  we  make  the  sub- 
joined extract  of  the  particulars  of  the  kidnapping  of  Mr. 
Springer. 

That  biographer  says :  "  Mr.  Springer  was  in  the  family 
of  the  Swedish  Ambassador  in  London.  Driving  home  one 
evening  in  a  Post-Chaise,  he  was  seized  and  carried  on  board 
a  merchant  vessel  in  the  Thames,  bound  to  Virginia.  He 
was  there  sold  as  a  servant  for  five  years ;  at  the  expiration 
of  his  term  of  service  he  was  set  at  liberty,  when  he  joined 
his  countrymen  on  the  Delaware,  and  afterwards,  by  his 
sterling  virtues  and  fine  capacity,  became  honored  and  in- 
fluential, and  was  elected  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  the  dis- 
trict of  Christiana."  It  was  by  his  energy  and  perservance, 
together  with  the  assistance  of  the  minister  in  charge  of  the 
Swedish  congregation,  that  the  old  Swedes  church  of  Wil- 
mington was  built  about  the  year  1697.  He  served  the 
church  as  vestryman  and  kept  the  records  during  his  life. 
He  came  to  America  about  the  year  A.  D.  1667.     He  was  a 


HISTORY    OF    MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


485 


devout  Christian,  and  a  useful  and  active  member  of  the 
Swedish  church,  aud  being  quite  prominent  in  both  religious 
and  civil  circles  his  memory  has  ever  been  revered  by  his 
countrymen.  His  death  occurred  on  the  26th  of  ^lay,  1738, 
at  the  age  of  91  years,  and  his  remains  now  repose  beneath 
one  of  the  arches  of  the  old  Swedish  church  at  Wilmington, 
Delaware.  His  grand-son,  Charles  Springer,  was  married 
to  Susannah  Seeds,  at  Wilmiuictou,  Delaware,  April  7th, 
1752,  and  soon  after  removed  to  Frederick  City,  JIaryland. 
where  he  died,  leaving  a  family  of  eleven  children,  six  sous 
and  five  daughters.  John  Springer  (the  second  son),  was 
■  with  Daniel  Boone  two  years  in  his  early  exploring  expedi- 
tion in  the  wilds  of  Kentucky,  and  afterwards  with  his 
family,  wife  and  two  children  emigrated  to  Kentucky  in 
1783,  and  was  among  the  first  settlers  around  Harrod's  Fort, 
in  said  state.  He  afterward  removed  to  Washington 
county,  Kentucky,  where  he  died  1812.  His  son  John,  the 
father  of  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  was  born  in  Harrod's 
Fort,  Kentucky,  January  8th,  1784,  and  was  married  July 
13th,  1809,  in  Kentucky,  to  Susan  Sage.  By  this  marriage 
he  had  four  children,  one  of  whom,  Sarah  A.  Davidson,  is 
still  living.  He  emigrated  to  Illinois  in  October,  1810,  and 
settled  at  Jones'  Fort  in  what  is  now  Bond  county,  Illinois, 
near  Old  Ripley.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  of  1812, 
Mr.  Springer  was  enrolled  as  a  home  guard,  and  served  as  first 
Lieutenant  of  Captain  Jones'  Company  which  was  stationed 
at  the  Fort.  In  the  fall  of  1814,  in  company  with  Captain 
William  Jones  and  others,  he  removed  to  Fort  Russell  town- 
ship, in  Madison  county,  Illinois,  and  settled  on  the  farm 
where  Thos.  O.  Springer  now  resides.  Here  he  at  once  en- 
gaged in  the  vocation  of  an  agriculturist,  and  was  ever  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  best  and  most  careful  farmers  of  his  time. 
For  many  years  he  discharged  the  duties  of  Justice  of 
the  Peace,  and  was  noted  for  his  high-toned,  courteous 
and  impartial  bearing,  aud  for  his  fidelity  to  the  respon- 
sible trust.  Always  prominent  in  matters  affecting  the  in- 
terests of  the  community  in  which  he  resided,  he  really 
filled  a  large  place  in  public  esteem.  When  he  came  to  Fort 
Russell  township  he  at  once  united  with  the  Methodist 
church  at  Salem,  and  was  soon  after  selected  as  class-leader 
of  that  society,  which  position  he  occupied  and  continuously 
filled  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  June  25th, 
1849.  He  was  a  man  of  the  strictest  integrity,  firm  in 
his  convictions,  an  energetic  and  devoted  Christian,  and 
faithfully  filling  all  the  trusts  imposed  in  him.  His  death 
created  deep  regret  among  all  who  knew  him.  His  wife, 
(Susan  Sage),  died  July  8th,  1825.  On  the  16th  of  March, 
1826,  he  married  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Biggs,  nee  Byrd,  a  native 
63 


of  Alabama.  By  the  latter  union  ten  children  were  born, 
to  wit:  Thomas  O.,  AVilliam  M.  T.,  Levi  C,  Martha  E., 
Nancy  E.,  Emily  P.,  John  W.,  Lucinda,  Joshua  S.,  and 
Joseph  E.,  tix  of  whom  are  still  living.  His  wife,  Elizabeth, 
died  of  cholera  June  24th,  1849;  his  death  occurring  on  the 
following  day  they  were  both  buried  in  one  grave. 

Thomas  O.  is  the  first  offspring  of  John  Springer  aud 
Elizabeth  Byrd.  He  was  born  on  Sec.  30,  T  5,  R.  8,  in 
Madison  county,  Illinois,  March  2d,  1827.  He  was  reared 
upon  the  farm,  and  obtained  his  rudimentary  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  neighborhood,  attending  JIcKen- 
dree  College  at  Lebanon,  Illinois,  and  graduated  in  the 
Scientific  Department  of  that  institution  in  July  1849.  The 
death  of  his  parents  occurring  about  that  time,  he  returned 
home,  and  with  his  brothers  William  M.  T.  and  Levi  C. 
Springer,  he  succeeded  in  educating  and  providing  for  them 
until  they  became  of  age.  The  death  of  his  parents  and 
his  desire  to  keep  the  family  together  served  to  modify  his 
plans  for  the  future,  and  threw  him  into  the  channel  of 
farming,  which  business  he  has  continued  almost  uninter- 
ruptedly to  the  pnsent. 

On  the  10th  of  October,  1855,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Emily  M.  Thompson,  daughter  of  John  Thompson, 
of  the  American  Bottom,  in  Madison  county,  Illinois.  She 
died  January  21st,  1858.  There  was  one  child  born  to  them, 
who  died  August  2d,  1857. 

On  the  7th  of  November,  1872,  Mr.  Springer  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Ella  J.  Randle,  his  present  wife.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  Edmund  Randle,  formerly  of  Madison  county, 
Illinois. 

Politically  Mr.  Springer  was  originally  an  old  line 
Whig,  and  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for  Gen.  Zachary 
Taylor,  in  1848.  On  the  organization  of  the  Republican 
party  he  joined  its  ranks,  and  from  that  time  to  the  present 
has  been  an  active  and  staunch  Republican.  In  1856  he 
received  the  nomination  for  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court,  and 
in  the  ensuing  election  was  elected  to  that  office.  In  1860 
he  was  again  the  nominee  of  his  party,  and  became  his  own 
successor,  and  held  the  office  until  December  1864.  He 
made  an  able  and  efficient  officer,  and  retired  from  the  office 
with  honor  and  credit. 

In  September,  1880,  he  was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy 

in  the  lioard  of  County  Supervisors  occasioned  by  the  death 

of  John  B.  Gibson,  and  in  1881  was  elected  by  the  voters  of 

his  township  to  the  same  position.     He  is  a  member  of  the 

\  order  of  A    F.  &  A.   M.  and  R.  A.  M.,  and  Knights  of 

I  Honor.     Both  he  and  his  estimable  wife  are  members  of  the 

!  M.  E.  church. 


486 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,   ILLINOIS 


/^t 

^i 

'/' 

i                   \                    ,V 

-* 

Zadock  Newman,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  as  was 
also  his  father  before  him.  His  grandfather  was  a  native  of 
Ireland,  and  emigrated  to  America  during  the  colonial  days. 
He  reared  a  large  family  of  children.  Of  his  seven  sons, 
six  settled  io  the  southern  states.  Joseph,  who  was  a  boat 
maker  came  west  in  1804,  and  located  in  Madison  county, 
(for  particulars  see  history  of  Fort  Russell  township).  Zadock 
Newman,  his  son,  was  in  his  fifteenth  year  when  his  father 
brought  the  family  to  Illinois.  He  remained  at  home  and 
received  a  fair  education  for  those  days.  He  taught  school 
for  some  time,  but  farming  was  his  chief  occupation.  He 
remained  in  Madison  county  until  1840,  when  he  removed 
to  Missouri  and  settled  in  Lawrence  county,  where  he  spent 


the  remainder  of  his  days,  and  died  there  in  1864.  During 
the  Indian  troubles  in  the  early  history  of  this  state  and 
during  the  war  with  Great  Britain  in  1812,  he  was  in  the 
ranger  service  and  helped  to  put  down  the  marauding  bands 
of  Indians  who  threatened  the  settlements  of  Illinois.  In 
the  year  1810,  he  married  Miss  Martha  Ewing,  whose  father 
was  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  the  territory.  There  were 
six  children  by  that  union,  two  sons  and  four  daughters. 
Their  names  are  Louisa,  who  died  in  infancy  ;  Eliza,  wife  of 
Joel  Johnson,  a  well  known  hotel  keeper  of  Springfield, 
Illinois;  Julia  A.,  married  Alva  Beecher;  J.  Russell,  Wil- 
liam E  ,  and  Emily  M.,  who  married  William  Graves.  The 
two  sons  are  now  the  only  survivors  of  the  family. 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON   COINTY,    ILLINOIS. 


487 


Ji 


dbLi^K    lyjf ■ccK/^'i'^'M^^^^ 


One  of  the  sub3tantial  farmers  of  Fort  Russell  Township 
is  the  subject  of  the  following  brief  biographical  sketch. 
He  was  born  in  Madison  county,  October  J9,  1818,  and  is 
the  son  of  Zadock  and  Martha  (Ewing)  Newman.  His 
grandfather,  Joseph  Newraau,  settled  in  the  territory  of 
Illinois  as  early  as  1804.  He  belongs  to  the  pioneer  stock, 
not  only  of  the  county,  but  of  the  state.  He  grew  to  man- 
hood in  the  same  township  in  which  he  now  lives,  and  has 
followed  the  occupation  of  farming  throughout  his  life.  In 
1845,  he  married  Elizabeth  Belk,  daughter  of  Henry  Beik. 
Mr.  Newman  and  his  brother,  William  E.,  are  the  only  sur- 
vivors of  Zadock  Newman's  family.     The  latter  (William 


E. )  was  born  in  January,  1821.  He  married  Martha  A. 
Harrison,  and  has  a  family  of  four  children,  whose  names 
are  Charles  E.,  Eliza,  Henry  and  Mattie  Newman.  In 
matters  of  religious  faith,  J.  Russell  Newman  is  a  Cum- 
berland Presbyterian.  He  is  exceedingly  liberal  to  the 
church,  and  gives  freely  of  his  means  to  support  and  sustain 
it.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat.  In  his  habits  he  is  quiet 
and  unassuming,  and  with  a  kind  and  honest  heart,  he  aims 
to  do  all  the  good  he  can,  and  that  without  the  least  show  or 
ostentation.  He  is  temperate,  and  an  advocate  of  prohi- 
bition. It  is  with  pleasure  that  we  here  present  this  short 
sketch  of  one  of  Madison  county's  best  citizens. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


^rC^^:.^^ 


'A 


Was  born  in  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  December 
10,  1835.  His  father,  Samuel  Smith,  was  born  in  the  same 
county,  Oct.  30,  1791.  Hugh  Smith,  the  paternal  grand- 
father of  William  A.,  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  and  subse- 
quently moved  to  Ireland,  and  emigrated  to  Cumberland 
county,  Penn.,  about  the  year  1765.  He  there  married 
Elizabeth  McCormick,  the  date  of  which  was  Feb.  22, 1784. 
He  died  March  17,  1823,  and  his  wife  died  May  28,  1822. 
There  were  nine  children.  Samuel,  the  father  of  Wm.  A., 
was  the  eldest.  He  came  to  Illinois  in  1843,  and  stopped  in 
Alton  one  winter,  then  moved  to  the  northern  part  of  Fort 
Russell  township  and  purchased  land  in  Rattan's  prairie.  It 
was  raw  and  unimproved.  He  moved  on  it  in  1845  and 
commenced  its  improvement,  and  thus  he  lived  until  his 
death,  which  took  place  June  od,  1856.  He  married  Ruth 
Duncan,  a  native  of  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
daughter  of  David  Duncan,  a  native  of  the  same  county, 
whose  father  was  a  native  of  Ulster  county,  Ireland.  She 
was  born  January  11,  1800,  and  died  March  6,  1855.  Her 
father,  David  Duncan,  married  Silieia  Anderson.  There 
were  six  sons  and  four  daughters;  three  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters are  yet  living.  William  A.,  the  subject  of  this  memoir, 
was  but  eight  years  of  age  when  his  parents  came  to  Illinois. 
Here  he  has  lived,  except  six  years  he  spent  in  Missouri 
and  the  time  he  was  in  the  army.  Soon  after  the  war  broke 
out,  or  in  1862,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Co.  D,  of  the 
117th  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  partici- 
pated with  his  regiment  and  company  in  all  the  skirmishes. 


/    ^£/;w56 


battles,  and  marches  in  which  it  was  engaged,  and  remained 
in  the  service  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  mustered 
out  and  honorably  discharged  August,  1865.  He  returned 
home  and  re-engaged  in  farming.  In  1869  he  moved  to 
Lafayette  county,  Missouri,  and  remained  there  until  1875, 
then  returned  to  where  he  now  lives,  and  there  he  has  re- 
mained to  the  present.  On  the  8th  of  February,  1860, 
Mr.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Polly  Ann, 
daughter  of  William  A.  and  Eliza  Lanterman.  She  was 
born  in  Fort  Russell  township,  June  3,  1840.  By  this 
union  there  were  twelve  children,  of  whom  there  are  six  sons 
and  two  daughters  living.  The  names  of  the  children  in  the 
order  of  their  birth  are :  Margaret  Eliza,  who  died  in 
infancy;  Ruth  A  ,  born  Oct.  22,  1S62;  Clara  Estella,  born 
May  24,  1864,  and  died  Dec.  20,  1865 ;  Frederick  J.  A., 
born  July  6,  1866;  Lewis  James,  born  January  6,  1868; 
William  Norman,  born  Sept.  24,  1869;  Joseph  E.,  born 
Feb.  25,  1872;  Martha  Letitia  Harriett,  born  January  4, 
1874;  Frankin,  born  April  10,  1876;  Mary  Elizabeth,  born 
April  30,  1878,  died  May  24,  1878 ;  John  Henry,  born 
March  26,  1880,  died  August  4,1881;  Chester  Marshall, 
born  December  14,  1881. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mr|.  Smith  are  members  of  the  old  school 
Presbyterian  church.  PoliticaU^ifi  has  always  voted  the 
Republican  ticket.  Mr.  SmitlqgSfcupation  and  business 
through  life  has  been  that  of  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  in 
which  he  has  been  more  than  ordinarily  successful. 


I^'^'^T' 


^•SP****^'' 


":  V 


HISTORY  OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


489 


^w^/. 


One  of  the  enterprising  farmers  of  Fort  Russell  township, 
and  an  old  settler  of  Madison  county,  was  born  in  Fleming 
county,  Kentucky,  Nov.  26,  1815.  The  family  is  of  Ger- 
man ancestry.  His  father,  Daniel  A.,  was  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  from  there  moved  to  Kentucky,  where  he 
remained  until  1818,  when  he  brought  his  family  to  Illinois, 
and  settled  in  St.  Clair  county.  One  year  later  he  removed 
to  Madison,  and  located  on  section  19,  T.  5-8,  and  com- 
menced farming.  He  taught  school  for  several  terms  during 
the  winter  seasons,  and  was  one  of  the  early  teachers  in  what 
is  now  Fort  Russell.  He  remained  in  the  township,  engaged 
in  farming  and  living  a  quiet  life  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1865.  He  married  Sarah  Luman,  a  native  of 
Kentucky.  She  died  in  1849,  leaving  two  sons — the  subject 
of  this  sketch  and  Peter  Lanterman,  now  deceased  He 
subsequently  married  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Irwin,  widow  of  John 
Irwin.  She  died  October  4th,  1874.  By  the  latter  union 
there  was  one  child,  a  daughter,  named  Elizabeth  Lanter. 
man.  She  died  March  15,  1870.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
is  the  sole  survivor  of  the  family.  He  was  in  his  fourth 
year  when  his  father  came  to  Illinois,  and  here  in  Madison 
county  he  has  passed  his  boyhood,  manhood,  and  maturer 
years. 

His  education  was  limited  to  the  common  schools  of  his 
neighborhood.  He  remained  at  home,  assisting  his  father 
upon  the  farm,  until  he  attained  his  twenty-third  year.  He 
then  moved  on  a  forty  acre  tract  in  section  16,  and  com- 
menced its  improvement.  To  these  original  fortv  acres  he 
64 


has  added,  until  he  is  now  recognized  as  one  of  the  substan- 
tial farmers  of  the  township. 

On  the  3d  of  January,  1839,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Eliza  Luman.  a  native  of  Lewis  county,  Ky.  Her 
parents,  John  and  Polly  Luman,  emigrated  from  Kentucky 
to  Madison  county.  Ills.,  in  1828.  The  union  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs  Lanterman  has  been  blessed  with  ten  children,  six  of 
whom  are  living.  Their  names,  in  the  order  of  their  birth, 
are :  Polly  Ann,  who  is  the  wife  of  William  A.  Smith,  a 
prominent  farmer  of  this  county  ;  Melinda,  wife  of  S.  B. 
Waples,  a  farmer  and  resident  of  Montgomery  county.  Ills- ; 
Harriett,  wife  of  A.  G.  Drennan,  a  farmer  and  resident  of 
Woodburn,  Macoupin  county.  Ills.  ;  William  H.,  who  mar- 
ried Miss  Jennie  Russell  ;  Edward  A.,  and  John  B.  Lanter- 
man.    The  sons  are  now  farming  upon  the  home  p'ace. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lanterman  are  members  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Ghurch.  Politically,  ^Ir.  Lanterman  was  originally 
an  old  line  Whig,  and  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for  W. 
H.  Harrison  in  1840.  He  joined  the  Repubican  party  in 
1860,  and  has  been  au  active  supporter  of  that  political 
organization  to  the  present.  He  has  held  the  office  of  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace  for  nearly  sixteen  years.  He  was  the  first 
collector  in  the  township,  when  the  county  was  changed  to 
township  organization,  and  has  held  other  offices  of  minor 
importance.  Nearly  sixty-five  years  have  fled  since  Mr. 
Lanterman  came  to  and  has  been  a  resident  of  the  county  ; 
and  in  all  those  years  he  has  sustained  the  character  of  an 
uprisiht  man,  good  neighbor  and  honest  citizen. 


MORO. 


j;))ORO  is  situated  iii  the  northern  tier  of 
townships,  bounded  north  by  Macoupin 
county,  east  by  Oniph-Ghent,  south  by 
Fort  Russell  and  west  by  Fosterburg. 
It  comprises  congressional  township  6, 
range  8 ;  the  northern  tier  of  sections 
being  fractional.  The  surface  is  gener- 
ally rolling,  with  considerable  timber 
along  the  various  streams.  The  prairies 
are  small,  and  extend  in  a  northerly  and  southerly  direction. 
Paddock's  creek,  Indian  creek,  Rocky  Branch  and  their 
tributaries  furnish  a  good  system  of  drainage.  They  run  in 
a  southerly  direction  across  the  township.  The  soil  is  rich 
and  productive,  and  the  improvements  are  among  the  best 
in  this  part  of  the  county. 

This  portion  of  the  county  was  settled  at  a  much  later 
date  than  the  central  and  southern  portions.  We  find  on 
the  records  of  land  entries  that  Zenas  Webster  and  S.  W. 
Paddock  entered  the  first  land  December  11,  1820.  It  was 
the  N.  E  quarter  of  the  S.  E.  quarter  and  the  S.  E.  quarter 
of  the  S.  E.  quarter  of  section  34,  eighty  acres.  Zenas  Webster 
settled  on  the  former  tract  and  was  the  first  resident  in  the 
township.  His  cabin  was  located  near  the  Springfield  road, 
on  the  east  side.  He  resided  here  a  number  of  years.  The 
next  settlement  was  made  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the 
township  in  section  19,  near  Rocky  Branch,  in  the  fall  of 
1828,  by  Thomas  Luman  ;  he  came  from  the  Wood  river 
settlement,  and  Abraham  Preuitt  and  others  assisted  in 
raising  his  cabin.  Luman  died  there  of  fever  in  1832 ;  his 
widow  s  )on  afterward  married  John  Norton,  who  moved  up 
on  Macoupin  creek,  in  Macoupin  county.  This  settlement 
was  soon  followed  by  Thomas  Wood,  in  the  same  year,  1828. 
He  is  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born  in  1808,  and  came  to  Illi- 
nois in  the  year  above  named.  He  was  then  a  single  man 
and  stopped  for  a  short  time  with  his  uncle  at  Troy,  in  this 
county.  He  settled  on  the  Springfield  road,  on  the  south- 
east quarter  of  section  10,  where  he  has  ever  since  resided  ; 
he  married  Jane  Tolon,  of  this  county,  by  whom  he  had  a 
family  of  thirteen  children,  si.K  of  whom  are  living.  His 
wife  died  October  12,  1875,  and  he  still  survives,  hale  and 
hearty. 

The  second  land  entry  was  made  by  Solomon  Preuitt, 
March  30,  1830,  consisting  of  two  tracts  in  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  8,  eighty  acres,  and  was  settled  by  his  son, 
Abraham  Preuitt,  on  the  9th  day  of  May,  1830.  Abraham 
Preuitt  was  born  in  Wood  river  township,  October  12,  1810, 
where  he  grew  to  manhood  and  married  Mildred  Wood, 
490 


daughter  of  Ephraim  Wood,  another  old  settler  of  Wood 
river.  He  has  been  twice  married,  the  second  time  to  Mrs. 
Louisa  Wells,  in  1861,  and  reared  a  family  of  nine  children  ; 
he  has  two  children  living  by  his  former  wufe :  Valentine, 
who  joined  the  army  in  1861,  and  still  remains  in  the  service, 
and  Matilda,  who  married  Jonathan  Wood,  and  resides  in 
the  county.  Mr.  Preuitt  is  now  living  in  the  third  house  on 
his  place ;  his  first  was  a  rough  log  cabin,  which  was  burned ; 
the  second  a  hewed  log  house,  and  the  present  one  a  frame 
building.  Another  land  entry  was  made  February  27,  1830, 
by   William  Jones,   the   southwest   fraction    of   section    4, 

75iVo    acres,  and    two  more   in    1831,  by  Wood   and 

James  Mason. 

In  1830,  Joseph  Hughes  came  from  St.  Clair  county  and 
located  in  the  northeast  corner  of  section  IS,  in  the  fall  of 
the  year ;  he  brought  with  him  a  family  of  young  children. 
About  1832  Solomon  Preuitt  bought  him  out  and  entered 
the  land  on  which  he  had  settled,  and  Hughes  removed  to 
Macoupin  county.  In  1831,  Louis  D.  Palmer  came  with  his 
family  from  Kentucky  and  settled  on  section  28.  He  was 
the  father  of  Hon.  John  M.  Palmer, ex- Governor  of  Illinois, 
who  is  now  practicing  law  in  the  city  of  Springfield.  He 
purchased  and  entered  land,  and  improved  a  farm,  where 
he  continued  to  reside  until  1844,  when  he  sold  his  farm  to 
William  Cooper,  and  removed  to  Jerseyville,  and  sub" 
setjuently  to  Litchfield,  where  he  died  in  1869,  in  his  eighty- 
eighth  year.  Henry  Thornton  Carter,  a  native  of  Tennessee, 
born  June  19, 1811,  came  to  Illinois  in  1827,  with  his  father, 
Edward  Carter,  who  lived  in  Madison  and  St.  Clair  counties. 
June  6,  1833,  H.  T.  Carter  married  Hannah  Davis,  which 
was  the  first  marriage  ceremony  performed  in  Omph-Gheut 
township,  where  her  father  lived.  In  October,  1834,  he  and 
his  young  wife  settled  on  the  north  half  of  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  26,  of  this  township,  which  he  afterwards 
entered;  he  died  here  July  21,  1844,  and  left  a  family  of 
five  children,  all  of  whom  are  yet  living.  His  widow  con- 
tinued on  the  homestead,  reared  her  children  and  improved 
the  place,  and  is  still  living  there  with  her  son,  Henry  D. 
Carter,  in  the  sixty-seventh  year  of  her  age. 

Samuel  Sanuer,  another  proniinent  arrival  in  1833.  was 
born  in  Northumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  September 
12,  1803.  He  was  of  German  origin.  April  26,  1827,  he 
was  married  to  Barbara  Paul,  and  in  May,  1833,  tliey  emi- 
grated west,  and  settled  on  the  Springfield  road,  in  this  town- 
ship. A  family  by  the  name  of  Lathey  accompanied  them 
from  Pennsylvania,  and  in  partnership  with  them  purchased 
a  farm  of  160  acres.     After  living  there  about  seven  years 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


491 


Mr.  Sauiier  sold  his  interest  in  the  farm  and  purchased 
another  about  a  mile  distant,  on  which  the  family  resided 
until  their  remova'  to  Shelby  county  in  1866.  Mr.  Sanner 
was  a  very  industrious  and  ener<iPtic  man,  and  succeeded  in 
accumulating  a  competence  and  being  owner  of  a  fine  and 
valuable  farm  consisting  of  400  acres,  situated  in  sections 
26  and  27.  As  above  stated  he  moved  with  his  family  to 
Shelby  county,  this  state,  in  1866,  where  he  purchased 
between  two  and  three  thousand  acres  of  unimproved  land- 
He  resided  there  until  his  death,  April  19, 18S0.  His  widow 
slill  survives.  John  Mahuern,  from  Kentucky,  emigrated 
to  Illinois  with  his  father,  Samuel  Mahuern,  settling  in 
Wood  river  in  1816  ;  married  a  daughter  of  Captain  Abel 
Moore,  and  located  in  Moro,  in  183o,  on  section  18 ;  he  lived 
here  but  a  short  time.  An  Irishman,  by  the  name  of  John 
Kingston,  settled  the  Gay  place,  near  Moro,  about  the  same 
time  in  1833,  and  resided  here  until  his  death  several  years 
afterward. 

John  Speer  and  Low  Jackson  also  settled  in  1833.  In 
May  of  the  following  year  (1834),  came  Nirarod  Dorsey, 
a  native  of  Maryland.  He  was  born  in  1789,  and  went  to 
Kentucky,  where  he  married  Jlatilda  Dorsey,  a  cousin,  and 
in  the  year  above  named  emigrated  with  his  family  to  Illi- 
nois, and  settled  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  29  of 
this  townshi|),  where  he  resided  until  his  death,  in  August, 
1849.  His  widow  survived  him  until  1881,  being  in  her 
eighty-eighth  year.  They  had  a  family  of  eleven  children, 
five  of  whom  came  with  them  to  this  State,  viz  :  Samuel  L., 
Edward  J.,  Nimrod  M.,  Susan,  who  married  Anthony  B. 
Hundley;  Urath  M.,  who  married  Adam  Blair,  and  after- 
ward Minor  O'Bannon,  all  of  whom  are  now  dead  except 
Samuel  L.  He  was  born  in  1814,  and  has  lived  in  this 
township  ever  since  his  father  settled  here.  He  has  been 
three  times  married,  and  reared  a  family  of  six  children. 

Isaac  Preuitt,  brother  of  Abraham  Preuitt,  located  on 
section  7,  in  1834.  He  was  born  Aug.  14th,  1812,  and  mar- 
ried Susannah  Braden,  and  reared  a  family,  some  of  whom 
are  residing  in  the  county  and  others  in  the  west.  In  1849 
he  emigrated  to  Texas,  but  returned  the  following  year,  and 
is  now  residing  in  this  township. 

Jacob  Preuitt  was  born  Jan.  1st,  1815,  married  Clarinda 
Starkey,  and  settled  in  section  17,  in  1835,  and  is  now  resid- 
ing in  Texas. 

Martin  Preuitt  settled  the  William  Butcher  place  in 
1839,  and  afterward  sold  out  and  moved  to  Gillespie,  Ma- 
coupin county,  where  he  died.  James  Preuitt  located  on  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  17,  about  1840,  and  is  now  liv- 
ing with  his  son,  E.  K.  Preuitt,  on  the  Dorsey  place.  These 
are  all  sons  of  the  old  pioneer,  ^lartin  Preuitt,  a  complete 
history  of  whom  can  be  read  in  the  Wood  River  history. 
In  1834,  Buford  T.  Yager,  who  was  born  January  30th 
1806,  in  Virginia,  settled  on  section  30,  in  the  fall  of  that 
year  He  came  from  Kentucky,  whence  he  had  removed 
with  his  father,  at  the  age  of  nine  years.  His  wife,  Juda 
Ann  Wdhite,  born  in  June,  1814,  is  a  native  of  Kentucky. 
They  had  a  family  of  thirteen  children,  seven  of  whom  are 
now  living  in  the  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Yager  are  still 
living  on  the  spot  where  they  settled. 


Fleming  Huestis  came  in  1835,  and  located  in  section  1.5. 
He  was  born  in  New  York  in  1797,  was  twice  married,  and 
reared  a  large  family.  He  died  in  Aug.  1876.  His  brother, 
Benjamin  Huestis,  born  in  the  same  State  in  1799,  came  in 
1836,  and  entered  160  acres  in  section  22,  where  he  resided 
until  December  19,  1880.  He  was  also  twice  married,  and 
his  second  wife  is  still  living  on  the  old  homestead.  There 
were  three  children  born  to  him,  two  sous  and  one  daughter. 
William  E.  is  residing  on  the  home  place.  Benjamin  L. 
Dorsey  came  from  Kentucky,  and  first  located  near  Bethal- 
to,  where  he  remained  a  few  years,  and  removed  to  section 
17  of  Moro,  settling  on  a  beautiful  little  prairie  which  has 
ever  since  borne  his  name.  This  was  in  1836.  He  resided 
here  until  his  death  in  the  fall  of  1880.  Only  three  of  his 
family  are  now  living  in  the  township,  viz  :  William,  Theo- 
dore, and  John.  ]Mr.  Dorsey  was  a  very  energetic  and  en- 
terprising man,  and  succeeded  in  accumulating  considerable 
property. 

Frederick  Meyer,  a  native  of  Germany,  came  to  this 
country  about  1836,  settled  in  Madison  county,  and  after- 
ward became  a  resident  of  this  township.  He  died  in  1866, 
and  his  widow,  an  old  resident  of  the  township,  still  survives. 

John  A.  Campbell,  born  in  New  Jersey  in  1812,  also 
settled  in  .section  11  in  1836,  and  is  still  residing  there. 
William  Cooper,  J.  M.  Cooj)er,  and  Henry  Cooper,  three 
brothers,  natives  of  England,  came  to  this  country  and  set- 
tled in  Moro  in  the  decade  of  1840.  After  they  had  been 
here  a  short  time,  they  brought  their  father  and  mother 
to  this  country.  The  father,  John  Cooper,  died  here,  and 
their  mother  returned. 

Cornelius  McKinney  and  Jonathan  Smith  were  also  early 
settlers. 

C.  H.  Hatcher,  a  Kentuckian,  settled  at  Ridgely  in 
1856.  Although  not  an  old  settler  in  this  county,  Mr. 
Hatcher  made  a  tour  through  the  country  in  1818.  He 
visited  most  of  the  settlements  in  this  county  that  year,  and 
continued  his  trip  to  Vandalia,  where  he  taught  school  for  a 
short  time,  and  the  following  year  clerked  in  St.  Louis.  He 
was  twice  married,  and  reared  a  family  of  seven  children, 
all  of  whom  are  still  living.  He  died  in  1865,  and  his 
widow  still  survives,  residing  in  Tennessee. 

We  have  mentioned  the  names  of  many  of  the  earliest 
settlers  in  Moro  township.  It  is  not  necessary,  neither  would 
it  be  interesting  to  name  them  all,  even  were  it  possible  to 
do  so.  Many  of  those  who  first  came  remained  but  a  short 
time,  and  their  history  would  be  of  little  value.  The 
permanent  settlers, — those  who  have  helped  to  make  the 
township  what  it  is  to  day, — are  the  ones  we  seek  to  place 
upon  the  historic  page. 

This  township  has  been  represented  in  the  board  of  super- 
visors by  Elias  K.  Preuitt,  who  was  elected  in  1870  and 
served  till  1880,  when  N.  S.  Gay  was  elected,  and  i.s  tlie 
present  incumbent. 

KIDOKIA', 

Is  a  point  at  the  junction  of  the  Alton  and  Hillsboro  and 
Springfield  road,  in  section  22,  where,  at  one  time,  consider- 
able business  was  done.  About  1850,  a  store  was  kept  by 
Richard  O'Bannon  ;  two  saloons,  a  post-oflnce,  a  blacksmith 


492 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


shop,  and  three  churches,  Catholic,  Christian,  and  Metho- 
dist.    At  present  there  ia  no  business  transacted  here. 

DOKSHY     STATION, 

Is  situated  in  section  16,  on  the  line  of  the  Indianapolis  and 
St.  Louis  railroad,  which  is  a  great  convenience  to  the  citi- 
zens of  the  northern  part  of  the  township.  There  is  a  store 
kept  by  H.  L  Koeneman,  and  a  blacksmith  shop  by  Fred. 
Best,  at  the  station.   The 

VILLAGE   OF   MORO, 

Started  with  the  building  of  the  railroad  through  here  in 
1853.  It  was  first  called  Hampton,  and  was  laid  out  on  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  32,  and 
blocks  34  and  35,  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  31,  by 
James  H.  Smith  and  James  Montgomery,  and  plat  recorded 
March  7,  1855.  August  23  of  the  same  year,  the  same  par- 
ties made  a  small  addition,  replatted  the  town,  and  named  it 
Moro. 

Hugh  and  James  F.  Smith  built  a  frame  store-house  soon 
after  the  road  was  completed,  and  put  in  a  general  stock  of 
goods.  The  next  house  was  a  residence,  built  by  Samuel 
Smith,  a  frame  two  story  and  a-half  dwelling. 

Lowder  Tatman,  Peter  Hassinger,  Mrs.  Matilda  Dorsey, 
and  several  others  began  building  about  the  same  time,  and, 
in  a  year  or  two,  quite  a  nice  little  village  had  sprung  up. 
A  large  general  warehouse,  for  shipping  purposes,  was  also 
soon  erected  by  James  Montgomery. 


In  1856,  James  Montgomery  and  Hugh  Smith  erected  a 
large  frame  three  story  steam  flouringmill,  with  a  run  of 
three  burrs.  It  did  a  good  business  until  the  winter  of  1870- 
'71,  when  it  was  destroyed  by  fire. 

The  old  school  Presbyterian  church,  a  frame  structure 
erected  in  1852,  was  the  first  and  only  house  of  worship 
built  in  the  village.  It  stands  just  across  the  township  line 
in  Fort  Russell.  There  is  a  good  one  story  brick  district 
school-house  located  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  north  of 
the  town.  It  was  built  in  1880,  and  cost  $2500.  First  black, 
smith  was  Mr.  Skiles. 

PRESENT    BUSINESS. 

General  Stores. — William  Montgomery,  T.  A.  Mutchmore. 

Blacksmith  Shop. — John  Klaus,  George  Griffith. 

Shoemaker  Shop. — Carl  Boettger. 

Tailor. — William  Zoelzer. 

Wagon  Maker. — T  J.  Sapp. 

Saloon. — George  Schubert,  William  Meyer. 

Post  Master. — William  Montgomery. 

Physician. — Frank  Gere. 

Brick  Yard- — Henry  De  Werff.  about  three  quarters  of  a 
mile  north  from  the  village,  manufactures  a  very  fine  quality 
of  brick.  Has  a  well  arranged  yard  with  kiln,  and  burns 
about  140,000  brick  per  year. 

There  are  two  or  three  coal  mines,  operated  by  horse- 
power, in  the  vicinity  of  Moro.  The  vein  is  about  five  feet 
thick,  and  coal  is  found  about  thirty  feet  from  the  surface. 


■^^^^^^^^^3^^- 


BIOGRAPHY. 


WM.  C.  FORMAN, 

Was  born  in  Lincolnshire,  England,  February  28th,  1833, 
being  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Eliza  Forman.  When  an  in- 
fant, his  mother  died.  His  father  married  again,  and  in 
1845  emigrated  to  America,  with  his  wife  and  two  children, 
William  C.  and  Alfred.  Samuel  Forman  came  directly  to 
Madison  county,  and  settled  in  Fort  Russell  township,  where 
he  still  remains,  having  followed  the  profession  of  farming 
since  the  period  of  his  arrival  in  this  country.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  remained  at  home  with  his  father  until  his 
nineteenth  year;  he  then  went  west,  and  for  nine  years 
was  principally  engaged   in  mining  ope>-ations  in  Nevada, 


which  proved  very  successful.  Immediately  after  Mr.  For- 
man's  return  from  the  mines  he  sought  an  opportunity  for 
investing  his  capital,  and  became  the  owner  of  the  farm  he 
now  occupies,  in  Moro  township,  formerly  known  as  the 
Nimrod  Dorsey  farm.  An  illustration  of  the  same  can  be 
seen  on  another  page  of  this  work.  Mr.  Forman  has  con- 
fined himself  exclusively  to  fiirming  operations  since  his 
return  from  the  West,  and  has  his  land  in  an  excellent  state 
of  cultivation.  In  1874  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Sarah  Tipton,  daughter  of  Elijah  Tipton,  a  former  resident  of 
Macoupin  county.  By  this  union  there  has  been  born  a  family 
of  fi)ur  children,  Samuel  E  ,  William,  Nellie,  May  and  Sarah. 
Politically  Mr.  Forman  is  a  staunch  Republican. 


MARINE. 


"1^  HIS  beautiful,  fertile  and  highly  improved  I 
township,  now  covered  with  valuable 
farms,  dotted  with  handsome  and  com- 
fortable homes,  and  commodious  barns, 
teeming  with  their  rich  stores  of  agri-  | 
cultural  wealth ;  and  the  large  herds  of 
stock  gri-zing  upon  the  rich  herbage  of 
the  meadows,  are  but  the  indices  to  the 
people,  who  are  now  reaping  and  enjoy- 
ing the  fruits  of  those  pioneers,  who  bore 
the  brunt  and  withstood  the  privations  incident  to  the  early 
settlement  and  development  of  a  wilil  region.  The  early 
history  of  the  township  precedes  the  admission  of  Illinois 
into  the  Union  as  a  State.  Among  the  early  settlers  were 
found  the  athletic  and  hospitable  Kentuckian  ;  the  hardy 
backwoodsman  from  the  mountains  of  Tennessee ;  the 
thrifty  and  bargain-driving  New  Englander;  the  Knicker- 
bocker, and  the  chivalrous  gentleman  from  Virginia.  The 
present  generation  are  a  people  of  intelligence,  education 
and  enterprise.  They  are  now  enjoying  the  products  and 
blessings  of  a  civilized  community,  surrounded  by  all  the 
necessaries,  comforts  and  even  luxuries  so  essential  to  man's 
happiness  and  contentment.  They  are  the  debiors  of  the 
sturdy  yeomen  of  pioneer  days  for  much  of  what  they  now 
enjoy.  Through  the  etforts  of  the  pioneer,  the  land  has 
been  made  to  blossom  and  bring  forth  the  fruits  of  civiliza- 
tion and  prosperity ;  and  while  history  may  bear  their 
names  down  to  posterity,  the  early  struggles  with  untamed 
nature  and  its  final  subjugation  through  their  labors  and 
the  results  thereof  erect  a  lasting  monument  to  their  mem- 
ories. 

Marine  township  lies  east  of  the  central  portion  of  the 
county,  and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Alhambra,  on  the 
east  by  Saline,  on  the  south  by  St.  Jacobs  and  on  the  west 
by  Pin  Oak.  In  form  it  is  a  perfect  square,  and  contains 
thirty-six  full  sections.  The  township  received  the  name 
of  "  Marine  Settlement "  at  a  very  early  day  from  the 
settlement  of  so  many  sea  captains  within  its  limits. 

The  surface  is  beautiful  rolling  prairie,  save  that  portion 
bordering  on  the  water  courses,  which  was  formerly  covered 
with  heavy  forest^ ;  but  time,  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  and 
the  necessity  of  man,  have  transformed  nearly  all  into 
fertile  farms.  The  soil  is  rich,  and  produces  large  yields  of 
the  cereals  and  hay.  Sugar  Fork  of  Silver  Creek,  which 
enters  at  section  three  and  traverses  the  township  from  north 
to  south,  finding  its  way  out  in  section  33,  several  small 
streams  upon  each  side,  and  the  east  Fork  of  Silver  Creek 
65 


in  the  southeast  corner,  afford  an  abundant  supply  of  pure 
water  for  stock,  and  excellent  drainage,  as  well. 

PIONEER  SETTLEMENTS. 

Major  Isaac  H  Ferguson  and  John  Warwick,  brothers- 
in-law,  were  the  first  to  intrude  upon  unbroken  nature  in 
this  town.ship.  They  built  their  cabins  in  the  edge  of  the 
timber  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  33,  in  1813. 
Mjjor  Ferguson  came  to  this  section  of  the  country  as  an 
officer  in  the  United  States  army,  as  early  as  1806,  and 
lived  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Russell  for  several  years. 
He  was  a  ranger  during  the  war  of  1812.  He  con- 
tinued his  residence  in  the  township  until  1842,  when 
he  sold  his  home  to  Jacob  Spies,  and  went  to  Texas.  When 
war  was  di  clared  against  INIexico,  though  an  old  man  of 
seventy  five  years  of  a^e,  he  enlisted  and  participated  in  the 
war;  and  while  in  the  city  of  Mexico,  was  taken  sick  and 
died.  His  children  were  Melinda,  who  married  Nicholas 
Kyle,  and  died  in  St.  Jacob's  township  in  1880  ;  John  L., 
who  was  born  in  a  block  house  in  Fort  Russell  township  in 
1807,  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Captain  Curtis  Blake- 
man,  Jr.,  and  lived  in  Marine  township,  continuously, 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1878:  his  widow  still  sur- 
vives him  ;  Lucinda,  married  Henry  Riggiu,  and  subse- 
quently became  the  wife  of  Squire  Peterson,  and  now  re- 
sides in  Bond  county  ;  Elizabeth  Ann,  became  the  wife  of  a 
German,  named  John;  Minerva  Ann,  married  Thomas 
Uzzell.  The  two  last  named,  with  the  other  children,  Wil- 
liam, Justice,  Nicholas  and  Mary,  accompanied  their  father 
to  Texas. 

John  Warwick  remained  but  a  short  time,  .sold  his  im- 
provement to  Capt.  Blakeman  and  left^the  settlement. 
John  Laird  was  also  an  early  settler  and  the  first  magistrate 
in  the  settlement,  receiving  his  appointment  from  the  Legis- 
lative Council.  He  left  the  township  prior  to  1819.  Other 
pioneers  who  made  permanent  settlements  were  John  Woods, 
George  Newcomb,  Joseph  and  Absalom  Ferguson,  Aquilla 
Dolahide,  Abraham  Howard  and  John  Dean,  who  settled  in 
1813  and  1814  and  Chester  Pain,  John  Campbell  John 
Giger  and  Thomas  Breeze  in  1815.  On  the  19th  day  of 
September,  1817,  a  company  left  their  plea.-'ant  homes  in 
New  York  city,  and  turned  their  course  westward,  to  seek 
homes  in  the  vicinity  oi'  Edwardsville,  Illinois,  where  some 
of  the  party,  the  Masons,  had  been  the  previous  year,  and 
brought  back  favorable  reports  of  the  new  country.  Row- 
land p.  Allen,  his  wife  and  son,  George  T. ;  a  nf  gro  boy, 
Henry,  and  a  negro  girl,  Jane,  servants  given  to  Mrs.  Alien 

4J3 


494 


HISTORY    OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


by  her  father  in  New  York.  Paris  Mason,  wife,  a  sister  of 
Mrs.  Allen,  one  child  and  two  negro  servants  ;  James  Ma- 
son and  family  ;  Hail  Mason  and  family  ;  Elijah  Ellison, 
■wife  and  Towuscud,  John,  and  Jacob,  his  sons  ;  Richard 
Ellison  ;  Theophilus  W.  Smith,  an  able  lawyer,  and  after- 
ward a  judge,  with  his  family  ;  William  Townsend,  Daniel 
Tallman  and  several  young  men  composed  this  party  of 
pioneers.  They  came  in  wagons  to  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania, 
and  there  purchased  a  large  flat  boat,  in  which  they  pur- 
sued their  journey  as  far  as  Shawneetowu,  where  they  dis- 
embarked, continuing  their  travels  by  wagons  to  Edwards- 
ville,  where  they  arrived  on  the  afternoon  of  December  23, 

1817,  and  found  a  comfortable  log  house  provided  for  their 
reception,  where  they  spent  the  winter.     In  the   spring   of 

1818,  Rowland  P.  Allen  and  Elijah  Ellison  moved  into 
Marine,  and  on  section  28  built  their  cabins,  entered  the 
land  together,  inclosed  the  same  and  farmed  in  common  for 
many  years,  the  land  interests  not  being  divided  until  1838. 
Rowland  P.  Allen  lived  on  his  farm  several  years,  then 
went  back  to  New  York,  returned  to  the  township  again  to 
live  on  his  farm  and  ultimately  moved  to  Alton,  where  he 
died  in  1858.  Mr.  Allen  was  twice  married,  but  only  raised 
one  son,  George  T.,  whom  he  brought  with  him  when  he 
first  came  west,  and  who  in  later  years  represented  Madison 
county  in  the  General  Assembly  in  1855,  was  a  surgeon  in 
the  army  during  the  late  war,  and  afterward  had  charge  of 
the  United  States  Hospital  at  St.  Louis,  for  many  years, 
where  he  died. 

Elijah  Ellison  lived  on  the  farm,  which  he  improved  until 
his  decease,  which  occurred  in  1858,  his  wife  having  died 
thirty  years  previously.  He  left  a  family  of  six  sons  and  two 
daughters:  Townsend,  living  in  St.  Paul,  Minnesota  ;  John, 
who  lives  in  this  township  and  is  the  oldest  settler  now  liv- 
ing in  it,  being  well  and  favorably  known  by  all  the  old 
settlers  of  the  county  and  having  honorably  filled  the  re- 
sponsil)le  ofiice  of  justice  of  the  peace  for  twenty-one  years; 
Jacob,  who  improved  a  fine  large  farm  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  township,  when  he  died  August  1,  1881 ;  William 
was  a  farmer  of  this  township,  until  his  death  in  June,  1866; 
Mary  Jane  was  killed  by  lightning  while  sitting  in  her 
father's  house  in  1838  ;  she  was  a  young  lady  of  nineteen ; 
Smith  lives  in  Taylor's  Falls,  Minnesota,  and  has  never 
married  ;  Phujbe  married  J.  Carlton  for  her  second  hus- 
band, and  now  resides  in  Champaign,  Illinois,  while  George, 
the  youngest,  died  at  Du  Quoin,  while  on  his  way  home 
from  the  army  in  which  he  was  a  soldier  during  the  late 
war. 

During  the  year  1819,  Captain  Curtis  Blakeman,  Captain 
George  C.  Allen,  James  Breath,  Justice  Deselherst  and  Cap- 
tain David  Mead,"'all  _old  sea  captains,  arrived  in  the  town- 
ship. They  all  had  families,  and  came  from  New  York, 
New  England  and  New  Jersey.  They  were  all  supplied 
with  money,  and  were  able  to  live  comfortably.  Captain 
Blakeman  located  on  the  Louis  Spies  place,  which  had  been 
previously  occupied  by  an  early  settler  named  John  Scott, 
a  native  of  Tennessee.  Captain  Blakeman  brought  with 
him  a  four-horse  wagon,  which  was  driven  by  David  Thorp, 
a  two  horse  wagon,  driven  by  Henry  B.  Thorp,  and  a  one- 


horse  rockaway  driven  by  James  Sackett.  Captain  Blake- 
man and  his  companions  were  all  strong  Whigs,  and  while  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  the  question  as  to  whether 
the  state  would  become  a  free  state  or  a  slave  state  claimed 
the  attention  of  the  members.  Captain  Blakeman  and 
George  Churchill  were  the  Whig  members  from  this  county, 
and  E.  J.  West  was  the  representative  of  the  Democratic 
party.  A  vote  was  about  to  be  taken;  the  legislature 
was  very  evenly  divided,  requiring  the  presence  of  every 
member  of  the  Whig  party  to  sustain  their  position.  At 
this  juncture.  Captain  Blakeman  received  a  message  to  re- 
turn home  in  haste,  as  a  favorite  child  was  lying  dangerously 
ill  and  momentarily  expected  to  die.  He  went  to  his  col- 
league, E.  J.  West,  and  requested  him  to  pair  with  him 
stating  the  reason,  and  was  flatly  refused.  Being  unable  to 
secure  the  desired  and  reasonable  favor,  he  publicly  stated 
that  he  would  not  leave  his  post  in  the  legislature  even 
though  his  entire  family  were  dying.  A  Democratic  mem- 
ber, by  the  name  of  Dr.  Alexander,  from  the  southern  por- 
tion of  the  state,  hearing  of  the  circumstance,  took  pity  on 
the  old  captain  and  paired  with  him.  Mrs.  John  L.  Fergu- 
son, of  Marine,  a  daughter  of  Captain  Blakeman,  is  now 
the  only  survivor  of  his  family,  but  also  of  those  of  the 
same  name.  Elijah  Blakeman,  a  brother  of  the  captain, 
came  with  him  in  a  two-horse  wagon,  bringing  a  wife  and 
five  children.  He  improved  a  farm— now  known  as  the 
Sutter  place— in  section  thirty-two.  He  afterward  returned 
to  the  east  with  his  family,  and  in  1840,  he  again  came  into 
the  county  and  remained  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
some  seven  years  later.  James  Sackett,  who  now  lives  in 
Marine,  came  with  Captain  Blakeman.  He  was  a  boy  of 
only  fifteen  years,  and  drove  the  captain's  rockaway.  He 
married  a  Miss  Parker,  whose  father,  Andrew  Parker,  came 
into  the  township  in  1829.  Mr.  Sackett  pursued  the  voca- 
tion of  a  farmer,  until  about  nine  years  ago,  when  he  moved 
into  the  town  of  Marine.  He  raised  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren, and  lost  his  wife  in  1866.  About  four  years  ago  he 
lost  his  eyesight ;  but  his  memory  remains  intact,  and  he 
can  with  much  accuracy  relate  the  incidents  of  the  early 
settlements,  and  a  conversation  on  the  events  of  pioneer 
times  is  a  source  of  much  enjoyment  to  the  old  gentleman. 
Justice  Deselherst,  who  at  one  time  had  been  a  mate  on  a 
ship,  commanded  by  Captain  Blakeman,  came  into  the  town- 
ship at  the  same  time.  With  his  family  he  improved  the 
Frank  Frisse  place,  and  was  the  second  justice  of  the  peace 
in  the  settlement.  During  the  excitement  caused  by  the 
discovery  of  lead  at  Galena,  he  went  to  that  place  and  never 
returned.  M.  Botchford,  Solomon  Curtis  and  Wheeler  Cur- 
tis, each  with  families  and  two-horse  wagons,  came  at  the 
same  time.  Captain  George  C  Allen  brought  two  teams, 
one  driven  by  himself  and  the  other  by  William  Coon. 
William  May,  a  carpenter  by  trade,  resided  here  about  the 
same  time,  but  soon  returned  to  his  former  home  in  the  east. 
A  few  years  later,  William  Goodsell  and  fiimily  came  from 
the  east,  but  dying  about  three  years  subsequent  to  his  arri- 
val, his  family  returned  to  their  former  home.  James 
Ground,  an  Englishman  with  a  liberal  education,  settled  on 
section  nineteen,  in  1820;  and  the  same  year  built  a  com- 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


495 


fortable  frame  dwelling,  the  first  in  the  township.  The 
house  is  still  standing,  and  is  used  as  a  residence.  He 
raised  a  family  of  three  boys  and  two  girls,  none  of  whom 
are  residents  of  the  eount_v,  though  some  of  his  grand- 
children are  residents  of  different  portions  of  it.  i^lizur 
Judd,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  came  into  the  state  at  an 
early  day,  and  first  settled  at  Old  Ripley,  Bond  county.  In 
1822,  he  moved  into  this  township,  located  on  section  nine, 
the  place  now  being  known  as  the  George  Accola  place, 
where  he  resided  until  his  decease.  For  many  years  he 
kept  a  tavern  and  the  post-office  on  the  state  road.  His 
death  was  sudden  and  caused  by  heart  disease.  He  left  a 
widow,  three  sons,  Albert  H.,  who  settled  and  improved  the 
south  east  quarter  of  section  four  more  than  forty  years  ago, 
and  there  died  in  1865  ;  George  B.,  who  lived  on  the  old 
home  place  for  many  years,  then  moved  to  Minnesota,  where 
he  was  extensively  engaged  in  lumbering,  and  where  he 
died  ;  Lewis  S-,  improved  a  place  north  of  the  homestead  of 
his  father,  and  resided  there  until  his  death,  in  1849.  The 
daughters  were  Sarah,  who  married  and  now  lives  in  Minne- 
sota, and  Emelinc,  now  deceased.  Among  the  seventy-two 
families  who  came  in  a  body  in  1818,  were  John  Baruaby, 
Lefferd  French,  Jacob  Juhnson,  two  families  by  the  name  of 
Matthews,  the  Andersons,  Shinns  and  the  Balsters.  Adam 
Kyle  was  among  the  earliest  to  settle  out  in  the  prairie,  and 
as  early  as  1817,  he  improved  the  Jacob  Schneider  place  on 
section  twenty-nine.  He  raised  a  family  of  five  sons,  all  of 
whom  made  homes  for  themselves  in  St.  Jacob's  township  ; 
but  all  are  new  dead.  Davidson  Gooch,  whose  father 
settled  near  Edwardsville  at  an  early  day,  improved  a  place 
in  the  southwest  part  of  the  township  as  early  as  18:^5. 
He  left  one  son,  Thomas,  who  has  been  dead  several  years. 
The  pioneers  on  the  east  side  of  Silver  creek  were  Ambrose 
Houser  aud  his  father;  Felix,  Michael,  Henry  and  Joseph 
Deck  aud  their  father,  all  of  whom  were  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia, antl  thrifty  farmers;  Mathias  Long,  John  Ambuhl 
and  William  Geiger.  Reuben  Reynolds  and  Benjamin 
May  were  early  settlers  on  the  Vandalia  road.  John  Har- 
rington, whose  widow  lives  on  section  five,  came  with  his 
lather,  Whitmil  Harrington,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  the 
county.  Mr.  Harrington  was  an  extensive  trader  and 
lived  in  many  parts  of  the  county.  He  raised  a  family  of 
ten  children  :  Nancy,  John,  William,  Charles,  Sarah,  Jane, 
Enoch,  Parmelia,  Harrison  and  Susan.  Mr.  Harrington 
died  while  on  a  visit  to  his  daughter  in  Troy,  his  home 
being  in  Macoupin  county  at  the  time  of  his  death.  Jor- 
dan AV.  Jeffress  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  came  into 
the  township  in  1834,  and  located  where  the  town  of  Marine 
now  stands.  He,  in  company  with  George  Welsh,  opened  a 
store  soon  after  his  arrival,  carrying  a  general  stock.  Two 
years  later  he  sold  his  stock  to  ilr.  W^elch  and  moved  to 
Washington  county,  Missouri,  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  until  1843,  when  he  returned  to  JIarine  and  com- 
menced merchandifing  anew,  iu  company  with  his  son-iu; 
law,  Thomas  Fanjuharson,  which  he  continued  for  two  years, 
and  then  closed  up  his  business  and  turned  his  attention  to 
the  improvement  of  one  thousand  acres  of  laud  in  the 
north  and  west  part  of  the  township.     This  land  he  had 


entered  aud  purchased  when  he  first  came  into  the  county. 
He  continued  farming  until 'his  death,  which  occurred  on 
the  third  day  of  May,  1866.  He  was  twice  married  and 
reared  a  family  of  two  sons  and  four  daughters,  children  of 
his  first  wife.  His  sons,  Alexander  W.  and  Edward  Jordan, 
are  prominent  farmers  of  the  township.  The  latter  lives  on 
the  old  homestead  and  the  former  near  by.  Mrs.  Catharine 
Voight,  who  lives  on  section  five,  is  a  daughter  of  Martin 
Schmidt,  one  of  the  earlj'  German  settlers  in  St.  Clair  county. 
Mr.  Schmidt  came  to  Madison  county  in  1838,  and  settled 
on  Looking  Glass  prairie  near  St.  Jacobs.  He  subsequently 
settled  in  Pin  Oak  township,  on  land  purchased  from  Major 
Geary,  where  he  died,  leaving  a  widow,  three  sons  and  one 
daughter.  George  Howard,  who  resides  on  section  thirteen, 
settled  there  forty-four  years  ago.  His  father,  Blackstone 
Howard,  came  from  Kentucky  to  Illinois  in  1809.  He  was 
a  native  of  Virginia,  and  first  made  his  home  at  Turkey 
Hill,  St-  Clair  county,  and  in  1812,  came  to  Madison  county 
and  located  in  the  six  mile  prairie,  southwest  of  Edwards- 
ville, in  the  American  Bottom.  Subsequently  he  moved  to 
the  Chouteau  Slough,  where  he  improved  a  farm  and  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  a  ranger  in  the  war  of 
1812.  He  raised  a  large  family  of  children:  Patience, 
Obediah,  John  and  Lovell  were  born  in  Tennessee;  George 
in  St.  Clair  county,  in  1809  ;  Elizabeth,  Electa,  Alexander 
and  James  B.,  were  born  in  this  county.  George  and 
Electa,  the  widow  of  James  East,  are  all  that  are  now  left. 
The  old  gentleman  was  married  four  times ;  aud  died  in 
1853,  at  a  ripe  old  age.  William  McAdams  was  one  of  the 
earliest  settlers  of  the  county,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and  a 
veteran  of  the  revolutionary  war.  As  early  as  1819,  he  had 
quite  an  improvement  on  section  thirty-five,  between  the 
east  fork  of  Silver  creek  and  Sugar  Fork.  His  fiimily  con- 
sisted of  five  daughters  and  one  son,  from  whom  numy  of 
our  most  promiuent  citizens  trace  their  lineage.  The  old 
gentleman  died  at  an  advanced  age  at  the  residence  of  Aaron 
Rule,  a  son-in-law, — who  was  also  an  early  settler — received 
the  military  honors  at  his  interment,  and  all  the  old  muskets 
in  the  neighborhood  were  brought  into  requisition  for  the 
occasion. 

Major  Isaac  H.  Ferguson  built  the  first  house,  a  rude  log 
cabin,  and  also  improved  the  first  farm.  The  first  marriafje 
was  that  of  Lefferd  French  and  Sarah  Matthews,  in  1815. 
Elijah  Ferguson,  a  brother  of  Major  Ferguson,  was  the  first  to 
die  in  the  settlement,  in  the  year  1815.  In  the  summer  of 
1814,  Arthur  Travis  taught  the  first  school  iu  the  smoke-house 
of  Major  Ferguson.  About  twelve  pupils  were  in  attendance. 
In  1819,  a  young  man  from  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  opened 
a  school  in  an  empty  cabin  which  stood  between  the  houses  of 
Captain  Blakeman  and  Rowland  P.  Allen,  and  for  many 
years  thereafter,  the  youth  of  the  settlement  were  taught  in 
old  cabins  and  the  Union  church.  The  first  sermon  was 
preached  by  Rev.  Samuel  Lindley,  a  Baptist  minister,  at 
the  residence  of  Major  Ferguson,  in  1813;  and  Rev.  Peter 
Cartwright  preached  in  the  settlement  the  same  year.  The 
Union  church,  a  substantial  frame  building,  with  clapboard 
siding  and  split  shingle  roof,  was  the  first  erected.  It  was 
built  in  1821,  on  section  thirty-three,  and  was  in  constant 


496 


EISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


use  until  the  Union  church  was  built  in  the  village  of  Ma- 
rine. The  old  building  was  then  purchased  by  John  L. 
Ferguson,  who  used  it  as  a  barn.  The  first  post-office  was 
established  many  years  prior  to  the  laying  out  of  the  village. 
They  received  mail  every  other  day.  Rowland  P.  Allen 
and  John  L.  Ferguson  were  the  first  postmasters,  and  had 
the  office  at  their  houses.  Eben.  Twiss,  who  settled  on  the 
State  road,  on  section  eleven,  kept  the  first  tavern,  as  early 
as  1820.  This  was  a  stopping  place  for  the  stages,  until  the 
village  was  established.  The  first  mill  was  an  old  tread 
mill,  requiring  ten  oxen  to  furnish  the  motive  power,  built 
by  Captain  Blakeman  on  his  place  in  1823.  It  was  a  great 
improvement  on  the  old  horse  mills,  as  one  hundred  bushels 
per  day  could  easily  be  ground.  It  was  destroyed  by  fire  in 
1835,  and  as  steam  mills  were  then  being  established  in  the 
neighborhood,  it  was  never  rebuilt  The  school  and  church 
facilities  of  the  township  are  excellent  The  numerous  school- 
houses  that  dot  the  wayside,  speak  well  for  the  intelligence 
and  culture  of  the  inhabitants.  One  of  the  finest  school 
buildings  in  Madison  county  adorns  the  town  of  Marine, 
and  her  schools  have  a  deserved  reputation  for  discipline 
and  proficiency.  The  gentlemen  whose  names  follow,  have 
been  members  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors :  John  L.  Fergu- 
son was  chosen  in  1876,  and  was  in  office  for  three  succes- 
sive terms.  He  was  succeeded  by  C.  W.  Kettler,  who  served 
two  terms.  A.  W.  Jeflress  was  elected  in  1881,  and  followed 
in  office  by  E.  J.  JeflPress,  who  was  chosen  in  1882,  and  is  the 
pre-seut  incumbent. 

The  building  of  a  town  was  early  contemplated  by  the 
pioneers,  and  to  that  end  the  following  prospectus  was  is- 
sued, but  the  attempt  was  not  crowned  with  success  at  that 
time. 

"  One  hundred  Tuivn  Lois  for  sale,  in  the  town  of  Madison, 
in  the  Marine  settlement,  Illinois. 

On  Saturday,  the  18th  day  of  November,  1820,  will  be 
sold  at  auction,  at  the  house  of  Rowland  P.  Allen,  in  the 
Marine  Settlement,  between  the  hours  of  12  and  3  p.  m.,  100 
Lots,  in  the  town  of  Madison." 

The  town  of  Madison  is  situate  near  the  centre  of  pop- 
ulation of  Madison  county,  in  perhaps  the  most  flourishing 
settlement  in  the  state  of  Illinois.  The  beauty  of  its  site 
surpasses  that  of  any  other  town  in  the  state,  being  situated 
on  a  handsome  prairie,  embracing  at  one  view  almost  every 
variety  of  scenery.  From  the  town  site,  on  the  north,  the 
view  is  uninterrupted  by  timber ;  the  eye  wanders  over  a 
vast  extent  of  prairie,  variegated  only  by  its  appearance,  so 
much  as  to  prevent  satiety  and  the  view  is  ultimately  lost  in 
the  sublime  idea  of  infinite  extent.  On  three  sides,  eat, 
south,  and  west,  there  are  seen  more  than  thirty  finely  im- 
proved farms,  which,  with  the  numerous  flocks  of  cattle  and 
the  operations  of  the  inhabitants,  afibrd  the  most  active  and 
delightful  employment  to  the  mind.  Beyond  this  busy 
scene  the  eye  rests  upon  a  beautiful  and  variegated  view  of 
w  oods. 

In  addition  to  the  beauty  of  its  situation,  the  town  pos- 
ses.ses  every  substantial,  natural  and  acquired  advantage, 
among  which  are,  an  intelligent  and  industrious  society,  a 
salubrious  atmosphere,  an  abundant  supply  of  fine  water,  a 


first-rate  soil  for  cultivation,  timber,  building  stone,  coal  of  a 
superior  quality  and  an  abundant  supply  of  salt  wrll  shortly 
be  produced  from  works  lately  established.  Besides  these 
local  advantages,  the  great  road  from  Vandalia  to  St.  Louis 
and  the  roads  from  Vincenues  to  Edwardsville  and  Alton, 
and  from  Shawneetown  to  the  Sangamo  country,  pass 
through  this  settlement.  It  is,  however,  needless  to  dwell 
upon  the  advantages  of  a  place  so  well  known  as  the  Marine 
Settlement.  Its  reputation  is  established,  and  has  become 
proverbial. 

fiiS^'The  sale  of  the  lots  above  mentioned,  will  be  made 
without  reserve.  Terms,  ten  per  cent,  of  the  purchase 
money  cash  The  residue  in  equal  instalments  of  6,  12,  18, 
and  24  months. 

Curtis  Blakeman,  Rowland  P.  Allen,  George  C.  Allen, 
Pierre  Teller,  Adrian  Hegeman,  Abraham  Beck,  Nehemiah 
Allen,  W.  M.  O'Hara,  Justus  Post,  T.  \V.  Smith,  proprietors." 

MARINE. 

Situated  on  the  contemplated  site  of  the  town  of  Madison,  is 
the  beautiful  little  village  of  Marine,  with  its  fine  public  park 
handsome  church  edifices  and  fine  public  school  building. 
The  town  is  well  built,  the  private  residences  are  handsome, 
while  their  surroundings  are  of  the  most  pleasing  character, 
bespeaking  the  wealth,  taste  and  thrift  of  an  intelligent  and 
refined  people.  The  town  was  laid  out  in  1834,  on  sections 
sixteen,  seventeen,  twenty  and  twenty-one,  by  George  W- 
Welsh,  James  Semple,  Jordan  W.  Jefl?"res3  and  Abram 
Breath.  The  streets  are  wide,  well  shaded,  kept  in  good  re- 
pair and  cross  each  other  at  right  angles.  The  fir=t  stores 
were  kept  by  Jordan  W.  Jeffress,  George  W.  Welsh  and 
Abram  Breath.  The  first  physicians  were  Drs.  George  T. 
Allen  and  P.  P.  Green. 

The  Cable  Mill.— This  mill  was  built  in  1866,  by  Curtis 
Blakeman,  John  B.  Parker  and  Jacob  Spies.  When  first 
built  it  had  but  three  run  of  stoue ;  but  since  falling  into 
the  hands  of  Charles  Yalier  and  Jacob  Spies  in  1876,  it  has 
been  greatly  enlarged,  until  it  is  now  a  handsome  four-story 
brick  building,  with  numerous  frame  additions,  cooper  shop, 
and  all  necessary  attachments  for  its  successful  and  profita- 
ble operation.  It  now  contains  six  run  of  stone,  two  sets  of 
rollers,  with  a  capacity  of  two  hundred  barrels  per  day, 
most  of  which  find  a  ready  market  in  the  New  England 
States.  The  flour  is  hauled  in  wagons  to  St.  Jacobs,  from 
which  station  it  is  shipped. 

BUSINESS   OF   M.VEINE. 

Physicians. — Peter  S.  Weidman,  Peter  Fischer,  Henry  L. 
Judd. 

General  Stores. — Valentine  Miller,  John  G.  Goerke,  Henry 
Iloppe  &  Co.,  Henry  Gehrs,  Blauke  Bros. 

Hardware. — Fred.  Wentz,  Kold  &  Richardson. 

Drug  Stores. — L.  A.  Richardson,  Porter  G.  Parker. 

Bolel.—U  H  Elbring. 

Post  Master.— Fred.  Blanke. 

Stove  and  Tinware. — John  M.  Hettel. 

Blaehimilh  and  Wagon  Shops. — Charles  Adler,  John  Koch, 
V.  Deibert,  Michael  Ford. 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON    COUJ^TY,    ILLINOIS. 


497 


Wagon  Maker  and  Bridge  Contractor. — Henry  A.  Hoyer." 

Carpenter  and  Bridge  Builder. — Fred,  ^\'ebold. 

Wagon  Maker  and  3Ii!luright. — Julius  Busch. 

Furniture  Dealers. — George  Gravius,  Henry  Ortmaun. 

Barbers. — William  Apffel,  John  Weber. 

Clothing  and  Furnishing  Goods — John  Deibert  &  Son. 

Harness  and  Saddlers. — Henry  Brandes,  William  Kocb. 

Cigars. — Charles  Lewis  Yarwig,  Edward  Frey. 

Bakery  and   Confectionery  — Charles  Pfister. 

Millinery. — Catherine  Nemnich,  Mrs.  Mary  Ellison,  Mrs 
William  Koch. 

Meat  Market. — Henry  Schmidt,  Jacob  Weder. 

House  and  Sign  Painlers.—iSohn  R.  Kircheis,  F.  VV.  Over 
beck. 

Watch  Maker. — Andrew  Volk 

Shoe  Makers. — Herman  Vaudersten,  Peter  Harnist,  Henry 
Ackermann. 

There  are  five  churches  in  the  town.  The  Roman  Catho- 
lic, German  Lutheran  and  Christian,  have  fine  brick  build- 
ings, while  those  belonging  to  the  Presbyterian  and  Metho- 
dist denominations  are  neat  frame  structures  A  handsome, 
two-story,  five  room  brick  school-house  building  was  erected 
in  1874,  in  which  are  employed  five  teichers.  The  cost  of 
the  buihling  was  810,000.     Prof.   William  E.   Lehr  is  the 


principal,  and  Messrs.  H.  C.  Gerke,  H.  H.  Elbring  and 
August  Versen  were  the  directors  at  the  time  the  hou.se  was 
built.  The  Park  was  given  to  the  town  by  Abraham  Breath 
for  a  public  square,  and  has  since  been  fenced,  trees  planted 
and  otherwise  beautified  by  the  citizens.  It  is  now  under 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  city  authorities  and  is  kept  in  excel- 
lent order. 

Marine  Lodge  No.  355  A.  F.  and  A.  M. — This  lodge  was 
instituted  on  the  ISth  day  of  July,  1859,  with  Thomas  J. 
Prickett,  as  W.  M.,  and  William  W.  Pearce,  George  W. 
Fitch,  William  J.  Loury,  Curtis  Blakeman,  Alexander 
Keown  and  Joseph  P.  Steppe,  as  Charter  Members.  The 
Lodge  now  has  a  membership  of  forty-two,  and  is  in  good 
working  order.  The  present  officers  are  William  E.  Lehr, 
W.  M. ;  Henry  Geisemann,  S.  W. ;  Charles  Schacht,  J.  W. ; 
Fred.  Wentz,  treasurer,  and  H  Elbring,  secretary. 

Marine  Turners. — This  order  has  a  membership  of  seven- 
ty-five, owns  a  nice  hall,  handsomely  arranged  with  stage 
and  scenery,  and  frequently  entertain  the  citizens  with  thea- 
trical and  athletic  entertainments. 

Treubund  Lodge  No.  30,  was  organized  June  5th,  1879. 
It  is  a  German  organization,  and  has  a  membership  of 
twenty-four.  It  is  in  good  working  order,  and  meets  every 
Saturday  evening,  in  Philipp  Volk's  Hall. 


■c<:^G'^^md^^- 


BIOGRAPHIES. 


HENRY  L.  JUDD,  xM.  D., 

Was  born  in  Marine,  Illinois,  on  the  second  of  December, 
1842.  He  is  of  English  extraction  on  either  side.  His 
parents  were  Louis  S.  Judd  and  Mary  (Danforthi  Judd. 
His  fivther  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  in  li^Ol  and  came  to 
Illinois,  locating  in  Marine,  about  the  time  the  state  was  ad- 
mitted into  the  Union.  His  wife  came  to  the  county  with 
her  uncle,  Mr.  Caldwell,  and  it  was  here  that  they  were 
united  in  marriage  in  the  year  1835.  ^[r.  Judd  was  one  of 
the  early  merchants  of  Marine,  and  subsequently  one  of  the 
leading  farmers  in  that  township.  He  reared  a  family  of 
three  children,  two  sons  and  one  daughter,  viz:  Samuel,  re- 
siding at  Marine  Mills,  Minn. ;  Mary  E.,  the  wife  of  James 
M.  Patterson,  of  St.  Louis ;  Henry  L.,  of  whom  we  write, 
and  one  child  who  died  in  infancy.  Louis  L.  Judd,  the 
father,  died  December  the  28th,  1849,  aged  forty-eight  years, 
and  his  wife  died  August  29th,  1863,  there  being  but  a  few 
weeks'  difference  in  their  ages  at  death.  Henry  L.  Judd,  as 
before  mentioned,  was  born  and  reared  in  Marine.  He  ob- 
tained his  early  training  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
town,  and  attended  for  three  years  the  McKendree  College 
at  Lebanon,  Illinois.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  attended  the 
66 


St.  Louis  Medical  College,  from  which  institution  he  gradu- 
ated in  1865  In  the  same  year  he  located  at  Pleasant  Hill, 
Missouri,  where  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession 
for  two  yearr5,  which  he  vvas  compelled  to  abandon  on  account 
of  ill  health.  For  five  years  he  traveled  in  this  country  and 
Europe,  for  the  benefit  of  his  health,  after  which  he  located 
at  his  old  home.  Marine,  where  he  has  ever  since  engaged  in 
his  profession.  In  18G5,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Marie 
Antoinette  Sherwood,  daughter  of  Lyman  Sherwood,  of 
Albany,  N.  Y.,  who  was  at  one  time  a  prominent  man  in  the 
business  circles  of  Springfield,  in  this  state,  where  he  died  in 
1875.  This  union  has  been  blessed  with  three  children, 
Edith  May,  born  July  1st,  1866,  Samuel  Sherwood,  b3rn 
Aug.  12th,  1872,  and  Nellie,  born  Feb.  22,  1878,  being  just 
six  years  between  their  ages  respectively. 

The  doctor  has  held  several  offices  of  trust  in  his  town, 
having  been  elected  to  serve  on  the  town  board,  of  which  he 
has  been  the  presiding  officer,  has  been  school  trustee,  and 
is  at  present  a  formidable  candidate  for  coroner  on  the  Re- 
publican ticket.  Dr  Judd  is  a  clever  gentleman,  much  es- 
teemed by  the  citizens  of  Madison  county. 


498 


HISTORY    OF    MADISON    COUNTY,    JLLINOlti. 


^    r        'P^^^^-^MT'"      T^<'-" 


Amon(4  the  prominent  and  influential  Germans  of  Madi- 
son county  is  the  subject  of  the  lollowing  biography. 
He  is  a  native  of  Bavaria,  Germany,  where  he  was  born 
August  3d,  1817.  He  is  the  second  son  of  Valentine  and 
Phillapena  (Rietzman)  Spies,  who  were  also  natives  of  the 
same  country.  His  father  died  in  1834,  and  his  mother  in 
1838.  Jacob  was  reared  upon  a  farm,  where  he  remained 
until  his  twenty-third  year,  then  came  to  America  on  a  tour 
of  observation.  He  landed  in  New  York  April  20th,  1840, 
and  a  few  days  later  came  west  to  Illinois,  and  settled  in  Belle- 
ville, St.  Clair  county,  and  there  remained  for  one  year.  In 
1841  he  returned  to  Germany,  and  in  1843  came  back  to  Ame. 
ricaand  bought  a  tract  of  land  in  sections  32  and  33  of  T.  3N. 
R.  6  W.  To  that  tract  he  has  added,  until  now  he  has 
a  large  body  of  as  fine  tillable  land  as  cau  ba  found  in  the 
county.  On  the  27th  of  Mi^  1843,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Catharine  Kauffmann,  a  nacive,  also,  of  Ger- 
many.    By  this  union  there  have  been  ten  children,  nine  of 


whom  are  living.  Their  names,  in  the  order  of  their  birth 
are,  Minnie  Rosa,  Julia,  wife  of  Alexander  Richardson, 
Caroline  Louisa,  wife  of  Charles  Yalier  ;  Charles,  Louis, 
Amelia,  who  is  the  wife  of  Preston  Fahnestock  ;  Bertie,  wife 
of  Louis  Kolb ;  Jacob  and  Anna  Spies.  The  last  two  are 
yet  at  home.  In  polities  Mr.  Spies  was  originally  a  Demo- 
crat. In  1854,  during  the  excitement  attending  the  Kan- 
sas-Nebraska difficulties,  when  it  was  sought  to  introduce 
slaver)'  into  the  territories,  he  left  the  party  and  joined  the 
Republicans,  and  from  that  date  to  the  present  has  been  a 
warm  supporter  of  the  latter  organization.  Mr.  Spies  has 
been  and  is  yet  a  very  industrious  and  energetic  man,  and 
much  of  his  success  in  life  is  due  to  those  characteristics. 
He  has  been  a  resident  of  Madison  county  for  nearly  forty 
years,  and  has  a  well-earned  reputation  for  honesty  and  up- 
rightness of  character.  lu  short,  few  men  in  the  county  are 
more  respected  than  Jacob  Spies. 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


499 


RUDOLPH  BRUNNER 

Was  born  iu  the  Canton  of  Argo,  Switzerland,  December 
20th,  1834.  His  fother,  Henry,  died  there  in  1851.  He 
married  Mary  Burkhart,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children, 
four  of  whom  are  yet  living.  In  1854  Rudolph  left  his  na- 
tive country  and  came  to  America.  He  stopped  one  year 
iu  Scioto  county,  Ohio.  In  the  fall  of  1857,  he  came  to  Il- 
linois, and  in  1859  he  rented  land  where  he  now  lives,  and 
continued  a  renter  until  1872,  when  he  purchased  eighty 
acres  and  improved  it,  and  is  yet  a  resident  upon  it.  He  has 
lived  upon  those  eighty  acres  as  renter  and  owner  since  1859, 
except  three  years,  when  he  lived  near  Greencastle.  On  the 
7th  of  May,  1859.  he  married  Miss  ^lary  Bircher,  who  was 
born  in  the  Canton  of  Argo,  Switzerland,  September  14, 
1837.  She  came  to  America  in  1851,  with  her  father,  Louis 
Bircher.  Four  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Brunner,  two  of  whom  are  living,  whose  names  are  Emily 
and  Julia.  Gustave  died  at  the  age  of  ten  years  from  an 
accident  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brunner  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  church.  He  has  been  a  Republican  since  1864, 
when  he  voted  for  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  has  held  several 
offices  in  his  township,  and  at  present  is  road  commissioner. 
He  has  been  one  of  the  school  directors  of  the  township  for 
the  past  ten  years.  Mr.  Brunner  has  been  a  successful  far- 
mer, is  a  srood  citizen,  and  enjoys  the  confidence  and  esteem 
of  the  entire  community. 


A.  W.  JEFFRESS. 

The  Jeffress  family  is  of  English  ancestry.  John  Jeft'ress, 
the  grandfather  of  the  present  family,  was  a  native  of  Lunen- 
burgh  county,  Virginia.  His  son,  Jordan  W.,  father  of  A. 
W.  Jeffress,  was  a  native  of  the  same  place,  and  was  born 
October  31st,  1797.  He  removed  to  Tipton  county,  Ten- 
nessee, and  remained  there  a  short  time,  then  came  to  Illi- 
nois in  1835,  and  settled  in  Marine  township.     He,  in  com- 


pany with  two  others,  surveyed  and  laid  out  the  town  of 
Marine.  He  soon  after  formed  a  partnership  with  George 
JM.  Welsh,  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business.  In  1836 
he  sold  his  interest  in  the  business  to  his  partner  and  re- 
moved to  Washington  county,  Missouri,  and  remained  there 
seven  years,  then  returned  to  Marine,  and  in  connection  with 
his  soniu-law,  Thomas  Farquharson,  again  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising. Two  years  later  he  sold  out,  and  purchased 
land  in  section  6,  T.  4,  R.  6,  and  removed  there  November 
5,  1848,  and  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising,  which  he 
followed  until  his  death,  the  date  of  which  was  May  3d, 
1866.  He  was  a  man  of  superior  education,  of  a  liberal 
and  generous  disposition,  and  pleasant  and  agreeable  man- 
ners. In  religious  faith  he  was  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church,  and  took  an  active  interest  in  promoting  the  welfare 
of  that  religious  organization.  On  the  14th  of  October,  1819,  he 
married  Mary  C.  Egglestou,  who  was  born  in  Lunenburgh 
county,  October  4, 1798.  She  died  April  10, 1846.  On  the  5th 
of  November,  1848,  he  married  Mary  A.  Brilt,  a  native  of 
Brewster  county,  Virginia.  She  died  without  issue  March  17, 
1872.  By  the  first  marriage  is  Alexander  W.,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  He  was  born  in  Lunenburgh  county,  Virginia, 
December  13,  1830,  and  was  in  his  fifth  year  when  the  fami- 
ly came  to  Illinois.  He  received  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  Madison  county,  and  here  grew  to  manhood.  His  life 
has  been  spent  upon  the  farm.  From  choice  and  inclination 
he  delights  in  agricultural  pursuits.  He  has  a  beautiful 
farm,  handsomely  situated,  with  a  large  and  commodious 
farm  house,  elegantly  furnished,  surrounded  by  beautiful 
lawns ;  there  he  lives  in  comparative  ease,  and  enjoys  life  in 
its  truest  sense.  Politically  he  was  originally  an  old  line  Whig. 
Upon  the  formation  of  the  Republican  party  he  joined  its  ranks, 
and  has  remained  identified  with  that  political  organization 
to  the  present.  In  1881  he  was  elected  to  represent  his 
township  in  the  board  of  supervisors,  and  in  18S2  was  re- 
elected. He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church.  He  is 
a  courteous  and  hospitable  gentleman,  and  in  his  home  makes 
it  pleasant  to  all  who  come  beneath  his  roof. 


t>  V 


NAMEOKl. 


I  HE  word   Nameoki  is  of  Indian  origin, 
and  signifies  smoky.     It  was  first  given 
to  a  station  on  the  Indianapolis  &  St. 
Louis  railroad  by  A.  A.  Talmadge,  while 
a  conductor  on  that  road,  and  afterward 
to  the  township,  which  is  in  the  south- 
western part  of  the  county.     In  shape  it 
is  a  regular  square  of  thirty-six  sections, 
or,  more  accurately,  22,600  acres  of  land. 
It  is  bounded   on  the  north  by  Chouteau  township,  east  by 
Collinsville,  south  by  St.  Clair  county,  and  west  by  Venice 
township      Geographically  it  is  township  3  N.  R.  8  W.     It 
lies  almost  wholly  within  the  Great  American  Bottom,  and   [ 
hence  is  low  and  level.     Its  soil  is  sandy,  and  of  marvelous 
fertility,  and  needs  only  proper  drainage  to  become  the  gar- 
den spot  of  Madison   county.     Horse  Shoe   lake  occupies 
nearly  2000  acres  in  sections  31,  32,  29,  28,  21,  16,  15,  14, 
22,  23,  27  and  26.     It  abounds  in  fish,  and  is  skirted  here 
and   there   with   timber.     This  lake  was  known  to  former 
geographers  as  Marais  Mensoui.     Long  lake  crosses  this 
township  diagonally,  entering  on  section  12,  and   leaving 
on  section   3,  having  here  a  length  of  nearly  five  miles. 
Several  other  small  lakes  or  marshes  are  within  its  borders. 
Passing  across  the  southeastern  part  is  Cahokia  creek,  which 
receives  the  waters  of  Cantine  creek  from  the  east  on  section 
36.     A  levee  has  been  thrown  up  extending   almost   the 
whole  distance  across  the  township  from  northeast  to  south- 
west, as  a  protection  to  farming-lands  to  the  northwest 

In  the  southern  part,  on  sections  34  and  35  are  several 
mounds,  thought  by  many  to  have  been  of  artificial  origin. 
The  most  prominent  of  these  is  the  Monk's  mound,  so  named 
from  having  been  the  abiding  place  of  the  monks  of  La 
Trappe.  The  following  description  of  the  American  Bot- 
tom and  Monks'  mound  is  taken  from  the  Chicago  Daily 
American,  Aug.  9,  1839.  Notes  by  the  editor,  William 
Stewart.  "About  ten  miles  this  side  of  St.  Lou'^  the 
traveler  comes  upon  the  famed  American  Bottom,  which 
extends  from  Alton,  on  the  INIississippi,  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Kaskaskia,  a  distance  of  about  one  hundred  miles, 
and  expanding  from  three  to  five  miles  in  width.  A  lot- 
tery, chartered  by  the  State,  is  now  in  successful  operation 
for  the  purpose  of  raising  funds  to  drain  this  land  and  im- 
proving its  health.  It  is  a  highly  laudable  enterprise,  and 
deserves  the  co-operation  of  the  public.  The  rich  tract  of 
land,  when  drained  and  cultivated,  is  capable  alone  of  sup- 
porting the  whole  western  country.  A  few  miles  from  this 
point  (on  road  near  St.  Louis),  on  the  right  side  of  the 
500 


road,  towers  to  the  view  a  beautiful  elevation  of  land  called 
Monk's  Hill,  from  its  being  inhabited  by  a  monk  about  the 
year   1809.     A  romantic   cottage   peeps  out  from   a  thick 
grove,  which  ornaments  the  top  of  the  hill,  and  which  we 
understood  was   occupied   by  some  Jesuits  about  the  year 
1809."     In  1807  the  monks  of  La  Trappe  located  on  and 
around  the  mound,  whose  name  perpetuates  the  fact.    From 
Hair's  Gazetteer  the  following  interesting  facts  relative  to 
these  religious  enthusiasts  are  gleaned  :    "  The  monastery  of 
this  order  was  anciently  situated  in  the  province  of  Perche, 
in  France,  in  one  of  the  most  solitary  spots  that  could  be 
chosen.     It  was  founded  A.  B.  1140,  under  the  patronage 
of  the  Cistercian  Monks.     Their  monastery  had  fallen  into 
decay,  and  their  rigid   discipline  relaxed,  when  the  order 
was  reformed  by  the  Abbe  Ranee  a.  d.  1664.     Rauce  was  a 
gay  man  of  the  world,  but  meeting  with  a  sudden   misfor- 
tune— some  authors  say  the  infidelity  of  his  wife,  others  the 
death  of  Madame  Montbazon,  whose  favorite  lover  he  had 
been — he  renounced  the  world,  entered  this  monastery,  and 
took  the  lead  in   a  system  of  the  most   severe   austerity. 
Perpetual  silence  was  the  vow  of  the  inmates.     Every  com- 
fort of  life  was  rejected,  a  stone  was  their  pillow,  bread  and 
water  their  only  food,  and  every  day  each  removed  a  hand- 
ful of  earth  from   his  grave.     The  furious  storm  of  the 
French  Revolution  scattered   them  abroad.     A  branch  of 
the  order  came  to  the  United  States  in  1804,  first  establish- 
ing  themselves    near    Conewago,    Pennsylvania,   then     in 
Kentucky ;    next  at  Florissant,  near  St.   Louis,   Missouri, 
where  they  remained  but  eighteen  months,  and  came  to  the 
Mounds  in  1807,  accepting  the  lands  as  a  gift  from  Colonel 
Nicholas  Jarrot,  of  Cahokia.      They  numbered   eighty  in 
all,  and  expected  an  accession  of  two  hundred  others  from 
France  upon  their  settlement ;  but  the  climate  and  situation 
were  not  congenial  to  the  austerities  practiced  by  the  order. 
During  the  summer  months  fevers  prevailed  among  them 
to   an    alarming   extent.     Few    escaped,   and   many   died. 
'   They  cultivated   a   garden,  repaired  watches,  and   traded 
with  the  inhabitants.     Connected  with  the  monastery  was  a 
seminary  for  boys.    To  them  is  attributed  the  first  discovery 
of  coal  here.     Their  blacksmiths  complained  of  a  want  of 
proper  fuel,  and  on  their  being  informed  that  the  earth,  at 
the  root  of  a  tree  which  was  struck  by  lightning,  was  burn- 
ing, they  went  to   the  spot,  and   on   digging  a  little  below 
the  surface,  discovered   a  vein   of  coal.     In  1816  they  re- 
conveyed  their  property  to  Jarrot,  the  donor,  and  left  for 
France.     Among  their  self-imposed  conditions  of  life  were  : 
No  one  was  allowed  to  speak  to  another,  or  to  a  stranger, 


TT 


\ 


1#^ 


1'  S  TvivVS:.- 


p  If 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


501 


except  in  cases  of  absolute  necessity;  neither  could  he  ad- 
dress the  superior,  without  first  asking  his  permission,  by  a 
sign,  and  receiving  his  assent.  They  were  not  allowed  to 
receive  any  letters  or  news  from  the  world,  and  were  com- 
pelled to  obey  the  least  sign  made  even  by  the  lowest  lay 
brother  in  the  community,  although  by  doing  so  they  might 
spoil  whatever  they  were  engaged  in.  Their  dress  consisted 
entirely  of  woolen  cloth ;  they  eat  no  flesh,  and  had  but  two 
meals  a  day  ;  their  dinner  was  soup  of  turnips,  carrots,  and 
other  vegetables,  with  no  seasoning  but  salt,  and  their  sup- 
per was  two  ounces  of  bread  with  water.  They  slept  in 
their  clothing  upon  boards,  with  blocks  of  wood  for  pillows, 
but  in  winter  they  were  allowed  any  quantity  of  clothing 
they  desired.  When  a  stranger  visited  them  he  was  re- 
ceived with  the  utmost  kindness  by  their  guest-master,  his 
wants  attended  to,  and  everything  freely  shown  and  ex- 
plained to  him  ;  and  whenever  he  passed  one  of  the  monks 
the  latter  bowed  humbly  to  him,  but  without  looking  at 
him.  They  labored  all  day  in  the  fields  or  in  their  work- 
shops in  the  most  profound  silence,  the  injunction  of  which 
was  removed  only  from  the  one  appointed  to  receive  visitors 
and  those  engaged  in  imparting  instruction.  When  one  of 
them  was  taken  ill  the  rigor  of  their  discipline  was  entirely 
relaxed,  and  every  attention  and  comfort  bestowed  upon 
him.  And  if  he  was  about  to  die,  when  in  the  last  agonies 
he  was  placed  on  a  board,  on  which  the  superior  had  made 
the  sign  of  a  cross  with  ashes,  the  rest  gathered  about  to 
console  and  pray  for  him.  The  dead  were  wrapt  in  their 
ordinary  habit,  and  buried  without  a  coflin  in  the  field  ad- 
joining their  residence.  As  soon  as  one  was  buried,  a  new 
grave  was  opened  by  his  side  to  be  ready  for  the  next  who 
might  need  it." 

The  first  sturdy  pioneers  to  blaze  the  way  of  civilization 
across  the  sandy  prairies  of  this  township  were  Patrick 
Hanniberry  and  Wiggins,  in  1801,  who  settled  on  what  is 
now  section  16,  near  the  present  Six  Mile  House,  which  is  in 
section  15.  The  settlement,  from  its  incipiency,  bscame 
known  as  Six  Mile  from  the  fact  that  it  was  made  at  a  point 
six  miles  distant  from  St  Louis  in  Upper  Louisiana.  Wig- 
gins was  a  married  and  Hanniberry  a  single  man.  No  de- 
scendants now  live  in  Madison  county  to  impart  any  intelli- 
gence as  to  whence  they  came  or  whither  they  went.  The  spot 
can  only  be  designated  and  the  date  fixed  of  their  early  lo- 
cation. To  the  southeast  across  Horse  Shoe  Lake  (known 
to  the  French  as  Marais  Mensoui)  on  sections  35  and  .36,  or 
as  entered  claim  133  made  by  Jean  Baptiste  Gonville,  alias 
Rappellay,  and  affirmed  to  Nicholas  Jarrot,  was  Quentine 
or  Cdutine  village,  established  by  Deloom  and  others  from 
Praire  du  Pont,  in  1804.  This  became  a  straggling  village 
following  the  meanderings  of  Cautine  and  Cahokia  creeks 
for  several  miles  At  one  time  it  was  a  handsome  village 
and  the  centre  of  considerable  trade.  About  the  same  time, 
(1804)  came  Nathan  Carpenter,  an  enterprising,  thorough- 
going man.  He  erected  a  horse  mill  near  Wiggins'  on  section 
16,  which  was  patronized  by  parties  far  and  near.  It  was 
the  first  effort  at  milling  in  this  township,  and  had  little  com- 
petition throughout  all  Madison  county.  Carpenter  was 
possessed  of  an  indomitable  will  and  great  energy,  and  suc- 
67 


ceeded  in  subjecting  rude  nature  around  him  until  a  fine 
farm  rewarded  his  effurts.  In  1804  or  180-5  came  to  this 
township,  locating  on  section  17,  Thomas  Cumniings.  He 
reared  a  large  and  intelligent  family,  and  was  himself  an 
honest,  energetic  pioneer.  His  sons  were  declared  by  many 
old  settlers  to  have  been  the  largest  boys  ever  raised  in 
Madison  county  In  1817  he  and  his  family  moved  to  Jersey 
county.  Isaac  Gillham,  a  South  Carolinian,  came  here  at 
the  same  time  with  Cummings.  Most  of  his  children  were 
born  in  South  Carolina.  Their  names  were  Thomas,  Wil- 
liam, John,  James,  Isaac  Jr  ,  Margaret,  Susan,  and  Jane. 
Thomas  was  elected  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  subsequently 
held  the  office  of  County  Commissioner.  The  Gillhams  were 
a  large  and  influential  family  throughout  Madison  county. 
Four  sons  and  Isaac  himself  all  died  during  the  winter  of 
1844-5.  Isaac  had  been  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  One  of 
his  daughters  married  Robert  Whiteside,  of  the  popular 
family  of  that  name.  Amos  Squire  located  where  his  son 
Samuel  yet  lives  in  1808.  He  came  to  Illinois  from  Maryland, 
a  few  years  prior  to  this,  in  company  with  Gov.  Bond  and 
others,  and  stopped  first  at  Kaskaskia.  In  1805  he  married 
Temperance  Worley,  at  Fort  Chartres  Here  two  sons, 
Samuel  and  Joseph,  were  born,  so  that  he  brought  to  his 
new  home  a  family  of  four.  He  chose  a  pleasant  place  which 
had  been  improved  many  years  ago.  A  pear  orchard  had 
been  set  out  presumably  by  the  French,  simultaneously  with 
their  occupancy  of  Grand  Isle  (now  Chouteau  Island)  ;  a 
small  clearing  had  been  made,  so  that  ready  and  willing 
hands  found  the  way  to  prosperity  already  planned  for 
them.  Here  members  of  the  family  have  constantly  resided 
since.  Amos  Squire  was  the  first  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  the 
township.  He  held  the  position,  after  his  first  appointment 
by  Gov.  Edwards,  for  twenty  consecutive  years.  He  was  a 
captain  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  was  stationed  for  a  time  in 
Fort  Russell.  He  died  August  12th,  1825,  and  was  buried 
in  the  family  burial  ground.  This  was  the  first  interment 
there.  His  son,  Samuel  Squire,  lives  in  the  quiet  enjoyment  of 
life's  evening  on  the  old  place,  respected  and  honored  of  all 
who  know  him.  His  recollection  of  the  past  is  vivid.  The 
first  school  was  taught  in  1812  by  Joshua  Atwater  ;  the  sec- 
ond, as  Samuel  Squire  has  a  good  reason  to  believe,  was  by 
an  Irishman  named  McLaughlin.  While  his  father  was 
absent  engaged  in  the  war  of  1812,  when  Samuel  was  yet  a 
lad  of  six  years,  McLaughin  gave  him  a  terrible  flogging. 
The  incensed  father  upon  his  return  from  war,  took  the 
Irish  teacher  to  task  for  his  lack  of  of  good  sense. 

Among  other  early  settlers  were  Henry  Hayes,  Isaac 
Braden,  John  Clark,  Henry  Stallings,  and  Dr.  Smith. 
John  Clark  and  Henry  Stallings  were  both  honorable,  and 
for  pioneer  times  thorough-going  farmers.  Dr.  Smith  was  the 
first  physician  to  practice  his  profession  in  the  Bottom.  He 
remained  but  a  short  time,  and  in  1815  was  drowned  in  Kas- 
kaskia river.  Henry  Hayes,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  hear- 
ing of  Illinois'  attractions  came  thither  in  1811,  and  located 
on  section  9,  where  he  remained  for  thirty  years.  His  per- 
severance was  remarkable.  Amidst  a  deep  forest,  he  plan- 
ned and  developed  a  fine  farm.  For  pastime  and  amuse- 
ment, he  loved  to  hunt  the   wild  bee   and  from  his   sweet 


502 


HISTORY   OF    MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


store-house  gather  his  rich  earnings.  He  raised  a  large  fam- 
ily. John  G.  Lofton,  too  was  an  early  settler  and  an 
active  leader  among  his  associates.  He  represented  Jladison 
county  in  the  territorial  legislature  at  Kaskaskia,  in  1816. 
Isaac  Braden  came  later  in  1817.  He  was  from  Washing- 
ton county,  Pennsylvania,  came  in  company  with  Valentine 
Kinder,  who  brought  quite  a  colony  with  him.  The  party 
came  by  flat  boat  from  Wheeling,  Virginia,  to  Shawneetown. 
From  this  point  their  stock  was  driven  across  the  country 
via  the  New  Design  settlement  to  this  country,  and  they 
came  from  Shawneetown  by  keel  boat  to  St.  Louis,  thence 
along  the  Si.x;  mile  route  to  their  chosen  home.  The  Hawks 
came  with  them.  Both  the  Bradens  and  Kinders  are  repre- 
sented in  the  township.  Thomas  Kinder,  Sr.,  one  of  this 
party  amassed  a  competence  for  his  family.  He  was  a  man 
of  sterling  worth,  and  died  universally  beloved.  Robert 
McDow,  a  Kentuckian,  who  .settled  near  the  present  Kinder 
station,  had  a  horse  mill  in  operation  at  an  early  day.  Those 
faithful  servants  of  God,  Revs.  Chance  and  Jones,  Baptist 
mis  iiinaries,  were  the  p'oneer  preachers  in  this  township. 
As  early  as  1813  they  were  declaring  from  house  to  house 
the  blessings  of  Christianity.  Rev.  Lemen  followed  soon 
after. 

The  first  land  entries,  after  the  surveys  made  by  John 
Messinger,  Moore  and  Frazer,  which  were  completed  in 
1814,  were  as  follows:  Jacob  Linder,  Sept.  15,  1814,  N.  E. 
h  sect.  4.  ITOiVs  acres;  John  Hawks,  Sept.  14,  1814,  E. 
part  S.  W.  i  sect.  5,  135  acres;  Hardy  Willbaiiks,  August 
1-3,  1814,  N.  i  sect.  5,  261}  acres;  John  Atkins,  Sept.  14, 
1814,  several  acres  in  sect.  6;  Henry  Hayes,  Sept,  14,  1814, 
480  acres  in  sect.  9  ;  Matthew  Kerr,  Sept.  27,  1814,  several 
acres  in  sect.  10.  Antedating  these  land  entries  were 
several  claims,  confirmed  by  the  Board  of  Commissioners, 
formed  for  the  purpose  of  adjusting  the  same  ;  which  board 
reported,  December  31,  1809,  as  follows;  Claim  561,  Clem- 
ent Drury,  confirmed  to  heirs  of  Samuel  Worley,  400  acres, 
described  as  being  below  the  Narrows,  adjoining  patented 
militia  rights  of  Samuel  Worley  and  James  McNabb,  these 
rights  having  been  located  in  the  improvement.  This  is 
mostly  in  section  6,  and  includes  the  farm  of  Samuel  Squire, 
which  is  among  the  earliest  improvements  in  the  county. 
Pear  trees,  two  in  number,  are  now  standing  there,  a  hun- 
dred and  forty  years  old,  as  shown  by  the  rings  actually 
counted  of  those  destroyed.  Claim  1,844,  Jacque  Germain, 
confirmed  to  Nicholas  Jarrot,  400  acres,  at  I'Abbe,  thirteen 
miles  above  Cahokia.  This  is  in  section  32,  on  the  borders 
of  Horse  Shoe  Lake,  and  not  far  east  from  Venice  Claim 
133,  already  referred  to  as  being  occupied  by  French  set- 
tlers, who  founded  Cantine  or  Quentine  village  in  1804. 
This  claim  includes  "I'Abbe"  itself,  the  monastery  of  the 
monks  of  La  Trappe.  It  lies  mostly  in  sections  35  and  36. 
Claim  1,883,  Joseph  Hanson,  confirmed  to  Nicholas  Jarrot, 
situated  at  Marais  Mensoui.  This  lies  mostly  in  section  26, 
on  Horse  Shoe  Lake.  Claim  902,  Isaac  Levy,  confirmed  to 
Isaac  Darnielle,  400  acres ;  described  originally  as  being  on 
the  river  I'Abbe  (Cahokia),  above  Cahokia  about  twelve 
miles,  near  where  the  French  church  stood.  Part  of  this 
claim    lies  in  sections   34   and  35.     Claim    1,838,  Michel 


Pichette,  confirmed  to  Nicholas  Jarrot.     The  most  of  this 
claim  lies  in  section  31. 

The  first  brick  house  was  that  erected  by  Robert  White- 
side, on  section  21,  in  1820.  The  first  farm  opened  was  that 
of  Thomas  Cummings,  section  17,  in  1805.  The  first  ceme- 
tery was  that  on  section  17,  on  land  belonging  to  Cummings. 
The  first  interred  there  was  a  member  of  that  family,  about 
1810.  The  first  married  couple  were  united  by  Amos 
Squire,  Esq.,  previous  to  1812  Antoine  Thomas  and  Cyn- 
thia Scott  were  the  happy  parties.  To  the  war  of  1812, 
went  from  here  John  Atkins  and  his  two  sons,  William  and 
John,  Jr.,  Amos  Squire,  Isaac  Hoadley,  Phiueas  Kitchell, 
John  Thompson,  who  was  killed  at  Rock  Island,  and  Henry 
Hayes,  certainly  a  large  contribution  from  among  the  pio- 
neers of  Nameoki.  Being  low  and  level,  this  township 
suffered  great  destruction  during  the  high  waters  of  1844. 
Fully  five-sixths  of  the  entire  surface  was  under  water  at 
that  time.  Steamboats  from  St.  Louis,  sent  to  the  aid  of  the 
inhabitants,  landed  on  section  6,  at  the  site  of  an  old  Baptist 
church,  where  citizens  had  sought  refuge.  They  were  taken 
to  St.  Louis  or  to  Alton,  if  they  preferred  to  remain  until 
the  subsidence  of  the  waters.  In  places,  the  rich  alluvial 
soil  deposited  from  the  high  waters  is  fully  ten  feet  in  depth. 
The  first  meeting-house  erected  »as  the  old  Six  Mile  church, 
built  on  section  17,  by  the  Methodists,  in  1832.  The  Bap- 
tists built  Ebenezer  church,  on  section  6,  in  1842.  The 
building  afterward  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Methodists. 

VILLAGE   OF    NAMEOKI. 

Consequent  upon  the  building  of  the  Indianapolis  and  St. 
Louis  Railroad,  in  1858,  a  station  was  located  on  the  boun- 
dary line  between  sections  5  and  6,  for  the  accommodation 
of  shippers  to  which  was  given  the  above  name  by  A.  A. 
Talmadge,  a  conductor  on  that  road.  It  is  a  small  village, 
having  the  following  business  industries  : 

Hotel.— B.  F.  Squires. 

Blacksmith  Shop. — Henry  Pretzel. 

Drug  Store.— Dr.  T.  J.  Irish. 

Physicians. — Drs.  T.  J.  and  E.  T.  Irish. 

Postmaster. — Dr.  T.  J.  Irish,  who  was  first  appointed  upon 
the  establishment  of  the  office  in  1876. 

About  a  mile  south  of  Nameoki  is  a  German  Lutheran 
church,  erected  in  1881.  A  fine  cemetery  adjoins  the  church 
grounds. 

The  Sons  of  Herman  have  here  a  neat,  substantial  two- 
story  building,  erected  at  a  cost  of  $4,400,  which  they  occupy 
for  lodge  purposes.  The  name.  Sons  of  Hermon,  was  be- 
stowed in  honor  of  the  fact  that  Hermon  freed  Germany  from 
Roman  Catholic  rule.  Moltke  Lodge,  No.  15,  was  organized 
September  6,  1872,  by  Robert  Krueger.  The  name  was 
bestowed  upon  the  lodge  by  Krueger,  as  a  compliment  to 
General  Moltke,  under  whose  command  he  had  been  a 
soldier.  The  lodge  numbers  seventy-four  members.  It  is 
exclusively  German.    Its  objects  are  benevolent  in  character. 

Six  Mile  Lodge  No.  87  1.  O.  O.  F.  was  instituted  January 
2,  1851,  and  the  charter  was  granted  by  the  Grand  Lodge  of 
Illinois  I.   O.  O.   F.,  signed   by  the  Grand  Master,  H.  L. 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


503 


Riicker,  and  attested  by  the  Grand  Secretary,  S.  A.  Gorman, 
to  E.  p.  Pettingill,  T.  J.  Irish,  James  S.  Smith,  Amos  At- 
kins and  Joseph  Squires,  charter  members  and  first  ollicers. 
There  are  now  left  only  T.  J.  Irish,  P.  G.  W.,  and  Amos  At- 
kins, P.  G.,  of  the  original  five  whose  names  and  energy  in 
sustaining  the  Lodge  ought  never  to  be  forgotten.  Six  Mile 
Lodge  at  present  owns  her  own  beautiful  cemetery,  her  own 
Hall,  and  about  sixty-three  acres  of  land,  well-improved, 
and  carries  in  her  treasury  from  $1000  to  $1,500,  shielded 
only  by  Friendship,  Love  and  Truth,  and  always  extending 


her  charity  when  needed  to  the  widow,  the  orphan  and  the 
helpless,  especially  when  bereavement  is  at  hand. 

Nameoki,  since  the  inauguration  of  township  organization 
has  been  represented  as  follows  : 

187G-7,  Philip  Braden ;  1877-8,  T.  J.  Irish;  1878-9,  T. 
J.  Irish  ;  1879-80,  W.  H.  Wilson  ;  1881-2,  Philip  Braden  ; 
1882-3,  Philip  Braden. 

The  population  of  the  township,  census  of  1880,  was  1,466 
inhabitants.  Extensive  gardening  is  carried  on  here  for  the 
St.  Louis  market.  The  township  is  well  supplied  with 
schools. 


BIOGRAPHY. 


X^^^J^-'U/^ 


Few  of  the  numerous  residents  of  the  American  Bottom 
are  as  widely  and  favorably  known  as  Dr.  T.  J.  Irish.  He 
possesses  a  firm  mental-motive  temperament.  He  is  quick, 
impulsive  and  decided  in  character  and  conclusious.  He 
penetrates  a  subject  at  a  glance,  grasps  its  minutise — com- 
prehending almost  in  a  single  thought  what  many  others 
would  require  a  long  process  of  reasoning  to  determine.  He 
has  firmness  and  determination  that  never  yields  to 
disparagement.  When  he  will,  he  will,  and  there  is  no 
use  for  the  elements  to  oppose  him.  He  is  quick,  but 
not  combative ;  firm,  but  not  stubborn ;  set,  but  yet 
reasonable.  He  is  of  a  kind,  generous,  sympathetic 
nature.  In  his  intellectual  capacity  he  has  the  general  ele- 
504 


ment  of  success.  He  is  a  man  well  calculated  to  win  the 
good-will  of  all  who  are  thrown  in  contact  with  him;  and 
with  his  social,  genial  disposition  he  can  disarm  the  most 
inveterate  foe  and  secure  his  respect  and  good-will.  Dr.  T. 
J.  Irish  is  a  native  of  Livingston  county,  N.  Y.  He  was 
born  on  the  28lh  of  -July,  182.3,  and  is  the  first  child  of  Ben- 
jamin and  Sarah  (Tyler)  Irish,  who  were  natives  of  New 
York.  The  father  of  Benj.  Irish  was  a  Baptist  minister  in 
Auburn,  N.  Y. 

Benjamin  Irish,  the  father  of  Dr.  T.  J.  Irish,  was  born 
about  the  year  1798.  He  graduated  in  medicine  in  his 
native  State,  and  in  1840  emigrated  to  Illinois,  settling  at 
Equality,  near  Shawueetown.     At  this   point  he  remained 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


505 


about  two  years,  and  from  thence  removed  to  the  American 
Bottom,  Madison  county,  opposite  St.  Louis,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  medicine  with  great  success.  He 
rapidly  rose  to  the  front  rank  of  his  profession,  and  attained 
an  enviable  reputation  throughout  the  State.  lu  184S,  the 
Pope  Medical  College  of  St.  Louis  conferred  upon  him  the 
ad  eundem  degree.  He  continued  the  practice  of  medicine 
until  July,  18.")1,  when  he  fell  a  victim  to  cholera. 

Dr.  T.  J.  Irish  received  his  education  in  New  York.  In 
1842  he  came  to  the  West,  stopping  for  a  short  time  at 
Equality,  near  Shawneetown,  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in 
teaching  school.  In  1844  he  came  to  St.  Louis,  and  engaged 
in  the  study  of  medicine  with  his  father,  graduating,  in  1848, 
in  the  Mi.'isouri  State  University,  of  St.  Louis,  in  the  same 
class  with  the  late  Dr.  John  T.  Hodgen,  who  became  one  of 
the  ablest  surgeons  of  the  West.  In  the  same  year  he  gradu- 
ated. Dr.  Irish  settled  in  the  American  Bottom,  on  section 
8,  township  3,  range  9,  where  he  at  once  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  medicine,  which  he  has  since  followed  with  fine 
success.  By  the  death  of  his  father,  in  1848,  Dr.  Irish  came 
in  possession  of  a  very  extensive  practice  throughout  the 
American  Bottom,  and  we  but  echo  the  universal  sentiment 
of  those  who  know  him  best,  when  we  say  that  he  is  truly 
"  a  chip  oft"  the  old  block." 

Dr.  Irish  was  married  on  the  26th  of  October,  1848,  to 
Miss  Lucinda,  daughter  of  Thomas  Elliott,  Esq.,  who  was  a 
native  of  Virginia,  and  who  was  descended  from  one  of  the 
more  prominent  families  of  that  State.  By  this  union  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Irish  have  had  born  to  them  a  family  of  eleven 
children,  four  of  whom  are  now  living.  Tyler  E.,  now  a 
practicing  physician  of  Nameoki;  William  A.,  a  farmer  living 


near  by ;  Terrie  M.,  now  in  Texas,  and  Gillie  E.,  now  at 
home. 

Dr.  Irish  started  in  life  with  ()uite  limited  financial  means, 
and  he  states,  as  an  incident  illustrative  of  his  early  finan- 
cial condition,  that  when  he  first  visited  Shawneetown,  he 
was  walking  along  the  street  with  F.  M.  Little,  and  fortu- 
nately picked  up  a  dime  from  the  sidewalk,  which  embraced 
the  sum  total  of  the  young  men's  finances — the  dime  in  ques. 
tion  furnishing  the  cheese  and  crackers  from  which  the 
young  men  made  a  tolerable  dinner.  Mr.  Little  afterwards 
became  Mayor  of  Salt  Lake  City,  and  a  man  of  prominence 
and  independence  in  that  city.  He  is  an  own  nephew  of 
Brigham  Young. 

As  we  have  stated,  the  Doctor  ranked  among  the  more 
prominent  in  his  profession,  and  rapidly  accumulated  a  com- 
fortable competence.  He  now,  at  the  meridian  of  life,  owns 
upwards  of  nine  hundred  acres  of  the  celebrated  American 
Bottom  land.  His  fine  home  place,  near  Nameoki  Station, 
on  the  W.,  St.  L.  &  P.,  C.  A.  I.  &  St.  L.  Railways, 
is  finely  improved,  and  replete  with  superior  grades  of  stock 
of  every  description. 

In  politics,  the  Doctor  is  now,  and  has  always  been  an 
admii-er  of  the  principles  of  the  old  and  historic  Democratic 
party.  His  first  vote  was  cast  for  Tennessee's  stateeman, 
James  K.  Polk,  candidate  for  President  in  1844.  During 
the  late  war.  Dr.  Irish  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Union,  and 
no  man  in  Madison  county  was  more  earnest  in  his  support 
of  the  government  than  he. 

The  Doctor  holds  a  large  space  in  the  estimation  of  his 
fellow-citizens,  and  none  know  him  but  to  honor  and  respect 
him. 


^^t^«^*J^§— 


GODFREY. 


Sft^^^^^^lHE    extreme    northwestern   township    of 
yjth^inV^isMt.     Madison  county  was  given  its  name  in 
honor  of  Captain  Benjamin  Godfi-ey,one 
of  the   earliest  and  most   distinguished 
citizens,  and  the  founder  of  the  Monti- 
cello  Female  Seminary.     He  was  born 
at  Chatham,  Ma.ssachusetts,  May  20, 1 7'J 4. 
His  early  life  was  mostly  spent  on  the 
sea.     It  is  said  that  he  began  the  life  of 
a  sailor  when  only  nine  years  old.     He  had  time,  however, 
to  acquire  a  good  practical  education,  and  some  knowledge 
of  navigation.     He  spent  some  mouths  when  a  boy  in  Ire- 
68 


land ;  he  was  connected  with  the  mercantile  service  during 
the  war  of  1812,  and  afterward  became  commander  of  a 
merchant  vessel,  and  made  voyages  to  Italy,  Spain  and  other 
parts  of  the  old  world,  and  from  Baltimore  to  New  Orleans 
and  the  West  Indies.  On  his  last  voyage  he  was  shipwrecked 
near  Brazos  Santiago,  and  lost  nearly  all  his  property,  and 
almost  his  life.  This  misfortune  left  him,  literally,  stranded 
in  Mexico,  with  little  means ;  but  his  quick  business  tact 
enabled  him  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunities  for 
trade  which  then  existed  with  the  inhabitants  of  that  country, 
and  he  was  soon  at  the  head  of  a  mercantile  house  at  JMata- 
moras,  then  ou  Mexican  soil,  and  there  laid  the  foundation 


506 


-HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


of  his  fortune  After  making  large  accumulations  he  re-  > 
moved  to  New  Orleans,  and  in  that  city  carried  on  the 
mercantile  business  in  partnership  with  Wiuthrop  S  Oilman. 
In  the  year  18  >2,  the  firm  of  Godfrey,  Gilman  &  Co.  began 
operations  in  Alton,  and  for  some  time  transacted  a  larger 
business  than  any  other  firm  in  the  state.  Captain  Godfrey 
first  became  a  resident  of  Godfrey  township  in  1834  ;  he  j 
purchased  a  stone  residence  built  by  Calvin  Kiley,  a  mile  i 
north  of  the  present  village  of  Godfrey,  to  which  he  sub- 
sequently added  a  wing  on  the  north,  building  it  also  a  half- 
story  higher,  thus  completing  it  as  it  stands  at  present. 
AVith  the  exception  of  one  or  two  years,  during  which  his 
family  lived  at  Alton,  this  was  Captain  Godfrey's  residence 
till  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the  13th  of  August,  1862. 
He  was  a  large  owner  of  real  estate,  at  one  time  being  the 
possessor  of  ten  thousand  acres,  a  great  part  of  which  lay 
in  Godfrey  township,  and  owned  more  than  four  thousand 
acres  in  Madison  county  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  built, 
as  sole  contractor,  under  great  difficulties,  the  railroad  from 
Alton  to  Springfield,  now  a  part  of  the  line  of  the  Chicago 
&  Alton  road.  His  name,  however,  will  be  chiefly  remem- 
bered as  the  founder  of  the  Monticello  Female  Semmary, 
one  of  the  most  successful  institutions  of  the  kind  in  the 
■west.  The  idea  of  founding  such  a  school  was  first  im- 
pressed upon  his  mind  about  the  year  1833.  In  com- 
pany with  Mr.  Gilman  he  came  to  the  house  of  Nathan 
Scarritt  in  1834,  in  search  of  an  appropriate  site  for  its 
location.  Mr.  Scarritt  accompanied  them,  and  a  place  was 
first  selected  about  three-quarteis  of  a  mile  from  the  spot 
where  the  seminary  was  afterward  built.  The  erection  of 
the  original  building  was  begun  in  the  year  1836.  Captain 
Godfrey  gave,  in  all,  to  the  institution,  upward  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  His  widow  and 
three  children  are  still  living;  his  son,  Benjamin  Godfrey, 
lives  at  the  old  residence  north  of  Godfrey;  a  daughter, 
Catharine,  is  the  wife  of  John  M.  Pearson,  representative 
from  Madison  in  the  state  legislature ;  and  the  remaining 
daughter,  Emily,  is  the  wife  of  Joseph  R.  Palmer,  and 
resides  at  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey. 

THE    EARLIEST   SETTLEMENTS 

In  the  township  were  made  in  the  year  1826.  Nathan 
Scarritt  seems  to  have  broken  the  first  ground  for  cultivation, 
but  the  first  cabin  was  built  and  occupied  by  Joseph  Rey- 
nolds. Nathan  Scarritt  was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire; 
he  was  a  man  of  marked  piety,  who  left  a  religious  impress 
on  the  community  which  existed  for  many  years  after  his 
death.  With  his  wife  and  four  children  he  emigrated  from 
the  town  of  Lyman,  on  the  Connecticut  river.  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  reached  Edwardsville  in  the  month  of  November, 
1820.  Ten  weeks  and  four  days  were  occupied  in  making 
this  journey,  though  the  weather  was  favorable,  and  they 
were  able  to  travel  every  week  day  except  one.  On  the 
Sabbath  they  always  rested.  On  his  arrival  at  Edwards- 
ville he  had  difficulty  in  getting  a  house  for  his  family,  and 
finally  moved  into  a  log  house,  with  a  stick  chimney  and 
hearth,  and  puncheon  floor.  With  one  or  two  exceptions  all 
the  buildings  in   Edwardsville  at  that  time  were  log.     The 


members  of  the  family  had  no  chairs  to  sit  on,  but  their  worst 
privation  was  the  want  of  pure  water ;  but  Jlr.  Scarritt 
discovered  that  the  insufficient  depth  of  the  wells  and  their 
lack  of  walls  was  the  cause,  and  this  matter  was  remedied. 
During  the  winter  of  1820-'21,  he  built  at  Edwardsville  a 
house  of  clap-boards,  which  Mrs.  Scarritt  helped  to  raise, 
"  carrying  up  my  corner,"  as  she  was  accustomed  to  remark, 
"  while  the  men  carried  up  theirs,"  into  which  the  family 
moved,  in  March,  1821.  After  a  residence  in  Edwardsville 
of  five  years,  Mr.  Scarritt  made  his  home  in  Godfrey  town- 
ship. He  settled  on  the  prairie,  and  the  farm  which  he 
made,  now  the  property  of  L^ivi  Springer,  adjoined  the 
present  village  of  Godfrey.  From  the  circumstance  of  his 
settling  here  the  prairie  was  called  Scarritt's  prairie.  His 
farm  was  the  first  improvement  on  the  prairie.  He  died  in 
the  year  1848  ;  his  widow  was  living  till  recent  years ;  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  and  the  first  religious 
services  in  the  township  were  held  in  his  house.  The  first 
school  was  taught  in  his  barn,  which  stood  a  short  distance 
north  of  his  residence,  where  Mr. Springer  now  has  a  garden. 
His  daughter  was  the  teacher  of  this  school,  and  the  pupils, 
gathered  from  the  families  who  had  moved  to  this  part  of 
the  county,  were  about  sixteen  in  number.  The  first  Sun- 
day-school in  the  township  was  also  taught  in  this  barn. 
Mr.  Scarritt  made  brick  and  built  the  fir.-t  brick  house  in 
the  township.  This  was  a  large  and  substantial  structure 
for  that  day,  and  still  remains  in  good  condition.  Mr. 
Scarritt  took  no  part  in  public  aSliirs ;  he  had  several  sons 
who  became  useful  citizens. 

The  early  settlements  were  made ai-ound,  and  on  Scarritt's 
prairie,  which  was  then  three  miles,  or  three  and  a  half  in 
length,  with  an  average  width  of  about  two  miles.  Joseph 
Reynolds,  who  has  been  mentioned  as  having  built  the  first 
cabin  in  the  township,  sold  his  improvement  to  Samuel  Dela- 
plain.  Among  the  early  settlers  on  the  east  side  of  Scar- 
ritt's prairie,  were  Henry  P.  Rundle,  Simon  Peter,  James 
Dodsen,  Hail  Mason,  Joel  Finch,  Zebedee  Chapman,  Ezra 
Gilman  and  Rowland  and  Oscar  Ingham.  Later  came  John 
Peter,  George  Smith,  John  Mason,  Zebedee  Brown,  James 
Meldrum,  Richard  Blackburn,  Henry  Waggoner,  Samuel 
Waggoner,  David  Rood  and  Joseph  AVhyers,  all  settling  on 
the  east  side  of  the  prairie. 

Henry  P.  Rundle  occupied  a  cabin  on  the  site  of  the  pres- 
ent residence  of  Jeremiah  Still.  He  was  a  tailor  by  trade, 
and  carried  on  business  for  some  time  in  upper  Alton.  His 
wife  was  the  daughter  of  Samuel,  and  the  sister  of  Benja- 
min Delaplain.  Simon  Peter  came  from  Kentucky.  He 
became  a  resident  of  the  township  about  the  year  1833.  He 
was  a  leading  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  a  local  min- 
ister, and  preached  frequently.  John  Peter  was  his  brother. 
Hail  Mason  became  a  resident  of  the  county  as  early  as 
December,  1817,  at  which  date  he  arrived  in  Edwardsville, 
in  company  with  his  brothers  James  and  Paris  Mason,  Row- 
land p.  Allen,  Theophilus  W.  (Smith,  and  a  number  of  others. 
He  lived  in  Edwardsville  for  a  number  of  years,  and  filled 
the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace.  He  was  anxious  for  the 
suppression  of  disorder,  and  while  serving  as  justice  of  the 
peace  at  Edwardsville,  issued  a  warrant  for  the  arrest  of  one 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


507 


Mike  Dodd,  from  AVood  river,  who  was  accustomed  to  come 
to  Edwardsville,  and,  while  iii  the  state  of  intoxication,  dis- 
turb the  peace.  Dodd  and  his  friends  resisted  arrest,  and 
tlie  constable  called  on  the  populace  for  assistance.  Mason, 
■who,  though  wearing  judicial  robes,  considered  himself  one 
of  the  populace  assisted  in  Dodd's  arrest  Dodd  brought 
suit  against  him,  but  Mason,  whom  some  of  the  best  lawyers 
of  the  circuit  offered  voluntarily  to  defend,  was  acquitted. 
From  Edwardsville  he  moved  to  Clifton,  and  after  a  resi- 
dence there  of  a  year  or  two  he  came  to  Scarritt's  prairie. 
His  house  was  a  short  distance  northeast  of  the  town  of 
Godfrey.  He  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  after  moving 
to  this  part  of  the  county,  and  filled  other  public  offices.  He 
was  born  at  Grafton,  New  Hampshire,  in  the  year  1794,  and 
died  in  1842.  His  second  wife  was  the  daughter  of  Joel 
Finch.     None  of  his  descendants  now  live  in  the  township. 

John  Jlason,  brother  of  Hail  Mason,  was  also  an  early 
resident  of  the  township.  He  was  born  at  Grafton,  New 
Hampshire,  in  Uie  year  1780,  and  lived  in  his  native  state 
till  1837,  in  October  of  which  year  he  came  to  Illinois,  and 
settled  on  the  farm,  a  short  distance  northeast  of  Godfrey, 
where  the  widow  of  his  son,  John  Mason,  now  resides.  He 
died  in  1867.  His  two  sons,  Aaron  P.  Mason  and  John 
Mason,  were  residents  of  the  township  for  many  years.  The 
former  died  in  1880.  His  widow  still  lives  in  Godfrey.  The 
widow  of  John  Mason  junior,  lives  on  the  farm  in  section 
twenty-three,  on  which  John  Mason,  senior,  settled  in  1837. 

Joel  Finch  was  a  man  of  considerable  intelligence.  He 
settled  the  place  a  short  distance  northeast  of  Godfrey,  now 
owned  by  J.  R.  Isett.  He  died  in  18-16,  at  the  ageof  ^even- 
ty-two.  Richard  Blackburn  settled  the  place  on  which 
Charles  Wenzel  now  lives ;  and  David  Davis,  that  which 
Thomas  Still  now  occupies.  George  Waggoner,  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  the  township,  was  a  native  of  Maryland, 
emigrated  from  that  state  to  Tennessee,  and  thence  to  Cape 
Girardeau,  Jlissouri.  He  became  a  resident  of  Godfrey 
township  in  1833.  Four  of  his  sous,  Henry  B.  Waggoner, 
Samuel  H.  Waggoner,  William  W.  Waggoner  and  Wesley 
F.  Waggoner,  still  remain  there. 

James  Meldrum  settled  the  place  on  the  Brighton  road, 
now  owned  by  the  Rev.  J.  W.  Caldwell,  who  married  his 
youngest  daughter.  Another  daughter  became  the 
wife  of  the  Rev.  Jotham  Scarritt,  like  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Caldwell,  a  Methodist  minister.  Ezra  Oilman,  one  of 
the  early  residents  of  the  township,  was  raised  in  the  family 
of  Nathan  Scarritt.  Rowland  and  Oscar  Ingham  came  to 
Illinois  from  the  state  of  New  York.  The  former  died  in 
this  part  of  the  county,  and  the  latter  went  to  California. 

West  of  Scarritt's  prairie,  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
township,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  was  George  Debaun. 
He  was  born  of  French  descent  at  Harrodsburg,  Mercer 
county,  Kentucky.  He  emigrated  to  Illinois,  reaching  the 
vicinity  of  CoUinsville,  on  the  20lh  of  October,  1816.  After 
a  residence  of  two  or  three  years  in  that  part  of  the  county, 
he  moved  to  the  neighborhood  of  Upper  Alton,  where  he 
lived  on  a  farm  till  1829,  when  he  entered  land  in  section 
nine  and  moved  to  Godfrey  township.  William  Scarritt 
had,  previous  to  this,  built  a  cabin  on  a   piece   of  land  ad- 


joining, and  into  this  Mr.  Debaun  moved  with  his  family, 
while  he  was  building  a  double  log  cabin  on  his  own  land. 
His  daughter,  Elizabeth  Debaun,  still  living.says  that  on 
first  coming  to  that  place  the  family  had  no  neighbors  ex- 
cept at  a  distance  of  two  or  three  miles.  Three  miles  to 
the  north,  in  Jersey  county,  lived  John  Wilkins.  Nathan 
Scarritt  had  settled  near  the  present  town  of  Godfrey.  Mrs. 
Lurton,  the  widow  of  Jacob  Lurton,  a  Methodist  minister, 
lived  to  the  west,  on  the  Piasa,  on  the  form  which  is  now 
the  residence  of  McKinley  Ward.  Mrs.  Lurton  had  three 
daughters  living  at  home.  The  sons  had  married  and 
moved  away.  One  of  the  sous.  Nelson  R.  Lurton,  kept  the 
first  house  of  public  entertainment  ever  opened  at  Delhi. 
About  a  half  a  mile  further  down  the  Piasa,  lived  the  Cum- 
mings  famil)'.  There  were  two  sons,  James  and  Thomas 
Cummings,  and  one  daughter,  Maria,  who  became  the  wife 
of  Richard  Simmons,  of  Jersey  county-  ISIr.  Debaun  had 
eight  children,  and  the  year  of  his  arrival  he  employed  Miss 
Abigail  Scarritt,  a  niece  of  Nathan  Scarritt,  to  teach  them, 
as  there  were  no  schools  in  the  neighborhood.  The  families 
living  nearest  took  advantage  of  this  and  attended  ]Miss 
Scarritt's  school,  two  of  Nathan  Scarritt's  children,  three  of 
Mrs.  Lurton  and  two  of  John  Wilkins,  seven  in  all,  beside 
the  Debaun  children.  The  school  created  so  much  noise 
and  confusion  at  Mr.  Debaun's  house,  that  the  next  year, 
1830,  it  was  removed  to  the  old  log  cabin,  built  by  William 
Scarritt,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant.  Elizabeth  Peter,  a 
niece  of  Simon  Peter,  taught  the  school  in  this  cabin  in  1830. 
The  next  year  while  Miss  Scarritt  was  teacher,  the  old  log 
cabin  caught  fire  and  burned  to  the  ground.  George  Debaun, 
resided  at  the  place  till  the  year  1849,  and  then  moved  with 
his  family  to  St.  Louis.  In  the  days  of  the  gold  mining 
excitement  in  California,  he  started  on  a  venture  to  the  Paci- 
fic coast,  and  died  in  the  far  west,  about  the  year  1852  Two 
of  his  daughters  reside  in  Godfrey  township,  Elizabeth  De- 
baun, and  Jane,  the  wife  of  Isaac  G.  Howell. 

In  the  year  1833  Judge  James  Webb  became  a  resident 
of  the   township,  and  settled  the  place   north  of  Godfrey, 
where  James  Martin  now  lives.     He  came  to  this  state  from 
Syracuse,  New  York.     He  held  the  office  of  county  commis- 
sioner of  Madison  county.     Of  his  three  daughters,  one  be- 
came the  wife  of  George  T.  M.  Davis,  a  lawyer  then-engaged 
in  practice  in  Alton,  and  now  a  resident  of  New  York  city. 
i   Another  resides  in  the  east,  and  a  third,  who  married  Judge 
{    William  Martin,  of  Alton,   is  now  living  in  the  township. 
Judge  Webb  died  in  Alton,  at  the  residence  of  his  son-in-law, 
Judge  Martin. 
I       The  first  improvement  on  the  place,  which  afterward  be- 
came the  residence  of  Captain  Benjamin  Godfrey,  was  made 
'   by  Calvin  Riley,  who  accompanied  Judge  Webb  to  Illinois 
from  the  State  of  New  York.     He  was  the  brother  of  the 
Captain  Riley  who  endured  a  captivity  in  Africa,  and  pub- 
I   lished  a  book  widely  read  in  those  days,  known  as  "  Riley's 
j    Narrative,"  and  from  this  connection  was  himself  known  as 
'   Captain  Riley.     He   built  a  stone   house,  which  was  pur- 
chased by   Capt.   Godfrey,  and   which,  with  the  additions 
made  by  the  latter,  became  the  beautiful  residence  of  Capt. 
Godfrev,  in   which  his    widow  and  son  still  live.     One  of 


508 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Capt.  Riley's  daughters  became  the  wife  of  Amasa  Barry,  of 
Alton.  Another  (Mrs.  Drennan),  is  living  at  Roodliouse, 
and  another  at  Boston,  Mass.  After  disposing  of  his  prop- 
erty to  Capt.  Godfrey,  Riley  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  Alton  but  with  little  success.  He  also  resided  one 
year  at  Edwardsville,  and  then  returned  to  this  township, 
and  improved  a  farm  on  section  eight.  He  met  his  death  in 
Michigan,  while  on  a  fishing  excursion.  The  boat  in  which 
he  was  with  two  comrades,  capsized,  and,  not  knowing  how 
to  swim,  he  was  drowned.  The  first  house  south  of  the 
Godfrey  place  on  the  Jerseyville  road  was  built  by  Captain 
Riley,  and  in  it  George  T.  M.  Davis  lived  for  a  time.  It 
was  afterward  occupied  by  James  Hamilton,  who  kept  it  as 
a  hotel.  Hamilton  was  one  of  the  workmen  who  came  from 
the  east  to  help  build  the  seminary. 

A  man  na::;ed  Larry  Davis  lived  some  j'ears  in  the  north- 
western part  of  the  township,  but  made  no  improvements  of 
importance.  Captain  Edward  Fisher  settled  about  the  year 
1834  on  the  place  where  John  Ward  now  lives.  In  early 
life  he  had  been  a  sailor — the  captain  of  a  vessel — and  thus 
acquired  the  title  by  which  he  was  known.  He  was  an 
Englishman,  born  at  Battle,  in  Sussex,  in  the  year  1793, 
and  died  in  1843.  His  youngest  son,  William  H.  Fisher, 
was  born  in  England  in  1826.  He  enlisted  in  the  Second 
Illinois  Regiment,  for  service  in  the  war  with  Mexico,  and 
died  at  Saltillo,  Mexico,  in  1847,  of  wounds  received  at  the 
battle  of  Buena  Vista. 

M.  Jones  settled  on  the  Piasa  ;  and  his  son,  Merriwether 
Jones,  is  now  living  on  part  of  his  father's  old  farm. 

Another  early  resident  of  the  township  was  Samuel  Dela- 
plain,  who  lived  on  the  jilace  east  of  Godfrey,  now  owned 
by  H.  A.  Somers.  He  was  born  in  France,  and  accompa- 
nied his  father  to  this  country  at  a  very  early  date.  He 
lived  for  some  years  in  Macon  county,  Kentucky,  and  came 
to  Illinois  in  1807.  For  a  time,  he  was  a  resident  of  St. 
Louis,  and  then  settled  near  Upper  Alton.  The  settlers  were 
obliged  to  take  refuge  in  the  forts  near  Edwardsville  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Indian  hostilities,  which  lasted  during  the 
war  of  1812-14.  His  son,  Benjamin  Delaplain,  who  was 
born  in  Kentucky  in  the  year  1805,  was  accustomed  to  re- 
late how,  when  the  family  reached  the  fort,  he  was  so  alarmed 
at  the  preparations  which  the  settlers  hurriedly  made  for 
defence,  and  the  talk  of  an  anticipated  Indian  attack,  that 
he  crept  into  a  flour  barrel  for  safety,  and  remained  there 
for  some  hours.  Samuel  Delaplain  moved  to  Godfrey  town- 
ship from  Upper  Alton.  At  the  latter  place,  Benjamin 
Delaplain  was  raised.  He  learned  the  trade  of  a  carpenter- 
For  a  number  of  years  he  kept  the  Alton  House  in  Alton. 
He  moved  to  the  farm  in  Godfrey  township,  where  his 
widow  now  lives,  in  1861,  and  died  there  in  1876.  He  had 
owned  this  farm  many  years  previous  to  his  settlement  on 
it.  Mrs  Delaplain,  who  still  resides  on  the  farm,  is  now 
one  of  the  old  residents  of  the  county.  Her  maiden  name 
was  Elizabeth  Reed,  and  she  became  the  wife  of  Benjamin  De- 
laplain in  1834.  Her  father,  James  C.  Reed,  was  a  Virginian 
by  birth.  While  livingat  Washington,  Rhea  county,  Tennes- 
see, he  was  asked  by  John  Ross,  chief  of  the  Cherokee  Na- 
tion, then  on  a  reservation  in  Georgia,  to  become  a  resident 


of  the  Indian  country.  He  lived  with  his  family  among  the 
Indians  for  five  years,  and  assisted  in  building  them  a  mill, 
and  instructing  them  in  agriculture.  In  1821  he  left  the 
Cherokees  to  come  to  Illinois.  Mrs.  Delaplain  was  then  a 
girl  of  tender  age.  At  first  he  was  a  resident  of  Edwardsville. 
In  company  with  a  number  of  young  men  from  Madison 
county,  he  went  to  Galena  to  work  in  the  lead  regions,  but 
was  taken  seriously  ill  and  returned  to  Edwardsville.  He 
afterward  removed  to  Brown  county,  where  he  lived  about 
twenty  years.  He  died  at  Brighton.  Mrs.  Delaplain  was 
living  with  her  sister,  the  wife  of  Andrew  Miller,  in  Alton, 
at  the  time  of  her  marriage.  Andrew  Miller  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Lower  Alton  when  there  were  only  two  houses  there. 

Josiah  Randle  settled  in  the  township  about  the  year 
1834,  and  improved  the  place  where  George  Lindley  now 
lives.  He  was  born  in  1800.  His  father  having  died,  the 
mother  moved  with  the  children,  of  whom  there  were  eight 
sons  and  one  daughter,  from  Stewart  county,  Tennessee,  to 
this  State,  in  the  year  1814,  and  settled  a  short  distance 
southeast  of  Edwardsville.  Josiah  Randle  lived  some  years 
in  Edwardsville  and  vicinity.  In  1823  he  became  the  owner 
of  an  old  mill,  built  by  his  uncle,  Josias  Randle,  at  Edwards- 
ville in  1818,  and  operated  it  for  some  time.  After  coming 
to  Godfrey  township,  Mr.  Randle  was  one  of  its  best  citi- 
zens. He  was  a  zealous  member  of  the  Methodist  Church. 
He  died  at  Brighton  in  18.57,  his  death  resulting  from  an 
accident  in  a  coal  shaft  which  he  was  visiting. 

One  of  the  pioneer  citizens  of  th-e  county,  Don  Alonzo 
Spauldiug,  is  still  a  resident  of  Godfrey  township,  which 
has  been  his  home  since  the  year  1832.  He  was  born  in 
Rutland  county,  Vermont,  in  1797.  He  acquired  a  good 
education  in  the  common  schools  and  in  a  private  academy, 
and  taught  school.  While  his  time  was  divided  between 
farm  work  and  teaching,  he  studied  surveying.  With  the 
object  of  finding  employment  in  surveying  the  public  lands, 
he  left  home  in  May,  1818,  and  with  a  pack  on  his  back 
which  contained  his  clothes  and  a  compass,  he  journeyed  on 
foot  to  Olean,  New  York,  a  distance  of  three  hundred  and 
seventy  miles.  Here  he  met  four  other  young  men  and 
joined  with  them  in  purchasing  a  flat  boat,  for  which  five 
dollars  was  paid.  In  this  they  floated  and  paddled  down 
the  river  to  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  making  the  distance 
of  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  twenty-one  days.  Here 
his  companions  left  him,  and  he  fell  in  with  a  family  going 
down  the  Ohio  who  had  a  better  boat,  and  with  them  made 
arrangements  to  board  and  travel.  He  landed  at  Massac. 
His  first  service  as  a  surveyor  was  surveying  a  twenty-one 
acre  tract  of  land  for  the  county  seat  of  Johnson  county. 
This  work  took  him  six  days,  and  for  it  he  received  twenty- 
five  dollars.  He  made  his  way  on  foot  by  way  of  Kaskas- 
kia,  to  Edwardsville,  where  he  arrived  in  July  1818.  He 
knew  Hail  Mason,  then  a  resident  of  Edwardsville,  and  also 
brought  a  letter  to  Dr.  Caldwell.  He  says  there  was  not  a 
good  house  in  the  place  at  that  time.  During  the  winter  of 
1818-19  he  was  employed  in  surveying  a  tract  of  land 
thirty  miles  north  of  Alton.  During  the  two  months  in 
which  he  was  so  engaged  he  did  not  see  a  single  white  man, 
except  the  members  of  his  party,   and  only   four  Indians. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


509 


During  six  months  of  the  year  1S19  he  taught  school  in 
Edwardsville.  He  was  elected  surveyor  of  Madison  county 
in  1825,  and  held  that  office  ten  jears.  In  1834  he  took  a 
contract  to  survey  a  tract  of  land  forty  mihs  southeast  of 
Chicago.  In  18-58  and  1839  he  surveyed  public  lands  in 
Illinois  in  1844  and  1845  in  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  and  in 
1818  and  1849  in  Wisconsin.  From  1849  to  1853  he  was 
thechief  clerk  in  the  surveyor's  office  in  St.  Louis,  and  in 
December,  1853,  was  appointed  Surveyor  General  of  the 
district  compri.sing  Illinois  and  Mis.souri  with  his  office  in 
St.  Louis.  In  1854  he  received  an  appointment  as  clerk  in 
the  general  land  office  at  Washington,  and  soon  afterward  was 
sentto  Florida  to  adjust  the  accuuntsof  the  Surveyor-General 
of  that  stale,  and  for  three  years  was  stationed  at  St  Au- 
gustine. Mr.  Spaulding,  in  the  year  1  8-'8,  settled  on  section 
twenty-uine  of  this  township,  and  four  years  later  on  section 
twenty-eight,  where  he  has  since  retidtd  He  is  now  eighty- 
five  years  of  age,  and  has  probably  done  more  active  work 
in  surveying  the  public  lands  of  the  United  States  than  any 
other  person  now  living.  He  united  with  the  Baptist 
church  in  Vermont,  and  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the 
Baptist  church  at  Alton. 

Joel  D.  Spaulding,  father  of  Don  Alonzo  Spaulding,  be- 
came a  resident  of  Madison  county  in  1825.  After  living 
some  months  in  Edwardsville  he  moved  to  Rattan's  prairie, 
and  from  there  moved  to  Godfrey  township  in  1828,  and  set- 
tled on  the  place  where  Don  Alonzo  Spaulding  now  lives. 
He  died  in  the  year  1844.  Henry  Spaulding,  brother  of 
Don  Alonzo  Spaulding,  became  a  resident  of  the  township 
also  in  1828.  He  served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.     He  died  in  Macoupin  county. 

Among  the  early  citizens  of  the  southern  part  of  the 
township  was  Major  George  W.  Long,  who  died  in  the  year 
1881.  He  was  born  at  Hopkinton,  New  Hampshire,  in 
1799.  He  entered  the  Military  Academy  at  West  Point  as 
a  cadet  in  1820,  and  graduated  in  1824.  After  his  gradua- 
tion he  was  one  of  the  corps  of  instructors  at  West  Point 
for  a  year.  He  was  subsequently  employed  as  a  govern- 
ment engineer  in  Louisiana  and  Florida  till  1836  From 
that  time  till  1839,  he  held  the  position  of  State  engineer 
for  the  state  of  Louisiana.  In  1830  he  entered  land  in  sec- 
tions thirty-three  and  thirty-four,  and  here  during  the  year 
1831  and  1832  he  built  the  large  brick  house  which  was  his 
subsequent^residence.  At  the  time  of  the  erection  this  was 
probably  the  largest  and  best  building  in  the  county.  It 
was  occupied  by  his  youngest  brother,  Edward  Preble  Long, 
for  some  years,  and  became  the  home  of  Major  Long  on  his 
retiring  from  the  profession  of  an  engineer  in  1839. 

His  brother,  Dr.  Benjamin  F.  Long,  now  a  resident  of 
Godfrey  township,  became  a  citizen  of  the  county  in  Octo- 
ber 1831.  He  was  born  at  Hopkinton,  Massachusetts,  in 
1805,  graduated  in  the  medical  department  of  Dartmouth 
college  in  1830,  and  the  next  year  came  to  Alton  on  a  visit 
to  his  brother.  Deacon  Enoch  Long,  then  intending  to  enter 
on  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Louisiana.  He,  how- 
ever, remained  at  Upper  Alton  and  practiced  medicine  there 
for  twenty-one  years.  He  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the 
Illinois  Mutual  Fire  lusuraif-e  Company,  was  a  member  of 
69 


its  first  board  of  trustees,  and  was  its  president  for  nearly  a 
quarter  of  a  century.  He  is  the  only  surviving  one  of  five 
brothers— Colonel  Stephen  H.  Long,  Deacon  Enoch  Long, 
Major  George  W.  Long,  Dr.  Benjamin  F.  Long,  and  Ed- 
ward Preble  Long — who  were  among  the  most  useful  and 
respected  citizens  of  the  county.  Col.  Stephen  II.  Long 
was  connected  for  many  years  with  the  Uuited  States  Engi- 
neering forces.  He  made  several  early  explorations  under 
the  direction  of  the  government  of  the  West  and  the  North- 
west, and  secured  a  national  reputation  for  scientific  achieve- 
ments and  engineering  skill.  He  retired  from  active  service 
in  1862.  For  some  years  he  resided  at  Upper  Alton.  Deacon 
Enoch  Long  became  a  resident  of  Upper  Alton  in  1821. 
In  1844  he  removed  to  Galena,  and  in  1863  to  Sabula,  Jack- 
son county,  Iowa,  where  he  died. 

Moses  B.  Walker  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  on  the  Graf- 
ton road.  He  was  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and  came  to  the 
township  about  the  year  1828.  His  wife  was  a  .sister  of 
Samuel  Thurston,  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  town  of 
Clifton.  Walker  first  worked  at  the  mill  in  Clifton  when 
he  came  to  the  township,  and  then  entered  land  in  section 
twenty-nine,  on  which  he  lived  till  his  death.  He  filled  the 
office  of  constable  for  a  number  of  years,  serving  in  that 
capacity  while  Henry  Spaulding  acted  as  justice  of  the 
peace.  Mr.  Copley,  a  native  of  j\Iassachusetts,  entered  land, 
and  settled  in  section  twenty-seven.  His  sons,  John  and 
George  Copley,  live  on  the  place  where  their  father  settled. 
The  farm  now  owned  by  Charles  Merriraan,  adjoining  the 
Copley  place,  was  entered  by  Mr.  Buckley.  Parker  Dela- 
plain  was  also  one  of  ihe  settlers  in  this  part  of  the  town- 
ship. 

William  Squire,  who  was  born  in  the  year  1814,  in  Dev- 
onshire, England,  came  to  this  country  in  1835,  and  became 
a  permanent  resident  of  Godfrey  township  in  1838.  He  was 
a  good  citizen,  and  for  many  years  an  active  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  died  on  the  twelfth  of 
March,  1865.  His  sons,  James,  William  Frank,  and  Heber 
Squire,  are  now  residents  of  the  township.  James  Squire 
filled  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  four  years,  and  in 
1877  was  elected  to  represent  the  township  in  the  board  of 
supervisors,  and  has  been  re-elected  every  year  since.  Wm. 
Frank  Squire  served  as  township  assessor  twelve  years,  and 
is  the  present  collector  of  the  township. 

Elijah  Frost  became  a  resident  of  the  township  in  1840. 
He  was  born  near  Troy,  New  York,  in  1812,  and  emigrated 
to  Illinois  in  1837.  He  lived  at  Kane,  Greene  county,  till 
1840,  and  then  came  to  this  township,  first  settling  on  Coal 
branch.  In  1841  he  built  the  house  in  which  he  has  since 
lived  The  land  had  been  entered  by  a  man  named  Emer- 
son, but  Mr.  Frost  bought  it  of  Robert  W.  Finch.  He  was 
one  of  the  original  members  of  Bethany  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church.  He  taught  school  at  the  Bethany  church  in 
1840,  and  has,  altogether,  taught  thirty-six  terms  of  school, 
mostly  in  Godfrey  township.  Ho  has  served  eighteen  years 
as  township  treasurer. 

Among  the  early  residents  of  the  village  of  Godfrey  was 
'•  Timothy  Turner,  who  was  born  at  New  Haven,  Connecticut, 
1   in  1784.     He  became  a  resident  of  Godfrey  in    1839.     He 


510 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


opened  a  small  store,  which  was  the  first  in  the  place.  Ou 
the  establishQieat  of  the  p  )s.-jlfica  iu  lS4rJ,  he  was  appointed 
post  master,  and  held  the  office  till  1-569,  when  he  resigned 
on  account  of  advancing  age  and  debility.  He  died  in 
August,  1863.  His  son,  Jarius  B.  Turner,  still  resides  iu  ' 
Godtiey. 

Abijah  W.  Corey,  who,  for  many  years,  was  a  resident  of 
the  village  of  Godfrey,  was  born  iu  Orange  county,  New 
York,  in  the  year  1803.  He  taught  school  in  early  life 
and  intended  to  enter  the  minittry,  but  his  feeble  health 
obliged  him  to  relinquish  this  purpose.  From  1825,  with 
slight  intervals,  to  the  time  of  his  death,  he  was  an  agent  of 
the  American  Sunday  School  Union.  He  came  to  this 
county  in  1837.  While  in  the  employment  of  the  Illinois 
Temperance  Society,  he  edited  for  five  years  The  Temperance 
Herald,  published  at  Alton,  a  journal  devoted  to  the  inter- 
ests of  temperance.  He  was  appointed  financial  agent  of 
Monticello  Seminary  in  1838.  At  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  May,  1880,  he  was  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  trustees  of  the  seminary. 

John  Pattison,  a  native  of  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  was 
one  of  the  early  residents  of  the  township-.  His  son,  Mi- 
chael H.  Pattison,  is  living  on  the  place  which  his  father  im- 
proved. Isaac  G.  Howell,  Benjamin  S.  Howell,  H.  Howell, 
U  Howell,  and  James  Howell,  all  came  from  New  Jersey  ; 
Uriah  and  Henry  in  1836,  and  the  others  in  the  spring  of 
1837.  They  assisted  iu  the  building  of  the  seminary,  and 
then  settled  iu  the  township  Henry  followed  the  carpen- 
teriucr  business  in  Godfrey.  In  company  with  his  brother, 
Uriah,  now  a  citizen  of  Jerseyville,  he  built  the  mill  at 
Godfrey  in  1857.  He  is  now  living  at  Princeton,  New  Jer- 
sey. Isaac  G.  Howell  married  the  daughter  of  George  De- 
baun,  and  is  now  living  in  the  township.  Henry  Caswell 
built  a  house  at  an  early  date  on  the  site  now  occupied  by 
the  residence  of  Benjamin  Webster.  This  place  was  also  the 
residence  of  Father  Chamberlain,  a  Presbyterian  minister, 
an  early  citizen  of  this  part  of  the  county. 

We  insert  the  following  communication  from  the  Hon. 
William  F.  De  Wolf,  of  Chicago,  believing  that  it  will  be 
interesting  to  his  many  friends  and  acquaintances  in  Madi- 
son county.  He  came  to  the  county  in  1836,  and  was  for 
several  years  a  resident  of  Godfrey  and  Alton : 

W.  R.  Brijjk,  Esq.,  EJwardsville,  HI. 

At  your  request  I  write  a  few  of  my  recollections  of  dear 
old  Madison  county.  I  fear  they  will  be  meagre  and  unin- 
teresting for  all  of  my  papers  and  memoranda  of  early  ex- 
perience iu  Illinois  were  burned  up  in  the  great  Chicago  fire 
of  1871.  Indeed  all  the  original  matter  I  can  give  you 
must  be  taken  from  a  memory,  none  too  retentive.  I  say 
dear  old  Madison,  for  there  I  really  began  active  life. 
There  with  a  young  wife,  I  looked  back  on  our  ancestral 
homes  in  New  England  and  having  left  the  comforts,  not  to 
say  luxuries,  of  highly  cultivated  society,  undertook  to 
breast  the  storms  of  life  amid  the  new  and  uncultivated 
fields  of  the  vast  West,  Illinois  then  being  comparatively  a 
frontier  State.  In  Nov.  1836  in  company  with  my  wife  and 
brother,  Fitz  Henry  De  Wolf,  now  of  Bristol,  R.  I.     I  left 


our  native  state  and  after  nearly  a  month's  travel  reached  St. 
Louis,  and  after  a  few  days'  stay  in  that  city,  then  contain- 
ing about  12,000  inhabitants,  started  for  Alton,  our  destina- 
tion, on  the  steamer  Alps.     The  steamer  was  a  frail  bark, 
and  I  remember  that  when  we  met  the  strong  current  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Missouri  it  seemed  as  if  the  trembling  vessel 
could   hardly  stem  the  rush   of  waters  that  came  pouring 
from  that  mighty  river.     I  remember  having  pointed  out  to 
me  the  widow  Gillham's  farm  on  the  Illinois  side,  as  an  old 
place-     On  this  farm  I  could  see  from  our  deck,  an  orchard 
of  apple  trees,  large  and  thrifty  and  in  lull  bearing.     The 
farm  lay  on  the  river  bank  while  behind  it  the  vast  forest 
of   m  nense  trees  stood  intermingled  with  groves  of  smaller 
growth.      Alas   "the   orchard,    the    grove,   and   the   deep 
tangled  wild  wood  "  have  all  been  swept  into  the  Mississippi. 
We  arrived  at  Alton  after  dark  and   found  shelter  at  the 
Alton  House.     Such  an  hotel  in  almost  any  town  or  village 
in   Illinois,  would  now,  1882,  be  considered  very  inferior. 
But  we  had  made  up  our  minds  to  meet  the  deficiencies  of 
the  new  West  with  the  best  grace  we  could,  and  soon  came 
to  enjoy  the  life  about  to  be  entered   upon.     In  a  few  days 
we  removed  to  Liberty  Hall,  Upper  Alton,  kept   by  Mr. 
Randle.     Here  we  passed  three  weeks  very  comfoi'tably  and 
then  removed  to  the  Piasa  House  in  the  "  Lower  Town." 
This  hotel  had  just  been  finished  by  the  owner.  Judge  Haw- 
ley,   and    was    well    managed    by   Mrs.  Elizabeth  Wait,  a 
motherly,  kind-hearted  old  lady   whom   I  shall  always  re- 
member with  pleasure  and  gratitude.     At  the  Piasa  my  first 
child  was  born.     Judge  Hezekiah  Hawley,  referred  to,  was 
a  native  of  New  England  who  had  passed  most  of  his  life 
iu  Kentucky.     He  was  a  gentleman  of  the  Henry  Clay 
period  and  an  enthusiastic  admirer  of  the  great  Kentuckian. 
To  Judge  Hawley,  Alton  owed  much  of  her  early  prosperity. 
Her  enterprise  was  such  that  many  thought  she  would  be 
the  successful  rival  of  St.  Louis.     Indeed  in  1836  and  for  a 
time  after,  the  great  firms  of  Godfrey  Oilman  &  Co.,  Stone, 
Manning  &  Co.,  C.  B.  Roff  &  Co ,  Simeon   Ryder,  Lewis 
K&llenberger  and  mauy  others  compared  favorably  with  the 
largest  wholesale  houses  in  St.  Louis.     But  two  large  cities 
could  not  exist  so  near  to  each  other,  and  the  capital  of  St. 
Louis,  together  with  the  splendid  location,  won  the  day  at 
the  time  spoken  of;  Madison  county  already  contained  a 
very  superior  population.     No  county  of  the   State   could 
boast  of  better  citizens  than  Capt.  Benjamin  Godfrey,  Ben- 
jamin Ives  Oilman,  George  Churchill,  VVinthrop  S.  Oilmar, 
Capt  Simeon  Ryder,  Dr.  Marsh,  Cyrus  Edwards,  Robert 
Smith,  Alfred  Cowles,  Dr.  Btnjamin  F.  Edwards,  John  T. 
Lusk,  Judge  William  Martin,  John  Bailhache,  Moses  G. 
Atwood,  and  a  host  of  others  somewhat  advanced  in  age, 
not  to  mention  the  younger  men  then  just  buckling  ou  their 
armor  for  the  battle  of  life,  among  whom  I  will   name  the 
now  venerable  Judge  Joseph  Gillespie,  J.  Russell  Bullock, 
since  United  States   Judge   in  Rhode   Island,  Newton  D. 
Strong,  Junius  Hall,  John  W.  Chickeriug,  George  T,  M. 
Davis,  the  talented  but  erratic  Usher  F.  Linder,   and  the 
still  more  brilliant  McDougal,  afterward  United  States  Sen- 
ator for  California.     Among  the  clergy  I  remember   with 
ever  growing  esteem  Graves,  Norton,  Depuy  and  the  vener- 


HISTORY   OF    MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


511 


able  Father  Rogers  of  the  Upper  Town.  Soon  after  Hon. 
Nathaniel  Pope  and  David  J.  Baker  took  up  their  residence 
in  Middletown,  and  increased  the  intellectual  and  social 
attraction  of  the  neighborhood.  About  the  year  1S42, 1  re- 
moved from  the  city  of  Alton  into  Godfrey  township.  Here 
among  my  neighbors  I  counted  Major  George  W.  Long, 
Don  Alonzo  Spaulding,  the  Mason  and  Scarritt  families,  and 
many  others,  all  of  whjm  I  look  back  upon  with  the  kindest 
neighborly  remembrances.  Six  of  my  eight  children  were 
born  in  M  idison  county.  I  take  pride  in  saying  two  of  my 
sous,  both  born  in  that  county,  served  in  the  war  for  the 
suppression  of  the  Rebellion.  The  eldest  entered  the  ser- 
vice as  a  private  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  leaving  a 
lucrative  position  in  the  office  of  the  President  of  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad.  He  was  one  of  the  famous  "  Taylor's 
Battery,"  composed  of  some  of  the  best  young  men  of  Cook 
county,  and  commanded  by  Capt.  Ezra  Taylor,  of  Chicago. 
After  participating  in  several  battles,  among  others,  Donel- 
son  and  Belmont,  at  the  last  named  receiving  a  wound, 
young  De  Wolf  was  promoted  for  merit  to  a  2d  Lieutenancy 
in  the  Regular  Army,  to  wit:  Battery  C.  3d  Regiment  of  IJ. 
S.  Artillery,  commanded  by  Capt.  (now  General)  Horatio 
Gates  Gibson.  At  Williamsburg,  Va.,  in  his  iirst  engage- 
ment after  his  promotion  on  the  4th  of  May,  1862,  he  was 
mortally  wounded  while  gallantly  leading  his  men  He  was 
taken  to  VVashington,  where  at  the  hospitable  residence  of 
the  Hon  Isaac  Arnold,  then  member  of  Congress  from 
Cook  county,  after  three  weeks'  suffering,  he  laid  down  his 
life  on  the  altar  of  his  country.  His  mother  wa.s  with  him 
from  the  first  moment  ishe  could  reach  him,  after  he  received 
his  wound,  till  he  clo-ed  his  eyes  in  death.  After  knowing 
him  for  j-ears.  Gen.  McClellan,  then  Comraauder-in-Chief, 
endorsed  an  application  for  his  promotion  to  ihe  Regular 
Army  in  these  words,  "  no  better  appointment  can  be  made 
from  civil  life."  Capt.  Gibson,  Commander  of  Battery  C. 
under  date  June  7,  1862,  thus  writes  a  friend  in  Chicago: 

"  In  the  battle  of  Williamsburg,  one  of  my  subalterns  (a 
handsome,  gallant  boy  from  Chicago,  named  De  Wolf),  was 
wounded,  and  I  regret  to  .say  has  since  died.  I  was  much 
attached  to  him,  and  if  your  friends  know  his  family  please 
assure  them  of  my  sincere  sympathy  with  them  in  their 
bereavement,  and  my  high  appreciation  of  his  coolness  and 
gallantry  in  the  midst  of  no  ordinary  danger.  Poor  fellow  ! 
he  joined  my  battery  on  the  4th  of  April;  was  wounded  on 
the  4th  of  May,  and  on  the  4th  of  June  he  was  dead."  I 
have  dwelt  upon  the  services  and  death  of  this  young  hero 
because  I  feel  sure  that  the  people  of  Madison  will  rejoice 
that  the  noble  old  county  gave  birth-place  to  such  a  man. 

Some  remarkable  events  occurred  during  my  residence  in 
Madison  county.  The  first  was  the  murder  of  Elijah  P. 
Lovejoy,  and  the  riots  preceding.  On  the  2d  of  November, 
1837,  was  held  a  public  meeting,  of  which  I  was  secretary, 
called  ostensibly  for  the  purpose  of  endeavoring  to  allay  tlie 
excitement  then  existing,  growing  out  of  Mr.  Lovejoy's 
advocacy  of  anti-slavery  doctrines  in  the  Observer.  The 
meeting  was  soon  found  to  be  in  the  hands  of  those  not  will- 
ing to  allow  Mr.  Lovejoy  the  rights  of  an  American  citizen, 
so  far  as  public  discussion  was   involved.     This  meeting. 


which  will  ever  remain  a  disgrace  to  the  American  character, 
adjourned  after  the  passage  of  some  resolutions  only  calcu- 
lated to  influence  the  mob,  and  which  I  will  not  disTjrace 
these  pages  by  (juotiug.  This  meeting,  had  it  been  properly 
conducted,  would  have  prevented  the  attack  on  the  ware- 
house of  Godfrey  Gilman  &  Co.,  of  the  7th  of  the  same 
mouth,  with  all  its  horrible  and  appalling  results.  During 
the  session  of  this  meeting,  'Sir.  Lovejoy  made  his  great 
speech  in  defence  of  his  principles  and  expressing  his  deter- 
mination, with  the  help  of  God  and  protection  of  the  laws, 
to  maintain  his  rights.  I  have  heard  many  remarkable 
arguments  in  my  life — some  of  the  best  efforts  of  Webster 
and  Clay,  and  others  of  the  great  men  of  our  country,  and  I 
have  read  of  others  uttered  under  the  most  thrilling  circum- 
stances; but  never  did  I  listen  to  or  read  of  such  an  appeal 
to  the  judgment  and  feelings  of  men  as  I  did  on  that  2d  of 
November,  1837.  I  cannot  except  the  immortal  defense  of 
Paul  before  Festus.  In  spite  of  the  hateful  spirit  which 
possessed  the  breasts  of  his  foes,  many  of  them  wtre  made  to 
shed  tears.  But  I  can  pursue  this  subject  no  further  now, 
except  to  add  the  expression  of  my  belief  to  those  who  have 
recorded  the  praises  of  Lovejoy,  thdt  he  died  fur  his  country, 
and  did  more  than  any  one  man,  by  so  doing,  to  bring  about 
theabjlition  of  slavery ;  thus  wiping  a  vile  disgrace  from 
the  constitution  of  our  country.  I  was  attending  court  at 
Carrollton,  Greene  county,  on  the  7th  of  November,  when 
the  assault  on  the  warehouse  and  the  killing  of  Lovejoy  took 
place,  and  thus  escaped  being  present  on  the  occasion  which 
proved  a  lasting  disgrace  to  Alton  and  left  a  blot  on  the 
American  name  ever  to  be  regretted. 

The  second  event  alluded  to  was  the  explosion  of  the 
powder  stored  in  the  magazine  situated  on  the  bluff  behind 
the  old  penitentiary.  A  large  amount  of  powder  was  there 
placed  for  safe-keeping,  and  it  is  supposed  that  fire  was  com- 
municated by  some  evil-disposed  person,  though  what  his 
particular  object  was  could  not  be  determined.  So  powerful 
was  the  effect  produced  that  in  St.  Louis,  twenty-four  miles 
distant,  it  was  distinctly  felt,  and  people  left  the  theatre  and 
other  buildings,  fearing  that  an  earthquake  was  about  to 
topple  the  city  into  ruins.  Almost  every  pane  of  glass  in 
Second  street,  Alton,  was  broken,  doors  and  windows  blown 
in,  plastering  shaken  down,  and  in  one  case  at  least  a  rock 
as  large  as  an  ordinary  water-pail  was  thrown  some  twelve 
or  fifteen  hundred  feet,  falling  on  the  roof  of  a  house  and 
breaking  through  a  chamber,  where  a  sleeping  couple  were 
suddenly  awakened  by  the  dreadful  crash. 

The  third  event  to  which  I  have  alluded  was  the  great 
flood  of  1844.  In  the  month  of  June  the  "  Father  of  Wa- 
ters" ro.se  higher  than  at  any  time  previous  or  during  the 
present  century.  Large  steamers  received  and  discharged 
freight  from  and  into  the  second  story  windows  of  the  ware- 
houses on  the  levee  at  St.  Louis.  At  Alton  the  same  thing 
was  done.  Opposite  St.  Louis  (now  East  St.  Louis),  then 
called  Illinois  Town,  the  river  was  from  eight  to  twelve  miles 
wide,  and  of  sufficient  depth  for  steamers  to  cross  to  the 
bluffs,  to  a  place  then  called  "Paps's"  or  '' Paapstown," 
where  large  transactions  in  cattle  and  swine,  for  the  New 
Orleans  and  St.  Louis  markets,  were  made.     The 


512 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


done  bj'  tlie  overflow  was  as  great,  in  proportion  to  the  pop- 
ulation, as  that  caused  this  year  (1882)  on  the  Lower  Mis- 
sissippi. Indeed,  so  great  was  the  destruction  of  property 
that  the  Legislature,  at  its  next  session,  exempted  from  tax- 
ation, for  a  time,  that  portion  of  the  State  which  had  sulfered 
so  much. 

In  1846,  while  living  in  Godfrey  township,  I  was  elected 
to  the  State  Legislature,  my  colleagues  being  William  Martin 
and  Curtis  Blakeman.  After  a  rather  stormy  session,  dur- 
ing which  many  important  questions  as  to  the  location  and 
termination  of  certain  railroads  were  discussed,  we  adjourned 
in  the  utmost  good  feeling.  While  at  Springfield,  I  had 
heard  great  things  of  the  then  "  coming  Chicago,"  and  in 
the  autumn  of  1846  removed  to  this  city,  then  containing 
about  fourteen  to  sixteen  thousand  people.  I  will  not  dwell 
upon  the  years  that  have  passed'.  Suffice  it  to  say,  I  have^ 
lived  to  see  the  State  of  Illinois  become  the  fourth  in  the 
galaxy  of  States  composing  our  glorious  Union,  and  the  city 
of  Chicago  grow  from  less  than  16,000  to  600  000  in  popu- 
lation. I  have  twice  rode  on  horseback  from  Alton  to  Ga- 
lena, and  from  Galena  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Wabash, 
and  from  thence  to  Cairo,  returning  to  Alton  along  the 
shores  of  the  Mississippi,  when  the  whole  State  did  not  con 
tain  a  population  equal  to  that  of  one  division  of  the  city  of 
Chicago  at  this  date.  Orchards,  now  forty  years  old,  are 
growing  on  lauds  which  once  were  prairies  that  I  have 
crossed,  without  a  farm  for  forty  miles  ;  and  yet  I  ara  a  new- 
comer in  comparison  with  some  of  the  old  settlers  notv  living 
in  Madison  county.  Since  my  removal  to  Chicago,  I  have 
pursued  a  quiet  life,  not  aspiring  to  office  or  political  pre- 
ferment. I  have  been  Treasurer  of  the  city,  and  for  four 
years  a  Justice  of  the  county  of  Cook.  As  my  record  here 
would  not  be  germain  to  your  history,  I  here  bid  you  good- 
bye, always  assuring  you,  and  through  you  the  citizens  of 
dear  old  Madison,  that  I  remember  my  stay  in  that  county 
with  unalloyed  pleasure,  and  look  back  upon  it  as  a  green 
?pot,  an  oasis,  in  the  great  desert  of  life. 


Chicago,  April,  1882. 


William  F.  De  Wolf. 


Judge  Joseph  Gillespie,  having  read  the  above  letter, 
makes  the  following  comments  : 

"  Hon,  William  F.  De  Wolf  was  for  many  years  an  hon- 
ored citizen  of  this  county,  and  her  able  and  faithful  Kepre- 
sentive  in  the  Legislature.  He  was  one  of  the  few  citizens 
of  Alton  who  took  a  stand  in  favor  of  sustaining  the  right 
claimed  by  the  lamented  Lovejoy,  of  expressing  his  opinions 
on  the  subject  of  slavery,  as  well  as  all  other  questions  of 
ff  public  character,  being  amenable  to  the  laws  for  the  abuse 
of  such  a  right,  and  if  the  counsels  of  Mr,  De  Wolf  had 
prevailed  we  would  have  been  spared  the  necessity  of  havii  g 
to  apologize  for  the  greatest  iniquity  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury ;  the  atrocious  murder  of  one  of  the  greatest  and  best 
men  in  the  land,  by  a  worthless  mob,  for  the  exercise  of  a 
right  guaranteed  by  the  Constitution  and  laws  of  the  coun- 
try. But  the  blood  of  the  martyrs  is  the  seed  of  the  church, 
and  Elijah  Lovejoy's  blood  fructified  the  whole  land-  In  his 
death  he  pulled  down  the  temples  of  Dagon.    Mr,  De  Wolf 


was  a  fine  lawyer,  an  affluent  and  influtntial  public  servant 
and  blameless  in  all  the  walks  of  life.  He  was  fortunate 
and  unfortunate  in  his  family.  Fortunate  in  rearing  a  large 
family  of  most  estimable  and  aflfectionate  children  ;  but 
sorely  tried  in  the  furnace  of  affliction  in  the  loss  of  four 
lovely  daughters  by  the  explosion  on  the  ill-fated  steamer 
Bay  State,  in  September,  1853,  which  was  followed  in  1862 
by  the  death  of  his  noble  and  heroic  son,  William  De  Wolf, 
Lieutenant  Co.  C,  Srd  Regt.,  U.  S.  Artillery,  who  was 
mortally  wounded  while  gallantly  leading  his  command  at 
the  battle  of  Williamsburg,  Virginia.  Young  De  Wolf  had 
been  previously  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Belmont,  showing 
that  he  was  ever  in  the  front,  at  the  post  of  danger.  Although 
he  entered  as  a  private  into  the  service  of  his  country,  he 
very  soon  so  signalized  himself  as  to  be  transferred  to  the 
regular  army.  He  was  taken  ofl'  at  the  age  of  21,  with  bril- 
liant prospects,  and  hopes  of  rapid  preferment  before  him. 
He  together  with  his  brothers  and  sisters  were  born  in  Madi- 
son county,  and  we  have  a  right  to  be  proud  of  him.  I  am 
gratified  to  be  afforded  this  opportunity  of  paying  ihis  feeble 
tribute  of  respect  to  so  worthy  a  scion  of  my  esteemed  friend 
Hit>  whom  I  have  spent  so  much  time  at  the  Courts  and  iu 
the  Halls  of  Legislation,  He  and  I  are  in  the  sere  and  yel- 
low leaf,  but  I  trust  he  may  be  spared  many  years  to  bless 
his  family,  and  reflect  honor  upon  his  country  as  he  has  so 
well  done  in  times  past." 

The  early  residents  of  the  township  were  obliged  to  in- 
dure  the  discomforts  usual  to  pioneer  life.  Wild  animals  iu 
early  days  were  numerous.  The  wolves  killed  in  one  night, 
nineteen  sheep  belonging  to  Joel,  Finch,  and  in  one  night  iu 
the  winter  of  1842,  six,  out  of  nine  sheep,  belonging  to 
James  Meldrum.  It  is  said  of  Ezra  Oilman,  that  he  killed  a 
panther  with  no  other  weapon  than  a  heavy  stick.  His  dog,  a 
large,  heavy  one,  was  in  pursuit  of  a  wolf,  and  ran  around 
the  head  of  a  hollow,  which  Gilman  crossed,  to  find  that  a 
panther  had  clinched  his  dog,  and  that  the  two  were  strug- 
gling together,  Gilman  took  a  stake  from  his  sledge,  and 
beat  the  panther  on  the  head  till  he  killed  him,  and  thus 
saved  the  dog.  Panthers  were  seen  iu  the  township  as  late 
as  the  year  1850. 

LAND  ENTRIES, 

The  earliest  entries  of  land  were  made  by  Jacob  Lurton 
one  hundred  and  six  acres,  in  section  six,  October  13,  1820, 
Josiah  Cummings,  Oct  13,  1820  ;  N.  E.  quarter  section  six  ; 
Isaac  Scarritt,  one  huudred  and  seven  and  sixty-two-one 
hundredthsacres,  section  four,  January  17, 1821  ;  Joel  Finch, 
I  D  Maurop,  and  M.  Malary,  eighty  acres  in  section  26,  Jan- 
uary 28  1822  ;  Joseph  S.  Eeynolds,  eighty  acres  in  section 
twenty-three,  March  2,  1822  ;  and  John  Murray,  east  half 
of  northeast  quarter  of  section  twenty-six,  eighty  acres.  May 
24, 1822. 

PHYSICAL  CHAEACTERISTICS. 

Though  the  whole  or  part  of  thirty  six  sections  are  com- 
prised in  this  township  the  area  is  but  little  in  excess  of  thirty 
square  miles.  The  northern  tier  of  sections  is  cut  by  the  line 
dividing  Madison  from  Jersey  and  Macoupin  counties,  and 
the  southwestern  sections  are  materially  encroached  upon  by 
the  Mississippi  river.    A  small   portion  of  the  township  in 


FARM    RESIDENCE    OF  LOUIS    WALTER    SEC- 16    T.,    6    R.  lO   (GODFREY  TP) MADISON,CO.  ILL. 


FARM  RESIDENCE  OF  Z.  BROWN     SEC.  9    T.  6  R.  10  (GODFREY  TR   MADISON.  CO.  ILL. 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


613 


the  northeast  is  prairie ;  the  remainder  was  originally  cov- 
ered with  heavy  timber.  The  surface  in  the  prairie  portion 
of  the  township  is  level ;  the  rest  is  mostly  rolling,  but  well 
adapted  to  agriculture.  There  is  scarcely  au  acre  that 
is  not  susceptible  of  cultivation  in  some  form.  A  range  of 
Rocky  bluff  lines  the  Mississippi.  There  area  number  of 
small  streams,  but  only  two  of  sufficient  importance  to  have 
received  a  name.  The  Piasa  creek,  running  through  the 
wcbtern  part  of  the  township  into  the  Mississippi,  and  Coal 
Branch  in  the  southeast,  emptying  into  Wood  river. 

Beside  the  usuatagricultural  products  of  corn,  wheat  and 
hay,  much  attention  s  devoted  to  the  raising  of  fruit.  Large 
quantities  of  apples,  peaches,  pears  aud  smaller  fruit  are 
shipped  annually  to  the  St.  Louis  aud  Chicago  markets. 
The  bluff  lands  along  the  Mississippi  have  been  found  to  be 
peculiarly  adapted  to  fruit  culture,  aud  numerous  orchards 
and  vineyards  have  here  been  planted. 

A  fruit  distillery  was  established  by  John  Castagnetta, 
about  a  mile  north  of  the  village  of  Godfrey,  in  1872.  He 
manufactured  large  quantities  of  apple,  peach,  and  grape 
brandy  and  champagne  cider.  Of  cider  he  makes  six  or 
eight  hundred  barrels  each  year,  and  in  1880  he  made  one 
thousand  barrels. 

EARLY   SCHOOLS  AND  CHURCHES. 

Mention  has  already  been  made  that  the  first  school  in 
the  township  was  taught  in  the  barn  of  Nathan  Scarriit, 
whose  daughter  Laura  was  the  teacher.  Sixteen  children 
attended  this  school.  A  school  was  also  taught  in  the  years 
1829,  1830,  and  1831,  at  the  residence  of  George  Debaun. 
Abigail  Scarritt  and  Elizabeth  Pettr  were  the  teachers. 
About  the  year  1832  or  1833,  a  tchool  was  established  at 
the  Bethany  church,  and  for  some  years  afterward  this  was 
the  only  school  in  the  township.  A  West  Point  cadet, 
named  Johnson,  taught  this  school  in  1839.  Elijah  Frost, 
now  living  in  the  township,  took  charge  of  the  school  in 
1840,  and  taught  it  three  years.  This  was  still  at  that 
time  the  only  school  in  the  township,  aud  pupils  came  to  at- 
tend it  from  Clifton  and  Jersey  county,  boarding  in  the 
neighborhood.  Subsequent  teachers  were  Mrs.  Russell  Scar- 
ritt, Mary  Jane  Scarritt,  the  youngest  daughter  of  Nathan 
Scarritt,  and  William  Cunningham.  The  township  was  or- 
ganized for  school  purposes  in  the  year  1842.  The  first 
Sunday-school  was  taught  in  the  barn  of  Nathan  Scarritt  in 
the  summer  of  the  year  1829. 

Early  religious  services  were  held  at  the  house  of  Nathan 
Scarritt,  and  here  the  first  sermon  was  preachfd  in  the  sum- 
mer of  the  year  1828,  by  the  Rev.  John  Hogan,  a  Metho- 
dist minister,  now  a  resident  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.  Mr.  Hogan 
was  then  carrying  on  the  mercantile  business  at  Edwards- 
ville,  subsequently  became  a  resident  of  Alton,  and  afterward 
of  St.  Louis. 

A  Methodist  clasi  was  organized  at  the  lime  of  the  fir.''t 
settlement  of  the  township,  but  no  regular  church  organiza- 
tion existed  till  1842.  On  the  26tli  of  Diceniber  of  that 
year  Bethany  church  was  organized  Among  the  original 
members  were  Hail  ^lason,  Nathan  Scarritt,  Josiah  Randle, 
Simon  Peter,  James  Meldrura,  John  Mason,  Jr.,  Aaron  P. 
70 


Mason,  Richard  Blackburn,  Elijah  Frost,  David  Rood  aud 
William  Squire.  The  name  of  Bethany  was  suggested  by 
Henry  P.  Rundle.  Simon  Peter  gave  to  the  society  the 
ground  on  which  the  church  was  built.  The  Randies, 
Scarritts  and  others  were  warm  supporters  of  the  Methodist 
church,  aud  it  was  usual  for  them  on  Wednesday  nights  to 
get  a  big  wagon  and  drive  around  the  neighborhood,  col- 
lecting a  goo<lly  number  to  go  to  Upper  Alton  and  attend 
the  weekly  class.  The  Sunday-school,  formed  in  182D,  had 
an  irregular  existence  till  1841,  when  on  the  6th  of  May  a 
Sunday  school  was  organized  at  the  Bethany  church,  which 
has  since  permanently  continued.  The  Rev.  N.  H.  Lee  is 
the  present  pastor  of  Bethany  church 

"The  Church  of  Cfirist,"  in  the  village  of  Godfrey,  was 
organized  on  the  2d  of  November,  1839,  with  twenty-six 
members.  At  the  first  meeting,  of  which  the  Rev.  Theoron 
Baldwin  was  moderator,  a  constitution,  confession  of  faith 
and  covenant  were  adopted,  aud  Timothy  Turner  and  Benj. 
I.  Gilman  appointed  elders.  Soon  after  James  Howell  was 
added  to  the  session,  butou  account  of  infirm  health,  resigned 
in  October  1840.  Rev.  Theoron  Baldwin  was  installed  pastor 
of  the  church  on  the  22d  of  November,  1840.  Abijah  W. 
Corey  was  appointed  elder  in  October,  1841.  Capt.  Benja- 
min Godfrey,  who  had  united  with  the  Alton  Pre.«byteriau 
church  in  1833,  became  a  member  of  the  church  at  Gotlfrey  in 
1844,  and  on  the  5th  of  October  of  that  year  was  ap- 
pointed an  elder.  In  the  fall  of  1842  a  large  addition  was 
made  to  the  church.  The  Rev.  Eiisha  Jenny  was  at  that 
time  supplying  the  place  of  the  pastor,  who  was  absent  in 
the  East.  In  the  spring  of  1844  the  Rev.  Mr.  Baldwin  re- 
.signed  the  pastoral  care  of  the  church,  and  the  Rev.  George 
Pyle  was  the  pastor  from  that  time  till  1846.  The  Rev.  C. 
W.  Clapp  is  the  present  pastor.  The  house  of  worship  was 
built  at  the  joint  expense  of  the  congregation  and  Monti- 
cello  Seminary,  on  land  belonging  to  the  si  minary.  The 
church  was  organized  on  an  independent  basis,  and  not 
connected  with  any  denomination.  Twelve  of  the  original 
members  were  from  Presbyterian  churches,  four  from  Re- 
formed Dutch,  and  only  two  from  Congregational  churches. 
The  Rev.  Theoron  Baldwin,  the  6rst  principal  of  the  Mon- 
tioel.o  Female  Seminary,  and  the  Rev.  J.  M.  Sturtevant,  of 
Illinois  College,  were  the  leaders  in  its  organization.  In 
1854  the  church  became  strictly  Presbyterian,  and  united 
with  the  Presbytery  of  Alton.  In  1867  the  church  withdrew 
from  the  Presbyterian  connection  and  returned  to  its  origi- 
nal independent  basis. 

The  Bap  ist  church,  on  the  south  line  of  the  township,  ad- 
joining North  Alton,  was  built  in  1858.  Rev.Mr.  Bevins  now 
has  the  pastoral  charge.  With  thechurch  a  large  and  pros- 
perous Sunday-school  isconnected.  There  is  a  Congregational 
church  at  Melville,  of  which  the  Rev.  H.  D.  Piatt,  of 
Brighton,  is  pastor.  A  church  building  stands  three  miles 
west  of  the  village  of  Godfrey,  and  is  known  as  the  White 
Oak  church.  It  was  built  under  Congregational  auspices, 
and  services  are  held  in  it  occasionally. 

THE   VILLAGE  OF  GODFREY 

Is  situate  four  miles  from  Alton,  in  the  midst  of  a  beautiful 


514 


HISTORY    OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


and  highly  improved  agricultural  region.  It  is  at  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Jacksonville  branch,  with  the  main  line  of  the 
Chicago  and  Alton  railroad,  and  the  numerous  trains  to  St. 
Louis  make  it  an  admirable  point  for  suburban  residence. 
The  name  of  the  town,  which  was  laid  off  by  Capt.  Benja- 
min Godfrey  and  Enoch  Long,  is  placed  on  the  records  as 
Monticello,  but  it  is  now  universally  called  Godfrey,  that 
being  the  appellation  of  the  post  office  and  railway  station. 
The  town  plat  was  ri  corded.  May  30th,  1840.  A  town  of 
Godfrey,  ar  joining  the  original  Monticello,  was  laid  out  in 
town  lots,  by  James  fc^quire,  in  1882,  and  is  northeast  of  the 
old  town.  Tlie  Monticello  Female  Seminary  is  the  most 
prominent  object  of  interest  in  Godfrey.  Its  proximity  to 
Alton  has  prevented  any  great  business  devflopment.  The 
first  store  was  opened  "by  Timothy  Turner,  in  a  small 
building,  which  still  stands  on  the  lot  on  which  is  his  former 
residence.  Mr.  Turner  was  also  the  first  postmaster,  and 
was  appointed  to  that  pcsition  on  the  esiablishment  of  the 
office  in  18-10.  Previousto  that  time  the  citizens  got  their  mail 
at  Alton.  Turner  resigned  the  office  in  1860,  on  account  of 
old  age  and  debility,  and  Thomas  P.  Walworth,  who  had 
formerly  been  his  clerk,  received  the  commission.  He  held 
the  office  only  a  short  time,  and  was  succeeded  by  Benjamin 
Webster,  who  was  postma.«ter  from  1801  to  1881,  when  he 
was  succeeded  by  the  present  incumbent,  Edward  A.  Masun. 
Few  post  offices  in  the  state  show  such  a  record  of  infrequent 
changes,  two  of  the  post  masters,  each  having  held  the  office 
for  twenty  years. 

There  are  now  two  grocery  stores  kept  by  Edward  A. 
Mason  and  John  F.  Boyd,  and  one  in  which  dry  goods  and 
groceries  are  sold,  of  which  George  Churchill  is  proprietor. 
John  Roberts  has  a  restaurant.  The  business  of  blacksmith- 
iug  and  wagon  making  was  carried  on  extensively  by  Aaron 
C.  Mason  and  T.  Baldwin,  but  is  now  conducted  by  Mark 
Robidou  and  the  firm  of  Wirth  &  Weber.  X.  Maier  and 
Carl  Wenzel,  have  shoe  shops.  A  flouring  mill  was  built 
here  in  the  year  1857,  by  Henry  and  Uriah  Howell,  who 
disposed  of  it  to  Richard  Blackburn,  who  after  running  it 
about  three  years,  died.  Sears  &  Dodgson  were  the  next 
proprietors.  The  mill  was  finally  moved  to  Clifton,  where 
for  a  time  it  was  operated  as  a  cement  mill.  The  school- 
house  is  a  neat  structure,  containing  three  rooms.  The  prin- 
cipal of  the  school  is  James  Squire,  with  Fannie  A.  Burgess 
as  assistant.  The  colored  school  is  in  charge  of  J.  M.  An- 
derson. 

CLIFTON, 

In  the  extreme  southwest  corner  of  the  township,  was  laid 
out  by  D.  Tolman  and  Hail  Mason,  and  the  plat  recorded 
October  10th,  1840.  A  cement  mill  was  established  at  this 
point  and  quite  extensive  arrangements  made  for  the  manu- 
facture of  cement,  but  it  was  never  operated  with  success. 
A  saw  mill  was  built  by  Daniel  Tollman  and  Samuel  Thurs- 
ton, about  18o5,  and  was  in  operation  for  a  few  years.  Louis 
Steritz,  who  has  the  largest  vineyard  in  the  township,  keeps 
a  place  at  which  he  dispenses  the  product  of  his  vineyard) 
and  which  is  often  visited  by  parties  from  Alton. 

MELVILLE 

Is   the  name  given   to  a  small  settlement  and    post   office. 


within  less  than  a  mile  of  Clifton.  There  are  about  half  a 
dozen  houses  in  the  place.  Mrs.  Louis  Schmidt  has  a  small 
store,  and  has  charge  of  the  post  office.  There  is  a  Con- 
gregational church  and  a  public  school,  of  which  George  F. 
Long  is  teacher.  A  distillery  was  formerly  carried  on  at 
this  point. 

COAL   BRANCH 

In  the  southern  part  of  the  township,  not  far  from  North 
Alton,  is  a  settlement  comprising  about  twenty  families.  The 
inhabitants  are  mostly  engaged  in  mining  coal.  There  is 
one  store,  of  which  John  and  Hugh  Pierce  are  proprie- 
tors. The  Coal  Branch  is  the  name  of  a  small  stream,  along 
which  out-croppings  of  coal  are  visible.  Coal  was  mined 
by  Joseph  and  Richard  Whyers,  at  an  early  date.  They 
supplied  the  first  coal  usid  in  the  penitentiary  at  Alton. 
The  coal  was  procured  by  a  drift,  extending  into  the  bank. 
The  first  pit  was  opened  by  James  Mitchell,  in  the  summer 
of  1848.  A  few  months  later  a  pit  was  sunk  by  Thomas 
Dunford.  After  ihe  opening  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  rail- 
road considerable  quantities  of  coal  were  shipped  to  Spring- 
field, Bloomington,  Chicago  and  other  points  in  the  northern 
and  central  parts  of  the  state.  Not  only  has  this  traffic 
ceased,  but  Alton  itself  is  now  largely  supplied  from  more 
distant  points.  The  coal  is  of  superior  quality,  equal  to  the 
best  mined  in  the  state,  but  the  vein  only  has  a  thickness  of 
thirty  inches,  and  the  coal  can  not  be  mined  as  cheaply  as  in 
a  larger  vein.  The  shafts  range  from  fifty  to  one  hundred 
and  twenty  feet  in  depth.  The  vein  is  now  nearly  exhausted, 
and  it  is  only  a  question  of  a  few  years  when  the  working  of 
the  pits  will  be  abandoned.  The  owneis  of  the  pits  are 
Dennis  Noonan,  James  Mitchell,  Peter  Robinson,  Charles 
Crowson  and  William  Watte,  Henry  Camp,  Peter  Taylor  & 
Co.,  Nathan  Sydcl,  Henry  Conlon  and  John  Rutledge. 

On  the  Coal  Branch,  in  early  days,  stood  a  flouring  mill, 
known  as  the  Whyer's  mill. 


^Vas  the  name  of  a  former  post  office  which  has  now  changed 
to  that  of  North  Alton.  James  Strong,  a  native  of  Cum- 
berland, England,  in  the  fall  of  1837,  built  a  large  frame 
building,  over  the  doorway  of  which  the  antlers  of  a  buck 
were  suspended,  and  opened  it  as  the  Buck  Inn.  This 
building  stood  on  the  south  line  of  the  township,  where  the 
Grafton  road  leaves  the  road  to  Godfrey.  The  building 
was  burned  down  in  1 855,  and  the  present  brick  structure 
was  then  erected.  James  Strong  died  in  1869,  and  his  son, 
Jacob  Strong,  has  since  carried  on  a  store  at  this  point.  The 
post  office  of  Buck  Inn  was  established  in  1868,  and  Capt. 
P.  J.  Melling  was  the  first  post  master.  The  office  was 
kept  at  his  house  in  the  present"<jlodfrey  township.  After 
two  years.  Captain  Melling  was  succeeded  by  William  Hall> 
who  removed  the  office  to  the  present  town  of  North  Alton. 
The  office  was  called  Buck  Inn,  up  to  the  time  of  the  incor- 
poration of  the  town  of  North  Alton.  In  this  part  of  God- 
frey township,  Adolphus  Denz  built  a  steam  mill  in  I860. 
The  machinery  was  transferred  in  1882  to  a  new  mill  erecf 
ed  just  north  of  North  Alton,  on  section  thirty-five.     There 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


515 


is  also  a  blacksmith  shop,  wagon  shop  and  marble-cutting 
shop,  in  this  part  of  the  township, 

Supervlmrs.  Tohn  M.  Pearson,  elected  in  1876-77  ;  was 
succeeded  by  James  Squire,  in  1877-78,  and  by  re-elec- 
tion, Mr.  Squire  has  represented  the  township  to  the  present. 

Present    Township    OJicerg. — Supervisor,    James   Squire; 


Clerk,  James  W.Martin  ;  Assessor,  Peter  Hughes;  Collector, 
William  Frank  Squire;  Commissioners  on  Highways,  Jona- 
than L.  Pierce,  Peter  Myer,  George  Lindley  ;  Justices  of  the 
Peace,  J.  F.  Boyd,  P.  J.  Welling;  Constables,  Frank  Boyd, 
John  Meysenheimer ;  Trustees,  L.  Bushnell,  N-  Challa- 
combe,  John  Y.  Sawyer  ;  Sjhool  Treasurer,  Elijah  Frost. 


— -«-^'^*J^^^?*?«-'-' 


BIOGRAPHIES. 


ROLAND  J.  INGHAM. 

The  Emerald  Isle  has  contributed  many  of  her  sons  to 
America  who  have  taken  high  rank  in  literature,  in  art  and 
in  science.  Among  such  may  be  properly  classed  the  Ing- 
ham family,  who  lived  in  Dublin,  and  who  in  their  native 
home  were  liberal  patrons  of  art.  Thomas  and  Jennie  Ing- 
ham came  to  this  country  in  181(3.  lauding  first  in  New 
York  city,  thence  to  Luzerne  county,  Pennsylvania.  Thomas 
was  the  son  of  a  gentleman,  a  lauded  proprietor  of  Dublin. 
He  had  a  family  of  five  sons  and  four  daughters.  A  son 
Charles,  was  an  artist,  in  which  pursuit  he  excelled.  Of  his 
paintings  at  least  two,  "The  Lovers  '  and  "  Death  of  Cleo- 
patra," have  received  recognition  of  critics  as  masterpieces. 
Thomas,  a  retired  merchant  in  New  York  city,  and  now  the 
sole  survivor  of  the  family;  Roland  J.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Sydney,  who  was  lost  at  sea  in  1841  ;  Oscar,  who 
lived  with  Roland  and  died  here  in  1870  ;  Florence,  Paulina, 
Augusta  and  Jane  Rowena.  Roland  J.  Ingham  was  born 
in  Dublin,  Ireland,  March  6ih,  1.^07.  In  18:j."),  with  his 
father's  family  became  west,  locating  about  a  mile  from  the 
present  home  of  Lucretia  Ingham.  His  father  returned  to 
Utica,  New  York,  a  few  years  after,  where  he  died  January 
9th,  1817.  Mr.  Ingham's  first  wife  was  Rebecca  Peutzer, 
by  whom  he  had  five  children,  three  of  whom  are  living. 
Two  of  his  sons,  Charles  and  Theron  B.,  were  soldiers  in 
the  United  States  service  during  the  rebellion.  On  the  22d 
of  April,  18.5:i,  he  was  united  in  marriage  by  Rev.  Wash- 
ington Wagoner,  a  Methodist  Episcopal  minister,  to 
Lucretia  M  Ragsdale,  formerly  of  East  Tennessee,  although 
a  Virginian.  By  this  marriage  there  were  b3rn  eight  chil- 
dren, seven  of  whom  are  living.  Names  as  follows  ;  Emma 
Augusta,  Thomas  Cassius,  Julia  Paulina,  James  Arthur, 
Sydney  Roland,  Jane  Rowena  and  William  Eilward. 

Mr.  Ingham  was  educated  in  Wilkesbarre,  Pennsylvania, 
and  brought  to  his  farming  operations  fair  culture  and  a 


great  love  of  art.  His  beautiful  home  bespeaks  his  taste. 
He  was  an  earnest  Republican  in  p  )litic3,  and  a  devoted  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  religious  faith.  Pro- 
gressive in  his  views,  his  days  were  all  days  of  activity. 
Eminently  social  in  his  home,  its  attractions  were  shared  by 
neighbors  and  friends.  Loved  and  respected  and  full  of 
years,  he  died  February  2d,  1881. 


JOHN  CASTAGNETTA. 

It  is  a  peculiarity  of  the  institutions  of  the  United  States 
in  contradistinction  to  the  institutions  of  every  other 
country,  that  they  assimilate  different  and  discordant  nation- 
alities. Every  year  hundreds  of  thousands  of  emigrants 
arrive  from  different  countries,  accustomed  to  other  forms 
of  government  speaking  other  languages,  observing  differ- 
ent customs;  yet  are  absorbed  and  assimilated  into  a  nation- 
ality. In  fact  we  are  a  nation  of  foreign  elements.  Italy 
has  contributed  many  of  her  sons  since  Columbus  discovered 
the  islands  along  our  eastern  shores.  John  Castagnetta  was 
born  in  Genoa,  Italy,  April  18,  1829.  In  18.53,  he  reached 
New  York  to  try  his  fortune  in  the  new  world.  His  first 
employment  was  as  a  railroad  hand  on  the  Charleston  and 
Memphis  railroad,  then  as  a  baker  and  confectioner,  which 
he  learned  in  Charleston  In  1855,  he  made  his  way  to  St. 
Louis,  thence  in  November  to  Alton.  In  1856,  he  locited 
where  he  now  resides,  in  Godfrey  township,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  wines,  brandies,  etc.,  a  business  he  has 
since  prosecuted  with  great  success.  He  married  Julia 
Gro.«jean,  July  4th,  18,58.  She  was  a  native  of  Paris, 
France,  from  whence  she  came  to  Highland  when  a  child. 
They  have  three  children  living,  Louis,  James  and  Louisa. 
Mr.  Castagnetta  is  prompt,  energetic  and  awake  to  business. 


illtj 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


yji   Or-^^A^^^     L    ^^' 


)     ^l 


^^U/^ 


One  of  the  representative  men  of  bis  township,  was  born 
ill  New  Hampshire,  August  5th,  1806.  His  father  and 
grandfather  were  also  natives  of  the  old  granite  state. 
When  quite  young  his  parents  moved  to  New  York,  and 
during  the  war  of  1812,  moved  to  Vermont.  Here  he  ac- 
quired a  fair  common  school  education.  In  October,  1837, 
they  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  where  his  widow  now  lives. 
He  was  married  to  Perlina  Pond  in  Vermont,  in  1833;  by 
her  he  had  three  children,  Ann  Louisa  Havens,  now  living 
in  Chicago,  Illinois ;  Charles  Henry,  killed  by  the  falling  of 
a  tree,  and  Hekn  Perlina,  wife  of   William  B.   Hancock. 


His  second  wife  was  the  widow  of  a  printer,  Henry  K.  Stock- 
ton, who  died  in  Upper  Alton  in  1838.  Mrs.  Stockton's 
maiden  name  was  Cynthia  Northway.  She  was  born  in 
New  Hartford,  New  York,  August  8th,  1798.  From  1840 
to  1844,  she  was  matron  in  Monticello  Seminary.  She  was 
married  to  John  Mason,  May  1st,  1846.  Few  men  in  the 
community  where  he  lived  were  more  thought  of  than  John 
Mason  ;  the  counsel  of  few  was  more  sought.  Earnest  in  all 
his  undertakings  ;  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  all  his  duties, 
he  was  respected  of  all.  His  death  was  mourned  by  many 
friends. 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


517 


C^..€A.y?-^      ^i^?k^^ 


Son  of  Asaph  and  Eunice  Andrews  Merriman,  was  born  in 
Wallingford,  Connecticut,  on  the  14th  of  August  1811.  His 
parents  were  both  direct  descendants  of  Lieutenant  Nathan- 
iel Merriman  and  Nathan  Andrews,  original  settlers  of  the 
town  of  Wallingford  in  1669.  He  was  the  fifth  born  of  six 
children,  and  lived  at  home  on  the  farm  until  his  seven- 
teenth year,  when  his  father  died.  He  went  to  New  Haven 
to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade;  thence  to  Boston,  ]\Iass., 
where  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Edith  Bishop  on 
March  29th,  1834.  This  marked  an  epoch  in  his  history, 
since  by  virtue  of  it  he  became,  as  was  his  wife,  an  earnest 
and  zealous  member  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  in 
which  relation  he  remained  until  his  death.  Mr.  Merriman 
was  not  free  from  the  ambitions  of  this  life.  In  the  summer 
of  1835,  leaving  his  wife  and  infant  son  Charles  in  Midd'e- 
town,  he  started  west,  going  first  via  the  lakes  and  canal  to 
his  brother's  in  Granville,  Ohio.  Tarrying  but  a  short  time 
he  proceeded  by  horse  and  buggy  westward,  reaching  Teoria, 
Illinois,  in  the  early  autumn  time  of  1835.  There  he  pre- 
sented his  church  letters  to  Bishop  Chase,  who  said  to  him  : 
"  You  are  the  very  man  I  want,  come  along  with  me."  Ar- 
rangements were  made  for  him  to  accompany  the  Bishop  to 
the  site  of  his  new  college.  There  he  and  the  Bishop 
worked  together  in  the  construction  of  the  famous  "  Robin's 
Nest,"  so  called  because  composed  chiefly  of  mud  and  sticks. 


They  roomed  together,  sleeping  on  a  rude  sapling  bed  under 
which  the  chickens  roosted.  As  soon  as  the  Bishop  and 
family  were  comfortably  housed,  Mr.  Merriman  left  for  St. 
Louis.  For  nine  years  he  remained  here  plying  his  trade,  as 
carpenter  and  builder.  In  1844  he  commenced  farming 
operations  in  St.  Louis  Co.,  Missouri.  Here  he  carried  with 
him  his  devotion  and  influence  as  a  Christian  man,  and  was 
the  means  of  establi.*hing  a  mission  at  Bridgeton,  a  town 
near  his  home.  In  1845  his  wife  Edith  died,  leaving  to  his 
care  one  son  and  one  adopted  daughter.  In  1850  he,  ac- 
companied by  his  son  Charles,  then  fifteen  years  of  age,  went 
to  California,  crossing  the  plains  e/i  route,  here  he  remained 
two  years,  returning  via  the  Isthmus  and  New  Orleans,  set- 
tling finally  on  the  farm  in  Godfrey  township,  now  occupied 
by  hia  son  Charles.  In  1873  he  moved  to  property  pur- 
chased by  him  in  North  Alton,  near  the  chapel,  and  devoted 
much  of  his  time  to  church  labor.  He  was  married  to  Lu- 
cinda  Wells  on  the  15th  of  December,  1845.  He  died  Au- 
gust 13,  1881.  At  the  time  he  was  Senior  Warden  in  the 
church  in  whose  success  he  took  so  great  an  interest.  For 
nearly  a  half  century,  amid  the  ups  and  downs  of  a  more 
or  less  wandering  life  beset  by  its  strong  temptations,  he  was 
found  always  faithful  and  true  to  his  trust.  His  memory  is 
held  in  dear  esteem  by  hosts  of  his  friends  who  knew  him,  as 
an  honest,  upright.  Christian  man. 


518 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


.    iay)^n.£j    \y/^ju^^/yje_^£y' 


James  Mitchell  was  born  in  Scotland,  December  21st, 
1811.  His  parents  were  Robert  and  Mary  Mitchell.  His 
father  was  well  liked  by  his  fellows,  among  whom  he  was 
somewhat  a  leader.  When  he  determined  on  bettering  his 
condition  by  seeking  an  American  home,  he  brought  with 
him  some  three  hundred  colonists.  His  objective  point  was 
Nova  Scotia.  On  the  4th  of  July,  1829,  they  landed  at 
Pictou,  a  seaport  in  that  province,  brought  over  safely  by 
the  brig  "  Hero  of  Gdnnock."  In  all,  Robert  had  a  family 
of  eleven  children,  six  daughters  and  five  sons,  of  whom 
James  was  the  eldest.  Not  altogether  satisfied  with  Nova 
Scotia,  they  determined  on  emigrating  to  the  "  States,"  as 
then  called,  and  made  their  way  to  Pottsville,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1834.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  obtained  a  fair 
education  in  the  common-schools  of  Scotland  in  his  youth  ; 
he  was  a  clerk  in  a  g.»neral  store.  When  he  reached  his 
majority  he  worked  in  coal-mines,  first  in  Nova  Scotia,  then 
in  Pennsylvania.  In  1835  he  made  his  way  t)  the  salt 
works  on  the  Kanawha  river,  in  West  Virginia;  thence  to 
Kentucky,  stopped  at  a  village  on  the  Ohio  river,  about 
130  miles  below  Louisville,  thence  to  New  Orleans.  Aftor 
a  few  years  spent  thus   in   looking   about,  he  visited  his 


old  Nova  Scotia  home.  While  on  this  visit,  he  met  and 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Mary  Smith,  a  native  of  the 
Island  of  Cape  Breton.  The  marriage  rites  were  celebrated 
in  the  city  of  Boston,  Massachusetts,  on  the  7th  of  October, 
1839.  Soon  thereafter  he  returned  to  the  States,  this  time 
to  Missouri,  and  in  1848  to  Madison  county.  To  him  be- 
longs the  honor  of  having  opened  the  first  coal  mine  in 
Coal  Branch,  above  Alton.  By  his  first  wife  he  had  eight 
children,  foUr  of  whom  are  living.  She  died  October  4th, 
1857.  He  was  married  to  his  present  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Margaret  Bird,  November  3d,  1857. 

Politically  Mr.  Mitchell  is  an  earnest,  unswerving  Repub- 
lican. His  first  ballot  was  cast  for  William  H.  Harnson. 
He  has  never  failed  attending  a  local  Republican  conven- 
tion since  the  organization  of  the  party,  when  physically 
able  to  do  so.  Although  thoroughly  awake  to  party  spirit, 
he  never  would  accept  office,  save  the  supervisorship,  which 
was  forced  upon  him  one  terra.  He  has  been  often  a 
member  of  the  central  committee,  and  has  ever  proved  him- 
self a  most  loyal  citizen.  Farming  and  operating  in  coal 
have  engaged  mjst  of  his  attention  since  locating  in  this 
county. 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


519 


l^^^^-p^i^y^ 


The  present  popular  supervisor  representing  Godfrey  town- 
ship in  the  county  board,  is  a  young  man  possessed  of  many 
commendable  traits  of  character.  He  was  born  December 
11,  1843.  His  parents  were  William  and  Lydia  Squire 
(Widaman).  His  father,  William,  was  a  native  of  Devon" 
shire,  England,  where  he  was  born  August  9th,  1814.  He 
came  to  America  in  1835,  locating  first  in  Coshocton  county, 
Ohio,  from  whence  he  came  to  Madison  county,  111.,  in  1839. 
Arriving  in  Alton  he  commenced  wrk  as  a  laborer,  but, 
upon  his  refusing  to  work  on  Sunday,  he  quit  his  employ- 
ment, and  moved  to  Godfrey,  where  he  became  foreman  on 
Godfrey's  farm,  a  place  he  held  for  years.  His  wife,  Lydia 
Widaman,  «as  a  native  of  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  she  was  born  March  8,  1818.  Her  father  was  a 
teacher — a  vocation  he  pursued  first  in  Germany,  then  in 
this  country.  On  the  first  of  March,  18-13,  she  and  Wil- 
liam Squire  were  united  in  marriage  by  Rev.  I.  B.  Randle, 
of  Edwardsville. 

James  Squire  received  a  fair  common-school  education, 
which  was  aided  by  attendance  at  Shurtleff  College.  It  is 
related  that  when  attending  school  taught  by  Miss  Corbett, 
he'and  his  brother  Frank  encountered  a  panther  in  their 
pathway.     Quite  terrified,  they  hurried   home,  telling  the 


story  to  their  parents,  who  thought  it  incredible ;  but  the 
following  day  parties  dispatched  the  monster,  and  established 
the  correctness  of  the  boys'  story.  During  the  war  James 
Squire  enlisted  in  the  service  of  the  United  States  in  the 
144lh  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers.  He  has  been  quite 
uniformly  engaged  in  farming  and  teaching.  In  both  pur- 
suits he  has  been  successful.  He  was  married  to  Mattie 
Braden,  March  25,  1874,  by  whom  he  has  two  children 
living,  Vinnie  Grace  and  Mattie  Pearl,  and  one  dead,  James 
William.  His  wife  died  May  14,  1882.  She,  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Isaac  Braden,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Nameoki  town- 
ship. 

Politically  he  is  an  earnest,  outspoken  Democrat;  is  a 
member  of  the  Democratic  Central  Committee  ;  was  elected 
supervisor  from  Godfrey  township  in  1877,  and  has  been  an- 
nually re-elected  ever  since.  When  it  is  considered  that 
this  is  a  Republican  stronghold  (Garfield's  majority  being 
66),  his  election  can  only  be  accounted  for  on  the  ground  of 
personal  popularity.  He  is  a  member  of  both  the  Masonic 
and  Odd  Fellow's  orders  ;  has  been  a  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  was  deputy  sheriff  under  R.  W.  Crawford  ;  has  taught 
thirteen  years,  and  is  at  present  principal  of  the  Godfrey 
school. 


520 


JIISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


WILLIAM  LINDLEY 
Was  born  in  Lincolnshire,  England,  May  10th,  1810.  His 
father,  George  Lindley,  was  a  mason  by  trade,  and 
brought  up  his  family  in  the  ways  of  industry.  At  the  age 
of  nineteen  years  William  came  to  America,  landing  at  first 
in  New  York  City.  Thence  he  went  to  Lowell,  Massachu- 
setts, where  he  engaged  his  services  in  print  works.  In  1839 
he  made  his  way  westward,  and  with  his  savings  entered 
laud  near  Carlinville,  Macoupin  county.  Breaking  prairie, 
howevi-r,  and  waiting  for  returns  until  a  farm  could  be  made 
was  too  slow  for  him,  hence  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  dairy  business.  Here  it  was  he  met 
Mary  C.  Straw,  now  his  surviving  widow.  Engaged  in  sell- 
ing milk  from  house  to  house  he  had  for  a  patron  a  family 
named  Paterson,  formerly  of  Quincy,  and  who  had  brought 
with  them  as  one  of  the  family  Mary,  to  whom  he 
was  married  November  22d,  1842.  She  was  born  in  Ger- 
many near  the  river  Rhine,  and  came  with  her  people  to 
America,  in  1823.  Her  family  located  first  in  Hamilton, 
Butler  county,  Ohio;  from  thence  she  went  with  a  sister  to 


Quincy,  Illinois,  and  then  to  St.  Louis  Together  they  con- 
tinued the  dairy  business  successfully  until  1851  when  they 
moved  to  Madison  county,  Illinois,  where  Mrs.  Lindley  yet 
lives.  There  were  born  to  them  in  all  eight  children,  seven 
of  whom  yet  live.  By  name  they  are  Sarah,  Mary  C , 
George,  William  E  Horace,  John  A.,  and  Samuel  S.  All 
are  straightforward,  honest  and  energetic  citizens  Dur- 
ing his  life  Mr.  Lindley  was  an  earnest  Republican  and  im- 
pressed that  political  doctrine  indelibly  upon  his  sons.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  Active  and  ener- 
getic, honest  and  frank,  ever  ready  to  help  a  friend  or  do  a 
kindness,  he  succeeded  well  in  life.  He  died  March  2d, 
1869.  His  widow,  a  woman  of  more  than  ordinary  business 
qualities,  survives  him  and  has  continued  farming  with 
great  success.  She  has  cleared  a  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  land  since  her  husband's  death,  and  bought  an  additional 
farm  in  Jersey  county.  She  relates  her  only  transac- 
tion whereby  she  made  money  without  work  as  being  the 
sale  of  gold  when  it  was  worth  two  hundred  per  cent,  at  a 
bank  in  Alton. 


■^^^€^^(^^^^- 


VENICE 


«— '-'»'i/B^0^^2/ia--» — • 


^  S  situated  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the 
county.  It  is  irregularly  shaped  because 
of  the  river  course  which  forms  its  western 
boundary.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Chouteau  township,  east  by  Naraeoki, 
south  by  St.  Clair  county  and  west  by  the 
State  of  Missouri,  from  which  it  is  separa- 
^  ^  ,  ,  ^  ted  by  the  Mississippi  river.  Geograph- 
,S  ically  it  embraces  township  3  north,  range 

10  west.  It  is  mostly  low  and  level  land, 
part  of  the  great  American  bottom.  Much  of  it  is  sandy, 
and  is  subject  to  overflow,  against  which  citizens  have  tried 
in  vain  to  protect  it.  Trending  north  and  south  at  a  short 
distance  from  the  river  bank  is  the  American  bottom  levee, 
built  for  the  protection  of  lands  from  overflow  of  the  ri\-er. 
Its  height  varies  from  three  to  twenty  feet.  Separated 
from  the  main  land,  by  a  slough  of  the  same  name,  is  Cabaret 
(French  tavern)  Island,  containing  in  all,  about  1,042  acres 
of  land.  Much  of  this  is  overgrown  with  willow  with  here 
and  there  a  sycamore,  soft  maple  or  other  wood.  The  acre- 
age embraced  in  Venice  township  is  nearly  eleven  sections, 
or  6,970   acres.     There  are  within    the  limits,  in  all,  over 


fourteen  miles  of  railroad  track,  divided  quite  equally  be- 
tween the  Chicago  and  Alton,  the  Indianapolis  and  St. 
Louis  and  Wabash,  St.  Louis  and  Pacific  railroads,  which 
run  parallel,  passing  diagonally  across  the  south-half  of  the 
township,  which  they  leave  on  section  13. 

Venice  township  was  settled  as  early  as  1804,  but  there 
are  only  meagre  traditional  accounts  of  such  settlements. 
A  few  years  afterward  several  families  located  here,  among 
them  George  Cadwell,  on  section  13,  and  George  Richard- 
son, on  the  same  section.  Robert  McDow,  Johu  Atkins, 
Daniel  Lockhart,  and  possibly  others,  were  all  here  prior  to 
the  war  of  1812.  George  Cadwell  was  a  live,  enterprising 
Yankee,  who  combined  the  practice  of  medicine  with  tilling 
the  soil.  In  1815  he  was  appointed  by  Ninian  Edwards, 
Governor  of  Illinois,  a  justice  of  the  peace.  He  brought 
with  him  a  family  of  three  daughters  and  a  son.  In  1818 
he  was  elected  a  Senator  to  the  First  General  Assembly  of 
Illinois.  Not  altogether  suited  with  this  section  of  country 
he  emigrated  to  Morgan  county  at  an  early  day,  George 
Richardson,  a  farmer,  a  friend  of  Cadwell's,  lived  near  him 
and  also  went  to  Morgan  county,  where  he  was  drowned  in 
Santa  creek,  near  Jacksonville,  during  a  freshet.     A  daugh- 


FARM  RESIDLNGE    OF  T  N  HARRIS,   SEC.Bo,  T.  6,  R  9   ( rOSTERBUBC  TP)  MADISON, CO.ILL. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


521 


ter  Nancy,  was  married  to  A-her  Cliaso,  an  eastern  man. 
This  was,  perhaps  the  first  niarriige  in  the  township  ;  that 
of  Moses  S''e(1s  to  ^Irs.  Mary  Wad  lie.  of  date  October  10, 
1818,  bpiug  the  second.  R  ibert  McDow,  a  Kentuckian, 
was  an  ejiterpri.'ing,  energetic  man,  and  had  a  large  family. 
He  was  the  first  to  erect  a  horse- raill,  which  he  did  on  section 
24.  Upon  leaving  the  country  to  go  north  he  disposed  of 
his  mill  to  Benjamin  Merritt.  John  Atkins  located  on  sec- 
tion 1,  prior  to  the  war  of  1812.  He  and  two  sons  were 
engaged  in  that  war  and  were  present  at  the  treaty  made  at 
Portage  des  Sioux,  a  short  distance  above  Alton,  on  the 
Missouri  side  of  the  Mississippi.  A  remarkable  fact  in  con- 
nection with  Atkins'  family  is  that  in  order  of  birth  they 
were:  William,  John,  Jr.,  Charles,  Everett  and  James,  and 
in  order  of  death  exactly  the  reverse,  James  being  the  first 
to  die,  then  Everett,  Charles,  John,  Jr.  and  William,  who 
lived  to  be  seventy  seven  years  of  age.  John  Atkins  was 
originally  from  Kentucky;  he  and  his  sons  were  all  large, 
able-bodied  men,  models  among  pioneers.  Daniel  Lockhart 
located  on  an  elevated  ridge,  a  short  distance  northwest  of 
where  now  stands  the  Venice  Elevator,  on  section  35.  At 
present  there  are  representatives  of  but  one  of  these  families 
living  within  the  limits  of  Madison  county, — that  of  John 
Atkins.  The  others  are  gone,  and  the  records  left  of  them 
areind.'ed  meagre.  A  little  later,  perhaps  in  1815,  came  a 
very  eccentric  pioneer,  John  Anthony,  by  name  He  was 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Dutch  stock.  His  was  the  first  house 
built  on  the  site  of  the  old  village  of  Venice,  and  was  of 
hewed  cotton-wood  timber.  Although  it  contained  but  one 
room,  Anthony  kept  lodgers  and  served  up  meals  to  travelers. 
Ou  a  shelf  was  the  bottle  a,lways  charged  with  "  aqua  mirac- 
ulous." He  kept  a  number  of  skiffs  which  he  hired  to 
parties  desiring  to  cross  the  river,  at  a  shilling  a  trip,  passen- 
gers doing  their  own  rowing.  Ou  section  25,  a  family  named 
Blum,  settled  about  the  same  time  of  Anthony's  coming. 
They,  too,  were  Pennsylvanians.  In  1818,  Abraham  Sippy, 
a  young  married  man,  came  from  Pennsylvania  to  try  his 
fortunes  in  the  then  "far  west."  Mr.  Sippy's  father  came  to 
this  country  a  soldier  under  Lafayette.  After  the  battle  at 
Yorktown  he  deserted  the  ranks,  determined  to  remain  here 
instead  of  returning  to  France.  His  name  was  Joseph 
Trimeau,  but  upon  determining  to  remain  in  America  he 
took  his  mother's  name  of  Sippy.  He  became  the  father  of 
seventeen  children.  Many  of  their  descendants  arc  scattered 
throughout  the  west,  and  are  energetic,  thrifty  citizens 
wherever  found. 

Anthony's  ferry,  operated  by  skifls,  after  a  few  years  time, 
proved  unequal  to  the  demands  made  upon  it,  whereupon 
Matthew  Kerr,  a  merchant  of  St.  Louis  (and  for  whomKerr's 
Island  was  named),  commenced  a  horse  ferry,  in  182G.  The 
boat  was  named  Brooklyn  Since  that  time  ferry-boats  have 
run  regularly  to  and  from  St.  Louis.  In  1842,  Lieutenant 
Robert  E.  Lee,  commander  in-chief  of  the  Confederate 
forces,  during  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  built  a  dike  running 
from  Kerr's  Island  to  the  head  of  Bloody  Island.  This 
necessitated  a  change  in  the  lauding  place  of  the"  Brooklj-u," 
and  the  company  operating  the  ferry  obtained  81,600  da- 
mages from  the  United  States  Government.  This  81,600 
71 


was  devoted  to  the  c^-nstruction  of  a  bridge  connecting 
Kerr's  Islanii  with  the  main  land.  The  national  road — the 
great  wagon  refute  connecting  the  east  with  the  west — termi- 
nated here,  and  across  Kerr's  Island,  about  a  third  of  a 
mile  north  of  the  present  elevator,  was  the  principal  street 
of  Venice.  The  "  National  Way,"  as  it  was  called,  was  a 
hundred  feet  wide.  It  soon  became  the  centre  of  a  large 
trade.  Two  hotels  ca'ered  to  the  wants  of  travelers  ;  two 
livery  stables  supplied  the  trade  with  horses  and  vehicles; 
three  general  stores  and  two  blacksmith  shops  completed 
the  business  industries-  One  of  the  stores,  kept  by  Peter 
Smith,  was  the  first  brick  building  erected  in  the  township. 
The  flood  of  1844  swept  everything  away  except  the  brick 
store  building,  a  livery  stable,  also  of  brick,  and  a 
part  of  one  of  the  hotels.  During  the  prevalence  of  the 
high  waters,  one  of  the  blacksmiths,  a  German,  in  a  fit  of 
desperation,  jumped  from  the  bridge  as  it  was  being  carried 
oflT  and  committed  suicide.  His  was  the  first  smithery  in 
the  township,  erected  in  1837.  As  soon  as  the  waters 
receded  the  work  of  repairing  commenced.  A  finer  bridge 
soon  spanned  the  slough,  and  business  revived.  Trade  was 
represented  by  Peter  Smith,  James  Morris  and  Charles 
Pearee,  enoraeed  in  general  merchandise.  All  went  well 
with  Venice  until  1S51,  when  high  waters  again  swept  her 
away.  iSIuch  of  the  beautiful  island  «as  carried  off,  so  that 
the  former  terminus  of  "  National  Way"  was  far  out  in  the 
Mississippi.  The  bridge  was  not  rebuilt.  A  solitary  brick 
building  remained  on  the  once  busy  site  of  Venice. — that  is 
now  gcme.  The  original  town  was  named  by  Dr  Cornelius 
Campbell,  of  St.  Louis,  a  gentleman  largely  interested  in 
the  old  ferry.  At  the  time  Venice  was  fir^t  attracting  at- 
tention in  1837.  a  pist-office  was  established  on  Cad  well's 
tract,  section  13,  called  Six  Mile.  It  was  first  kept  by 
Joseph  Squire;  he  was  proprietor  of  a  public  house,  called 
the  "  Western."  This  was  the  first  established  house,  wor.hy 
the  name,  in  the  township.  It  was  a  large  frame  building, 
and,  as  a  hotel,  was  quite  popular  with  stockmen  from  above 
Alton,  who  made  it  their  heaiquarters.  Large  numbers  of 
hogs  and  some  cattle  were  annually  driven  this  way  to  St. 
Louis,  following  what  was  called  the  slough  road  from  Alton. 
The  first  burial  ground  was  on  Cad  .cell's  tract,  and  his 
son,  Bach,  was  the  first  person  interred  therein.  The  exact 
date  is  impossible  to  obtain.  It  was,  however,  prior  to 
1820.  The  first  land  entries  were  by  John  Atkins,  Septem- 
ber 14,  1814,  north  fraction  i,  section  1,  43.8  acres;  George 
Richardson,  August  17,  1814,  southeast  fraction  section  12, 
361  acres;  William  Gillham,  August  15,  1814,  west  side 
southeast  i  section  13,78  acres,  and  Juhn  McDow,  August 
16,  1814,  several  acres  in  section  24.  Prior  to  any  of  these 
entries  there  were  numerous  claims  made.  Some  of  them 
by  heads  of  families,  on  account  of  actual  settlement,  others 
as  militia  claims,  consequent  upon  service  prior  to  1790. 
Among  the  first,  which  comprised  400  acres  each,  within  the 
limits  of  township  3  north,  range  10  west,  were  claim  1,865, 
by  Alexis  Bryalte,  in  1809,  to  whom  it  was  confirmed;  that 
of  Nicholas  Jarrot, situated  ou  the  banks  of  the  Mi.s^i-sippi, 
opposite  Cabarat  Island,  and  near  the  Kinder  Station,  and 
claim  637,  bv  James  Kinkead,  lying  within  sections  25  and 


522 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


26,   two   miles   above  Venice.     Among   claims   confirmed 
to  persons  founded  on  act  of  Congress,  granting  a  donation 
of  one  hundred  acres  of  land  to  each  militia  man  enrolled 
and  doing  duty  in  Illinois  on  the  1st  day  of  August,  ITStO, 
within  the  district  of  Kaskaskia,  were,  in  this  township:  — 
Claim  1,258,  Francis  Campeau,  confirmed  in  1809  to  Johi 
Rice  Jones,  survey  lies   in  sections  1    and   12;    claim  485, 
Pierre  Clement,  confirmed  to  John  Briggs,  on  the  bank  of 
the  Mississippi,  in  section  36,  extreme  southern  p  )int  of 
township.     Adjoining  claim  12.58,  were  claims  of  nine  other 
])arties,  by  name:  Pierre  Martin,  Jr.,  J.  B.  Raplais,  Jacque 
Mnlott,  Louis  Harmond,  Joseph   Poirer,  Dennis  Lavertue, 
Philip  de  Boeuf,  James  Lamarch  and  Constant  Longtemps. 
Ill  addition  to  these,  bearing  date   January  4,  1813,  among 
claims    granted   by  the   governors   of   the   northwest  and 
Indiana  territories,  in  pursuance  of  Act  of  the  3d  of  March, 
1791  (other  than  those  which  were  reported  in  the  affirmed 
]i.<t  of  the  late  board  of  commissioners  for  the  ditrict  of 
Ka.-kaskia),  and  which,  in  the  opinion  of  the  present  com- 
missioners,  ought  to   be   confirmed  is  claim   548,   original 
claimant,  Jean    Baptiste  Becket ;    confirmed    by  Governor 
Harrison  to  Etienne  Pencenneau    This  covers  a  part  of  the 
town  plat  of  Venice.  Evidences  are  not  wanting,  particularly 
in  sections  1  and  12,  to  prove  that  some  of  these  claimants 
or  their  representatives  were  the  first  settlers  of  this  town- 
chip      The  French  had  correct  ideas  of  how  to  settle  a  vast 
empire  when  they  followed  the  Mississippi  in  the  very  heart 
of  the  continent,  but  were  unable  through  paucity  of  num- 
bers, and  through  their  plan  of  living  in  stockaded  hamlets 
or  villages,  to  accomplish  their  purpose.    The  first  preaching 
was  by  Revs.  Chance  and  Jones,  two  Baptist  misssonaries, 
who  preached  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Cadwell  as  early  as  1812. 
George  Cadwell  was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace,  appointed 
in  1815,  by  Governor  Edwards.     A  Mr.  Hart  was  the  first 
constable.     The  '•  Little  Jim  "  was  the  first  steamboat  to 
ply  between  Kerr's  Island  and  St.  Louis. 

TOWN    OF   VEyiCE. 

A  straggling  village  was  commenced  on  the  island  op- 
posite the  present  village  soon  after  the  running  of  the  ferry- 
boat Brooklyn,  and  in  1841  the  name  of  Venice  was  given 
the  place  by  Dr.  Cornelius  Campbell,  who,  in  conjunction 
with  Charles  F.  Stamps,  laid  out  the  town.  It  was  made  a 
matter  of  record  November  22d,  1841.  Its  progress  and 
reverses  have  already  been  presented  up  to  its  complete  an- 
nihilation in  1851.  For  years  thereafter  its  growth  was 
slow.  June  24th,  1873,  an  election  was  held  to  determine 
whether  the  town  should  be  incorporated.  It  resulted  in 
seventy-nine  votes  for  and  one  against  incorporation.  Prior 
to  this  a  public  meeting  was  held  June  6th,  1873,  to  con- 
si. ler  the  propriety  of  an  incorporation  under  the  General 
Laws  of  the  State.  A  petition  was  drawn  up,  and  thirty- 
seven  residents  signed  it.  The  act  of  incorporation  was 
consummated  June  28,  1873,  and  Henry  Robinson,  Joseph 
Froehly,  Theodore  Selb,  Francis  McCambridge,  William 
R  iberts  and  John  Kaseberg  were  elected  members  of  the 
first  board   of   trustees  July  22d,  1873.     Henry  Robinson 


was  chosen  jresident,  and  Thomas  "W.  Kinder  secretary. 
At  present  the  members  are:  Henry  Robinson,  J.  Fxoehly, 
Theodore  Selb,  Fred  Kohl,  Frank  McCambridge.  Henry 
Robins  m.  president,  and  C.  S.  Youree,  clerk.  Several  of 
the  first  elected  members  have  served  continually  since. 
Under  the  management  of  the  Board  improvements  of  a 
valuable  character  in  the  way  of  grading  and  macadamizing 
have  been  set  on  foot  and  successfully  prosecuted.  The 
jSIethodist  Episcopal  church  building  was  erected  in  1870, 
at  a  ost  of  81,500.  Seating  capacity,  300.  Catholic 
church,  built  1881-'2,  is  an  attractive  house  of  public  wor- 
ship. Venice  has  long  been  proud  of  her  graded  school. 
The  building  occupies  a  pleasant  site,  half  a  mile  from  the 
principal  business  street  of  the  village,  and  is  a  handsome 
two  story  brick  edifice,  well  adapted  to  its  uses.  It  was 
erected  in  1868.  The  Venice  Elevator  was  erected  in  1871 
by  a  stock  company.  Messrs.  R.  P.  Tansey  and  John  J. 
Mitchell  were  the  prime  movers,  as  they  have  since  been 
the  earnest  ab-tturs  of  the  enterprise.  At  first  its  capacity 
was  300,000  bushels  grain.  During  the  year  1881  this  was 
doubled,  so  that  the  present  capacity  is  600.000  bushels. 
During  the  year  1881  over  3,000,000  bushels  wheat  were 
handled  here.  Its  accessibility  to  both  rail  and  river  will 
commend  it  to  shippers,  so  that  a  prosperous  future  awaits 
it. 

The  Venice  Branch  Union  Stock  Yards  were  established 
in  1874.  They  have  a  capacity  for  handling  ten  thousand 
head  of  hogs  and  five  thousand  head  of  cattle.  W.  A. 
Ramsay,  Manager ;  J.  J.  Fletcher,  Superintendent.  In  the 
matter  of  mills  Venice  has  been  unfortunate.  Bell  Bros., 
of  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  erected  an  extensive  saw-mill  on 
the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  on  the  original  town  site  of 
Venice,  in  1877.  It  had  a  capacity  for  rawing  from  eighteen 
to  twenty  thousand  feet  of  lumber  per  diem,  and  gave  em- 
ployment to  twenty-five  men.  In  1882  it  was  moved  to 
Memphis.  The  Venice  Flouring  Milh  were  built  by  Glenn 
Bros,  in  1871,  at  a  cost  of  822,000.  They  were  afterward 
doubled  in  capacity,  and  823,000  were  expended  in  addi- 
tional machinery  and  building.  They  had  five  run  of  burrs, 
and  were  capable  of  turning  out  tour  hundred  barrels  of 
flour  daily.  Keohler  Bros,  were  the  proprietors.  On  the 
13th  of  March,  1882,  they  were  entirely  destroyed  by  fire. 

GENERAL   BUSINESS. 

Dry  Goods'  Merchants. — Henry  Robinson  &  Co.,  Henry 
Rittmann. 

Druggists.— C.  S-  Youree,  Hermann  Wilfemeyer. 
Grocer;!.— Fred  Kohl,  Joseph  Froehly,  Henry  Robinson 
&  Co. 

Blacksmiths. — F.  Kiseberg,  Joseph  Froehly. 
Carpenters— Biirrel  Ogletree,  B.  V.  Merritt,  T.  L.  Con- 
ner, E.  Mott. 

Stoves  and  Tinware. — J.  H.  Puckhaber. 
j       Shoeni'iker. — F.  Brewer. 
1       Botd.—^Yil\is.m  H.  Sippy,  "  Union  House  " 
Phijdcia7i-s  — W.  H.  Grayson,  C.  S.  Youree. 
1        Postmaster. — James  B.  Pinckard. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


523 


SOCIETIES. 

Venice  Lodge  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  No  621,  was  instiiuted  Sep- 
tember 8, 1868,  by  David  Ryan.  Charter  members— Preston 
Bishop,  W.  Master ;  G.  N.  Keener,  Senior  Warden  ;  R.  J. 
Brown,  Junior  Warden ;  Eli  W.  Petteugill,  Secretary  ;  Calvin 
Kinder,  Trea-surer;  Jeptha  Smith,  Senior  Deacon;  Ben- 
jamin Woods,  Tyler;  Emit  Reif,  Junior  Deacon  ;  T.  J.  Irish, 
S.  T.  Beale.  Present  Officers— Fred  Kohl,  W.  M. ;  J.  S. 
Sippy,  S.  W. ;  Henry  Robinson,  J.  W. ;  H.  W.  Miller,  Sec. ; 
Henry  Rittmann,  Treas. ;  T.  P  McFee,  S.  D. ;  William  T. 
Black,  J.  D. ;  John  Braden,  Tyler. 

Aurora  Lodge,  Knights  of  Honor  No.  325,  instituted 
July  11, 1876,  by  members  of  the  Seymour  Lodge,  K.  of  H., 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  with  fourteen  charter  members:  C. S  Youree, 
John  F.  Richardson,  Fritz  Reiske,  Seaborn  Miller,  Burrell 
O^letree,  John  Ohrist,  Preston  Bishop,  William  Weyh, 
Alonzo  Towsey,  John  Ballet,  Frederick  Ibig,  D.  S.  Fries, 
D.  Fennell  and  I.  G.  Wright.  This  Lodge  has  sustained 
eight  deaths :  John  Ohrist,  Fritz  Ibig,  H.  Linkerman,  H. 
C.  Moss  (murdered),  August  Breathuhn,  Peter  Marks,  S. 
G.  Williams  and  E.  Hall.  Present  Officers-J.  T.  Rich- 
ardson, P.  D.  and  Rep. ;  B.  Ogletree,  D. ;  Charles  Spann, 
V.  D  ;  William  Weyh,  R. ;  R.  J.  Brown,  Chaplain.  The 
Lodge  is  in  a  flourishing  condition,  having  an  active  mem- 
bership of  forty-seven. 

Oak  Lodge,  K.  of  H.,  No.  1520,  was  organized  Match 
22d,  1879,  by  John  T.  Richardson,  D.  G.  D ,  with  fourteen 
charter  members.  Present  Officers — Walter  Bain,  P.  D. 
and  Rep. ;  Henry  W.  Miller,  Dictator  ;  D.  K.  Talley,  V. 
D. ;  F.  P.   McFee,  A.  V.  D  ;  Wm.  T.  Black,  R. ;  Jas.  B. 


Pinckard,  F.  R. ;  Dr.iV^.  H.  Grayson,  Treas.  and  Med.  Et. 
Its  present  membership  is  si.xty-seven. 

Local  Branch  No.  18,  Order  Iron  Hall,  was  organized 
July  28th,  1881,  with  twelve  charter  members:  Jas.  B. 
Pinckard,  C  J.  ;  Walter  Bain,  P.  C  J. ;  H.  W.  Muller, 
Acct. ;  W.  H.  Grayson,  Trea-s. ;  J.  T.  Richardson,  Adj. 
Its  object  is  similar  to  the  K.  of  H.,  offering  insurance. 
Members  are  paid  such  insurance  during  life. 

The  population  of  the  town  of  Venice,  according  to  the 
census  of  1880,  was  613.  Its  future  is  bright  with  promise. 
Its  railroad  facilities  are  constantly  being  increased.  Its 
manufactories  just  commencing  to  attract  attention,  will 
make  Venice  in  time  a  large  suburb  of  St.  Louis. 

The  town  of  Newport  was  laid  oS'  by  I.  W.  Blackman, 
of  St.  Louis,  Mo ,  and  plat  recorded  April  27,  1858.  It  is 
situated  on  Survey  604,  Claim  637,  or,  more  properly.  Sec- 
tion 26.  It  has  never  attracted  any  particular  attention, 
and  consists  of  a  few  dwelling-houses  only.  On  Section  24 
is  the  station  of  Kinder,  near  which,  on  S.  E  It  Sect.  13,  is 
a  neat  church  building,  now  occupied  by  the  Gsrman 
Lutherans  as  church  and  school-house.  It  was  erected  at 
first  as  a  school  building  by  special  legislation,  obtained 
through  the  efforts  of  Calvin  Kinder  and  others.  For 
a  time  it  was  used  as  intended,  for  school  purposes  and 
church  without  regard  to  sect,  but  passed  from  such  control 
into  the  hands  of  the  present  management.  It  is  a  brick 
building,  two  stories  high.  Since  the  inauguration  of  town- 
ship organization  in  1876,  Theodore  Selb  has  uninterruptedly 
represented  this  township  in  the  county  Board  of  Super- 
visors     The  population  of  the  township  in  ISSO  was  1120. 


-^=65je^:5<c^9^^- 


OLIVE. 


0  named  in  honor  of  the  Olive  family, 
who  were  early  settlers,  comprises  all  of 
town  six,  range  six.  It  is  bounded  on  the 
north  by  Macoui)in  county,  on  the  east 
by  New  Douglas,  on  the  south  by  Al- 
hambra,  and  on  the  west  by  Omph-Ghent 
township.  It  is  drained  by  Silver  creek 
and  its  tributaries,  flowing  princii)ally 
through  the  eastern  and  central  part. 
Along  this  stream  a  considerable  quan- 
tity of  timber  is  found.  The  soil  of  the  township  is  good 
and  in  a  fair  state  of  cultivation. 

The  first  settlers  were  Abiam  Carlock,  John  Herringtoii, 


SS^' 


James  Street,  James  Keown,  Thomas  Kimmett,  Samuel 
Voyles,  David  Hendershott,  and  Samuel  McKittrick,  who 
settled  here  in  1819,  and  prior  to  that  date.  Abram  Car- 
lock  was  the  first.  He  located  on  section  34  in  1817,  where 
he  lived  a  few  years  and  then  left.  His  cabin  stood  near  a 
spring,  on  the  north  and  west  sides  of  Silver  creek,  near  the 
bank  and  also  near  the  south  township  line.  He  made  a 
small  clearing  eait  of  the  cabin.  An  old  settler  says  that  in 
1833  saplings  as  large  as  a  man's  arm  had  grown  ou  his 
improvement. 

The  next  settler  was  John  Herrington,  Jr.  He  built 
quite  a  large  cabin  in  the  west  edge  of  the  township,  section 
7,  ill  1817.     It  had  no  opening  f)r  light,  except  the  door. 


524 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


This  was  made  out  of  heavy  puncheons  aud  swung  like 
double  barn  doors,  the  upper  part  bi'ing  left  open  for  light 
in  pleasant  weather.  When  securely  closed,  this  cabin  was 
inaccessible.  Herrington's  latch-string  seldom  hung  on  the 
outside.  lu  1819  he  sold  out  to  Samuel  McKittrick,  who 
entered  one  of  the  first  tracts  in  tiie  township,  Augu.«t  18, 
1819,  45  acres,  in  section  6  The  same  day,  James  Street 
entered  80  acres  in  section  36.  Mr.  McKittrick  planted  an 
■  orchard  on  the  Herrington  place  in  1819  or  '20,  and  a  tree 
that  he  set  out  has  attained  to  a  circumference  of  eight  feet 
eight  iuches,  and  is  in  bearing  at  this  writing.  In  1827 
Ephraim  Best,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  purchased  this 
place,  where  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death  in  1876 
His  widow  still  survives  him,  aged  seventy-eight,  and  lives 
on  the  old  place.  They  raised  a  family  of  ten  children,  six 
now  living.  He  acquired  a  good  properly  here.  In  the 
early  settlement  of  the  county,  he  was  Constable  for  several 
years.  For  a  long  period  of  time,  the  Methodists  held  their 
meetings  at  his  residence.  Among  the  early  preachers  were 
Ballard,  Renfro,  and  Collins.  Mrs.  Best  says  when  they 
settled  on  this  place,  the  first  house  on  the  road  to  Edwards- 
ville  was  that  of  Francis  Roach,  and  the  nest  was  on  the 
Barnett  place 

James  Street  located  on  section  36  as  early  as  1818.  He 
was  one  of  the  first  land-holders  in  the  township,  as  above 
stated.  He  made  a  small  improvement  here,  but  his  prin- 
cipal business  was  that  of  making  powder  and  combs  —  two 
articles  that  found  a  ready  market  among  the  pioneers. 
After  the  country  began  to  settle  up,  he  sold  out  and  left. 

The  first  settlements  in  the  northeast  part  were  made  by 
Samuel  Voyles  and  David  Hendershott,  in  1»18.  They 
built  cabins  near  each  other,  in  the  northwest  part  of  section 
13,  on  the  west  side  of  Silver  creek.  Voyles  was  from  South 
Carolina;  he  raised  quite  a  family  of  children,  and  resided 
here  until  his  death.  Robert  Y.  Voyles,  a  grandson,  is  the 
only  one  of  the  name  now  living  in  the  township.  Nancy 
Stephenson  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Voyles,  lives  in  the  settle- 
ment. Abel,  Henry  and  Samuel  H.  Voyles,  sons  of  Samuel 
Voyles,  improved  farms  in  the'  settlement,  where  they 
resided  until  their  deaths  ;  the  two  former  raised  families. 
Hendershott  lived  here  only  a  short  time,  and  then  moved 
to  Iowa. 

Thomas  Kimmett,  an  eastern  man,  located  on  the  south- 
west part  of  section  12,  in  1819,  where  he  lived  a  few  years, 
and  then  returned  to  the  east. 

James  Keown,  Sr.,  a  half-brother  to  John  Keown,  the 
father  of  Andrew  Keown,  settled  the  southeast  80  acres  of 
section  35,  as  early  as  1819.  He  afterward  removed  to 
Smart's  prairie,  where  he  died  in  1S61.  He  was  a  soldier  in 
the  war  of  1812,  and  was  in  the  engagement  of  New  Orleans. 
Wiley  Smart  located  south  of  the  Vincent  place,  a  short 
distance,  in  1819  or  '20.  Ishara  Vincent  went  from  North 
Carolina  to  Kentucky,  and  from  that  State  came  to  Madison 
county  in  1817,  and  was  one  of  the  well  known  old  citizens. 
He  first  stopped  in  the  vicinity  of  Troy,  where  he  taught 
one  of  the  early  schools.  After  three  years  he  came  into 
what  is  now  Olive  township,  and  settled  on  section  36,  now 
the  Ed.  Wardman  place.     He  erected  a  cabin  on  the  north 


bank  of  a  little  stream ;  his  hou?e  stood  due  north  of  where 
the  grave-yard  now  i-",  on  that  section.  Hi,  housa  was  on 
the  Hillsboro  and  St.  Louis  wagon-road,  and  for  years  this 
was  a  general  stopping-place.  He  kept  a  barrel  of  whiskey 
in  his  cabin,  aud  was  always  ready  to  supply  the  thirsty.  At 
his  cabin  for  many  years  the  votes  were  cast  for  Silver  creek 
precinct,  then  comprising  all  the  northeastern  part  of  the 
county.  In  the  early  times  it  was  the  custom  for  the  candi- 
dates to  attend  the  different  polls  and  treat  to  whiskey  and 
make  speeches,  and  on  some  occasions  election  day  was  a 
lively  one,  all  the  little  neighborhood  disputes  being  settled 
on  that  day,  generally  in  the  afternoon.  Vincent  had  a 
horse  mill,  with  a  bolting  chest,  for  a  number  of  years  in  the 
early  times,  and  made  a  good  quality  of  flour  for  that  day. 
He  was  a  "Hard-Shell  Baptist,"  and  for  many  years  meet- 
ing was  conducted  at  his  residence.  William  Jones,  Thomas 
Ray,  and  James  Street  were  the  early  preachers.  For  many 
years  he  filled  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace.  He  resided 
on  the  place  he  improved  here  until  his  death,  February  26, 
1846,  aged  seventy-seven  years.  His  wife  survived  him  only 
eleven  days,  and  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years.  They 
had  a  family  of  eight  children.  Four  daughters  grew  to 
womanhood,  viz.,  Elizabeth,  who  married  Peter  Long  ;  Mary, 
who  married  John  Keown ;  Barbara,  who  married  William 
W.  Pearce,  and  Martha,  who  married  Isaac  W.  Pearce,  who 
is  now  dead  ;  her  present  husband  is  William  Eves. 

The  grave-yard  south  of  the  Vincent  place  was  started  by 
the  Vincent  family,  Edwin,  a  son,  being  the  first  buried  there, 
about  the  year  1S24. 

James  S.  Breath  located  in  section  36,  among  the  early 
settlers,  where  he  entered  80  acres.  He  lived  here  some 
time,  and  then  went  into  the  Marine  settlement.  John  W. 
Keown  came  out  with  his  brother  Andrew,  in  1825';  he  after- 
ward married  Polly's^.  Vincent,  daughter  of  Isham  Vin- 
cent, and  settled  a  place  in  sectiou  25,  where  he  improved  a 
farm  and  resided  until  his  death.  He  raised  a  family  of 
four  children — Larkin  C,  Isham,  Margaret,  who  married 
Matthias  Pearce,  and  John,  all  now  deceased  but  Larkin  C, 
who  is  a  well-known  citizen  of  Edwardsville.  Thomas 
Porter  Keown  settled  east  of  his  brother  John's  on  section 
25,  where  he  improved  a  farm  and  resided  until  his  death, 
in  the  fall  of  1867.  Previous  to  his  locating  here,  he  lived 
for  a  time  in  what  is  now  Alhambra  township.  His  family 
that  grew  to  manhood  and  womanhood,  were  William  H., 
Margaret,  who  married  Jesse  Olive,  Alfred,  who  died  in  the 
late  war,  Sinai,  who  married  Joseph  Ricks,  and  Mary,  who 
became  the  wife  of  Thomas  Tabor.  Robert  Keown  settled 
in  the  edge  of  the  timber  southwest  of  Lewis  Ricks'  place,  in 
1*^29,  where  he  resided  until  his  death  in  1856.  He  raised 
only  two  children  that  lived  to  rear  families,  Hester,  who 
married  S.  H.  Farris,  and  Robert.  The  Keowns  all  came 
to  this  their  new  country  on  pack-horses.  Robert  and  his 
wife  came  through  in  the  dead  of  winter.  They  were  a 
young  married  couple,  having  started  immediately  after  the 
nuptial  knot  was  tied.  After  his  death,  she  became  the 
second  wife  of  Lewis  Ricks.  Her  death  occurred  July  1, 
1875,  at  a  good  old  age. 

Tobias  Reaves,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  came  here  in 


'^^. 


W^ 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


525 


1828,  and  bought  a  small  improvement  started  by  a  man 
named  Ringo,  iu  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  36.  Reaves 
lived  here  many  years.  He  died  at  his  son's,  Wesley 
Reaves,  in  New  Douglas,  October,  1876.  His  wife  preceded 
him  several  years.  They  raised  a  family  of  nineteen  chil- 
dren, five  now  living.  Wesley  is  the  only  one  of  the  family 
residing  in  the  county.  At  the  residence  of  Tobias  Reaves 
the  Methodists  held  their  early  meetings. 

Peter  Long  improved  a  place  iu  the  southeast  quarter  of 
section  25.  He  was  a  minister  of  the  Baptist  denomination, 
and  is  often  spoken  of  in  this  work  as  one  of  the  early 
preachers.  He  was  four  times  married,  and  now  lives  at 
Old  Ripley,  Bond  county,  a  very  old  man,  but  still  con- 
tinues to  preach. 

Elisha  Sackett  was  one  of  the  early  settlers.  He  never 
owned  any  land,  but  lived  here  until  about  thirty-two  years 
ago.  Nine  of  his  descendants  are  now  residents  of  the 
county.  Joel  Ricks  was  married  in  Kentucky  to  Miss  Ellen 
Martin  ;  he  came  here  in  1829,  and  located  in  section  34,  iu 
the  edge  of  the  prairie,  northwest  quarter,  where  he  resided 
until  1845.  He  then  joined  the  Mormons,  went  to  Nauvoo, 
111.,  and  subsequently  to  Utah,  where  he  now  lives.  Lewis 
Ricks,  one  of  the  old  residents  of  this  township,  was  born  in 
Nash  county.  North  Carolina,  October,  1800.  His  father, 
Jonathan  Ricks,  emigrated  to  Christian  county,  Kentucky, 
since  cut  oft'  into  Trigg  county,  in  the  year  1802,  where  he 
lived  and  died.  Lewis  married  Miss  Mary  Anderson,  in 
Stewart  county,  Tennessee,  and  in  the  fall  of  1833  came  to 
Madison  county,  and  the  following  year  built  a  cabin  on 
section  26,  where  he  has  continued  to  live.  He  has  been 
twice  married,  and  raised  a  family  of  ten  children  by  his 
first  wife,  three  of  whom  are  now  living,  viz..  Temperance, 
Alfred  and  Virgil.  The  two  sous  are  farmers  of  the  town- 
ship. The  daughter  married  James  Pearce,  and  now  resides 
in  Kansas.  Mr.  Ricks  for  many  years  was  deputy  county 
surveyor.  He  taught  school,  at  an  early  day,  in  a  school- 
house  that  was  built  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  26. 
John  W.  Reynolds  was  the  first  to  teach  in  this  building. 
Mr.  Ricks  represented  his  county  in  the  State  Legislature 
of  1857.  He  has  acquired  sufficient  of  this  world's  goods  to 
ease  his  declining  years,  and  is  now  quite  an  old  man,  well 
preserved  in  body  and  mind,  for  one  of  his  age.  John 
Hoxsey  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  came  to  Madison 
county  in  1817.  His  wife,  Mary  Martin,  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky, emigrated  in  1819.  Mr.  Hoxsey  was  the  father  of 
John  F.  Hoxsey,  who  is  a  farmer  and  stock-raiser,  now 
residing  in  section  32.  His  wife,  Elizabeth  Spangle,  is  a 
native  of  Tippecanoe  county,  Indiana. 

Abel  Olive  married  Elizabeth,  a  sister  of  Joel  Ricks,  and 

the  brothers-in-law  came  to  this  township  together.     Olive 

located  northeast  of  Ricks,  a  short  distance,  on  what  is  now 

the  William  Olive  place,  where  he  resided  until  his  death, 

72 


leaving  a  family  of  six  children,  all  married  and  settled  in 
life,  viz  ,  Jesse,  Joel  H.,  Jonathan,  Frank,  William,  and 
Charity,  who  married  Henry  Tabor.  The  old  gentleman 
filled  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  many  years,  and  lived 
the  life  of  a  much  respected  citizen.  John  Olive,  a  brother, 
was  one  of  the  early  settlers,  but  lived  in  the  township  only 
a  short  time.  For  some  years  he  followed  tailoring  in  Ed- 
wardsville  and  Alton.  Subsequently  he  studied  and  began 
the  practice  of  medicine,  and  now  lives  in  Staunton,  Illinois. 
James  Olive  came  to  Alton  in  1833.  He  was  then  a  boy 
si.xteen  years  of  age.  The  following  spring  he  came  to  this 
township,  and  shortly  afterward  married  the  widow  of 
James  Tabor.  She  was,  before  this  marriage,  Sinia  JIartin, 
of  Kentucky,  and  had  one  child  by  James  Tabor,  now  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Ann  Lyon.  After  Mr.  Olive's  marriage,  he  began 
farming  on  his  wife's  place  in  section  22,  where  he  resided 
until  1845  or  46.  They  then  sold  their  home  here  and  went 
to  Nauvoo,  Hancock  county,  Illinois,  and  located  north  of 
that  place,  where  they  continued  to  reside  until  the  Mormon 
trouble,  when  he  returned  to  xMadison,  and  bought  the  place 
where  he  now  resides,  of  his  nephew,  Je.sse  Olive.  He  had 
the  misfortune  to  lose  his  wife  in  April,  18G4.  The  follow- 
ing November  he  married  Mrs.  Mary  Shumate,  widow  of 
Michael  Shumate.  Mr.  Olive  has  raised  quite  a  large 
family,  and  as  a  farmer  has  been  successful  in  life.  For 
many  years  he  has  filled  the  offices  of  Justice  of  the  Peace 
and  Supervisor  of  the  township.  John  A.  Wall,  as  early 
as  1830  or  '31,  settled  the  James  H.  Meyers  place,  where  he 
lived  for  several  years.  He  then  sold  his  improvements  to 
James  Keown,  who  located  here  and  resided  until  his  death. 
He  lived  the  life  of  a  bachelor,  his  widowed  sister,  Mrs. 
Margaret  Embrey,  keeping  his  house.  Sackett  settled  the 
Francis  place,  and  Jarrett  Cudd,  from  Trigg  county, 
Kentucky,  the  place  just  north,  in  section  23,  about  1832. 
John  Coleson,  from  the  same  county,  came  in  1834,  and 
located  on  the  west  side  of  section  14,  where  he  improved  a 
good  farm  ;  he  now  resides  with  his  children.  The  following 
gentlemen  have  represented  the  township  in  the  Board  of 
Supervisors:  James  Olive,  elected  in  1876,  was  re-elected 
each  succeeding  year  to  1882;  he  was  Chairman  of  the 
Board  in  1880-'81.  James  McKittrick  was  elected  in  1882, 
and  is  the  present  incumbent.  The  first  school  on  the  west 
side  of  Silver  creek,  in  the  south  part  of  the  township,  was 
taught  in  an  abandoned  cabin  on  section  34,  by  Matilda 
Thompson.  The  grave-yard  on  the  north  side  of  section  34, 
on  the  William  Olive  place,  was  started  in  1834,  the  first 
grave  being  dug  for  the  remains  of  George  W.  Olive,  son  of 
Abel  Olive.  Toe  Christian  church  on  section  34  was  erected 
in  1862 ;  it  is  a  neat  frame  church,  and  is  now  attended  by 
a  good,  liberal  congregation.  The  Lutheran  church  on 
section  18  was  built  in  1870. 


FOSTERBURG. 


HE  Township  of  Fosterburg  is  situated 
in  the  northwestern  portion  of  the  county, 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Jersey  and 
Macoupin  counties  ;  east  by  Moro ;  south 
by  Wood  River,  and  west  by  Godfrey. 
It  comprises  all  of  town  6,  range  9  west, 
being  the  northern  tier  of  fractional 
sections.  The  lands  are  drained  by  the 
West  and  East  Forks  of  Wood  River  and  their  tributa- 
ries ;  the  former  entering  the  township  in  the  northwest 
corner,  passing  in  a  southpasterly  direction,  leaving  it 
on  section  thirty-two  ;  and  the  latter  entering  in  the 
northeast  corner,  meandering  in  a  southwesterly  course, 
passing  out  on  .section  thirty-five.  These  streams  furnish 
a  good  system  of  drainage,  and  give  an  abundant  supply 
of  water  for  stock  purposes.  The  surface  is  generally 
quite  broken,  and  on  approaching  the  streams,  in  many 
places,  it  becomes  very  rugged.  About  three-fourths  of  this 
township  was  originally  covered  with  timber,  the  greater 
portion  of  which  has  been  cleared  and  made  into  beautiful 
and  productive  farms.  The  soil  is  rich  and  well  adapted  for 
the  growing  of  all  the  cereals. 

It  is  impossible  to  ascertain,  at  this  writing,  when  or  by 
■whom  the  first  settlements  in  Fosterburg  township  were 
made.  We  are  informed  by  some  of  the  oldest  settlers, 
that  when  they  arrived,  there  were  several  small  log-cabins 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  township,  which  had  been 
deserted  by  some  hardy  pioneers  who,  no  doubt,  became  dis- 
sati.-fied  with  the  location,  and  plunged  deeper  into  the  wil- 
derness. 

It  is  related  that  Joseph  S-  Reynolds  was  the  first  settler, 
and  there  is  a  good  foundation  for  the  assertion.  We  find 
in  the  records,  October  11th,  1814,  that  Joseph  S.  Reynolds 
entered  thirty-one  acres  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  the 
southeast  quarter,  and  forty  acres  in  the  southeast  quarter  of 
the  southeast  quarter  section  thirty-three.  This  was  the 
first  land  entry  made  in  this  township.  Reynolds  lived 
here  until  about  1822,  when  he  moved  to  Godfrey  township, 
and  afterward  went  to  Greene  county,  in  this  State. 

Orman  Beeman  stopped  and  made  some  improvements 
on  section  28,  just  south  of  the  Wood's  place,  in  1816,  and 
remained  there  until  1828.  A  man  by  the  name  of  Honey- 
cutt  was  a  very  early  settler.  He  located  on  a  small  branch 
of  the  West  Fork  of  Wood  river,  which  has  ever  since  been 
known  as  Honeycutt  creek.  About  the  same  time,  James 
Dabbs  settled  on  another  branch,  a  mile  northwest  from 
Honeycutt,  which  has  since  been  knoivn  as  Dabbs'  creek. 
526 


He  left  about  the  same  time,  and  probably  with  Honeycutt. 
An  old  lady,  known  as  "  Granny  McAfee,"  settled  on  section 
28  in  1816,  and  she  and  her  family  remained  here  four  or 
five  years,  and  moved  to  Greene  county.  William  R. 
Rhodes  entered  and  settled  the  Wood's  place  in  1818  or  '19, 
and  sold  it  to  Joshua  Wood  in  1821.  October  11th,  1820, 
there  were  four  more  land  entries  made  in  this  township,  by 
Lorenzo  Edwards,  Daniel  Wagoner,  William  W.  Gallop  and 
Jacob  Deck.  William  Edwards  entered  the  east  half  of 
the  southwest  quarter  of  section  thirty-three,  80  acres.  He 
lived  here  but  a  short  time.  Mr.  Wagoner  entered  160 
acres  in  section  thirty-five.  This  settlement  was  made  on 
the  Gulp  place.  He  was  a  single  man,  and  remained  there 
for  a  short  period.  William  W.  Gallop  entered  the  east 
half  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  thirty-one,  80  acres. 
It  is  not  known  that  he  ever  lived  here.  Jacob  Dt  ck  en- 
tered 160  acres,  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  thirty-five, 
and  was  the  first  permanent  settler  in  the  township.  As 
above  stated,  this  was  in  1820.  John  and  Isaac,  brothers 
of  Jacob  Deck,  were  also  early  settlers  in  the  neighborhood. 
These  families  were  all  quite  large,  and  a  number  of  their 
descendants  are  yet  living  in  the  county  and  in  the  state. 

Green  W.  Short,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  came  to  Illinois  in 
the  fall  of  1818,  and  located  in  the  Wood  river  settlement, 
where  he  remained  for  two  years,  when  he  purchased  the 
claim  of  Abram  Sells,  on  section  thirty-four  of  Fosterburg 
township,  where  he  remained  until  his  death.  He  had  a 
family  of  seven  children,  only  one  of  whom  is  now  living — 
Perry  W.  Short — on  the  old  homestead.  He  was  born  here 
in  1826. 

James  Dooling  was  another  very  early  settler,  a  native  of 
Ireland,  and  left  his  native  country  for  America  in  April, 
1818.  He  landed  in  New  York  city  in  July  and  came 
directly  to  this  county,  arriving  at  Edwardsville  in  the  fall 
of  1818.  In  the  spring  of  1819  he  moved  with  his  fiimily, 
and  settled  in  Greene  county,  where  he  remained  until  the 
spring  of  1821,  when  he  returned  to  Madison  county,  and 
purchased  a  small  improvement  of  George  Wood,  in  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  thirty-four,  in  Fosterburg  town- 
ship. He  soon  afterward  entered  80  acres  adjoining  his 
purchase.  Mr.  Dooling  continued  to  reside  here  until  his 
death,  in  1845  He  had  a  family  of  six  children,  four  of 
whom  are  now  living,  viz :  Edmund,  Elizabeth,  widow  of 
Christopher  Coyne,  living  in  Alton ;  Catharine,  wife  of  John 
S.  Titchenal,  in  Macoupin  county  ;  and  John,  in  Grundy 
county.  Edmund  Dooling  was  born  in  this  township,  Oct. 
4,  1824,  and  has  always  lived  on  the  old  homestead.     He  is 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


527 


among  the  best  citizens  of  the  county,  and  haa  held  several 
offices  of  trust  in  his  township,  and  was  several  times  elected 
to  represent  Fosterburg  in  the  board  of  supervisors. 

Oliver  Foster  was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  and  mar- 
ried a  Massachusetts  lady.  They  emigrated  to  Illinois,  and 
settled  at  Alton  iu  January,  1819,  and  from  there  moved  to 
this  township  iu  1825,  making  his  home  one  mile  north  of 
the  village  of  Fosterburg,  iu  section  eleven.  Mr.  Foster 
entered  the  land  upon  which  he  located:  It  had  been  im- 
proved, however,  by  a  squatter  named  Blackburn.  The 
ruins  of  the  log  cabin,  which  had  been  partially  destroyed 
by  fire,  could  be  seen  for  some  time  after  their  arrival.  Mr. 
Foster  remained  on  this  place  until  his  death  in  1855.  He 
had  a  family  often  children,  all  of  whom  lived  to  maturity, 
and  five  are  yet  living,  viz:  Oliver  P.,  who  resides  in  Fos- 
terburg ;  Alonzo,  at  New  Douglas  ;  Aurora  B.,  the  wife  of 
Jonathan  L  Woods,  in  Macoupin  county ;  James  Monroe, 
in  Macoupin  ;  and  Ruse  V.,  widow  of  Richard  Jenkinsou. 
The  township  and  town  of  Fosterburg  are  named  after  Oliver 
P.  Foster. 

William  E  Hill,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  emigrated  to 
Illinois  in  the  spring  of  1830.  He  stopped  one  summer  in 
St.  Clair  county,  and  then  entered  and  settled  on  160  acres 
of  land  in  section  twenty-six,  and  has  lived  there  ever  since. 
Mr.  Hill  is  among  the  oldest  and  best  citizens  of  to-day. 

John  Vanuatta,  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  came  west,  and 
settled  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  twfenty-one,  in 
1832,  where  he  still  resides,  at  the  age  of  77  years.  He 
reared  a  family  of  ciiildren,  some  of  whom  are  now  residing 
iu  the  state,  and  one  in  this  county,  the  wife  of  C.  C.  Brown, 
in  Fosterburg 

Joseph  Sherfy  was  born  in  Tennessee,  and  settled  in  Wood 
River  township  in  1823,  where  he  resided  about  two  years, 
and  moved  to  Missouri.  Remaiued  iu  that  State  until 
183+,  when  he  returned  to  Madi.sou  county,  and  located  in 
Fosterburg  township,  where  he  has  since  continued  to  reside. 
In  digging  the  cellar  for  his  residence  on  section  sixteen,  he 
came  upon  what  was  evidently  an  old  burying-ground, 
Some  of  the  bones  were  still  almost  perfect,  and  seemed 
much  larger  than  those  of  our  race.  Richard  Jones,  another 
old  settler,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  came  to  Illinois  in  1834, 
lived  part  of  his  time  in  this  township,  and  died  here.  His 
son,  James  Jones,  is  an  old  and  influential  citizen,  still  liv- 
ing. 

William  Dillon,  an  Ohioan,  located  within  about  one  mile 
of  Fosterburg,  on  section  23,  where  he  entered  land,  reared 
a  family,  and  is  at  present  living  retired  in  Fosterburg  with 
his  children.  His  brother,  John  D.  Dillon,  a  native  of  the 
same  state,  settled  in  the  township  in  1837  He  had  the 
first  blacksmith  shop  in  Fosterburg  township.  It  was 
located  on  section  23.  His  wife,  Nancy  Preuitt,  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Solomon  Preuitt,  born  in  this  county  in  1826. 

George  Wood,  the  father  of  Joshua  Wood,  whose  name  is 
familiar  to  all  the  older  citizens,  entered  land  in  the  north- 
east quarter  of  section  thirty  four,  about  1821.  He  was  a 
carpenter  by  trade,  and  was  not  a  permanent  resident. 

Joshua  Wood  settled  in  this  township  on  section  28,  where 
he  resided  until  his  death,  November  11,  1865,  in  the  57th 


year  of  his  age.  He  had  a  family  of  ten  children,  four  of 
whom  are  still  living.  His  widow  still  survives,  residing  on 
the  old  homestead,  in  the  71st  year  of  her  age,  and  is  still 
hale  and  hearty.  She  is  a  daughter  of  James  Huston,  an 
old  resident  of  the  county,  who  was  a  native  of  Christian 
county,  Kentucky,  and  came  from  there  to  Alton,  May  22, 
1819.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  moved  out  into  Wood 
River  township,  on  the  place  owned  by  Capt.  Abel  Moore, 
where  he  lived  for  about  three  years,  then  entered  the  south- 
west quarter  of  section  32,  and  lived  there  until  the  fall  of 
1835,  when  he  moved  and  settled  near  Shipman,  where  he 
died  Nov.  12,  1846.  His  widow  survived  until  1856.  He 
had  a  family  often  children,  only  two  of  whom  are  living — 
Sarah,  the  widow  of  Joshua  AVood,  above  mentioned ;  and 
Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  George  N.  Sapping,  residing  in  Iowa. 
The  Nichols,  John  Young,  Alexander  Hart,  James  Dren- 
nen,  William  and  Mark  Crowder,  William  England,  Samuel 
S.  Wilson,  David  Hill,  Asa  Brooks,  Alford  AUford,  Ran- 
som  Chandler,   Thomas  Eaton,  James  Reading  the  Titch- 

enals,   David   Rodden,   Nelson,   David   Jones,  Hugh 

Jones,  and  James  Bevill  were  also  among  the  early  residents 
of  the  township.  Mrs.  Susannah  Thompson  is  a  daughter  of 
Ransom  Chandler,  and  came  to  this  county  in  18:-!9.  Her 
first  husband,  Eldred  Foster,  was  born  in  Madison  county 
in  1821 ;  and  Jacob  Thompson,  her  second  husband,  was  an 
Ohioan,  and  came  here  in  1834.  Hazel  Luman,  residing  on 
section  25,  is  an  old  resident,  and  came  here  from  Kentucky 
in  1828.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Williams,  was 
born  in  this  county  in  1833.  Mrs.  Nancy  Cavault,  formerly 
the  wife  of  John  Deck,  became  a  resident  of  Madison  county 
in  1817.  She  is  now  residing  with  her  husband,  Abraham 
Cavault. 

The  first  graveyard  was  that  located  on  the  Jacob  Deck 
place.  The  next  was  the  Short  graveyard,  now  incorporated 
as  a  cemetery,  and  named  "  Delraont."  Mrs.  Jacob  Deck, 
jr.,  a  daughter  of  Green  W.  Short,  was  the  first  person  buried 
there.  Members  of  the  Wood  family  were  also  buried  in 
the  old  part  of  the  cemetery. 

School  was  first  taught  in  a  log  house,  built  on  Perry  W. 
Short's  place,  on  section  thirty-four,  iu  1832.  It  was  used  a 
short  time  for  both  school  and  church  purposes.  The  ear- 
liest Sunday-school  was  organized  in  it.  The  logs  of  this 
house  were  subsequently  moved  from  there  and  used  in  the 
construction  of  J.  M.  Cooper's  residence.  There  are  now 
seven  school  districts,  and  one  fractional,  in  Fosterburg^ 
all  of  which  have  neat  and  substantial  houses,  where  school 
is  taught  the  greater  part  of  the  year. 

The  old  Antioch  church  was  the  first  house  of  worship  in 
Fosterburg  township.  It  was  a  log  structure,  neither  chinked 
nor  daubed,  erected  in  the  latter  part  of  1832.  There  was 
afterward  a  frame  church  erected  at  the  same  place,  which 
was  destroyed  by  fire  iu  1863.  These  were  built  by  the 
Christian  denomination. 

There  have  been  only  three  attempts  made  at  building 
mills  in  this  township,  the  first  being  erected  by  Samuel 
and  William  Dillon,  on  section  23,  in  1834.  It  was  a  saw- 
mill. The  second  was  to  be  a  flouring  mill  ;  it  was,  how- 
ever, only  partially  completed  when  it  was  destroyed  by  fire 


528 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Thomas  Titchcnal  is  operating  a  saw-mill  at  present  in  Fos- 
terburg. 

The  first  post-office  was  establisheJ  duriug  the  days  of 
stages,  on  the  Springfield  road,  half  a  mile  north  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Fosterburg.     John  Nichols  was  the  first  post-master. 

There  is  an  abundance  of  coal  underlying  the  whole  sur- 
face of  Fosterburg  township,  and  several  mines  have  been 
opened  and  worked  to  a  limited  degree,  to  supply  only  the 
local  demands.  The  vein  averages  about  four  and  a-half 
feet  in  thickness,  and  is  found  from  sixty  to  eighty  feet  be- 
low the  surface.  There  are  at  present  three  mines  in  opera- 
tion, worked  by  the  following  parties:  John  Hill,  William 
Challingsworth  and  John  Hankhaus,  all  located  on  section 
26,  and  worked  by  shaft  with  horse-power. 

The  inhabitants  of  Fosterburg  township  are  an  enterpris- 
ing and  intelligent  people,  who  are  using  their  united  efforts 
to  advance  the  township  in  wealth  and  prosperity.  They 
are  almost  all  of  the  agricultural  class,  industrious  and 
l)ains-taking,  and  their  improvements  are  equal  to  any  in 

the  county.  ,1^1 

There  have  been  only  two  gentlemen  who  have  had  the 
honor  of  representing  this  township  in  the  board  of  super- 
visois— Edmund  Dooling  and  John  S.  Gulp.  Mr.  Dooling 
was  eleced  in  1876,  and,  by  re-election,  served  until  1881, 
when  Mr.  Gulp  was  elected,  and  has  ever  since  continued  in 
that  position. 

The  township,  including  the  village  of  Fosterburg,  has  a 
population  of  1,652  souls. 

FOSTERBURG, 

Is  a  little  village  situated  in  the  southwest  quarter  of  secti.m 
14,  and  was  laid  out  by  Oliver  P.  Foster,  the  proprietor. 
The  plat  was  recorded  in  the  office  of  the  county  clerk,  Oct. 
12,  1»57.  It  was  first  called  "  Foster,"  but  when  applica- 
tion for  a  post  office  was  made  in   1858,  it  was  found  that 


there  was  another  office  of  the  same  name,  and  the  "  burg  " 
was  attached.  C.  F.  Lobbig  has  had  the  honor  of  being 
post  master  ever  since  the  office  was  established.  The  first 
dwelling,  house  was  erected  by  Kansom  Ghandler.  G.  F. 
Lobbig  opened  the  first  store. 

This  neat  village  contains  several  very  good  residences 
and  business  buildings.  The  principal  street  has  good  plank 
sidewalks,  and  is  kept  up  in  nice  style.  The  place  is  a  great 
convenience  to  the  citizens  of  the  township.  It  contains 
three  brick  churches, — the  German  Presbyterian,  erected  in 
1858  ;  the  German  Baptist,  in  1 865,  and  the  German  Method- 
ist, erected  in  1864.  The  district  school-house  located  in 
Fosterburg,  is  a  brick  structure,  one  story  high,  with  a  frame 
addition.     It  employs  two  teachers. 

PRESENT   BUSINESS. 

Physician. — Fred.  Halsey. 

General  Stores. — G.  F.  Lobbig  and  Ernst  Greible.. 

Blacksmith  Shops. — Jacob  Hoffer,  John  Ost,  and  Nicholas 
Ost. 

Painter. — Simon  Koeppe. 

Shoemaker. — Jacob  Luft. 

Saloons. — Ramers  Bros.,  John  G.  Gregory. 

Fosterburg  Cemdiry  was  originally  a  private  burying 
ground.  John  G.  Young  and  Thomas  Eaton  each  donated 
a  fraction  of  an  acre,  after  which  it  was  used  by  the  public 
until  1873,  when  an  association  was  organized  and  a  charier 
obtained  under  the  general  law  for  a  cemetery.  The  associ- 
ation purchased  more  laud,  added  to  it,  and  made  consider- 
able improvements.     The  village  has  130  inhabitants. 

wood's   station, 
Is  located  on  section  29,  on  the  line  of  the  Ghicago,  Bur- 
lington and  Quincy   railroad,  which  passes  from  north  to 
south  through  the  western  part  of  the  township.     It  is  a 
great  convenience  to  the  people  in  that  neighborhood. 


•■e^^gt^3?C^$=^^- 


BIOGRAPHY. 


WILLIAM  E.  HILL 


Was  born  in  Livingstone  county,  Kentucky,  on  the  11th 
day  of  January,  1807,  being  the  fourth  child  in  a  family  of 
eight  children,  of  whom  five  were  boys  and  three,  girls. 
Their  father,  David  Hill,  was  a  native  of  North  Garolina, 
who  removed  to  Kentucky,  and  settled  on  a  farm,  near  the 
close  of  the  last  century.  W.  E.  Hill,  when  a  youth,  at- 
tended school ;  but  the  facilities  fi  r  learning  were  so  slight 
that  he  reached  the  age  of  manhood  before  making  much 


progress  in  the  art  of  reading  or  writing.  Upon  leaving 
school  he  worked  upon  his  father's  farm,  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two,  married  Miss  Mirtha  Wilson,  the  daughter  of 
a  neighboring  farmer.  For  a  brief  period  after  marriage, 
he  remained  located  upon  a  portion  of  his  father's  farm, 
and  then  removed,  with  his  young  wife,  to  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois, and  settled  on  a  farm  in  the  northern  part  "f  St.  Clair 
county,  a  little  south  of  the  town  of  Golliusville.     Here  Mr. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


529 


Hill  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  h'9  wife,  who  died,  leaving 
one  son,  named  Anthony,  who  lived  to  the  age  of  fifty. 
One  year  later,  in  1831,  Mr.  Hill,  not  being  satisfied  with 
the  location,  removed  to  Madison  county,  and  settled  upon 
a  half  section  of  land  in  what  is  now  Fosterburg  township. 

About  the  year  1835,  Mr.  Hill  again  married.  The  name 
of  his  second  wife  was  Mary  Brooks,  daughter  of  Asa 
Brooks,  of  Fosterburg,  and  formerly  of  New  York.  By 
this  union  he  has  had  a  family  of  thirteen  children,  six  of 
whom  are  now  living,  namely  :  Henry,  John,  George,  Annie, 


Martha  and  Charlotte.  Mr.  Hill  has  now  a  fine  farm  in  a 
good  state  of  cultivation,  to  which  he  has  given  almost  his 
entire  attention.  Mr.  Hill  has  acted  as  school  director  for  a 
number  of  years,  the  only  official  position  he  would  accept. 
In  politics  he  was  originally  a  Whig  and  strong  Abolition- 
ist and  staunch  supporter  of  his  intimate  friend,  L')vejoy. 
Religiously,  he  was  inclined  to  the  Presbyterian  faith,  but, 
as  there  was  no  church  of  that  denomination  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, he  has  lately  become  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
church. 


^6^^$^2^'C^9^^- 


NEW    DOUGLAS, 


JIIIS,  one  of  the  smallest  townships,  is 
situated  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the 
county,  and  is  a  rectangle  five  and  a 
half  miles  long  by  three  and  three- 
quarter  miles  wide,  bounded  on  the 
north  by  Montgomery  county,  on  the 
east  by  Bond  county,  on  the  south  by 
Leef  and  on  the  west  by  Olive  town- 
ship. The  south  and  west  is  drained  by 
tlie  tributaries  of  Silver  Creek.  Dry  Fork  Branch  is  in  the 
northeast  part,  where  it  is  slightly  timbered.  There  is  some 
timber  also  on  the  west  side.  The  remainder  and  greater 
j>art  of  the  township  is  a  beautiful  prairie  that  has  been 
settled  principally  within  the  past  thirty  years.  The 
first  settler  was  Daniel  Fundcrburk,  a  native  of  South 
Carolina,  born  in  1786  and  served  through  the  war  of 
1812,  under  Gen.  Smith.  He  located  on  section  seven  in 
the  fall  of  1819.  For  several  years  he  was  the  only  resident 
of  the  territory  that  now  comprises  this  township.  In  1823, 
he  taught  the  first  school  in  a  small  cabin  built  near  his 
residence.  The  children  attending  lived  in  the  adjoining 
township.  Mr.  Funderburk  lived  on  the  place  that  he  im- 
proved until  his  death  December  11,  1838.  He  raised  a 
family  of  eleven  children,  six  sons  and  five  daughters,  viz  : 
Sarah,  Thomas,  John,  Elizabeth,  Martha,  Henry,  Daniel, 
Julia  A.,  Emily,  Samuel,  and  Edward  who  died  in  the  late 
war.  Only  two  of  his  children  now  live  near  the  settle 
ment,  Thomas  and  Julia,  now  Mrs.  Kell.  The  latter  resides 
in  Worden,  and  Thomas  is  a  prominent  farmer  in  the  south- 
ern edge  of  Macoupin  county,  and  has  served  the  people 
at  various  timt-s  in  different  positions  of  trust.  John  L. 
Carlock  came  into  the  township  about  1831  December  14, 
1833,  entered  the  first  tract  of  land,  the  northwest  quarter 
of  the  njrtheast  quarter  of  section  19,  now  part  of  the  S. 


A.  Isaacs  place.  Carlock  improved  a  forty  acre  form,  and 
moved  from  here  to  Adams  county,  and  subsequently  went 
to  Missouri.  The  Methodists  held  their  early  meetings  at 
his  residence.  Cornelius  Wood,  a  brother-in-law,  located  on 
a  place  southwest  of  Carlock's  in  section  19,  about  the  same 
time.  He  improved  a  small  farm  here,  and  filled  the  office 
of  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  some  time.  He  afterward  moved 
to  Bond  county  where  he  died.  Robert  Greening  came  in 
1830,  and  located  on  the  same  seciion,  south  of  Wood's,  now 
the  Fred  Rinner  place,  where  he  continued  to  reside  until 
his  death.  He  was  a  strict  member  of  the  Baptist  church, 
and  meetings  were  conducted  at  his  house  regularly  for 
many  years.  Jackson  Allen,  a  native  of  Virginia,  came  to 
the  county  in  1837,  and  settled  in  the  township  on  section 
17,  in  the  spring  of  that  year.  His  location  was  some  dis- 
tance out  in  the  prairie,  where  he  improved  a  good  farm  and 
continued  to  reside  until  he  lost  his  wife  in  1862.  He  then 
lived  princip.-illy  at  his  daughter's  near  by  until  his  death 
in  1870.  He  raised  a  family  of  seven  children,  six  boys 
and  one  girl,  viz. :  Andrew,  George,  Abraham,  Isaac,  David, 
Thomas,  and  Mary  who  married  Andrew  Jackson.  Abraham 
who  lives  in  the  village  of  New  Douglas,  is  the  only  one  of 
the  family  now  in  the  county.  John  P.  Lindsey  settled  the 
H.  Manshott  place  in  section  20,  in  1840.  He  was  the 
second  to  settle  out  on  the  prairie. 

The  second  school  house,  a  log  building  put  up  about 
1839,  stood  on  the  west  part  of  section  18.  Nelson 
Sparks  was  the  first  teacher.  John  Funderburk,  son  of 
Daniel  and  Mary.  Funderburk,  was  the  first  born,  Septem- 
ber 3,  1S22.  The  first  death  that  of  Mary,  wife  of  Daniel 
Funderburk,  occurred  August  7,  1838.  To  the  first  mar- 
riage, the  contracting  parties  were  Aaron  Voyles  and  Sarah 
Funderburk,  in  1834. 

Alonzo  Foster  came  to  the  county  in  1819  with  his  father, 


530 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


Oliver  Foster,  who  settled  in  Salu  aud  afterward  at  Foster- 
burg,  where  he  died.     Mr.  A.  Foster  came  to  New  Douglas 
township  in  1857.     He  was  born  in  Main^,  and  was  three 
years  of  age  when  his  father  settled  in  Madison   county. 
When  he  located   on   section   16,  in   1857,  all   the   region 
about  him  was  an  open  prairie.     He  laid  out  the  town  of 
New  Douglas,  September  5,  1860,  on  the  west  part  of  the 
southwest  quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  16. 
The  original  town  contained  twenty  acres.  Foster  and  Owen 
laid  out  an  addition  afterward  on  the  west  side  of  the  road, 
and  other  additions  have  siuce  been  laid  out.    The  corporate 
limits  now  include  the  whole  of  section   16.     The  T.  C.  and 
St.  Louis  extends  through   the  township,  intersecting  the 
southern  corporate  limit  of  New  Douglas.     In  1860,  Costen 
Sawyer  put  up  the  first  business  house,  in  which   he  opened 
a   small  stock  of  goods.     The  same  year  he  built  a  black- 
smith shop  and  employed  John  Trype  to  work  in  it;  Trype 
afterward   conducted   a   shop   on    his   own   account.      The 
second  store  was  started  by  Dr.  William  F.  Rubottom  in 
1863.     He  got  a  post-office  established  the  same  year,  with 
mails  twice  a  week  from  Staunton.     The  town  Las  now  a 
daily  mail  from  the  same  place.     Dr.  Rubottom  was  the 
first  physician.     He  came  in  1860,  and  continued  to  practice 
about  five  years  and  then   went  west.     The,   first   regular 
hotel  was  built  in   1876,  by  Rodo  Latowsky,  the  present 
owner  and  proprietor.     The  public  school  building  was  re- 
built after  the  cyclone  on  a  larger  plan.     It  is  a  two  story 
frame  building  with  three  rooms,  where  three  teachers  are 
employed.     The  flouring  mill,  with   two  run  of  burrs,  was 
built  by  Martin  B.  Day  on  a  cheap  plan.     After  about  five 
years  it  was  improved  by  R.  P.  Finney.     Subsequently  it 
was   improved    by  Foster  &  Dee.     In    1879,  Murdock  & 
Fletcher  became  the  owners  and  improved  the  machinery. 
They  sold  it  to  Mrs.  Anna  Easton,  and  the  mill  is  now  run 
by  Amos  Easton.     No  town  in  the  county,  in  proportion  to 
its  size  has  so  many  churches,  there  being  six.     The  Metho- 
dist South  was  erected  in  1867.     It  was  destroyed  in  the 
cyclone  of  1876,  and  rebuilt  in   1880,  on  a  plan  somewhat 
less  than  the  original.     The  Baptist  church,  30x44  feet,  was 
built  in  1869. 

In  1874,  the  Lutherans  built  a  neat  frame  church  that 
was  destroyed  in  the  cyclone  and  was  immediately  rebuilt 
about  its  former  size.  The  Catholics,  who  have  the  largest 
congregation,  erected  their  church  in  1870.  The  Methodist 
church,  a  neat  brick  edifice,  was  built  in  1877.  The  Christ- 
ian church  was  erected  in  1878. 

PRESENT   BUSINESS. 

Physicians. — AV.  W.  Sharp,  B.  H.  McKiuney,  A.  F. 
Dusenberry. 

Fostmaster. — J.  W.  Lord. 

General  Store. — Long  &  Epstiue,  Marney  &  Foster, 
Robert  Alsop. 

Groceries  and  Confectionery. — Greening  &  McMuUen. 

Groceries. — J.  B.  Bishop. 

Drugs. — Lord  &  Livery. 

Hardware. — I.  A.  Olive. 

Butcher. — Robert  Page,  Jr. 


Harness  and  Saddlers — Latowsky  &  Douglas. 

Millinery  and  Dressmaking. — Mrs.  Rosie  Huber,  Mrs. 
Ehard,  Mrs.  Eisenbach. 

Barber.— \\\  E.  McDaniel. 

Undertaker,  Furniture  and  Agricultural  Implements. — 
Watson  &  Son. 

Agricultural  Implements  and  Buggies. — E.  F.  Wait. 

Blacksmith  Shops — William  Long,  John  Hinc,  B.  W. 
Stepp. 

Wagon  Shop. — John  F.  Smith. 

Shoe  Makers. — Fred.  Balweg,  Jacob  Melheim,  Paul 
Douglas. 

Hotel.—  Rodo  Latowsky. 

Liuery. — N.  B.  Jernigau. 

SOCIETIES. 

Madison  Lodge,  No.  560,  A.  F.  and  A.  M  ,  was  chartered 
October  1,  1867,  with  the  following  charter  members:  John 
J.  Wilber,  Master  ;  M.  A.  Cline,  John  L.  Steward,  Francis 
Reeding,  G.  W.  Bently,  J.  A.  Whiteside,  H.  C.  Young, 
William  Denney,  B.  J.  Vallentiue,  Willis  McGilvary,  A. 
J.  Fleming.     Present  membership  thirty-three. 

New  Douglas  Lodge,  No.  547,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  instituted 
April  30th,  1874.  Charter  members :  J.  W.  Nicoderaua, 
N.  G. ;  James  R.  Prickett,  V.  G.;  Allen  H.  Newlin,  John 
C  Long,  and  Albert  Camlet.  Present  membership,  twenty- 
three. 

The   27th   of  February,    1876,    a   very  violent   cyclone 
passed  through  the  township,  entering  at  section  30,  travel- 
ing in  a  due  northeast  direction  taking  its  exit  in  section  3, 
on  the  south  side  of  Dry  Fork  Branch.     It  passed  dire(!tly 
through  the  western   part  of  the  village  of  New  Douglas, 
entirely  demolishing  eleven  dwellings,  two  churches,  school- 
house  and  Masonic  hall.     It  damaged   a  great  many  other 
buildings,  by  removing    them   from   their   foundations,  un- 
roofing, etc.     The  cyclone  struck   the  M.  E.  Church  South 
while  an  afternoon   meeting  was  being  conducted.     About 
forty  persons  were  in  the  building  at  the  time.     Henry  C. 
Young,  a  local  minister  and  resident  of  the  town,  was  killed. 
The    church,    a    frame,    30    by    40    feet,    was     torn    to 
atoms  and  sent  whirling  through  the  air.     A  great  many 
were  seriously  injured.     The   German   Lutheran   church  in 
the  line  of  the  storm  was  also   made  a  total  wreck.     The 
five  persons  that  were  in  Masonic  Hall  at  the  time  it  was 
destroyed    all    received   more   or   less   injury.      The   most 
seriously  injured  was  Robert  Alsop,  who  was  taken  out  from 
the  broken  timbers  with  a  crushed  limb     In  the  edge  of  the 
village  farther  north,  although    not   in  the   exact   line   of 
destruction,  some  friends  wpre  performing  the  la^t  sad  rites 
of  the   dead,  when  the  storm   came  uj/on  them_  spreading 
devastation  and  horror  on  every  side.     Wagons  were  over- 
turned, the  beds  crushed  to  splinters   and    carried  away. 
Several  women  seeing  the  storm  approaching  ran  to  a  house 
near  by  for  refuge.     No  sooner  had  they  gained  the  inside 
than  the  building  was  picked  up,  whirled  round  and  dashed 
to  the   ground    a    mass   of  broken    timbers   mingled    with 
mangled  humanity ;  one  lady  had  a  babe  killed  in  her  arms, 


HISTORY   OF  MADISOIJ    COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


531 


another  had  an  ankle  broken,  another  an  arm,  and  every 

one  that  took  refuge  in  the  house  was  more  or   less   injured. 

The  names  of  those  who  have  represented  the   township 

in  the  Board  of  Supervisors  aj>pear  below :    Andrew  Jack- 


son was  elected  in  187(5  and  held  office  one  term  ;  Abram 
Allen  was  Supervisor  in  1878-79 ;  Martin  Jones,  elected  in 
1879,  served  one  term  ;  J.  F.  Long  was  first  chosen  in  1880, 
and  has  since  held  the  office,  being  the  present  incumbent. 


g^t^^SS*J€§— 


HAMEL. 


^RIOR  to  township  organization,  Hamel  con- 
tained a  part  of  Edwardsville,  AVorden, 
and  OmphGhent  precincts.  It  now  com- 
prises the  whole  of  town  five,  range  seven, 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Omph-Ghent, 
east  by  Alhambra,  south  by  Pin  Oak, 
and  west  by  Fort  Russell.  It  is  drained 
by  Cahokia  and  Silver  creek  and  their 
tributaries.  The  former  flows  through  the 
northwest  part  in  a  southerly  direction,  and  the  latter  in  the 
same  direction  through  two  sections  in  the  southeast  part. 
Along  the  Cahokia  a  con.siderable  quantity  of  timber  is 
found,  and  the  land  is  somewhat  broken.  The  larger  part 
of  the  township  is  a  beautiful  prairie,  well  adapted  to  agri- 
culture. The  Wabash  railroad  extends  through  it,  entering 
at  section  nineteen  and  passing  out  at  section  two.  Carpen- 
ter is  the  shipping  point.  To  the  papers  of  Hon.  Robert 
Aldrich  we  are  largelv  indebted  for  much  of  the  data  in 
this  chapter.  Mr.  Aldrich  was  born  in  Worcester  county, 
l\Iass.,  January  4th,  1794.  In  the  fall  of  1816,  he,  in  com- 
pany with  his  brother  Anson,  started  on  foot  for  the  Illinois 
Territory.  On  their  way  westward,  in  the  vicinity  of  Xenia, 
Ohio,  they  met  some  Massachusetts  friends  who  had  pre- 
ceeded  them,  with  whom  they  remained  and  worked  until 
tlie  following  fall,  when  they  resumed  their  journey.  At 
Cincinnati  they  fell  in  with  Henry  and  George  Keley,  bro- 
thers, who  with  the  family  of  Henry  Keley  were  on  their 
way  to  Edwardsville,  Illinois.  The  Rileys  had  what  was 
called  a  family  boat,  and  the  Aldrich  brothers  decided  to 
go  with  them.  The  party  floated  down  the  Ohio  until  they 
reached  Shawncetown.  This  was  in  October  1817.  Here  the 
Keleys  decided  to  follow  the  river  no  farther  and  disembarked. 
They  had  brought  three  horses  and  a  wagon  on  the  boat. 
Here  the  little  band  decided  to  go  first  to  Kaskaskia.  The 
horses  were  hitched  to  the  wagon,  the  women,  children  and 
household  effects  placed  in  it,  and  the  journey  commenced 
overland,  through  a  country  devoid  of  bridges.  Oftentimes 
the  wagon  box  had  to  be  utilized  as  a  ferry  boat.  Swim- 
ming  the   horses   over  was  an  easy   task,  but  the  danger 


of  getting  the  family  across  swollen  streams  with  floating 
timbers,  in  this  frail  craft,  was  perilous.  The  party 
consisted  of  the  two  Keleys,  Mrs.  Ann  Young,  her  two 
grandchildren,  viz:  Henry  T.  Bartling  and  Harriet 
Bartling,  Mrg.  Henry  Keley  and  Robert  and  Anson  Aid- 
rich.*  After  arriving  at  Kaskaskia  and  resting  the  horses  a 
few  days,  Henry  Keley  and  the  Aldriches  mounted  and  rode 
up  to  Edwardsville,  leaving  George  Keley  with  the  women 
and  children.  Tlicy  arrived  at  Edwardsville  in  the  early  part 
of  November,  and  put  up  at  the  public  house  of  Col.  John 
T.  Lusk.  They  secured  the  services  of  George  Coventry 
who  was  acquainted  with  the  country  to  show  them  around. 
After  inspecting  the  settlement  for  a  time,  Mr.  Keley  decid- 
ed to  locate  in  section  twenty-nine  of  this  township,  the  north 
line  of  which  was  the  limit  of  the  government  surveys  that 
had  been  made  up  to  this  time.  On  this  section  Henry  Keley 
assisted  by  the  Aldriches,  built  a  cabin,  and  on  the  4th  of 
January,  1818,  his  family  having  arrived  from  Kaskaskia, 
they  began  their  cabin  life,  the  Aldriches  boarding  with 
them.  With  the  exception  of  a  small  improvement  made 
in  the  year  1811,  and  abandoned  at  the  commencement  of 
the  war  of  1812,  by  a  man  named  Ferguson  on  section  sevtn, 
just  below  the  crossing  of  Cahokia  creek  by  the  Alton  and 
Greenville  road,  this  house  of  Capt  Keley 's  was  the  first 
dwelling  erected  in  the  township.  The  Kaskaskia  and 
Peoria  Trace,  an  old  track  made  before  the  commencement 
of  this  century,  passing  along  the  center  of  Ridge  Prairie 
(called  by  the  French  Fraire  Du  Long)  through  this  towi,. 
ship,  and  a  "trail "  made  by  rangers  from  Wood  river  to 
B.)nd  county,  were  the  only  roads  in  1818. 

Thomas  Barnet,  a  native  of  Gibson  county,  Tennessee,  in 
1817,  started  to  emigrate  to  Missouri  and  arrived  at 
Edwardsville  late  in  the  fall  of  that  year.  He  was  a  mar- 
ried man  at  that  time  and  had  one  child,  Juliet.  She  is  now 
Mrs.  William  H.  High,  a  widow,  and  lives  in  St.  Joseph, 
Missouri.  The  winter  coming  on,  Mr.  Barnet  concluded  to 
remain  at  Edwardsville  until  spring,  when  he  would  con- 
tinue his  journey.  He  rented  a  small  cabin  of  John  T. 
Lusk,  that   stood  near    the  old  fair  grounds,  iuto  which  he 


532 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


moved  his  family.  He  eing  an  active  man,  and  desiring 
some  occupation  for  the  coming  winter,  entered  the  south- 
west quarter  of  section  '^i,  O  ;tob3r  2S,  1817,  and  built 
a  cabin  and  made  other  improvements,  such  as  splitting  rails> 
etc.  This  was  the  third  entry  in  the  township.  John  Edgar 
made  the  first,  April  29th,  1815,  entering  five  tracts  in  sec- 
tions eighteen  and  thirty.  Joseph  Smith  made  the  second, 
October  21st,  1817,  entering  two  huudred  and  forty  acres 
in  section  twenty-five.  Mr.  Barnet  was  the  first  to  improve 
entered  land.  He  erected  his  cabin  where  the  house  of  his 
sou  K.  T.  Barnet  now  stands.  He  worked  diligently  on  the 
place  all  winter  and,  in  the  following  March,  moved  the 
family  out  from  Edwardsville  in  order  to  he  near  his  work, 
but  with  the  firm  intention  of  selling  out  during  the  summer 
and  continuing  his  journey  to  his  intended  destination,  as 
soon  as  the  roads  would  permit.  But  after  becoming  settled 
he  concluded  perhaps  this  was  as  good  a  country  as  he  could 
find  on  the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi.  So  he  remained  and 
died  here,  April  2d,  1852,  aged  seventy-three  years.  His 
wife  died  June  25th,  1846.  They  had  eight  children  born 
to  them  in  this  county,  viz:  Nancy  B.,  Ruth,  Samuel  P., 
Thomas  J.,  Kimbrough  Tinsley  0  ,  Sarah  M.,  Rufus  C,  and 
Alfred  P.  The  four  brothers  live  in  the  settlement  and  are 
farmers.  Thomas  J.,  the  oldest  of  the  brothers,  was  born  Sep- 
tember 10th,  1824,  on  the  old  pl.ace,  and  is  n  iw  the  oldest 
native  born  citizen  of  the  township.  Bennet  Jones  occupied 
a  cabin  on  section  three,  during  the  early  part  of  1818. 
Allen  and  Keltner  made  small  improvements  on  section 
five,  the  same  year,  but  sold  out  directly  and  left.  Archi- 
bald Lamb  commenced  his  improvement  in  1818,  in  section 
three,  where  he  maile  a  good  farm  on  which  he  lived  until 
his  death.  In  1818,  Samuel  Walker  built  a  cabin  on  section 
thirty,  where  B.  Bange  now  lives.  He  lived  a  few  years 
and  then  moved  away.  William  Mize  settled  the  Col. 
Thomas  Judy  place.  Francis  Roach  born  in  Fairfax  coun- 
ty, Virginia,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  and  Indian  fighter  in 
Kentucky,  came  into  the  Illinois  Territory,  in  1807,  and  into 
this  township  twenty  years  later  and  located  on  section  three, 
where  he  lived  until  his  death,  in  the  year  1845,  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  one  hundred  and  six  years.  He  was  a  man  of 
very  small  stature,  and  of  wonderful  activity.  When  quite 
advanced  in  life  he  delighted  to  go  out  with  the  boys  and 
"lay  patterns,"  as  he  called  it,  for  them  to  jump  to.  He 
would  jump  up  and  strike  his  heels  twice  together  before 
coming  down,  and  then  laugh  heartily  to  see  the  youth  of 
the  neighborhood  try  it  again  and  again  without  success. 
His  son,  David,  also  died  near  the  old  place.  His  daughter 
married  John  Armstrong,  who  was  the  first  settler  in  the 
northern  part  of  Shelby  county,  Illinois.  James  Wilder 
settled  the  George  McCune  place  in  an  early  day.  Robert 
Aldrich  settled  on  the  east  side  ofsection  twenty-nine.  The 
cabins  of  Capt.  Keley,  Wilder  and  Aldrich  stood  in  a  row 
extending  east  and  west  on  the  .same  section.  Keley  and 
Wilder  afterward  moved  away,  and  none  of  their  descendants 
now  live  in  the  county.  Aldrich  improved  a  good  farm  here, 
married,  reared  a  family,  and  became  one  of  the  prominent 
citizens  of  the  county.  He  represented  the  county  in  the 
state    legislature  of  1842.     His  death  occurred  on  the  old 


homestead.  His  brother  Anson  died  many  years  ago,  and 
was  buried  near  where  they  first  settled. 

"  Wheat  that  was  sown  in  the  fall  of  1818,  proved  to  be  a 
good  crop.  It  was  the  first  harvested  in  the  township.  Many 
of  the  wheat  fields,  in  1820,  were  affected  with  what  was 
termed  '  sick  wheat.'  Persons  who  ate  bread  made  from  it 
would  sicken  and  proceed  to  vomit,  but  instinct  taught 
the  brute  creation  to  reject  it.  A  dog  might  snatch  a  piece  of 
bread  thrown  to  him  but  would  immdiately  drop  it.  Neither 
cattle  nor  swine  would  eat  it,  and  some  farmers  burned  their 
sliicks,  deeming  it  utterly  worthless."  About  1820,  Henry 
Keley  built  on  section  twenty-nine,  what  was  called  a"  band- 
mill,"  in  which  rawhide  bands  were  extensively  used  instead 
of  cogs  It  contained  a  good  bolting  cloth  and  chest,  but 
was  operated  for  a  short  time  only  as  it  did  not  pay.  In  Mr. 
Aldrich's  reminiscences  he  ^ays  :  "  There  was  not  an  apple, 
pear,  peach,  or  cherry  tree  or  any  thing  of  the  sort,  except 
such  as  were  in  the  wild  state,  in  the  township  when  I  reach- 
ed it  in  1817.  It  was  a  wilderness.  In  181. i,  Henry  Keley 
and  Anson  Aldrich  went  to  Griffith's  nursery  at  Portage, 
Des  Sioux,  in  St.  Charles  county,  Missouri,  and  got  apple 
grafts.  They  wrapped  deerskins  around  the  middle  of  their 
packages,  so  they  could  be  placed  before  them  on  their  horses, 
and  thus  they  were  brought  to  our  settlement.  That  was 
the  start  of  my  old  orchard,  fifty-six  years  ago  which  bore 
fruit  last  year,  1874.  Not  far  from  the  same  period  Archi- 
bald Lamb  and  Thomas  Barnet  set  out  apple  (  rchards."  Of 
the  early  settlers  of  Madison  county,  none  are  more  widely 
known  than  the  Judys.  Col.  Thomas  Judy  was  a  son  of 
Col.  Samuel  Judy.  He  was  born  December  19th,  1804,  at 
the  old  Judy  homestead  in  the  Goshen  settlement.  He  was 
three  times  married.  His  first  wife  was  Lavisa  Snyder, 
daughter  of  Jacob  Snyder,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Madi- 
son county,  whom  he  married  March  23d,  1826  The  chil- 
dren of  this  union  all  died  youug,  excepting  Margaret,  who 
became  the  wife  of  James  L  McCorkell. 

Col  Judy  married  Nanc.y  Hayes  in  1833.  She  died 
eleven  years  later.  His  third  wife  was  Mrs.  Demaris  Barns- 
back,  widow  of  George  Barnsback.  He  lived  in  the  Amer- 
ican Bottom  until  1849,  where  he  improved  a  large  and  val- 
uable farm.  In  1850  he  came  to  this  township.  He  was  a 
very  successful  farmer  and  an  extensive  land  owner.  In 
1852  and '53  he  represented  his  county  in  the  Legislature. 
His  death  occurred  October  4th,  1880,  at  a  good  old  age. 
His  widow  survives  him,  and  lives  at  the  place  where  he 
spent  the  last  thirty  years  of  his  life.  He  reared  a  large 
family,  now  mostly  deceased.  His  sons,  Thomas  and  Wil- 
liam, are  prominent  farmers  of  the  county  and  live  on  parts 
of  the  old  homestead,  the  former  in  Pin  Oak  township,  and 
the  latter  in  Hamel.  John  and  Jefl^erson  Fruit  were  among 
the  first  to  improve  farms  in  the  prairie  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  township.  A  more  extended  notice  of  this  family 
will  be  found  in  the  Pin  Oak  chapter.  Among  the  promi- 
nent early  settlers  was  Judge  H.  K.  Eaton,  a  native  of 
Adams  county,  Mississippi.  He  was  born  April  4th,  1811, 
but  spent  his  early  manhood  in  the  state  of  Kentucky,  where 
he  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Pomerny.  In  1836  he  moved  to 
Illinois,  and  located  in  Edwardsville,  his  first  residence  being 


HISTORY   OF  MADISOJ^    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


533 


the  house  now  occupied  by  F.  A.  Wolf.  He  was  a  caliinet 
maker  bv  trade,  and  for  many  years  followed  his  trade  in 
the  city  of  Edwardsville.  By  his  probity  aud  uprightness 
in  business  matters,  he  gained  the  full  confidence  of  the 
people.  His  good  qualities  soon  pointed  him  out  as  one  to 
be  trusted  with  public  matters,  and  he  was  chosen  to  the  of- 
fice of  county  commissioner,  and  probate  judge,  the  duties  of 
which  he  discharged  with  remarkable  ability  and  fidelity 
Although  he  was  no  lawyer  by  profession,  his  excellent  judg- 
ment and  sound  common  sense,  peculiarly  fitted  him  for 
either  the  Bench  or  Bar.  After  serving  the  people  of  the 
county  so  faithfully  and  well  he  withdrew  from  public  life 
and  retired  to  his  farm  in  what  is  now  Harael  township.  It 
was  here  that  he  died,  the  1st  of  April,  1881,  being  nearly 
three-score  and  ten  years  of  age.  His  .son,  W.  P.  Eaton, 
now  resides  on  the  homestead. 

The  first  death  in  the  township  was  that  of  Mrs  Harber. 
while  she  with  her  husband  was  on  a  visit  to  an  old  acquain- 
tance in  the  vicinity  of  Archibald  Lamb's  place. 

The  Omph-Ghent  post  office  is  kept  at  the  residence  of 
John  Weaver  in  the  extreme  northwest  part  of  the  town- 
ship. Hamel's  corner  was  started  by  Frederick  Wolf  in 
1865.  He  built  a  large  brick  building  and  opened  a 
general  stock  of  goods.  He  also  built  a  feed  stable  and  en- 
tertained travelers.  Before  the  railroad  was  built  through 
the  township  there  was  a  considerable  amount  of  travel  on 
the  St.  Louis  and  Hillsboro  and  the  Alton  and  Greenville 
roads,  which  passed  the  corners  He  did  quite  a  thriving 
business  until  1874,  when  he  rented  his  establishment  to  his 
brothers,  Ernest  and  William.  The  former  has  since  pur- 
chased the  building  and  bought  his  brother  William's  inter- 
est, and  is  now  conducting  a  good  payiog  business.  In  1867 
Christian  Traub  started  a  blacksnnth  shop  and  continued 
the  business  until  he  died  three  years  ago.  The  same  year, 
after  the  blacksmith  shop  was  started,  G.  A.  Engelmann  built 
a  wagon  shop  and  has  continued  in  the  business  to 
present  time.  In  1869  A.  J.  Hamel,  John  Handshy  & 
Sparks  built  a  flouring-mill  with  two  run  of  burrs.  About 
four  years  after  it  was  moved  away.  The  upper  story  was 
cut  off  and  converted  into  a  blacksmith  shop,  now  the  pro- 
perty of  William  Wendlandt.  In  1868  Hamel  built  a  frame 
store  building  and  opened  a  general  store.  He  sold  out 
afterward  and  the  firm  changed  several  times.  The  building 
and  most  of  the  stock  of  goods  were  c  insumed  by  fire  in  the 
spring  of  1880.  Hamel  sold  to  George  H.  Engelmann  in 
1871,  who  had  a  post  office  established  the  following  year 
For  a  time  the  mail  was  carrierl  from  Worden  in  a  common 
two-bushel  wheat  sack  by  a  private  carrier,  paid  by  the  citi- 
zens. The  mail  now  comes  from  Carpenter  once  a  day,  Ernest 
Wolf  being  the  present  postmaster.  Dr.  Jo.seph  Roth  com- 
menced the  practice  of  medicine  in  1869  and  continued  sev- 
eral years.  The  place  now  has  no  physician.  Hamel's  Cor- 
ner received  its  name  from  A.  J.  Hamel,  a  farmer  who  lived 
here  and  owned  all  the  land  originally  on  the  north  side  of 
the  Alton  and  Greenville  road,  near  the  corners.  When 
township  organization  was  effected  his  name  was  given  to 
the  township. 


PEEKKNT  nilSINBSS. 

General  Store — Ernest  Wolf. 

Blacksmiths— '^WW&m  Wendlandt,  Louis  C.  Brunnworth 

The  blacksmiths  both  carry  a  good  stock  of  agricultural 
implements. 

Wagnn. Shop — G   A.  Engelmann. 

Shoe  M'llcer — Henry  Hanke. 

Hamburg  was  laid  out  in  1860  by  Heiiiy  Morrison  and 
F.  Soehlke  aud  was  situated  on  the  south  part  of  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  twenty-two.  At  one  time  it  sup- 
ported a  blacksmith. 

CARPENTER. 

In  the  spring  of  1877  the  Wabash  railroad  put  in  a  spur 
a  half-mile  northeast  of  the  station,  and  it  was  called  "  No- 
body's Switch."  Six  months  later  a  switch  was  put  in 
where  the  station  now  stands  and  the  place  was  called  Car- 
penter, by  order  of  the  company  The  same  year  twenty 
thousand  bushels  of  corn  were  shipped  from  this  point.  The 
grain  office  of  H.  Breed  &  B.  Clark  was  erected  in  January 
1877.  The  following  month  F.  H.  Clark  established  a  build- 
ing attached  to  the  grain  office  and  opened  a  general  store  in 
it  He  was  also  the  railroad  agent.  The  following  May  a  post 
office  was  established,  with  F.  H.  Clark  as  postmaster.  He 
has  filled  the  office  to  the  present  time.  In  the  fall  of  1877 
Peter  Balmer  built  a  house  and  opened  a  hotel.  The  fol- 
lowing winter  John  Brown  built  a  residence  and  blacksmith 
shop.  In  the  summer  of  1877  Breed  &  Clark  erected  the 
grain  house  east  of  the  office  with  a  capacity  of  5000  bush- 
els. D.  S.  Shellabarger  &  Co.,  of  Decatur,  in  1881  built  a 
grain  house  south  of  the  depot  with  a  capacity  of  30,000 
bushels.  In  18S0  the  railroad  company  constructed  the 
tank  and  pond.  T.  H.  Clark  built  his  present  business 
house  in  1881.  Carpenter  was  laid  out  by  John  F.  Opel, 
and  the  plat  was  recorded  IMay  9th,  1877.  It  is  situated  on 
the  north  half  of  the  east  half  of  the  southwest  quarter  of 
the  southeast  quarter  of  section  eight. 

PRESENT  BUSINESS. 

Physician, — G.  C.  Gray. 

General  Store — Frank  H  Clark. 

Grain  Dealers — D.  S.  Shellabarger  &  Co. 

Grain  Agents — B.  Clark  &  Son. 

Hotels — Charles  Spruner,  J.  H.  Bange. 

Blachsmiih — John  Brown. 

Wagon  Shop — F.  Wehling. 

Harness  and  Saddles — Louis  Eckardt. 

Shoe  Maker — H.  G-  Lehrke. 

Millersville  was  laid  out  and  recorded  by  Fritz  Miller. 
It  is  situated  on  the  west  half  of  the  southwest  quarter  of 
the  southeast  quarter  of  section  eight. 

The  gentlemen  whose  names  appear  below  have  repre- 
sented the  township  in  the  Board  of  Supervisors :  William 
A.  Mize  was  elected  in  1876  and  held  office  for  one  year. 
Isaac  Hall,  elected  in  1877,  served  three  terms.  John 
Weaver  was  supervisor  for  1880-81.  He  was  succeeded  in 
office  by  William  P.  Eaton,  who  served  one  term.  Mr. 
Weaver  was  again  elected  in  1882,  and  is  the  present  in- 
cumbent. 


o34 


HISTORY    OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


The  first  school-house  in  town  five,  range  seven,  was  built 
on  the  land  of  Robert  Aldrich  in  1825,  and  stood  near  his 
residence.  It  was  a  temporary  structure,  and  was  used  but 
a  short  time.  There  were  but  few  families  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  the  school  was  too  small  to  be  a  source  of  suffi- 
cient profit  to  a  competent  teacher,  Mr.  Carver  and  Joseph 
Thompson  each  taught  a  short  time  in  it.  Not  far  from  the 
same  time  a   log  school-house   was   built   near   Archibald 


Lamb's.  It  was  dignified  with  a  stone  chimney.  This 
school-house  also  served  as  a  church.  The  Lutheran  church, 
a  good  substantial  brick  building  standing  in  center  of  sec- 
tion one,  was  erected  in  1861.  The  Cumberland  Presby- 
terian Church,  located  on  the  southeast  corner  of  section 
twenty-seven,  was  built  in  1872.  The  Evangelical  church, 
on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  twenty-two,  was  con- 
structed in  1873. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


535 


MRS.    DEMARIS  JUDV. 


The  Judy  family  were  among  the  pioneers  of  Illinois,  and 
the  earliest  settlers  of  Madison  county.  Jacob  Judy,  the 
ancestor  of  the  family,  was  a  native  of  Switzerland,  and 
emigrated  to  America  in  1777,  and  settled  in  Maryland, 
where  he  remained  ten  years.  In  1787  he  came  west  to 
Kaskaski,  and  in  1800  came  to  the  territory  now  compris- 
ing Madison  county.  His  son.  Col.  Samuel  Judy,  the  father 
of  Thomas,  was  bom  August  19th,  1773.  He  was  a  promi- 
nent man  in  his  day,  and  was  elected  as  Territorial  Repre" 
sentative  of  the  Kaskaskia  District,  which  included  the 
county  of  Madison.  Upon  the  organization  of  Madison 
county,  he  was  elected  one  of  the  Commissioners,  and  served 
the  people  for  many  years  in  that  capacity.  He  was,  during 
the  Indian  wars,  one  of  the  best  Indian  fighters  that  graced 
the  annals  of  pioneer  life  in  Illinois.  He  was  always  a 
leader,  and  was  found  in  the  front  ranks  in  every  perilous 
expedition  against  the  savages.  No  family  of  the  early  days 
of  Illinois  can  show  a  better  record  for  fearless  devotion  to 
home  and  country  than  the  Judys.  He  was  united  to  Miss 
Margaret  White.side,  sister  of  General  Whiteside,  who  was 
also  a  noted  Indian  fighter  and  altogether  one  of  the  most  re- 


markable men  who  figured  prominently  in  the  early  days  of 
the  west.  Of  that  union,  was  Thomas  Judy.  He  was  born 
in  Madison  county,  December  19,  1804.  He  grew  to  man- 
hood, and  on  the  23d  of  March,  1826,  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Lavina,  daughter  of  Jacob  Snyder.  There  were 
several  children  by  that  union,  none  of  whom  are  living. 
Mrs.  Judy  died  ;'  after  which  Mr.  Judy  contracted  a  second 
marriage  with  Miss  Nancy  Hays,  the  date  of  which  was 
March  22d,  1833.  She  die<l  in  1844.  There  were  two 
daughters  by  that  union,  named  Eliza,  wife  of  Rufus  C. 
Baruett,  and  Sarah,  wife  of  Isaac  C.  Davis. 

On  the  8th  of  January,  1845,  he  married  Mrs.  Damaris 
Barnsback,  widow  of  George  Barnsback  and  daughter  of 
Judge  James  Yowell,  who  settled  in  Macoupin  county  in 
1827,  by  which  marriage  there  are  three  surviving  children. 
She  was  born  in  Shelby  county,  Kentucky  July  13,  1817, 
and  died  in  Hamel  township,  in  this  county  in  the  summer 
of  1882.  She  had  survived  her  husband  several  years.  Col. 
Judy  died  October  4th,  1879.  The  names  of  the  surviving 
children  are,  Thomas  .1.,  born  May  15, 1846,  and  was  married 
to  Miss  Nancy  M  ,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Nancy  McKee. 


536 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLIN016. 


March  17th,  1870 ;  William  S.,  bom  December  29,  1848. 
and  married  Miss  Rhoda  A.,  daughter  of  Jesse  Bartlett, 
Feby.  22,  1871  ;  Mary,  born  Sept.  24,  1850,  and  married 
Benjamin  R.  Burroughs,  January  29th,  1873.  Col.  Thomas 
Judy  was  elected  to  represent  Madison  county  in  the  General 
Assembly  of  Illinls,  in  1852.  In  that  position  he  sustained 
himself  with  credit  and  gave  satisfaction  to  his  constituents. 
He  was  often  in  the  Indian  wars  in  the  early  days  of  Illinois 
and  was  a  man  of  great  physical  strength  and  undoubted 
courage,  a  true  type  of  that  pioneer  class  who  are  rapidly 
passing  away. 

In  his  nature  he  was  singularly  kind  and  obliging.  No 
one  ever  called  upon  him  for  aid  or  assistance,  but  that  it 
was  readily  and  cheerfully  granted.     He  was  a  man  of  more 


than  usual  good  judgment.  In  those  things  in  which  he 
took  an  interest  he  was  more  than  ordinarily  successful. 
He  was  eminently  a  faithful  and  honest  man.  What  he  said 
he  believed  to  be  true  and  whatever  he  promised  he  was 
faithful  tu  perform.  Generous  to  all  men  he  was  lasting 
and  true  to  his  friends.  In  1857  he  made  a  profession  of 
religion,  and  attached  himself  to  the  Methodist  church,  and 
ever  after  exhibited  the  genuineness  of  religious  experience 
and  true  Christian  faith.  His  wife  was  also  a  member  of 
the  same  church.  She  was  a  kind  and  generous  neighbor 
and  friend,  a  true  and  feithful  wife  and  devoted  mother.* 

*  The  .ludy  family  is  spoken  of  .it  some  length   in  several  general 
chapters.     Therefore  we  make  the  above  sketch  somewhat  brief. 


-S®l^^^=^*^ 


LEER 


(HIS  township  is  wholly  prairie,  with  the 
exception  of  about  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  on  Silver  creek,  in  sections 
thirty-three  and  thirty-four,  which  are 
timbered.  The  township  is  drained  by 
the  head- waters  of  Silver  creek  flowing  in 
a  southerly  direction.  It  contains  thirty 
sections  of  laud,  all  of  which  is  arable, 
and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  New 
Douglass  and  Bond  county,  on  the  east  by  Bond  county,  on 
the  south  by  Saline,  and  on  the  west  by  Alhambra.  In  a 
point  of  timber  on  the  east  side  of  Saliu'j  creek,  in  section 
thirty-four,  in  1818,  James  Pearce  made  the  first  settlement^ 
It  properly  belonged  to  the  Silver  creek  settlement,  and  hig 
cabin  was  the  most  northerly  situated,  as  the  old  settlers 
spoke  of  it,  at  the  head  of  Silver  creek.  All  north  of  him 
was  an  unbroken  prairie,  for  many  years,  with  only  a  trail 
here  and  there  through  it  from  the  settlement  in  Bond  coun- 
ty, to  the  settlements  on  the  west  fork  of  Silver  creek.  He 
was  the  first  land  owner  in  the  township.  April  14,  1817, 
he  entered  the  west  half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section 
thirty-four.  January  16,  1818,  he  entered  eighty  acres  more 
in  the  same  section.  Hugh  A.  Pearce,  his  sou,  entered  the 
east  half  of  the  southwest  quarter  August  3d,  182i).  All 
other  entries  here  were  of  a  later  date.  Mr.  Pearce  was 
born  in  North  Carolina.  His  parents  went  to  Kentucky^ 
where  he  grew  up,  and  afterward  married  Miss  Lucy  Alii, 
son.  Three  children  were  born  to  them  in  that  State,  Hugh 
A.,  Robert,  and   William  W.     In   1815,  he  emigrated  to 


Madison  county,  and  lived  for  three  years  in  the  vicinity  of 
Edwardsville,  where  he  settled  as  above  stated.  He  was 
twice  married.  Six  children  were  born  to  him  by  his  first 
wife,  after  coming  to  this  county,  viz:  W^iley,  Joseph  B.^ 
Alfred  C,  Meliuda,  Francis  M.,  and  James.  His  second 
wife  was  Miss  Frances  Martin,  whom  he  married  in  1837, 
and  by  whom  he  had  five  children,  viz  :  Mary,  who  died  in 
infancy ;  Mathias  B.,  Thomas  N.,  Sarah  E.,  and  Rachel.  Of 
the  children,  Hugh,  Robert,  W^iley,  Joseph  B.,  and  Alfred 
C,  when  they  grew  to  manhood,  went  into  the  southern 
States  and  settled.  William  W.  located  in  Alhambra,  where 
he  now  resides,  as  one  of  the  largest  land  owners  in  the 
county.  Francis  M.  has  been  a  practicing  physician  in  this 
and  Macoupin  counties  for  the  past  twenty-six  years.  He 
has  represented  his  county  in  the  legislature,  and  he  now 
lives  in  the  village  of  Alhambra.  James  was  a  farmer  of 
this  and  Macoupin  counties  until  1881,  when  he  moved  to 
Kansas,  where  he  now  lives.  Mathias  B.  is  a  farmer  of 
Olive  township.  Thomas  N.  now  resides  in  Texas,  where 
he  went  only  a  few  years  ago.  Sarah  E.,  now  the  wife  of 
Dr.  William  Allen,  lives  in  Edwardsville.  Rachel,  now 
Mrs.  James  Tabor,  lives  in  Alhambra  township.  Mr.  Pearce 
was  the  first  justice  in  the  township.  He  filled  the  office 
for  manv  years.  His  house  stood  on  the  Vandalia  and  St. 
Louis  road,  and  from  the  time  the  road  was  laid  out  shortly 
after  he  settled  here,  until  it  was  changed  and  made  to  run 
farther  south  in  1835,  he  kept  the  stage  stand.  The  first 
death  was  that  of  an  infant  child  of  his  (the  seventh  son) 
in  1824.     The  first-born  was  Joseph  B.   Pearce,  in   1820. 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


537 


The  first  marriage  was  that  of  Hugh  A.  Pearce  in  1859,  to 
Miss  Susan  Carson  of  Saline  township.  The  old  gentleman 
lived  in  this  settlement  until  1848,  when  he  moved  into 
what  is  now  Olive  township,  where  he  lived  until  his  death 
in  1864,  at  the  age  of  seventy- fur  years.  Jesse  Alli.-^on, 
Thomas  Allison  and  Thomas  Johnson,  were  the  other  early 
settlers  of  Leef.  Jesse  Allison,  a  brother  in-law  of  James 
Pearce,  settled  what  is  now  the  William  Serumpf  place,  in 
1824.  Some  years  prior  to  his  settlement  here,  he  had  lived 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  Biggs'  salt  workS:  where  he  worked  fir 
Biggs  several  years.  He  lived  in  Leef  until  1839,  when  he 
went  to  Highland,  and  subsequently  to  Cooper  county,  Mis- 
souri, where  he  died.  Th.onias  Allison,  his  brother,  built  a 
cabin  on  the  land  of  James  Pearce  in  an  early  day.  Here 
he  lived  a  short  time,  and  then  moved  to  Cooper  county. 
Missouri,  where  he  was  killed  during  the  late  war  by  the 
bushwhackers. 

Thomas  Johnson,  Jr.,  built  a  cabin  a  short  distance  north 
of  where  the  Salem  graveyard  now  is,  about  1830.  His 
father,  Thomas  Johnson,  Sr.,  settled  near  the  north  line  of 
Saline  township,  in  1818.  The  junior  Johnson  lived  here 
about  thirty  years  and  then  moved  west.  Hugh  A  Pearce 
settled  a  place  north  of  his  father's  in  1829,  where  he  lived 
until  he  moved  south,  in  1834.  D.  Charter  located  in  the 
forks  of  Silver  creek,  about  ten  years  later,  where  he  im- 
proved a  good  farm.  The  first  farms  made  north  in  the 
prairie,  were  improved  by  G.  W.  Rockwell,  A.  J.  Flinnand 
Frank  Housong.  Mr.  Rockwell  lives  on  the  northwest 
corner  of  section  sixteen.  He  was  born  in  Clay  county, 
Missouri,  and  came  to  Madison  county  in  1838  His  wife, 
now  deceased,  who  was  a  Miss  Catharine  Peterson,  was  born 
in  Madison  county  in  1834.  The  farmers  of  this  township 
are  principally  Germans,  and  Jacob  Leef,  who  was  born  in 
Canton  Schaffhousen,  Switzerland,  was  the  first  of  his  na- 
tionality to  settle  here.  And  when  the  county  passed  under 
township  organization,  this  township  was  named  in  his  honor. 
In  18  i4,  then  nineteen  years  of  age,  he  came  alone  to  Ame- 
rica, landing  at  New  Orleans.  He  had  just  money  enough 
to  reach  St.  Louis,  where  he  remained  until  1840.  He  then 
came  to  Saline  township  and  went  into  the  employ  of  S.  H. 
Mudge,  where  he  remained  five  years.  In  the  meantime  he 
earned  and  saved  money  sufficient  to  buy  a  little  farm.  In 
1845  he  purchased  forty  acres  in  section  thirty-three,  where 
he  now  resides,  and  began  farming  fir  himself.  His  place 
was  originally  settled  by  Benjamin  Furbee,  and  at  the  time 
he  located  here,  the  prairie  north  of  him  for  milej  was  an 
unsettled  country,  and  remained  so  substantially  until  after 
the  late  war,  when,  in  a  short  space  of  time,  ii:  was  wrested 
from  nature's  domain.  Mr.  Leef  was  married  April  8th, 
1844,  to  Miss  Regina  Reichet.  By  this  union  there  were 
born  eleven  children.  He,  by  industry  and  economy,  in- 
creased his  possessions  to  upward  of  three  hundred  acres  of 
land,  and  he  is  now  living  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  competence, 
respected  and  honored  by  his  fellow  neighbors.  John  Am- 
buhl,  a  well-to  do  farmer  on  section  twenty-eight,  was  born 
in  Switzerland,  and  came  to  Madison  county  in  1839.  Fran- 
cis M.  Wagoner  settled  on  the  eighty  acres  east  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Saline.  He  is  one  of  the  prominent  farmers  of  Sa- 
74 


line  township     D.iaiel  Raedy  settled  on  section  twenty-sis, 
where  he  has  improved  a  large  farm. 

S.\LIXE. 

This  U  a  pleasant  little  village  of  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  inhabitants,  lying  on  the  township  line,  partly  in  Leef 
and  partly  in  Saline  townships.  It  was  first  called  Fitz 
James,  and  was  laid  out  in  1840,  by  Henry  K.  Lathey, 
James  Carpenter,  George  Fulls,  Jonas  R.  Gale,  Z.  Lowe,  and 
William  F.  De  Wolf,  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  the  south- 
west quarter  section  thirty-three.  John  Duncan  opened  a 
store  in  1840.  His  house  stood  on  the  north  side  of  the 
road  that  runs  on  the  township  line.  He  kept  a  public 
house,  and  put  up  a  large  sign  inscribed  in  prominent  letters 
"  Fitz  James  Hotel  by  John  Duncan."  He  continued  here 
in  a  fair  [layiiig  business,  until  his  death,  after  which  the 
buildings  were  burned.  Some  years  after  this,  the  town  in 
the  meantime  making  little  progress  R  D.  Leggitt  put  up  a 
second  store.  This  also  stood  on  the  north  side  of  the  road. 
After  about  two  years,  he  sold  out  to  William  Schum,  who 
subsequently  sold  to  John  Bardill  and  brothers.  Mr. 
Bardill  afterward  purchased  his  brother's  interest  in  the 
store  and  conducted  the  business  for  many  years.  He  was 
instrumental  in  getting  a  post-office  established,  called  Sa- 
line. The  department  ordered  the  name  changed,  and  the 
citizens  christened  it  Grant  Fork,  which  is  the  [iresentname 
of  the  post-office.  Martin  Ruch,  in  the  early  history  of  the 
village,  opened  a  store  on  the  south  side,  where  he  is  still 
engaged  in  business.  In  1840  one  Herrin  opened  a  black- 
smith shop  in  a  little  log  cabin  that  stood  just  cast  of  the 
Douglas  store  building.  He  was  not  an  expert  at  his  trade, 
but  could  mend  a  chain  or  clevis,  and  was  looked  upon  as 
quite  an  acquisition  to  the  settlement.  He  afterward  left, 
and  for  many  years  there  was  no  blacksmith  John  Link 
was  the  second  snaith.  The  Catholic  church  is  a  handsome 
brick  edifice,  built  in  1872.  There  is  a  school  conducted  in 
connection  with  the  church.  The  Lutheran  church  is  a  neat 
brick  structure  erected  the  same  year.  The  public  school 
is  a  brick  building,  one  story  high,  with  two  rooms,  in  charge 
of  James  Lane  at  the  present  writing. 

PRESENT  BUSINESS. 

Physicians. — A  R.  Ransom  and  A.  Sacconi. 

General  Store  and  Post-master. — Martin  Ruch. 

Hotel. — Anton  Kraft. 

Drugs. — A.  Sacconi. 

Blacksmith  Shops — Charles  Schmitt,  Nic.  Mollett  and 
Theodore  Schwartz. 

Wagon  Shops.— G.  Winter,  Nic.  Mollett. 

Harness  Shop. — E.  Salzmann. 

Butcher. — F.  Landolt. 

Tinsmith  and  Stoves. — Joseph  Miller. 

Undertaker. — F.  Oswald. 

Shoemaker. — G.  Zweifel. 

The  following  named  gentlemen  have  been  members  of 
the  board  of  supervisors  :  Daniel  Ruedy  was  chosen  in  1876, 
and  was  in  oflice  until  he  was  succeeded  by  John  Bardill  in 
1879.  John  Mulloy  was  elected  in  1880,  and  has  held  the 
office  four  successive  terms,  and  is  now  the  incumbent. 


OMPH-GHENT. 


(HIS,  is  one  of  the  noithern  townships,  and 
received  its  name  from  the  church  that 
stood  near  tlie  residence  of  David  Swett. 
Originally  Oniph-Ghent  comprised  all 
the  territory  between  east  and  west 
Cahokia  creeks,  from  the  county  line 
south  to  a  line  running  east  and  west, 
in  the  center  of  town  five,  range  eight. 
Since  township  organizations,  it  compri- 
ses the  whole  of  town  six,  range  seven,  bounded  on  the  north 
by  Macoupin  county,  on  the  east  by  Olive,  on  the  south  by 
Hamel,  and  on  the  west  by  More  township.  It  is  drained 
by  Cahokia  and  Swett  creeks,  and  their  tributaries,- running 
in  a  southerly  direction  through  the  more  central  part  of  the 
township.  Along  these  streams  the  land  is  considerably 
broken  and  is  timbered.  The  best  farming  land  is  found  on 
the  east  and  west  sides  of  the  township.  The  Wabash  rail- 
road extends  through  four  sections  in  the  southeastern  part, 
and  Worden,  a  thriving  village  on  this  line,  is  the  princi- 
pal trading  poiut. 

EARLY    SETTLEMENTS. 

Near  where  the  Oraph-Ghent  church  now  stands,  in  the 
fall,  or  winter  of  1820,  David  Swett,   a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, erected  the  first  cabin.    October  6th  of  that  year,  he 
entered  one  hundred  and  sixty   acres   of  land.     It  was  the 
first  tract  of  land   entered.     He  came  to   Edwardsville,  in 
1817,  from  his  native  state.     His  father  died  when  he  was 
quite  a  boy.     His  mother  bouud  him  out  to  learn  the  shoe- 
maker's trade.     After  serving  out  his  time,  he  started    west 
immediately,  arriving  here  at  the  date  above  stated,  when 
four  years  later   he  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Tindall,  who 
was  born  in  North  Carolina,  and  came  here  an  orphan  girl 
with   her  uncle,  Thomas  Tindall,  in    1817,  at   the   age    of 
seventeen  years.     In  the  spring  of  1821,  Mr.  Swett,  with  his 
young  wife  moved   into  his  cabin,  and  began  in  earnest  the 
improvement  of  his  place.     He  became  the  first  permanent 
settler  in  the  prairie,  near  the  creek  now  bearing  his  name. 
He  was  the  fir^t  justice  in  the  district,  and   afterward   rep- 
resented the  county  on  the  Commissioners'  Board.     He  died 
nearly  half  a  century  ago,  regretted  by  all  who  knew  him. 
His  worthy  example  in  conducting  public  business  is  still  re- 
membered with  pride  by  many  of  the  old  citizens  of  Madison. 
He  built  the  first  frame  house  in  this  settlement,  and  it  was 
on  his  land  that  the  Omph-Ghent   church,  the   first  in  the 
township,  was  built,  in  1848.     His  widow,  a  much  esteemed 
lady,  lived  at  the  old  homestead  until   her  d^ath  which  oc- 
curred April  1st,  1877.     At  Mr.  Swett's  death,  he  left  six 
538 


children.  Three  only  are  now  living  :  Emily,  is  the  wife  of 
John  Kell,  and  now  resides  in  Mi-ssouri.  Helen,  the  wife 
of  Dr.  J.  A.  Slaughter,  lives  at  Greenville,  Illinois.  Ade- 
line, widow  of  Templeton  Elliott,  now  resides  at  Litchfield, 
Illinois.  Mat  bias  Handlou  entered  eighty  acres  in  section 
thirty-three,  the  same  day  Swett  made  his  entry.  If  he 
ever  lived  on  this  land,  it  was  only  for  a  short  time,  as  he  is 
forgotten  by  the  oldest  citizens  in  this  settlement.  In  1825 
Charles  Tindall  settled  the  George  Belk  place.  He  came  to 
the  county  in  1?17,  and  lived  at  Edwardsville,  until  he  began 
his  improvement  in  this  township.  As  early  as  1830,  in 
company  with  David  Swett,  he  built  a  horse  mill  on  his 
place.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  but  improved  a  good 
farm,  where  he  died  in  1843,  leaving  a  widow,  who  died  in 
1851.  They  had  a  family  of  eleven  children,  seven  of  whom 
grew  to  man  and  womanhood,  viz  :  Parham,  Thomas,  Dora, 
Emily,  Nancy,  Edward  and  Sarah.  Mr.  Tindall  filled 
the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  many  years,  and  lived 
the  life  of  a  much  respected  citizen,  leaving  his  widow  and 
children  in  good  circumstances  when  he  died. 

In  1826  Ezekiel  Davis,  from  New  Jersey,  settled  the 
Henry  Moritz  place,  section  thirty-one.  Two  years  later  he 
entered  eighty  acres  of  laud  here,  and  this  was  the  fourth 
entry  in  the  township.  He  aud  his  wife  both  died  on  this 
place,  the  latter  in  1844,  and  the  former  about  fifteen  years 
ago.  Of  their  children,  only  three  are  now  living.  Hannah, 
now  Mrs.  Thornton  Carter,  a  widow,  lives  in  Moro  township. 
Hiram  lives  at  Dorchester  and  Howell  in  the  west. 

Samuel  H.  Denton,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  came  to 
Edwardsville  in  the  spring  of  1817,  where  the  following 
year,  August  the  sixth,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Tindall.  In 
1833,  he  settled  in  the  edge  of  the  timber,  section  thirty, 
east  side  of  Denton's  branch,  where  he  gathered  a  good  deal 
of  property  about  him.  His  farm  comprised  upward  of 
four  hundred  acres.  He  raised  horses  and  cattle  in  great 
numbers,  allowing  them  to  run  on  the  range  during  the  en- 
tire summer  and  fall  at  will.  He  was  one  of  the  early 
botanic  doctors  of  the  county.  A  Whig  in  politics,  he  never 
aspired  to  any  office.  He  died  on  the  place  he  improved, 
March  1st,  1869.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Denton  had  born  to  them 
a  family  of  nine  children.  Three  died  in  infancy.  James 
died  in  1880.  Jefferson  in  1865.  Martha,  now  deceased, 
married  Amos  Hodgeman.  Benjamin  is  in  the  western 
country.  Henry  is  a  farmer,  living  on  the  old  homestead. 
Sarah,  now  deceased,  married  Henry  Moritz,  and  at  his 
residence,  Mrs.  Denton  now  makes  her  home.  She  is  the 
only  old  settler  now  living  in  the  Omph-Ghent  settlement. 
She  was  born  in  Ruthford  county.  North  Carolina.     Her 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


539 


father,  Thomas  Tiiidall,  emigrated  to  the  Territory  of  Illi- 
nois, in  1816,  arriving  at  Edwardsville  in  November  of  that 
year.  He  was  a  native  oF  Virginia,  and  in  that  state  he 
married  Miss  Martha  Wall.  They  had  two  children  born 
to  them  in  Virginia,  viz  :  Charles  and  Francis  ;  four  in  North 
Carolina,  William,  Mary,  Parliam  and  David  ;  three  in 
Christian  county,  Kentucky,  George,  Lewis  and  Richard. 
Mrs.  Denton  says  when  her  father  started  west  from  Ken- 
tucky, he  was  accompanied  by  the  families  of  Ben- 
nett Jones,  Thomas  Wall  and  Joseph  McKinney.  Their 
intention  was  to  visit  the  Goshen  settlement,  and,  if  not 
pleased  with  that,  to  go  on  to  Boon's  Lick,  in  Missouri.  The 
party  camped  and  cooked  dinner  about  where  the  Court 
House  now  stands.  After  dinner  the  teams  were  hitched 
and  their  heads  turned  westward  for  the  Mississippi  ferry, 
where  lower  Alton  now  stands.  In  passing  through  old 
Edwardsville,  Edward  Fountain,  who  was  a  hotel  keeper 
there,  recognized  Mr.  Tindall.  They  had  been  school-mates 
in  Virginia.  Fountain  induced  the  party  to  stop  for  a  few 
days.  They  went  into  camp  near  where  the  lower  Wabash 
depot  now  stands  Tindall  soon  moved  his  family  into  the  old 
log  court-house,  where  he  wintered.  There  was  no  floor  or 
chimney  to  the  building.  The  fire  was  built  in  one  corner 
of  the  room  and  the  smoke  escaped  the  best  it  could  through 
a  hole  in  the  roof  The  second  Monday  in  March,  1817,  the 
court  convened  and  the  Tindall  family  had  to  abandon  the 
court-house  During  the  winter,  Mr.  Tindall  built  a  com- 
fortable hewed  log  house  that  stood  nearly  opposite  the 
place  where  Jud^e  Gillespie  now  lives.  Here  he  resided 
until  he  died  in  1832.  He  followed  teaming  and  farming. 
His  wife  survived  him  until  1851.  Mrs.  Denton  is  now  the 
only  survivor  of  the  family.  At  the  age  of  eighty  she  is 
hale  and  hearty,  and  looks  much  younger  than  her  years. 
Her  hair  is  raven  black,  with  here  and  there  a  tinge  of  gray. 
Her  memory  retains  its  early  vigor,  and  with  ease  she  talks 
over  pioneer  times,  giving  facts  and  dates  with  much  accu- 
racy. In  1830,  Parham  Wall  built  a  double  log  house,  a 
little  east  of  the  place  where  Adam  Hohe  now  lives,  where 
he  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  wife.  He  then  returned 
to  Kentucky,  where  he  lived  many  years.  He  afterwards 
came  back  to  Madison  county  and  died  in  Alton.  Benjamin 
Bond,  sr.,  came  from  Tennessee  and  settled  in  the  northern 
part  of  section  thirteen,  in  1826,  with  his  wife  and  family  of 
five  children,  viz  :  Thomas,  Elizabeth  Jane,  Benjamin,  Mary 
and  William.  Holland  was  born  on  the  old  homeplace,  this 
county.  Mr.  Bond's  wife  died  about  eight  years  after  his 
coming  here.  Lucy  Ann,  the  only  living  child  of  Mr. 
Bond's  second  marriage,  is  now  the  wife  of  Joseph  Lamb, 
one  of  the  prominent  farmers  of  the  townshFp.  Mr.  Bond 
was  married  the  fourth  time,  and  now  lives  at  Staunton,  iu 
his  eightj'-sixth  year.  He  was  a  farmer  of  the  township 
until  about  twenty  years  ago.  William  and  Benjamin  are 
farmers  here.  Mary,  now  Mrs.  Jordon  Best,  lives  in  Olive 
township. 

One  of  the  oldest  citizens  now  living  in  the  township,  is 
Mrs.  Nancy  Wilcox,  widow  ol  Stephen  Wilcox,  who  settled 
in  the  northeastern  part  as  early  as  1825.  Mr.  Wilcox  op- 
erated a  horse-mill  here  for  many  years.     Mrs.  Wilcox  came 


to  the  county  a  widow.  Her  brother,  George  Kinder, 
brought  her  and  her  mother  from  Kentucky.  He  had  lived 
here  many  years  before  he  brought  them  out.  Mrs  Wil- 
cox's first  husband  was  Jeremiah  Brown.  He  died  in  Ken- 
tucky, leaving  her  with  three  children.  She  married  Mr. 
Wilcox  in  1834.  He  died  thirty-five  years  ago.  Since  that 
time  she  has  lived  here  on  the  old  Wilcox  homestead 
and  only  a  short  distance  from  where  they  first  settled 
She  has  only  one  child  living,  Thomas  Minter  Brown,  who 
is  a  well  to-do  farmer  in  Iowa.  She  has  grand-children  and 
several  great  grand-children  living  io  this  settlement.  Mrs. 
Wilcox  was  born  in  1796.  Her  mother  was  a  daughter  of 
John  Schmidt,  who  with  his  wife  came  from  Germany  and 
settled  iu  Pennsylvania,  where  they  died.  Miss  Schmidt  first 
married  Jacob  Kinder,  who  was  afterward  killed  by  the 
Indians  in  the  early  settlement  of  Kentucky.  She  then 
married  Thomas  Miuter,  who  also  died  in  Kentucky.  The 
early  preaching  in  this  part  of  the  township,  for  many  years, 
was  at  the  residence  of  Stephen  Wilcox,  by  the  Rev.  Peter 
Long.  The  Leraens  and  Days  were  all  of  the  Baptist  de- 
nomination. Gjorge  W.  Beaird,  one  of  the  early  settlers  in 
the  northeastern  part,  was  a  blacksmith,  wagon  maker, 
gunsmith,  and  shoemaker.  He  died  near  where  Worden 
now  stands,  in  1846.  His  widow  yet  survive*  him  at  the 
age  of  seventy-one.  She  is  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and  has 
lived  in  this  immediate  vicinity  since  1830.  William  and 
James  Best,  sons  of  Michael  Bast,  a  well-known  old  settler 
of  Macoupin  county,  improved  places  in  the  northeastern 
part  of  this  township  among  the  early  settlers.  William 
died  in  Staunton,  and  James  now  lives  in  Kansas,  but  still 
owns  his  farm  here.  Thomas  Grant  Sr.,  settled  in  the  edge  of 
Macoupin  county,  on  the  north  line  of  this  township,  in  1831. 
His  son,  Thomas,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  this  townsliip, 
was  born  in  S  )uth  Carolina.  He  has  been  twice  married. 
His  second  wife,  Nancy,  was  a  daughter  of  Col.  Samuel 
Judy,  born  in  the  county  in  1809,  and  is  the  only  survivor 
of  Col.  Judy's  falhily,  by  his  first  wife.  She  has  twelve 
children,  four  boys  and  three  girls  living.  Her  marriage 
with  Mr.  Grant,  in  1840,  was  her  third.  Since  marriage 
they  have  lived  in  section  thirteen,  this  township.  She  is  a 
hale  and  hearty  old  lady,  with  a  good  memory  and  is  very 
correct  in  facts  pertaining  to  the  early  tioies.  A  short  dis- 
tance up  the  branch  from  where  Mr.  Grant  now  lives,  in  the 
early  diys  was  a  deer  lick  An  ambuscade  was  arranged 
here  by  the  settlers,  and  the  deer  coming  to  the  lick  fell  an 
easy  prey  to  the  unerring  rifle  of  the  pioneer.  Mrs  Grant 
says  that  when  she  was  a  girl,  she  often  passed  this  place  on 
horseback  going  to  and  from  her  home  to  relatives  who 
lived  iu  Macoupin  and  Greene  counties. 

The  vicinity  of  the  deer  lick  was  a  desolate  looking  place, 
and  the  land  looked  white  and  poor.  She  often  thought  to 
herself  if  any  body  ever  entered  this  land  it  must  be  a  fool. 
She  jokingly  said  that  she  afterward  entered  it  herself,  and 
on  trial  found  it  equal  to  any  land  iu  the  vicinity  for  pro- 
ductiveness. Captain  Samuel  Jackson,  who  in  his  early  days 
was  a  sea  captain,  came  to  this  township  among  the  early 
settlers,  and  located  a  place  on  section  fourteen,  where  Frank 
Peters  now   lives.     Here  he  resided   until  his  death  some 


540 


HISTORY    OF  MADISON   COUNIY,     ILLINOIS. 


twenty  years  ago.     He  was  born  and  raised  in  North  Caro- 
lina.    There  was  a  little  "  affair  of  the    heart "  connected 
with  his  life.     Through  some  misunderstanding  between  him 
and  his  intended,  the  marriage  was  never  consummated,  and 
he  spent  his  days  in  smgle  blessedness.     He   lived  here  in 
a  small  cabin  and  did  his  own  cooking.     He  was  a  very  ec- 
centric character,  and  at  one  time  in  his  life  he  had  the  im- 
pression that  some  evil-disposed  person  contemplated  placing 
poison  in  his  well.     This  thought  so  brooded  upon  his  mind 
that  he   virtually  became  a  monomaniac  upon  the   subject. 
He  accordingly  built  a  cabin   over  his  well,  and  ever  after- 
ward kept  it  securely  locked.     This  delusion  led  him  so  far, 
that  if  he  at  any  time  discovered  any  white  substance  upon 
his  farm,  he    would  view   it  critically  with  suspicion.     He 
accumulated  much   property,  land  and  personal,  and  took 
extra  pride  in  his  horses,  and  he  always  had  some  fine  ones  ; 
and  yet  his  custom  was  to  walk  to  church  bare  foot  during 
the  summer  months.     He  joined  the  Methodist  church,  and 
at  one  time  the  preacher  conducting  the  .'ervice  asked  him 
to  lead  in  prayer.     The  congregation  all  knelt  down  as  was 
the  custom,  then  after  several  moments  of  suspense,  the  old 
gentleman  spoke  out,  "  I  am  not   praying."     The  preacher 
remarked,  "  I  see  you  ain't,"  and  then    asked   some   other 
brother    to   offer    prayer.      This    was   the    first    call    for 
prayers   that  the  old  man  had  been   solicited  to  perform. 
One  can  easily  imagine  the  embarrassment  of  the  situation, 
but  the  event  passed  off  without  any  further  observation  on 
the  part   of  the   congregation.     He  was  an    excellent  per- 
former on  the  violin,  and  always   kept  two  or  three  instru- 
ments at  hand.     He  would   use  a  different  violin  for  each 
occasiun,  and    thus  he    would   entertain    his    friends,    and 
while   away    many  a  lonesome   hour.     Every    Friday,    it 
was  his   custom    to  fast.     He  often  went   to  the  cabin  of 
Thomas  Grant.     One   day  he  stopped  in  just  as  dinner  was 
on   the    table.     The  smoking   chicken   and    new   potatoes, 
the  first  of  the  season,  fairly  captivated  the  old  man,     Mrs. 
Grant  said,  Take  some  dinner  with  us.  Captain.     No,  said  he, 
this  is  my  fast  day.     Mrs.  Grant  said.  This  is  Thursday,  Cap- 
tain.   Said  he,  Well  Nancy,  if  this  is  Thursday,  I  will  believe 
you  and  eat.     When   the  Captain  died  it   was  the  general 
belief  that  he  had  money  buried   on  his  premises,  and  some 
parties  did  some   digging  in  the  vicinity  of  his  house,  with- 
out accomplishing  anything,  and  if  the  old  gentleman  did 
bury  his  surplus  money  here,  the  secret  of  its  whereabouts 
was  buried  with  him. 

Jonathan  McMannus,  a  Tenuesscean,  was  one  of  the  early 
settlers.  He  built  a  saw  and  grist  mill  on  Cahokia  creek, 
west  of  where  AVorden  now  ^tands,  in  an  earlj'  day,  and 
continued  to  run  it  fur  many  years.  He  improved  the  farm 
where  W.  J.  Piper  now  resides.  He  was  very  handy  with 
tools  of  all  kinds,  and  often  made  the  remark  that  he  could 
make  any  thing  out  of  wood  or  iron  He  had  a  blacksmith 
shop  at  one  time  on  the  Piper  place.  For  many  years  he 
lived  on  the  west  side  of  the  Cahokia  creek.  He  was  twice 
married  and  reared  a  family  of  four  children,  by  his  first 
■wife,  and  five  by  his  second.  In  1856,  he  went  to  Te.xas, 
where  he  died  about  ten  years  afterward.  W.  J.  Piper,  who 
lives  on  section  twenty-four,  was   born  in  the  Piper  settle- 


ment, on  Silvfr  (re(k,  Alhambra  township,  in  1819,  where 
he  lived  until  about  185l>,  when  he  located  where  he  row 
resides.  His  father  and  mctbfr  ditd  (  n  the  place  thi  y  set- 
tled on  Silver  creek,  the  latter  in  1861,  and  the  former  in 
1864,  leaving  a  family  of  nine  childien,  six  sons  and  three 
daughters,  five  of  whom  are  yet  livirg,  W.  J.,  leii  g  the 
only  one  of  the  family  that  is  now  a  resident  of  the  county. 
Moses  Barker  was  one  of  the  early  residents  en  the  cast  side 
of  the  Cahokia.  He  vas  an  eastern  man  of  good  education, 
and  po.'sessed  eonsideiable  ability,  and  was  one  of  the  prom- 
inent citizens  of  his  time.  He  died  on  his  old  homestead 
many  years  ago,  and  was  one  of  the  first  buried  in  the  New 
Hope  grave- yard. 

Edmund  Butler  settled  near  the  center  of  the  township 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Cahokia,  about  1833.  The  improve- 
ment was  first  started  in  1832,  by  Richard  Wall,  who  built 
a  cabin  but  never  lived  here.  Butler  died  on  this  place 
nearly  thirty  years  ago.  His  widow  still  survives  him,  and 
lives  on  the  old  homestead.  In  1833  Darius  Sprewell  set- 
tled the  P.  C.  Eandall  place.  He  and  his  wife  both  died 
here.  They  left  six  children.  His  youngest  daughter,  Mrs. 
P.  C  Randall,  now  lives  on  the  old  homestead.  The 
Edward  McDonnell  place  was  settled  by  Robert  Page,  as 
early  as  1830.  Edward  McDonnell  was  killed  on  this  place 
in  the  spring  of  1879  in  a  cyclone.  This  storm  appeared  like 
a  huge  ball  and  seemed  to  revolve,  moving  along  within  a  few 
feet  of  the  ground.  Houses  were  raised  clear  off  their  foun- 
dations, smashed  to  atoms  and  the  pieces  hurled  in  every  direc- 
tion. Trees  were  uprooted  or  twisted  off  close  to  the  ground, 
and  animals  and  persons  were  picked  up  and  carried  for 
quite  a  distance  through  the  air,  then  dropped,  bruiseel  and 
bleeding  to  the  ground.  L.  R.  Weeks  was  among  the  early 
settlers  in  the  northern  part  of  the  township.  He  improved 
a  good  farm,  on  which  he  died,  leaving  quite  a  large  estate. 
His  wife  still  lives  on  the  old  place.  William  Kell,  a  native 
of  North  Carolina,  came  to  Madison  county  in  1829.  He 
entered  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  near  Where  now 
stands  the  town  of  Worden.  He  reared  a  family  of  eleven 
children,  all  of  whom  giew  up  and  married.  His  son,  James 
Kell,  who,  in  1845,  started  out  in  life  for  himself  upon  a  farm 
near  AYorden,  took  an  active  part  with  Jeihn  C.  Worden  and 
others  in  getting  the  T.  W.  &  W.  R.  R.  extended  through  the 
town.  He  died  in  Worden,  in  1S76.  Robert  Roseberry 
settled  just  south  of  where  Worden  now  is,  in  18.S6.  Part  of 
the  town  has  since  been  built  on  his  land.  He  lived  here 
until  his  death  in  1848.  His  widow  who  was  boru  in  the 
Territory  of  Indiana,  in  1800,  survived  him  until  ISTO.  She 
was  the  mother  of  seven  children,  four  sons  anil  three 
daughters,  and  had  lived  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church 
since  1821.  Mr.  Roseberry  for  several  years  filled  the  ofiice 
of  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

Sandford  Dove  and  Samuel  Walker  were  early  settlers 
here.  The  death  of  the  latter's  wife  was  the  first  in  the 
northeastern  part  of  the  township.  The  first  death  occurred 
in  the  Oniph  Ghent  settlement,  and  was  that  of  the  wife  of  a 
squatter  named  Camp.  He  was  a  trapper  and  hunter,  and 
lived  in  the  timber  east  of  George  Belk's  place,  in  a  pole 
camp,  prior  to  the  settlement  of  David  Swetc.     Mrs.  Camp 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


541 


was  laid  to  rest  in  the  timber  :icar  by.    Her  coffin  was  truly 
a   primitive   affair.     It  was    made   by  splitting  a  log   into 
halves  and  bollowing  them  out  like  troughs,  and  fitting  them 
together.     They  were  fastened  with  wooden  pins.    If  not  as 
elegant  as  the  modern  style  it  was  in  keeping  with  the  times 
of  long  ago.     The  first  birth  in  this  settlement  was  that  of 
Mary   Swett,   daughter    of    David    Swett,    January    1822. 
Richard  Sandbach.  Sr.,  who  was  born   in  London,  England, 
rame  to  the  township  in  1839.     He  bought  a  place  in  sec- 
tions 22  and  23,  where  his  son-in-law,  James  A.  Welch,  now 
lives.     He  opened  a  general  store  here  immediately  after  his 
arrival,  which  he  continued  to  run  until  his  death,  in  1854. 
His  widow  carried  on  the  business,  with  John  C.  Worden  as 
manager,  until  her  death,  about  ten  years  ago.     Mr.  Sand- 
bach    was   twice    married.      His   children   were:    William, 
Richard,  George  S.  and  Alice  A.     The  first  school  taught  in 
Omph-Ghent  settlement  was  in  a  small   log  building  that 
stood    near   the    present   site  of  the    church,   in    1825,    by 
Springer.     The  first  schooling  the  children  received  in  the 
northeastern   part  of  the  township   was  at  a  log  house  that 
stood  where  the  Staunton  graveyard   is  now  located.     At  a 
later  date  school  was  kept  by  Henry  Haveren,  on  the  town- 
ship line,  in  an  abandoned  cabin  built  by  Benjamin   Bond. 
The  first  Sunday-school    was    held    by   Joseph    Gordon,  a 
Presbyterian,  in  David   Swett's    liig  barn,  in   183  >.      The 
Omph-Ghent  church  was  built  by  that  congregation  in  1848. 
New    Hope  Baptist   church,   north  of   Wurden,  wa?  built 
thirty  years  ago.    Frederick  Handshey  was  the  first  German 
to  settle  in  the  Omph-Ghent  settlement.     He  lo  ated  a  short 
distance  south  of    Swett's,  in   1833.      He  died    in    Hamel 
township,  in  1852.     Four  of  his  children,  two  sons  and  two 
daughters,  now  live  in  the  county.     Among   the  older  Ger- 
man   citizens   are:    Adam    Hohe,    Frank    Peters,   Rev  L. 
Blume,  Christian  and  Julius  Kohlenburg,  Herm   Wiseman, 
Fred   and   Henry  Durstmann,  Fred   Klein,  J.   C    Schafer, 
Fred   Hillebrand,  Fred  Lesfmann  ai.d  H.  C.  Nobbe.      On 
the  Cahokia  and  its  tributaries  are  found,  in  large  quantities, 
building  stone    of   easy  access,  such   as  limestone,  freestone 
and  soapstone.      Some  of  the  quarries  have  been  worked 
(fuite  extensively.     But,  owing  to  their  distance  from  the 
railroad,  none  of  them  are  now   being    worked  except   to 
supply  the  immediate  neighborhood. 

WORDEN. 

John  Lamb,  one  of  the  early  settlers,  lived  where  his  fon, 
Joseph  Lamb,  now  resides,  in  section  25.  Nearly  half-a-mile 
southwest  of  Lamb's  a  saw-mill  was  built  and  a  post-office, 
called  Lamb's  Point,  was  established  there  by  William  Ro.se- 
berry,who  lived  near  by.  Afterward  the  office  was  kept  by 
James  Burley,  who  lived  just  across  the  road  from  Ro.se- 
berry.  In  1857  this  office  was  moved  south  to  the  farm 
residence  of  Hampton  AVall,  and  kept  by  him  Two  years 
later  Mr.  Wall  started  a  store  here,  and  in  1860,  he  laid  out 
the  town  of  New  Hampton,  comprising  ten  acres,  in  the 
northwest  quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  35. 
Mr.  AVall  was  a  son-in-law  of  Robert  Roseberry,  and  he 
now  lives  in  Staunton,  Macoupin  county,  and  is  one  of  the 
pmrninpnt  and  much  respected  citizens  of  that  county.     Mr. 


Wall,  in  1867,  sold  his  store  and  interest  in  the  town  to 
John  C.  Worden,  who,  in  1870,  laid  out  in  town  lots  the 
balance  of  the  north  eighty  of  the  northeast  quarter  of 
section  35.  INIr.  Worden  came  to  the  county  in  1^54,  and 
by  this  time  had  a  good  deal  of  experience  in  store  keeping, 
having,  as  before  stated,  superintended  his  aunt's,  Mrs. 
Sandbach's  store,  for  several  years.  He  continued  the 
business  in  the  store  purchased  of  Mr.  Wall,  with  a 
steadily  increasing  trade.  After  the  railroad  was  built 
through  the  place  in  1870,  the  company,  in  honor  of  Mr. 
Worden,  who  had  taken  a  very  active  part  in  securing  for 
the  conij)any  the  right  of  way  and  furthering  the  interests 
of  the  road,  called  the  place  AVorden.  The  name  of  the 
post  office  was  then  immediately  changed.  The  first  mail 
by  rail  was  received  here  October  12,  1870.  Mr.  Worden 
was  the  first  railroad  agent,  and  did  the  company's  business 
f  >r  seven  years,  at  the  same  time  attending  to  his  store. 
For  eleven  years  he  was  the  postmaster.  This  town  was 
originally  a  country  cross-road.  In  1867,  W.  F.  Robinson 
started  a  grocery  store.  William  Wyatt  was  the  first  black- 
smith. He  opened  a  shop  in  1861.  Frank  Ferliwasthe 
second.  After  the  railroad  was  built  the  place  received  new 
life,  and  during  the  years  of  1873,  '74  and  '75,  grew  rapidly. 
H.  11.  Dorr,  M.  D.  was  the  first  physician.  In  1871,  the 
Methodists  built  their  frame  church,  30x40  feet,  at  a  cost  of 
nearlv  S3,000  In  1876,  the  German  Lutheran  church  was 
built  and  is  used  by  them  also  for  a  school  building.  There 
are  two  steam  elevators  here.  John  C.  Worden  and  James 
Kell  built  the  first  in  1870.  At  that  time  steam  was  not 
used  as  a  ra')iive  power  by  this  firm.  It  has  since  been 
greatly  enlarged  :  it  is  now  owned  and  conducted  by  C.  A. 
King  cfe  Co.,  of  Toledo,  Ohio  The  secoi  d  was  built  by 
George  Breed  &  Bros.,  who  are  still  the  owners,  and  are 
residents  of  the  place.  In  1873,  Joseph  Floyd  it  Co.  built 
a  flouring  mill  of  three  run  of  burrs.  This  mill,  through 
bad  management,  never  accomplished  much.  After  running 
about  six  years  it  was  moved  to  Jonesborough,  Illinois,  and 
subsequently  destroyed  by  fire. 


The  Worden  Mining  Co.'s  shaft  was  commenced  in  the 
winter  of  1876.  The  first  coal  was  sold  the  following  year, 
June  26,  1877.  The  first  wagon  load  of  about  twenty 
bushels',  raised  on  that  day,  was  drawn  through  the  town, 
and  then  sold  at  auction  to  the  highest  bidder.  Robert 
Nfethercott,  then  of  the  Worden  City  Mills,  bought  it  at  the 
highest  bid,  $52.00.  After  much  jollification  the  load  waa 
driven  to  the  mill  and  burned  in  the  furnace.  The  company 
is  composed  of  farmers  and  business  men  of  the  vicinity. 
The  depth  of  the  shaft  is  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  and 
the  vein  of  coal  averages  from  six  to  eight  feet  in  depth. 
The  Wabash  Coal  Mining  Co.'s  shaft  on  the  farm  of  Joseph 
Lamb,  was  sunk  in  1881,  and  it  is  owned  by  F.  P.  Baker  &, 
Co.,  of  St.  Louis.  J.  H.  McDonald  and  others  are  sinking 
a  shaft  on  the  land  of  W.  J.  Piper,  section  24,  and  at  this 
writing  are  at  a  depth  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  They 
commenced  work  late  in  the  fall  of  1881. 


542 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


BUSINESS    DIRECTORY   OF   WORDEN. 

Physicians. — H.  R.  Dorr,  J,  H.  McDonald  and  H.  Powers. 

General  Stores.— H.  C.  Picker,  C.  Rudolph,  Henry 
Reese. 

Groceries  and  Notions. — W.  F.  Robinson. 

Drugs  and  Notions. — P.  H.  Paul. 

Postmaster. — P.  H.  Paul. 

Notions. — D.  Hirschfeld. 

Merchant  Tailor  and  Clothing  — F.  A.  Sohiiiltt. 

Groceries- — J.  McDjnnell,  H.  KnoUniann. 

Bakery. — Philip  Euerich.  ' 

Furniture  and  Undertaking. — Joseph  Heidel. 

Hardware  and  Tinsmith. — R.  Wildi. 

Saddles  and  Harness — J.  Uhl. 

Ho'el- — Frederick  Putting. 

Livery. — J.  M.  Lowry. 

Boots  and  Shoes. — Jacob  Dornseip,  K   L  )rch. 

Barber.— F.  W.  Schwer. 

Black-Smiths. — Frank  Firli,  Wm.  Schutte,  Wm.  Winter. 
'     Wagonmaker. —  Samuel  Merz. 

Police  Magistrate. — John  C.  Worden. 

Worden  is  young  in  years,  situated  twenty-nine  miles  from 
St-  L  )uis.  The  census  of  1880  gave  it  a  p<ipulation  of  384. 
Since  that  time  it  has  considerably  improved  and  with  the 
growiugcoal  interests  and  other  natural  advantages,  and  from 
the  fact  that  it  controls  a  wide  scope  of  country  as  a  shipping 
point  it  bids  fair  to  become  a  town  of  some  importance. 


PRAIRIE   CITY. 

Maurice  Hartnett  was  the  first  settler  of  Prairie  City. 
He  built  a  small  log  house  at  the  northwest  corner  of  the 
four  corners,  in  1858.  The  same  year  the  town  was  laid  out 
by  L  L  Dorsey.  Mr.  Klump,  the  ne.x:t  year,  started  a  saloon. 
The  same  year  F.  and  E.  Be.«t  began  blacksniithing,  and 
continue  in  the  business  to  the  present  time.  In  1860  a 
general  store  and  saloon  was  started  by  John  SchafTer.  Rich- 
ard Richards  built  about  the  same  time  and  opened  a  general 
store.  Mr.  Schaffer  had  a  post  office  established  shortly 
after  he  began  business,  and  was  the  first  post  master.  The 
office  is  Prairie  Town.  The  mail  is  a  tri-weekly  one  on  the 
Edwardsville  and  Bunker  Hill  route.  Dr.  Martin  was  the 
first  phj'sician.  The  brick  Lutheran  church,  a  short  distance 
west  of  the  village  was  built  in  1874  at  a  cost  of  $11,000. 
The  frame  church  near  by,  of  the  same  denomination,  now 
used  for  school  purposes,  was  built  in  18'33.  The  following 
is  the  present  business : — E.  Engel,  physician.  M.  Kyle,  H. 
Grote  and  John  McDonnell,  have  general  stores.  M.  Kyle 
is  the  post  master.  F.  &  E.  Best,  Albert  Earner,  black- 
smiths. John  Hess,  wagonmaker.  V.  Schulz,  C  Bockoer, 
boots  and  shoes.  With  a  population  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five,  it  is  situated  in  a  beautiful  prairie,  surrounded  by 
a  thrifty  class  of  farmers,  and  all  the  facilities  of  an  inland 
town  that  one  could  wish. 

The  gentlemen  whose  names  appear  below  have  served  the 
township  as  supervisors :  James  Kell  was  elected  in  1876 
and  was  in  office  two  terms.  He  was  succeeded  by  W.  F. 
Kell,  one  term.  Henry  Dorr  was  chosen  in  1879  and  re- 
elected for  successive  terras  till  1881-'82,  when  Joseph 
Floyd,  the  present  incumbent,  was  elected. 


BIOGRAPHY. 


JOHN  C.  WORDEN, 

The  founder  of  the  village  of  Worden,  in  this  county,  is  a 
native  of  England,  born  at  Preston,  Lancashire,  June  24, 
1834.  He  was  the  second  son  of  Peter  and  Ann  (Charnock) 
Worden,  whose  ancestry  date  back  many  generations  in 
England,  and  members  of  the  same  family  were  among  the 
earliest  settlers  on  that  narrow  strip  of  country  lying  directly 
south  of  Cape  Cod,  in  JIaM;achu.-etts.  Peter  Worden  once 
owned  land  where  now  stands  Yarmouth  Port,  in  Barnsta- 
ble county  of  that  State,  where  he  was  married,  and  died  at 


the  age  of  seventy  years.  Mr.  Worden  has  in  his  possession 
a  genealogical  history  of  the  Worden  family  covering  a  pe- 
riod of  three  hundred  years.  When,  at  the  tender  age  of 
si.x,  Mr.  Worden  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  father.  He 
remained  with  his  mother  until  the  age  of  thirteen,  when 
that  ambition,  so  marked  a  characteristic  in  his  life,  tempted 
him  to  emigrate  to  America,  which  he  did,  locating  at  Al- 
bany, N.  Y.  Here  he  found  employment  for  six  months  at 
the  public  works,  with  a  salary  of  seven  shillings  a  daj'. 
Soon  afterward  he  apprenticed  himself  for  one  year  to  learn 


i/W!S=^ 


^-  r. 


?^ 


<S  / 


',0'    ^^ 


-^  L 


OR/G/NAL  PF?OPRIETOR  OF  WORDEN^ILL, 


c; 


1      .      «..">•    '-^^^  ^Mk  ' 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


543 


I 


blacksmithing  at  Schenectady.  While  thus  working  at  the 
trade  he  attended  regularly  the  night  schools,  and  by  studi- 
ous application  to  liis  books,  made  rapid  progress  in  educa- 
tion. After  the  expiration  of  his  apprentictship,  he  became 
a  canal-boy  on  the  Erie  canal  ;  but  being  desirous  of  im- 
proving his  education,  he  soon  left,  and  sought  a  position 
with  a  farmer,  paying  his  board  by  labor,  and  attending 
school  during  the  winter  months. 

His  next  occupation  was  working  in  a  brick  yard  at  four, 
teen  dollars  a  month,  which  he  continued  during  the  brick- 
making  season  of  six  months.  To  further  resume  his  stud- 
ies he  attended  for  one  term,  Whitestown  Seminary,  after 
which  he  purchased  a  half  interest  in  a  canal  boat.  Ever 
changeable,  this  business  did  not  occupy  his  attention  more 
than  six  months.  During  the  following  winter  he  drove  a 
stage  from  Mohawk  to  Herkimer,  and  in  the  ensuing  spring 
clerked  in  a  provision  store. 

Mr.  Worden,  now  competent  to  teach  school,  engaged  in 
that  profession  in  the  winter  of  185.3-5-1-,  in  western  New 
York  State.  The  next  spring  he  again  entered  a  provision 
store,  in  which  he  remained  eight  months,  leaving  in  1854, 
to  engage  with  his  aunt  (Mrs.  Elizabeth  Sandbach),  then 
residing  in  this  county,  about  two  miles  northwest  of  the 
present  village  of  Worden.  Mr.  Worden  was  in  his  aunt's 
employ  about  five  years,  and  had  now  grown  to  manhood, 
and  during  the  period  of  his  rambling  career,  had  managed 
to  save  money,  and  concluded  that  he  could  not  do  better 
than  to  devote  a  portion  of  it  to  visiting  the  home  of  his 
childhood.  Accordingly,  early  in  1856,  he  returned  to  Eng- 
land, where  he  spent  nine  months  with  his  relatives,  and 
availed  himself  of  the  opportunity  offered,  during  his  stay, 
of  visiting  the  many  places  of  interest  in  his  native  country. 

Mr.  Worden  came  back  to  this  country  in  the  fall  of  the 
same  year,  and  taught  school  in  St.  Louis  county.  Mo.  At 
ihe  completion   of  his  scholastic  duties   there,  in   1857,  he 


again  returned  to   this  county,  and  commenced  teaching 

school  in  Moultonville,  where  be  continued  for  five  winters. 
In  the  meantime  he  was  appointed  Deputy  Sheriff  and  Depu- 
ty Assessor.  After  the  close  of  his  school  in  Moultonville, 
he  went  into  business  for  himself  at  New  Hamj)ton,  now  the 
village  of  Worden. 

On  the  26th  of  November,  1867,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Virginia  J.,  daughter  of  G.  S.  and  Nancy.  J.  Weaver.  By 
this  union  six  children  were  born,  two  of  whom  have  since 
died.  On  the  twelfth  of  September,  1881,  Mr.  Worden  had 
the  misfortune  to  lose,  by  death,  his  most  estimable   wife. 

In  1809  was  in  contemplation  the  Decatur  k,  East  St. 
Louis  Railroad,  now  the  Wabash,  St.  Louis  &  Pacific.  An 
election  was  held  to  consider  the  matter  of  contributions, 
and  decided  against  the  railway.  A  subsequent  election, 
brought  about  by  the  exertions  of  Mr.  Worden  and  a  few 
others,  resulted  in  a  contrary  manner.  A  short  but  pointed 
speech  was  made  upon  this  occasion  by  Mr.  Worden,  in  re- 
lation to  the  future  prosperity  of  the  town  bearing  his  name, 
and  the  surrounding  country.  When  the  railroad  was  com- 
pleted the  following  September  (1870),  the  town  was  laid  out 
by  Mr.  Worden. 

Politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  in  religion  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  church.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity.  Few  of  our  citizens  can  present  such  a 
varied  career  as  the  subject  of  our  sketch — thrown  entirely 
upon  his  own  resources  and  in  a  strange  land,  at  the  early 
age  of  thirteen  ;  selfeducated  and  self-made — showing  what 
a  brave  and  determined  spirit  can  do  in  battling  with  the 
world.  The  doubts,  difliculties  and  impediments  were  each 
in  turn  overcome,  and  Mr.  Worden  stands  to-day  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  most  enterprising  men  of  our  country,  and 
one  of  the  most  successful  and  best  respected  citizens  of 
Madison  county. 


SALINE. 


^til 


^^        ... 

'HIS  divi.-ion  of  Madison  county  contains 
all  of  town  five,  range  five.  It  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Leef,  on  the 
east  by  Bond  county,  on  the  south  by 
Helvetia,  and  on  the  west  by  Marine. 
The  St.  L.  V.  T.  H.  &  I.  R.  R.  enters 
the  township  at  section  thirty  two,  and 
extends  in  a  northeasterly  direction, 
p;  passing  out  near  the  center  of  section 

twenty  four.  When  the  territory  of  the  township  was  first 
settled  it  was  about  equally  divided,  between  timber  and 
prairie  lauds  ;  but  at  present  comparatively  little  timber 
remains  standing.  It  is  drained  by  Silver  and  Sugar  creeks. 
Silver  creek  flows  in  a  southerly  direction  through  the  west- 
ern part.  Sugar  cretk  drains  the  eastern  and  more  central 
portion.  In  the  edge  of  the  Silver  creek  timber,  on  the 
east  side  of  section  thirty-one,  the  first  cabin  was  erected  in 
the  southeast  part  of  Madison  county,  1809.  It  was  built 
by  the  widow  Howard,  who  emigrated  from  Tennessee  with 
her  family,  consisting  of  several  sons  and  daughters,  some  of 
whom  were  nearly  grown.  Abraham  and  Joseph  were  the 
eldest  of  the  sons.  They  selected  for  their  home  a  beautiful 
locatiou  on  a  ridge,  in  the  edge  of  Looking  Glass  Prairie, 
from  which  they  had  an  uninterrupted  view  of  the  landscape 
for  many  miles  toward  the  south.  This,  the  first  cabin, 
stood  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of 
the  section.  The  Hon.  Solomon  Koepfli  in  an  article  says, 
"In  18.'51  this  cabin  had  been  removed  to  another  place, 
but  Joseph  Howard,  one  of  the  sous  of  Mrs.  Howard, 
pointed  out  to  me  the  place  where  in  1809  they  had  built 
the  first  house  on  the  south  side  of  the  tract  above 
named.  A  fine  spring  on  the  north  side  of  the 
ridge  furnished  them  with  water.  Mr.  Howard  showed 
me  a  large  oak  stump  which  had  been  hollowed  out 
and  wherein  they  had  made  their  first  meal  by  beating  corn 
with  a  club.  A  small  field  was  enclosed  south  of  this  cabin. 
Joseph  Howard  was  about  twelve  years  of  age  when  he 
arrived  with  his  mother  in  this  prairie,  1809.  A  mere  boy, 
he  served  his  country  as  a  Ranger  in  the  war  from  1812  to 
181.5,  protecting  then  the  settlements  of  the  Mi-ssissippi 
Valley.  The  neighbors  said  of  him,  that  he  killed  several 
bears  and  panthers  in  this  neighborhood,  and  the  tree  was 
pointed  out  to  me  where  he  shot  the  last  panther,  in  1818. 
In  1820,  he  married  the  daughter  of  Samuel  McAlilly,  and 
built  a  cabin  on  a  beautiful  hill,  now  called  Souneuberg. 
Directly  aLer  our  arrival  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  form 
his  acquaintance.  A  truer  and  better  mun  I  never  knew. 
544 


Of  his  learning  and  preaching.  I  cannot  judge,  but  this  I 
know,  his  life  was  that  of  a  true  Christian.  His  wants 
were  not  great,  and  it  left  him  plenty  of  time  to  aid  new 
comers  in  their  early  str\iggles,  to  help  them  with  rare  dis- 
interestedness by  giving  advice  and  assistance.  When  he 
heard  of  a  neighbor's  sickness,  leaving  him  unable  to  attend 
to  his  crops,  you  were  sure  to  see  Joseph  Howard  the  next 
day  in  the  sick  man's  field  plowing  his  corn  or  attending  to 
his  harvest,  and  in  the  night  waiting  upon  him.  This  he 
did  regardless  of  any  difference  of  religion.  It  nas  enough 
for  him  to  know  of  one  of  his  fellow-men  being  in  distress 
to  hasten  to  the  place  to  give  relief  and  ease,  should  it  lay 
in  his  power."  Rough  and  rude  though  the  surroundings 
may  have  been,  the  pioneers  were  none  the  less  honest,  sin- 
cere, hospitable  and  kind  in  their  relations.  It  is  true  as  a 
rule  and  of  universal  application  that  there  is  a  greater 
degree  of  real  humanity  among  the  pioneers  of  any  country 
than  there  is  among  the  inhabitants  of  a  rich  aud  popu- 
lous country.  If  there  is  an  absence  of  refinement  that 
absence  is  more  thau  compensated  by  the  presence  of  generous 
hearts  and  truthful  lives.  Neighbors  generally  did  not  even 
wait  for  an  invitation  or  request  to  help  one  another  in  case 
of  need.  They  came  forward  with  as  little  hesitation  and 
with  as  much  alacrity  as  though  they  were  all  members  of 
the  same  family  aud  bound  together  by  the  ti^s  of  blood. 

It  is  related  by  an  old  settler  and  a  relative  of  the  How- 
ards that,  in  1811,  when  the  eirthquake  of  that  year  caused 
so  much  terror  among  the  pioneers,  the  Howards  felt  the 
shock  so  perceptibly  that  they  thought  the  Indians  were  on 
the  cabin  roof  with  murderous  intentions.  With  the  bravery 
characteristic  of  the  Howards,  Abraham  aud  Joseph  took 
up  their  riiSes  and  opened  the  cabin  door  cautiously,  and  after 
peering  around  and  seeing  no  Indians  while  the  shaking  yet 
continued,  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Indians  were 
surely  on  the  house  top,  where  they  had  no  business.  That 
they  must  be  dislodged  immediately  for  the  safety  of  the 
family  flashed  through  the  minds  of  the  Howards.  So  they 
walked  backward  cautiously  out  of  the  cabin  with  uplifted 
rifles  ready  to  shoot  the  first  copper-colored  peace-disturber 
that  became  visible.  One  of  them  went  to  the  right  and 
the  other  to  the  left  until  they  came  in  sight  of  each  other 
in  the  rear  of  the  cabin  when,  to  their  surprise,  no  Indians 
were  to  be  seen.  They  looked  about  them,  and  all  was  still 
as  death.  They  re-entered  the  cabin  believing  they  had 
been  made  the  victims  of  a  practical  joke,  by  some  lonely 
hunter  that  had  been  passing  by.  Mrs.  Howard  was  quite 
an  old  lady  when  she  immigrated  here,  and  only  lived  a  few 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


545 


years.  Her  death  was  the  first  in  the  settlement.  Joseph 
and  Abraham  received  eight}'  acres  of  land  each,  from  the 
government,  for  services  rendered  in  the  war  of  1812. 
The  former  was  a  preacher  of  the  Presbyterian  faith.  He 
married  Jennie  McAlilly,  and  they  reared  a  large  family  of 
children.  He  settled  the  widow  Rilliet  place,  and  subse- 
quently went  to  Iowa,  where  he  died.  All  of  his  descendants 
live  in  that  state.  Captain  Abraham  Howard,  in  1830, 
went  to  Fayette  county  and  settled  a  place  east  of  Vandalia, 
now  known  as  Howard's  Point  For  further  history  of  the 
Howards  see  the  chapter  on  St.  Jacobs.  In  1810,  Abraham 
Huser,  of  German  descent,  who  married  a  Howard,  settled 
not  quite  a  mile  north  of  the  Howard  place,  and  near  some 
springs  not  far  from  the  cd  ter  of  section  29.  This  was  the 
place  which  James  Reynolds,  twenty  years  later,  adopted 
for  his  home.  Abraham  Huser,  about  1815,  selected  a  new 
place  some  miles  south  of  Troy,  and  there  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  the  Huser  settlement. 

Archibald  Coulter  was  the  first  settler  in  the  north  part 
of  the  township.  He  came  from  Kentucky  in  181G,  and 
located  where  the  widow  Mudge  now  resides.  About  ten 
years  later  he  left  the  settlement  and  located  farther  south 
in  the  state.  July  29,  1817,  Robert  Coulter  entered  the  sec- 
ond tract  of  land  here,  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  section  4. 
Rebecca  Brotherton  entered  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
section  8,  July  3,  181T.  This  was  the  first  entry.  James  East, 
a  Kentuckian, arrived  in  1816,  having  left  his  wife  at  home.  He 
erected  a  pole  cabin,  and  planted  twoacresof  cornin  the  edge  of 
the  prairie  with  a  spade  He  then  returned  to  Kentucky  for  his 
wife.  Afterward  he  built  a  good  hewtd  log  house.  He  was 
a  man  of  industrious  habits,  accumulated  a  good  deal  of  pro- 
perty, raised  a  large  family  of  children,  eight  sons  and  three 
daughters,  and  died  in  the  township.  Samuel  ]\IcAlilIy 
was  born  in  South  Carolina,  near  Chester,  and  was  of  Scotch 
descent.  He  married  in  his  native  state  and  immigrated  to 
Tennessee,  where  he  lived  until  1818  He  then  emigrated  to 
Illinois,  with  his  family  of  four  boys  and  three  girls.  At  the 
time  two  of  his  sons,  John  and  Samuel,  were  married.  The 
others  were  William,  James,  Jennie,  Elizabeth  and  Mary. 

He  arrived  at  the  cabin  of  Archibald  Coulter,  in  the  fall 
of  1818,  where  his  family  remained  until  a  cabin  could  be 
erected.  Building  a  house  in  the  early  times  was  a  job  of 
short  duration  ;  for  every  man  "  turned  out,"  and  while  the 
men  cut  and  laid  up  the  logs  that)  furnithed  the  primitive 
dwelling  place,  the  women  prepared  the  dinner.  Sometimes 
it  was  cooked  by  big  log  fires  near  the  site  of  the  building, 
or  it  was  prepared  at  the  nearest  cabin,  and  at  the  proper 
hour  carried  to  the  men  where  they  were  at  work.  The 
ladies  of  to-day,  familiarized  with  elegantly  fashioned  cook- 
ing stoves,  would  make  a  sorry  efibrt  were  they  compelled  to 
prepare  a  meal  with  no  other  conveniences  than  those  of 
pioneer  times.  The  cabin  when  finished  stood  in  the  south- 
east part  of  section  thirty,  on  the  present  site  of  the  High- 
land Cemetery.  Mr.  McAlilly  dug  two  wells  here  upward 
of  sixty  feet  deep,  but  could  obtain  no  water.  The  place 
was  abandoned  after  a  few  years,  and  he  built  a  second  cabin 
on  what  is  now  the  Frank  Lorenz  place,  where  he  lived  until 
1832.  He  then  moved  to  the  M.  Journey  place,  now  the 
75 


Chas.  Chipron  farm,  where  he  died  two  years  later  of  chol- 
era. In  four  days  his  wife  followed  him.  John  McAlilly 
built  a  hewed  log  house  near  that  of  his  father,  where  he 
lived  a  few  years,  and  then  went  to  Alabama.  In  1826,  he 
returned  to  the  settlement,  and  subsequently  located  in 
Fayette  county,  north  of  Vandalia,  where  he  died  in  1872, 
leaving  a  family  of  two  sons  and  four  daughters.  Samuel 
McAlilly,  Jr.,  also  built  a  cabin  near  his  father's,  where  he 
lived  some  years.  William  C.,  Elizabeth  and  Matilda  were 
born  here.  He  then  returned  to  Kentucky.  After  three 
years  he  came  back  to  the  settlement  and  rented  the  farm 
now  owned  by  F.  Ryhiner,  to  which  he  moved  his  cabin. 
Melinda  and  Mary  were  born  on  this  place.  In  1835,  he 
bought  out  the  heirs  of  his  father,  and  moved  to  the  old 
home  place,  where  he  lived  many  years.  William  C  ,  the 
only  son,  lives  in  the  northeast  part  of  St.  Jacob's  township, 
William  SIcAlilly  also  lived  near  his  father's.  His  wife 
died  after  being  married  about  two  years,  leaving  one  child, 
James  J.,  who  now  lives  in  Clinton  county,  Illinois.  Mr. 
McAlilly  afterward  married  the  widow  of  Adam  Kyle,  Jr  , 
and  lived  east  of  Highland  until  his  death,  at  which  time 
he  had  three  daughters. 

James  INIcAlilly  married  here  and  moved  to  Indiana, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  until  his 
death.  Jennie  married  Joseph  Howard  ;  Elizabeth  became 
the  wife  of  Alfred  Walker,  who  settled  a  place  in  the  north- 
east part  of  St.  Jacob's  township  as  early  as  1824.  None  of 
his  descendants  now  live  in  the  county.  Mary  married 
John  Journey,  who  settled  on  part  of  the  Adam  Nagel 
farm  as  early  as  1825.  He  afterward  went  to  Fayette 
county  and  from  there  to  Wisconsin,  where  he  died.  In 
1818  Samuel  McAlilly,  shortly  after  he  arrived  in  the  set- 
tlement, went  up  to  Coulter's  place  one  afternoon,  and  re- 
turningjust  after  nightfall  discovered  some  dark  object  in  a 
tree,  around  which  his  dogs  were  barking.  He  dismounted, 
and  concluded  to  investigate.  Having  his  rifle  with  him, 
as  the  pioneers  at  all  times  had,  he  walked  round  the  tree, 
but,  as  it  was  quite  dark,  could  not  satisfy  himself  what  the 
object  was.  Thinking  it,  however,  an  animal  ferce  naturae 
that  ought  to  be  exterminated,  he  drew  up  his  rifle  and  fired. 
His  aim  was  good,  and  at  the  crack  of  his  gun  the  object 
came  crashing  down  through  the  limbs  and  fell  heavily  on 
the  ground.  After  satisfying  himself  the  animal,  as  it 
chanced  to  be,  was  dead, he  endeavored  to  put  it  on  his  horse, 
but  after  several  attempts  he  became  convinced  he  could  not 
accomplish  the  feat.  He  rode  down  to  the  Howard  cabin  and 
related  his  adventure.  Joseph  and  Abraham  accompanied 
him  back  to  the  spot,  and  informed  him  he  had  killed  one 
of  the  largest  panthers  ever  slain  in  that  settlement,  meas- 
uring nine  feet  from  tip  to  tip.  The  ball  had  passed  direct- 
ly through  the  heart.  The  Howards  assisted  him  in  get- 
ting the  panther  on  the  horse,  and,  as  they  had  had  several 
years  experience  in  the  new  country  with  the  larger  game, 
gave  him  some  wholesome  advice  in  regard  to  shooting  pan- 
thers in  the  night  when  alone.  This  panther  was  killed 
near  where  the  widow  Ambuhl's  residence  now  stands.  Deer 
at  this  time  might  be  seen  daily  trooping  over  the  prairie  iu 
droves.    From  ten  to  twenty  and  sometimes  as  many  as  fifty 


546 


JIISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


were  seen  grazing  together.  Game  of  all  kinds  was  very 
plentiful.  Deer  were  worth  about  a  dollar,  and  deer  hides 
brought  fifty  cents.  Capt.  Abraham  Howard  killed  forty, 
seven,  and  Samuel  McAlilly  furty-five  in  one  fall,  in  the 
prairie  and  in  the  timber  between  Sugar  and  Silver  creeks- 
They  found  a  ready  market  for  them  in  St.  Louis.  Bears, 
while  not  plentiful,  \ver^  often  seen  and  killed.  Wolves 
were  so  numerous  that  when  the  dogs  ventured  too  far  out 
from  the  cabins  at  night  they  would  be  driven  back  by  them 
to  the  very  doors. 

Cyrus  Chilton  settled  in  the  edge  of  the  timber  on  the 
east  side  of  Silver  creek,  in  section  seventeen,  about  1822, 
where  he  lived  until  the  first  State  Assembly  met  at  Vanda- 
lia.  He  then  went  there  for  the  purpose  of  boarding  the 
members  of  that  body.  He  continued  to  live  in  Vandalia 
until  his  death.  His  widow  afterward  married  a  Mr.  Mc- 
CuUom  and  returned  to  the  farm,  where  they  resided  for 
some  time,  subsefjuently  returning  to  Fayette  county.  One 
of  the  influential  and  honored  citizens  of  this  settlement 
was  James  Reynolds,  who  emigrated  from  Kentucky  to  Il- 
linois in  1818.  He  first  settled  near  the  old  Chilton  fort, 
but  in  1830,  bought  the  land  Abraham  Houser  had  settled 
in  1810.  He  was  au  energetic  and  enterprising  man,  and 
began  farming  on  a  larger  scale  than  was  at  that  time  usual 
in  this  vicinity,  and  became  a  model  for  other  agricukuralists 
in  the  settlement.  He  introduced  the  new  inventions  as 
soon  as  they  were  thrown  in  the  market-  Before  his  com- 
ing, the  only  plows  used  here  were  those  with  mouldboards 
of  wood,  and  in  seme  cases  of  half  wood  and  half  iron- 
The  man  who  had  one  of  the  latter  description  was  looked 
upon  as  something  of  an  aristocrat.  But  these  old  plows 
did  good  service,  and  turned  the  soil  of  many  of  the  present 
best  improved  farms  in  the  county.  The  prairies  were  sel- 
dom settled  till  after  the  pioneer  period,  partly  because  wi  h 
the  old  style  plow  it  was  next  to  an  impossibility  to  break 
the  tough  sod,  while  in  the  timber  the  grass  grew  less  rank 
and  the  roots  were  more  easily  overcome.  Mr.  Reynolds 
was  elected  to  the  Twelfth  Assembly  of  the  State  Legisla- 
ture in  1840,  and  also  served  the  people  many  years  in  the 
capacity  of  Justice  of  the  Peace.  He  left  a  family  of  four 
children,  viz:  Reuben,  William,  Nancy  and  Sarah.  Nancy 
married  Samuel  Thorp,  and  after  his  death  became  the  wife 
of  his  brother  David.  Sarah  married  Curtis  Blakeman, 
Jr.  They  are  all  now  deceased.  Several  of  their  descen- 
dants live  in  the  county.  Thomas  Johnson,  Jr.,  entered 
land  in  1817  in  section  four,  and  began  the  improvement  of 
his  place  that  year.  His  cabin  stood  a  short  distance  south- 
east of  Martin  Buch's  store  in  Saline.  He  had  a  small 
farm  where  he  resided  until  his  death.  He  planted  an  or- 
chard soon  after  his  coming,  which  in  pioneer  days  was  the 
best  one  on  Silver  creek.  He  was  past  middle  life  when  he 
settled  here.  His  son,  Jackson  Johnson,  located  about  three 
quarters  of  a  mile  west  at  the  same  time  the  elder  Johnson 
began  his  improvement,  known  as  the  Reimmer  p'ace.  He 
resided  on  his  farm  until  his  death. 

H.  Carson,  who  was  an  old  man,  settled  a  place  in  1829,  a 
short  distance  southwest  of  Jackson  Johnson's.  He  only 
remained  a  short  time  and  then  went  to  Arkansas.     Benja- 


min May  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  on  the  west  side  of 
Silver  Creek.  Benjamin  Reimmer,  one  of  the  well-known 
old  citizens,  came  in  1818,  and  fir-st  located  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  township,  where  he  resided  until  about  1830.  He 
then  moved  into  the  west  part,  where  he  improved  a  good 
farm  lying  in  this  and  Leef  townships.  Soon  after  the  late 
war  he  went  to  Missouri.  McCullom  was  one  of  the  early 
settlers  on  the  east  side  of  Sugar  Creek.  In  1822  he  located 
on  what  is  now  the  Nancy  Gillett  place,  where  he  resided 
some  three  years.  William  Pearce  purchased  the  farm,  and 
lived  on  it  until  an  accident  caused  his  death.  He  was 
reaping  grain,  when  the  horses  became  frightened  and  ran 
away,  throwing  him  before  the  sickle,  cutting  oflTan  arm  and 
inflicting  other  injuries,  from  which  he  died  in  about  a  week. 
Mr.  Pearce  was  twice  married,  and  reared  a  large  family  by 
his  fipbt  wife.  His  second  wife,  to  whom  he  had  been  mar- 
ried but  a  short  time,  was  the  widow  of  Samuel  McAlilly. 
Her  first  husband  died  in  1852.  Mr.  Pearce  died  in  1864. 
Her  third  husband,  Seth  Gillett,  died  in  1881.  She  still 
lives  on  the  Pearce  homestead,  a  hale  and  hearty  old  lady 
of  eighty-two  years. 

H  Liseubee  settled  on  the  east  side  of  Sugar  Creek,  on 
section  26,  about  the  same  time.  Here  McCullom  settled, 
and  improved  a  small  farm.  He  has  been  dead  nearly  fifty 
years.  His  widow  still  survives  him,  and  lives  where  they 
first  settled.  One  of  the  children,  Maria,  (now  Mrs  Edward 
Ellis),  is  still  living.  Mrs.  Gillett  and  Mrs.  McCullom, 
residing  near  together,  are  the  oldest  settlers  now  living  in 
the  township. 

James  Pearce  settled  on  section  seven  as  early  as  1817. 
His  cabin  stood  near  a  spring.  He  was  named  "  Salty 
Pearce  "  by  his  neighbors  to  distinguish  hini  from  another 
James  Pearce  who  lived  in  the  settlement.  The  name  Salty 
was  an  allusion  to  the  fact  that  he  was  a  laborer  in  the  Biggs 
salt  W'orks.  About  1826  he  sold  out  and  located  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  state,  on  the  Big  Muddy,  where  he 
lived  for  some  time.  The  family  were  afterwards  all 
murdered  by  the  Indians,  with  the  exception  of  three,  a 
married  daughter  and  two  sons.  The  daughter  had  moved 
south.  A  grown  up  son  had  gone  to  Texas,  to  put  in  a  crop 
and  build  a  cabin  for  the  family  who  were  to  follow.  As  the 
family  were  making  the  trip,  in  the  summer  or  fall,  the 
Indians  surprised  them  and  murdered  the  entire  party,  with 
the  exception  of  a  young  son.  He  slipped  away  during  the 
massacre,  but  was  captured  again  by  the  Indians.  The  boy, 
it  is  said,  with  true  pioneer  pluck,  when  his  pursuers  came 
upon  him,  showed  a  determination  not  to  be  captured.  His 
bravery  saved  his  life.  He  was  taken  into  captivity,  and 
after  many  years  of  dilligent  search  by  his  brother,  was 
found  among  the  northwest  Indians.  He  had  lost  his  know- 
ledge of  the  English  language  and  declined  to  return  to 
civilization  with  his  brother,  w-ho  had  paid  a  ransom  of  one 
thousand  dollars.     He  had  to  be  taken  away  by  force. 

John  Charter  came  into  the  township  about  183.5.  He 
bought  the  Archibald  Coulter  place  of  Robert  Plant.  The 
state  road  was  subsequently  changed  to  run  south  of  his 
place,  and  the  stage  stand  was  changed  from  Pearce's,  iu 
Leef  township,  to  Coulter's. 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


5t7 


lu  1823  William  Biggs,  a  Kentuckian,  sunk  a  salt  well 
near  the  bank  of  Silver  Creek,  in  section  nineteen.  He  then 
bored  to  the  depth  of  four  hundred  and  forty  feet,  when  the 
salt  water  began  to  flow.  The  creek  has  since  so  changed  its 
course  that  now  the  old  salt  well  is  in  the  bed  of  the  stream. 
Biggs  invested  a  considerable  amount  of  money  in  the 
works.  He  had  forty  large  kettles  for  evaporating  pur- 
p  )ses.  Fifteen  cords  of  wood  per  day  were  consumed  in 
making  six  bushels  of  salt.  About  twenty  men  were  em- 
ployed in  the  works.  Mr.  Biggs  was  in  the  first  General 
Assembly  of  the  Territory  convened  west  of  the  Ohio  after 
the  Revolution.  Xovember  2oth,  1812,  the  first  legislative 
body  elected  by  the  people  of  the  Territory  assembled.  Biggs 
was  a  member  (for  two  years)  of  the  council  elected  from 
St  Clair  county.  He  was  one  of  the  gallant  soldiers  of  Gen- 
eral Clark,  and  acted  as  a  subordinate  ofiicer  in  the  conquest 
of  Illinois  in  the  years  1778  and  '79.  Governor  St.  Clair,  in 
1790,  appointed  him  sheriff  of  St.  Clair  county,  an  office  he 
held  many  years.  In  the  year  1826  Congress  granted  him  three 
sections  of  land  for  services  rendered  to  the  colonies  in  the 
Revolution.  He  was  at  one  time  taken  into  captivity  by 
the  Kic'iapjo  Indians  and  severely  treated.  He  paid  a 
random  of  nearly  8300,  and  obtained  his  freedom.  In  1826 
he  published  a  narrative  of  his  captivity.  He  died  the  fol- 
lowing year,  an  aged  and  respected  jiioneer,  at  the  residence 
of  Colonel  Judy,  \\\i  brother-in-law.  S)lomon  H.  Mudge, 
who  was  a  prominent  early  citizen,  came  to  St.  Louis  in 
1835  from  Portland,  Maine,  where  he  had  been  engaged  in 
the  commission  and  shipping  business.  He  engaged  in 
blinking  in  St-  Louis,  and  in  the  spring  of  1836  made  a  trip 
ihr.uigh  Madison  county,  prospecting  for  a  country  home. 
He  bought  and  entered  one  thou^saiid  and  eighty  acres  of  land 
in  this  township.  In  section  three,  he  built  a  comforta- 
ble summer  residence  and  beautified  a  home.  Two  years 
later  he  changed  his  business  from  banking  in  St.  Louis  to 
that  of  hotel  keeping  in  New  Orleans,  La.,  where  he  made 
a  reputation  which  extended  throughout  the  Mississippi 
Valley  as  "  mine  host  of  the  St  Charles  Hotel."  He  died 
ill  the  spring  of  1860,  and  his  remains  lie  buried  at  his 
country  home.  During  his  business  career  in  New  Orleans 
he  was  accustomed  to  spend  the  summer  months  at  his 
country  residence.  His  widow  still  survives  him,  as  do  also 
six  daughters  and  two  sons,  G.  M.  B  Mudge,  now  engaged 
in  the  dry  goods  bu.siness  in  New  York  city,  and  E.  W. 
Mudge,  at  present  well  known  in  Madison  county. 

Anton  Suppiger  was  born  in  Switzerland.  He  came  to 
this  county  in  1831.  He  is  one  of  the  prominent  farmers 
of  the  township,  and  resides  in  section  thirty-two.  His 
wife,  Monika,  is  a  native  of  Baden.  Among  the  other 
early  immigrants  to  the  county  who  now  reside  in  the.town- 
siip,  may  be  mentioned  the  name  of  Bern'h  Trautner  and 
Nicholas  Trautner.  his  so'i,  a  farmer,  «ho  resides  in  section 
five;  John  Spengel,  farmer  and  stock-rai.ser,  residing  in 
section  twenty-three,  and  Charles  A.  Voegel,  who  lives  in 
section  twenty-six. 

Tna  first  preaching  was  at  the  cabin  of  Mother  How- 
ard, by  the  Barbers  and  Knights.  As  early  as  1825 
the  Cumberland   Presbyterians  established  a  camp-ground 


in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  thirty-one,  where  camp- 
meetings  were  conducted  for  several  years  in  succession. 
Some  of  the  camps  were  quite  substantial,  and  afforded  a 
good  shelter  during  a  hard  rain.  The  early  preachers 
officiating  were  John  Barber,  his  son  Joel  and  John  Knight. 
It  was  here  in  the  camp  of  Cipt.  Abraham  H)ward  that 
the  first  school  was  taught  by  John  Barber.  School  was 
conducted  here  for  several  summers  and  one  winter.  Wil- 
liam C.  Mc.Ylilly  and  Alfred  J.  Parkinson,  farmers,  of  St. 
Jacob's  township,  are  the  only  scholars  left  in  the  settlement 
that  attended  that  school. 

The  following  gentlemen  have  represented  the  township 
in  the  Board  of  Supervisors  :  Jones  Tontz  was  elected  in 
1876,  and  served  two  terras ;  E.  W.  Mudge,  elected  in  1878, 
served  one  term ;  J.ines  Tontz,  re-elected  in  1879,'  served 
two  terms;  George  Hotz  was  elected  in  18S1,  and  is  the 
present  incumbent. 

The  Germans  began  settling  here  as  early  as  1831.  The 
first  to  arrive  were  Casper  Koepfli,  Joseph  Suppiger,  the 
Ambuhls,  F.  Kustermann,  C.  Koffmann,  H.  Stufflebach, 
more  fully  written  up  in  the  article  on  European  emigration. 
The  Germans  now  comprise  a  large  majority  of  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  township.  There  is  no  town  wholly  within  the 
township.  Highland  lies  partly  in  section  thirty-two,  Saline 
partly  in  section  four,  and  Pierron  partly  in  section  twenty- 
four. 

PIERRON. 

The  village  of  Pierron,  is  a  station  on  the  Vandalia  Railroad , 
thirty-five  miles  from  St.  Louis,  containing  about  two  hun- 
dred inhabitants.  That  part  lying  in  Madison  was  laid  out  by 
Jacques  Pierron,  September,  1871,  and  that  in  Bond  in  July, 
1874.  In  1869,  August  Pierron  erected  a  building  on  the 
present  site  of  the  village,  which  was  used  as  a  bar-room  and 
grocery  store  by  A.  Pierron  &  Co.  In  February,  1870,  the 
pjst-office  was  established,  and  August  Pierron  was  appointed 
postmaster.  Pierron  &  Rinderer  carried  on  business  as 
general  merchants  for  four  years,  when,  upon  a  dissolution, 
J.  D.  Rinderer  built  a  large  and  commodious  store-house  on 
the  B  )nd  county  side  of  Main  street,  where  he  continued  the 
same  line  of  business.  The  first  warehouse  for  grain  was 
built  in  1870  by  J.  Pierron  and  L.  Knebel.  In  1880  L. 
Knebel  built  an  elevator,  at  a  cost  of  about  85,000,  capable 
of  storing  20,000  bushels  of  grain.  J.  Weindel  was  the  first 
blacksmith  to  begin  operations  in  his  line,  which  was  in 
1870.  The  first  hotel  was  that  of  Charles  Britseh,  opened  to 
the  public  in  1870.  The  present  business  of  the  place  is 
represented  as  follows : 

General  Merchandise. — Suppiger  &  Utiger. 

Agricultural  Implements. — Aug.  Pierron. 

Wagon- Makers.— G-  Schwarz  and  F.  Helbolt. 

Grain  and  Lumber. — L.  Knebel  &  Co. 

Physician  and  Surgeon  — Dr.  M   D.  Tibbitts. 

Saddler. — R.  Balsiger. 

Blacksmiths.— R.  Lang  and  W.  Seegar. 

Carpenter  and  Builder. — J.  Bosler. 

Holeii. — J.  Kurz,  F.  Haenuy  and  L.  Lehuert. 

Dressmaker.— liixi.  R.  Balsiger. 


BIOGRAPHIES. 


^-¥a^crt-^   /Yz'I^ 


Was  born  in  Madison  county,  April  21st,  1843.  As 
indicated  by  the  name,  his  parents  were  of  Teutonic  origin. 
They  came  to  America  in  1840,  locating  north  of  Highland. 
Christian  and  Mary  E.  Hotz  (nee  Weber)  were  the  parents 
of  fourteen  children,  of  whom  ten  are  living,  and  who  were 
all,  save  one,  born  in  this  country.  Of  these,  George  was 
the  second.  Such  advantages  as  were  offered  in  this  country 
thirty  years  ago,  in  the  way  of  schools,  were  made  use  of  by 
him,  and,  by  perseverance  and  energy,  he  acquired  a  fair 
business  education.  He  was  married  to  Anna  Merkel,  May 
5th,  1864.  By  this  union  there  have  been  born  twelve 
548 


children.  Mr.  Hotz  is  a  progressive  farmer,  and,  by  force 
of  circumstances,  somewhat  a  politician.  His  neighbors 
have  repeatedly  placed  him  in  office,  the  duties  of  which  he 
has  discharged  with  satisfaction  to  all  In  1874  he  was 
chosen  constable  ;  in  1876,  assessor  ;  in  1880,  collector  ;  and 
in  1881,  and  again  in  1882,  supervisor.  In  politics  he  is  an 
unswerving  Democrat,  and  has  contributed  much  to  his 
party's  success.  Upright  in  his  dealings,  faithful  in  the  dis- 
charge of  all  duties  devolving  upon  him,  he  is  a  man  worthy 
of  confidence  and  position. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


549 


^^^  ^r^^-^^tHi^ 


There  are  many  men  of  prominence  in  Madison  county 
who  are  of  Swiss  origin  ;  among  those  is  he  whose  portrait 
is  presented  on  this  page.  Jones  Tontz  was  born  April 
27th,  1836,  in  Igis,  Canton  Gran-brienden,  Switzerland.  His 
parents  were  Christian  and  Barbara  Tontz  (Bernet).  His 
father  was  a  carpenter.  There  were  four  children  in  the 
family  ;  John,  at  present  County  Treasurer  of  Crawford 
county,  Kansas,  and  mayor  of  the  city  of  Girard,  being  the 
eldest;  Jon(s,  the  second;  Christian,  a  well-to-do  farmer 
of  Saline  township,  the  third  ;  and  Elizabeth  Hirschi,  the 
youngest.  They  all  came  to  America,  and  directly  to  Saline 
township  in  the  winter  of  1845.  Their  attention  had  been 
attracted  to  this  country  through  reading  letters  written  by 
S.  Koepfli,  who  spoke  of  Highland  and  vicinity  as  being  a 
new  Switzerland,  with  fertile  plains  in  place  of  barren 
mountains.  His  writings  brought  many  hither.  The  Tontz' 
came  via.  New  Orleans.  Christian  Tontz,  aged  with  his 
four-score  years  of  life,  still  lives  in  Highland.  His  wife 
died  August  26th,  1881.  In  the  old  country  he  was  com- 
paratively poor.  Hopes  of  bettering  his  condition  had 
much  to  do  with  his  seeking  a  new  home.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  obtained  a  fair  education  in  the  old  country,  and 
followed  it  up  by  attendance  upon  the  common  schools  here- 


in 1856  he  went  to  Kansas,  and  there  cast  his  first  ballot  in 
behalf  of  making  Kansas  a  free  state.  In 'May,  1858,  he 
returned  here,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  was  married 
to  Elizabeth  Hirschi,  July  4th,  1860.  By  her  he  had  six 
children,  of  whom  five  are  living ;  Chri.^ian  J  ,  a  student  at 
Eureka  College;  Magdalena,  at  Eureka  also;  Barbara, 
Elizabeth  Susan,  Frederick  R.,  who  died  in  1872  ;  and  Mary 
Elizabeth.  Mrs.  Tontz  died  Sept.  24th,  1870.  He  married 
Dorothea  Lemback  March  23(1,  1871,  by  whom  he  had 
three  children,  George  J.,  Frank  F.,  and  Dorothea  R.,  who 
alone  is  living.  His  second  wife  died  Sept.  9th,  1876.  He 
married  his  present  wife,  Emma  Kuhrt,  Sept.  13th,  1877;  by 
her  he  has  two  children  living,  Knowles  Shaw,  and  James 
A.  Garfield. 

Politically,  Mr.  Tontz  is  an  avowed  Republican.  He  held 
various  positions,  such  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  1867,  de- 
puty sheriff'  under  Brooks  Moore,  supervisor  in  1876, 1877, 
1879,  and  1880.  In  the  fall  of  1880  he  was  elected  a  Re- 
presentative to  the  General  Assembly.  The  duties  of  every 
position  to  which  he  has  been  chosen  have  been  faithfully 
and  honestly  discharged.  He  is  an  earnest  and  faithful 
member  of  the  Christian  Church. 


ALHAMBRA 


HIS  portion  of  the  county  is  bounded  on 
the  north  by  Olive,  on  the  east  by  Leef, 
on  the  south  by  Marine  and  on  the  west 
by  Hamel  township.  It  contains  thirty- 
six  sections  and  embraces  the  whole  of 
town  five,  range  six.  The  principal 
stream  is  the  west  fork  of  Silver  creek, 
which  enters  the  township  at  section 
three  and  flows  in  a  southwesterly  di- 
rection making  its  exit  at  section  nine- 
teen. There  is  some  timber  on  this  stream  but  the  township 
is  principally  prairie.  The  township  was  origiually  about 
one-fifth  timber,  much  of  which  has  since  been  cleared  and 
the  laud  put  under  cultivation.  A  tributary  of  the  east 
fork  of  Silver  creek  drains  the  eastern  part. 

William  Hinch,  a  hardy  pioneer,  from  eastern  Kentucky, 
where  he  was  born  and  raised,  the  son  of  George  Hinch,  who 
was  an  early  settler  in  that  state,  was  the  first  white  man  to 
make  his  home  within  the  boundaries  of  what  is  now  Al- 
hambra  township.  He  came  here  not  with  the  intention  of 
hunting  and  trapping  for  a  short  time,  and.  as  civilization 
pressed  onward,  of  seeking  other  hunting  grounds,  but  with 
the  firm  determination  of  making  this  his  permanent  home, 
where  by  the  advantage  of  cheap  lands  and  a  rich  agricul- 
tural country,  he  could  more  easily  gather  about  him  a  com- 
petency. He  brought  out  his  family,  which  consisted  of  his 
wife  and  three  children,  in  what  was  called  a  stage  wagon, 
the  best  kind  manufactured  at  that  time  for  making  long 
journeys,  as  it  could  be  closed  up,  and  was  about  as  com- 
fortable as  the  primitive  cabin.  He  arrived  here  November 
15th,  1817,  and  located  in  the  edge  of  the  timbers,  a^short 
distance  north  and  west  of  Silver  creek,  section  nineteen. 
All  winter  he  lived  in  a  camp  built  out  of  poles  and  clap- 
boards. It  had  no  door  and  the  fire  was  built  on  the 
ground  on  one  side.  As  there  was  no  chimney  the  smoke 
escaped  through  the  cracks  or  openings  which  were  nu- 
merous. The  pioneers  were  not  afraid  of  a  little  smoke.  On 
the  inside  were  hung  pauther-skins,  deerskins  and  wolf- 
skins to  keep  out  the  cold  and  drifting  snow.  The  pioneers 
became  used  to  the  hardships  and  vicissitudes  of  their  pe- 
culiar life,  and  found  pleasure  in  it.  Many  a  one  yet  living 
can  say  with  truth  that  the  happiest  moments  of  his  life, 
were  spent  during  the  pioneer  times,  in  the  homely  but  to 
them  comfortable  cabins.  It  is  noticeable  with  what  affection 
the  pioneers  speak  of  their  old  log  cabins.  It  may  be 
doubted  whether  palaces  ever  sheltered  happier  hearts. 
During  the  winter  Mr.  Hinch  built  a  cabin.  He  broke  up 
550 


a  small  prairie  field  north  of  his  house  the  following  spring. 
He  lived  here  about  four  years,  and  then  erected  a  hewed 
log  house  north  of  the  field.  This  put  him  nearly  a  half 
mile  out  on  the  prairie.  This  house  had  a  puncheon  floor. 
Some  years  later,  he  built  the  second  hewed  log  house, 
one  story  and  a  half  high,  in  the  same  yard.  The  lumber 
for  the  floors,  doors  and  loft,  as  the  upper  room  was  called, 
he  sawed  out  by  hand.  He  was  very  skillful  with  the  ax 
and  whip-saw,  and  was  also  a  great  hunter,  and  kept  his 
table  well  supplied  with  wild  meats  and  honey.  Hunting 
bee  trees  was  a  profitable  recreation  among  the  early  settlers. 
The  belts  of  timber  along  Silver  creek  were  especially  pro- 
lific of  bee  trees.  The  first  winter  Mr  Hinch  killed  seven 
panthers  in  this  settlement,  and  quite  a  number  of  wild  cats 
and  wolves.  He  brought  a  large  bull  dog  from  Kentucky 
with  him,  and  when  in  the  woods,  this  dog  always  accom- 
panied him.  One  day  Mr.  Hinch  discovered  a  panther, 
about  half  grown,  in  a  tree.  He  could  easily  have  shot 
it,  but  he  concluded  to  have  some  fun.  Accordingly 
he  cut  a  club  of  a  length,  to  be  easily  handled.  The  tree 
was  a  forked  one,  and  he  climbed  up  the  fork  opposite  the 
panther,  and  by  motions  of  the  club,  and  yells,  frightened 
the  beast  till  it  jumped  to  the  ground  and  into  the  embrace 
of  the  dog,  that  was  quietly  watching  developments  below. 
No  sooner  had  the  panther  struck  the  ground  than  the  fur 
began  to  fly,  much  to  the  amusement  of  Mr.  Hinch,  who 
wanted  to  test  the  grit  of  his  dog,  a  very  large  aud  fine 
specimen  of  his  breed.  The  panthr  was  only  half-grown, 
Mr.  Hinch  had  much  confidence  in  the  dog's  ability  to  kill 
him,  but  only  after  a  hard  struggle  with  the  combined  assist- 
ance of  another  large  dog  and  Mr.  Hinch's  club  was  the 
panther  finally  killed.  He  would  easily  have  escaped 
from  Mr.  Hinch's  dog.  The  same  winter  Mr.  Hinch 
wounded  a  full  grown  female  panther,  and  this  dog  attempted 
the  feat  of  dispatching  her,  when  she  unable  to  get  up, 
seized  the  dog  with  one  arm,  and  fastening  her  claws  firmly 
in  the  side  of  his  neck,  held  him  as  it  were  at  arm's  length. 
The  dog  used  his  utmost  power  to  dislodge  the  panther's 
death-like  grip,  but  without  avail.  Finally  as  a  last  resort, 
he  began  biting  the  panther's  leg.  The  animal  stood  the 
severe  punishment  without  a  murmur,  until  ^Ir.  Hinch  sent 
a  rifle  ball  thiough  her  head,  and  thus  put  an  end  to  the 
struggle.  A  year  or  so  later  this  dog  was  killed  in  the 
woods  by  the  wolves.  It  is  said  that  the  wolves  would  often 
kill  dogs,  and  that  hunters  took  care  not  to  allow  their 
canines  to  get  far  out  of  sight,  especially  at  night.  The 
wolves  were  so  numerous  for  many  years  in  certain  localities 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


551 


along  the  streams,  and  their  bowlings  so  loud  and  incessant 
that  to  sleep  was  utter)}'  impossible.  The  wolf  was  not 
only  a  midnight  prowler,  but  was  often  seen  in  the  day  time, 
skulking  through  a  thicket,  or  trotting  cautiously  along  an 
open  path.  The  panther  is  not  to  be  found  in  a  country 
after  it  begins  to  settle  up.  But  wild  cats  were  found  here 
and  the  wolves  were  very  troublesome  for  many  years  after 
settlement.  Mr.  Hiuch  lived  on  his  homestead  until  his 
death  in  1845.  He  left  a  widow  and  a  family  of  nine 
children.  His  widow,  who  is  eighty-eight  years  of  age,  still 
survives  him,  as  do  also  seven  of  the  children  Joseph  T., 
lives  in  Kansas  ;  Mary  H.,  now  Mrs.  Thomas  S.  West ;  Ma- 
tilda E.,  who  married  John  Harrington,  now  a  widow  ;  Wil- 
liam C;  Susau  C,  now  Mrs.  James  Williams,  and  Martha 
A.,  who  married  William  Hulett,  now  a  widow,  live  in  this 
settlement.  Jesse  G.,  lives  in  Arkansas,  and  the  two  now 
deceased  were  born  in  Kentucky. 

William  Hoxsey  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  came  to   the 
county  late  in  the  fall  of  1817.     For  six  weeks  he  lived  in 
a  tent  in  what  is  now  Pin  Oak  township.     In  the  mean  time 
he  built  a  camp  in  the  edge  of  the  timber  in  section  eighteen, 
where  he  moved  his  family  the  following  January.     During 
the  winter  he  erected  a  hewed  log  house,  twenty  feet  S(]uare, 
near  the  camp,  in  which  he  built  a  fire  place  that  admitted 
a  ten-foot  stick.     The  floor  was  ot  puncheons  made  out  of 
hickory    logs   split  in  t*o   and    placed    evenly   down    and 
worked  to  a  smooth  surface.     The  red  hard  wood  and    the 
white  oak  sap  wood  of  the  hickory  showed  a  beautiful  con- 
trast, and  Mrs.  Doctor  Weir  of  Edwardsville.  a  daughter  of 
Mr.  Hoxsey,  says  she  has   never  seen  a  more  beautiful  floor 
than  that  old  hickory  puncheon  one  in  the  Hoxsey  cabin  of 
sixty-four  years  ago.     Mr.  Hoxsey  raised  a  family  of  eleven 
children,  several  of  whom  were  grown  when  he  settled  here. 
John   and   Archibald  soon  returned  to  Kentucky,  and  mar- 
ried, and  brought  their  young  wives  into  the  settlement.  John 
married  Mary  Martin,  and  Archibald.  Harriet  Stephenson. 
Mr.  Hoxey  lived  in  the  edge  of  the  timber,  about  five  years, 
and  then  moved  his  cabin  nearly  a  mile  west,  where  he  sub- 
sequently built  a  substantial  frame  house,  and  where  he  re- 
sided until  his  death,  October  18th,  1832,  at  sixty-six  years 
of  age.     His  wife  survived  him  until  October  5th,  1850. 
John,  James,  Archibald,  Tristram  P.,  and  Alexander,  were 
the  sons  of  the  family.     T.  P.,  was  for  many  years  a  promi- 
nent official  of  Macoupin  county.     The  others  owned  a  large 
quantity  of    land  in  the   settlement,    and    were   successful 
farmers  and  good  citizens.     The  daughters  were  Jane,  who 
married  B.  Robinson  ;  Ellen,  who  became  the  wife  of  John 
Gray;  Eliza,  who  married  Daniel  Anderson  ;    Mary,   who 
became  the  wife  of  John  H.  Weir,  M-  D.;  Maria,  who  mar- 
ried Edward  Dorsey  ;  Martha,  who  died  a  young  girl  ;  Mar- 
garet, who  married  Anderson  Blackburn,  a  son  of  Gideon 
Blackburn,  who  founded  Blackburn  University,  and  Lucy, 
who  married  Michael  Walsh  of   Walshville,  Montgomery 
county,  Illinois.     Mr.  Hoxsey  came  from  Kentucky  to  Illi- 
nois, and  brought  with  him  a  colored  woman  who  served  the 
family  until   after   1840.     When  quite  an  old   woman,  she 
went  with  the  colored  settlement  of  Pin  Oak.     Old  Aunt 


Tempey  is  well  remembered  by  many  of  the  early  settlers. 
The  only  survivor.*  of  Mr.  Hoxsey's  family  are  Mrs.  Weir, 
Mi-s.  Blackburn  and  Mrs.  Robinson.  James  Gray,  a  brother 
of  Mr.  Hoxsev's  wife,  settled  in  the  edge  of  the  timber  cast 
of  the  Farris  place  in  the  early  part  of  1818.  He  raised  a 
large  family  of  children  and  afterwards  moved  to  Mont- 
gomery county,  Illinois. 

In  the  spring  of  1818,  James  Farris  came  and  settled  the 
Thomas  8.  West  place  in  section  eighteen.  He  had  a 
family  of  five  children,  Smith,  George,  Larkin,  Margaret, 
who  married  John  Riggin  and  Lucinda,  who  married  Wil- 
liam Davis.  They  are  now  all  dead  and  none  of  the  de- 
scendants live  in  the  settlement.  George  Farris  built  a 
''  band  mill"  here  in  early  times  that  did  good  service  for 
many  years.  James  Farris  erected  the  first  frame  house  in 
the  township.  It  was  ornamented  with  a  brick  chimney, 
made  of  the  first  brick  brought  into  the  township.  This 
house  is  in  a  good  state  of  preservation  and  stands  near  the 
new  res-idence  of  Mr.  West.  The  first  death  was  that  of  the 
mother  of  James  Gray,  which  occurred  in  1818.  She  was 
buried  in  the  home  place  of  the  Grays,  in  section  seventeen, 
where  many  others  have  since  been  laid  to  rest ;  but  no  tomb- 
s-tones mark  their  graves.  It  is  said  by  the  old  residents 
that  nearly  one  hundred  persons  lie  buried  there,  and  at  this 
writing  only  two  stones  mark  the  places  of  the  departed. 
The  old  settlers  would  bury  a  friend  or  relative,  build  a  log 
pen  around  the  grave,  which  would  soon  rot  away,  and  leave 
no  mark  of  the  burial  place.  The  first  birth  was  that  of  a 
daughter  of  William  and  AnnaHinch,  February  10th,  1819. 
It  died  in  infancy.  John  Gray  and  Miss  Nellie  Hoxsey 
were  the  contracting  parties  to  the  first  marriage.  Mr. 
Gray  was  a  son  of  James  Gray,  and  Miss  Hoxsey  was  a 
daughter  of  William  Hoxsey.  The  young  lovers  were 
cousins,  and  their  parents  objected  strongly  to  their  mar- 
riage, and  even  went  so  far  as  to  forbid  the  banns.  The  young- 
sters were  determined.  There  was  no  rapid  transit  by  steam 
to  convey  them  speedily  out  of  the  country,  into  that  haven, 
Missouri,  where  thousands  of  lovers  living  east  of  the  Miss- 
issippi, have  been  united  and  made  happy.  They  mounted 
two  horses  to  take  a  morning  ride  and  immediately  set  out 
for  St.  Louis,  and  before  the  enraged  parents  discovered 
the  ruse,  they  were  on  their  way  with  light  and  happy 
hearts.  Of  this  union  four  children  were  born.  Mr.  Gray 
died  in  the  township.  None  of  his  descendants  now  live  in 
the  county. 

In  1818,  quite  a  settlement  was  started  on  the  east  side  of 
Silver  creek  in  southwest  part  of  the  township,  called  the 
Piper  settlement,  made  by  John  Piper,  Richard  Knight, 
Matthew  Hall,  Jackson  and  Prior  Scroggins.  Piper  settled 
in  the  edge  of  the  timber  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section 
thirty.  He  lived  on  this  same  section  until  his  death  in 
1864.  He  reared  a  family  of  six  sons  and  three  daughters, 
viz.  William,  James,  Wesley,  Holland,  Oliver,  Daniel,  Jane, 
Nancy  Ann  and  Catharine.  Richard  Knight  settled  farther 
down  in  the  edge  of  the  timber,  in  the  southern  part  of  sec- 
tion thirty,  where  he  lived  several  years  and  then  moved 
farther  south  in  the  state.     He  entered  the  first  tract  of  land, 


552 


HISTORY    OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


ninety-seven  and  a  half  acres,  in  the  township,  September 
80th,  1817.  William  Hinch  entered  the  second  tract,  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  November  15th,  1817,  and  in  De- 
cember following,  he  entered  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
more  in  section  thirty.  November  18th,  1817,  James  Farris 
entered  one  hundred  and  fifty-one  and  a  third  acres  in  .sec- 
tion eighteen.  December  11th,  1817,  William  Hoxsey  en-  , 
tered  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  section  eight,  and 
at  the  same  time  Robert  Aldrich  entered  the  northwest 
fractional  quarter  of  section  thirty.  Mathew  Hall  located 
south  of  the  Knight  place  in  section  thirty-one.  He  after- 
ward moved  to  Macoupin  county.  The  Scroggin  brothers 
lived  in  this  settlement  a  short  time,  and  moved  farther 
north.  They  never  entered  any  land  here.  Thomas  S. 
West  who  lives  on  section  eighteen  came  to  the  county  with 
his  father  iu  1815.  He  was  then  two  years  of  age,  having 
been  born  in  Kentucky  in  1813.  He  married  his  present 
wife,  Mary  H  Hinch,  in  1838,  and  the  same  year  settled  on 
the  place  where  he  now  lives.  Three  days  after  he  located 
here  he  bought  out  the  Farris  heirs.  He  and  his  wife  are 
now  among  the  oldest  settlers  living  in  the  county  They 
have  had  born  to  them  a  family  of  nine  children,  of  whom 
four  daughters  are  now  living. 

Andrew  Keown  was  born  in  South  Carolina.  In  the  year 
1819  he  visited  Illinois,  but  soon  went  to  Kentucky,  where 
he  was  united  in  marriage  in  December  of  that  year  to  Miss 
Sarah  Goodwin.  In  the  spring  of  1825  he  brought  his 
family  to  the  county  on  pack  horses,  and  located  in  the 
southeast  quarter  of  section  2,  where  he  improved  a  good 
farm,  and  resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1880, 
when  he  was  eighty-five  years  of  age.  He  left  a  widow,  who 
died  the  following  year.  They  raised  five  children  to  be 
grown  up,  viz. :  Elizabeth,  who  married  Benjamin  Brown, 
now  deceased  ;  John,  who  improved  a  farm  in  the  northeast 
corner  of  the  township,  where  he  now  resides ;  Mary,  who 
married  Henry  Harnsberger,  who  is  now  a  widow ;  Calvin 
G.,  who  is  a  Presbyterian  minister,  and  Alexander,  who 
lives  in  Jackson  county,  Illinois.  Mr.  Keown  was  a  soldier 
of  the  war  of  1812,  and  participated  in  the  battle  at  New 
Orleans.  January  8th,  1815.  From  1871  until  his  death  he 
received  a  pension  as  a  survivor  of  that  war.  "Uncle 
Andy,"  as  he  was  familiarly  called,  was  a  well-known  citizen 
of  the  county  ;  he  was  much  respected  as  a  neighbor,  and 
died  regretted  by  a  large  circle  of  friends.  William  Pitman, 
a  brother-in-law  of  Andrew  Keown,  came  to  the  settlement 
about  the  same  time,  and  settled  on  the  J.  M.  Hiudsley 
place.  He  came  from  Kentucky,  bringing  his  wife  and  all 
his  worldly  effects  on  one  horse.  It  is  said  he  walked,  and 
carried  his  wife  and  axe.  He  made  a  comfortable  home,  where 
he  died,  leaving  a  widow,  who  never  bore  him  any  children. 
William  W.  Pearce,  one  of  the  old  and  wealthy  citizens 
of  the  county,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  June  20th,  1815. 
His  father,  James  Pearce,  came  to  this  county  the  same 
year.  William  W.  married  Miss  Barbara  A.  "Vincent, 
daughter  of  Isem  Vincent,  January  26th,  1834.  He  com- 
menced the  improvement  of  a  farm  in  what  is  now  Olive 
township,  the  same  year.  Since  1851  he  has  been  a  resident 
of  Alhambra  township.     Mr.  Pearce  had  a  natural  turn  for 


hunting,  and  none  were  more  iuccessful  in  the  county.  He 
found  a  ready  market  in  St.  Louis  for  the  fruits  of  his  rifle, 
and  he  turned  the  profits  realized  into  land.  In  this  manner 
he  entered  about  one  thousand  acres,  since  which  time  he 
has  added  largely  to  his  possessions.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pearce 
have  reared  a  family  of  ten  children. 

J.  B.  McMichael  came  to  the  county  in  1826  from  Ten- 
nessee ;  he  was  at  that  time  a  boy  of  eleven  years  of  age. 
He  indentured  himself  to  Uncle  Joe  Bartlett,  and  remained 
with  him  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age;  he  after- 
ward   married  a  relation    of   his,  Eliza   Stinson,    in  1846. 
Twelve  children  were  the  result  of  this  union.     Mr.  Mc- 
Michael has  lived  in  this  township  thirty-seven  years,  and 
spent  most  of  his  life  at  farming.     From  1863  until  1867, 
he  filled  the  office  of  assessor  and  treasurer  of  the  county. 
He  has  served  as  constable,  deputy-sherifi"  and  postmaster, 
and  now  fills  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace.     Ephraim 
Harnsberger  was  born  in  Virginia,  where  he  afterward  mar- 
ried.    In  1812  he  went  to  Kentucky,  where  he  remained 
until  1832  ;   he  then  came  to  Madison  county,  and  located 
on  the  William  Wiseman  place,  where  he  continued  until  his 
death,  November  26,  1846.     His  wife  survived  him  only  a 
short  time.    They  reared  a  family  of  eight  children,  four  boys 
and  four  girls,  viz.:   Levy,  Mary  Ann,  who  married  James 
Hosey  ;  Jane  L..  who  married  S.  Aldrich  ;  Henry ;  Martha, 
widow  of  P.  Aldrich  ;  Rebecca,  who  married  R.  R.  Cooksey ; 
Lewis  M.  and  Ephraim.  Mr.  Harnsberger  was  one  of  the  pro- 
minent citizens  of  his  time,  and  was  the  first  justice  iu  the  town- 
ship. He  represented  the  county  in  the  commissioners'  board, 
and  was  always  identified  with  the  best  interests  of  the  county. 
John  Tabor  came   to  the  county  with  his  family,  consisting 
of  a  wife  and  four  children,  iu  1829;  he  located  three  miles 
east  of  Edwardsville.     The  following  year  he  came  to  this 
township,  and  settled  half-a-mile  north  of  where  the  old 
Tabor   homestead    now    is.     There  he   continued  to  reside 
until  his  death  in  1881.     His  widow  still  survives  him,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-two  years.     They  reared  a  family  of  ten 
children,  who  lived   to  marry  and  start  in  life  for  them- 
selves.    Four  are  now  living.     Henry  H.  and  James  M. 
I   are  farmers  in  this  township.     Thomas  K.  lives  in  Wiscon- 
'   sin  ;  Eliza  J.,  now  Mrs.  Jacob  Rimmer,  lives   in  Jasper 
county,  Missouri.     R.  R.  Cooksey,  one  of  the  early  settlers, 
improved   a   place   on   section    10.     He  was   a  successful 
farmer,  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church,   and  often 
I   preached  to  the  early  settlers.     He  was  three  times  mar- 
'    ried,  and  raised  a  family  of  eight  children.    The  old  gentle- 
man now  lives  in  Worden.    David  Martin  came  iu  183 1  from 
Kentucky,  and  improved  a  farm  in  Fork  Prairie,  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  township,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death.     He  raised  quite  a  family.     John  G.,  a  son,  is  the 
I   only  one  of  the   children  living  in  the  township,  and  is  a 
farmer.     The   Prairie  was   settled   principally  after   1840. 
Among  the  first  in  the  southern  and  western  part  were  Cur 
tis  Blakeman.  William  Highlander,  Fred.  Mindrop,  Joshua 
Thompson  and  Gilmore. 

Nutter  Piper  taught  school  in  an  abandoned  cabin  on 
the  west  side  of  Silver  creek  as  early  as  1820.  William 
Davenport  taught  in  an  empty  cabin  in  the  Hinch  settle- 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


553 


nient  prior  to  1830,  a  subscription  school,  and  boarded 
among  his  employers.  After  teaching  part  of  a  term,  he 
stopped  the  school,  as  it  was  a  non-paying  undertaking.  In 
1832  a  log  school-house  was  built  in  section  19.  George 
Denny  was  the  first  teacher.  School  was  taught  at  Andrew 
Keown's  and  R.  R.  Cooksey's,  in  out-buildings  in  the  early 
times.  The  first  school-house  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
township  stood  in  the  centre  of  section  2.  This  building 
was  not  put  up  until  after  1840.  It  did  service  for  about 
four  years,  and  then  burned  down.  It  was  heated  by  a 
large  fire-place,  from  which  some  say  it  took  fire.  Others 
say  the  teacher  set  it  on  fire  by  saving  ashes  in  an  old 
barrel,  for  a  lady  in  the  neighborhood  to  make  soap  with. 

Early  preaching  was  had  at  the  residences  of  William 
Hinch  and  Andrew  Keown.  Rev.  Thomas  Ray,  a  Baptist 
minister,  was  the  first  to  expound  the  gospel  here.  Several 
years  later  he  was  assisted  by  Elder  Thomas  Smith.  They 
organized  the  first  church  at  a  date  not  now  known.  The 
congregation  never  built  a  house  of  worship,  and  finally  dis- 
banded. The  Baptists,  some  time  later,  built  the  first  house 
of  worship  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  32,  which  is 
still  in  use. 


ALHAMBEA 


Was  laid  out  by  Louis  F.  Sheppard,  on  the  northern  part  of 
the  northeast  quarter  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  14. 
The  plat  was  recorded  November  2d,  1850.  Mr.  Shep- 
pard's  wife  gave  the  place  its  name.  William  W.  Pearee 
laid  out  an  addition  of  three  blocks,  north  of  the  original 
town,  in  section  11.  Solomon  Tabor  and  Louis  F.  Sheppard 
erected  the  first  buildings,  about  the  same  time.  Tabor  put 
in  his  a  general  stock  of  goods;  Sheppard's  was  a  residence. 
He  also  built  a  saw-mill  soon  after  the  town  was  laid  out. 
William  J.  Lowry  was  the  first  postmaster;  he  was  a 
farmer,  living  about  two  miles  west.  In  1846  or  1847  he 
procured  the  establishment  of  a  post-office  at  his  farm  resi- 
dence, called  "  Lowry."  When  Alhambra  was  laid  out,  he 
moved  there,  and  the  name  of  the  post-office  became  "Al- 
hambra." The  office  has  been  changed  several  times  between 
this  place  and  Greencastle.  James  B.  McMichael  moved 
it  to  Greencastle,  and  afterward  changed  it  back  to  Alham- 
bra. R.  D.  Utiger  removed  it  to  Greencastle  in  1870, 
where  he  has  since  retained  it.  The  Narrow  Gauge,  or  T. 
C  and  St.  L.  Railroad,  has  been  graded  through  the  town- 
ship recently,  and  its  completion  is  expected  as  early  as  the 
fall  of  1882.  A  depot  will  be  built  in  near  proximity  to 
Alhambra.  This  railroad  extends  diagonally  through  the 
township,  entering  at  section  31,  and  passing  out  at  section 
1.  Alhambra  built  up  slowly,  but  with  a  steady  increase,  to 
its  present  size.  The  last  census  gave  it  a  population  of 
108.  The  two-story  frame  school-house  is  a  good  substantial 
76 


building,  erected  in  1879,  where  two  teachers  are  em- 
ployed.    The  town  contains  two  general  stores. 

PRESENT   BUSINESS. 

General  Stores. — ^  Samuel  Rosenthal!,  Leutweiler  & 
Leuscher. 

Hotels. — John  Ottenad,  and  William  Berg. 
Physicians.— F.  M.  Pearee  and  H.  T.  Wharfi'. 
Blacksmith  Shops. — Chris.  Stait  and  Keintz  Brothers. 

Wagon  Shops. — George  Schmidt  and  August  Gross. 
Millinery  and  Dress  Making. — Mary  J.  Warderman. 
Barber. — J.  P.  Pearee. 

Harness  and  Saddlers. — H.  Riffle,  Casper  Fridili. 
Hardware  and  Agricultural  Implements. — John  Gehrig. 

Tailor  Shop. — V.  Deibert. 

GREENCASTLE, 

One  mile  west  of  Alhambra,  was  laid  out  by  Levi  Harns. 
berger,  W.  S.  Randle  and  Henry  Harnsberger,  October  19th, 
1859,  on  the  corners  of  sections  ten,  eleven  and  fourteen- 
They  were  farmers  here,  and  laid  the  town  out  on  adjoining 
parts  of  their  respective  farms.  In  1860,  John  Thornburg 
erected  a  store  building,  and  opened  a  general  stock  of 
goods.  About  1865,  Thornburg's  store  was  burned  down. 
John  Gale  built  a  store  immediately  afterward,  and  com- 
menced business.  In  1869,  R.  D.  LTtiger  rebuilt  the  Thorn- 
burg store,  and  opened  a  general  stock  of  goods. 

Shortly  after  the  town  was  laid  out,  Thomas  Thornburg, 
William  Lieserman  and  John  Gale  built  a  grist  mill  with 
two  run  of  burrs-  It  subsequently  fell  into  the  hands  of 
Pearee  and  IMatthews,  and  about  ten  years  ago  was  moved 
to  Palmer,  Christian  county,  Illinois.  The  Methodist 
church  was  built  in  1861.  The  German  Evangelical  church 
was  moved  here  from  the  Stepp  neighborhood.  It  was  used 
for  both  church  and  school  purposes.  It  is  now  the  German 
school.  A  new  church  was  erected  on  the  same  lot  in  1878. 
Captain  John  Thornburg  gave  the  village  its  name,  after 
Greencastle,  Indiana.  The  last  census  gave  it  a  population 
of  77.     The  following  is  the  business. 

PRESENT    BUSINESS. 

Post  Master. — R.  D.  Utiger. 

Physician. — S.  E.  Bucknell. 

General  Store. — Charles  Ruedy. 

JTo^e/.— William  Mees. 

Blacksmith. — Jacob  Leef. 

Wagon  SAop.— William  Elliott. 

The  following  have  represented  the  township  in  the  Board 
of  Supervisors  ;  R.  D.  Utiger  was  elected  in  1876,  and  re- 
elected for  each  successive  tsrm  till  1881-82  ;  H.  H.  Tabor 
was  chosen  in  1882,  and  is  at  present  in  office. 


BIOGRAPHY. 


^.'li'C^uMA^ 


The  third  son  of  James  and  Lucinda  (Alison)  Pearce, 
was  born  in  Kentucky,  June  20th,  1815.  His  father  and 
family  came  into  Madison  County  in  1815,  and  settled  near 
Edwardsville,  so  that  Mr.  Pearce  has  spent  his  entire  life- 
time, with  the  exception  of  a  few  months,  here.  At  a  very 
early  age  he  manifested  a  taste  for  hunting,  in  which  he  great- 
ly excelled.  The  broad  prairies  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
county  with  their  game  of  deer,  turkey,  etc.,  furnished  him 
a  fine  field.  Next  to  hunting,  trading  was  his  passion. 
When  a  mere  boy  he  became  the  proud  owner  of  a  pair  of 
match  calves ;  these  he  traded  for  the  pre-emption  right  and 
improvements  of  an  eighty  acre  tract  of  land  a  part  of  sec- 
tion 25.  The  improvements  consisted  of  five  acres  of  land, 
broken  and  fenced,  and  a  log  cabin.  In  about'two  years  his 
554 


j  earnings  enabled  him  to  enter  this  land.  From  this  begin- 
I  ning  he  has  become  one  of  the  largest  landed  proprie- 
i  tors  in  southern  Illinois.  About  one  thousand  acres  of  his 
'  possessions  was  the  direct  result  of  successful  hunting,  actu- 
i   ally  made  by  his  unerring  rifle. 

Wriley  Pearce  married  Miss  Barbary   A.,  daughter  of 

Isham  and  Martha  Vincent,  January  25th.     By  her  he  has 

had  five  children. 

Mr.  Pearce  is  energetic  in  a  marked  degree ;  systematic  in 

his  looking  after  his  business  interest ;  independent  in  his 
1   views  on  all  subjects,   and  outspoken  in   their  declaration. 

His  personal  identity  is  peculiarly  his  own,  accepting  no  mod- 
\  el  but  marking  out  his  own  course.  Possessed  of  quick  percep- 
;   tion  and  sound  judgment  he  is  of  those  who  compel  success. 


PARTIAL    LIST    OF    PATRONS. 


CITY     OF     EDWARDSVILLE. 


POST  OFFICE.        RESIDENCE. 


OCCUPATION. 


it 


Armstrong,  John  M Edwardsville. 

Abrahams,  P.  H " 

Rra.lshaw,  William  P 

Ba>le,  Hiitrh  K 

Rrowii,  A.  L " 

Bii-kelhau[it,  Geo.  B 

Bull,  H.  B , 

Brown,  Isaac  H |  " 

Barnsback,  Jule  G " 

Begemann,  Fred " 

Bickelhaupt,  Henry 

Brown,  James  R  ,  dec'd....  " 

Bingham,  Frank  M i  " 

Berger,  Charles j  " 

Bayer,  Jacob " 

Bonner,  S.  O...  " 

Burkhardt,  Joseph 

Burrrnghs,  B.  R 

Bernins,  G 

Cook,  Cyrus  L 

jCrossman,  T.  M 

I  Cros-<man,  W.  R 

Coventry,  J.  W 

Chaiiman.  Joseph 

CrcH-ker.  ( 'lias.  W 

Cutter.  William  H 

Clark,  Thomas  C 

Crane,  G.  B 

Daech,  William 

Dale,  M.  G 

Durer,  Bernard 

Desmond,  Michael 

Daul)e.  Heiirj-  A 

Deterding,  J.  G 

Daech.  Frank  J 

Enos.J.  W 

Eberle,  Jacob,  dec'd 

French,  A.  O 

Fahnestock,  John  T 

Fruit,   Thoma.s  E 

Fiegenbaum,  E.  W 

Flynn,  Patrick 

Ferguson,  Vincent 

f  Friday,  William 

I  Julia  A.  Daniels 

Gillespie,  Jo.seph 

Gaiser,  Charles  A 

Glass,  E.  Breese 

Gooch,  John  W 

Gerber,  A 

Glass,  John  H 

Gessert,  George 

Gerke,  Ilenrs-  C 

Happv,  Cvrus 

Hadle'v,  W.  F.  L 

Harnist.  William  D 

Hauser,  Freil 

Hortraan,  B.  E 

Hoehn,  Jacob 

Hoifmann.  Athanas 

f  Haag,  Frank  J 

i  John  R.  Sutter 

(  Hartuug,  Louis 

I  Herman,  Berlemann 

Irwin,  John  G 


Edwardsville 


.  Physician  and  surgeon 

.  Proprietor  Broadway  hotel 

.  Attorney  at  law 

.  County  clerk 

.Editor  of  Edwardsville  Democrat 

.  Dealer  in  confectionery  and  toys 

.Dentist 

.iSuperintendent  city  school ( 

.  ^Ladies'  &  gents'  furnishing  &  millinery  goods 

.Cigar  manufacturer 

.!  Druggist 

.Late  ed  and  pub'r  Edwardsville  LiteUigeneer 

.iMechanical  engineer 

.  Stock  dealer 

.  Proprietor  of  saloon 

.  Fruit  grower,  auctioneer  and  collector 

.  Bricklayer  and  stone  mason 

.  Attorney-at-law 

.Baker  and  confectionery 

.Attorney-at-law 

.1  (Editors   and  publishers   of  Edwardsville 

.|  I  Repiihlican 

.Postmaster 

.[Justice  of  the  peace 

.'Market  gardener 

.Farmer  and  supervisor 

.  Dlr  in  groceries,  provisions,  glass  &  qu'nsware 

.!General  merchandise 

.Circuit  clerk 

.  I  County  judge 

.IDeputy  county  treasurer 

.Machine  shop  and  general  blacksmith 

.  Hotel,  saloon  and  feed  stable; 

Butcher 

.'Cooper 

.iPhysician  and  surgeon 

.Furniture  dealer  and  undertaker 

.  General  Merchant 

.Sheriff. 

.  Attorney-at-law  and  city  attorney 

.  Physician  and  surgeon 

.  Street  inspector 

.  Farmer 

.  Proprietor  of  saloon 

.  Wife  of  William  Friday 

.  Attorney-at-law 

.  Notary  "public,  real  estate  &  insurance  agent 

.  Attorney-at-law  and  master  in  chancery 

•  Painter 

.  Dealer  Id  dr;  goods,  clolbmg,  hnU,  ctps,  boots  and  shoes 

.  Grain  thresher 

.  Proprietor  of  custom  mills 

Real  estate  dealer 

.  Attorney-at-law 

.  Attorney-at-law 

.  Druggist 

.Millwright 

.Retired 

.  Dealer  in  groceries  and  provisions 

.  Proprietor  Hoflinann  hou.se 

.Clerk 

.  Farmer  and  printer 

.  Shoemaker 

. Carpenter 

.  Attornev-at-law 


La  Salle  CO.,  Ill 

Germany 

Illinois 

Philadelphia,  Pa 

Madison  co..  Ill 

St.  Louis,  Mo 

La  Salle  CO.,  Ill 

Fayette  co.,  Ghio 

Madison  co..  Ill 

Germany 

Madison  co..  Ill 

England 

Cattaraugus  co.,N.  Y... 

Switzerland 

Bavaria,  Germany 

Macoupin  co.,  Ill 

Baden,  Germany 

Charles  co.,  Md 

Germany 

Madison  co.,  Ill 

Ohio 

Ohio.. 

Clinton  co.,  Kv 

Tyrrel  Co.,  N.C 

Barnstable  co..  Mass... 

Green  co.,  Ind 

Madison  co..  Ill 

New  York 

Germany 

Lancaster  co.,  Pa 

ISwitzerland 

'County  Cork,  Ireland. 

Germany 

Madison  co.,  Ill 

Hesse  Darmstadt 

iMadison  co.,  Ill 

Germany 

jAlbany  co.,  N.  Y 

Lycoming  co.,  Pa 

Madison  co..  Ill 

Cooper  CO.,  Mo 

Ireland 

Bucks  CO.,  Pa 

Madison  CO.,  Ill 

Madison  co..  Ill 

New  York  City 

Germauv 

1st.  Clair  CO.,  Ill 

New  Y'ork  City 

France 

'Madison  co.,  Ill 

(Jermany 

Madi.son  co..  Ill 

Perry  co..  Ill 

Madison  co.,  Ill 

St.  Louis,  Mo 

Baden-Baden,  Ger'y... 

Darmstadt 

Germany 

Baden,  (iermany 

Germany 

Madison  co.,  Ill 

Germany  

Germany  

Madison  CO.,  Ill 


1852 

1864 


1866 
1847 
1846 
ISe.') 
1879 
1841 
1867 
1850 
18.52 
1880 
1855 
1847 
1842 
1869 
1867 
1869 


1867 
1857 
1813 
1819 
1831 
1827 
1839 
1864 
1861 
1838 
1839 
1860 
1870 
1857 
1867 


1863 
1864 

1852 
1854 
1865 
1857 
1840 
1844 


1819 
1869 
1864 
1853 
1844 
1849 
1865 
1832 
1869 
1847 
1865 
1858 
1862 
1850 
1868 
1859 
1857 
1858 
1859 
1842 


556 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


CITY    OF    EOWAROSVILLE- 


CONTINDED. 


POSTOFFICE. 


OCCUPATION. 


Jonea,  William  H Edwardsville.. 

Johnson,  William  B 

Krom,  William  H 

Kirkpatiick,  Hugh I 

Kellerman,  .Simon, 

Keller,  Alonzo 

Kelley,  W.  E I 

Lynch,  Clay  H "^ 

Lcverett,  (xeorge 

Lee,  John  H 

Library  Public  School I 

Long,  William  F " 

Lenz,  George  M 

Leuckel,  Charles 

Little,  H.  B "^ 

Lane,  James 

Mudge,  E  W j  "_ 

f  Martin,  J.  A ' 

I  Charles  A.  Gaiser 

McMillen,  G.  A I  " 

Newsham,  Thomas  J 

J  Naeher,  Edward ' 

I  Anna  Hartman 

(Olive,  William -^ 

I  Sarah  E.  Pearce j 

Prickett,  John  A j 

Phillips,  Edward 1  " 

Pettingill,  H.  S " 

Perley,  A.  A 

Paulv,  Charles 

Prickett,  William  R 1  " 

Parker,  John  J.,  Sr.,  dec'd.| 

f  Pfeitt'er,  Jacob 

I  Wilhelmina  Driemeier.. 

Pngue,  Joseph 

Randle,  L-win  B 

Ruegger,  Adolph 

Riclimnnd,  George 

Ritter,  Henry 

Ritter,  Herman 

Robinson,  Joseph  G 

Rohrkaste,  Gottlieb 

Springer,  E.  C 

Sherman,  M.  B 

Stolze,  John 

I  Simcox,  J.  L 

(J.  S.  Umberger 

Schlegel,  August 

Stenzel,  F.  C 

Smith,  James  P 

Stramer,  G.  J 

Spaulding,  T.  fi 

Stillwell,  Franklin 

Schulz,  Arnold 

Spilman,  Charles  H 

Springer,  T.  W — 

Schramek,  Frank 

Schneider,  William 

f  Sachse,  Hermann 

j  Maria  Ecke 

j  Steehlinger,  William... 

I  Lena  Thuer 

Sneider,  Anton 

Tartt,  James  T 

Trarcs,  John  S 

JTunnell,  R.   F 

I  Tun  noil,  .Tames  E 

i  Trares,  Henry 

(  Keller,  Edward  A 

Von-den-Broeck,  Adalbert 

West,  E.  M 

Wheeler,  William  E.... 

Whitbread,  James 

Williams,  F.M 


Edwardsville...  Attorney-at-kw iSt.  Louis,  Mo...., J1865 

...  City  marshal jWarren  co.,  N.  Y 11856 

1  "  ...JAttorney-at-law Jeflerson  co.,  Ky 1850 

"  ...  I  Proprietor  St.  James  hotel Randolph  co.,  Ill 1861 

"  ...iRestaurant  and  saloon Germany 1863 

"  ...jCity  mayor,  contractor  and  builder Switzerland 1853 

I  "       "  ...jTeacher Madison  co..  Ill il853 

.'  "  ...JAttorney-at-law [Madison  co..  Ill 1847 

"  ...'Surveyor  and  abstractor  of  titles Adams  co..  Ill 1862 

,.  "  ...  Livery,  feed  and  sale  stables England 1877 

.]  "  ...  Butcher iNew  Jersey 1853 

.!  "  ...Butcher iGermany 1863 

.j  "  ...Furniture  dealer  and  undertaker IMadison  co..  Ill 1851 

.!  "  ...  Deputy  circuit  clerk Connecticut 1836 

J  "  ...JTeacher Madison  co.,  Ill [1848 

...iDeputy  county  clerk Madison  co.,  II! 1845 

...'Coal  operator.'. St  Louis,  Mo 1881 

...  Coal  operator Madison  co.,  Ill 1859 

...  Dentist Grant  co.,  Ky il876 

....(Builder  and  town  collector [Preston,  England 1850 

....iProprietor  of  machine  shops  and  saw  mills.... iSwitzerland J867 

...  Wife  of  Edward  Naeher Switzerland il867 

....  Physician  and  surgeon Madison  co.,  Ill 1836 

...  Wife  of  William  Olive Madison  co..  Ill 1840 

...  Banker Madison  co..  Ill il822 

...  Attorney-at-law  and  justice  of  the  peace..  ..  Madison  co..  Ill 1845 

...  .\ttorney-at-law Madison  co..  Ill [1850 

...  Dealer  in  lumber,  lime,  plaster  and  cement..  Essex  co.,  Mass 4874 

...  Carpenter  and  builder Germany 1851 

Banker 'Madison  co.,  Ill ! 

...  Superintendent  of  county"i>oor  farm London,  England [1844 

...  Proprietor  of  restaurant Holstein,  Denmark....!  1856 

...  Wife  of  Jacob  Pfeiffer Prussia ;1865 

...  Physician  and  surgeon Philadelphia,  Pa 1858 

...  Attorney-at-law  and  justice  of  the  peace Stewart  co.,  Tenn 1814 

...  County  treasurer Madison  co..  Ill 1850 

...  Book  keeper Montgomery  co..  111...  1875 

Farmer St.  Clair  co..  Ill 1854 

!!.  Attorney-at-iaw St.  Clair  co.,  Ill 1850 

...  Ex-SheriflF. City  of  New  York 1837 

...  Proprietor  of  saloon Germany 1854 

...  Attorney-at-law Madison  co..  Ill 1854 

...  Grain  dealer Washington  co.,  R.I...  1857 

...  Dealer  in  lumber,  lime  and  hair  cement Germany .1852 

Mason  co.,  Ky [1881 

I  Dauphin  co..  Pa 4875 

!.!  Clerk,  Pastor  of  St.  Boniface  church Baden,  Germany !1878 

...  Restaurant  and  saloon Germany 1869 

...Pastor  of  St.  Mary's  church |Ireland 1879 

...  Marble  works iJefferson  co.,  Ky |1879 

....Physician  and  surgeon Jersey  co..  Ill 1865 

....Contractor  and  builder [New  Castle  co.,  Del...  1864 

....  IKslcr  in  Stoves,  Tinware,  Hardwari!  and  Firm  Maehincrj Germany 1865 

....  .\rchitect  and  superintendent ciarkvinc.  Montgomery  c 

Farmer Madison  co.,  111. 

.'  Coal  operator Austria 

..., Saddler Germany 

'Proprietor  of  .saloon Germany ;1878 

Wife  of  Herman  Sachse Germany '1878 

Carpenter IGermany 1867 

Wife  of  William  Steehlinger Germany 1865 

Agent  for  Anthony  Kuehn's  brewery 'Germany [1866 

Dealer  in  hardware  and  agricultural  impl'ts..  Madison  co..  Ill |1S47 

Retired  druggist ....Hesse  Darmstadt 1859 

Groceries  and  queensware IMadison  co.,  Ill |1851 

Groceries  and  queensware Madison  co.,  Ill 11856 

(  Dlr.  in  stoves,  hardware,  agri'tural  imprts,lRandolph  co.,  Ohio. ..[1869 

j  tinware  and  house  furnishing  goods 'Switzerland jl853 

Proprietor  of  Miller's  exchange  saloon iRhein  Pftilz,  Bavaria..  1871 

Banker 'Botetourt  co.,  Va 18,33 

Surveyor I  Botetourt  co.,  Va J1826 

Butcher 'London,  England ls51 

Deputy  Siieriti:...... [Macoupin  co.,  Ill J1876 


1844 
1858 
1854 
1867 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


557 


CITY   OF    EDWARSVILLE.-cosTiNUED. 


POST  OFFICE.         RESIDENCE, 


OCCUPATION. 


;  Wolf,  A.  P 

Wolf,  F.  W 

[WiiU,  ().  E 

Weber,  Jacob,  Sr... 
Weber,  Jacob,  Jr., 
Webb,  George  J..., 
Sarah  Shore 


NAxn-iTY. 


Edwardsville...  EdwarJsville...  Coal  operator Madison  eo.,  Ill 1841 

...  Coal  operator 'Madison  co..  Ill 1840 

"  ...  Coal  ojierator |Madisou  co..  Ill 1847 

"  ...  Carriage  and  vvagon  manufacturer Prussia 1854 

"  ...  Carriage  and  wagon  manufacturer Prussia 1854 

"  ...  Railroad  contractor  and  farmer London,  Eng 1853 

"  ...  Wife  of  George  J.  Webb Dublin,  Ireland '1853 


ED^VARDSVILLE   TO^VNSHIP. 


...Sect. 
...jSect. 
...Sect. 
...'Sect. 
...  Sect. 
...  Sect. 
'54.! 


Bosomworth,  Robert Edwardsville...  Sect. 

Hannah  Porter "  ...  Sect. 

Kohni,  Frederick 

^Sophia  Blumc 

Dotterway,  John  G 

I  Franek,  Joseph 

I  Mary  Bender 

I  Fangenroth,  Charles  W 

Miriam  McKee Dec'd  ■ 

(  Frances  X.  Richards Edwardsville. ..'Sect. 

(  (iiese,  Herman "  ...Sect. 

I  Fredericka  Take "  ...Sect. 

J  Gillham,  R.  C "  ...Sect. 

(Emily  P.  Springer "  ...Sect. 

J  HoUidav,  Jane  R.,  (iieeKiDder)  "  ...Sect. 

I  Hollidav,  Robert Dec'd  Nov.  8,'74l 

J  Jones,  i).  H Edwardsville... 'Sect. 

j  JIary  E.  Barnes "  ...Sect. 

I  Kiiiiler,  George  W "  ...Sect. 

I  Eliza  J.  Purviance ''  ...Sect. 

J  Kriege,  William "  ...Sect. 

I  Mary  Hilge "  ...Sect. 

(  Kleine,  John  B.,  Jr "  ...Sect. 

(  Saiiiantha  F.  Wlialey "  ...  Sect. 

i  Kkine,  John   B.,  Sr." "  ...Sect. 

■[Sarah  Stallings Dc'd Feb.27,'78J 

J  Klingemann,  Louis Edwardsville...  Sect. 

[  Caroline  Wisa '  "  ...'Sect. 

(  Krouse,  Martin '  "  ...'Sect. 

\  .losipliino  Durda Dec'd  Apr.  6,'79| 

(  Mary  KoimrousL' Edwardsville...  Sect. 

...  Sect. 

...Sect. 

...:Sect. 

...  Sect. 

...jSect. 

...Sect. 

...ISect. 

...ISect. 

...  Sect. 

...|Scct. 

...jSect. 

...ISect. 

...'Sect. 

...[Sect. 

...  Sect. 

...{Sect. 

...ISect. 

...'Sect. 

...;Sect. 

...Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 


Farmer  and  stock  raiser England 

Wife  of  Robert  Bosomworth England 

Farmer Hanover,  Germany... 

Wife  of  Fred  Bohm 'Hanover,  Germany... 

Farmer Edwardsville,  111 

Wagon  maker Austria 

Wile  of  Joseph  Franek 'Austria 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser iBerlin,  Prussia 

First  wife  of  Charles  W.  Fangenroth Madison  co.,  Ill 

Present  wife  of  Gharles  W.  Fangenroth Luzerne  co.,  Pa 

Farmer Hanover,  Germany... 

Wife  of  Herman  Giese German)' 

Farmer .Madison  co.,  Ill 

Wife  of  R.  C.  Gillham Madison  co..  Ill 

Farming  and  stock  raising Jefl'erson  co.,  Ky 

Late  husband  of  Jane  R.  Holliday Georgia 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser iOhio 

Wife  of  D.  S.  Jones Sangamoa  co..  Ill 

Farmer  and  dairyman Madison  co.,Ill 

Wife  of  George  W.  Kinder Madison  co..  Ill 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser Germany 

Wife  of  William  Kriege iGcrmany 

Farmer Madison  co..  Ill 

Wife  of  John  B.  Kleiue,  Jr Pike  co.,  Ill 

Farmer iGermany 

Late  wife  of  John  B.  Kleine,  Sr Madison  co..  III. 


I  K'   'lien,  John  F 

)  Margaret  A.  Bruegger 

I  Kind&r,  Robert  II 

I  Jane  McKee 

J  Langri'der,  Fritz  H 

(  Matilda  M.  Kriesre 

j  Luttrell,  John  \. 

I  .\lice  Murphy 

J  Montgomery,   Nelson 

I  Elenora  Kind('r...> 

j  Montgomerv.  Z.  J 

\  Lilla  D.  McKittrick 

O'Neil,  James 

iPremas,  William 
Mary  Schaa.schek 

(  Smola,  Paul 

1  Anna  Berdick 

I  Spahr,  George  W 

[  Martha  TetlieringloD,  {nee  UutcbisoD)... 

jSchaffer,  W.  H 

I  Bella  B.  Thompson 

j  Smola,  William 

I  Sophia  Rezank 

I  Tartt,  John 

(Sarah  W.  Randle 

J  Windmoeller,  Charles  F... 

I  Minna  Borkharn Dc'd  Mar.  2, '72 

J  Yanda,  Frank Edwardsville... 

1  Anna  Bender j.t  •' 


20 .Farmer  and  stock  raiser Germany 

20 !Wife  of  Lcmis  Klingeman Germany 

8 Farmer  and  stock  raiser Bohemia,  Austria 

First  wife  of  Martin  Krouse Bohemia,  Austria 

8 Present  wife  of  Martin  Krouse Bohemia,  Austria 

23 Farmer St.  Louii,  Mo 

2.3 Wife  of  John  F.  Kienlen Highland,  111 

23 Farmer Madison  co..  Ill 

23 Wife  of  Robert  H.  Kinder |Madison  co.,  Ill ' 

17 Farmer .Germany  

17 Wife  of  Fritz  H.  Langrcder 'Madison  co..  Ill 

8 Farmer Knox  co.,  Teiin 

8 Wife  of  John  A.  Luttrell Madison  co  ,  III 

|25 'Farmer, stock  raiser  and  dealer 'Madison  co.,  Ill 

25 Wife  of  Nelson  Montgomery 'Madison  co..  Ill 

36 Farmer  and  stock  raiser Madison  co.,  Ill 

36 Wife  of  Z.J.  Montgomery Madison  co.,Ill 

1 Farmer |  Ireland 

34 Farmer ; Austria 

;.34 Wife  of  William   Premas Austria 

'33 Farmer  and  stock  raiser Austria 

33 Wife  of  Paul  Smola Austria 

15 Farmer  and  stock  raiser Perry  co.,  Ohio 

15 Wife  of  George  W.  Spahr Mad'ison  co.,  Ill 

22 Farmer Madison  co.,  Ill 

22 Wife  of  AV.  H.  Shafler Licking  co.,  Ohio 

32 Farmer Bohemia,  Austria 

32 Wife  of  William  Smola Boluinia,  Austria 

22 Farmer  and  stock  raiser Caldwell  co.,  Ky 

22 Wife  of  John  Tartt [.Madison  co..  Ill 

34 Farmer  and  stock  raiser 'Prussia 

Wile  of  Charles  F.  Windmoeller St.  Louis,  Mo 

34 Blacksmith Austria 

34 Wife  of  Frank  Yanda Austria 


1856 

1856 

1839 

1843 

1853 

1871 

1868 

1843 

18.34 

1862 

1848 

1839 

1836 

1836 

1811 

1814 

1870 

1861 

1831 

1840 

1854 

1854 

IX.'il 

1.MJ7 

1845 

1.S33 

1849 

1859 

1852 

1852 

1880 

1852 

1854 

1827 

1837 

1.S52 

18.55 

1863 

1861 

1815 

1819 

18.55  ' 

1857 

1863 

1853 

1855 

1851 

18.55 

1856 

1823 

1841 

1868 

1851 

1854 

183(J 

1815 

1.S52 

1869 

18.52 

1868 


558 


HISTORY    OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


CITY    OF    ALTON. 


POST  OFFICE. 


RESIDENCE. 


OCCCPATION. 


Alt,  Andrew 

Allen,  Geiirge  R 

Baltes,  Rt.  Rev.  P.  J.. 

Bijrpins,  Thomas 

IJrues.seni a n n ,  Hen ry 

Brenholt,  John  J 

Bruuer,  John  A 

Basse,  H 

Boals,  M.  H 

Bruch,  Victor 

Bauer,  John 

Bickel,  Louis 

f  Busse,  Die't  H 

[  Busse,  William  M \     " 

Baker,  H.  S "      

Bowman,  J.  W "      

Buri,  Anton North  Alton.... 

Bassett,  S.  W Alton 

fBannon,  James |     ''     

Jane  Mollov Dec'd  Feb.  1860 

t  Sarah  Pi<rott Alton    

(Buddo,  Frank '•      

Bndde,  John Dc'd  Mar.  5,'81 

(  Thorisia  Budde,  (npo  uciiruug).  Alton 

Briinner,  B.S i     "      

f  Bayle,  George  A "     

[  Pheobe  Adams !     ''      

Curdie,  John '     "      

Cooper,  James  T 

Cousley,  Robert  0... 

Cotter,  James  M 

Cannell,  Thomas 

Coppinger,  .John  E... 

Chamberlain,  H.  W j     ''     

j  Crane,  Henry  J "      

1  Carrie  E.Pierce '     "      

Davis,  Levi,  Jr "      

I  Deterding,  J.  E North  Alton 

[M.  Ellen  Tibbitt j     " 

Dietz,  J.  Theodore 'Alton 

Dunnegan,  J.  E "     

Ehrhardt.  Anton '     "      

Flynn,  William 

Fries,  Theodore, 

Finke.  Adolph  F 

Fish,  Henrv 

Flagg,  R.  H 

Fortin,  Felix 

Fortin,  .1 

Fcldwich,  Ernst  H.... 

[  Fahrig,  Lorenz 

I  Margaret  Hartnian... 

I  Fahrig,  John 

[Fahrig.  Bernhard 

(iray,  George.. 

Gambrill,  A  H 

Galhally,  Richard 

Guelich,  Eniil 

I  (rundall,  Adam 

I  Rosina  Graner 

Holden,  Charles,  Jr. 

TIardy,  I.  E 

Hope,  Alex.  W 

Havner,  J.  E 

Herb,  C  A 

Havden,  George  D... 

Hart,  H.  W 

Hoffmann,  John 

Hoffmann,  Eniil  F... 
HiUlebratid,  Wm.  A. 

(  Hnppe.  Fred.  W 

i  Honpe,  W.  A 

f  IIotTniei.'^ter.  John  F. 

iThekla  Walter 


North  Alton. 
Alton 


Alton . 


Alton,  111 1852 

Orleans  cc,  Vt 1873 

Rhein  Bavaria,  Ger'y.  1870 

Co.  Mayo,  Ireland 11849 

Lippei)i-tmold,  Ger'v.  185G 

StLouis,  Mo ."..1847 

Alden  fruit  and  brandy  distillery JEdward.sville,  111 1822 

Hanover,  Germany 1853 

Venango,  Pa [18.54 

Baden,  Germany 1855 

Wurtemburg,  Ger'y...  1854 


Alton .\lton iHorse  shoeing  and  general  blacksmithing... 

President  of  Alton  Box  Manufactory 

Bishop,  Diocese  of  Alton 

Prop'r  of  .stone  quarry,  dlr.  in  lime,  cement.. 

Proprietor  of  cigar  factory 

Attornev-at-law 


NATIVITY. 


Proprietor  of  European   Hotel. 

Planing  mill,  lumber  yard  and  tile  factory. 

Alderman 

Dealer  in  furniture  and  undertaker 

Wholesale  and  retail  dealer  in  ice iBaden,  Germany 11849 

Of  Busse  Brothers  saloon JHanover,  Germany. ..|1866 

Of  Busse   Brothers  saloon iHanover,   Germany...  1866 

Kaskaskia,  111 1847 

W^ashington  co..  Pa.. .11857 


Wurtemburg,  Ger'y... 

Monroe  co.,  N.  Y 

West  Meath  co.,  Irl'd. 

Meatti  CO.,  Ireland 

Limerick  co.,  Ireland., 


Alton . 


Attorney-at-law 

Quincuplexical  barber 

Dealer  in  groceries  and  provisions. 
Engineer  of  Alton  Water  Works... 
Proprietor  of  lime  stone  quarries.. 

First  Wife  of  James  Bannon 

Present  Wife  of  James  Bannon.. 

Dealer  in  groceries  and  provisions,  &  saloon  Alton,  111 

Father  of  Frank  Budde Westphalia,  Prussia... 

Mother  of  Frank  Budde Saxon,   Prussia 

Of  BrunnerA  DuacoD.  Alton  FouDrlry  aod  Machine  Shopa 

Cracker  manufacturer Philadelphia,  Pa 

Wife  of  George  A.   Bayle 'Alton,  111 

Alderman Culberne,  Scotland 

Commissioner  of  Southern  111.  Penitentiary..  Knox  co.,Tenn 

Assistant  Postmaster Co.  Derry,  Ireland 

Of  Cllfforil 4 .Cotter,  GroceriM.  Provisions,  Floor  soaFeed jCo.  Liniefick,  Ireland, 

[Agent  of  U.  8.  and  American  Express  Co...  England 


North  Alton 
Alton 


Farmer  and  manufacturer. 

Druggist 

JLT.  S.  Deputy  Collector  of  Internal  Revenue, 

Wife  of  Henry  J.  Crane 

Attomey-at-law .'. 

Horse  shoeing,  blacksmithing,  stationery... 

Wife  of  J.  E.  Deterding 

Proprietor  of  lime  kilns  on  Second  street 

City  attorney 

Saloon  and  boarding  house 

Monumental  works , 

Proprietor  of  Empiie  House 

Druggist 

Dealer  in  groceries  and  provisions 

Of  Flagg  &  Hewott,  dry  goods  and  carpets. 
Photographer 


1868 
1866 
1849 
1849 
18G2 
1860 
1850 
1849 


1867 
1854 
1853 
1834 
1851 
1864 
1862 
1849 
1867 
1856 
1857 
1846 
1.^54 
1844 
1854 


Gahvay,  Ireland 

St.  Louis,  Mo 

Berkshire  co.,  Mass. 

Woodstock,  Vt 

Sprinefield,   II! 

Edwardsville,  111 

Alton,  III 

Minden,  Germany.... 

Alton,  111 [1853 

Baden,  Germany |1872 

New  York ." 1858 

Nassau,  Germany 1861 

Clausthal,  Hanover.. .1856 

Bavaria,   Germany !l847 

Alton,  111 11847 

Calhoun  CO.,  Ill I]862 

St.  Louis,  Mo |l878 

Muenster,  Prussia 1857 


Photographer 

Proprietor  of  Feldwich  brick  yard 

Dlringroceries,  feed,  produce,  wool,  hides.etc.lSaxony,  Prussia 1845 

Wife  of  Lorenz  Fahrig Saxony,  Prussia 1845 

Son  of  Lorenz  Fahrig,  dealer  in  groceries,  etc. .  ' 

Son  of  Lorenz  Fahrig 

Collector  city  of  Alton 

Judge  of  city  court  and  counsellor-at-law...  , 
Superintendent  of  Illinois  glass  works. 

Physician  and  surgeon Schleswig,  Germany...  1859 

Proprietor  of  cooper  shop Rheinpfalz,  Bavaria...  1863 

Wife  of  Adam  Gundall Wurtemburg,  Ger'y.. .il869 


Alton,"  111 1849 

Alton,  111 i860 

London,  Eng jl867 

Annapol's,  Md 1855 

Buffalo,  N.Y '1872 


Postmaster . 

Physician   and  surgeon 

Attorney-at-law 

Cashier  and  stock  holder,  1st  Nat.  Bank.... 

General   merchant 

Machinist , 

Livery,  sale  and  feed  stable 

Dealer  in  stoves,  tinware  and  undertaking.. 

Restaurant  and  bakery |Sachen  Weimar,  Ger..  1870 

Dlr.  in  gen'l  nier'dse,  clothing  and  dry  goods.jOldenburg,  Germany.|1861 

f  Of  Hoppe  Brohters,  groceries,  provisions,  Alton,  111 1857 

I  queensware  and  glassware ...| Alton,  III 1 1860 

Sect.  2,  T.  5-10.:Farmer  and  stock  ra'ser 'Canton  Basel,  S\vitzl'd.il835 

Sect.  2,  T.  5-10.  Wife  of  John  F.  Hoflhieister |Obetschopfi.eini.  Ba  en.oer jl852 


Leeds  Yorkshire,  Eng.|1841 

Barren  co.,  Ky 4837 

Alton, 111 1848 

Montgomery  co.,  N.  Y.  1848 
Wurtemburg,  Ger'y. . . 1 1 856 

Alton,  111 1836 

Philadelphia,  Pa ;i833 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOTS. 


559 


CITY    OF   AIuTON.-coNTiNUED. 


POST  OFFICE.         KESIDF.NCE. 


North  Alton. 


OCCUPATIOX. 


Alton.. 


Cor.  .(^hiul(la&  2d  S 

Alton 


Dealer  in  boots  and  shoes,  and  farmer Izwinscnbcrg.  3cs«e  namniaat.  ..il863 

Wife  of  J.  Adam  Hechler Reniliiigen,  Bavaria. ..Il856 

Carpenter,  builder  and  contractor Hartford  co.,  Jld ISrir) 

Ko.ul  master  C.  &  A.  R.  R Xottiiigliani.sliire,  Enjr  IS*'')! 

I'mprietor  Heliruns  briclcvard .Mton,  III 1SS6 


I'mprictor  Sluirp  corner  saloon Saxony,  Prussia... 

Wile  of  I'eter  Jlcllruns St.  Louis,  Mo 

rniprietor  Globe  saloon .Vlton,  111 

I'niprietor  cooper  shop .Vlton,  111 

Father  of  f'red  Hoefert,  Jr Saxony,  Prussia 

or  WilhelmsA  Co.,  Alton  pottery Coblenz,  Prussia 

Wile  of  William  Hack Alton,  111 

,  Shoenuiker,  and  fatlier  of  William  Hack (>)l)lenz,  Prus 


KS49 
1855 
1856 
d857 

1855 
1856 
1855 


(  Hechler,  J.  Adam Alton 

(  A.  JIargaret  Hoerner " 

Hugo,  Kdwar.l  M |     " 

Huskinson,  William i     " 

Helh-ung,  J.  Henrv i     " 

I  Hellrung,  Peter....". !     " 

I  Catharine  Ammend ;     " 

Hessenauer,  Henrv :     " 

f  Hoefert,  Fred,  Jr." j     " 

■)  Hoefert,  F"red,Sr 
Hack,  William... 

i  Bertha  Mcver 

(Hack,  M.  Peter 

Ilch,  David North  Alton....  North  Alton....  Dealer  in  wines  and  liquors .Mtenheim  Baden,  Gr.  1858 

Joesting,  F.  W Alton Alton Merchant Hanover,  Germany....  1858 

Jocsting,  G.  A "     i     "     Book-keeper  1st  National  Bank Osnabrueck,  Hanover.  186-i 

Joesting,  E.  A.  W "     "     Confectioner,  restaurant  and  bakery Hanover,  Germany....  1866 

Jehle,  John i     "     "     Proprietor  of  Alton  brewerv Zcll  Baden,  Germany. 1 1877 

(Jones,  David  R iNorth  Alton....  Sect.  2,  5-10 Retired ." South  Wales ."..|l853 

j  Gweneyfrad,  Jenkins j     "  "     ....      "  "     ....  Wife  of  David~R.  Jones South  Wales 11853 

(  Jones,  Stepehn  F 'Alton Alton Dealer  in  family  groceries  and  provisions....  Alton,  111 1861 

(  Mary  A.  Jones,  (dw  B«yn 

(  Joesting,  Frederick  W 

J.  Otillc  C.  Sack 

j  Ida  Holtzmueller 

i  Job,  Z.  B „.. 

[  Amanda  Montgomery, 
Koerner,  Charles 

(Koch,  Charles 

I  Julius  I'ritch 

j  Kran/.,  Jacob 

(  Kranz,  Henry 

Klunk,  William  L 


..jDec'dMar.9,'46 
..iAlton 


Mother  of  Stephen  F.  Jones....'. 'Kent,  England 1852 

"        Retired Beimo  0«nahrueck.  U«nover ,1837 

First  wife  of  Frederich  W.  Joesting (Westphalia,  Prussia. ..1835 

Alton Present  wife  of  Frederich  W.  Joestiag jMuenden,  Hanover....  1856 

"     F.irmer  and  stock  raiser IVirginia |1836 

"     Wife  of  Z.  B.  Job Madison  co.,  Ill 

"     .\gent  U.  S.  lands  and  war  claims schwsriiturg.  Rudoiprsudi,  ocr  1868 

"     Of  F'ritsch  &  Koch,  butchers  and  packers...  Bavaria,  Germany 1868 

"     Of  I'ritsch  &  Koch,  butchers  and  packers...  Bernstadt,  Prussia 1863 

"     Of  Kranz  Bros.'  cigar  factory Prussia 1873 

"      Of  Kranz  Bros.'  cigar  factory iPrussia 1873 

"      General  undertaker York  co..  Pa 1864 

Kohler,  (ielasius North  Alton. ...North  Alton....  Of  M.  Walter  &  Co.,  fruit  dealers  &  grocers  Baden,  Germany 1851 

Michael  Walter "  "     ....I     "  "     ....  Of  JI.  Walter  &  Co.,  fruit  dealers  &  grocers  Baden,  Germany 18i;6 

Koehne,  John  H Alton Alton iWagon  maker  and  blacksmith {Hanover,  Gernumy....  1848 

Kohler,  Franz 'North  Alton... .'North  Alton.... IFruit  distillery  and  vineyard jobcrsdiopfheim.  Baden,  oormany.,  1852 

Eleonora  Einsele '     "  "     ....'     "  "     ....|Wife  of  Franz  Kohler |Oher8chopthciin.Badeii,c,eriiianr.|1854 

Koehne  J.  H Alton Alton 1 1 ! 

M.  Walter 

Proprietor  .saloon Kalb,  Wurtemberg....  1846 

Wife  of  J.  Jacob  Kopp Rhein  Pfalz,  Bavaria.  184!) 

Proprietor  .saloon Canton  Berne,  Swtzld.  1854 

Wife  of  J.  Gotlieb  Kaeser ISt   Louis,  Mo... 1855 

Deabr  in  groceries,  provisions  &  crockery... jCoblenz,  Prussia 1863 

Wife  of  John  Kremer ."....'Ahon,  III 186i» 

Retired.     Father  of  John  Kremer Coblenz,  Prussia 1863 

(If  Schmidt*  Knccht.  manufacturers  ot  soda  and  mineral  waters....  Zucricll,   Switzerland..  1875 

Wife  of  Theodore  Knecht Alton,  111 1861 

f  Of  LeyserBro.,  candy  factory,  bakery,  and  Rhein,  Bavaria,  (icr...  1864 

(dealers  in  toys lRheiii,_  Bavaria,  Ger...:1858 

Dealer  in  groceries  and  provisions 'Ost  F^ricsland,  Ger 1858 

Proprietor  saloon fSt.  Louis,  Mo 1874 

Capt.  "Spread  l^agle"  (Eagle  Packet) jPrnssia 1875 

Proprietor  saloon iLueben,  Prussia 1858 


j  Kopp,  J.Jacob 

(  Catherine  Dick 

j  Kaeser,  J.  Gotlieb 

I  :\1.  Barbara  Piaff. 

(  Kremer,  John 

<  Phiippine,  Dick 

i  Kremer,  Peter 

(  Knecht,  Theodore 

'l  Maria  Hoppe • 

(  Leyscr,   Henry 

I  Leyscr,  John 

Lehne,  Theodore 

Lannerth,  Henry 

Leyhe,  Henry I     "     

Micssner,  Paul "     

( Meley,  Andrew "     

I  Rose  Gaynor '     "     

Murphy,  Joseph |     "     

Moritz,  Henry  0.  Ct "     

Maul,  Joseph |     "     

Maul,  Paul,  Jr !     "     

Mever,  Joseph [North  Alton... 

Mold,  George  J Alton 

Miller,  Daniel "     

j  Mollov,  Edward  J 'North  Alton... 

(  Annie  Ma.s.s I     '•         "       ... 

Jlelnernev,  J.  J Alton 

(McPike,  H.  G 

(  John  Atwood 

McCarty,  John 

f  McLane,  Louis 

\  Caroline  Wilker.... 

McGrath,  Daniel... 

McMillen 


North  Alton. 


Norton,  W.  T JAlton lAlton 


Retired  |Co.  Sligo,  Ireland 1845 

"     jWife  of  Andrew  Melev Kings  co.,  Ireland ;1840 

"     !of  Murphy  &  Co.,  butchers |.\lleghany  co.,  Md 1853 

"     IMerchant  "tailor  and  clothier iLippe  Detmoll,  Ger.. .1854 

"      Proprietor  barber  shop I.VIton,  III 1859 

"     ;Ton.sorial  arti.st Alton,  III 1859 

North  Alton.. ..iDairyman Canton  St.Gallen,Szld  1861 

Alton f^'Ki""  factory  and  shaving  parlors lAlton,  III 1K58 

"     Carriage  factory iRhcin,  Bavaria,  Ger.. .1865 

North  Alton.. ..'Mine  inspector," Madison  county Co.  Meath,  Ireland  ...11852 

"     'Wife  of  Edward  J.  Molloy ". iGermany 1857 

Alton 'l{;ditorand  publisher  of  Alton  Sentinel. Madi-son  co..  Ill 1854 

"     Real  estate  and  insurance 'Indiana 1837 

"      Real  estate  and  insurance .Massachussetts 1846 

"      ,l'ro]irietor  of  saloon Co.  Cork,  Ireland 1855 

"      iCarriai.'e  blacksmith lelferson  Co..  Mo 1862 

"      Wife  of  Louis  McLane Kvarisville,  Ind 1862 

"      Proprietor  of  saloon Co.  Limerick,  Ireland.  1H49 

North  Alton ;Real  estate  agent |}racken  co.,  Ky 1S72 

Editor  and  publisher  of  Alton  TelegrapJi jMadison  co.,  Ill 1844 


560 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


CITY  OF  ALTON.— CONTINUED. 


Noonan,  Dennis 

Neiuinger,  I.  A 

Neermann,  Aujiust 

Nienhaus,  Henry  J 

Norton,  Aug.  T 

Eliza  R.  Norton 

Oltmanns,  John  H 

Perrin  &  Smith 

Pfeiflenberger,  Lucas...- 

Peters,  Rev.  P 

Palm,  Adam, 

Puetz,  Till  maun 

Mary  U.  Thomann 

Pieper,  Frank 

Elizabeth  Bartholme.... 

Public  Library 

Pelot,  Frank  Charles.... 
Ann  Maria  LTtzinger.... 

Piafl',  Valentine 

M.  Louisa  Hoffer 

Pelot,  Frank  C,  Jr 

Fannie  Krbeck 

Raible,  Julius  H 

Ryrie,  J.  M 

Roclemeyer,  C 

Rutleclge,  Walton 

Roe^sler,  Charles 

Redmond,  John 

Barbara  Glasbrenner.... 

John  Redmond -... 

Robidou,  Paul  L 

Emily  Maville 

Richardson,  Thomas.... 

Rain,  Joseph  W 

Isabell  Clifford 

Sweetzer,  Henry  C 

Priest,  Henry  C 

Siem,  William 

Schaub,  Charley 

Stiner,  Charles 

Steinheinier,  Baptist 

Sparks,  D.  K.  &  Co 

Sommers,  H.  Aug 

Starr.  Harry  B 

Schollmeier,  Joseph 

Smith,  H.  0 

Sotier,  Christopher 

Sauerwine,  George 

Schenk,  Henry 

Theresia  Grossheira 

Santschi,  Eugene 

Albert  Fetterle 

Schlageter,  Beda 

Eugenie  Tilger 

Stanard,  E. 'O 

Tonsor,  .John   M 

Thornton,  Philip 

Jlargaret  J.  McClellau 

Threde,  William 

Thompson,  Wm 

Ll^nterbrink,  Casper  H.. 
Unterbrink,  Casper  H.. 

Ward,   Patrick 

AVise,  CharlesP 

Walter,  V 

AV'empen,  John 

Weigler,  G  H 

AV'yss,  Samuel 

Wells,  AV  B 

Wagner,  John 

Wagner,  John 

Wedel,  Adam 

Winter,  Louis 

Louisa  M.  Baver 

Wrieht,  Charles  L 


EE3IDENCE. 


Alton i.\lton  . 


OCCUPATION. 


X 


North  Alton....  North  Alton.. 

"     ....1     "  "     .. 


Alton Boxl22.. 

Alton.... 


Contractor  and  Proprietor  of  Nilwood  aod  Alton  CoalMioeg Co.  Limerick,  Ireland. 

Cigar  factory JBaden,  Germany 

Carpetry  and  upholstering HiMnhcim,  Hunuver.  cer 

Proprietor  of  saloon IHanover,  Germany.... 

Pre.sbyterian  clergyman jLitchfield  co..  Conn... 

Wife  of  Aug.  T.  Norton Litchfield  co.,  Conn... 

Dealer  in  general  merchandise werdumOM  Fnesiand,  Hanover... 

Editoi-s  and  Publishers  of  Alton  Democrat...\ 

Architect  and   Mayor  of  Alton 'Ohio 

Rector  of  St.  Mary's  church Keppeln,  Prussia 

Tonsorial  artist IMonroe  co.,  Ill 

Proprietor    of  saloon |  Gran.  Ehclndort  Bonn,  Pnnsla.... 

Wife  of  Tillman  Puetz jSchwaerstadt,  Baden.. 

Proprietor  of  saloon  and  farmer iHoeinkhausen,  Prus... 

Wife  of  Frank  Pieper IWestphalia,  Prussia... 


North  Alton. 


Dec'd  Dec.  '63. 
Alton 


North  Alton.... 


Carpenter  and   proprietor  of  saloon Canton  Bern,  Switz'ld. 

]Wife  of  Frank  Charles  Pelot iRhein  Bavaria,  Ger... 

Dealer  in  stoves  and  tinware !Niedcrschnpn,eim,  Ger. 

Switzerland 

Alton,  III 

Alton.    Ill 

Wurtemburg,  Ger'y... 

Alton,  111 


Alton . 


Alton 'Alton 


St.  Louis,  Mo.. 
Alton 


AVife  of  A'alentine  Pfaff. 

jProprietor  of  cigar  manufactory 

l;      AVife  of  Frank  C.  Pelot,  Jr 

Rectifier,  wholesale  liquor  and  wine  dealer.. 

• «•.[  stiner  &  Ryrie,  dealers  in  wool ,  rnrp,  coal,  wood,  prodncfl  and  feed. . . 

"     |Carriage  and  wagon  factory 'Alton,  111 

"      ICity  engineer  and  county  surveyor (Durham  co.,  Eng 

North    Alton iNorth   Alton  Park    saloon OehHngen,  TTurtembnrg,  Oer.... 

"  "     ....  Saddlery  and  harness  dealer Queens  co.,  Ireland.. 

AV'ife  of  John  Redmond AVurtemburg,  Ger'y.. 

Father  of  John  Redmond Queens  co.,  Ireland.. 

Horse  shoeing  and  general  blacksmithing...!St.  Louis,  Mo. 

AVife  of  Paul  L.  Robidou 

Horse  .shoeing  and  general  blacksmithing... 

Millinery  store  and  restaurant 

AA'^ife  of  Joseph  AV.  Rain lEngland 

Of  Sweetzer  &  Priest  lumber  yard 'Franklin  co.,  Mass. 

Of  Sweetser  tfe  Priest  lumber  yard iFranklin  co.,  Mass. 

Merchant ." iHolstein,  Germany 

Stock  dealer  and     butcher 'Nieder.choprhcim,  Baden.  Ger 

or  Stiner  4  Ryrie  dealers  in  wool.  Tars,  coal,  wood,  produce  and  feed..  lAItOU,    111 

Proprietor  of  saloon 

Proprietor  National  Mills 

Broker  and  farmer 

Proprietor  of  Alton  Ferry 

Proprietor  of  saloon Davenport,  Iowa, 

Dry  goods  merchant iMadison  co.,  Tenn 


North  Alton. 


Amherstburg,  Canada. 

Fifeshire,  Scotland 

England 


2826  Thomas  St., St. Loali 

Alton 


Prussia,  Germany 

Harrison  co.,  Ind 

Halle,  Prussia 

Columbiana  CO.,  Ohio. 


St.  Louis St.  Louis 

....Alton North  Alton. 

'      Alton 


St.  Louis,   Mo...  1512,-15  Bway.  Sl.Lou 

Alton lAlton 

Dc'dJau.21,'82 

Alton .Alton 

North  Alton....  ■'^ect.  2.  5-10.... 

"     ....Sect.  2.  5-10 

Alton Alton 


Saloon  and  book  binder Kissingen,  Bavaria.... 

Butcher Nassau,  Germany 

Groceries,  feed  and  packer Saxon,  Prussia 

AVife  of  Henry  Schenk Saxon,  Prussia 

f  Of  E.  Santschi  &  Fetterle,  watch  makers  f  Canton  Neuchatel, 
1  and  jewelers |  Switzerland 

Turner,  manuftr  of  parasols,  umbrellas,  etc.  ober't'lop'i"'!™  saden 

jAVife  of  Beda  Schlageter Rohrbach,  B.aden 

Miller New  Hampshire 

Rectifier  and  wholesale  liquor  dealer AVestphalia,  Prussia... 

Dealer  in  family  groceries  and  provisions Co.  Louth,  Ireland 

AVife  of  Philip' Thornton Co.  Armagh,  Ireland.. 

Proprietor  of  saloon 'Holstein,  Germany.... 

Capt   of  steamer  Gsm  City,  of  St.  Lonis  and  St.  Paul  Packet  Co..  Euimetsburgh,  Aid 

Proprietor  of  saloon Bueude,  Prussia 

For  Protestant  German  School ! 

Clerk  of  Alton  city  court 'Co.  Down,  Ireland 

Attoruey-at-law lEmraetsburgh,  Md.... 

Music  store  andProp'rof  Commercial  Hotel.  Baden,  Germany 

Liquor  merchant IHanover,  Germany.... 

Alerchant [Elberfeld,  Prussia 

Proprietor  of  Spring  Street  House [Canton  Bern,  Switz'ld. 

Dealer  in  horses  and  mules Madison  co..  Ill 

Saloon  and  cooper Rhein,  Prussia 

Father  of  ,Tfihn  AVagncr,  Jr Rhein,  Prussia 

Of  Berg  &  AV^edel's  saloon 

Butcher 

AA^ife  of  Louis  AVinter 


Hesse  Darmstadt,  Ger. 
AVestphalia,  Prussia... 

Pranlicnbnrg,   HeBSen  Cassel 

Cambridge,   Mass 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


561 


CITY    OF  ALTON.- 


-CONTINCKD. 


POST  OFFICE. 


RESIDENCE. 


OCCUPATION. 


NATIVITY. 


Watson   Henrv 'Alton Alton Contractor,  builder,  and  prop'r  of  quarries... 

(  Weisbach.  Cliristopher j     "     I     "      Prop'r  and  mamifr  of  soda  &  mineral  waters 

1  Christine  Hetzel    I     "     |     "     Wife  of  Christopher  A\  eisbach 

I  Wiciielman    W...!.! ISt.  Louis 1001  Market  st.  Wliolesale  and  retail  grocer 

(  Christine  Knottnerus St.  Louis ! Wife  of  W.  Wiehelman..  ......... 

(  Woodside,  Alexander Alton 'Alton Foreman  car  and  repair  shops,  t.  &  A.  K.K. 

I  Mary  Huriiie !     "     I     "     Wife  of  Alexander  Woodside 

Yan-er    T    H  .       "      |     "     State's  attornev 

j  Yomig,  James.'.!!!!..!! North  Alton....  Sect.  2,  5-10....  Prop'r  N.  Alton  &  Alton  'bus  line  &  saloon.. 

1  Mary  Schall  1     "  "     ....  Sect.  2,  5-10....  Wife  of  James  Young 

j  Yackel,  Casper ^Alton Cr.2d  &AValnut  Prop'r  Farmers'  boarding  home  &  house 

1  Caroline  C.  Ohlev I     "     Alton Wife  of  Casper  Yackel..... 


Zechmcister  &  Henzel. 

Zwi^slor.  C.  J .... 

Zirnes,  Jacob 


Alton Editor  and  publisher  of  Alton  Banner 

"      Rector  of  Sts.  Peter  &  Paul's  cathedral 


Proprietor  saloon. 


Durham  co.,  Eng. 

Rhein,  Bavaria,  (Jer... 

St.  Louis,  Mo 

Brunswick,  Germany.. 

Madison  co..  Ill 

Ayrshire,  Scotland 

Renfrewshire,  Scotl'd. 

Saxen  Weim,  Ger 

Albany  co.,  N.  Y 

Palmyra,  Mo 

Hessen  Darmstadt,  Gr. 

Belleville,  111 

(iermany 

Dayton,  Ohio 

Scott  CO.,  Mo 


1859 
185(5 
1856 
1879 
1851) 
18.52 
18.52 
1838 
1879 
1866 
1852 
1852 
1881 
1876 
1876 


UPPER    ALTOX. 


(Ball,  S.  W 

i  Isabella  Chapin 

I  Clark,  Sarah  J.  Cole 

I  Clark,  J.  C.  C 

I  Isaac  D.  Newell 

(  Herman  C.  Cole 

f  Cooper,  Susan  AV 

I  Cooper,  John 

I  Finlev,  James  M 

I  Marv'A.  Holland 

JGillham,  Daniel  B 

\  Adeline  Harrison 

J  Hewit,  Lucy,  (nee  Moore) 

I  Hewit.  Franklin 

I  Ilavs,  Henrv  H 

I  Sarah  iZ.  Bartlett 

I  H:iys,  Elijah 

\  .luliana  Newell 

Iloliarth,  S.  S 

Starr.  J.  E 

(Kendrick,  A.  A 

I  Marv  Jewett 

JLowc,  M.  A 

(  Eliza  Waggoner 

j  Lowe,  R.  E 

I  Frances  A.  Radcr 

I  Lochr,  Henry 

(  Aguste  Heideman 

I  Moore,  Franklin 

I  Tobitha  Elliott 

I  Moore,  Abel 

I  Marv  Bates 

(  :\Ioore,  Troy 

I  Clarissa  A.  Patterson 

j  Mills,  Henry  E 

I  Emma  B.  Sprague 

I  Roirers.  James  T 

1  Alice  .1.  Brown 

(Rundel,  Henry  B 

)  Ann  Miller 

j  Rixen,  James 

j  Jane  Marshall 

fWeek.s,  Joseph    H 

1  Martha  Mi  Magill 

j  Wyman,  Edward 

1  Wvman,  Jlartha  L 

j  Wright.  William  R 

I  Helen  M.  English 

jWood,  S.  F 

1  Emma  Head 


Upper  Alton. 


Upper  Alton., 


Dc'dAug.lS,'.57' 

Dc'dOct.20,'74 

Upper  Alton...  Upper ^1  ton.. 

Dc'd  Mar.  2, '68 

Upper  Alton...  Upper  Alton. 


LTpper  Alton... 

Dc'd  Dec.-22,'77 

Upper  Alton...  Upper  Alton.. 


Dc'd  Sep.  17,'78 

Alton Alton 

Elsah 'Jersey  co.,  111. 

Upper  Alton...  Upper  Alton.. 


Dc'dMav31,'72 

Dc'd  FelU0,'4(3 

Dee'dFeb.9,'4G 

Upper  Alton...  Upper  Alton. 


Salesman 

Wife  of  S.  W.  Ball 

wife  or  J.  C.  U.  Clark,  ftnd  former  wi'e  of  the  laic  Henaaa  C.  Cole. 

Profes.sor,    Sburtleft'  College 

Father  of  Sarah  J.  Clark.T 

.  First  husband  of  Sarah  J.  Clark 

Retired 

.  Late  husband  of  Susan  W.  Cooper 

.  Cooper 

.  Wife  of  James  M.  Finley 

.  Retired 

.  Wife  of  Daniel  B.  Gillham 

.  Retired 

.  Late  husband  of  Lucy  Hewit 

Salesman 

.  Wife  of  Henrv  H.  Havs 

.  Father  of  Heiirv  H.  Havs 

.  Mother  of  Henry  H.  Hays, 

.  Contractor  and  builder 

.  Farmer 

.  President  Shurtlotf  College 

.  Wife  of  A.  A.  Kendrick 

.  Farmer  and  fruit  grower 

.  Wife  of  M.  A.  Lowe 

.  Proprietor  hotel 

.Wife  of  R.  E.  Lowe 

.Livery  and  feed  stable 

.  Wife  of  Henry  Loehr 

.  Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

.  Late  wife  of  Franklin  Moore 

.  Father  of  Franklin  Moore 

.Mother  of  Franklin  Moore,  wife  of  A.  Moore 

.Wife  of  Troy  Moore 

.  .\ttornev-at-law,  St.  Louis,  Mo 

.Wifeof'Henrj-  E.  Mills 

.;Wife  of  James  T.  Rogers 

.('itv  marshal 

.Wife  of  Henry  B.  Rundel 

.  (Janlener  and  florist 

.Wife  of  James  Rixen 

.  Prist  master 

.Wife  of  Joseph  H.  Weeks 

.IPrincipal  Wyman  Institute 

.IWifeof  Edward  Wyman 

.  ICnoper 

.Wife  of  William  E.  Wright ^ 

.  I  Farmer... 

.Wife  of  S.  F.  Wood 


Albany  co.,  N.  Y 

iHampden  co.,  Ma.»8... 
Herkimer  co.,  N.  Y... 

Providence,  R.  I 

Burke  co.,  Vermont... 

iSeneca  co.,  N.  Y 

Knox  CO.,  Tenn 

.\ndersou  co.,  Tenn... 

Bond  CO.,  Ill 

Kobert.son  co.,  Tenn... 

Madison  co.,  Ill 

Green  Co.,  Ill 

Monroe  co.,  Ill 

.Vshtabula  co.,  Ohio... 

Coles  CO.,  Ill 

Madi.son  co..  Ill 

New  York 

Bradford  co.,  Pa 

Montgomery  co  ,  111... 


1854 
1854 
1847 
1875 
1847 
1868 
1834 
1834 
1847 
1847 
1826 
1840 
1848 
1848 
1841 
18.53 
1842 
1842 
1873 


Fs.'^ex  CO.,  N.  Y 

.\ddison  co.,  Vermont 

Monroe  co.,  W.  Va 

Tennessee 

M(mroe  CO.,  W.  Va.... 

St.  Louis,  Mo ! 

Germany 

Germany 

Madison  CO.,  HI 

Tennessee 

North  Carolina 

South  Carolina 

Monroe  co.,  Ill 

Tennessee 

Susquehanna  co..  Pa.. 
Washington  CO.,  Ohio 
W.ashington  co.,  Ky..., 

Green  co..  Ill 

Madison  CO.,  Ill 

Madison  CO.,  Ill 

X'thamptonshire,  Eng 
N'thamptoiishire,  Eng 

New  York  Citv 

.Krsey  CO.,  Ill 

Middlesex  CO.,  Mass... 

Boston,  Mass 

Summer  co.,  Tenn 

Onondaga  co.,  N.  Y'... 

Madison  co..  Ill 

Madison  co.,  Ill 


1872 
1872 
1829 
1833 
1829 


1  s.-,i) 
is.-,:t 


iSL'i; 
is3(; 

1808 
1808 
1848 
1848 
18.56 
1881 
1872 
1872 
1828 
1838 
1858 
18.58 
I860 
1872 
1879 
1879 
1829 
1841 
1838 
1844 


5G2 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


FOSTERBURG. 


POST  OFFICE. 


Fosteiburg. 


(  Brnwn,  Corydon  C... 

Ingahco,  Viinnatla... 

BcsMT,  Cliarles  R.... 

Louisa  Hansiuann.. 
'  Bicrbauiii,  William jUpper  Alton.... 

Louisa  Malfe I     "  " 

Bierbaum,  Emma I     "  " 

f  Biggane,  Hannah i     "  " 

\  Biggaue,  Michael IDiedDec.6,'8L 

I  Beckemeier,  Gottlieb Upper  Alton... 

I  Caroline  Wibbclmann 

f  Brown,  John 

■!  Edmund  Brown 

I  Mary  Rvan 

f  Beyer,  Albert  F 

I  Beineke,  Mary  H 

(Bar,  Jacob 

\  Biir,  Herman 

(  Rosena  Wolshlagel 

(  Gulp,  John  S 

I  Mary  Moore 

(  Cavault,  Nancy 1     "  "     .... 

\  John  Deck jDc'd  July9,'70 

(  Abraham  Cavault Upper  Alton..., 

j  Dillon,  John  D iFosterburg 

t  Nancy  Preuitt |Fosterburg 


RESIDENCE. 


Sect.  23 

Sect.  23 

..Sect.  14 

Sect.  14 

Sect.  17 

Sect.  17 

Sect.  17 

Sect.  30 


De'd  Oct.12,'79. 
Dc'dFeb.22,'78. 
Fosterburg 


Sect.  29.. 
Sect.  29.. 


Upper  Alton.... 


Fosterburg... 
Fo.sterburg... 
Fo.sterburg... 
Fosterburg... 
Fosterburg... 

Sect.  35 

Sect.  35 

Sect.  34 


j  Dooling,  E. 

(Julia  Welch 

j  Ducommun,  Emile 

I  Augusta  Plauitz 

I  Evans,  John 

\  Margaret  Rees 

f  Freark,  Christian 

(.  Fredereka  HofFmeister 

J  Frerichs,  Frerich  R 

t  Meta  Jan.ssen 

j  Gerdt,  Henry 

\  Sophia  Ehbeler 

i  Harris,  William  L 

\  Louisa  Grocc 

•j  Harris,  T.  N 

I  Maria  J.  Gulp 

(Hill,  William  E 

\  Martha  Wilson 

(  Mary  Brooks.... 

(Jones,  James G 
Elizabeth  Ann  Deck 
Rutha  Jane  Deck 
Hannah  D.  Bevill 

j  Klinke,  Fritz 

j  Adelhei  Metzler 

Ki'ieg,  Jacob 

Catherine  Altmann 

Luman,  Hazael 

JIary  A.  Hays,  (nee  wiiiiams), 

McKee,  Samuel 

Catherine  Steward 

Mary  A.  Arbuckle 

I  Ost,  John 

t  Alice  Warner 

Spurgeon,  William  J 

f/Soverns,  Hilan 

1  Anna  JI.  Salzmann........ 

1  Short,  Perry  W 

\  Polly  Deck 

j  Rachel  Nichols 

I  Sherfy,  Isaac 

(  Louisa  Isch 

2  Chandler.).. 


Upper  Alton.... 


Sect.  34.. 
Sect.  14... 
Sect.  14.. 
Sect.  34.. 
Sect.  34... 
Sect.  30... 
Sect.  30.. 
Sect.  29.. 
Sect.  29.. 
Sect.  23.. 
Sect.  23.. 
Sect.  31.. 
Sect.  31.. 


Fosterburg' 
Fosterburg 
Fosterburg 
Fosterburg 

Godfrey  iSect.  7  ... 

(todtVey  Sect.  7.... 

Upper  Alton.. ..iSect.  33... 

Sect.  33... 

Sect.  33.. 

Sect.  33.. 

Sect.  26... 


Sect.  26.. 


Fosterburg 

Dc'd  Apr.  6,'31. 

Fosterburg 

Upper  Alton... .ISect.  28 
Dc'dOct.13,'52. 
Dc'd  Feb.  7,'57. 
Upper  Alton.... 


I  TbompsoD,  Sunanuoh,  (n 

Eldred  Foster 

I  Jacob  Thompson., 

[Wood,  Sarah 

!  Wood,  Joshua 


Fosterburg 

Fosterburg 

Bethalto 

Bethalto 

North  Alton.... 
Dec'd  Feb.  79.. 
North  Alton.... 

Fosterburg 

Fosterburg 

Upper  Alton  ... 

Bethalto 

Bethalto 

Upper  Alton.... 
Dc'dAug.22,'67 
Upper  Alton.... 


Sect.  28.. 
Sect,  34.. 
Sect.  34., 
Sect.  21  . 
Sect.  21.. 
Sect.  25.. 
Sect.  25.. 
Sect.  18.. 


Sect.  18 

Fosterburg., 
Fosterburg., 

Sect.  33 

Sect.  36 

Sect.  36 

Sect.  34 


Fosterburg 

Dc'd  June,  '51 
Dec'd  Sept.  '74. 
Upper  Alton.... 
Dc'd  Nov.  11,'65 


Sect.  16.. 
Sect.  16.. 
Sect.  13.. 


OCCUPATION. 


NATIVITY. 


WHEN 
CAHE 
TO  CO. 


Rensselaer  co.,  N.  Y... 

Madison  co.,  Ill 

Saxen  Weimer 

Prussia 

Prussia 

Switzerland 


Farmer 

Wife  of  Corydon  C.  Brown 

Carpenter  and  farmer 

Wife  of  Charles  R.  Besser 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Wife  of  Wm.  Bierbaum 

Daughter  of  Wm.  Bierbaum Madison  co.,  Ill 

Farming Jeflorsim  co.,  Ky 

Late  husband  of  Hannah  Biggane Ireland 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser Prussia 

Wife  of  Gottlieb  Beckemeier Hanover 

Farmer Ireland 

Brother  of  John  Brown Ireland 

Wife  of  Edmund  Brown Ireland 

Presbyterian  clergvman Prussia 

Wife  of  Albert  F.  Beyer Gasconade  co.,  Mo.... 

Blacksmith Switzerland 

Coal  miner Switzerland 

Wife  of  Jacob  Bar jSwitzerland 

Farmer  and  supervisor [Madison  co.,  Ill 

Wife  of  John  S.  Gulp ;Madison  co.,  Ill 

Farming jSurrey  co.,  N.  C 

Fiist  husband  of  Nancy  Cavault jSuIlivan  co.,  Tenn.... 

Present  luisliand  of  Nancy  Cavault jVirginia 

Retired  lilacksmith  and  wagon  maker Butler  co.,  Ohio 

Wife  of  John  D.  Dillon 'Madison  CO.,  Ill 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser JMadison  co.,  Ill 

Wife  of  E.  Dooling [Ireland 

Jeweler  and  farmer 'Switzerland 

Wife  of  Emile  Ducommun Switzerland 

Farmer [Wales 

Wife  of  John  Evans Wales 

Farmer iPrussia 

Wife  of  Christian  Freark IPrussia 

Farmer  and  steam  thrasher iHanover,  Germany... 

Wife  of  Frerich   R.  Frerichs Hanover,  Germany... 


Farmer 

Wiie^of  Henry  Gerdt, 

Farmer  

Wife  of  William  L.  Harris 

Farmer 

Wife  of  T.  N.  Harris 

Farmer 

First  wife  of  Wm.  E.  Hill iLiving.ston  co.,  Ky |18... 

Present  wife  of  Wm.  E.  Hill Chautauqua  co.,  N.  Y.|1832 

Farmer 'Maury  co.,  Tenn 11837 


Sect.  28.. 


Prussia, 

Madison  co.,  Ill 
Champaign  co.,  Ohio.. 
Green  co..  Ill 
Champaign  co.,  Ohio..  1852 

Macoupin  co..  Ill [1842 

Livingston  co.,  Ky |l831 


1853 
1834 
1857 
1857 
1849 
1847 
1854 
1852 
1851 
1864 
1864 
1861 
1859 
1859 
1878 
1881 
1855 
1855 
1855 
1844 
1847 
1817 
1817 
1872 
1837 
1826 
1824 
1849 
1867 
1867 
1857 
1857 
1848 
1848 
1858 
1857 
1871 
1860 
1851 
1846 


First  wife  of  James  G.  Jones Madison  co..  111. 

Madison  co..  111. 
Madison  co..  111. 

Prussia 

France 


Second  wife  of  James  G.  Jones 

Present  wife  of  James  G.  Jones 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Wife  of  Fritz  Klinke 

Farmer IWurtemburg,  Ger 

Wife  of  Jacob  Krieg Wurtemburg,  Ger.... 

Farmer Kentucky 

Wife  of  Hazael  Luman tMadison  co.,  Ill 

Farmer Kentucky 

First  wife  of  Samuel  McGee Nashville,  Tenn 

Present  wife  of  Samuel  McGee [Kentucky 

Blacksmith 'Upper  Alton,  111 

Wife  of  John  Ost [Fosterburg,  111 

Farmer 'Madison  co.,  Ill 

Farmer I  Boone  co.,  Ky 

Wife  of  Hilan  Soverns [Saxen  Weimer,  Ger.. .1850 

Farmer 'Madison  co.,  Ill 1826 

First  wife  of  Perry  W.  Short Madison  co.,  Ill ,1824 

Madison  CO.,  Ill il821 

Madi-son  CO.,  Ill |1836 

Michigan 11856 

North  Carolina 1839 

Madison  CO.,  Ill 1821 

Ohio' 1834 

Christian  co.,  Ky 1819 

Ohio [1819 


1823 
1833 
1836 
1858 
1857 
1857 
1857 
1828 
1833 
1848 
1848 
1852 
1857 
1S61 
1865 
1863 


Divorced  wife  of  Perry  W.  Short 

Farmer 

Wife  of  Isaac  Sherfy 

Farming 

First  husband  of  Susannah  Thompson.. 
Late  husband  of  Susannah  Thompson.. 

Farming 

Late  husband  of  Sarah  Wood 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNT  J,    ILLINOIS. 


563 


GODFREY 


POST  OFFICE.         KESIDEXCE. 


OCCUPATIOX. 


I  Brown,  Zebulon GodCrev Sect.  9 Farmer  and  stock  raiser Canada 

J  Mary  A.  Moore Dc'd  .\p.  14,  '49 First  wife  of  Zebulon  Brown Philadelpliia,  I'a.. 

1  Mary  A.  Cantrall Dc'd  Feb.  9,  '64 Second  wife  of  Zebulon  Brown Monroe  CO.,  Ill  — 

I  Sarah  Squire (ioiHrey  Sect.  9 I'resent  wife  of  Zebulon  Brown England 

(Camp,  Henrv Xortli  Alton....  Seel.  34 Farmer  and  coal  operator Harrisburg,  Pa 18"i0 

I  Marv  Wearmouth North  Alton....  Sect.  34 Wife  of  Henry  Camp Dubuque  Co.,  Iowa 1807 


1839 

1837 
1849 

isr,2 


Crawford,  Robert  W Godlrev Sect.  12 Farmer  and  stock  raiser Co.  Don 

Nanov  J.  Meldrum Dc'd  Apr.— ,'58 First  wife  of  Robert  W.  Crawford 'Illinois... 

t  Ann  Squire Godfrey Sect.  12 Frtsent  wife  of  Robert  \\\  Crawford iKnsland 


Ireland. 


j  Castagneto,  John 

{  Julia  Grasjean 

(  Copley,  John  S 

\  Lucy  A.  Holt 

I  Copley,  George  W 

f  Chamberlain,  S.  A 

\  Charlott  Yarber 

i  Geneye  Hodgson 

(  Chambers,  Jacob 

\  Margaret  Kidgeway 

I  Joanna  Steyens 

I  Dayis,  Willard  W 

(  Margaret  Huntington 

I  Delaplain,  Eliz..(neeReid) 

I  Delaj>lain,  Benjamin 

f  Donaldson,  Calyin 

\  Elizabeth  Williams 

J  Dayis.  James 

I  Hannah  Byrns 

f  DePugh,  Henry 

\  Amanda  J.  Bell 

[Ebbler,  Henry,  Sr 

I  Frances,  Breye 

I  Ebbler,  Henry,  Jr 

[  Amelia  Ulriih 

(  Franklin,  Edmund 

\  Jane  Griswold,(  nee  Green) 

f  Godfrey,  Benjamin 

J  Augusta  E.  Caldwell... 
I  Godfrey,  Benjamin,  Sr. 

I   Godfrey,  Rebecca  K.  (uee  PettiO.. , 

J  Glenn,  W^illiam   A 

)  Abby  Neff. 

J  Glassbrenner,  Fred 

\  Sarah  M.  PitMco 


Sect.  14 JI;inufr  of  ap|>le.  peach  and  grape  brandies,  tienoa,  Italy 

..  Sect.  14 Wife  of  John  Castagneto Paris,  France 

..Sect.  27 Engineer  and  machinist |<  )iieida  CO.,  N.  Y.. 

..  Sect.  27 Wife  of  John  S.  Copley Jackson  co..  III... 

..Sect.  27 Farmer  and  painter...." Mattewan,  N.  Y... 

..  Sect.  25 Farmer  and  cider  manufacturer jSalem,  Mass. 

Dec'dAug.3,'58' First  wife  of  S.  A.  Chamberlain Green  co.,  Ill 

Godfrey Sect.  25 Present  >vife  of  S.  A.  Chamberlain |l)earborn  co.,  Ind 

Sect.  18 Farmer  and  fiuit  grower iMonmouth  co.,  N.  J... 

Dc'd  Apr.— ,'691 First  wife  of  Jacob  Chambers INew  Jersey 

Godfrey Sect.  18 Present  wife  of  Jacob  Chambers iBordentown,  N.  J. 

"       Sect.lO Farmer  and  stock  raiser jPenobscot  co.,  Mc, 

"       • Sect.lO iWifeof  Willard  W.  Dayis IMitdison  co..  III.... 

"       • Sect,24 Retired.     Widow  of  Benjamin  Delaplain.. ..'Hay  Co.,  Tenn |1821 

Dc'd  July  7,76' | Late  husband  of  Elizabeth  Delaplain Mason  co.,  Ky il807 

North  Alton....  Sect.  17 Farmer  and  stock   rai^er Adanisyille,  S.  C- '1862 

North  Alton-...  Sect.  17 Wite  of  Cahin  Donaldson Meckienburghcc,  Va.  1862 

Sect.  26 Fruit  and  vegetable  grower Madison  co.,  Ill 1841 

Sect.  26 Wife  of  James  Davis Ireland 1859 

Mason  co.,  Ky 1867 

1862 
1841 
1847 
1S57 


1853 


1S40 
18.55 
18.'->4 
1834 
1837 
1834 
1832 


1867 
1861 
1861 
1865 
1844 
1834 


Godfrey 


Dc'dMar.20,'82 

Dc'dAug.l3,'62l 

Godfrev ISect.  14 

"     "  • ISect.  26 

ISect.  26 

North  Alton !Sect.  35 

Sect.  35... 


Sect.  21 Minister  African  M.  E.  Church 

Sect.  21 AVife  of  Henry  DePugh 

Sect.  2 Retired 

Sect.  2 jWife  of  Henry  Ebbler,  Sr 

Sect.  2 [Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Sect.  2 Wife  of  Henry  Ebbler,  Jr 

Sect.  17 iFarmer  and  stock  raiser 

Sect.  17 [Wife  of  Edmund  Franklin 

Sect.  14 !  Farmer 

Late  wife  of  Benjamin  Godfrey 

Father  of  Benjamin  Godfrey 

Mother  of  Benjamin  Godfrey 

Farmer 

Wife  of  William  A.  Glenn 'Madison  co.,  Ill 4841 

Prop'r  lie.,  feed,  sale  fiiables.  Highesl  ca.sh  price  p'd  for  horses,  mules  Germany  .1873 

..!Wife  of  Fred  Glassbrenner Madison  co..  Ill 1855 


Lewis  CO.,  Ky 

....  Pru.ssia 

....  Prussia 

....iMadison  co..  Ill 

Madison  CO.,  Ill I8iil 

Campbell  CO.,  Va 1876 

St.  Charles,  Mo 1876 

1840 

18l;9 

1833 
1839 
1841 


Alton,  111 

Cooper  CO.,  Mo 

Chatam,  Mass 

Long  Island,  N.  Y. 
Franklin  co..  Pa. 


II  iskell,  Mi.ss  II.  N Godfrey Godfrev Principal  Monticello  Seminary ' 

(  Ilickin,  Edward 'Alton Sect.  26 Farmer England 

'(  Harriet  Atkin i     "     Sect.  26 Wife  of  Edward  Hickin England 

(  lldUadav.  Cahin  Godfrey ISect.  21 Farmer  and  slock  raiser 

1  MahuldaWarficld I       "        ..  '"     '    "' 

(  Hancock,  William  Palmer       " 


1870 
1870 
1850 


Tcnne  sue 

Sect.  21 Wife  of  t'alvin   Holladay Madison  co,Ill 1851 

Sect.  23 Csh'rR.S.:\lrC(irniiik's  com.  house,  St.Lou's  Willmington.  Ind 1880 


I  ILlen  Perlina  Mason "        jSect.  23 Wife  of  William  Palmer  Hancock... 

j  Ingham,  Lucrclia  M.  (ncc  liogsdale) "  ■ SeCt.    11 WidoW   Of   Rohuid  J.    lugham 

j  Ingham,  Roland  J 'Dec'd  Feb.  2,'8l| Late  husband  of  Lucretia  M.  Ingham 

( Isett,  J.  R Godfrev Sect.  14 Fanner  and  stock  raiser 

(Elizabeth  Hamilton "     '. Sect.  14 Wife  of  J.  R.  Isett New  Jer; 

(  Lindley,  George "       Sect.  14 Farmer  and  stock  raiser iSt.  Louis,  jlo... 

1  Mary  Jane  Waters. 


Madison  co..  Ill 1840 

Monne  co.,  E.  Tenn..  1852 

Dublin,  Ireland 1835 

Montgomery  co.,  Pa..  1848 
.  1848 
18C1 


Lontr,  James  L North  Alton Sect.  34 Farmer  and  stock  raiser 


,'Sect.  14 Wife  of  George  Lindley Madison  co..  Ill 1854 

Madison  CO.,  Ill 1839 


Elvira  H.  Lee "        "     Sect.  34 -Wife  of  James  L.  Long iManchester,  Mass 1876 

Lindley,  Mary  C.  (nee.stra»)..  Godfrev Sect.  4 Retired.     W^idow  of  William  Lindley Itiermany 1851 

,  Lindley,  William Dc'd  5iar.2,'69l Late  husband  of  Mary  C.  Lindley lEngland 1851 

(  Lons,  Benjamin  Franklin.  North  Alton Sect.  34 Horticulturist  and  letired  physician JHopkinton,  N.  H |l8;i 

I  Lucy  Martin IDc'dNov.17,'46' Firet  wife  of  Benjamin  F.  Long Bradford,  N.  H 1836 

1  Hannah  L.  Furber iDc'd  Feb.  8, '72' Second  wife  of  Benjamin  F.  Long West  Scarboro,  Me 1854 

1  Mary  J.  Bailev North  Alton Sect.  34 Present  wife  of  Benjamin  F.  Long JHopkinton,  N.  H 1874 

Murray.  William  J I      "         "     Sect.  8 Farmer England 1800 

I  Mary  M.  Ma.sulli I      "         "     Sect.  8 Wife  of  William  J.  :Murniy Madison  co.,Ill 1S(  1 

■|  Murray,  William Dec'd ,  '61.1 Father  of  'William  J.  Murray Ireland 18.^8 

[Marceila  Dillon iDc'd  Mr.  22,'81; Mother  of  William  J.  Murray Dublin,  Ireland 1800 

Mason,  Edward  A Godfrey Godfrev Postiiia-ster.  Dealer  in  rruiu,  nursery  swck.pianu,  seeds.  4c.  Worcester  co..  Mass...  1863 

(  Melling,  P.  J North  Alton Sect.  35 Iii>tice  of  the  peace 'Co.  Derrv,  Ireland 1858 

I  Sarah  O'Connor \      "        "     Sect.  35 Wife  of  P.  J.  Melling Co.  Dorry,  Ireland 1850 

(Mitchell,  James,  Sr Alton Sect.  35 Proprietor  coal  mine,  and  operator Vvreshire,  Scotlaud...  1848 

\  Mary  Smith Dec'd  Oct.  7, '57; First  wife  of  James  Mitchell Noya  Scotia 1848 

I  Margaret  Hughe.s,  (ii«  BeardjiAlton Sect.  35 Present  wife  of  James  Mitchell [Ayrshire,  Scotland U42 


564 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON^  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


GODFREY.-CONTI^LED 


POST  OFFICE. 


RESIDENCE. 


occhpatiox. 


NATIVITY. 


(Martin.  W.  H De'd  Mar.  1/82.; Was  physician  and  surgeon Hillsboroiigli,  N.  H...I1857 


\  Mary  F.  Taylor Godfrey..... jGodlrey 

j  Merriman,  Charles  B iNorth  Alton....  Sect.  27... 

1  Martha  Hill North  Alton....  Sect,  27... 

(Martin,  James  W iGodfrey Sect.  14... 

I  Elizabeth  Winters '•       "       Sect.  14... 

J  Mason   Matilda,  ineestcwani.i       "       Sect.  14  .. 

Mason,  Charles  H iDc'd  Dec.11,'74 


,  Widow  of  late  Dr.  W.  H.  Martin Canada 1857 

.  Farmer  and  stock  raiser Middletown,  Conn 1852 

,  Wile  of  Chas.  B.  Merriman Connorsville,  Ind 1859 

.  Farmer  and  stock  raiser Alton  111 1837 

,  Wife  of  James  W.  Martin Germany 

.Farming  and  stock  raising llreland 1856 

Late  husband  of  Matilda  Mason Caselton,  Vt 1837 

[Matlock,  John  A [Godfrey Sect.  5 iFarmer  and  gardener Crawford  co.,  Mo 1865 

|Haiinali  Hawkins "        Sect.  5 j  Wife  of  John  A.Matlock Jlontgomery  co.,  Mo..  1863 

(  MasuUi  Louis JNorth  Alton....  Sect.  8 Farmer  and  stock  raiser Naples,  Italy 1845 

<  ChatherineMatilda,Fisher.lDc'dJan.  11'49  i (First  wife  of  Louis  Masulli England  .....' 1833 


(  Mary  D.  Kollaburn North  Alton....  Sect.  8. 

f  Mason,  John,  Mrs Godfrey Sect.-23., 

I  Mason,  John,  Jr iDc'd  Sep.  1,'75.| 

(Neal,  James iNorth  Alton.... ISect.  33.. 

(Emma Dukes "  "     ....ISect.  33.. 

(  Otev,  Jeremiah "  "     ....iSect.  28.. 

<  Patsey  Jenkins Dc'd  Feb.  15,'68i 

j  Eliiabeth  HalUburlon  (nee  Donaldson.)..  North    AltOU....  ;SeCt.  28.. 

Pearson,  John  M 'Godfrey Sect.  26.. 

Catherine  Godfrey I       "       Sect.  26.. 

"       Sect,  11.. 


Present  wife  of  Lvuis  Masulli Madi-son  co..  Ill 1828 

Farming .". Utica,  N.  Y 1838 

Late  husband  of  Mrs.  John  Mason [New  Hampshire 1837 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser England 1858 

Wife  of  James  Neal England 1858 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser j  Virginia 1864 

Fir.st  wife  of  Jeremiah  Otey Virginia 11864 

Present  wife  of  Jeremiah  Otey 'Tennessee 1862 

Farmer  and  breederof  thor'bredJerseycattle.'E.ssex  co.,  Mass 1849 

.  Wife  of  John  Pearson iMadisonco.,  Ill 1835 

(  Pierce,  George  G "       Sect.  11 Farmer  and  fruit  grower Reboboth,  Mass il838 

I  Sarah  Cannard "       Sect.  11 1  Wife  of  George  G.Pierce Richmond,  Va '1838 

!  Penning,  Evert  J !  "  Sect,  25 l Farmer  and  stock  raiser Hanover,  Germany.... [1852 
Penning,  John  E Dc'd  Mar.l5.'79 'Father  of  Evert  J.  Penning jHanover,  Germany....  11852 
Penning,Bertie(neeBruns)  Dc'd  Julyl3,'78 iMotberof  Evert  J.  Penning Hanover,  Germany....!  1852 
Pierce,  Jonathan  L North  Al  on....  Sect.  35 jFarmer  and  stock  raiser Rookingham  co..  Me... 1 1851 

]  Mary  A.  Wissore North  Alton....  Sect.  35 IWife  of  Jonathan  L.  Pierce |Madison  co..  Ill [1843 

(  Robidon,  Mark Godfrey Godfrey jManufr  of  wagons,  jilows,  gen'l  repair  shops.  Canada 11861 

(Jennie  Grobliughoff. [       "        Godfrey ^Vife  of  Mark  Robidon [Springfield,  Ohio 1861 

(Squire,  James I       "       Sect.  10 IFarmer,  teacher  and  township  supervisor Madison  co..  Ill 11843 

(  Mattie  Braden Dee'd  1882 Late  wife  of  James  Squire Madison  co.,  Ill 1849 

(Squire,  W.  F Godfrey Sect,  22 [Farmer  and  stock  raiser IMadison  co.,  Ill 1845 

I  Louisa  A.  Peters I       "       Sect.  22 Wife  of  W.  F.  Squire [Madison  co..  Ill 1841 

(Salway,  Harrv 'North  Alton....  Sect.  34 'Proprietor  of  Canton  mill 'England, 1861 

Mary  Denz North  Alton....  Sect.  34 [Wife  of  Harry  Salway iMadison  co.,  Ill 'l863 


(  Spaulding,  D.  A iAlton iSect.  28.. 

<  Julia   Carolan 'Dec'd  1863 

I  Sarah  Ann  Danforth lAlton Sect.  28, 

(Schneider,  Julius  F Melville Sect.  32. 

(  Thercse  Kientz Melville Sect.  32. 

rSchwarz,Mary(neeCliford)iNorth  Alton....  Sect.  35. 
J  Sehwarz,  Joseph Dc'd  Julv  4,'80 


Retired jRutland  co.,  Vt.. 

First  wife  of  D.  A.  Spaulding iNew  York 

Present  wife  of  D.  A.  Spaulding Amherst,  N.  H.. 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser Germany 

Wife  of  Julius  F.  Schneider France 

Fruit  grower Ireland 

Late  husband  of  Mary  Sehwarz Germany. 


I  Sehwarz,  David  J North  Alton.. ..Sect.  35 [Fruit  grower  and  gas  manufacturer Madison  co.,  111... 

[Mary  Conners North  Alton....  Sect.  35 'Wife  of  David  J.  Sehwarz 'Wheeling,  W.  Va 


1818 
1319 
1838 
1846 
1840 
1854 
1852 
1859 
1857 
1858 
1858 


j  Ulrich,  John Godfrey Sect.  3 (Farmer  and  stock  raiser Wurtembcrg,  Germ'y. 

I  Johanna  Babel [       "        Sect.  3 Wife  of  John  Ulrich Prussia 

f  Volbracht,  Ferdinand 'North  Alton....  Sect.  17 'Farmer  and  stock  raiser Madison  co.,  Ill 1845 

<  Caroline  Schaub Dc'd  Apr.28,'72 ;First  wife  of  Fred  Volbracht Madison  co.,  Ill 1844 

(  Minnie  Buerkley iNorth  Alton....  Sect.  17 'Pre.sent  wife  of  Fred  Volbracht Alton,  111 1856 

(  Virden,  F.  W 'Godfrey Sect.  26 [Farmer  and  dairyman Ross  co.,  Ohio 1877 

<  Margaret  H.  Cox Dc'd  Apr.  13,'72 First  wife  of  F.  W.  Virden Scioto  co.,  Ohio 

(  Hattie  Newberry iGodirey Sect.  26 Present  wife  of  F.  W.  Virden Jersey  co..  Ill 1877 

(  Widaman,  Rebecca  (neeHiii.i[       "        Sect.  25 Farming  and  stock  raising Carroll  co.,  Ohio 1842 

(  Widaman.  Daniel  A Dc'd  Oct.  9,  '76.' 'Late  husband  of  Rebecca  Widaman Westmoreland  co.,  Pa.  1842 

(Ward,  John  J Godfrey 'Sect.  6 'Farmer  and  stock  raiser Madison  co..  Ill 1855 

1  Sula  Burley "        Sect,  6 iWife  of  John  J.  Ward Jersey  co.,  Ill [1876 

I  Ward,  McKinley "       Sect.  7 iRetired  and  father  of  John  J.  Ward Grayon  co.,  Va [1836 

Ward,  Eliza,  (nee  Jones)..  Dc'd  Dec.  8,'69. l Mother  of  John  J.  Ward Kentucky 


(  Ward,  McKinley,  Jr. 
1  Roenia  McLean 

1  Webster,  Benjamin... 
Rhoda  Abbott 
Waggoner,  Wesley  F. 
Ann  E.  P"urgerson  .... 

(Walsh,  John 

1  Esther  Mathews 

(  Walsh,  James  M 

(Annie  Murphy 

(Wenzel,  Carl.." 

1  Louisa  E.sserl 

I  AValter,  Louis 

I  Mary  J.  Stevenson,  ne 


Godfrey Sect.  2 [Farmer  and  stock  raiser Madison  co.,  Ill 1857 

"  ■     Sect.  2 Wife  of  McKinley  Ward,  Jr Indiana 1S79 

"        Sect.  23 'Retired '. Rockingham  co.,N.H.  1851 

"        .>^ect.  23 [Wife  of  Benjamin  Webster Orange  co.,  Vt 1851 


.  Sect.  14., 
.  Sect.  14.. 

Sect.  16 

Sect.  16 

Sect.  9.. 

Sect.  9 

Sect.  24 

Sect.  24 

Sect.  16 

Sect.  16 


Farmer  and  fruit  grower Knox  co.,  E.  Tenn 1836 

Wife  of  Wesley  F.  Waggoner Massachusetts 1838 

Farmer  and  stock  raiserT. Co.  Dublin,  Ireland...  1853 

Wife  of  John  Walsh Co.  Meath,  Ireland 1868 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser Co.  Dublin,  Ireland. ..1855 

Wife  of  James  M.  Walsh Cheshire,  England 1862 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser Kingd'm  Saxony,  Ger.  1854 

Wife  of  Carl  Wenzel Kingd'm  Saxony,  Ger.  1854 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser Prussia 1867 

Wife  of  Louis  Walter Orleans  co.,  N.  Y 1857 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


565 


GODFREY.— CONTINUED. 


NAME. 

POST  OFFICE.         EESIDENCE. 

OCCUPATION. 

NATIVITY. 

WHEN 

TOCO. 

(Waters,  Patrick 

Mary  Lindley 

Zerwas,  Nicholas 

Godfrey Sect.  9 

Godfrey Sect.  9 

Godfrey Sect.  35 

Farmer Ireland 

Wife  of  Patrick  Waters St.  Louis,  Mo 

Blacksmith  ;  vol.  Co.  D.,  4th  Mo.  cavalry Prussia 

1857 

Dc'd  Feb  11  73      

Switzerland 

Alton,  111 

1Sfi8 

Maggie  Hubner 

Godfrey .'....Sect.  35 

Present  wife  of  Nicholas  Zerwas 

1852 

ALHAMBRA. 


Aldrich,  Harrison , 

iBucknell,  Simeon  E 
Marion  A.  Cochran 
Buescher,  H.  William.. 
Anna  M.  Wollbrinck... 

(Berg,  William 

I  Wilhelmina  Udha 

j  Carroll,  James 

1  Mary  Flvnn 

(Carroll,  thos.  J 

]  Caroline  Dzengolewski 

I  Gehritr,  Peter 

I  ('iitherine  Sin 

Gehris,',  Adam 

Gelirig,  Sadie 

Giger,  Henry 

.Vngeliua  SliaflTer 

Hoxsey,  William , 

Jincy   (jr.  Lyon 

Martha  M.  Hoxsey 

\  Hoxsey,  .James  R 

j  Harnsberger,  Levi 

(  Nancy  Alvira  Tunnell. 
(  Harris,  Jonathan  M.... 

(Kachael  Mills 

j  Kaufman,  (nistav 

(Mary  Jehle 

(  ;\Iartin,  John  G 

1  Martha  J.  Randall 

"I  Martin,  Matilda  C 

I  Martin,  .^ariili  J 

(Miller,  II.  William 

I  Wilhehnina    Finke 

(Messerlv,  Gottlieb 

j  Elizabeth  riili'uer 

Pearcc,  William  W 

Barbara  A.  Vincent 

Pearce,  Lucinda  A 

Pearce,  Martha  E 

Pearce,  William  W.,  Jr.... 

Pearcc,  Joseph  B 

Pearce,  Louisa  J- 

.Suhre,  Harman,  Jr 

Mena  Hanke 

Suhre,  Edward  L 

Snhre,  .Vnna  M 

(Schneider,  Wm.  P 

I  Catherine  Koch 

I  Tabor,  Heiirv  H 

Cbaritv  Olive 

Talmr,"  Sarah  M 

I  Tabor,  James  H 

(  Lewis  W.  Kennedy 

Tabor,  James  M..." 

Rachel  M.  Pearce 

I  Tabor,  Isabella 

I  Tabi>r,  .lohn 

fWharlf,  H.  T 

I  ]Marv  A.  Carnev 

Wharti;  Edith  W , 

1  Wharli;  Howard  E 

(  Wetzel,  .John- 

j  Gerdraut  Tripjjle 

j  Wood,  William  A.  J 

I  Mary  J.  Harris 

j  Wiegand,  Henry  William 
I  Mary  Stumpp 


Alhambra jSect.  9 Farmer 

t.  11 [Physician 

Sect.  11 Wife  of  Dr.  Simeon  E.  Bucknell 

Farmer 

Wife  of  H.  W.  Buesher 

Pro[)rietor  hotel 


Marine 


Sect.  32 

Sect.  32 

.\lhambra.... 
Alhambra.... 

Sect.  31 

Sect.  31 

Sect.  32 


Alhatnbra. 


Hiehland.... 
Highland.... 
Alhambra 


Marine  .... 
Marine  .... 
Alhambra, 


Marine 

Marine 

Alhambra 


Madison  co.,Ill 

Pennsylvania 

Maine 

Prussia 

Prussia 

Lychen,  Prussia 

Wife  of  William  Berg Hanover,  (Jermanv... 

Farmer  :\Iadison  co..  Ill 

Wife  of  James  Carroll .Madisdu  co.,  Ill 

Farmer Madison  co.,  Ill 

Sect.  32 iWife  of  Thos.  J.  Carroll (Jernumy  

Sect.  24 Farmer  and  stock  raiser IJavaria,  Germany 

Sect.  24 Wife  of  Peter  Gehrig [Bavaria,  Germany 

Sect.  24 iSon  of  Peter  Gehrig Aladison  co..  Ill 

Sect.  24 'Daughter  of  Peter  Gehrig iMadison  co..  Ill 

Sect.  36 iFarmer  and  stock  rai-ser IMadison  co..  Ill 

Sect.  36 'wife  of  Henry  Giger '.Johnson  c 

Sect.  4 ! Farmer '. 'Madison  c 

Sect.  4 jWife  of  William  Hoxsey ICaldwell  ( 


Sect.  4 iDaugliter  of  William  Hoxsey. 

Sect.  4... 
Sect.  11.. 
Sect.  11.. 
Sect.  15.. 
Sect.  15.. 
Sect.  20.. 
Sect.  20.. 
Sect.  9. 


IMadison  co.,  III. 


Ind 
III  ., 

Ky 


Deceased 


Deceased., 
Alhambra, 


1843 
1873 
1873 
1878 
1878 
1850 
1853 
1841 
1859 
1847 
1861 
1858 
18.58 
1860 
1864 
I8;i4 
1842 
1S26 
1843 
,1865 

Son  of  William  Hoxsey ;Madison  co.,  Ill !lK62 

^  '-•••"      1831 

1815 
1822 
1830 
1844 
18.58 
1831 
1833 
18.54 
1861 
1858 
1858 
1849 
1854 
1815 
1818 
1837 
1841 
1842 
1847 


Rockingham  co.,  Va. 

Tennessee 

Madison  co.,  Ill 

Glasgow,  Ky 


Farmer 

Wife  of  Levi  Harnsberger... 

Farmer..  

Wife  of  Jonathan  M.  Harris 

Farmer I  Prussia 

Wife  of  Gustav  Kaufman St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Farmer Kentucky, 

Sect.  9 1  Wife  of  John  G.  Martin. ..> iNorth  Carolina 

Sect.  9 ! Daughter  of  John  G.  Martin Madi.'^on  co.,III 

Sect.  9 Daughter  of  John  G.  Martin .Macoupin  co.,  III.... 

Sect.  28 IFarmer Prussia 

Sect.  28 Wife  of  H.  William  Miller Prussia 

Sect.  35 iFarmer jRuegisberg,  Switzl.d 

Sect.  35 |Wife  of  Gottleib  Messerly Gallaen,  Switzerland.. 

Sect.  11 Farmer  and  stock  raiser Kentucky 

Sect.  11 iWife  of  William  W.  Pearce Madison  co.,  Ill 

Sect.  11 'Dauchterof  William  W.  Pearce Madison  co..  Ill 

'Daughter  of  William  W.  Pe.irce 'Madison  co..  Ill 

Alhambra ISect.  11 Son  of  W.  W.  and  B.  A.  Pearce Madison  co..  Ill 

Sect.  11 Son  of  W.  W.  and  B.  A.  Pearce M.adison  co.,Ill 


Sect.  29.. 
Sect.  29. 
Sect.  29. 


Madison  co.,Ill 18.51 

Madison  co.,  Ill 18.')6 

Madison  co..  Ill 1857 

Madison  CO..  Ill 1878 


Daughter  of  W.  W.  and  B.  A.  Peasce 

Farmer 

Wife  of  Harman  Suhre,  Jr 

.iSon  of  Mena  and  Harmin  Surhre,  Jr 

Sect.  29 iDaughter  of  Mena  and  Harmin  Suhre,  Jr.. .Madison  co.,  Ill 1881 

Marine Sect.  27 Farmer Bavaria,  (iermany 18.58 

Marine Sect.  27 iWife  of  Wm.  P.  Schneider Bavaria,  Germany 1866 

.\lhambra Sect.  11 IFarmer iTennessee 1829 

Sect.  11 iWifeof  Henry  H.  Tabor iKentucky 1828 

Sect.  11 IDaughter  of  Henry  H.  and  Charity  Tabor...; Madison  co.,  Ill 1860 

"         Sect.  11 Son  of  Henry  II.  and  Charity  Tabor |Madison  co  ,  III 1863 

"         'Sect.  11 Cirandsou  of"H.  H.  Taobr Madison  co..  III... 

"         'Sect.  3 Farmer  and  stock  raiser |Madison  co..  111... 

Sect.  .3 Wife  of  James  M.  Tabor .Madison  co..  111... 

Sect.  3 Mother  of  .James  M.  Tabor;  born  1799 jNorth  Carolina... 

Deceased. ' Father  of  James  M.  Tabor;  born  1797 'North  Carolina... 


.,1878 
.!l842 
.'1846 
.1828 
.'1828 


Alhambra i Alhambra I'hvsieian  and  surgeon Jlaine 1870 

..JAlhambra Wife  of  H.  T.  Wharff. lEngland 1865 

..lAlhambra Daughter  of  H.  T.  and  Mary  A.  Wharflf. Madison  co.,  Ill 1874 

..|Alhambra Son  of  H.  T.  and  Mary  A.  Wharff. IMadison  co.,  Ill 1878 

..Sect.  11 iFarmer  and  stock  raiser iBavaria,  Germany 11849 

..Sect.  11 Wife  of  John  Wetzel Hes,se  Cassel,  Ger'y...']849 

...Sect.  29 Farmer 'Madison  co.,Ill 18.56 

Sect.  29 Wife  of  Wm.  A.  J.  Wood Ma<li.son  co..  Ill 1854 

Sect.  27 Farmer Iles.-ien,  (iermany 1847 

Sect.  27 Wile  of  Henry  William  Wicsrand Bavaria,  Germany 1856 


Marine 


5G6 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


JARVIS. 


POST  OFFICE.         RESIDENCE. 


Sect.  15.. 
Sect.  15.. 
Sect.  16., 
Sect.  16.. 
Troy 


Trov 


'  Auwarter,  M.  F Troy Troy  , 

Mary  A.  Johnson 

Armstrong,  Morris  M... 

Mary  J.  Henderson 

Bernbartlt,  Peter 

Anna  M.  Sehwerdteger 

Bosouiworth,  John  B... 

'Alice  R.  Posey 

,  Canimann,  James  W... 

Cammann,  Dedrich  P Dc'dMay28,'81 

(Mary  A.  Palmer Troy 

J  Diehle,  John 

I  Annie  S.  Bertrem 

(  Droll,  Felix 

\  Anna  B.  See 

(  Fehmel,  Andrew. 

I  Margaret  Kau Dc'd  Mar.  3, '81 

I  Gerfen,  Friederich iTroy 

I  Louisa  Meier I    " 

(  Gindler,  Charles j    " 

(Mary  Engelhard i     " 

iGerlach,  Charles " 
Lena  Geber I    "    
Hampton,  F.  L "    
Martha  A.  Henderson iDc'd  Jun.l9,'81 


OCCUPATIOX. 


NATIVITY. 


Father  of  Jas.  W.  CammaDn  and  pastor  of  Oermao  LatbernD  Church '  DrOchtcrSCn ,    Gcr 

Mother  of  James  W.  Cammann jAugusta  co.,  Va 

Proprietor  Troy  City  saloon Hessen  Darmstadt,  Gr. 


Sect.  34., 


Troy  , 


Sect.  28.. 
Sect.  28.. 
Sect.  34.. 
Sect.  34.. 
Troy 


Trov. 


Troy 


Dc'dMar.  16,'81 
Troy 


General  merchant  and  Insurance  agent Baltimore  co.,  Md 1858 

Wife  of  M.  F.  Auwarter iMadison  Co.,  Ill 1852 

Retired  harness  and  saddle  maker IWarren  co.,  Ky 1816 

Wife  of  Morris  M.  Armstrong [Botetourt  co.,"Va 1836 

Farmer iDarmstadt,  Germany.*  1852 

Wife  of  Peter  Bernhardt [Bavaria,  Germany [l852 

Farmer j  Yorkshire,  England...  1856 

Wife  of  John  B.  Bosouiworth 'Madison  co !1854 

Salesman jRoanoke  co.,  Va 1876 

1876 
1876 
1867 
1851 
1857 
1857 
1847 
1840 
1851 
1861 
1851 
1851 
1875 
1861 
1853 
1839 


Wife  of  John  Diehle.. 

Retired  hotel  proprietor 

Wife  of  Felix  Droll 

Farmer 

Late  wife  of  Andrew  Fehmel 

Carriage,  wagon  maker  and  blacksmith. 

Wife  of  Frederich  Gerfen , 

Farmer 

Wife  of  Charles  Grindler 


Sect.  28.. 
Sect.  28., 
Troy 


Dc'd  Feb. 20,76 j, 
Troy 


Troy 

Sect.  26.. 

Sect.  26.. 

Sect.  26., 

Sect.  26., 

Sect.  27., 

Sect.  27., 

Sect.  28., 


■  Troy  , 


Collinsville.. 
Collinsville . 
Troy 


iSect.; 
.  Sect. 


j  Jarvis,  James  N 

I  Lizzie  A.  Donoho 

j  Joseph,  A.  S 

1  Susan  Gastnecker 

I  Jarvis,  Edward  Y 

<  Jarvis,  James  G 

( Jarvis,  Emily  R.,  (oeeBroi 

f  Liebler,  John 

I  Christina  Nadig. 

j  Langenwalter.  Andrew. 
I  Anna  M.  Wohlgemuth  . 

iLieber,  John  A 
Anna  Arth 
Metz,  Augusta 
Frank  C.  Metz 

Morriss,  Henry  B..-r , 

Mills,  Andrew 

Ann  Deering 

Mills,  G.  W 

Catherine  Cox 

Metz,  August 

Julicta  Kisell 

Myer,  Henry 

Margaret  Hausau 

Moore,  Volney 

Nancy  Gonterman 

iPadon,  Henry  H 
Mary  E.  Nicholas 
Petry,  John 
Phillippiena  Scheoeder 

j  Riebold,  Jacob 

I  Mary  Kraher 

j  Riggin,  Ignatius 

1  Mary  A.  Gillham 

jSchott,  Charles 

I  Augusta  Hoftmann 

J  Sabin,   l'\  A 

\  Anna  E.  Lytle 

j  Sabin,  Horace  B 

I  Minnie  E.  Davis 

iSnodgrass,  K.  M 
Isabella  McAdoo 

fSdigmann,  David 

(Augusta  Rethmann 

(  Smith,  Charles  S 

-(Smith,  Aaron 

(Phila  Abbott Dc'dMar.  9, '76 

J  Thomas,  J.  B JTroy'. iTroy 

(Martha  Posey j    "    I    " 


Prussia 

Baden,  Germany 

Bavaria,  Germany.... 
Bavaria,  Germany.... 
Bavaria,  Germany.... 

Germany 

Germany 

Hanover,  Germany.... 
Rehine,  Bavaria... 

Wagon  and  carriage  maker,  dealer  in  agricnlturnl  imp  is  &  hla  lismith  1  rUSSia , 

Wife  of  Charles  Gerlach Madison  co.  111..., 

Harness  maker iMorgan  co.,  111..., 

Late  wife  of  F.  L.  Hampton 'Botetourt  co.,  Va, 


Justice  of  the  peace  and  notary  public. 

Wife  of  James  N.  Jarvis 

Farmer 

Wise  of  A.  S.  Joseph 

Proprietor  'bus  line 

Father  of  Edward  Y.  Jarvis., 


Madison  co..  111. 
Madison  co..  111. 
St.  Clair  CO.,  111. 
Mother  of  Edward  Y.  Jarvis St.  Clair  co.,  111. 


Madison  co.,Ill il849 

Kent  CO.,  Del |1871 

St.  Louis,  Mo '1871 


Farmer  and  stock  raiser.. 

Wife  of  John  Liebler 

Farmer 

Wife  of  A.  Langenwalter 

Farmer 

Wife  of  John  A.|Liebler 

Farming 

Late  husband  of  Augusta  Metz., 

Editor  and  publisher  of  Troy  Bulletin Madison  co.,Ill [1859 

Police  magistrate 'Co.  Donegal,  Ireland..  1841 

Wife  of  Andrew  Milb Co.  Donegal,  Ireland..  1841 

Farmer Madison  co.,Ill 1831 

Wife  of  G.  W.  Mills Madison  co..  Ill ,1832 


1850 
1862 
1811 
1847 
1840 
1851 
1847 


Germany  , 

Switzerland 

Bavaria,  Germany. 

Bavaria,  Germany ]1852 

Madison  co.,Ill 1852 

Madison  CO.,  Ill 1859 

Germany 1S55 

Germany J1854 


Sect.  26., 
Sect.  26., 
Sect.  31. 
Sect.  31. 
Troy 


Sect.  34.. 

Sect.  34.. 

Sect.  26.. 

Sect.  26.. 

Sect.  4..., 

Sect.  4..., 

Troy 


Prussia,  Germany [1854 

Lvcoming  co..  Pa 1861 

St.  Louis,  Mo 1858 

Madison  co.,Ill 'l852 

Madison  CO.,  Ill 11821 

Madison  CO.,  Ill 1828 

St.  Clair  co..  Ill |1849 

Madison  co.,Ill 1850 

Hessen  Darmstadt,  Gr.  1864 
St.  Clair  co.,  Ill 1879 


Sect.  15 [Farmer 

Sect.  15 jWife  of  August  Metz 

Farmer 

Wife  of  Henry  Myer 

Farmer 

Wife  of  Volney  Moore 

Lumber  dealer 

Wife  of  Henry  Padou 

Wagon  and  carriage  maker  and  saloon.. 

Wife  of  John  Petry 

Farmer Madison  co.,  Ill 1843 

Wife  of  Jacob  Riebold iMadison  co.,Ill 1848 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser jMadison  co.,Ill 1830 

Wife  of  Ignatius  Riggin Madison  co..  Ill 1844 

Physician  and  surgeon Germany 1870 

Wife  of  Charles  Schott |St.  Louis,  Mo 1852 

Physician  and  surgeon [Berkshire  co..  Mass...  1862 

Wife  of  F.  A.  Sabin [Franklin  co.,  Teun....[1847 

Druggist iBerkshire  co..  Mass...  1865 

Wife  of  Horace  B.  Sabin Macon  co.,  N.  C 1881 

Farmer [Hamilton  co.,  Ohio....  1858 


Sect.  14.. 

Sect.  14 [Wife  of  K.  M.  Snodgrass Co.  Donegal,  Ireland..  1854 


.  Troy  , 


Dc'd  Dec.  7, '79', 


Sect.  8. 


General  merchant j  Bavaria,  Ciermany 1866 

Wife  of  David  Scligmann   Prussia,  Germany |l867 

Farmer [Madison  co..  Ill [1855 

Father  of  Charles  S.  Smith Gloucester  co.,  N.  J. ..1832 

Mother  of  Charles  S.  Smith.. 'Maine [l838 

Agricultural  implement  dealer [Katchez,  Miss 1848 

Wife  of  J.  B.  Thomas Madison  co.,Ill [1833 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


507 


JAIiVIS.~<''"''''lNUED. 


POST  OFFICK 


EESIDENCE. 


OCCUPATION. 


(Taylor,  James  M Troy Troy Farmer Ijladison  co.,  Ill 1851 

I  Lucy  J.  Bariisback ""  j    "    IWife  of  James  M.  Taylor ^Madison  co.,  Ill 1855 

I  Vetter,  Gustavus i    "    "    | Proprietor  of  Troy  city  mills |Germaiiy 1802 

I  Elizabeth  Pluo; I    "    I    "    (Wife  of  Gustavus  Vetter (n'rmanv 18(52 

J  Vance,  John  A !    "    Sect.  17 JFarraer BaltiiiKiiv  co..  Md 18G9 

Nellie  Barnsback I    '•    'Sect.  17 iWife  of  John  A.  Vance Madison  co..  Ill 1856 

'Physician  and  •surfteon .Madison  co..  Ill 1851 

{Wife  of  John  R.  Whiteside JIadison  co..  Ill 1851 

Sect.  34 iFarnier jBavaria,  Germany 1840 

i^ect.  34 'Wife  of  John  Widicus Bavaria,  (Jcrmany 1847 

Troy tPhysician  and  surgeon [Ohillicothe,  Ohio'. 1857 


;  Whiteside,  John  R Vermillion.D.T 

!  Cora  G.  Barnsback "  " 

[  Widicus,  John Lebanon 

Catherine  Longenwalter...!        "        

Zanders,  F.  W iTrov 


SALINE. 


J  Ambuehl,  Nickolas 

I  Emilie  Frey 

f  Clayton,  Parv 

(Eliza  Rul...." 

iGruenenfeldcr,  Joseph  A.. 
Elizabeth  Knobel 
Hntz,  George 
Anna  Merkle 

(  Helbing,  Henry 

\  Eliza  Wirtz 

I  Hartlieb,  Philip 

1  Helena  Knebel 

J  Hot^,  Christian,  Jr 

j  Catherine  Schaefer 

i  Haenny,  Fritz 

1  Eva  Mettior 

I  Hammer,  Bernhard 

iTheresia Schaefer,  [netsader.) 
Kraft,  Anton  J 
Magdalena  Mutchler 
Anna  Gross 

f  Knabel  Albert, 

I  Eva  Ruedy 

j  Kurz,  Jacob 

(  Charlotte  Brizius 

("Knebel,  Lepold 

J  Caroline  Walder 

1  Knebel,  Sebastian 

(Juliana  Greulich 

J  Lorenz,  John  H 

(  Lisette  A.  Hiiusli 

j  Leduc,   John 

\  Sophia  Henchen 

I  Lang,  Henry 

I  Barbara  Siedler 

f  Lorenz,  Frank  C 

-j  Louisa  Hausle 

I  Lorenz,  Wm.  J 

j  Oswald,  Fridolin 

I  Maria  Rail 

j  Blocker,  Frank 

I  Sophia  M.  Waage 

j  Pierron,  -Vu'iust 

I  Barbara  Rinderer 

f  Pierrun,  Jaques 

J.  A.  Julienn  Morville 

I  Mary  Rose   Packett 

I  Roniger,  Charles 

■<  Roniger,  Fred  A  

I  Elizabeth  Stumpf. 

f  Rinderer,  David 

1  M.  Anna  Pfirt'ner 

jSchrumpf,  Fred  H 

I  Johanna  Kropf 

jStelzer,  .Vugnst 

\  Margaret  Roniger 

fSpengel,  John 

J  Barbara  Braun 

I  Spengel,  J.  George 

I  Franziska  Haarmuth 


Highland.... 
Grant  Fork.. 


Pierron . 


Grand  Fork 

Dc'dApr.26,'82 
Pierron 


Grant  Fork 

Dc'd  Jan.  20,70 
Grant  Fork 


.Sect.  20, [Farmer  and  highway  commissioner 

,|Sect.  20 Wife  of  Nicholas  Ambuehl 

.Sect.  15 Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

.Sect.  15 jWifeofPh-ry  Clayton | 

,  Sect.  2 [Farmer,  stock  raiser  and  ex-tvv'ship  assessor.' 

.Sect.  2 ;Wife  of  Joseph  X.  Gruenenfelder 

.ISect.  6 Supervisor,  farmer  and  stock  breeder 

,  Sect.  6 Wife  of  George  Hotz 

Saline .1.  P.  and  proprietor  of  saloon 

,  Saline Wife  of  Henry  Helbing 

.Sect.  11 Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

.Sect.  11 Wife  of  Philip  Hartlieb 

.jSect.  6 farmer  and  school  director 

Late  wife  of  Christian  Hotz,  Jr 

Pierron Farmer,  prop'r  of  saloon  and  wagon  maker.. 

Pierron Wife  of  Fritz  Haenny 

Sect.  22 Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Sect.  22 Wife  of  Bernhard  Hammer 

Saline Propr  etor  of  hotel  and  saloon 

First  wife  of  Anton  J.  Kraft 

Saline Present  wife  of  Anton  J.  Kraft 

"  "    Sect.  S Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

"   Sect.  8 Wife  of  Albert  Knabel 

Pierron Pierron  Notary  public,  farmer  and  prop'r  of  saloon.. 

"       iPierron Wife  of  Jacob  Kurz 

"  I  Sect.   12 |Of  L.  Knebel  &  Co.,  of  Pierron  Elevator,  dlrs.  iu  lumber,  frames,  etc. 

"       Sect.  12 Wife  of  Leopold  Knebel 

Dc'd  Jan.  9,'50.| Father  of  Leopold  Knebel 

Dc'd  Aug. — '47.1 Mother  of  Leopold  Knebel 

Highland Sect.  29 Farmer,  stock  breeder  &  memb.  board  of  edu'n 

"         'Sect.  29 Wife  of  John  H.  Lorenz 

•'         .*>ect,  7 Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

"        Sect.  7 Wife  of  John  Lcduc 

"         Sect.  .34 1  Farmer  and  dairyman 

"         Sect.  34 Wife  of  Henry  Lang 

"        Sect.  32 Farmer  and  .stock  raiser 

S,ct.  32 Wife  of  Frank  C.  Lorenz 

"        .Soot.  32 Son  of  Frank  C.  Lorenz  and  teacher 

Grant  Fork Saline IDlr.  in  real  estate,  contractor  and  builder 

"  "   jSaline Wife  of  Fridolin  O.swald 

Hiirhland iScct.  28 Farmer  and  township  treasurer 

Highland Sect.  28 .Wife  of  Frank  Plocker 

Pierron Pierron  Iparmer,  dlr.  in  agr'l  impl'tsife  tw'ship corctr. 

"       Pieiron  Wife  of  August  Pierron 

"       .Sect.  24 Farmer  and  stock   raiser 

Dec'd  1850 First  wife  of  .laques  Pierron 

Pierron Sect.  24 Present  wife  of  Jaques  Pierron 

Highland Sect.  1(5 Farmer  and  school  director 

"         Sect.  1(5 Farn)cr  and  son  of  Charles  Roniger 

''         Sect.  16... Wife  of  Fred  A.  Roniger 

Pierron Sect.  22 Farmer  and  stock  breeder 

"       Sect.  22 Wife  of  David  Rinderer 

Highland Sect.  18 iFarmer  and  highw.iv  commissioner 

Sect.  18 IWife  of  Fred  H.Sclirumpf 

"        Sect.  28 Architect,  builder,  cabinetmaker  and  turner. 

"        Sect.  28 AVife  of  Augu.st  Stelzer 

"         Sect  23 Farmer  and  .tuck  raiser 

"         ISect.  23 Wife  of  John  Spi-ngol 

Dc'd  Aug.  3.'54.| Father  of  Jdliii  Spengel 

Dc'd  May  28,'72 ^Mother  of  .Tohn  Spengel 


Madison  co..  Ill 

Highland, 111 I 

Illinois 

Madison  co..  Ill  

Madison  co..  Ill 

Madison  co..  Ill 

Madison  co..  Ill 

(irouau,  Baden 

iSaxen,  Prussia 

Canton  Aargau,  Swt'd. 

Clinton  co..  Ill 

Madison  co.,  Ill 

Madi-son  co..  Ill 

Hancock  co.,  Ill 

Canton  Bern,  Switz'd.. 

Culitna  OraubendCD,  Switzerland.* 

Ocstringen,  Baden 

Stcttfield,   Baden 

St.  Limis,  Mo 

Gcriiianv 

New  York 

Madisim  co.,  Ill 

Madison  co..  Ill 

Loerrach,  Baden 

Bistcrschild,  Bavaria.. 

Oestringen,  Baden 

Philip]isburg,  Baden... 

Oestringen,  Baden 

Oestringen,  Baden 

Kuril  Hessen,  Ger 

Canton  Thnraan,Swt'd 
Dci^t.  III-et-Vilaine,Fr 
Westphalia,  Prussia... 

Madison  CO.,  Ill 

Switzerland , 

Kuhr  He.s.sen,.Ger 

Canton  Thurgau,Swt'd 

Madison  Co.,  Ill 

Switzerland 

Madison  co.,  Ill 

Madison  co..  Ill 

Madison  co..  Ill 

St.  Clair  CO.,  Ill 

^.  Clair  CO.,  Ill 

Dept.  Loraine,  France. 
Dept.  Lor.iine,  France. 
Deot.  Loraine,  France. 

jNollingen,  Baden 

Nollingen,  Baden 

Rhein  Pfalz,  Bavaria.. 
Canton  St.Gallon.Sw'd 
Canton  St. (iallon,Sw'd 

Nassau,  Germany 

Bavaria 

Reuss  (lermany 

Madison  co..  Ill 

Zeutercn,  Baden 

Malsch,  Baden 

Zeuteren,  Baden 

Baden 


1847 
1852 
1862 
1845 
1851 
1860 
1843 
1854 
1868 
1872 
1879 
1856 
1849 
1873 
1852 
1846 
1847 
1840 
l.s.^.6 
1867 
1870 
13.H 
18(i0 
18.54 
1857 
11847 
1864 
'l847 
1847 
1853 
1854 
1853 
1854 
1843 
11854 
1853 
1854 
1857 
1865 
1852 
1843 
1853 
l,s51 
1857 
1851 
'18... 
1852 
18.50 
1854 
18.58 
1844 
1843 
18(54 
ihViO 
1875 
1859 
1841 
1843 
1841 
11841 


568 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


SALINE.— CONTINTJED. 


Suppiger,  Ad.  A Pieiron 

Leiiher,  Baer !       "      

Suppiger,  Anton jHighland... 

Monika  Wickcnhauser " 

Tontz,  Jones |Grant  Fork 


Elizabeth  Hirschi 

Dorothea  Lembach 

^  Emma  Kuhrt 

Trautner,  Nicholas....  ....< 

Anna  Aekola 

[Trautner,  Bern'h 

I  Tontz,  Christian 

I  Rosina  M.  Hirschi 

;  Thalmann,  Nic 

I  Thalmann,  Nic  Jr 

Utiger,  Albert  J 

Moses  D.  Tibbetts 

Siidie  L.  Ketcham 

:  Voegele,  Charles  A 

[  Mary  Schafer 

Wilihauck,  George  Paul... 

Widniann,  Jacob.... 

Anna  Bopp 


Dc'd  Sep.  24,70 
Dc'd  Dec  9,  76 
Grant  Fork 


Dc'd  Jul.  8,  79 
Grant  Fork 


Highland 


Picrron . 


Highland. 


Grant  Fork. 


Pierron Of  Suppiger  &  Utiger,  general  merchants... 

Pierron Wile  of  Ad.  A.  Suppiger 

Sect.  32 Farmer,  and  father  of  Ad.  A.  Suppiger 

Sect.  32 Wife  of  Anton  Suppiger- 

Sect.  5 Farmer 

First  wife  of  Jones  Tontz 

[Second  wife  of  Jones  Tontz 

Sect.  5 'Present  wife  of  Jones  Tontz 

Sect.  5 IFarmer  and  stock  raiser 

iLate  wife  of  Nicholas  Trautner 

Sect.  5 iRetired.     Father  of  Nicholas  Trautner 

Sect.  0 Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Sect.  T) iWife  of  Christian  Tontz 

Sect.  35 Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Sect.  35 Son  of  Nic.  Thalmann,  Sr 

Pierron Of  Suppiger  &  Utiger,  general  merchants.... 

Pierron Phvsician  and  surgeon 

Pierron. jWi'fe  of  Moses  D.  Tibbetts 

Sect.  26 iFarmerand  stock  raiser 

Sect.  26 iWife  of  Charles  Voegele 

Saline jTeacher  of  St.  Gertrude  school 

ISect.  2 Farmer,  highway  com'r  and  school  director 

iSect.  2 Wife  of  Jacob  Widmann 


Madison  co.,Ill 

Zurich,  Switzerland... 
Canton  Luzern,  Swt'd 

Baden 

Ct'n  Graubiinden,  Szd. 
Canton  Bern,  Swtzld.. 

Madison  CO.,  Ill 

Highland,  111 

Oestringen,  Baden 

Ct'n  Graubiinden,  Szd. 

Oestringen,  Baden 

Ct'n  Graubiinden,  Szd. 
Canton  Bern,  Swtzld.. 
Canton  Bern,  Swtzld.. 

Alton,  111 

St.  Jacobs,  111 

Dearborn  co.,  Ind 

Madison  co..  Ill 

Stettfeld,  Baden 

Langenbruecken,Bdn 

Boston,  Mass 

DonaueschingeUjBdn. 
Kaststadt 


1843 
1858 
1831 


1845 
1850 
1846 
1859 
'1841 
1848 
1841 
1345 
1850 
1856 
1870 
1853 
|1866 
1858 
1841 
1843 
1880 
1856 
1854 


ST.    JACOBS. 


(  Anderson,  James  G 

I  Josephine  Robinson 

Anderson,  J.  P 

f  Anderson,  Charles  W- 

I  Louisa  J.  Cox 

(Bradsby,  William  B 

\  Norframes,  Waddell- 

iLydiaPyle 

i  Becker,  Jacob 
Annie  Ablv 
Baer,  Rudolph. 
Louisa  Wasim 

(  Bartle,  George  W 

)  Martha  E.  Havs 

j  Balsiger,  Charles  E 

-<  Balsiger,  Rudolph 

(  Auna  Hencer 

f  Binger,  Ca.sper  Henry 

I  Mary  Sanders 

(  Bussong,  Peter 

I  Jane  Wallace 

J  Dugger,  John  AV 

j  Laura  E.  Mahler 

j  Ensminger,  Joshua 

( Maria  Chance 

j-Ensminger,  John  M 

lOllie  Hay.s 

j  Faires,  William  H 

I  Amelia  J.  Putnam 

(  Frey,  Samuel 

I  Freilerika  AVeirich 

I  Frances  Grienenfelder.... 

j  Frey,  Volentine 

(  Fredcrika  Graf. , 

iFrutiger,  Peter 
Elizabeth  Mann 
Frey,  Henry,  Sr 
Catharine  Daudemann.... 
Catharine  Gabelmann.... 

f  Frutiger,  John 

\  Mary  Frey 

I  Ann  Recer 

j  Gonniger,  William 

I  Julia  Metzger 

j  Hoffman,  N'cv  (nee  Black) 

1  Hotlinan,  J.  J 

(  Hart,  George 

I  Sarah  Parrett 


St    Jacobs St.  Jacobs JGrain  and  stock  dealer 

"         St.  Jacobs |Wife  of  Jame5  G.  Anderson 

"         St.  Jacobs IFarmer  and  supervisor 

"         Sect.  26 IFarmer 

"         Sect.  26 [Wife  of  Charles  W.  Anderson 

"         Sect.  33 (Farmer  and  mechanic 

Dc'd  Jan.  31,71 :First  wife  of  William  B.  Bradsby 

St.  Jacobs Sect.  33 iPresent  wife  of  William  B.  Bradsby.... 

"         Sect.  14 Farmer 

»         -..Sect.  14 Wife  of  Jacob  Becker Madison  co..  Ill ,1854 

"         s;;ect.  14 Farmer Switzerland 1844 

Sect.  14 Wife  of  Rudolph  Baer JBavaria 18.50 


Madison  CO.,  Ill 1838 

Madison  co..  Ill !l852 


Madison  co.,  111. 
Madison  co..  111. 
Madison  co.,  111. 
Madison  co.,  111. 

Ohio 

Perrv  co.,  HI 1873 

Madison  CO.,  Ill 1849 


1834 
1849 
1855 
1846 
1865 


.  St.  Jacobs Farmer  and  mechanic. 


"         St.  Jacobs. 

"         |St.  Jacobs 

"         St.  Jacobs 

"         St.  Jacobs 

Sect.  17 

[Sect.  17 

Lebanon Sect.  28 

"      Sect.  28 

St-  Jacobs. Sect.  29 

;Sect.  29 

iSect.  25 


Tioga.  Pa 1851 

Jackson  co..  Ind 1873 

Amtseftigar,  Switzl'd..  1864 
Muhltharneu,  Switzl'd  1864 
Albligen,  Switzerland.:1864 

Prus.sia 11849 

Prussia 18.52 

Germany 11870 

Ireland" 11870 


•  Sect.  25.. 
.Sect.  1.5.. 
.Sect.  15.. 
.Sect.  26.. 
.  [Sect,  26.. 
.[Sect.  21.. 


Dc'd  Aug.17,'65' 

St.  Jacobs Sect.  21 

Sect,  21 

Sect.  21 

Sect.  2.3 

Sect.  2.3 

iSect.  23 

Dc'dFeb.10,'79; 

St.  Jacobs Sect.  23 

"         'Sect.  33 

"         iSect.  23 

Deceased 

St,  Jacobs 1st.  Jacobs.... 

St.  Jacobs.... 

Sect.  23 

Dc'd  Feb.  6, '69]. 

St.  Jacobs |Sect.  28., 

Sect.  28.. 


Wife  of  George  W.  Bartle 

Proprietor  Hanne  house 

Father  of  Charles  E.  Balsiger 

Mother  of  Charles  E.  Balsiger 

Farmer 

Wife  of  Casper  Henry  Binger 

Farmer 

Wife  of  Peter  Bussong 

Farmer Madison  co..  Ill 1854 

Wife  of  John  W.  Dugger Madison  co.,Ill 1858 

Farmer [Union,  West  Va 11838 

Wife  of  Joshua  Ensminger jWayne  co.,  Ky 11833 

Farmer [Madison  co.,  Ill 1845 

Wife  of  John  M.  Ensminger 'jackson  co.,  Ind [1874 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser Madison  co.,Ill 11832 

Wife  of  Wm.  H.  Faires Wilson  co.,  Tenn 1859 

Farmer Germany 1840 

iFirst  wife  of  Samuel  Frey Germany 1851 

Present  wife  of  Samuel  Frey Switzerland 1845 

Farmer Germany [1840 

Wife  of  Valentine  Frey Germany 1851 

Farmer Germany 1842 

Wife  of  Peter  Frutiger Germany 1838 

Farmer Rhein  Pfalz 1840 

First  wife  of  Henn'  Frev Rhein  Pfalz 1847 

Present  wife  of  Henry  Frey New  York  City 18-53 

Fanner ". ." Madison  co.,Ill 1848 

Wife  of  John  Frutiger jMadison  co.,  Ill 1850 

Mother  of  John  FJUtiger Madison  co..  Ill 

Farmer [Baden,  Germany 1854 

Wife  of  AVilliam  Gonniger iBaden,  Germany il844 

Farming Co.  Derry,  Ireland 1849 

Late  husband  of  Nancv  Hoffman Germany 

Farmer .". St.  Clair  co.,  Ill 1837 

Wife  of  George  Hart JLondon,  England [1857 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


669 


ST.       JACOBS.— CONTINUED. 


Hug,  Jacob 

Louisa  Frey ; 

Hilt,  Joseph 

Elizabeth  Kinney.... 
Herseman,  Mary  C.(d 

Hersemaii,  William Dc'd  Mar.14,'73 

Heslop,  Fred.  J Dec'd  1880. 


.St.  Jacobs Sect.  27 Farmer Switzerland IS/g 

Sect.  27 Wife  of  Jacob  Hug Madison  cc,  111 1857 

Sect.  30 Farmer St.  Clair  co.,  Ill IS.'iS 

Sect.  30 Wile  of  Joseph  Hilt St.  Clair  co.,  Ill 1858 

.Sect.  30 Farming M.idison  co.,Ill 1848 

...  First  husband  of  Mary  C.  Herseman St.  Clair  co.,Ill |l.S(i2 

...Secondhusb'd,  late  divc'd.ofM.C.  Herseman j England 1854 

(Hart,  Albert  P St.  Jacobs Sect.  28 Farmer Madison  co.,  Ill 1839 

-!  Anna  M    Radcliff. Dc'd  Oct.20,'78.] First  wife  of  Andrew  P.  Hart [Pennsylvania 1S(.G 

I  Faith  S.  Wood iSt.  Jacobs Sect.  28 Present  wife  of  Andrew  P.  Hart '^:^''W^ V,", '^^2 

(.lochum,  C.  A "         'Sect.  30 Farmer jSt.  Clair  co.,  Ill 1867 

\  Jochuni,  John ipc'd_Mar.6,'68. iFalher  of  C.  A.  Jochum |^ew  \ork....^.. 18G7 

I  Mary  M.  IJarten,  (nee sicbci.), 

I  Karges,  Louis,  Sr 

1  Johana  Kroehnert 


Kirri,  .loseph  A... 

Mary  Meyer 

Kissel,  Samuel 

Elizabeth  Lutze.... 
Kireheis,  August.. 

Clara  Miller 

Laengle,   Henry... 
Mary  Florine.. 


I  Leder,  Jacob Highland 'Sect.  1.. 


St.  Jacobs. .'.....  Sect.  30 iWidow  of  John  and  mother  of  C.  A.  Jochum.  St.  Clair  co.,  Ill 18{)7 

..:St.  Jacobs Dealer  in  general  merchandise Germany 18G4 

..1st.  Jacobs IWife  of  Louis  Karges,  Sr Cermany 1S(!4 

..;Soct.  16 IFarmer Switzerland 1844 

..Sect.  16 IWife  of  Joseph  A.  Kirri .Madison  co..  Ill 1841 

..Sect.  20 'Farmer Lycoming  co..  Pa 1864 

..  Sect.  20 jWife  of  Samuel  Kissel Lebanon  co.,  Pa 1864 

..St.  Jacobs Painter St.  Louis,  Mo ! 

..  St.  Jacobs Wife  of  August  Kirchies Madison  co.,  Ill 

St.  Jacobs Proprietor  of  Laengle  hotel (ierniany |1846 

St.  Jacobs Wife  of  Henry  Laengle Switzerland 1840 

™      .     -  11  •  ^„.u 1.,.,.]  iicyT 


Farmer . 


,  Switzerland 1837 


....  Sect.  1 Wife  of  Jacob  Lcder I'russia 

(.(_  \ Farmer Madison  co.,  III.. 

!!!!"".  Sect!  1  .".....""..  Wife  of  John  Leder Nashville,  Tenn. 

f  Lovins,  John  C St.  Jacobs Sect.  19 Farmer St.  Clair  co    III.. 

1  Amelia  A.  Anderson Dc'd  Feb.  7, '76.' jLate  wife  of  John  C.  Lovins St.  Louis,  Mfi 


I  Mary  Gerkemaier. 
/  Leder,  John 
Catherine  Bargetze 


..  1845 
..  1S.53 
..  1863 
..  1S62 
...1861 


Madison  co.,lll 1849 

Madison  co.,  Ill 1852 

Switzerland 1853 


^  -Miller,  John  E St.  Jacobs jSect.  20 Farmer 

1  EmmaEnsminger I         "  Sect.  20 IWife  of  John  E.  Miller.... 

f  Mever,   Conrad "         Sect.  16 Farmer  and  stock  rai.ser... 

1  Philipena  Gerke  I         "         Sect.  16 Wife  of  Conrad  Mever Madison  co.,  Ill 1.H48 

f  Mever,  Charles Highland Sect.  25 Farmer IGerniany 18)4 

I  Caroline  Becker Hichland Sect.  25 jAVife  of  Charles  Meyer Madison  co.,  1    1841 

I  .Miller,  J.  G St.^  Jacobs Sect.  20 JFarmer 'Madison  co..  Ill 1847 

1  Anna  Schmidt "  Sect.  20 Wife  of  J.  G.  Miller Madison  co.,  Ill 18o2 

(McAlillv,  Wm.C Hidiland Sect.  1 Farmer Madison  co..  Ill 1819 

1  Catherine  Wren Highland Sect.  1 Wife  of  William  McAlilly Edwardsville,  III 1842 

(Noll,  Frederick St.  Jacobs Sect.  23 Farmer Khein  Pfalz 1867 

-^Elizibcth   Schmitt Dc'dMavl3,'79. First  wife  of  Fred  Noll St.  Clairco..  Ill I.s47 

I  Henriette  Schmitt St.  Jacobs jScct.  23 Present  wife  of  Fred  Noll Madison  co.,  Ill jl!-32 

fPvle,  Abner i         "         Sect.  26 Farmer Christian  co.,  Ky 11847 

-  iiarv  Hogiie Dec'd  1849 1 First  wife  of  Abner  Pyle A"—;: "•;••; 

I  NeonaBradsbv,(neeFarris);St.  Jacobs Sect.  26 'Present  wife  of  Abner  Pyle North  Carobna 11827 

f  Parkinson,  A".  J Highland Sect.  12 Farmer \\  hite  co.,  Tenn 1818 

I  Marv  E.  Baldwin Highland Sect.  12 Wife  of  J.  A.Parkinson I)ela^yare  co.,  N.  \ 1838 

(  Pahinever,  Ernst St.  Jacobs St.  Jacobs Pro])rietor  of  Rail  Road  Hotel Prussia 1852 

\  Anna  Maria  Schien Dc'd  Apr.  10,'65 First  wife  of  Ernst  Pahmeyer (Jerfflany-. 18o6 

I  Barbara  Lucm St.  Jacobs St.  Jacobs Present  wife  of  Ernst  Pahmeyer Switzerland 1864 


(  Peeler.  .Tosci)h , 

1  Dora  Glanzner 

j  Peterson,  Edward  N... 

(  Martraret  Sohler 

j  Hitter.  Henry 

I  :\rarL'aret  .Schmitt 

(  Schicle,  Louis 

1  Rosa  Speckart 

(Spies,  Charles 

I  Emma  Blanke 

Schmitt,  John,  Sr 


••••I 


St.  Jacobs Miller Champaign,  France...  18.56 

.St.  Jacobs Wife  of  Joseph  Peeler Hesse  Darmstadt,  Ger.  1860 

.St.  Jacobs Lumber  dealer Rockland  co.,  N.  Y....  1.S66 

.  St.  Jacobs Wife  of  Edward  N.  Peterson New  Orleans 1852 

.  Sect.  15 Farmer Germany  1344 

.  Sect.  15 Wife  of  Henry  Ritter St.  Clair  co.,  Ill 1847 

.St.  Jacobs Butcher  and  stock  dealer Madison  co.,  Ill 1852 

.  St.  Jacobs Wife  of  Louis  Schiele Miidison  co..  Ill ' 

.St.  Jacobs Druggist Madison  co.,  Ill 1850 

.  St.  Jacobs Wile  of  Charles  Spies | 

,  „ , Sect.  21 Farmer Germany  1847 

■'  Catherine  Schaefer Dc'd  Oct.  28,'53.' First  wife  of  John  Schmitt,  Sr Germany 1847 

I  Cissilia  Roos St.  Jacobs Sect.  21 Present  wife  of  John  Schmitt,  Sr (Jcrniany 1840 

(Smith,  .lames  A Lebanon iSect.  31 Farmer Halifax,  Va 1827 

I  Catherine  Vanhooser Dc'd  July  24,'74l Late  wife  of  James  A.  Smith Madison  co..  Ill 1820 

j  Searcy,  George  W St.  Jacobs ISt.  Jacobs General  merchandise  and  farmer Madison  co.,  Ill 1834 

I  M.arv'A.  Taylor 1         "         St.  Jacobs Wife  of  George  AV.  Searcy Madison  co..  Ill 1834 

(Schneider,  John ]         "         St.  Jacobs Tinner  &  patentee  independent  dinner  bucket  Madison  co.,  Ill 1847 

j  Mary  Laternser I         "         St.  Jacobs Wife  of  John  Schneider ;Wabash  co.,  Ind ' 

f  Tow'nsend.  Edmund Lebanon Sect.  31 iFarmer St.  Clair  co..  Ill 1851 

I  JaneHiggins Lebanon Sect.  31 Wife  of  Edmund  D.  Townsend St.  Clair  co..  Ill 1851 

fTincher,  .Tohn  H St.  Jacobs St.  Jacobs Contractor  of  mail   line Madison  co..  Ill 1849 

1  Margaret  Anderson '         "         St.  Jacobs AVife  of  John  H.  Tincher I  ondon,  England 18.)6 

(  Turner,  Richard  P I         "         St.  Jacobs iMerchant London,  England 1851 

t  Melissa    E.  Goteh "         St.  Jacobs AVife  of  Richard  P.Turner jMadison  co.,Ill 1858 


670 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


ST.      JACOBS-CONTINUED. 


(Virgin,  Jefferson 

\  Harriet  Axley 

I  Annie  M.  Lindlv 

f  Williams,  W.  D 

\  Ellen  V.  Hays 

(  Mary  J.  Smith 

Wasem,  Louis 

(  Wopd,  H.  T 

1  Marv  J.  Harnsberger.. 

f  Willi,  Jacob 

\  MagJaline  Hilbv 


POST  OFFICE. 


OCCUPATION. 


St.  Jacobs Sect.  29 Farmer 

Dec'd ,  '44.1 First  wife  of  Jefferson  Virgin 

St.  Jacobs Sect.  29 Present  wife  of  Jefferson  Virgin.. 

St.  Jacobs 'Sect.  30 Merchant  and  farmer 

Dc'd  Feb.l7,'73j iFirst  wife  of  W.  D.  Williams 

St.  Jacobs [Sect.  30 [Present  wife  of  W.  D.  Williams.. 

"         St.  Jacobs 

"         St.  Jacobs iDruggist 

St.  Jacobs IWife  of  H.  T.  Wood 

"         Sect.  9 Farmer  

Sect.  9 IWife  of  Jacob  Willi 


St.  Clair  co.. 
Jlonroe  co., 
Madison  co. 
Fayette  CO., 
Madison  co. 
Madison  co. 


Madison  co., 
Madison  co., 
Switzerland 
Switzerland 


1847 

1823 
1835 
1838 
1829 


1847 
1850 
1849 
1849 


OMPH-GHENT. 


Bormann,  C.  F.  W 

Mary  A.  Floyd 

Baumgaertner,  Henry 

Julie  Bowles  (nee  Bond)... 

Beard,  Samuel 

Mary  K.  Slipsie 

Blumer,  Louis 

Blumer,  L.  C 

Louisa  Kohlenberg ;Dc'd  Sep.  9, '75 


Worden IWorden. 

"       iWorden. 


Worden . 
Worden . 
Worden . 
Worden . 
Sect.  20.. 
Sect.  20.. 


f  Bond,  William. 

1  Ester  M.  Wyatt 

(  Baumgaertner,  John 

\  Catharine  Kauffmann 

I  Baumgaertner,  Charles... 

i  Dorr,  Henrv  C 

I  Mary  F.  Be'lk 

I  Dornseif,  Jacob 

J  Maria  Opel 

I    Dornseif.  Catharine,  (nee  Schneider) 

I  Dornseif,  Jacob  William. 
(  Dorr,  Henry., 


Worden ISect.  13.. 

...ISect.  13.. 

...ISect.  24.. 

...'Sect.  24.. 

...■Sect.  24.. 

...  Worden. 

...  Worden. 

...Worden. 
AVorden. 
Dc'd  Oct.  8,  '81 
W^orden . 
Omph-Ghent... 


Worden. 
Sect.  31.. 


I  Sophia  Sutter I  Dc'd  Aug.  8, '54 


Worden . 


Prairie  Town. 


Worden . 


Prairie  Town. 


Worden. 


Dc'dAug.21,'76; 

Worden '  W^orden 

"       IWorden 

"       Worden 

Sect.  31 


Emrich,  Philipp 

I  Louisa  Wolf 

I  Filers,  Christian 

j  Anna  Hagmann 

I  Floyd,  Joseph , 

j  Rebecca  Ward 

jGuesewelle,  Henry 

(  Sophia  Batterman 

J  Grant,  Thomas 

I  Nancy  Judy 

I  Herschhauser,  Fritz 

I  Caroline  Mertz 

"I  Herchhauser,  Henry.... 

I  Catharine  Bender 

(  Hubert,  August 

I  Henrietta  Knappmeyer 
Hoeh,  Adam Omph-Ghent 

I  Sopha  Stahlhut "^  "^ 

'\  Hoeh,  Henrv  J 

[Hoeh,  Ernst  W I      " 

Huseman,  Henry Prairie  Town 

f  Kavser,  Albert  E 1      " 

1  Johanna  F.  S.  Meyer |      "  " 

JLueker,  Hardwig  H IWorden 

I  Caroline  W.  Bormann 

f  Lueker,  Henry  W 

\  Marg't  C.  L.  Vahrenkamp 

f  Lueker,  Henry  W 

I  Marv  Pieper 

(McDonald,  J.  H 

I  Virginia  J.  L.  Rust 

1  McDonnell,  James 
Marv  A.  Murphy 
McDonnell,  Edward 
Ida  Smith 

j  McDonnell,  John 

1  Hellena  Richardson 

I  Picker  H.C 

1  Catherine  Dornseif 


W^orden 

Worden 

Sect.  18 

Sect.  18 

Worden 

Worden 

Sect.  28 

Sect.  28 

Sect.  13 

Sect.  13 

Worden 

Worden 


Constable  and  grain  dealer !St.  Louis,  Mo !l866 

Wife  of  C.  F.  W.  Bormann |Madison  co.,  Ill 1854 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser jSt.  Louis,  Mo |1855 

W^ife  of  Henry  Baumgaertner 'Madison  co..  Ill 11859 

^liner LTdt>rook,  Glostershire,  Eng 1878 

Wife  of  Samuel  Beard .Westphalia,  Prussia...  1857 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser iMadison  co.,Ill [1853 

Father  of  Louis  Blumer IMadison  co..  Ill 1848 

Late  wife  of  L.  C.  Beard [Brunswick,  Ger [1848 

Farmer  and  Auctioneer Madison  co..  Ill 1829 

Wife  of  William  Bond Macoupin  co.,  Ill 1851 

Farmer  and  Barber jBellheim,  Bavaria,  Gr.  1856 

Wife  of  John  Baumgaertner jLingenfeld,  Bav.,  Ger.  1856 

Son  of  John  and  Catharine  Baumgaertner...  Madison  co..  Ill 18.57 

Physician  and  surgeon St.  Louis,  Mo 1856 

Wife  of  Henry  R.  Dorr Madison  co..  Ill '"'■"'' 

Shoemaker  and  farmer jHesse  Darmstadt 

Wife  of  J.acob  Dornseif Bavaria,  Germany.... 

Mother  of  Jacob  Dorn.seif [Berleburg,  Prussia.... 

Eng.  Worden  Mining  Co.,  son  of  J.  Dornseif  St.  Louis,  Mo 

Farmer  and  supervisor [Kurhessen,  Germany 

First  wife  of  Henry  Dorr iDortmund,  Prussia... 

Bakerv  and  saloon IMackenbach,  Bavaria. 

Wife  of  Philipp  Emrich !Drohsen,Br'nsw'k,Gr.  1867 

Carpenter  and  farmer lOldenburg,  Germany..  1868 

- —    ■    ■       "■'  Oldenburg,  Gremany.. 1 1869 

Montgoraerv  co.,  N.  C.il834 

Benton  co.,'Tenn 1852 

f  Hagenburg,  Schae- 1857 
i  unberg,  Lippe,  Ger..  1856 


1856 
1861 
1861 
1861 
1861 
1856 


1874 


Wife  of  Christian  Filers 

Stock  trader,  township  supervisor.. 

Wife  of  Joseph  Floyd 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Wife  of  Henry  Guesewelle ^       .. 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser iSpartenburgdist,  S.C.  1851 

Wife  of  Thomas  Grant Madison  co..  Ill 1809 

Pittsburgh,  Pa 1876 

St.  Louis  CO.,  Mo 1879 

Hesse  Darmstadt,  Gr..  1876 
Hesse  Darmstadt,  Gr..  1876 
Meinersen,Han'ver,G.  1877 
Westphalia,  Prussia...  1877 
Rhein  Bavaria,  Ger...  1842 


Stock  dealer  and  butcher 

Wife  of  Fritz  Herschhauser 

Father  of  Fritz  Herschhauser 

Widow  of  Henry  Herschhauser 

Carpenter  and  architect 

Wife  of  August  Hubert 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser.. 


..iSect.  31. 
..:Sect.  31. 
..Sect.  17. 


Sect.  31 !Wifeof  Adam  Hoeh techaumb'g,  Lippe,  Gr.  1847 

Son  of  Adam  and  Sopha  Hoeh Madison  co..  Ill 1850 

Son  of  Adam  and  Sopha  Hoeh Madison  co..  Ill 1853 

Farmer St.  Louis,  Mo 1866 

Sect.  16 iFarmer,  stock  raiser,  and  school  director St.  Cliarles  co..  Mo....  1857 

...ISect.  16 Wife  of  Alhci-t  E.  Kavser Madison  co..  Ill 1849 

...I'Wordcn JFarmer,  supt.i^  stockholder  Worden  Min'gCo  Westphalia,  Prussia...  1857 

...'Worden IWife  of  Hardwig  H.  Lueker St.  L(mis,  Mo .....1867 

...'Worden 'Farmer,  proprietor  private  boarding  house.. .|Westphalia,  Prussia...  1878 

...  Worden AVife  of  Henry  W.  Lueker iWestphalia,  Prussia...l881 

...  Sect.  34 iFarmer  and  st<)ck.raiser f  Luebbecke,     West-|1871 

...Sect.  33 jWifeof  Henry  W.  Lueker |  plialia,  Prussia | 

Worden 'physician  audsurgeon.    General  manager  McDonald  Coal  Co lAberdceU,    Scotland... 

...  Worden... ...'.!. .IWife  of  J.  H.  McDonald jLoudon  co.,  Va 

...  Worden General  merchant  and  farmer JMadison  co.,Ill 

Worden IWiiC  of  James  McDonnell Co.  Tipperary,  Ireland 

Dc'd  Mr.  ll,'79j IPather  of  James  McDonnell Co.  Tyrone,  Ireland... 

Dec'd ,'54. JMother  of  James  McDonnell Virginia 

Prairie  Town. ..IPrairie  Town... 'General  merchant Madison  co.,  Ill 

"  "     ...  Prairie  Town...  AVife  of  John  McDonnell England 

Worden Worden General  merchant Westphalia,  Prussia... 

..  Worden Wife  of  H.  C.  Picker St.  L^uis.Mo 


1879 
1870 
1851 
1868 
1836 


1852 
1858 
1863 
1862 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


571 


OMPH-GHENT.-poNTi.NUED. 


POST  OFFICE.         RESIDESCE. 


f  Peters,  Frank 

1  Johanna  Hoffman , 

(Paul,  Philip  H 

1  Minnie  Bierbauni 

j  Piper,  William  J 

(  Susan  A.  McManus 

(  Roffmann,  W.  W 

\  Catherine  E.  Meyer 

I  Schmidt,  John 
Philomina  J.  Schacl'er.. 
Schmidt,  George 
Susan  Spengcl 
Caroline  Weinthaler.... 

Worden,  John  C 

Virginia  W.  Weaver... 

'Wildi,  Rudolph 

Augusta  Vogelsang 

Worden,  John  C 

Mathias  Bowles 

!  Luella  Bond 


.iWorden . 


OCCUPATION. 


!Dc'd  May  10/73 
Dc'dFeb.— ,'52 
St.  Louis,  Mo... 

Worden 

[Dc'dSep.l2,'81. 

Worden 

Worden 


Worden . 
Worden . 


Sect,  l-l Farmer,  stock  raiser  and  Mexican  veteran...  wohicnberg.  Banorcr.  Gcrni«i,y... 

Sect.  14 Wife  of  Frank  Peters Hildei^hcira,  Hanover. 

Worden 'Dealer  in  drugs,  stationerv  and  jewelrv Madison  co.,  Ill 

Worden Wife   of  Philip  H.  Paul.. I ." Madison  co..  Ill 

Sect.  24 Farmer  and  stock  raiser Madison  co.,  Ill 

Sect.  24 Wife  of  William  J.  Piper Madison  co..  Ill 

Sect.  .So Farmer  and  stock  rai.ser Kemme,  Hanover,  Or. 

Sect.  35 iWifeof  W.  W.  Botfmann Madison  co.,  Ill 

Worden Schmidt  hotel Highland,  111 

Worden ,...  Wife  of  John  Schmidt Highland,  111 

IFather  of  John  Schmidt Alsace,  France 

'First  wife  of  George  Schmidt Highland 

St.  Louis,  Mo...  Widow  of  George  Schmidt Baden,  Germany 

Worden Police  magistrate Presion.  uncasiiire.  Eng 

' Late  wife  of  John  C.  Worden Virginia 

Worden Hardware  and  tinware Canton  Aargan,  Swt'd. 

WorJen Wife  of  Rudolph  Wildi Madison  co.,  Ill 

Director  of  school  district  Xo.  7 | 

Worden Farmer  and  .stock  rai.scr Madison  co.,  Ill 

IWorden ;Wife  of  Mathias  Bowles JMadison  co.,  Ill 


1851 
1851 
1854 
1858 
1819 
1836 
1854 
1851 
1852 
1855 
1845 


1853 
1854 
1867 
1872 
1801 


1847 
1851 


CITY    OF    HIGHLAND    AND    HELVETIA. 


Adelmann,  Theo 

Ammann,  Joseph  C 

Boeschenstein,  Charles.. 

Briner,  J.  J 

Boeschenstein,  Charles.. 

Boeschenstein,  Edward... 

Chiprou,  Charles  P 

Dumbeck,  Johann  G 

Felder,  Abraham 

Feutz,   Edward 

Gruaz,   Timothy 

Guggenbuehler,  John.... 

Grossenbacher,  Jacob 

Grantzow,  Louis 

;  Gisler,  Peter 

Eliza  Manck 

Huegy,    Maurice 

Hoeruer,  John  S 

Herman,  Henry 

'  Halter,  Louisa  (owsuppijer) 

Halter,  Dr.  Robert 

[Halter,  Emma 

Kuhner,  Charles  F 

Kraeuchi,  John 

Leutwiler,  Samuel,  Jr.... 

LambeLt,  Charles 

Meckel,  ,1 

Mueller,  Henry 

Miller,  Adolpii 

Maechtlen,  C.  L 

Miiller,  Anton 

Mojonier,  A 

Osthoff,  Albert 

Richardson,  T.  J 

Riniker,  H 

Roth,  George 

Rutz.  G 

Rvhiner,  F.  C 

Schott,  ilartin  J 

Suppiger,  Charles  B 

Schuele,  John 

Suppiger,  Fred  B 

Stoecklin,  Arnold 

Suppiger,  David 

Spindler,  J.  J 

Seybt,  CH 

Tschudy,   Arnold 

Wildi,  John,  Jr 

AVirz,  Arnold 

Zimmerman,  Jacob 


Highland . 


Dc'd 


Hi. 


1852 


Oct.  4, 


jhland Superintendent  of  public  school Bavaria,  Germany 

"  Merchant ' 

"  Justice  of  the  peace  and  notary  public Switzerland 

"  iBoot  and  shoe  store Switzerland 

" Publisher  and  editor  of  Herald [Highland,  111 

"  General  express  deliverer ISwitzerland 

"  I  Farm  machinery iFrance 

"  Prop'r  of  brick  "yard  and  Badischen  Hof.....|Weisloch,  Baden 

"  Physician  and  surgeon iSt.  Galleon,  Swttzerl'd 

"  Sewing  machines IHighland 

"  Notary  |)ublic  and  general  agency Lyons,  France 

"  lintel  proprietor  and  ice  dealer Highland 

"  'jliller Switzerland 

"  jClothing,  hats  and  caps Germany 1864 

"  IProprietor  of  Railroad  hotel Haslach,  Baden 1864 

"  iWife  of  Peter  Gisler Bavaria 1864 

"  Banker Highland 1840 

"  Publisher  of  Highland   Union Germany |1856 

"  Merchant  miller Switzerland 1845 

"  Retired Canton  Luzerne,Sw'd.  1846 


1849 
1852 
1862 
1852 
1848 
1851 
I860 
1855 
1849 
1857 
1851 


1858 
1865 
1845 
1854 
1849 
1866 
1869 


Late  husband  of  Mrs.  Louisa  Halter Canton  Zurich,  Swt'd. 

Highland Highland Teacher  of  vocal  and  instrumental  music Highland,  III 

Hardware,  farm  implements  and  seed Highland 

Soda  factory Highland 

Distiller Highland 

Soda  factorv Switzerland 

Catholic  Priest West|ilialia 

Bakery  and  saloon Switzerland 1868 

Apothecary  and  stationery Germany 1869 

Photographer Germany 1870 

Retired , Switzerland 1844 

Proprietor  of  Highlaod  P.leTttor,  dealer  In  grain,  reed  and  coal iC'antOn  VaUtl,    Swt'd...  1850 

Hotel  proprietor Rhein  Pfalz 1866 

Attorney-at-law  and  editor [Near  Highland 1842 

Brick  maker Switzerlan  d 1863 

Dealer  in  farm  machinery  and  hardware (Jermany 1846 

Phvsician  and    surgeon Switzerland 1845 

Of"T.  Rvhiner  &  Co.,  bankers Highland 1846 

Brewer (iermany 1856 

Saddlerv  and  harness  maker Highland 1852 

Retired". (iermany 1847 

Lumber  dealer j Highland 1852 

Saddle  and  harness  maker Switzerland 1845 

Merchant  miller 'Switzerland 1834 

Merchant Switzerland 1849 

Merchant  miller Ctermany i 

Butcher Switzerland [1861 

Merchant Switzerland 1872 

Cigar  manufactvirer Switzerland 1872 

H<3tel  Zimmerman Germany 1853 


572 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


CHOUTEAU. 


f  Allen,  John  J 

(  Lavina  M.  Skcen 

I  Atkins,  Amos 

(  Aria  Anna  Job 

I  Buenger,   Henry 

1  Maria  Prom 

iDunn,  Michael 
Mary  Ball 
Dunn,  Katie 
Dunnagan,  Levi  S 
Julia  E.  Edwards 

"!  v?arah  M.  Dunnagan 

\  Elizabeth  Dunnagan 

Eniert,  Hannah 

Euiert,  Wni 

Emert,  Dora  L.  B 

Farmer,  Marion 

Farmer,  Eliza  B 

Feisler,   Louis 

Elizabeth  Sanders 

Forstiburg,  Charles  E... 

Caroline  L.  Dietz 

Forstiburg,  Annie  M 

Gillham,  Wilson  W 

Gillhani,  Samuel  P 

Ollethe  AVilson 

Gillham,  J.  B 

Hattie  Siekels 

Hughes,  Wm.  A 

Sarah  Fahnestock 

Harshaw,  Wm 

Maria  Atkins 

Harshaw,  Amos 

Harshaw,  John  E 

Harshaw,  Mary  Edith... 

Harshaw,  Joseph  W 

j  Krueger,  Robert 

(  Anna  Hinze 

Kaenders,  Peter 

IKunnemann,  Wm 
Minna  Wezel 
Krauskopf,  Theodore..., 
Tranv  Stinismire 

f  :\I(Cny,  .laiiirs  D 

I  Framis  ,i.  Slowell 

JMrD'.iiiirll,  Miss  Mary, 
I  !Mrl)oniicll,  .lames 

Jloiire,  Afarijuis  D 

(Marsh,  Wm.  W 

I  Hester  Ann  Tavlor 

Marsh,  John  A. 

(Mabee,  Annie 

\  Mabee,  Fred  C 

(  James  Cahill 

Oldenburg,  Henry  W... 

f  Rapp,  Joseph 

I  Cordelia  Bonnett 

Rapp,  John  H 

Alevia  M.  Rapp 

Rammer,  Julius 

Sophia  Kahle 

Rankins,  George 

Minerva  Moore 

Recor,  John 

Ada  J.  Job 

Reinamann,  Henry 

Christina   Kehler 

Rosebury,  R.  A .,.. 

Nora  M.  Johnson 

Smalley,  David  E 

Daisy  E.  Bennett 

Squire,  Henrv  C 

Ethel  K.  Barnett 

Squire,  Nora  I 


POST  OFFICE. 


Long  Lake., 


EESIDENCE 


OCCUPATION. 


Venice  , 


Edwardsvil 


Alton 

Deceased.... 
Alton 

Long  Lake. 


Sect, 

Sect, 
Sect, 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect, 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect, 
Sect. 
Sect, 
Sect. 
Sect. 


26 iFarmer  and  stock  raiser Illinois 1858 

26 1  Wife  of  John  J.  Allen Illinois '1862 

4 iFarmer  and  supervisor jMadLson  co..  Ill 11821 

4 IWife  of  Amos  Atkins Madison  co..  Ill '1836 

36,  (4-10)..[Farmer |Hanover 1867 

36,  (4-10)..  Wife  of  Henry  Buenger iGermany 1856 


36, (4-10 
36,  (4-10).. 
36,  (4-10).. 

12 

12 

12 

12 

10 


Alton . 


Edwardsville.. 

Deceased 

Deceased 

Long  Lake 

Long  Lake 

Alton 

Alton 

Long  Lake 


Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 


Venice  

Venice 

Long  Lake. 


Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 


Deceased,  1856, 
Long  Lake 


Venice 


Farmer jCo.  Wicklow,  Ireland.  1856 

Wife  of  Michael  Dunn Co.  Mayo,  Ireland J1853 

Daughter  of  Michael  and  Mary  Dunn IMadison  co..  Ill 1871 

Farmer IMadison  co..  Ill 1864 

Wife  of  Levi  S.  Dunnagan IScott  co..  Ill 1868 

Mother  of  Levi  S.  Dunnagan Madison  co..  Ill 1813 

Sister  of  Sarah  M.  Dunnagan IMadison  co..  Ill 1809 

Farmer  and  stock  rai.ser , IGermany 11842 

Late  husband  of  Hannah  Emert Madison  co.,  Ill 1843 

Daughter  of  Wm.  and  Hannah  Emert IMadison  co.,  Ill J1871 

Farmer iKentuckv 1852 

1862 
1846 
1845 
1870 
1857 
1881 
1857 
1809 
1856 


6,  (4-10). 


Wife  of  Marion  Farmer jBrunswick  co.,  Va., 

Farmer 'Germany 

Wife  of  Louis  Feisler jHancock  co.,  Ind... 

Farmer Sweden 

Wife  of  C.  E.  Forstiburg JAlton 

Daughter  of  C.  E.  and  Caroline  Forstiburg..  Madison  co.,  III. 

Farmer 

Father  of  WMlson  W.  Gillham 

Mother  of  Wilson  W.  Gillham 

Farmer 

Wife  of  J.  B.  Gillham 

Farmer 

Wife  of  William  A.  Hughes 

General  merchant  and  saloon 

Wife  of  Wm.  Harshaw 

Eldest  son  of  Wm.  and  Maria  Harshaw... 
Second  .son  of  Wm.  and  Maria  Harshaw... 

Daughter  of  W'm.  and  Maria  Harshaw 

Son  of  Wm.  and  Maria  H.arshaw 

Merchandising  and  saloon 

Wife  of  Robert  Krueger 

Catholic   Priest 

Farmer  and  .stock  raiser 

AVife  of  William  Kunneman 

Farmer 

Wife  of  Theodore  Krauskopf. 

Railroad  and  Telegraph  operator 

Wife  of  .Tames  D.  McCoy 

Resides  with  Mrs.  Dunn,  farming !St.  Louis,  Mo 

Father  of  Miss  Marv  McDonnell [Ireland 


Long  Lake., 


Venice 

Venice 

Long  Lake., 


Edw.ardsville.. 
Kdwardsville.. 
Long  L.ake 


Alton., 
Alton. 
Alton. 


Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
'Sect. 
Sect. 
'Sect. 
'Sect. 


27 

16 

16 

16 

25,  (4-10)., 

25 

25 

16 

34 

34 

33 

33 

36,  (4-10).. 
86,  (4-10) 

20 

20 

21 

21 

33 

33 

1 

1 

33 

33 

4 

4 

4 


Germany  

Hanover,  Ger'y. 

Hanover,  Ger'y. 

Germany  

Prussia 

Steuben  CO.,  N.  Y 11881 

Branch  co.,  Mich '1881 

-     -      '     -^  ..'1858 

..18.56 

Farmer  and  stock   raiser 'New  Orleans 1863 

Engineer  on  river jPennsylvania jl858 


Madison  co.,  Ill 
Madison  co..  Ill 
Pike  CO.,  Ohio.. 

Madison  CO.,  Ill 1841 

Indiana... |1875 

Adams  CO.,  Ill 11855 

Pennsylvania 1 852 

Co.  Armaugh,  Irerd...'1859 

Madison  CO.,  Ill |1848 

Madison  CO.,  Ill '1870 

Madison  co.,  Ill il871 

Madison  CO.,  Ill 11873 

Madison  CO.,  Ill 11876 

Hanover 11869 

Hanover I860 

1873 
1855 
1855 
1866 
1834 


Ohio 11858 

.Tacksonville,  111 '1877 

Ireland 1859 

Illinois !  855 

Madison  co..  Ill 1864 


Wife  of  William  W.  Marsh 

Engineer  on  river 

Wife  of  FredC.  Mabee 

Farmer  and  hu.sband  of  Annie  Mabee, 

Son  of  Thonuas  Cahill 

Merchant  and  farmer Hanover,   Ger 

Farmer 'Madison  co..  Ill 

Wife  of  Joseph  Rapp jJackson  co.,  W^.  Va 

Farmer '.Jefferson  co..  Ill 

iWife  of  John  H.  Rapp IJeiferson  co..  Mo 

Farmer Germany  

AVife  of  Julius  Rammer (Germany  

Farmer ;.Iefferson  co..  Mo 

A\''ife  of  George  Rankin Christian  co..   Mo... 

Farmer [Canada 

AVife  of  John  Recor 'Madison  co 

Proprietor  of  hotel  and  saloon [Germany 


Wife  of  Henry  Reinamann. 

Farmer 

AVife  of  R.  A.  Rosebury 

Homeopathic  phvsician 

AVife  of  David  E.  Smalley 

Farmer  and  fruit  grower 

Wife  of  Henrv  C.  Squire 

Daughter  of  Henry  C.  and  Ethel  Squire., 


1865 
1853 
1868 
1858 
1865 
1873 
1873 
1865 
1865 
1854 
1849 
1878 

(xermany  11878 

Madison  CO.,  Ill !l852 

Madison  CO.,  Ill 11856 

Illinois :1846 

Ohio '1854 

Madison  co..  Ill '1842 

Madison  CO.,  Ill '1853 

Madison  co..  Ill l^'^B 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


673 


CHOUTEAU.-CONTINDED. 


J  Segar,  Joh7i  W 

I  Josephine  Atkins 

(  Stein,  Ernst 

\  Sophia  Wagner 

j  Stein,  Annie 

(  Segar,  William  A 

I  Segar,  Henry  A 

j  Schillinger,  John 

I  Catharine  ElizabethZibold 

I  Mary  Ann  Zibold 

\  Regula  Boiler 

f  Souhtig,  John 

•!  Aria  Ann  Marcuin 

(  Sachtig,  John  L.  F 

I  St.  Clair,  Alex 

\  St.  Clair,  M.  A.  (n»  Hugh.,)... 

(  Jessie  Hughes 

I  Southard,  William 

1  Sarah  L.  Stannard 

I  Southard,  Lemuel 

I  Martha  T.  (Jillhara 

t  S'luthard,  Emma  M 

Trudell,  Frank 

\  M;irv  A.  Mdfuire 

JTrudell,  Emily  P 

J  Valterott,  Honrv 

I  Diminika  Yohl". 

i  Week^,  Benjamin  W 

\  Clara  Luttr'ell 

I  Weeks,  B.  W 


POST  OFFICE. 


RESIDENCE. 


Long  Lake Sect. 

"     'Sect. 

"        "     Sect. 

"        "     Sect. 

"        "    Sect. 

"     Sect. 

"        "     Sect. 

"        "     Sect. 

Deceased 

Deceased 

Long  Lake Sect. 

"     Sect. 

"         "     IScct. 

"     Sect. 

Edwardsville...  Sect. 
"  ...Sect. 

"  ...'Sect. 

"  ...Sect. 

...Sect. 
"  ...Sect. 

"  ...  Sect. 

"  ...  Sect. 

Long  Lake Sect. 

"    Sect. 

"        "     Sect. 

"        "     Sect. 

"        "     Sect. 

Edwardsville...  Sect. 

...jSect. 

"  ...Sect. 


OCCUPATION. 


Farmer 

Wife  of  John  W.  Segar 

Farmer 

Wife  of  Ernst  Stein 

Daughter  of  Ernst  and  Sophia  Stein... 

F'armer 

Farmer Madison  co..  111.... 

Farmer Wurtcmburg,  (ier 


Madison  co.,  Ill 1844 

Madison  co..  Ill 1846 

Hanover 1859 

Hanover 18()3 

Madison  co..  Ill 1S80 

.MadLson  co.,  Ill 1858 

18(50 
1855 


,|Wifeof  John  Schillinger Baden .'. 1856 

JWifeof  John  S.-hillingcr liaden |1864 

,'Present  wife  of  John  Schillinger Switzerland 1868 

.IFarmer  and  constable IMadison  co..  Ill 1853 


Madison  co.,  Ill 1857 

Madison  co..  Ill ]1881 

Tenne.«see 1828 

Scott  CO.,  Ill 11863 


Wife  of  John  Sochtig 

Son  of  John  and  Aria  Sochtig 

Farmer 

Wife  of  Alex  St.  Clair 

Daughter  of  Margaret  A.  &  Sam'lT.  Hughes  Madison  co..  Ill Il867 

Farmer McCracken  co.,  Ky....;1865 

Wife  of  William  Southard (iermany 1865 

Farmer ;  Virginia 1841 

Wife  of  Lemuel  Southard Madi.-<on  co.,  Ill 1829 

Daughter  of  Lemuel  and  Martha  Southard.. ICalifornia 1862 

Farmer iNew  York 1881 

Wife  of  Frank  Trudell .^. ICo.  Cavan,  Ireland 1881 

Madison  co.,  Ind 1881 

Prussia 1874 

Switzerland 1846 

Illinois 1878 

Missouri 1864 

Madison  co..  Ill 1875 


Daughter  of  Frank  and  Mary  Trudell, 
Merchandising,  boarding  house  and  saloon.. 

Wife  of  Henry  Vatterott 

Farmer '. 

AVife  of  Benjamin  W.  Weeks 

Son  of  Benjamin  W.  and  Clara  Weeks 


MORO. 


Ahlers,  Henrv 

f  Burwell,  G.  W 

1  Hattie  M.  Hovey 

j  Becker,  John 

I  Annie  Undderbrink 

f  Carter,  Henry  D 

■i  Hannah  Thornton  (nee carter) 

(  Carter,  Henry  T 

I  Dorsey,  Samuel  L 

I  Mirgaret  Smith 

I  Dorsey,  John  W 

I  Laura  Anthony 

Engelke,  Carl 

Mary  Wicsniein 

Forman,  William  C 

Sarah  Tipton 

Green,  Ephraim 

Ann  Robson 

Gay,  N.  S 

Abigail  Higbee 

'Hatcher,  C.  C 

'  Letie  Trabue 

1  Ella  Lingeufelter 

Heuer,  H 

Augusta  Kustcr 

Hornback,  A.  L 

Elizabeth  Smith 

Hays,  J.  C 

Martha  M.  Scull 

I  Hambleton,  Mark 

iMary  Ann  Rogers 
Krinard,  Charles 
Anna  Boettcher 
Meyer,  Margaret 
Meyer,  Frederick 

Mever,  Henrv 

f  MoVehead,  Martha.... 
(  Morehead,  Thomas.... 

Meyer,  Fricdericb 

f  Preuitt,  E.  K 

(  Mary  51.  Kirkpatrick 

79 


iBethalto jSect. 

'Dorsey ISect. 

I      "      Sect. 

'Moro |Sect. 

I     "    'Sect. 

'Dorsey Sect. 

"      Sect. 

Dc'd  Jul.  21,'44.. 

Moro |Sect. 

"     'Sect. 

"     Sect. 

"     Sect. 

Prairie  Town...  Sect. 

"     ...;Sect. 

Moro Sect. 

"     Sect. 

"     Moro 

"     Moro 

"     Sect. 

"    ISect. 

Dorsev Sect. 

Dc'd  Jan.  26,'75[ 

Dorseyi 'Sect. 

"     'Sect. 

Dc'dNov.ll,'71 

'Dorsey Sect. 

"       Sect. 

"       !""""!!!!Sect! 

Omph-Ghent . . .  Sect. 

"...  Sect. 

Dorsey jSect. 

"      Sect. 

Omph-Ghent...  Sect. 

Dc'd  Ap.  25,  "66 

Prairie  Town...!Sect. 

Moro Sect. 

Dc'd  Oct.  28,'80 

Prairie  Town...  Sect. 

'Dorsey Sect. 

JDorsey ISect. 


Hanover,  Germany.... 

Wayne  co.,  Ohio 

Madi-son  co.,  Ill 

Madison  co..  Ill 

Madison  co.,Ill 

Madison  co.,Ill 


Farmer  and  laborer 

Contractor 

Wife  of  G.  W.  Burwell 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Wife  of  John  Becker 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Mother  of  Henry  D.  Carter jSalem  co.,  N.  J 

Father  of  Henry  D.  Carter 'Smith  co.,  Tenn 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser iKentucky 

Wife  of  Samuel  L.  Dorsey Pennsylvania 

Fanner  and  stock  raiser '^Madison  co..  Ill 

Wife  of  John  W.  Dorsey Madison  Parish,  La... 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 'Braunschweig,  Ger.... 

Wife  of  Carl  Engelke Hessen  Darnutadt,Gr. 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser Lincolnshire,  Eng 

Wife  of  William  C.  Foreman England 

Coal  operator (Staffordshire,  Eng 

Wife  of  Ephraim  Green i.adg.u;.  Durham  co.,  edb 

Farmer  and  dairyman New  York 

Wife  of  N.  S.  Gay Allegheny  co..  Pa 

Farmer jTodd  co.,  Ky 

First  wife  of  C.  C.  Hatcher jMacoupin  co.,  Ill 

Present  wife  of  C.  C.  Hatcher jMadison  co..  Ill 

Farmer Hanover 

Late  wife  of  H.  Heuer Prussia 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser Knox  co.,  Ind 

Wife  of  A.  L.  Hornback jGlasgow,  Scotland 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser Franklin  co.,  Pa 

Wife  of  J.  C.  Hayes Cumberland  co.,  Pa... 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser Staftbrdshiie,  Eng 

Wife  of  Mark  Hambleton Staffordshire,  Eng 

Farmer Saxony,  Germany 

Wife  of  Charles  Krinard iMadison  co 

Farming  and  stock  raising 'Saxony,  Germany 

Late  husband  of  Margaret  Meyer iHanover,  Germany.... 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser IMadison  co..  Ill 

Farming  and  stock  raising Madison  co..  Ill 

Late  husband  of  Margaret  Moorehead Co.  Donegal,  Ireland.. 

Farmer  and  stock  rai.ser Madison  co..  Ill 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser iMadison  co..  Ill 

Wife  of  E.  K.  Preuitt Grant  co.,  Wis 


1871 
1858 
1854 
1856 
1859 
1839 
1822 
1827 
1834 
1843 
1844 
1860 
1852 
1853 
1843 
1874 
1863 
1859 
1861 
1861 
1856 
1873 
1855 
1843 
1843 
1850 
1850 
1867 
1867 
1866 
1866 
1872 
1856 
1839 
1836 
1858 
1853 
1868 
1860 
1838 
1860 


574 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


MORO. —CONTINUED. 


POST  OFFICE. 


BESIDENCE. 


Preuitt,  Abraham Dorsev Sect.  8., 

Mildred  Woods iDc'd  july6,'61.! 

Louisa  Wells iDorsev Sect  8. 


J  Pape,  Ludwig Prairie  Town... 

\  Sophia  Engelke jPrairie  Town.., 

Rittcr,  Reinhard 

(Schubert,  George 

(  Kalherine  Knab 

(Schmidt,  Daniel 

I  Marv  Lehcl 

I  Yager,  B.  T 

(Judy  Ann  Wilhit 


Sect.  25 

Sect.  25 

Moro 

Moro 

Moro 

Sect.  34 

Sect.  34 

Sect.  3(1 

Sect.  30 


OCCUPATION. 


NATIVITY. 


Farmer  and  stock  raiser Madison  co.,  Ill 1810 

First  wife  of  Abraham  Preuitt iMadison  co.,  Ill 1811 

1846 
1850 
1850 
1867 
1867 
1867 
1847 
1852 
1834 
1834 


Present  wife  of  Abraham  Preuitt IGermany, 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser [Braunschweig,  Ger.... 

Wife  of  Ludwig  Pape I  Braunschweig,  Ger.... 

Painter St.  Louis,  Mo 


Druggist  and  saloon  keeper Mcngan,  Bavaria,  Ger. 

Wife  of  George  Schubert jLincrst(irf,Biivaria,Gr. 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser [He.«se  Darmstadt,  CJer. 

Wife  of  Daniel  Schmidt iHesse  Darmstadt,  Ger. 

Farmer  and  stock  rai.ser jMadison  co.,  Va 

Wife  of  B.  T.  Yager Mercer  co.,  Ky 


OLIVE. 


fHoxsey,  John  F 

J  Elizabeth  Spangle 

]  Ho.xsey,  John 

I  Mary  Martin 

(  Keown,  William  H 

<  Elizabeth  A.  Van  Sant, 

(  Keown,  Thomas  P., 

(  Lane,  Elijah 

(  Lucy  A.  Botkin 

I  Lovejoy,  Andrew 

Orpha  (jokkmith 

-  Lovejov,  E.  A 

E.G.  ilcDaniel 

I  Edwin  McDaniel 

(Olive,  Joel  H 

1  Mary  E.  Van  Sant 

(  Pearce,  Larkin  A 

1  Margaret  F.  France 

(Ricks,  Lewis 

->  Mary  Anderson 

( Hester  Keown 

J  Vovles,  Robert  Y 

1  A.  "J.  Colson 


Worden.. 
Worden.. 
Dec'd  .... 
Dec'd  .... 
Staunton  , 


Sect. 
Sect. 


Dec'd  Oct.  1867 
Staunton 


Sect. 
Sect. 


Worden . 

Worden . 


.'Sect. 
■  Sect. 
.Sect. 
.iSect. 
.iSect. 
.Sect. 
.Sect. 
.Sect. 
.'Sect. 
.  Sect. 


12. 


Farmer  and  stock  raiser Madison  co.,  Ill 

Wife  of  John  F.  Hoxsey iTippecanoe  co.,  lud... 

Father  of  John  F.  Hoxsey |Virginia 

Mother  of  J.  F.  and  wife  of  John  Hoxsey. ..|Madison  co.,  Ky 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser Butler  co.,  Ky 

Wife  of  William  H.  Keown Muskingum  co.,  Ohio.. 

Father  of  William  H.  Keown iSouth  Carolina 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser Sumner  co.,  Tenn 


12 Wife  of  Elijah  Lane IPiekaway  co.,  Ohio... 


Staunton 

Dc'd  Dec.30,'66 
De'd  July,  1875 

Staunton : 

Staunton 


21 

21 

21 

21 

21 

27 

27 

34 

34 

26 


Sect. 
Sect. 


Farmer  and  stock  raiser 'Tioga  co.,  N.  Y, 

Wife  of  Andrew  Lovejoy Chemung  co.,  N.  Y.... 

Son  of  Andrew  Lovejoy Tioga  co.,  N.  Y^ 

Son  of  Mrs.  Lovejoy Chemung  co.,  N.  Y... 

Son  of  Mrs.  Lovejoy Tioga  co.,  N.  Y 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser Trigg  co.,  Ky 

Wife  of  JoelH.  Olive iMuskingum  co.,  Ohio. 

Farmer Madison  co..  Ill 

Wife  of  Larkin  A.  Pearce Montgomery  co..  111... 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser iNash  co.,  N.  C 

First  wife  of  Lewis  Ricks Stewart  co.,Tenn 

Second  wife  of  Lewis  Ricks Georgia 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser Madison  co.,  Ill 

Wife  of  Robert  Y.  Voyles Madison  co.,Ill 


1832 
1849 
1817 
1819 
1824 
1836 
1824 
1852 
1852 
1864 
1864 
1864 
1864 
1864 
1828 
1836 
1859 
1865 
1833 
1833 
1829 
1831 
1837 


NAMEOKI. 


Emmert,  William  T 

Hammacher,  Gustav 

Louisa  Helhveg 

Hammacher  Gustav,   Jr... 
Hammacher,  AmeliaLouisa 

Hillmer,  W 

Carolina  Scherer 

Heinemann,  Balthaser 

Catherine  Rosensteugel... 

Irish,  Tyler  J 

Lucinda  Elliott 

Moellenbrock,  Theodore.. 

Margaret  Zitzmann 

Moellenbrock,  John 

Moellenbrock,  Maggie 

Ruwisch,   August 

Ruwisch,  Wilhelmine 

Ruwisch,  August  F.' 

Stallings,  Thomas 

Rosanna  Emert 

Voriihnlil,  Casper 

Catherine  Buekwinkle.?... 

Whalioir.  Elizabeth  A 

Deniiisov  llarco 

AVhnling,  William 

Harrison  Bnreo 

Dem])sev  Barco 

Peter  Barco 

Zimmerman,  Henry  P 

vSophia  Lueders 

Zimmerman,  Henry  A 

Zimmerman,  William 


916  Lebaume  st. 
Nameoki 

St.  Louis,  Mo... 
Sect.  9 

Sect.  9 

Venice 

Sect.  9 

Sect.  9 

Sect.  16 

Sect.  16 

11 

Sect.  15 

11 

Sect.  15 

Nameoki 

Sect,  8 

Sect.  8 

Sect.  15 

Sect.  15 

11 

Sect.  15 

11 

Sect.  15 

11 

Sect.  17 

11 

Sect.  17 

11 

Sect.  17 

„      

Sect.  11 

Sect.  11 

Sect.  17 

Nameoki 

Sect.  17 

Sect,  15 

Sect.  15  . 

Sect.  15 

Sect.  15 

Nameoki 

Nameoki 

Sect.  8 

Sect.  8 

Sect.  8 

Nameoki 

Sect.  8 

Stock  dealer 

Farmer....; 

Wife  of  Gustav  Hammacher ! 

Son  of  Gustav  and  Amelia  L.  Hammacher.. 
Daughterof  ( lustav  t^  Amelia  L.  Hammacher 

Farmer  and   proprietor  of  .saloon 

Wile  of  W.  Hillmer 

Farmer 

Wife  of  Balthaser  Heinemann 

Physician 

Wife  of  Tyler  J.  Irish i 

Farmer 

AVife  of  Theodore  Moellenbrock 

Son  of  Theodore  and  Maggie  Moellenbrock..! 
Daughter  of  Theo.  and  Maggie  Moellenbrock 

Farmer 

Wife  of  August  Ruwisch 

Son  of  August  and  Wilhelmine  Ruwisch 

Farmer 

Mother  of  Thomas  Stallings 

Farmer 

Wife  of  Casper  Vornhold 

Farming 

First  husband  of  Elizabeth  Whaling 

Second  husband  of  Elizabeth  Whaling 

Farmer,  son  of  Eliz'bth  and  Dcmpsey  Barco. 
Farmer,  son  of  Eliz'bth  and  Dempsey  Barco. 
Farmer,  son  of  Eliz'bth  and  Dempsey  Barco. 

Farmer 

Wife  of  Henry  P.  Zimmerman 

Son  of  Henry  P.  and  Sophia  Zimmerman 

Son  of  Henry  P.  and  Sophia  Zimmerman 


Madison  co.,  Ill 

Germany 

Germany.... 

Missouri 

Missouri 

Hanover,  Ger 

Prussia,  Ger 

Germany 

Germany 

New  York 

Jersey   co.,  Ill 

Germany 

St.  Clair  CO.,  Ill 

Missouri 

Madison  co.,  Ill 

Hanover,  Ger 

Hanover,  Ger 

Madison  co..  Ill 

Madison  CO.,  Ill 

Viiginia 

Hanover,   Ger 

Prussia,  Ger'. 

Madison  co..  Ill 

Bradford  CO.,  Tenn. 

JIadison  co..  Ill 

^Madison  CO.,  Ill 

Madison  co..  Ill 

Madison  co..  Ill 

Pennsylvania 

Hanover,  Ger 

Madison  co.,  HI 

Madison  co.,  Ill 


1854 
1854 
1854 
1872 
1880 
1865 
1879 
1856 
1860 
1848 
1830 
1858 
1876 
1879 
1881 
1848 
1854 
1862 
1842 
1809 
1847 
1851 
1831 
1828 
1828 
1856 
1857 
1861 
1874 
1853 
1879 
1881 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


575 


CITY    OF    MARINE. 


POST  OFFICE.         RESIDENCE, 


Adier,  Charles Marine. 

f  Apffel,  William 

jCresseiica  Schmid 

i  Bernard,  Louis  F 
Bertha  lr>chniidt 
Blanko,  F.  G 
Christian  Bakenhiede jDc'dNov.29,'60 
Christine  E.  Ortgies Marine 

J  Blanke,  William "      

(  Gertrude  S.  Bcrnbrock "      

J  Deibert,  John "      

t  Elizabeth  Kolb "       

f  Eaton,  E.  M "      

I  Elizaln-th  Smith "      

I  Elbrim:.  Otto  A "      

\  Eibriiiir.  lli'rmann Baltimore 

(  Martraret  Vondoersteu Dec'dMar.2,'78 

(  Eaves,  William Marine. 

\  Elizabeth  Kuykendall Dee'd  ,  '68 

I  Martha  Pearee Marine 

Elbring,  H.  H "      

Anialia  Publy "      

Fiseher,  Peter "      

Elizabeth  Wermeling "      

'  Gehrs,  Henry "      

Fredrieka  Kieutzberg "      

Giesemann,  Henry "      

Miena  Eickmann "      

Hover,  H.  A "      

I  Annie  R.  Maud-sley 

I  Hettel,  John  Matliias.. 

I  .losephhie  Redlicb,  (aee  Wenzell).., 

jHoppe,  Henry 

I  T^ciiiL  Znrkuhlen 

j  H.iiiri.h,  Charles 

1  Elizabeth  Hoeiung 

j  .ludd,  Albert  H 

(  Elizalieth  Ann  Smith 

Judd,  Henry  L 

\  Dr.  Peter  Fisher 

j  H.  H.  Elbring 

Kireheis,  John  R 

Elise  Keller 

Mebolt,   F 

Marv  Clunii 'i> 

McCiinnis,  W.  H 

Annie  AVells 

j  Neudccker,  John | 

( Catharine  Weisenbacher... 

Parker,  Peter  G 

fStoeekli,  F 

I  Elizabeth  Liedel 

j  Wiedman,  P.  S 

I   Hirrict  J.  Breath  !n«  Jeleres.) 

j  Wentz,  Frieilerich 

{  Wilhelmina  Wittmer 


OCCCPATIOS. 


WHEN 
CAMB 

TO  CO. 


Marine Blacksmith,  wagon  maker,  dlr.  in  farm  impl'ts  Germany 

Barber Germany 18.56 

Wife  of  William  Apft'el Germany 18.}2 

Dealer  in  general  merchandise St.  Louis,  Mo 1.^58 

Wife  of  Louis  F.  Bernard Ma<lison  co.,  Ill 18.")9 

General  merchantand  postmaster Seelharst,  Prussia 1855 

First  wife  of  F.  (i.  Blanke Seelharst,  Prussia 1855 

Marine Present  wife  of  F.  G  Blanke Pahden,  Prussia 1861 

(ieneral  merchandise Seelharst,  Prus.sia 1857 

Wife  of  William  Blanke Hamm,  Prussia 1857 

Dealer  in  drv  goods  and  clothing Germany 1859 

Wife  of  Johii  Diebert Germany 1859 

Auctioneer Boston,  Mass 1853 

Wife  of  E.  M.  Eaton Bucks  co.,  Pa 

Marine,  111 18.59 


Salesman  

Father  of  Otto  A.  Elbring 

Mother  of  Otto  A.  Elbring 

Retired  farmer 

Fii-st  wife  of  William  Eaves 

Marine Present  wife  of  William  Eaves. 


....Baltimore. 


..  Marine . 


...  Germany. 1853 

...  Germany". 18.53 

...  Rutlieriord  Co.,  N.  C...  1830 
...  Buncombe  co.,  N.  C...'1830 

...Madison  CO., Ill 1821 

Prop'r  Marine  hotel,  insurance  &  book  agt... [Germany 1853 

WifeofH.H.  Elbring Germany 18.53 

Physician  and  surgeon Prussia 186-t 

Wile  of  Peter  Fischer Mercer  en.,  Ohio 1864 

Dealer  in  general  merchandise iHanover,  Germany....  18.57 

Wife  of  Henr\'  Gehrs Hanover,  Germany....  1857 

Proprietor  saloon Bnnvnscheoys,  Ger 1865 

Wife  of  Henr>-  Giesemann Germany 

Wason  &  carriage  mnfr.,  also  bridge  builderGermany 1844 

I  Wife  of  H.  A.  Hoyer IManchester,  England.l..^.. 

I  Dealer  in  stoves,  hardware.     HanufaclT  of  copper  i  sheet  Iron  "are.  BadcU,  Germany 18.55 

!!!...IWife  of  John  Mathias  Hettel IBavaria,  Germany l^i,')5 

General  merchandise Germany 1><7(; 

Wife  of  Henry  Hoppe St.  Louis,  Mo 1.S.54 

Constable  and  street  commissioner Germany 1860 

Wife  of  Charles  W.  Heinrich Lanea.ster  co.,  Pa 

Gr.iin  speculator Marine,  111 1842 

Wife  of  Albert  H.  Judd London,  England 1864 

f  For  school  district  No.  2,  Marine 

■!  For  school  district  No.  2,  Marine : 

(  For  school  district  No.  2,  Marine ' ; 

House  and  sign  painter Germany 1875 

Wife  of  John  R.  Kirchies (rermany 1S75 

Carpenter  and  builder Germany 1,S.5(! 

Wife  of  F.  Mebolt Madison  co..  Ill 1.S.52 

Minister  of  the  gospel,  Christian  church Pike  co.,  Mo 1881 

Wife  of  W.  H.  McGinnis Schuyler  co..  Ill 1881 

Retired  miller Germany 1853 

Wife  of  John  Neudecker France 1853 

Druggist  and  jeweler Madison  co..  Ill 18.55 

Proprietor  Franklin  saloon (xerniany 1877 

Wife  of  F.  Stoeekli Mudison  co.,  111.........  18.56 

Physician  and  surgeon Schoharie  Co.,  X.  Y...  1857 

Wife  of  P.  S.  Wiedman Virginia 

Dealer  in  hardware,  farm  implements,  etc...  Rhein,  Bavaria 1849 

(Wife  of  Friederich  Wentz Rhcin,  Bavaria 1854 


MARINE    TOWNSHIP. 


(Accola,  George Marine Sect.  9 Farmer Switzerland 

1  Anna  M.  Hurlemann "  'Sect.  9 Wife  of  George  Accola t-witzer  and 

(Accola,  Casper "  |Sect.  9 Farmer !-witzerland 

(Catharine  Hurlemann "  Sect.  9 Wife  of  Casper  Accola ^-witzer  and 

j  Brunner,  Rudolph "  Sect.  12 Farmer i^vvitzer  an. 

I  Miry  Bircher  "  Sect.  12 Wife  of  Rudolph  Brunner Switzerland 

f  Bader,  .lohn "  Sect.  24 J-^.rmer .-Switzerland 

1    Vnn  Maria  T.Gilgen j  "  IScct.  24 Wife  of  John  Bader Switzerland 

Hoosin-er,  J.  W "  'Sect.  2 |Farraer jPortage  co., 

Nancv  Stockton I  "  ISect.  2 IWife  of  J.  W.  Boosinger |..... 

Balsiger,  John,  Sr Highland ISect.  36 Farmer  and  fruitgrower Switzer  and, 

Julia  Bulliet "        Sect.  36 Wile  of  John  Balsiger,  Sr , Switzerland 

'Cook,  Robert  J I         "        !  Sect.  35 Farmer l5';  ^j'".'' c"- 

Ann  M.  Laslev "        Sect.  35.. 


.1846 
.1852 


,1852 
,  1857 


Ohio. 


1859 
1859 
1852 


AVife  of  Robert  Cook St!  Clair  co. 


.1848 
.  1S4S 
.1875 
.1875 


576 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS 


MARINE    TOWNSHIP-CONTINUED. 


(Ellison,  C.  M 

-  Ellison,  Jacob 

(  Ellison,Mary  (nee  Walker) 
I  Gottenstrater,  Harmann... 

I  Margaret  Kulins 

(Harrington,  John  W 

-j  Harrington,  John 

(  HaiTingtoa,  ( Matilda  K.  oec  Hlucb) 

j  Hentis,  Frederick 

(  Catherine  Meier 

(  Howard,  George 

1  Mar>'  Ann  Long 

(  Hnrlcniann,   Anton 

JRose   Debley 

I  Ims,  Henry,  Jr 

\  Ims,  Henry,  Sr 

(  Ims,  Elizb'th,  (nee  Neulsllng).  . 

j  Iberg,  August 

I  Anna  Maria  Zobrist I 

j  Iberg,  Samuel 

I  Caroline  Iberg 

Jeffress,  A.  W 

f  Johnson,  John 

1  E;iizabeth  Fitch 

j  Kreutzberg,  Conrad. 

(  Pahlman,  neeGrosenheider 

iKase,  Eberhard 
Clara  E.  Zimmerscheid 
Kjttler,  Charles  W 
Christina   Anselm 

j  Leutweiler,  Heinrich... 

(Elizabeth  Hnber 

j  Pence,  George  S 

(  Margaret  J.  Kepler 

f  Schafer,  John 

1  Josephine,  Kramer 

I  Schaf'er,  Michael 

(  Mary  K.  Kramer 

I  Schmidt,  Andreas j 

\  Gertrude  Kadel ' 

I  RerthaSchmidt,  .nceKaufmaim) 

iStoutzeuberg,  Joseph I 
Fannie  Lehr 
Schoeck,  Christian 
Mary  Kaum 

J  Schmidt,   Erasmus 

I  Loui.sa  Vouegt 

j  Suter,   Gustav 

I  Eliza  Hover 

f  Voigt,  Charles  L 

\  Voigt.    Ernst  L 

I  Voigt,  Catherine,  (ntesciimiijo 

I  VoUrath,  Jacob 

\  Margaret  (Jtillie  Hobeoz... 
j  Waage,  Mrs.  Mary  (hm  docM) 
\  Waage,  Conrad  C 


POST  OFFICE. 


RESIDENCE. 


Marine 

Dec'dAug.l,'81 
Marine 


Dc'd  Apr.24,'80 
Marine 


Sect.  3. 


Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 


Dc'd  Apr.28,'64 
Marine 


Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 


OCCtrPATION. 


Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 


Highland 
Highland 

Marine 'Sect. 

'Sect. 
ISect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
[Sect. 
ISect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 

"      'Sect. 

"      Sect. 

"      Sect. 

Dc'dOct.29,'6o.! 

Marine Sect. 

"      ;Sect. 

"      'Sect. 

St.  Jacobs Sect. 

St.  Jacobs Sect. 

Marine Sect. 

Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 

"      [Sect. 

Dc'd  Xov.30,'61 

Marine iSect. 

"      jSect. 

"      !Sect. 

Highland jSect. 

Dc'd  July  24,'66 


Farmer Madison  co.,  Ill 

Father  of  C.  M.  Ellison Long  Island 

Mother  of  C.  M.  Ellison Norfolk,  N.  Y 

Farmer i  Westphalia,  Ger 

Wife  of  Harmann  H.  Gottenstrater Indiana 

Farmer iMacoupin  co.,  Ill 

Father  of  John  W.  Harrington North  Carolina 

Mother  of  John  W.  Harrington .Christian  co.,  Ky 

Farmer IGermany 

Wife  of  Frederick  Hentis iGermany 

Farmer |St.  Clair  co..  Ill 

Wife  of  George  Howard Rockingham  co.,  Va... 

Farmer Switzerland 

Wife  of  Anton  Hurleman IMadison  co..  Ill 

Farmer jMadison  co..  Ill 

Father  of  Henry  Ims,  Jr JRyerfelt,  Ger 

Mother  of  Heniy  Ims,  Jr Overheim,  Ger 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser Madison  co..  Ill 

Wife  of  August  Iberg 'Germany 

Farmer iSwitzerland 

Wife  of  Samuel  Iberg Madison  co..  Ill 


1854 
1817 
1844 
1856 
1839 
18-50 


1817 
1854 
1854 
1812 
1831 
1852 
1853 
1852 
1844 
1844 
1840 
1845 
1841 
1836 

Virginia 1835 

Rensselaer  co.,  N.  Y...  1856 

Augusta  CO.,  Va 1831 

Germany 1860 

Germany '1862 

1858 
1866 


Farmer 

Farmer 

Wife  of  John  Fitch 

Farmer 

Wife  of  Conrad   Kreutzberg 

Farmer Germany 

Wife  of  Eberhard  Kase Germany 

Farmer Westphalia,  Ger... 

Wife  of  Charles  W.  Ketthr iHaden,Gor 

Farmer Switzerland 

Wife  of  Heinrich  Leutwieler Switzerland 

Farmer Warren  co.,  Ohio., 

Wife  of  George  S.  Pence Warren  co.,  Ohio., 

Farmer,  born  on  Mississippi,  on  steamer Alex.  Scott 

Wife  of  John  Schafer Madison  co 

Farmer Germany 

Wife  of  Michael  Schafer St.  Lonis,  Mo 

Farmer ;Germany 


1864 
1864 
1843 
1843 
1856 
1856 
1862 
1853 
1862 
1852 
1837 

First  wife  of  Andreas  Schmidt IGermany 1844 

Present  wife  of  Andreas  Schmidt Germany 1844 

Farmer Monroe  co..  Ill 1S61 

Wife  of  Joseph   Stoutzenberg Madison  co.,  Ill 1862 

Farmer Madison  co..  Ill il848 

"""      1850 

1837 
1844 


Wife  of  Christian  Schoeck Madison  co.,  Ill 

Farmer (Jermany 

Wife  of  Ejasmus  Schmidt Germany 

Farmer Switzerland [1856 

Wife  of  Gustav  Suter Germany Il844 

Farmer Madison  co..  Ill J1856 

Father  of  Charles  L.  Voigt Germany 1844 

Mother  of  Charles  L.  Voigt Germany 1839 

Farmer St.  Clair  co..  Ill 1861 

Wife  of  Jacob  Vollrath Germany 1864 

Farming [Switzerland 1843 

Late  husband  of  Mary  Waage [Hanover,  Ger 1836 


LEEF. 


Ambuel,  John 'Grant  Fork [Sect.  28.. 

Terres-a  Kraft [     "         "     [Sect.  28.. 

'  Ghidbach,  Peter [     "         "     Sect.  20.. 

.Josephine  Deibert [     "         "     !Sect.  20.. 

Kaltenbacher,  Ferdinand..      "         "     Saline.... 

Mulloy,  JohnJ "  "      Sect.  20.. 

Mead,'G.  W Alhamhra Sect.  IS.. 

Dugusta  Wise jAlhambra Sect.  18., 

Rockwell,  G.  W [Alhamhra Sect.  16., 

Catherine   Peterson Dc'd  Mar.  3,'73 

Ransom,  A.  R Grant   Fork Saline.... 

Anna  Wilson Grant  Fork Saline.... 

jStallings,  Mary  A Alhamhra ISect.  3... 

j  Stallings,  Harrison Dc'd  Dec.  3,'73.' 

fSl0.S3,    Roberto I  Pocahontas.  Bond  Co...  Scct.  36. 
Mary  Britton [        "        ",     ...ISeet.  36. 


.  Farmer  and  to\vtiship  collector ISwitzerland 

.Wife  of  John  Ambuel St.  Louis,  Mo 

,  Farmer  and  stock   raiser Graufen  Coin,  Prussia. 

.Wife  of  Peter  Gladbach !  Baden,  Germany 

.Proprietor  of  saloon Germany 

.Farmer  and  supervisor Co.  Mayo,Ireland 

.  Farmer  and  dealer  in  musical  instruraents..|Wyoming,  N.  Y 

.Wife  of  (;.  W.  Mead 'Washington,  Pa 

.[Farmer [Clay  co..  Mo 

.Late  wifcof  G.  W.  Rockwell Madison  CO.,  Ill 

.  Physician  and  surgeon  and  justice  of  peace...  Gallatin  co..  Ill 

.  Wife  of  A.  R.  Ransom Madison  co..  Ill 

.  Farmer Madison  co.,  Ill 

.  Late  husband  of  Mary  A.  Stallings Madison  co..  Ill 

.Farmer Florence,  Alhamhra... 

.[Wife  of  Robert  C.  Sloss [Providence,  Pa 


1839 

11857 
[1856 


1864 
1864 
1861 
1854 
1838 
1834 
1876 
1858 
1828 
1828 
18f9 
1868 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


677 


FORT    RUSSELL. 


Bartels,  Philopoena 

Bartels,  Charles 

Biilstcrs,  Coiiriul 

Ettie  M.  Eenkcu 

C(>oi)er,  J.  P 

Dierking,  William  H 

Xancv  L.  Talloii 

Estabrook,  W.  L 

Lillias  C.  Gilisnn 

Estabrodk,  .John 

Estabrook,  Nancy  (Seewhiie). 

Engelhart ,  Heurv 

Charlotte  Hill...: 

Flajrg,  Mrs.  W.  C 

Flagg,  WillardC 

Gaertner,  Frederick 

Rebecca  IJaurer 

Gait,  William 

Eiiiclinc  Estabrook 

G(jttk-ib  Nictc'rt 

5Ia ry  Lasemaii ii 

Gray,  John 

Saduie  Polev 

Hellrung,  Rarthel 

Senoria  Jocbl 

Helmkamp,  George  F 

Emilie  M.  Beckemeyer 

Hutchins,  James  D 

Mary  J.  Doubt 

Herreu,  John 

Ida  Miller 

Jones,  Austin 

Mary  A.  Morgan 

Lantermann,  H.  C 

Mary  D.  Irwin 

Lanterman,  William  A 

Eliza  Luman 

Lanterman,  W.  H 

Jennie  A.  Rus-iell 

Lake,  Charles  A 

Allie  M.  Robert-on 

Lake,  Robert  D 

Harriet  McGilvary 

Lawrence,  Mary  Ann. 

Lawrence,  George  W 

Lautner,  Margaret 

John  George  Lautner 

Morrison,  Samuel,  Sr 

Martha  White 

Maeners,  Ernst 

Martha  Hamilton 

Meier.  John 

Mary  Longcndorf 

Miller,  Catherine 

Miller,  Casper 

Miller,  John  M 

Margaret  Buchta 

McPlierson,  Henry  C 

Margaret  M.  Cornelison.... 

McPherson,  James 

Sydney  A.  Lawrence 

Newman,  W.  E 

Martha  A.  Harrison 

Xeunaber,  George 

Catharine  Rankin 

Xe\yman,  John  R 

Elizabeth  Belk 

Owens,  J.  P 

Sarah  L.  Jones 

Martin  Jones 

Margt.  Jones  ( nee  Wright) 

Preuitt,  Wiley 

Martha  H.  Lyon 

Luther  Wells  Lyon 


POST  OFFICE.         RESIDEKCE. 


Edwardsville...  Sect.  32, 
Dec'd  Apr.6,'71 
Bethalto 


OCCUPATION'. 


NATIVITY. 


Edwardsville. 
Bethalto 


Edwardsyille... 

Dc'd  Mav  2,  '81 
Dc'd  NoV.  3,'81 
Liberty  Prairie 
Dc'd  Apr.  14,7G 

Moro 

Dc'd  Mar..30,'78 
Liberty  Prairie. 
Liberty  Prairie. 
Ed\vardsville... 
Eilwardsville... 
Liberty  Prairie. 
Liberty  Prairie. 

Bethal'to 

Bethalto 


Sect.  8... 
Sect.  8... 
Sect.  li".. 
Sect.  IG.. 
Sect.  in.. 
Sect.  14.. 


..Farming Germany 

..Late  husband  of  Philopoena  Bartels jGermany 

..Farmer St.  Clair  co..  Ill 

..Wife  of  Conrad  Balsters Osfriesland,  Ger 

..  Farmer Madison  en 

..  Farmer Hanover,  (iermany. 

..  Wife  of  William  H.  Dierking Madison  co..  Ill 

..  Farmer Madison  co.,  Ill 


Moro 

Mnro 

Edwar  sville. 
Edwardsville. 
Bethalto 


Edwardsville. 
Edwardsyille. 
Moro 


Bethalto... 


Mnro 

Dc  d  Apr.  17,'79 
Edwardsville... 
Dc'd  Feb.  12,'74 
Liberty  Prairie. 
Liberty  Prairie. 
Omph-Ghent... 
Omidi-Ghent... 
Carpenter 

Edward.sville... 
Dc'd  June2,'78 
Edw-ardsville... 
Edwardsville^... 
Moro 


Liberty  Prairie 


Edwardsyille... 
Edwardsville... 
Dc'd  Feb.in,'47 
Dc'd  Aug.  11,'81 
Bethalto 


Sect.  14 Wife  of  W.  L.  Estabrook St.  Loui.s,  Mo.. 

Father  of  W.  L.  Estabrook East  Lexington,  Ma.ss. 

Mother  of  W.  L.  Estabrook Charlotte,  X.  C 

Sect.  13 Fanner Brunswick,  Germany.. 

Late  wife  of  Henry  Engelhart Prussia 

Sect.  3 Farming ! Windsor  co.,  Vt 

Late  husband  of  Mrs.  W.  C.  Flagg Madison  co.,  Ill 

Sect.  23 Farmer  and  storekeeper Darmstadt,  Germany.. 

Sect.  23 Wife  of  Frederick  Gaertner Darmstadt,  Gernnmy.. 

Sect.  14 Farmer Ayrshire,  Scotland 

Sect.  14 Wife  of  William  Gait Madison  co..  Ill 

Sr(.'t.    '^'1  FurillCr Bcrckoburg,  Lippe,  Schaumburg... 

Sect!  2ll!!!!!!!!  Wife  of  Gottlieb  Xietert Missouri 

Bethalto Saddle  and  harness  maker Madison  co.,  II! 

Bethalto Wife  of  John  Gray JIacoupin  co..  Ill 

Sect.  1 Farmer  and  stock 'raiser Saxony,  Germany 

Sect.  1 Wife  of  Barthel  Hellrnng Switzerland 

Se^t.  4 Farmer  and  stock  raiser St.  Lnuis,  Mo 

Sect.  4 Wife  of  Geo.  F.  Helmkamp St.  Lnuis,  Mo 

Suet.  15 Farmer  and  stock  r.aiser Calvert  co,  Md 

Sect,  l.'j ;Wife  of  James  D.  Hutchins Madi.-snn  co.,  Ill 

Sect.  20 Farmer Osfrie.sland,  Germany. 

Sect.  20 IWife  of  John  Herren |Osfriesland,  Germany. 

Sect.  19 Farmer  and  stock  raiser Madison  co.,Ill 

Sect.  19 AVife  of  Austin  Jones Madi.son  co.,  Ill 

Sect.  19 Farmer Sangamon  co.,  Ill 

Sect.  19 Wife  of  H.  C.  Lanterman |Edwardsyille,  111 

Sect.  16 Farmer  and  stflck  raiser Fleming  co.,  Ky 

Sect.  II) Wife  of  Wm.  A.  Lanterman Lewis  co.,  Ky 

Sect.  Ki Farmer;  son  of  Wm.  A.  and  E.  Lanterman.  Madison  co..  Ill 

Sect.  16 Wife  of  W.  H.  Lanterman Macoupin  co.,  Ill 

Sect.  21 Farmer  and  stock  raiser Madison  co.,  Ill 

Sect.  21 Wife  of  Charies  A.  Lake Madison  co..  Ill 

Sect.  21 Farmer  and  stock  raiser St.  Louis,  Mo 

Sect.  21 Wife  of  Robert  D.  Lake -Macoupin  co.,  Ill 

Sect.  4 Farming  and  stock  raising :Logan  co.,  Ky 

Late  husband  of  Mary  A.  Lawrence Madison  co.,  Ill 

Sect.  26 Farming '. Bavaria,  Germany 

iLate  husband  of  Margaret  Lautner Bavaria,  Germany 

Sect.  12 IParmer Go.  Tyrone,  Ireland... 

Sect.  12 Wife  of  Samuel  Morrison Co-  Tyrone,  Ireland... 

Sect.  1 Farmer Friestland,  Germany.. 

Sect.  1 AVife  of  Ernst  Maeners St.  Louis,  Mo '.... 

Silt.  12 Farmer Madison  co.,  Ill 

Sect.  12 Wife  of  John  Meier Germany 

Sect.  34 Fanning Go.  AVexford,  Ireland. 

Late  husband  of  Catharine  Miller Carlsruhe,  Germany... 

Sect.  22 Farmer Bavaria 

Sect.  22 lAVifeof  John  M.  Miller Bavaria 

Sect.  5 'Farmer Logan  co.,  Ky 

Sect.  ') AVife  of  Henry  C.  McPherson.... Pierce  co.,  Wis 

Sect.  9 Farmer  and  stock  raiser Logan  co.,  Ky 

Sei  t.  9 AVife  of  James  McPherson Madison  co..  Ill 

Sect.  11 Farmer  and  stock  raiser Madison  co..  Ill 

Sect.  11 Wife  of  AV.  E.  Newmann Sangamon  co..  Ill 

Sect.  14 Farmer Hanover,  Germany.... 

Sect.  14 1  AVife  of  (Jenrge  Xeunaber Hanover,  Germany.... 

Sect.  11 [Farmer  and  stock  raiser Madison  en..  Ill 

Sect.  11 jAVife  of  .John  R.  X'ewman A'orkshire,  England.... 

Sect.  20 Fanner  and  st^ck  raiser Davidson  co.,  Tenn... 

Sect.  20 Wife  of  J.  P.  Owens Madison  co.,  Ill 

Father  of  Mrs.  J.  P.  Owens 

'Mother  of  Mrs.  J.  P.  Owens A'irginia 

Sect.  18 jFarmer Madison  co.,  Ill 

Sect.  18 AVife  of  AVilev  Preuitt Windom,  Conn 

Sect.  18 Father  of  Mrs.  AA^Iev  Preuitt [AVindom,  Conn 


1856 
'I8.i6 

!l8r)8 
'1879 
1848 
1874 
1843 
1833 
186.5 
1816 
1820 
1841 
1844 
1806 
1829 
1858 
11858 
1845 
1826 
18,54 
18.54 
48,58 
1862 
1852 
1.854 
1866 
1881 
1841 
1840 
1851 
1  .S65 
1844 
l.S,50 
1869 
1844 
1819 
,1828 
1858 
18,- 7 
11856 
1864 
18,53 
1869 
18.59 
1830 
1848 
1839 
18.55 
18.55 
1868 
1866 
1852 
1862 
bS.'-'S 
18.36 
1851 
1840 
1859 
1874 
18.59 
18.52 
1821 
1834 
1866 
1.S66 
1818 
1843 
18.38 
1826 


1806 
1.827 
1836 
1836 


578 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


FORT  RUSSELL.-coNTiNUED. 


POST  OFFICE.         RESIDENCE 


Patterson,  Andrew  C 

Janette   E.  Harvey 

Paddock,  iSusan 

Paddock,  Gains ." 

Paddock,  Mary  (nee  Wood) 
'Paul,  Henry 

Louisa  Sclilicpsick 

I  Catlu'iiiie  Mover 

Prany:e,  Cliarlcs  W 

\  Julia  Kleffnum 

(  Richmond,  Volney  P 

\  Victoria  E.  West 

(Harriet   Anthony 

■  Robinson,  Sidney 

I.   J.  Harlan 

Robinson,  W.  S.  B 

Robinson  Letitia,  nee  White 

Russell,  CO 

Lizzie  Palmer 

I  Springer,  Thomas  O.... 

Emily  M.  Thompson.., 

Ella  J.  Randie 

fStahlhut,  F.  0 

I  Louisa  S.  Nietret 

(Sfheer,  D.  C 

■',  Christina  Eva  Cappel 
(  Louisa  D.  Dierkiug... 

f  Silland,  John 

I  Theresa  Young 

fStulkin,  Henry  J 

Catherine  W.  Smith... 

Mary  J.Young 

fStillwell,  Nimrod 

Phoebe  Surrett 

Lorena  Lawrence iBethalto  . 

(  Smith,  Wm.  A iMoro 


Edwardsville....  Sect.  15 
"  ...  Sect.  15 

More Sect.  3.. 

Dc'dAug.lO,'31 
Dc'd  Julvl5,'51 
Omph-Ghent.... 
Dc'd  Oct.  —.'61 
Omph-Ghent.... 
Edwardsville.... 


OCCUPATION. 


NATIVITY. 


Moro 

Dc'd  Sept.8,'56. 

Moro 

Liberty  Prairie 
Liberty  Prairie 
Liberty  Prairie. 
Dc'dSep.10,'79. 

Bethalto 

Bethalto 


Sect.  1... 
Sect.  36., 
Sect.  36., 
Sect.  10. 


Sect.  10. 
Sect.  11. 
Sect.  11. 
Sect.  11. 


Bethalto  . 
Bethalto . 


Bethalto Sect.  30 

Dc'd  Jan.21,  '58 
Bethalto  . 
Edwardsville.... 


Sect.  30., 
Sect.  22., 
Sect.  22., 
Sect.  14., 


Liberty  Prairie. 
Dc'd  Apr.23,'52 
Liberty  Prairie.  Sect.  14. 

Carpenter Sect.  9.., 

:Sect.  9.. 

Edwardsville....  Sect.  28, 

Dc'd  Nov.  8,'74. 

Edwardsville... .jSect.  28 

Bethalto iSect.  5.. 

iDc'd  June, '35. 

Sect.  5.. 
...Sect.  6 


I  Pollv  Ann  Lanterman Moro Sect.  6.... 

JSL0tt,Eliz'th  J.  (neeBaird)  Bethalto 'Bethalto jRetired 


Farmer 

Wife  of  .\ndrew  C.  Patterson 

Farming  and  stock  raising...; 

Father  of  Susan  Paddock 

Mother  of  Susan  Paddock 

Farmer  and  stock  rai.scr 

First  wife  of  Henry  Paul 

Present  wife  of  Henry  Paul 

Farmer 

Wife  of  Charles  W.  Prange 

Farmer  a  nd  fine  stock  raiser 

First  wife  of  Volney  P.  Richmond 

Present  wife  of  Volney  P.  Richmond 

Farmer 

Wife  of  Sidney  Robinson 

Father  of  Sidney  Robinson 

Late  wife  of  W.  S.  B.  Kobin.son 

Barber 

Wife  of  C.  C.  Russell 

Farmer 

First  wife  of  Thomas  O.  Springer 

Present  wile  of  Thomas  O.  Springer 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Wife  of  F.  C.  Stahlhut 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

First  wife  of  D.  C.  Scheer 

Present  wife  of  D.  C.  Scheer 

Wagon  maker 

Wife  of  John   Silland 

Farmer  and  stock  I'aiser 

First  wife  of  Henry  J.  Stulkin 

Present  wife  of  Henry  J.  Stulkin 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

First  wife  of  Nimrod  Stillwell 

Present  wife  of  Nimrod  Stillwell 

Farmer 

Wife  of  William  A.  Smith 


Madison  co..  Ill '1845 

Madison  co..  Ill '|1844 

Middleborough.  Mass. 1835 
Middleborough,  Mass.  1815 
Middleborough,  Mass.  1815 

Bavaria,  Germany 1854 

Liber,  Germany... 
Istrap,  Germany... 

St.  Louis,  Mo 

St.  Louis,  Mo 

slock.  WiDdior  CO..  V\ 

Edwardsville,  111. 

Sberburur,  Rutland  co.   VI 

Madison  co.,  111... 
Macoupin  co..  111. 
Lincoln  co.,  N.  C. 
Lincoln  co.,  N.  C, 
Wabash  CO.,  111.... 
Madison  co..  111... 
Madi.son  co.,  111... 
Madison  co..  111.., 
St.  Clair  co..  111.. 
Madison  co.,  111.. 
Madison  co.,  111.. 

Hanover,  Ger 

Bavaria,  Ger 

Hanover,  Ger 

Herman,  Mo 


(  Scott,  Richard Dec'd  Oct.  4, '65 


Bethalto . 


(  Scott,  C.  L.  (nee  Chapman)  Bethalto 

'  Scott,  J.  H pc'ilDcc.31,'64 

'Smith,  Christian  P lEdwanlsville... 

Frances  Kaiser JEdwardsville  ... 

[  Schwarzkopf,  Bernhard Liberty  Prairie. 

Josepha   Klaus Dec'd  1866 

Friederika  Krieger iLibertv  Prairie. 

J  Silland,  L iLibertv  Prairie.iSect.  9, 

I  M.  Miller ILibertv  Prairie.  Sect.  9 


Sect.  28., 
Sect.  28., 
Sect.  23. 


Sect.  23. 


iSchmiz,  G.  A 
Mary  Hilldermau., 
f  Weiss,  Friedrick.. 
I  Marv  A.  Bauer.... 

J  Welker,  L 

(  Elizabeth  Crosby. 


Bethalto 

Bethalto 

Liberty  Prairie. 
Liberty  Prairie. 
Alton  Junction. 
Alton  Junction. 


Bethalto . 
Bethalto . 
Sect.  12.. 
Sect.  12.. 
Sect.  35.. 
Sect.  35.. 


Late  husband  of  Elizabeth  J.  Scott 

Retired 

Late  husband  of  C.  L.  Scott 

Farmer 

Wife  of  Christian  P.  Smith 

Wagonmaker  and  blacksmith 

First  wife  of  Bernhard  Schwarzkopf. 

Present  wife  of  Bernhard  Schwarzkopf.. 

Blacksmith 

Wife  of  L.  Silland 

Jeweler 

Wife  of  G.  A.  Schmiz 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Wife  of  Friedrick  Weiss 

Farmer 

Wife  of  L.  Welker 


1861 
1881 
1881 
1819 
1828 
1837 
1834 
1853 
1815 
1817 
1868 
1858 
1827 
1827 
1844 
1855 
1860 
1842 
1845 
1853 
1862 

Darmstadt |1859 

Oklenbcrg,  Ger 1844 

Hesse  Darmstadt 

Madison  co.,  111.., 

Berk  co.,  N.  C... 

Davidson  co.,  N.  C ,1834 

Davidson  co.,  Teun...'1830 

Cumberland  co..  Pa.. .11843 

Madison  CO.,  Ill ^1840 

Madison  co..  Ill 1840 

Alabama 

Madison  co..  111.... 

Madison  co.,  Ill  ... 

Hess'e  Darmstadt.. 

Hanover,  Ger , 

Wurtemburg,  Ger, 


1861 
1834 


1841 
1836 
1847 
1848 
1859 


1867 

.Germany 1853 

.  IGerniany i  1853 

Germany '1869 

Monroe  co..  Ill 1860 

Saxony,  Ger 1849 

Darmstadt,  Ger 1848 

Knox  CO.,  Ohio 1857 

Madison  co..  Ill .1841 


WOOD  RIVER. 


Upper  Alton.... 
Dc'd  Dcc.15,'65 
Upper  Alton.... 
Upper  Alton.... 

Bethalto 

Bethalto 

Upper  Alton 
Upper  Alton 
Bethalto 


iBadley,  Sarah  Ann.. 
Badley,  Wm 
Bulkley,  Justus 

iMary  B.  Rice 
Bangert,  Jacob  C... 
Catherine  Humra 
Cartwright,   George. 

(  Charity  Bachard 

rClark.'Wm.  G 

J  Clark,  James  F 

I  Clark,  James  W 

I  Fannie  Smith 

(Flick,  Conrad 

\  Mary  J.  Williams.... 
I  Fliciv,  Marv  Lenora. 

TGillham,  Shadrach  B Upper  Alton.... 

I  Martha  Smith Upper  Alton.... 

■'  Gillham,  Thomas [Dc'd  Nov.  8,'44, 

I  Gillham,  Mirsraret  L lOc'd  Dec.22,'62 


Sect.  9.. 


Sect.  6 

Sect.  6.... 
Bethalto . 
Bethalto . 

Sect.  4 

.■Sect,  4.... 
Bethalto . 


Dc'd  June  5,'68. 
Bethalto 


Howard  co..  Mo 

Worcestershire,  Eng... 
Livingston  co.,  N.  Y., 
Campbell  co.,  Va 


1834 
1840 
1842 
1880 
1865 
1X65 
1851 


Farmina:  and  stock  raising 

Late  husliaiHJ  of  Sarah  A'.  Badley 

Prof,  of  Sliurtlctr  College 

Present  wife  of  Justus  Bulkley 

Dealer  in  boots  and  Shoes....." 'Germany 

Wife  of  Jacob  C.  Bangert [Germany 

Farmer [Yorkshire,  Eng. 

Wife  of  George  Cartwright lYorkshire,  Eng [1852 

Miller ^Adams  co..  Ill [1877 

Miller [St.  Louis,  Mo 1878 

Foreman  or  Prosident  Mills  and  Father  or  Wm.  G.  aud  J.  F.  l-Mnrk  .lUtica,  N.    Y 18/8 

Wife   of  James  W.  Clark [Ireland 1878 

Contractor  and  builder [Somerset  co..  Pa 1855 

Late  wife  of  Conrad  Flick Madison  co l""," 

Daughter  of  Conrad  Flick iMailison  co 1867 


Bethalto . 

Sect.  8 Fanner  ami  fruit  raiser 

Sect.  8 jWifc  of  Sliadracli  B.  Gillham.... 

Father  of  Shadrach  B.  Gillham 

iMother  of  Sliadiivh  B.  Gillham 


Madison  CO.,  Ill 1831 

Madison  Co.,  Ill 1833 

North  Carolina 1800 

South  (Vrlinn 1810 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


579 


WOOD      RIVER— CONTINUED. 


POST  OFFICE. 


OCCUPATION. 


NATIVITY. 


Farmer Farqiier  co.,  Va.... 

Late  wife  of  William  Gill Woodford  uo.,  Ky., 

.  Farmer Si'liuvlkill  co.,  Pa.. 

Wife  of  Peter  S.  Greenwood Ohio 

..'Gardener Germany. 


(Gill,  William Upper  Alton...  Sect.  10... 

(Elizabeth  Trabue Dc'd  Jan.  6, '81 

(Greenwood,  Peter  S [Bethalto Sect.  2... 

(Sarah  M.  Crawford Bethalto Sect.  2... 

(  Gaeller,  Michael lAlton  Junction  Sect.  18.. 

JMarvStutz Alton  Junction  Sect.  18 Wife  of  Michael  Gaeller Germany 

Gesenhues,  Herman Bethalto Bethalto iRector  St.  Martin's  Catholic  church St.  Limis,  Mo... 

(  Haller,  A.  G Alton  Junction  Sect.  29 IFarmer Madison  co.,  111.... 

I  Anna  Tipel "  "        jSect.  29 Wife  of  A.  G.  Haller .Madi.son  co..  III.... 

(  Koch,  John j     "  "         Alton  J'unctioniMerchant  and  grocer (iennany 

1  Henricttc  .locsting '     "  "        JAlton  Junction 'Wife  of  John  Koch iCrerniany 

J  Koort,  Hcniv  M jUpper  Alton...  Sect.  4 JFarmer  and  stock  raiser iGermany 

I  Eleanoni  W  iltfcld |Upper  Alton...  Sect.  4 |Wife  of  Henry  M.  Koort IMadison  co..  111.... 

(Miller  J    A     Bethalto Bethalto iDealer  in  hivrdware  and  farm  implements....  Baltimore,  Md 

\  Marv  E.  Hagerman ■       "         Bethalto Wife  of  J.  A.  Miller Dearborn  co.,  Ind 

(  Montgomerv,  Hampton  ....!       "        Sect.  13 iFarmer  and  stock  raiser Madison  co.  111.... 

i  Martha  Green Dc'd  Nov.  2, '70' iLate  wife  of  Hampton  Montgomery \\  ilkes  co.,  JN.  C 1862 

(  McKenzie,  Joseph  H Upper  Alton... ISect.  8 iBroom  manufacturer lelfcr.son  co.,  Ky 1847 

t  McKenzie,  Jame.s...; Dc'd  Ap.  16, '78 Father  of  Joseph  H.  McKenzie Ireland 

J  Mcintosh,  Francis  M Upper  Alton...  Sect.  22 Farmer Union  co..  111...., 

I  Millie  E.  Griffin Dc'd  June  5,  '76| Late  wife  of  Francis  M.  Mcintosh Madison  co..  III.. 

j  Phaver,  Mary Upper  Alton... 'Sect.  8 Farming Wexlord  co.,  Ireland...l852 

I  Phayer,  Joseph  D Dc'd  May  4, '70l iLate  husband  of  Mary  Phayer Limerick  co.,  Ireland..  1852 

(  Rodgeii,  Andrew  F Upper  Alton... iSect.  3 IFarmer  and  stock  raiser Howard  co..  Mo 1834 

I  Jane  F.  Delaplain "  "    ...Sect.  3 Wife  of  Andrew  F.  Kodgers Madison  co.,  Ill |1838 

I  Rodgers  Edward !     "  "    ...  Sect.  5 Farmer  and  stock  raiser Madison  co.,Ill 1839 

I  Ella  Hewit   "  "    ...  Sect.  5 Wife  of  Edward  Rodgers ;Madison  co..  Ill il851 

">  Ebenezer  Rodgers..... Dc'd  Ap.  26, 'ol! Father  of  Edward  Rodgers Monmouthshire,,  Eug.  1834 

1826 


1835 
1836 
1858 
1860 
1867 
1867 
1881 
1836 
1844 
1868 
1869 
1874 
1858 
1834 
1834 
1833 


1847 
1843 
1852 


\  Permelia  Jackson Upper  Alton 

(Randle,  Edward  B Bethalto [Bethalto 

\  Mary  E.  Powers Dc'd  Oct,  10, '67' 

(Marv  Etta  Nclscm Bethalto Bethalto 

(  Rotsch,  Rlu-inhold Betludto ISect.  11.. 

\  Mary  Kamann Dc'd  Sep.  15,'72 


Mother  of  Edward  Rodgers Kentucky 

Dealer  in  drugs,  liardware,  agriculfl  inqilt's  Madison  co.,  111.. 

First  wife  of  Edward  B.  Randle New  York 

Present  wife  of  Edward  B.  Randle iNew  Himpshire 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser iMadison  co.,  111.. 

^^„ ^._ First  wife  of  Rheinhold  Rotsch Germany 

,  Mary  Smith..........!.!. Bethalto.. .......ISect.  11 IPiesent  wife  of  Rheinhold  Rotsch IJackson  co..  Mo. 

(  Souires,  Jeremiah Upper  Alton...  Sect.  6 Farmer Madison  co.,Ill 18.57 

1  Marv  J.  Evans Upper  Alton...  Sect.  6 Wife  of  Jeremiah  Squires North  Wales 1859 

(  Schmidt,  Nicolas Bethalto Bethalto ICarpenter Germany 1861 

"(Ottele  Stoehr Bethalto Bethalto 'Wife  of  Nicolas  Schmidt Monroe  co.,  Ill ;1861 

(Squires,  Amos Alton  Junction  Sect.  22 Farmer jMadison  co.,  Ill 

i  Lucv  Jackson i     "  "        iSect.  22 Wife  of  Amos  Squires |Madison  co..  Ill 


1881 
1850 
1852 
1862 


J  Wiedmer,  John Bethalto. 

I  Catharine  Grob I        " 


Weaver,  Franklin  J "       

Mary  A.  Gibbs iDc'd  Apr.  7,  '81 

Williams,  Lydia  (n™Moore)...|Upper  Alton... 

Williams,  Madison Dc'd  Jan.  25,'68 

Young,  Peter Alton  Junction'Sect.  26, 


1831 
1836 
1836 
1840 
1864 
1864 
1864 

iBethalto iSuperinteudent  President  mills Switzerland 1854 

Bethalto 'Wife  of  John  Wiedmer iSwitzerland 

Bethalto i Engineer  President  mills '.\rkansas  co..  Ark. 

Late  wife  of  Franklin  J.  Weaver lEast  Tennesee 

Farming JMadison  co..  Ill 

Late  husband  of  Lydia  Williams Knox  co.,  Tenn.... 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser Belgium  , 


f  Smith,  Upton I     "  "         Sect.  35 Farmer Madison  co..  Ill 

I  Emma  Kimball '     "  "        |Sect.  35 'Wife  of  Upton  Smith Indiana 

(Van  Prefers,  M.  H tipper  Alton...  (Sect.  17 Farming lefferson  co..  Mo 

\  Van  Prefers   John  F Dc'd  Jan.  26,'70' Late  husband  of  M.  H.  Van  Preters IWashington  co..  Mo... 

Van  Preters  Louis  B I  Dc'd  Aug.  8, '75' ;Son  of  John  T.  and  M.  H.  Van  Preters Jetterson  co..  Mo 


1848 
1849 
1855 
1821 
1835 
1858 
Anna'Smith.'..................!  Alton  Junction  Sect.  26 |Wife  of  Peter  Young IGermany |1865 


Sect.  2.. 


HELVETIA. 


f  Baumann,  Christ 

(  Anna  Habbegger 

(  Bellm,  Vallentine.... 
\  Barbara  Buchiiiann. 

(  Blacet,  Francois 

I  Juliet  Astopiiey 

j  Buchmann,  Joseph.. 
(  Mary  Y'ann 

ICuddv,  Julia 
Cuddy,  Sarah  A 
Cuddy,  Ephraim  D.. 
Cuddy,  George 
Mary  Faires 

IDelassus,  Isaiah 
Delassus,  Henry 
Delassus,  Edward  C. 
Delassus,  Zeline  (He"  Boiteo... 


Highland |Sect.  1... 

"        ISect.  1... 

"        Sect.  9... 

Sect.  9... 

Sect.  24.. 

"        Sect.  24.. 

"        Sect.  4... 

"        Sect.  4... 

"        Sect.  9... 

"        Sect.  9... 

"        Sect.  9... 

Dc'd  July  25,'71 

Dc'dJulyl7,'56l 

Highland ISect.  13.. 

Highland Sect.  13.. 

Dc'd  Jan.  4,  '76 

Dee'd ,  '60 


Farmer  and  highway  commissioner 

Wife  of  Christ  Baumann 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Wife  of  Valentine  Bellm 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Wife  of  Francois  Blacet 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Wife  of  Joseph  Buchanan 

Farming 

Farming 

Farmer 

Father  of  Julia,  Sarah  and  Ephraim  Cuddy 
Mother  of  Julia,  Sarah  and  Ephraim  Cuddy 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Father  of  Isaiah  and  Henry  Dela-ssus 

Mother  of  Isaiah  and  Henry  Delassus 


Canton  Bern,  Swtzld.. 
Canton  Bern,  Swtzld.. 
Laugenbruchen,  Bdn.. 
Canton  Luzern,Swtz'd 
Dept.  Aisne,  France... 
Canton  Voud,  Swtzld.. 

Madison  co.,  Ill 

Jefferson  CO.,  Ky 

Madison  co..  Ill 

Madison  co.,  Ill 

'Madison  co.,  Ill 

Tennesee 

Madison  CO.,  Ill 

Madison  co..  Ill 

'Madison  co..  Ill 

Dept.  Aisne,  France... 
Dept.  Somme,  France 


1862 
1850 
1845 
1833 
1853 
1840 
1852 
1871 
1852 
1850 
1859 
1816 
1821 
1857 
1859 
1849 
1849 


580 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


HELVETIA.-CONTINDED. 


POST  OFFICE. 


f  Delassus,  Edward 

I  Leah  R.  Treinblay 

(  Drancourt,  Hippolyte 

I  Ernestine,  Rogier, nee  DnjnrjiD 

(  Good,  Jacob 

]  Louise  Burclvard 

f  Hagnaiier,  Wni 

I  Elizabctli   Mueller 

f  Heinrich  J.  Gottlob 

1  Christina  Rohrauer 

I  Koehler,  Melchior 

I  Catherine  Guentei- 

iKeilbach,  Franz 
Christine  Gundli 
Koch,  Fritz 
Leh na  Wi n ter 

f  Latzer,  Louis 

I  Mary  Wilt 

I  Luehni,  Albert 

I  Luehm,  Eliza 

1  John  Leder 

I  Luehm,  Barbara,  (uee  Biei.od) 
f  Luehm,  John.» 

<  Elizabeth  Werndli 

(  Anna  Sehaft'ner 

j  Lebeque,  Jules 

1  Neree  Rogier 

f  Lorenz,  Frank 

j  Louisa  Hausle 

(  Meyer,  J.  Henry 

]  Caroline  Andres 

j  Malan,  Louis 

(  Helena  Demoulin 

j  N^ittier,  Emil,  Sr 

K  Eliza  Josephine  Nattier... 
(  Dina  Ledouble 

Ramsey,  William  S 

f  Rosier,  John  B 

1  >Liry  Brauchaud 

I  Rietmann,  A 

I  Sophia  Wyss 

(  Schmiedlin,  John  F 

1  Virginia  J.  vSchiele 

J  Schlicht,  Jacob 

(  Bertha  Lang 

(Streif,  C.  Michael,  Jr 

I  Louisa  B.  Schmidt 

Storbech,  Friedrich 

A.  Mary  Good 

Siippiger,   Robert 

Mary  Hagnauer 

Vuliiet,   Louis  F 

Athaliah  Sevceriat 

f  Walter,  Albert 

j  Sophia  Bender 

I  Widmer,  Maurice 

(  Magdalena  Rail 

I  Yann,  John 

I  Caroline  Hochulie 

1  Zobrist,   Henry 

I  Eliza  Leutwiler 

j  Zobrist,  Edward 

1  Miry  A.  Gruonig 

f  Zolk,  Sebastian 

<  Amansia  Gundli 

i  Rosa  Rail 

I  Zoller,  Armand 

1  Blanch  Paris 

f  Zilles,  John 

1  Dorothea  Brackhahn 


Highland . 


RESIDENCE. 


De.e'd  1867 
Highland., 


OCCUPATION. 


Sect.  13 Farmer  and  school  director 

Sect.  13 Wife  of  Edward  Delassus 

Sect.  26 Farmer  and  stock   raiser 

Late  wife  of  Hijipolyte  Drancourt 

[Sect.  28 Farmer  and  stock   raiser 

.ISect.  28 Wife  of  Jacob   Good 

.ISect.  31 jFarmer,  stock  raiser  and  school  trustee.. 

.ISect.  31 iWife  of  William  Hagnauer 

Sect.  21 'Fai-mer  and  stock  raiser 

.  Sect.  21 IWife  of  J.  Gottlob  Heinrich. 

.  Sect.  18 

I  Sect.  18 
.ISect.  33, 

Sect.  33, 
.'Sect.  10 


Dc'd  July,  73. 
Highland 


Dc'd  Dec.12,'77 
Highland 


Deceased.. 
Highland. 


Farmer  and  stock  raiser., 

Wife  of  Melchior  Koehler 

Farmer 

Wife  of  Franz  Keilbach 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Sect.  10 jWifeof  Fritz  Koch 

Sect.  17 Fanner  and  supervisor 

Sect.  17 jWife  of  Louis  Latzer 

Sect.  19 !  Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Sect.  19 [Wife  of  Albert  Luehm 

Sect.  19 |Re tired   farmer 

Sect.  19 iMotherof  Albert  Luehm 

Sect.  30 (Farmer  and  stock  rai.ser 

First  wife  of  John  Luehm 

Sect.  30 'Present  wife  ot  John  Luehm.. 

Sect.  13 1  Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Sect.  13 jWife  ot  Jules  Lebeque., 

Sect.  32.... 
Sect.  32.... 
Sect.  31.... 


.Madison  CO.,  Ill 1851 

,lClinton  co.,  HI {1862 

,iDep't  Somme,  France.  1849 
.Dep't  Nord,  France...  1851 

.  Madison  CO.,  Ill Il855 

.Madison  CO.,  Ill 1857 

.{Madison  CO.,  Ill {1842 

.;Canton  Aargau,  Swt'd|1855 
.  Waiblingen,  Wurt'bg.|l854 
.  Waiblingen.  Wurt'bg.  1856 

,  ;Ei!ena(;hSa!ien  Woimar 1859 

, [Riseaach  Snxeo  Weimar 

.(Baden 

.  Canton St.Gallen,Sw'd!l842 
.  Canton  Aargau,  Swt'd.'1857 
.  Schaumberg,  AVurt'bg.  1867 

.'Madison  co..  Ill 1848 

,  Madison  CO.,  Ill 1852 

Madison  CO.,  Ill 1850 

,  Highland,  111 ilS52 

{Canton  Aargau,  Swt'd.{1845 
.  Canton  Aargau,  Swt'd.  1848 

Canton  Aargau,  Swt'd. 11861 
.'Canton  Aargau,  Swt'd. 1861 
.Canton  Aargau,  Swt'd. [1855 


1859 
1852 


Sect.  13 
Sect.  13 
Sect.  12, 


Favmer 

Wife  of  Frank  Lorenz 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Late  wife  of  J.  Henry  Meyer 

Farmer  and  school  director 

Wife  of  Louis  Malan 

Farmer City  of  Chaunev,  Dep't 

First  wife  of  Emil  Nattier.. .City  of  Chauney 

Present  wife  of  E.  Nattier.. .City  of  Chauney 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Wife  of  John  B.  Rogier 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Wife  of  A.  Reitmann 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Wife  of  John  F.  Schmiedlin 

Fanner  and  stock  raiser 

Wife  of  Jacob  Schlicht 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Wife  of  C.  Michael   Streif,  Jr 

Farmer  and  stork  raiser 

Wife  of  Friedrich  Storbech 

Miller 

Wife  of  Robert  Suppiger 

Preacher  of  French  Congregational  church. 

Wife  of  Rev.  Loui.s  F.  Vuliiet 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Wife  of  Albert  Walter 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Wife  of  Maurice  Widmer 

Sect.  3 'Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Sect.  3 !Wife  of  John  Yann 

Sect.  7 IFarmer  and  stock  raiser 

Sect.  7 {Wife  of  Henry  Zobrist 

Sect.  20 IFarmer  and  stock  raiser, 


Sect.  12 

Sebastopol 

Sect.  24 

Sect.  24 

Sect.  3 

Sect.  3 

Sect.  21 

Sect.  21 

Sect.  20 

Sect.  20 

Sect.  29 

Sect.  29 

Sect.  20 

Sect.  20 

Sect.  5 

Sect.  5 

Sect.  6 

Sect.  6 

Sect.  18 

Sect.  18 

Sect.  29 

Sect.  29, 


France 

Orchies,  France 

Germany 

Switzerland 

St.  Gallen,  Swt'd 

Madison  co.,  Ill 

Piedmont,  Italy 

Dep't  of  Nord,  France. 

Deslaine,  France 

yDep't  Deslaine,  Fr 


1851 


1843 
1851 
1855 
1842 
1858 
1861 
1860 
1856 

Dep't  Des'aine,  Fr 1856 

Sebastopol 1843 

Orchies,  France 1851 

Canton  Vaud,  Swt'd...  1850 

vSt.  Gallen,  Swt'd 1848 

Citv  of  Berne,  Swt'd...  1851 

Mu'ehlheim,  Baden 1854 

Trenton,  N.  J 1855 

Waiblingen,  Wurt'bg.  1856 
Canton  Aargau,  Swt'd. 1 1 855 


St.  Louis,  Mo 

Marine,  111 

Osterberg,  Prussia 

Madison  co.,  Ill 

Sursee,  Switzerland.... 

Madison  co.,  Ill 

Canton  Vaud,  Swt'd... 
Paris,  France 


1852 
1851 
1861 
1846 
1845 
1842 
1848 
1862 
Phillippsburg,  Baden..  1854 

Madison  co..  Ill 1843 

Highland,  111 1854 

Madison  co.,  Ill 1854 

Jefferson  co.,  Kv 1871 

Madison  co..  111." 1861 

■  "  1846 
1846 
1850 


.Sect.  20 

.iSect.  20 


Dc'd  Sep.  10,'61 
Highland| 


iSect.  20.. 
Sect.  10.. 
Sect.  10.. 
Sect.  24., 
{Sect.  24., 


Wife  of  Edward  Zobrist 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

First  wife  of  Sebastian   Zolk.... 
Present  wife  of  Sebastian  Zolk. 

Farmer  and  stock  I'aiser 

Wife  of  Armand  Zeller 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Wife  of  John  Zilles 


\argau,  Switzerland.. 
Atlantic  Ocean 
Madison  co..  Ill 
Canton  Berne,  Swt'd...!l866 
Langenbruecken,  Bdn  1852 
Canton,St.Gallen,Sw'd  1842 
Atlantic  Ocean '1841 


.Alsace,  France 

.'St.  Louis,  Mo 

.(Hesse  Darmstadt.. 
.Brunswick 


1877 
1870 
1867 
1867 


HISTORY   OF    MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


581 


CITY    OF    COLLINSVILLE. 


Auwater,  Charles  R 

Anibrosius,  C.  A 

Berkey,  J.  J 

Berry,  John 

Becker,  John 

Blake,  G.  W 

Berka,  Joseph 

Beavers,  Wesley 

Berry,  Mrs.  William.... 

Clayton,  James 

Chilton,    J.  N 

Degenhardt,  Henry  B.. 

Davis,  J.  W 

Gang,  Gus 

Gardiner,  W.  D 

Finke,  August 

Heintz,  J.  L 

Hite,  B.  R 

Haas,  William  O 

Heddcn,  William  H.... 

Hutlendiik,  Henry 

Juda.  Joseph  S 

Kuhlenbeck,  John  H.. 

Kreider,  Charles 

Killinger,  John 

Kalbfleisdi,  J.  C 

Kalbfleisch,  George.... 

Kalina,  Joseph,  Jr 

Kropf,  John  W 

Lueuers,  Henry  A 

Loyel,  John  L 

Loyet,  Valentine 

Marshall,  H.  J 

Meier,  John  H 

Miiller,  C 

McKeag,  W.  H 

Nelson,  D.  L 

Neustadt,  Anton 

Oatman,  Charles  R 

Peers,  James  N 

Powell,  A.  M 

Pabst,  C.  H 

Robinson,  Luther 

Steele,  Daniel 

Snodgrass,  Austin  R... 

Schroeppel,  M.  G 

Strong,  H.  L 

Thomas,  P.  J 

Turner,  J.  W 

Vujtech,  Bart 

Wilbort,  Philip 

Wilkiiis,  C.  W 

Wilhelm,  M 

Wicklirte,  J.  H 

(Wendler,  A 

[  E.  Caroline  Metz 

Zucker,  Max 


CoUinsville . 


POST   OFFICE.         KESIDESCE. 


OCCUPATION. 


WHrN 

X.^TIVITY.  tcoMK 

jTO  CO. 

.  CoUinsville General  merchant Baltimore,  Md 1858 

"         Coal  operator Hesse  Cassel,  Ger 1849 

"  Farmer Somerset  co.,  Pa 1819 

"         Attornpy-at-law : Huntingdou  co.,  Pa...  1881 

"  Proprietor  Becker  mills  and  mayor  of  city...  New  York  City 1864 

.'  "         Proprietor  livery  and  feed  stables Madison  co.,  Ill 1849 

"         Proprietor  of  saloon Hohemia 1851 

"         Engineer Wayne  co..  Mo 1866 

"         Proprietor  Berry  house Madison  co..  Ill 1825 

"         Proprietor  of  saloon Cheshire  co.,  Eng 1874 

"         Merchant ....";....  Durham,  England 1866 

"         Rector  Sts.  Peter  and  Paul's  church Madison  co.,  Ill 1855 

■'         Physician  and  surgeon Fleming  co.,  Ky 1862 

"         Barber Germany 1854 

"         Dealer  in  hardware  and  agricult'l  impl'ts....  Madison  co.,  N.  Y 1869 

"         Real  estate  dealer Hanover,  Germany....  1860 

.;  "         Coal  operator St.  Louis,  Mo 1852 

"  Farmer  and  township  supervisor Marion  CO.,  Ill 1866 

"  'Carpenter  and  builder Boonville,  Mo 1876 

"         Agent St.  Lawrence  CO.,  N.Y.  1849 

"         Proprietor  of  hotel  and  saloon l^ussia 1877 

.'  "  Contractor  and  builder Bohemia 1860 

"         General  merchant Hanover,  Germanv....  1853 

"         Blacksmith Hesse  Darmstadt,.".....  1849 

''         Engineer  Abbey  mine  No.  3 Lancaster,  Pa 1876 

"         General  merchandising Perry  co..  Mo 1851 

"         General  merchandising Perry  co..  Mo 1851 

"  Proprietor  Jos.  Exchange Madison  co.,  Ill 18.55 

"  Seedman,  florist  and  nursery Bavaria,  Germany 1S.'54 

.!  "         Physician  and  surgeon Hanover,  Germany....  1881 

.!  "         General  merchant Madison  co.,  Ill ,1843 

.;  "         Proprietor  of  meat  market Madison  co..  Ill 1858 

"  Dry-goods  clerk St.  Louis,  Mo 1861 

"  Cigar  manufacturer Hanover,  Germany....  1864 

"  Barber  and  hair  weaver Bavaria,  Germany 1874 

.i         "         Baker,  confectioner  and  grocer Cape  May,  X.  J 1868 

.'  "         Postmaster , Blair  co.,"Pa 1850 

■'  .\ttorney-at-law  Bohemia 1856 

"  Phvsician  and  surgeon St.  Clair  co..  Ill 1875 

.:         "         Publisher  of  weekly  Herald Madison  co.,  111... 1853 

.1  "         Physician  and  surgeon Henderson  co.,  Ky 1863 

,.|  "     .     ..' General  merchant Madison  co..  Ill 1847 

,.;  "         J.  P.,  dlr.  in  boots  &  shoes,  &  music  teacher  Madison  co.,  Ill 1850 

,.'  "  Proprietor  of  American  house Stattbrdshire,  England  1875 

.1  "  General  merchant Bond  co..  Ill 1859 

.  I  "  Contractor,  builder,  &  undertaker Madison  eo.,  Ill 1865 

"  Physician  and  surgeon Pittsfield,  Mass 1845 

"  Proprietor  post-office  saloon Wales 1864 

"  Proprietor  North  End  meat  market Sus,sex  co.,  Del 1852 

"         Proj)rietor  of  saloon Bohemia '1855 

"         Proprietor  of  saloon Prussia '1864 

Merchant Sussex  co.,  Del 1838 

..j  "         Furniture  dealer  and  undertaker Saxony,  Germany 1851 

"  Coal  operator Madison  Co.,  Ill 1840 

"         Blacksmith  and  veterinary  surgeon Bavaria,  Germany 1847 

"         Wife  of  A.  AVendler Saxony,  Germany 1852 

'•         Cigar  manufacturer  and  news  dealer |  Bremen,  Germany 1869 


COLLIXSVILI.E    TOWNSHIP. 


iAndcnon.  Mrs.  M.  L.  (nM  Cre«mes.)....ICollinSville 
Anderson,  John Dc'd  Apr.  9,  '76 

f  Brum,  Daniel CoUinsville 

t  Rachael  S.  Dillon "         

(Collins,  D.D '  "         

(  E.  M.  Anderson 

(Cox,  S.M 

(  Mary  A.  Lawrence 

iEickmann,  Joseph  F.... 
Eickmann,  Michael 
Helena  Albrecht 
Gerding,  L.  F 
Anna  Schuricht 


Sect. 


Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect, 
Sect, 
Sect, 
Sect, 
Sect, 
Sect 
Sect 
Sect, 
Sect, 


23 iRetired.     AVidow  of  John  Anderson 'St.  Clair  co..  Ill Il862 

iLate  husband  of  M.  L.  Anderson ;New  Jersey 1822 

26 iFireman  Confidence  mine Delaware  co.,  Ohio 11880 

26 IWifeof  Daniel  Brum Wavne  co.,  Ind [1880 

27 JRetired  farmer Portland,  Me 1843 

27 IWifeof  D.D.  Collins Madison  co..  Ill 1826 


Farmer Boone  CO.,  Ill 1850 

Wife  of  S.M.  Cox La  Salle  co..  Ill 1853 

Farmer jSt.  Louis,  Mo 1869 

Father  of  Joseph  F.  Eickmann Switzerland 1869 

Mother  of  Joseph  F.  Eickmann Prussia 1869 

Engineer Washington  co..  111...  1873 

Wife  of  L.  F.  Gerding jMadison  co..  Ill 1854 


582 


niSTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


COLI.INSVILLE    TO^VNSHIP.-  continued. 


iHartmann,  Henry 
Anna  Gassling 
Hammon,  John 
Catherine  Bohnen 

(Hall,  Henry  C 

I  Lucy  A.  Moore 

j  Hazzard,  W.  C 

(Elizabeth  Kelley 

Hecht,  Hermann 

f  Johnson,  ^\'altfr 

IMary  E.  Wethers 

j  Johnson,  Jem'a  A.  ince  ckner) 

j  Johnson,  Stephen 

(  Jones,  James  T 

1  Elizabeth  Blythe 

j  Krome,  Anna  C.  (me  ww.itr)... 
I  Krome,  Charles  Williams.. 
(Kohler,  Fredericlv 

}  Doris  Zwigman 
Lanhani,  Hartley 
Sarah  F.  Clark.." 

liUraaghi,  Joseph 

ILemen,  Caroline  (nee  M»rotj)... 
Lemen,  Joseph  L 
Lindley,  Richard 
Sarah  Burns 

f  Lange,  C.  W.  F 

I  Maria  C.  Krome 

f  Monck,  Frederick 

1  Wilheluiine  Fink 

J  Mathews,  A.  J 

I  Harriet  Walters 

f  Mathews,  George 

I  Emma  Gregory 

'  Mayer,  Goodlip 

Margaret  Mayer 

Niehaus,  John  Henry 

Anna  Maria  Beckering 

Martha  V.  Steinert 

Elizabeth  Rad 

John  Henry  Niehaus,  Jr... 

Joseph   Niehaus 

Karl  Niehaus 

Franz   Niehaus 

William   Niehaus 

Ostermever,  Herman 

Peters,  William 

Dena  Barlmeir 

Caroline  Neenian 

Picton,  John  T 

Ann  King 

Renfro,  J.  J 

Nancy  E.  Gasskill 

Shirmer,  William 

Elizabeth  Rapp 

I  Smith,  Felix 

1  Elizabeth  Johnson 

I  Tetherington,  John 

I  Mary  Irene  Renfro 

fWitte,  J.  D.  C 

I  Lizzie  S.  Krome 

f  Wooldridge,  Fielding 

\  Julia  Squire 

I  Sophronia  A.  Slice 

I  Wendler,  J 

I  Rosina  Kalbfleish 

j  Weisenbergcr,  Jule 

1  Mary  Czerney 

j  Wendler,  Henry 

1  Elizabeth  Richter 


POST  OFFICE. 


RESIDENCE. 


Collinsville Sect. 

Sect. 

iScct. 

"  jSect. 

"  'Sect. 

"  iSect. 

:Scct. 

"  'Sect. 

"  'Sect. 

Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 


OCCUPATION. 


Dc'dAug.  9,76 
Collinsville 


Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 


16 Farmer. 

16 Wife  of  Henry   Hartmann. 

83 Farmer. 

33 Wife  of  John  Hammon.. 

34 Pit  boss    of  Lumaghi  mine.. 

34 Wife  of  Henry  C.   Hall. 

27 Blacksmith. 

27 Wife  of  W.  C.  Hazzard.. 

1 Farmer. 

28 Farmer. 

28 [Wife  of  Walter  Johnson 

28 Farming 

Late  husband  of  Jemima  A.  Johnson. 

27 'Engineer  of  Heintz  mines. 

27...  '  ' 

9.... 


Dc'd  Dec.  5,76. 

Troy 

Troy iScct. 

Collinsville iSect. 

'Sect. 

Sect. 

Sect. 


Wife  of  James  T.  Jones.. 

Retired 

Late  husband  of  Anna  C.  Krome. 
Farmer 


Dc'd  Sep.  13,78 
Collinsville 


1 'Wife  of  Frederick  Kohler.. 

21... 
21... 

27.., 
36.. 


Dc'dDec.14,'55 
Dc'd  Spring  '63. 
Collinsville 


Sect. 

Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 


27. 


11... 
11... 
17... 

17... 
14... 

14 [Wife  of 

14 Fiirmer 


Farm  er 

Wife  of  Hartley  Lanham 

Coal  Operator 

Retired 

Late  husband  of  Caroline  Lemen. 


Pru.s8ia,  Ger 1852 

Prussia,  Ger 11852 

Germany  11860 

Germany  1860 

Wood  CO.,  W.  Va 1870 

Lewis  CO.,  W.  Va |1871 

Luzerne  co..  Pa :1874 

Mahoning  co.,  Ohio. ..11874 

Bavaria,   Gcr !l864 

Madi-son  CO.,  Ill 1841 

Madison  CO.,  Ill 1843 

Tennes.see 11819 

Worcester  co.,  Mass...  1818 
Montgomery  co.,  Kv..ll875 

Kentucky..'. "...11875 

Hanover,  Ger j  18.50 

Hanover,  Ger 

Hanover,  Ger 

Hanover,  Ger.... 
St.  Louis,  Mo.... 
Madison  co.*  111. 
Madison  co.,  111. 


1860 
1843 
1843 
1856 
1840 
1860 

St  Clair  CO.'. 11840 

St.  Clair  CO 1840 


Pit  boss  of  Confidence  mine lEngland  . 

Wife  of  Richard  Lindley 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 

Wife  of  C.  W.  F.  Lange 

Farmer 

Wife  of  Frederick  Monck 

Farmer 

A.  J.  Mathews 


1863 
1863 

1855 
1850 
1877 


England 

Prussia 

Louisville,  Ky, 

Prussia 

Prussia 11877 

Buckingham  co.,  Va... 11846 

Pittsburgh,  Pa [l846 

Madison  co.,  Ill 1853 

Sangamon  co.,  Ill 11874 


Wife  of  George  Mathews 

Farmer 'Baden,  Germany 11846 

Wife  of  Goodlip  Mayer IPennsylvania. 


Dc'd  Oct.  16,'72! 

Collinsville Sect. 

Sect. 

ISect. 

"  Sect. 

Sect. 


Sect. 

Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 


Farmer. 

First  wife  of  John  H.  Niehaus 

Second  wife  of  John  H.  Niehaus 

22 ;Present  wife  of  John  H.  Niehaus 

22 Son  of  John  H.  and  Anna  M.  Niehaus.. 

22 Son  of  John  H.  and  Anna  M.  Niehaus.. 

22 iSon  of  John  H.  and  Elizabeth  Niehaus. 

22. 
22 


Venice 

Venice 

Collinsville. 


Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 

"         Sect. 

"         Sect. 

"         Sect. 

Sect. 

"  ISect. 

Deceased i 

Collinsville JSect. 

'Sect. 

ISect. 

Sect, 

"         Sect, 

:Sect. 

"         Sect. 


Hanover,  Germany. 
Prussia,  Germany... 

Saxony , 

Prussia 


Hanover,  Germany. 
Prussia 


Sou  of  John  H.  and  Elizabeth  Niehaus 
Sou  of  John  H.  and  Elizabeth  Niehaus 

Farmer  

Farmer 

First  wife  of  William  Peters 

Present  wife  of  William  Peters !Prussia 

Engineer  Confidence  mine | Wales 

Wife  of  John  T.  Picton |Staffordshire,  Eng 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser Madison  co.,  Ill 

Wife  of  J.  J.  Renfro.. 


1838 
1851 
1865 
1873, 
1873 
18.30 
,  Madison  CO.,  Ill 1839 


1851 
1854 
1856 
1855 


Ten-mile  house,  general  merchant Rhein,  Germany. 


Wife  of  William  Shinier., 

Engineer  Confi<lcnee  mine 

Wife  of  Felix  Smith 

Farmer 

W^ife  of  John  Tetherington 

17 Farmer  and  thresher 

17 Wife  of  J.  D.  C.  Witte 

18 1  Farmer 

jFirstwifeof  Fielding  Wooldridge 

18 Present  wife  of  Fielding  Wooldridge.. 

35 iFarmer 

3-5 jWifeof  J.  Wendler 

27 Superintendent  Confidence  mine 

27 'Wife  of  Jule  Weisenbergcr 

35 Farmer 

35 Wife  of  Heniy  Wendler 


Bavaria,  Germany. 

St.  Louis,  Mo 

Madison  co..  Ill 

St.  Clair  co 

Madison  CO.,  Ill 

Germany 

St.  Louis,  Mo 

Kentucky 

Madi.son  eo.,  Ill 

Madison  co..  Ill 

Bavaria 

New  York 

St,  Clair  co 

Madison  co..  Ill 

Bavaria 

St,  Louis,  Mo 


1865 
1857 
1875 
1859 
1852 
1858 
1845 
1850 
1830 


1847 
1849 
1853 
1853 
1847 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


583 


VENICE. 


Bain,  Walter 

f  Brown,  R.  J 

I  Martha  J.  Kinder 

Byrnes,  E.  J 

f  Brandes,  August 

I  Christian  Stoiber 

Fletcher,  John  J 

Fecht,  John 

Grayson,  William  H 

Kohl,  Fred 

J  Kahle,  Fritz 

I  Catherine  Helbruck. 

Merritt,  B.  V 

Mueller,  Jacob 

Miller,  H.  AV 

r Mabee,  Nancy  Ann.. 

I  Henry  Course 

I  John  Wood 

[Calviu  Kinder 

McFee,  T.  P 

Pinckard,  Jiunes 

(  Poulson,  Neal 

I  Catherine  Shaw 

Robinson,  Henry 

Richardson,  John  T. 

Rittman,  Henry 

Sippy,  B.  F 

Sippy,  William  H.... 

f  Sippy,  William 

\  Nancy  J.  Kinder 

Selb,  Theodore 

Youree,  C.  S 

Weigh,  William 


POST  OFFICE. 


RESIDENCE. 


OCCUPATION. 


NATIVITY. 


Venice Venice jSupt.  Venice  Elevator Canada 

Sect.  25 [Farmer Ireland 

"      'Sect.  25 jWife  of  R.  J.  Brown Macoupin  co..  111.. 

"      IVenice 'Farmer  and  proprietor  of  saloon St.  Clair  co.,  Ill 

"      Sect.  12 [Farmer Germany 

"      Sect.  12 (Wife  of  August  Brandes jGermany 

"      Venice Supt.  Union  stock  yards jSt.  Clair  co..  Ill 

"      "      'Tobacconist  and  manufacturer  of  cigars Switzerland 

"      "      Physician  and  surgeon 'Wythe  co.,  Va. 

"      "      General  merchandise  and  farm  machinery...  Bavaria,  Germany. 

"      Sect.  1 iFarmer Germany 

"      ]6ect.  1 iWife  of  Fritz  Kahle Germany 

"      IVenice jContractor  and  builder [Madison  co..  Ill 

"      "      Proprietor  of  saloon  and  farmer [Saxony,  Germany.. 

"      "      Clerk  C.  &  A.  R.  R St.  Louis,  Mo 

"      "      Farming , Scott  co.,  Ky 

Dc'd  Feb.  6, '50 First  husliand  of  Nancv  Ann  Jfabee Marvland. 

Dc'd  Nov.23,72! "       '       "'  '  -     •     - 

Dc'd  Feb.  18,'80 

Venice Venice. 

Venice Venice. 

Nameoki Sect.  1. 

Nameoki Sect.  1 . 


Sec'ind  luisband  of  Nancy  Ann  Mabee [Pennsylvania 

Third  luisband  of  Nancy  Ann  Mabee ^Pennsylvania 

Weigh  master  Venice  elevator iFayette  co.,  Pa 

Postmaster  and  telegraph  operator Jersey  co..  Ill 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser 'Denmark 

Wife  of  Neal  Poulson St  Louis,  Mo 

Venice Venice General  merchant  and  justice  of  the  peace...  St.  Louis,  Mo 

R.  R.  clerk [New  Orleans,  La... 


Sect.  23.. 
Sect.  23., 
Venice.. 


1880 
1854 
1852 
185i 
18-19 
18G2 
1874 
1880 
1879 
1852 
1854 
1854 
1848 
1857 
1862 
1835 
1835 
1834 
1824 
11879 
1874 
1876 
11870 
|lS54 
1872 


County  supt.  of  schools [Madison  co..  111. 

Proprietor  of  Union  hotel Madison  co..  III. 


Farmer . 

Wife  of  William  Sippy 

Township  supervisor;  prop'r  of  saloon. 

Druggist  and  coroner 

J.  P.,  and  prop'r  of  Aurora  saloon 


Madison  co.,  Ill 

Madison  co..  Ill 

Baden,  Germany... 
Lafayette  co.,  Mo.. 
Hesse  Cassel,  Ger., 


'1848 
1852 
1838 
1843 

i8.';4 

1868 
1871 


NEW   DOUQLAS. 


Alsop,  Samuel 

Salina  Pegg 

Alsop,  Robert 

Sarah  E.  Young 

Allen,  Abram 

Matilda  C.  Mulligan.. 

iBaldwine,  Edward 
Lena  Grabert 
Earlv,  John  A 
Early,  M.  R 
Elizabeth  .1.  Surrells... 

j  Eiubrt'y,  William 

\  Mary  Fiindrrburk 

j  Eisenbach,  Herman.... 
j  Mary  Guenther 

!  Foster,  Alonzo 
Caroline  Crowder 
Geest,  Henry 
Geest,  Martha 

f  Holbrook,  Amos 

<  Susannah  Painter 

I  Mary  E.  Lamb 

j  Jones,  Edward  West.. 
1  Harriet  Rodenhouse... 

f  Kelly,  .lohn 

(  Margaret  Casey 

j  Kennedy,  John  O 

I  M.artha"Ri)Ss 

I  Long,  Joseph  F 

iHattie  M.  Martin 

j  McMullen,  Arthur 

I  Bridget  Cook 

(Sutton,  Samuel 

I  Emily  Allen 

Traueriucht,  Albert  J 

I  Vollintine,  J.  J 

I  Alice  E.  Watson 


New  Douglas... [Sect. 

"  "       ...;Sect. 

"  "      ...[New 


"      ...Sect. 
"  "      ...[Sect. 

"  "      ...iSect. 

Dc'd  June  9, '76J 

Alhambra iSect. 

Alhambra jSect. 

New  Douglas...  I  New 

...  New 

■'      ...tSect. 

. . .  ISect. 

New 


Dc'd  Oct.  26,77 
New  Douglas. 


4 'Farmer 

4 [Wife  of  Samuel  Alsop 

Douglas...  General  merchant 

"  Wife  of  Robert  Alsop 

Farmer,  J.  P.  and  notary  public 

Wife  of  Abram  Allen 

Farmer  and  saloon  keeper 

19 Mother  of  Edward  Baldwine 

19 Farmer 

19 iFarmer.     Father  of  John  A.  Early 

ILate  wf  of  M.  R.  Early;  mother  J.  A.  Early 

30 Farmer ". 

30 jWife  of  William  Embrey 

Douglas...  I  Lutheran  minister 

Douglas...  Wife  of  Herman  Eisenbach 

16 Farmer 

16 Wife  of  Alonzo  Foster 

Douglas...  Carpenter 

Wife  of  Henry  Geest 

Retired  farmer 

First  wife  of  Amos  Holbrook 

Douglas...  Present  wife  of  Amos  Holbrook 

28 Farmer 

28 'Wife  of  Edward  West  Jones 

8 'Farmer 

8 Wife  of  .John  Kelly 

Douglas...  Principal  New  Douglas  public  school 

...  AVife  of  .Tolin  Kennedy  and  1st  ass't  teacher.. 

"      ...'Tinner  and  townsliip  supervisor 

''      ...[Wile  of  Joseph  F.  Long 

Sect.  8 Fanner 

...'Sect.  8 Wife  of  Arthur  McMullen 

...  Sect.  3 IFarmer 

...  Sect.  3 [Wife  of  Samuel  Sutton 

...Sect.  8 [Farmer 

...JN'ew  Douglas... [Dealer  in  feed  and  grain 

...  New  Douglas...  Wife  of  J.  J.  Vollintine 


New 

.[Sect. 
...jSect. 
...!Sect. 
...ISect. 
...  New 


England 11852 

England 1852 

Jersey  CO.,  HI 1852 

Madison  CO.,  Ill 1853 

Trigg  CO.,  Kv 1837 

Bond  CO.,  111". 11844 

Madison  co..  Ill 'l854 

Alsace,  France 11853 

Madison  CO..  Ill 1854 

Washington,  Ind 11848 

Clay  CO.,  Ill 11854 

Butler  CO.,  Ky [1845 

Madison  co.,  Ill 1847 

Morgan  CO.,  Mo 1875 

Saxony  1876 

Maine 1819 

Kentucky 1829 

Germany [1872 

'Christian  co.,  Kv I186I 

Franklin  co..  Ga II88I 

Tennessee ' 

Madison  CO.,  Ill 1831 

Macoupin  co..  Ill il«76 

Vincenncs,    Ind [1876 

Co.  Caven,  Ireland 1856 

,Co.  Meath,  Ireland 1856 

IDearboru  co.,  Ind ,1874 

Ohio '1878 

Louisiana '1875 

New  Hampshire !l875 

!Co.  Derrv,  Ireland  ....11872 

Co.  Caven,  Ireland |1872 

Madi-sonco..  Ill 1837 

Macoupin  co.,  Ill 1858 

Hanover,  Germany 1865 

Bond  CO.,  Ill 1874 

Sackett's  Harbor,N.  Y.  1 874 


58-i 


SISTORY    OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


HAMEL. 


POST  OFFICE. 


Barnett,  Thomas  J lEdwardsville...  Sect.  30. 

Sarah  A.  Stephenson Edwardsville...  Sect.  30. 

jBlocniker,  F.E Hamel Sect.  13. 

"      Sect.  13. 

"      {Sect.  27. 

Dc'd  Mar.26,'79l 

Hamel 'Sect.  27. 

Carpenter [Sect.  20, 

Hamel |Hamel . 


1  Mary  Miller 

(  Cammon,  Henry... 

<  Martha  J.  Owens  . 
[Martha  B.  Larkin. 

Eaton,  William  P, 
j  Engelmann,  G.  A. 

(Charlotte  Flachmeier Hamel jHamel 

(  Fruit,  Jefl'erson lEdwardsville...lSect.  34 

<  Elizabeth  A.  Vawter. 

i  CatbiTine  M.  Bishop,  (Deejohost 

(Fruit,  John '  "  ...Sect.  34 

t  Judith  F.  WillsoD '  "  ...Sect.  34 

Figge,  Chas.  H Hamel Sect.  14 

Gaerdner.  H.  C,  Jr Hamel Hamel 

Graney,  Michael JEdwardsville...  Sect.  31 — 

fLehrke,  H.   G 'Carpenter  ISect.  9 

1  Bertha  Ukeua "         Sect.  9 

Miller,  Fred.  W "         Sect.  8 

j  Spruner,  Charles "         jCarpenter  , 

JKieke  Kuhle "         Carpenter. 


OCCUPATION. 


Farmer |Madison  co.,  Ill 1824 

Wife  of  Thomas  J.  Barnett STrigg  co.,Ky Il835 

Farmer lOst  Friesland,  Ger !1875 


Wife  of  F.  E.  Bloemker Madison  co.,  Ill 

Farmer iGermany 

First  wife  of  Henry   Cammon Madison  co..  111.... 

Present  wife  of  Henry  Cammon iBrunswick  co.,  Va 

Farmer " ■  Edwards  ville 

Wagon  manufacturer Hanover,  Ger 

Wife  of  G.  A.  Engelmann Prussia 

^ Farmer Madison  co.,  111.... 

Dc'd  July27,'72' iFirst  wife  of  Jefferson  Fruit iHopkins  co.,  Ky 

Edwardsville...Scct.  34  "  '     ""     "  ^  "■  ^   ^'  ^  " --    ^" 


Logan   CO.,  Ky 1832 

Germany 1857 

St.  Louis,  Mo 1872 


Wife  of  John  Fruit. 

Farmer  and  justice  of  the  peace.. 

Hotel  and  saloon  keeper., 

Farmer 

Shoemaker iHanover,  Ger |1867 

Wife  of  H.  G.  Lehrke jOst  Friesland,  Ger 1888 

Farmer Germany 1852 

Hotel  and  saloon  keeper iBavaria,  Germany 1877 

Wife  of  Charles  Spruner Madison  co..  Ill |1858 


PIN  OAK. 


Barnsback,  Mi.ss  Annie  M.. 
f  Barnsback,  N.  S.,  we  wait)... 

[  Barnsback,  William  J 

j  Browner,  James  H 

I  Nancv  A.  White 

f  Barnsback,  Wm.  W 

I  Annie  M.  Willoughby 

!  Ba  r  n  si  I  :uk.N..T.i  nee  Montgomery) 
Barnsback,  Thomas  J jDc'd  Mar.9,  '80| 

(  Barnsback,  Jacob  H Edwardsville...  Sect.  31 


Edwardsville . . .  ISect.  31 . , 
...  Sect.  31.. 

Dc'd  Sept.  4, '72l 

Edwardsville...  Sect.  15., 
...iSect.  15., 

Troy Sect.  13. 

"    jSect.  13. 

Edwardsville...  Sect.  30. 


I  Laura  Kinder 

Blair,  Henry  Jr., 

\  Blair,  Henry  Sr., 

(  Rachel  McDougal 

(  Dunn,  Michael 

1  Catharine  Maloney 

J  Dankenbrinsr,  Henry   F.. 

(Helen  L.  Take 

j  Eickniann,  John 

Anna  Brandes. 


...ISect.  31 

...Sect.  4 

Dc'd  Jan.  10,'80l 

Edwardsville...  Sect.  4 

...|8ect.  3 

...  Sect.  3 

Trov Sect.  28 

"■ Sect.  28 

Marine Sect.  13 

I       "      ISect.  13 


(  Gonterman,  C.  B Edwardsville... ISect.  17.. 

■  Lvdia  Bartlett "  ...:Sect.  17.. 

■  Hauskins,  Eliaf I  "  ...  Sect.  10.. 

Marv  V.  Stevenson Dc'd  Feb.  10,'66i , 

Sani'h  Bartlett I  Edwards  ville... 'Sect.  10.. 

'  Handlon,  K.  M.,  ineeYo.teii!...|  "  ...  Sect.  20.. 

Handlon,  James  H 'Dc'd.Dec.24,'79| 

Handlon,  George jTroy ISeet.  32.. 

Henderson,  J.  meeHandiom....!    "    Sect.  32.. 

Henderson  James  A Dc'd.Jan.19,'77 

'  Judy,  Thomas  J !Edwardsville...  Sect.  5... 

Nancy  M.McKee I  "  ...  Sect.  5... 

'  Jahns,  Charles IMarine Sect.  24).. 

MaryKrauck "      Sect.  24.. 

Loos,  George "      Sect.  13., 

Elizabeth  France 1      "      Sect.  13.. 

'  May,  William |      "      Sect.  24. 

Elizabeth  Wittmer '      "      Sect.  24. 

Minter,  Thomas lEdwardsville...  Sect.  19. 


At  home IMadison  co.,  Ill | 

Farming Warren  co.,  Ky |1817 

Late  husband  of  Nancy  S.  Barnsback jMadison  co..  Ill 1813 

Farmer I  White  co.,  Tenn 1840 

Wife  of  James  H.  Browner  ^Williamson  co.,  Ill 1858 

Farmer IMadison  co..  Ill 1844 

Wife  of  Wiiiiam  W.  Barnsback jMadison  co..  Ill 1845 

Farming JMadison  co.,  Ill |1821 

Late  husband  of  Nancy  J.  Barnsback [Madison  co.,  Ill 1817 


1855 
1856 
1857 
1852 
1852 
1836 
1848 
1852 
1848 


Farmer  and  stock  raiser [Madison  co..  Ill 

Wife  of  Jacob  H.  Barnsback Madison  co..  Ill 

Farmer Madison  co.,  Ill 

Father  of  Henry  Blair,  Jr jTennessec 

Widow  of  H.  Blair,  Sr.,  motherof  H.  Blair,Jr.!Kentucky 

Farmer „ [Ireland 

Wife  of  Michael  Dunn Ireland 

Farmer 'St.  Louis,  Mo... 

Wife  of  H.  F.  bankenbring [St.  Louis,  Mo... 

Farmer iHanover,  Ger 1848 

Wife  of  Joiin  Eickmann Brunswick,  Ger 1848 

Farmer  and  stock  raiser iMadison  co.,  Ill 1834 

Wife  of  C.  B.  Gonterman Madison  co.,  Ill 1837 

Farmer Madison  co.,  Ill 1833 

First  wife  of  Elias  Hauskins [Howard  co..  Mo 1854 

Present  wife  of  Elias  Hauskins IMadison  co..  Ill 1844 

Farmino- Macoupin  co.,  Ill 1851 

Late  husband  of  Ehoda  M.  Handlon 'Madison  co.,  111... 

Farmer [Madison  co..  111... 

Farming ' Madison  co..  111... 

Late  husband  of  Jane  Henderson IBotetourt  co..  Va 

Farmer IMadison  co..  111... 

Wife  of  Thomas  J.  Judy jMadison  co.,  111... 

Farmer iGermany 

Wife  of  Charles  Jahns St.  Clair  co 

Farmer Bavaria,  Ger 

Wife  ofGeorge  Loos Bavaria,  Ger 

Farmer IBavaria,  Ger 

Wife  of  William  May iBavaria,  Ger 


1  Minter,  John 

f  McKee,  James  B 

I  Helen  F.  Otwell 

I  Ottwein,  Valentine.. 
J  Louisa  Wehmiller... 
(Anna  Shlafer 


Marine 

Dc'd.MaylO,'76 
Marine 


..ISect.  19 

Sect.  3 

Sect.  3 

Sect.  12 


Sect.  12. 


1823 
1825 
1830 
1836 
1846 
1848 

|1868 

1873 

1859 

1859 

1846 

1855 

Farmer Montgomery  co.,  111...  1830 

Farmer  and  brother  of  Thos.  Minter JIadison  co.,Ill 1831 

Madison  CO.,  Ill ,1828 

Madison  CO.,  Ill 1827 

Madison  co,Ill 1848 

Franklin  co..  Mo 1875 

Madison  co..  Ill 1854 


Farmer 

Wife  of  James  B.  McKee 

Farmer 

First  wife  of  Valentine  Ottwein 

Present  wife  of  Valentine  Ottwein.. 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


580 


PIN       OAK.-CONTINUED. 


POST  OFFICE.         RESIDENCE. 


j  Prott,  Louis Troy 

\  Sophia  Fel  tnieyer 

I  Posey,  Bennet "      

I  Catharine  A.  Cies "      

J  Reinke,  Fritz Edwardsville... 

\  Mary  Heuser Eiiwardsville... 

(  Smart,  Alsey  S Trov 

■^Rhoda  Giger Dc'd  Jul.25,'62 

(  Mary  J.  Joslyn Dc'd  Aug.10,'74 

!  Smith,  John  H Marine 
Susannah  Maria  Smart ;  "  
Smith,  James  Henry |  "  
Elizabeth  Polegar "      

J  SchafTer,  George  D Troy  

I  Mary  D.  Blakeman .'...,    "     

iStolia,  Herman "  
Dimia  Schortemeier "  
Smitli,  Sidney  L Marine 
Julia  Dietz..." ,      "       

J  Smith,  Willi^tm  Alsey \      "       

I  Pha'be  Alvina  Shadwick..|      "       

IZimmerschied,  John  W....  Edwardsville... 
Margaret  Weast !  '' 

Zimmerschied,  John  P j  " 

Anna  Hofiman " 


OCCUPATION. 


NATIVITY. 


Sect.  26 Farmer IGerinany '1861 

Sect.  26 Wife  of  Louis  Prott St.  Louis 1862 

Sect.  33 Farmer Madison  co.,  Ill 1823 

Sect.  33 iWife  of  Bennet  Posey Germany 1847 

Sect.  3 IFarmer " Germany I860 

Sect.  3 Wife  of  Fritz  Rinke Germany 1857 

Sect.  25 'Farmer  and  stock  raiser Madison  co.,Ill 1827 

[First  wife  of  Alsey  S.  Smart Madison  co.,Ill 1833 

iLast  wife  of  Alsey  S.  Smart Madison  co..  111.. 1840 

24 IFarmer Frederick  co.,  Vti 1849 

24". Iwifeof  John  H.Smith Madison  co..  Ill 1831 

26 IFarmer ]Madison  co.,  Ill 1850 

26 Wife  of  JamesH.  Smith jSwitzerland 1851 

27 Farmer lladison  co..  Ill jl856 

27..!!.'. Wife  of  George  D.  Schaffer 'Madison  co.,  Ill |l858 

27 Farmer Prussia,  Germany 1863 

27! Wife  of  Herman  StoUa Prussia,  Germany [1863 

26 Farmer Madison  co,,  111 il859 

26 Wife  of  Sidney  Smith Madison  co.,  Ill  1860 

26 Farmer Madison  co.,  Ill 1856 

26 Wife  of  William  A.  Smith Madison  co.,Ill :1856 

3 Farmer (Jermany [1857 

3 Wife  of  John  W.  Zimmerman Germany Il857 

3 Son  of  M.  and  J.  W.  Zimmerman Germany !l857 


Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 

Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
Sect. 
;Sect. 
Sect. 


3 IWife  of  John  P.  Zimmerman Switzerland. 


il845 


CONSTITUTION  OF  ILLINOIS. 

Adopted  in  Convention  at  Springfield,  May  13,  a.  d.  1870;  Ratified  by  the  People  July  2,  1870;  in 
Force,  August  8,  1870 ;  and  Amendments  thereto,  with  the  Dates  of  Eatification. 


PREAMBLE. 
We,  the  people  of  the  State  of  Illinois — grateful  to  Almightj' 
God  for  the  civil,  political  and  religious  liberty  which  He  hath  so 
long  permitted  us  to  enjoy,  and  lo.iking  to  Him  for  a  blessing 
upon  our  endeavors  to  secure  and  transmit  the  same  unimpaired 
to  succeeding  generations — in  order  to  form  a  more  perfect  gov- 
ernment, establish  justice,  insure  domestic  tranquillity,  provide 
for  the  cfimmon  defense,  promote  the  general  welfare,  and  secure 
the  blessings  of  liberty  to  ourselves  and  our  posterity  ;  do  ordain 
and  establish  this  constitution  for  ihe  State  of  Illinois. 

ARTICLE  I. 

BOUNDARIES. 

The  boundaries  and  jurisdiction  of  the  State  shall  be  as  fol- 
lows, to  wit :  Beginning  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash  river ; 
thence  up  the  same,  and  with  the  line  of  Indiana,  to  the  north- 
west corner  of  said  State;  thence  cast,  with  the  line  of  the  same 
State,  to  the  middle  of  Lake  Michigan;  thence  north,  along  the 
middle  of  said  lake,  to  north  latitude  42  degrees  and  30  minutes  ; 
thence  west  to  the  middle  of  the  Mississippi  river,  and  thence 
down  along  the  middle  of  that  river  to  its  confluence  with  the 
Ohio  river,  and  thence  up  the  latter  river,  along  its  northwestern 
shore,  to  the  place  of  beginning :  Provided,  that  this  State  shall 
exercise  such  jurisdiction  upon  the  Ohio  river  as  .she  is  now 
entitled  to,  or  such  as  may  hereafter  be  agreed  upon  by  this 
State  and  the  State  of  Kentucky. 

ARTICLE  II. 

BILL  OF  RIGHTS. 


i   1.  Inherent  and  Inalienable  Rights. 

g    2.  Due  Process  of  Law. 

g    3.  Liberty  of  Conscient^e  Guaranteed. 

3   4.  Freedom  of  the  Pross-Libcl. 

I    .^.  Right  of  Trial  by  Jury. 

g  G.  Unreasonable  Searches  and  Seiz- 
ures. 

g  7.  Bail  allowed— Writ  of  Habeas  Cor- 
pus. 

g  8.  Indictment  required— Grand  Jury 
Abolished. 

g   9.  Rights    of    Persons   Accused    of 


^  in.  Self-Crimination- Former  Trial. 
i  11.  Penalties    proportionate— Corrup- 
tion— Forfeiture, 
g  12.  Imprisonment  for  Debt. 
I  l:j.  Compensation  for  Property  t.aken. 
g  IL  Ex  post  facto    laws— Irrevocable 

Grants. 
3 1.5.  Military  Power  Subordinate. 
3  10.  Quartering  of  Soldiers. 
g  17.  Right  of  .\ssembly  and  Petition. 
i  18.  Elections  to  be  Free  and  Equal. 

19.  What  Laws  ought  to  be. 

21).  Fuudamenlal  Principles. 


?  1.  All  men  are  by  nature  free  and  independent,  and  have 
certain  inherent  and  inalienable  rights — among  these  are  life, 
libertv,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness.  To  secure  these  rights 
and  the  protection  of  property,  governments  are  instituted  among 
men,  deriving  their  just  powers  from  the  consent  of  the  gov- 
erned. 

?  2.  No  person  shall  be  deprived  of  life,  liberty  or  property, 
without  due  process  of  law. 

I  3.  The  free  exercise  and  enjoyment  of  religious  profession 
and  worship,  without  discrimin.ition,  shall  forever  be  guaranteed; 
and  no  person  shall  be  denied  any  civil  or  political  right,  privi- 
lege or  capacity,  on  account  of  his  religious  opinions;  but  the 
liberty  of  conscience  hereby  secured  shall  not  be  construed  to 
dispense  with  oaths  or  affirmations,  excuse  acts  of  licentiousness, 
or  justify  practices  inconsistent  with  the  peace  or  safety  of  the 
State.  No  person  shall  be  required  to  attend  or  support  any  min- 
istry or  place  of  worship  against  his  consent,  nor  shall  any  pref- 
erence be  given  by  law  to  any  religious  denomination  or  mode  of 
worship. 

?  4.  Every  person  may  freely  speak,  write  and  publish  on  all 
subjects,  beinc  respon.sible  for  the  abuse  of  that  liberty ;  and  in 
all  trials  for  libel,  both  civil  and  criminal,  the  truth,  when  pub- 
lished with  good  motives  and  for  justifiable  ends,  shall  be  a  suffi- 
cient defense. 


I  5.  The  right  of  trial  by  jury  as  heretofore  enjoyed  shall  re- 
main inviolate;  but  the  trial  of  civil  cases  before  justices  of  the 
peace  by  a  jury  of  less  than  twelve  men,  may  be  authorized  by  law. 

^  6.  The  right  of  the  people  to  be  secure  in  their  persons, 
hiiuses,  papers  and  effects,  against  unreasonable  searches  and 
seizures,  shall  not  be  violated  ;  and  no  warrant  shall  issue  with- 
out probable  cause,  supported  by  affidavit,  particularly  describ- 
ing the  place  to  be  searched,  aud  the  person  or  things  to  be 
seized. 

I  7.  All  persons  shall  be  bailable  by  sufficient  suretie.s,  except 
for  capital  offenses,  where  the  proof  is  evident  or  the  presump- 
tion great;  and  the  privilege  of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  shall 
not  be  suspended,  unless  when  in  cases  of  rebellion  or  invasion 
the  public  safety  may  require  it. 

I  8.  No  person  shall  be  held  to  answer  for  a  criminal  offense, 
unless  on  indictment  of  a  grand  jury,  except  in  cases  in  which 
the  punishment  is  by  fine,  or  imprisonment  otherwise  than  in  the 
penitentiary,  in  ca.ses  of  impeachment,  aud'^in  cases  arising  in  the 
army  and  navy,  or  in  the  militia  when  in  actual  service  in  time 
of  war  or  public  danger  :  Provided,  that  the  grand  jury  may  be 
abolished  by  law  in  all  cases. 

I  9.  In  all  criminal  prosecutions,  the  accused  shall  have  the 
right  to  appear  and  defend  in  person  and  by  counsel  ;  to  demand 
the  nature  and  cause  of  the  accusation,  and  to  have  a  copy  there- 
of; to  meet  the  witnesses  face  to  face,  and  to  have  process  to 
compel  the  attendance  of  witnesses  in  his  behalf,  and  a  speedy 
public  trial  by  an  impartial  jury  of  the  county  or  district  in  which. 
the  offense  is  alleged  to  have  been  committed. 

i  10.  No  person  shall  be  compelled  in  any  criminal  case  to  give 
evidence  against  himself,  or  be  twice  put  in  jeopardy  for  the  same 
offense. 

^11.  All  penalties  shall  be  proportioned  to  the  nature  of  the 
offense  ;  aud  no  conviction  shall  work  corruption  of  blood  of  for- 
feiture of  estate ;  nor  shall  any  person  be  transported  out  or  the 
State  for  any  offense  committed  within  the  same. 

§  12.  No  person  shall  be  imprisoned  for  debt,  unless  upon  re- 
fusal to  deliver  up  his  estate  for  the  benefit  of  his  creditors  in 
such  manner  as  shall  be  prescribed  by  law;  or  in  cases  where 
there  is  strong  presumption  of  fraud. 

i  13.  Private  property  shall  not  be  taken  or  damaged  for  public 
use  without  just  compensation.  Such  compensation,  when  not 
made  by  the  State,  sh.all  be  ascertained  by  a  jury,  as  shall  be  pre- 
scribed by  law.  The  fee  of  land  taken  for  railroad  tracks,  with- 
out consent  of  the  owners  thereof,  shall  remain  in  such  owners, 
subject  to  the  use  for  which  it  is  taken. 

i  14.  No  ex  pnsl  facto  law,  or  law  impairing  the  obligation  of 
contracts,  or  making  any  irrevocable  grant  of  special  privileges  or 
immunities,  shall  be  passed. 

^  15.  The  military  shall  be  in  strict  subordination  to  the  civil 
power. 

§  16.  No  soldier  shall,  in  time  of  peace,  be  quartered  in  any 
house  without  the  consent  of  the  owner;  nor  in  time  of  war  ex- 
cept in  the  manner  prescribed  by  law. 

§  17.  The  people  have  the  right  to  assemble  in  a  peaceable 
manner  to  consult  for  the  common  good,  to  make  known  their 
opinions  to  their  representatives,  and  to  apply  for  redress  of  griev- 
ances. 

i  18.  All  elections  shall  be  free  and  equal. 

I  19.  Every  person  ought  to  find  a  certain  remedy  in  the  laws 
for  all  injuries  and  wrongs  which  he  may  receive  in  his  person, 
property  or  reputation  ;  he  ought  to  obtain,  by  law,  right  and 
justice  freely,  and  without  being  obliged  to  purchase  it,  completely 
and  without  denial,  promptly  and  without  delay. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


587 


?  20.  A  frequent  occurrence  to  the  fundamental  principles  of 
civil  government  is  absolutely  ueeessar)-  to  preserve  the  blessings 
of  libertv. 

ARTICLE  III. 

DISTRIBUTIOX   OF    POWERS. 

The  powers  of  the  Government  of  this  State  arc  divided  into 
three  distinet  departments — the  Legislative,  Executive  and  Ju- 
dicial ,  and  no  person,  or  collection  of  persons,  being  one  of  these 
departments,  shall  exercise  any  power  properly  belonging  to 
either  of  the  others,  except  as  hereinafter  expressly  directed  or 
permitted. 

ARTICLE  IV. 

LEGISLATIVE  DEPARTifEXT. 


Gcner.al  Assembly  elective. 

Time  of  Election — Vacancies. 

Who  are  Eligible. 

Disqunlification  by  Crime. 

Oath  Uiken  by  members. 

Senatorial  .\pporlionraents. 

&  8.  Minority  Representation. 

Time  of  me  eting — General  Rut 

Sfcrctary— .Vdjoumment — Journ- 
als, Protests. 

Style  of  Laws. 

Oriein  and  passage  of  Bills. 

Reading— Printing-Title— Amend- 
ment.s. 

Privileges  of  members. 

IMsabilities  of  members. 

Bills  making  .\ppropriations. 

Payment  of  money — Statement 
of  Expenses. 


\  18.  Ordinary  Expenses— Casual  Defi- 
cits— .ippropriations  limited. 

3  10.  Extra  Compensation  or  Allowance. 

i  20.  Public  Credit  not  loaned. 

i  21.  Pay  and  mileage  of  members. 

i  22.  Special  Legislation  proliibited. 

I  23.  Against  Release  from  Lial'ility. 

3  24.  Proceedings  on  Impeaohim-nt. 

i  25.  Fuel,  Stationery,  and  Printing. 

i  21!.  St.-ite  not  to  be  sued. 

i  -Zi   Lottery  and  Gift  Enterprises. 

I  2S.  Terms  of  Office  not  Extended. 

fi  2^1.  Protection  of  operative  miners. 

^  30.  Concerning  Roads — public  and  pri- 
vate. 

3  31.  Draining  and  Ditching. 

*  32.  Homestead  and  Exemption  Laws. 

I  33.  Completion  of  the  State  House. 


?  1.  The  legislative  power  shall  be  vested  in  a  General  As- 
sembly, which  shall  consist  of  a  Senate  and  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives, both  to  be  elected  by  the  people. 


?  2.  An  election  for  members  of  the  General  Assembly  shall 
be  held  on  the  Tuesdxty  next  after  the  first  Monday  in  November, 
in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventy, 
and  every  two  years  thereafter,  in  each  county,  at  such  places 
therein  as  may  be  provided  by  law.  When  vacancies  occur  in 
either  house,  the  governor,  or  person  exercising  the  powers  of 
governor,  shall  issue  writs  of  election  to  fill  such  vacancies. 

ELIGIBILITY   AND  OATH. 

§  S.  No  person  shall  be  a  senator  who  shall  not  have  attained 
tlic  age  of  twenty-five  years,  or  a  representative  who  shall  not 
have  attained  the  age  of  twenty-one  years.  Ko  person  shall  be 
a  sen.itor  or  a  representative  who  shall  not  be  a  citizen  of  the 
United  States,  and  who  shall  not  have  been  for  five  years  a  resi- 
dent of  this  State,  and  for  two  years  next  preceding  his  election 
a  resident  within  the  territory  forming  the  district  from  which  he 
h  elected.  Xo  judge  or  clerk  of  any  court,  secretary  of  state, 
attorney  general,  state's  attorney,  recorder,  slieritf,  or  collector  of 
public  revenue,  member  of  either  house  of  congress,  or  person 
holding  any  lucrative  office  under  the  United  States  or  this  State, 
or  any  foreign  government,  shall  have  a  seat  in  the  general  as- 
SL^mbly  :  Provided,  that  appointments  in  the  militia,  and  the  offi- 
ces of  notary  public  and  justice  of  the  pe.ice,  shall  not  be  con- 
sidered lucrative.  Nor  shall  any  person,  holding  any  office  of 
honor  or  profit  under  any  foreign  government,  or  under  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States,  (except  postmasters  whose  annual 
compensation  does  not  exceed  the  sum  of  $300,)  hold  any  ofiice 
of  honor  or  profit  under  the  authority  of  this  State. 

I  4.  No  person  who  has  been,  or  hereafter  shall  be,  convicted 
of  bribery,  perjury  or  other  infamous  crime,  nor  any  person  who 
has  been  or  may  be  a  collector  or  holder  of  public  moneys,  who 
shall  not  have  accounted  for  and  paid  over,  according  to  law,  all 
such  moneys  due  from  hira,  shall  he  eligible  to  the  general  as- 
sembly, or  to  any  office  of  profit  or  trust  in  this  State. 

§  (J.  Members  of  the  general  assembly,  before  they  enter  upon 
their  official  duties,  shall  take  and  subscribe  the  following  oath 
or  affirmation  : 

"I  do  solemnly  swear  (or  affirm)  that  I  will  support  the  oonstittition  of  the 
United  States,  and  the  constitution  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  will  faithfully 
discharge  the  duties  of  senator  (t.r  represent.itive)  according  to  the  best  of  my 
abilitj^ :  and  that  1  have  not,  knowingly  or  intentionally,  paid  or  contributed 
anything,  or  made  any  promise  in  the  nature  of  a  bribe,  to  directly  or  indi- 
rectly influence  any  vote  at  the  election  at  which  1  was  chosen  to  fill  the  said 
office,  and  have  not  accepted,  nor  will  I  accept  or  receive,  directly  or  indirect- 
ly, any  money  or  other  valuable  thing,  from  any  corporation,  company  or  per- 
son, for  any  vote  or  influence  I  may  give  or  withhold  on  any  bill,  resolution  or 
appropriation,  or  for  anv  other  official  act." 

2 


This  oath  shall  be  administered  by  a  judge  of  the  supreme  or 
circuit  court,  in  the  hall  of  the  house  to  which  the  member  is 
elected,  and  the  secretary  of  state  shall  record  and  file  the  oath 
subscribed  by  each  meniber.  Any  member  who  shall  refuse  to 
to  take  the  oath  herein  prescribed,  shall  forfeit  his  ofiice,  and 
every  member  who  shall  be  convicted  of  having  sworn  falsely  to, 
or  of  violating,  his  said  oath,  shall  forfeit  his  office,  and  be  dis- 
qualified thereafter  from  holding  any  office  of  profit  or  trust  in 
this  State. 

APPORTIOXMEXT — .SE.VATORIAL. 

?  6.  The  general  assembly  shall  apportion  the  State  every  ten 
years,  beginning  with  the  year  1871,  by  dividing  the  population 
of  the  State,  as  ascertained  by  the  federal  census,  by  the  number 
51,  and  the  quotient  shall  be  the  ratio  of  representation  in  the 
senate.  The  State  shall  be  divided  into  .51  senatorial  districts, 
each  of  which  shall  elect  one  senator,  whose  term  of  office  shall 
be  four  years.  The  senators  elected  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1872, 
in  districts  bearing  odd  numbers,  shall  vacate  theiV  offices  at  the 
end  of  two  years,  and  those  elected  in  districts  bearing  even  num- 
bers, at  the  end  of  four  ye.irs;  and  vacancies  occurring  by  the 
expiration  of  term,  shall  be  filled  by  the  election  of  senators  for 
the  full  term.  Senatorial  districts  shall  be  formed  of  contiguous 
and  compact  territory,  bounded  by  county  lines,  and  contain  as 
nearly  as  practicable  an  equal  number  of  inhabitants ;  but  no 
district  shall  contain  less  than  four-fifths  of  the  senatorial  ratio. 
Counties  containing  not  less  than  the  ratio  and  three-fourths, 
may  be  divided  into  separate  districts,  and  shall  be  entitled  to 
two  senators,  and  to  one  additional  senator  for  each  number  of 
inhabitants  equal  to  the  ratio,  contained  by  such  couutie.s  in  ex- 
cess of  twice  the  number  of  said  ratio. 

Note — By  the  adoption  of  minority  representation,  p  7  and  8  of  this  article 
cease  to  be  a  part  of  the  constitution.  Under  ^  12  of  the  schedule,  and  the  vote 
of  adoption,  the  following  section  relating  to  minority  representation  is  substi- 
tuted for  said  sections : 

MINORITY  REPRE^EXTATION. 

?§  7  and  8.  The  house  of  representatives  shall  consist  of  three 
times  the  number  of  the  members  of  the  senate,  and  the  term  of 
office  shall  be  two  years.  Three  representatives  shall  be  elected 
iu  each  senatorial  district  at  the  general  election  in  the  year  of 
our  Lord,  1872,  and  every  two  years  thereafter.  In  all  elections 
of  representatives  aforesaid,  each  qualified  voter  may  cast  as 
many  votes  for  one  candidate  as  there  are  representatives  to  be 
elected,  or  may  distribute  the  same,  or  equal  parts  thereof,  among 
the  candidates,  as  he  shall  see  fit;  and  the  candidates  highest  in 
votes  shall  be  declared  elected. 

TIME  OF  MEETING  AND  GENERAL  RULES. 

?  9.  The  sessions  of  the  general  assembly  shall  commence  at 
12  o'clock,  noon,  on  the  Wednesday  next  after  the  first  Monday 
in  January,  in  the  year  next  ensuing  the  election  of  members 
thereof,  and  at  no  other  time,  unless  as  provided  by  this  consti- 
tution. A  majority  of  the  members  elected  to  each  house  shall 
constitute  a  quorum.  Each  house  shall  determine  the  rules  of 
its  proceedings,  and  be  the  judge  of  the  election  returns  and 
qualifications  of  its  members;  shall  choose  its  own  officers;  and 
the  senate  shall  choose  a  temporary  president  to  preside  when 
the  lieutenant-governor  shall  not  attend  as  president  or  shall  act 
as  governor.  The  secretary  of  state  shall  call  the  house  of  repre- 
sentatives to  order  at  the  opening  of  each  new  assembly,  and 
preside  over  it  until  a  temporary  presiding  officer  thereof  shall 
have  been  chosen  and  shall  have  taken  his  seat.  No  member 
shall  be  expelled  by  either  house,  except  by  a  vote  of  two-thirds 
of  all  the  members  elected  to  that  house,  and  no  meniber  shall 
be  twice  expelled  for  the  same  offijnce.  Each  liouse  may  punish 
by  imprisonment  any  person,  not  a  member,  who  shall  be  guilty 
of  disrespect  to  the  house  by  disorderly  or  contemptuous  beha- 
viour in  its  presence.  But  nosuch  imprisonment  shall  extend  be- 
yond two  hours  at  one  time,  unless  the  person  shall  persist  in 
such  disorderly  or  contemptuous  behaviour. 

^  10.  The  doors  of  each  house  and  of  committees  of  the  whole, 
shall  be  kept  open,  except  in  such  cases  as,  in  the  opinion  of  the 
house,  require  secrecy.  Neither  house  shall,  without  the  consent 
of  the  other,  adjourn  for  more  than  .two  days,  or  to  any  other 
place  than  that  in  which  the  two  houses  shall  be  sitting.  Each 
house  shall  keep  a  journal  of  its  proceedings,  which  shall  be  pub- 
lished. In  the  senate  at  the  request  of  two  members,  and  in  the 
house  at  the  request  of  five  members,  the  yeas  and  nays  shall  be 
taken  on  any  question,  and  entered  upon  the  journal.     Any  two 


588 


EISTORY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


members  of  either  house  shall  have  liberty  to  dissent  from  and 
protest,  in  respectful  language,  against  any  actor  resolution  which 
they  think  injurious  to  the  public  or  to  any  individual,  and  have 
the  reasons  of  their  dissent  entered  upon  the  journals. 

STYLE  OF  LAWS  AND  PASSAGE  OF  BILLS. 

?  11.  The  style  of  the  laws  of  this  State  shall  be:  Bcitcn- 
acicd  by  the  People  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  represented  in  the  Gen- 
eral Assemhly. 

i  12.  Bills  may  originate  in  either  house,  but  may  be  altered, 
amended  or  rejected  by  the  other;  and  on  the  final  passage  of  all 
bills,  the  vote  shall  be  by  yeas  and  nays,  upon  each  bill  sepa- 
rately, and  shall  be  entered  upon  the  journal ;  and  no  bill  shall 
become  a  l.aw  without  the  concurrence  of  a  majority  of  the  mem- 
bers elected  to  each  house. 

?  13.  Every  bill  shall  be  read  at  large  on  three  different  days, 
in  each  house ;  and  the  bill  and  all  amendments  thereto  shall  be 
printed  before  the  vote  is  taken  on  its  final  passage ;  and  every 
bill,  having  passed  both  houses,  shall  be  signed  by  the  speakers 
thereof.  No  act  hereafter  passed  shall  embrace  more  than  one 
subject,  and  that  shall  be  expressed  in  the  title.  But  if  any  sub- 
ject shall  be  embraced  in  an  act  which  shall  not  be  expressed  in 
the  title,  such  act  shall  be  void  only  as  to  so  much  thereof  as 
shall  not  be  so  expressed  ;  and  no  law  shall  be  revived  or  amended 
by  reference  to  its  title  only,  but  the  law  revived,  or  the  section 
amended,  shall  be  inserted  at  length  in  the  new  act.  And  no  act 
of  the  general  assembly  shall  take  effect  until  the  first  day  of 
July  next  after  its  passage,  unless,  in  case  of  emergency,  (which 
emergency  shall  be  expressed  in  the  preamble  or  body  of  the  act), 
the  general  assembly  shall,  by  a  vote  of  two-thirds  of  all  the 
members  elected  to  each  house,  otherwise  direct. 

PRIVILEGES  AND  DISABILITIES. 

?  1-1.  Senators  and  representatives  shall,  in  all  cases,  except 
treason,  felony  or  breach  of  the  peace,  be  privileged  from  arrest 
during  the  session  of  the  general  assembly,  and  in  going  to  and 
returning  from  the  same;  and  for  any  speech  or  debate  in  either 
house,  they  shall  not  be  questioned  in  any  other  place. 

g  15.  No  person  elected  to  the  general  assembly  shall  receive 
any  civil  appointment  within  this  State  from  the  governor,  the 
governor  and  senate,  or  from  the  general  assembly,  during  the 
term  for  which  he  shall  have  been  elected ;  and  all  such  appoint- 
ments, and  all  votes  given  for  any  such  members  for  any  such 
offices  or  appointment,  shall  be  void  ;  nor  shall  any  member  of 
the  general  assembly  be  interested,  either  directly  or  indirectly, 
in  any  contract  witli  the  state,  or  any  county  thereof,  authorized 
by  any  law  passed  during  the  term  for  which  he  shall  have  been 
elected,  or  within  one  year  after  the  expiration  thereof. 

PUBLIC  MONEYS  AND  APPPvOPRIATIONS. 

?  IG.  The  general  assembly  shall  make  no  appropriation  of 
money  out  of  the  treasury  in  any  private  law.  Bills  making  ap- 
propriations for  the  pay  of  members  and  ofiicers  of  the  general 
assembly,  and  for  the  salaries  of  the  officers  of  the  government, 
shall  contain  no  provisions  on  any  other  subject. 

§  1 7.  No  money  shall  be  drawn  from  the  treasury  except  in 
pursuance  of  an  appropriation  made  by  law,  and  on  the  presenta- 
tion of  a  warrant  issued  by  the  auditor  thereon  ;  and  no  money 
shall  be  diverted  from  any  appropriation  made  for  any  purpose, 
or  t.aken  from  any  fund  whatever,  either  by  joint  or  separate 
resolution.  The  auditor  shall,  within  60  days  after  the  adjourn- 
ment of  each  session  of  the  general  assembly,  prepare  and  pub- 
lish a  full  statement  of  all  money  expended  at  such  session,  spe- 
cifying the  amount  of  each  item,  and  to  whom  and  for  what 
paid. 

?18.  Each  general  assembly  shall  provide  for  all  appropriations 
necessary  for  the  ordinary  and  contingent  expenses  of  the  govern- 
ment until  the  expiration  of  the  first  fiscal  quarter  afterthe  adjourn- 
ment of  the  next  regular  session,  the  aggregate  amount  of  which 
shall  not  be  increased  Avithout  a  vote  of  two-thirds  of  the  mem- 
bers elected  to  each  house,  nor  exceed  the  amount  of  revenue  au- 
thorized by  law  to  be  raised  in  such  time  ;  and  all  appropriations, 
general  or  special,  requiring  money  to  be  paid  out  of  the  State 
Treasury,  from  funds  belonsing  to  the  State,  shall  end  with  such 
fiscal  quarter :  Provided,  the  State  may,  to  meet  casual  deficits  or 
failures  in  revenue,  contract  debts,  never  to  exceed  in  the  aggre- 
gate $250,000 ;  and  moneys  thus  borrowed  shall  be  applied  to 
the  purpose  for  which  they  were  obtained,  or  to  pay  the  dclit  thus 
created,  and  to  no  other  purpose  ;  and  no  other  debt,  except  for 


the  purpose  of  repelling  invasion,  suppressing  insurrection,  or 
defending  the  State  in  war,  (for  payment  or  which  the  laith  of 
the  State  shall  be  pledged),  shall  be  contracted,  unless  the  law 
authorizing  the  same  shall,  at  a  general  election,  have  been  sub- 
mitted to  the  jieople,  and  have  received  a  majority  of  the  votes 
east  for  members  of  the  general  assembly  at  such  election.  The 
general  assembly  shall  provide  for  the  publication  of  .said  law  for 
three  months,  at  least,  before  the  vote  of  the  people  shall  be 
taken  upon  the  same ;  and  provision  shall  be  made,  at  the  time, 
for  the  payment  of  the  interest  annually,  as  it  shall  accrue,  by  a 
tax  levied  for  the  purpose,  or  from  other  sources  of  revenue ; 
which  law,  providing  for  the  payment  of  such  interest  by  such 
tax,  shall  be  irrepealable  until  such  debt  be  paid:  And  provided 
further,  that  the  law  levying  the  tax  shall  be  submitted  to  the 
people  with  the  law  authorizing  the  debt  to  be  contracted. 

§  19.  The  general  assembly  shall  never  grant  or  authorize  extra 
compensation,  fee  or  allowance  to  any  public  officer,  agent,  ser- 
vant or  contractor,  after  service^has  been  rendered  or  a  contract 
made,  nor  authorize  the  payment  of  any  claim,  or  part  thereof, 
hereafter  created  against  the  State  under  any  agreement  or  con- 
tract made  without  express  authority  of  law :  and  all  such  un- 
authorized agreements  or  contracts  shall  be  null  and  void:  Pro- 
vided, the  general  assembly  may  make  appropriations  for  expendi- 
tures incurred  in  suppressing  insurrection  or   repelling  invasion. 

I  20.  The  State  shall  never  pay,  assume  or  become  responsible 
for  the  debts  or  liabilities  of,  or  in  any  nuinner  give,  loan  or  ex- 
tend its  credit  to,  or  in  aid  of  any  public  or  other  corporation, 
association  or  individual. 

PAY  OF  MEMBERS. 

?  21.  The  members  of  the  general  assembly  shall  receive  for 
their  services  the  sum  of  f  8  per  day,  during  the  first  session  held 
under  this  constitution,  and  10  cents  for  each  mile  necessarily 
traveled  in  going  to  and  returning  from  the  seat  of  government, 
to  be  computed  by  the  auditor  of  public  accounts  ;  and  thereafter 
such  compensation  as  sh.all  be  prescribed  by  law,  and  no  other 
allowance  or  emolument,  directly  or  indirectly,  for  any  purpose 
whatever  ;  except  $50  per  session  to  each  member,  which  shall 
be  in  full  for  postage,  stationery,  newspapers,  and  all  other  inci- 
dental expenses  and  perquisites ;  but  no  change  shall  be  made 
in  the  compensation  of  members  of  the  general  assembly  during 
the  term  for  which  they  may  have  been  elected.  The  pay  and 
mileage  allowed  to  each  member  of  the  general  assembly  shall 
be  certified  by  the  speaker  of  their  respective  houses,  and  entered 
on  the  journals  and  published  at  the  close  of  each  session. 

SPECIAL  LEGISLATION  PROHIBITED. 

?  22.  The  general  assembly  shall  not  pass  local  or  special  laws 
in  any  of  the  following  enumerated  cases,  that  is  to  say:  for — 

Granting  divorces ; 

Changing  the  names  of  persons  or  places  ; 

Laying  out,  opening,  altering,  and  working  roads  or  highways; 

Vacating  roads,  town  plats,  streets,  alleys  and  public  grounds ; 

Locating  or  changing  county  seats ; 

Regulating  county  and  township  affairs  ; 

Regulating  the  practice  in  courts  of  justice  ; 

Regulating  the  jurisdiction  and  duties  of  justices  of  the  peace, 
police  magistrates,  and  constables  ;      _  _ 

Providing  for  change  of  venue  in  civil  and  criminal  cases. 

Incorporating  cities,  towns,  or  villages,  or  changing  or  amend- 
ing the  charter  of  any  town,  city  or  village ; 

Providing  for  the  election  of  members  of  the  board  of  super- 
visors in  township's  incorporated  towns  or  cities; 

Summoning  and  empaneling  grand  or  petit  juries; 

Providing  for  the  management  of  common  schools; 

Regulating  the  rate  of  interest  on  money  ; 

The  opemng  and  conducting  of  any  election,  or  designating 
the  place  of  voting ; 

The  sale  or  mortgage  of  real  estate  belonging  to  minors  or 
others  under  disability; 

The  protection  of  game  or  fish; 

Chartering  or  licensing  ferries  or  toll  bridges  ; 

Remitting  fines,  penalties  or  forfeitures ; 

Creating,  increasing,  or  decreasing  fees,  percentage  or  allow- 
ances of  public  officers,  during  the  term  for  which  said  officers, 
are  elected  or  appointed  ; 

Changing  the  law  of  descent ; 

Granting  to  any  corporation,  association  or  individual  the  right 
to   lay  down  railroad  tracks,  or  amending  existing  charters  lor 
such  purpose ; 
3 


HISTORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


589 


Granting  to  any  corporation,  association  or  individual  any  spe- 
cial or  exclusive  privilege,  immunity  or  franchise  whatever  ; 

In  all  other  cases  where  a  general  law  can  be  made  ajiplicable. 
no  special  law  shall  be  enacted; 

1  23.  The  general  assembly  shall  have  no  power  t*  release  or 
extinguish,  in  whole  or  in  part,  the  indebtedness,  liability,  or  ob- 
ligation of  any  corporation  or  individual  to  this  .State  or  to  any 
municipal  corporation  therein. 

IMPEACHMENT. 

^  21.  The  house  of  representatives  shall  have  the  sole  power  of 
impeachment ;  but  a  majority  of  all  the  members  elected  must 
concur  therein.  All  impeachments  shall  be  tried  by  the  senate  ; 
and  when  sitting  for  that  purpose,  the  senators  shall  be  upon 
oath,  or  affirmation,  to  do  justice  according  to  law  and  evidence. 
When  the  governor  of  the  State  is  tried,  ibe  chief  justice  shall 
preside.  No  person  shall  be  convicted  withmit  the  concurrence  of 
two-thirds  of  the  sen.ators  elected.  But  judgment,  in  such  case^, 
shall  not  extend  further  than  removal  from  ottiee,  and  disqualifi- 
cation to  hold  any  office  of  honor  profit  or  trust  under  the  gov- 
ernment of  this  St.ite.  The  party,  whether  convicted  or  acquit- 
ted, shall  nevertheless,  be  liable  to  prosecution,  trial,  judgment 
and  punishment  according  to  law. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

2  25.  The  general  assembly  shall  provide,  by  law,  th.'.t  the  fuel, 
stitionery  and  printing-i)apcr  furnished  for  the  use  of  the  h'tate ; 
the  copying,  printing,  binding  and  distributing  the  laws  and 
journals,  and  all  other  printing  ordered  by  the  general  assembly, 
shall  be  let  by  contract  to  the  lowest  res|)Onsible  bidder;  but  the 
general  assembly  shall  fix  a  maximum  price;  and  no  member 
thereof  or  other  officer  of  the  State,  shall  be  interested,  directly 
or  indirectly,  in  such  contract.  But  all  such  contracts  shall  be 
subject  to  the  approval  of  the  governor,  and  if  he  disapi)roves 
the  same  there  shall  be  a  re-letting  of  tlie  contract,  in  such  man- 
ner as  shall  be  prescribed  by  law. 

I  26.  The  State  of  Illinois  shall  never  be  made  defendant  i.i 
any  court  or  law  of  equity. 

I  27.  The  general  assembly  shall  have  no  power  to  authorize 
lotteries  or  gilt  enterprises,  for  any  purpose,  and  shall  pass  laws 
to  prohibit  the  sale  of  lottery  or  gilt  enterprise  tickets  in  this 
State. 

§  28.  No  law  shall  be  passed  which  shall  operate  to  extend  the 
term  of  any  public  officer  after  his  election  or  appointment. 

I  29.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  general  assemoly  to  pass  such 
law 5  as  may  be  necessary  for  the  protection  of  operative  miners, 
by  providing  for  ventilation,  when  the  same  may  be  required,  and 
the  construction  of  escapement-sliaf'ts,  or  such  other  ai)plianccs 
as  m.ay  secure  safety  in  all  coal  mines,  and  to  jirovide  for  the  en- 
forcement of  said  laws  by  such  penalties  and  punishments  as 
may  be  deemed  i^roper. 

I  30.  The  general  assembly  may  provide  for  establishing  and 
opening  roads  and  cart-ways,  connected  with  a  public  road,  for 
private  and  public  use. 

I  31.  The  general  assembly  may  pass  laws  permitting  the  own- 
ers and  occupants  of  lands  to  construct  drains  and  ditches,  fur 
agricultural  and  sanitarj-  purposes,  across  the  lands  of  others. 

I  32.  The  general  assembly  shall  pa-ss  liberal  and  homestead 
and  exemption  laws. 

i.  33.  The  general  assembly  shall  not  appropriate  out  of  the 
State  treasury,  or  expend  on  account  of  the  new  capitol  grounds, 
and  construction,  completion  and  furnishing  of  the  State-house,  a 
sura  exceeding  in  the  aggregate,  S3,50(l,000,  inclusive  of  all  ap- 
propriations heretofore  made,  without  first  submitting  the  propo- 
sition for  an  additional  expenditure  to  the  legal  voters  of  the 
State,  at  a  general  election  ;  nor  unless  a  majority  of  all  the  voti  s 
at  such  election  shall  be  for  the  proposed  additional  expenditure. 

ARTICLE  V. 

EXECUTIVE   DEPARTMENT. 


.  Officer**  of  this  Departmen'. 

.  Of  the  Statfl  Treasurer. 

.  Time  of  Electine;  State  Officers. 

Keturo!!— Tie— Contested  Election 
.  Eligibility  for  office. 
.  GoTernor— Power  an.l  Diitv. 
.  His  Messaae  anil  Statement. 
.  Convening  the  Oeneral  .\s3embly. 
.  Proroguing  the  General  A.saembly, 
.  Nominations  by  the  rjovernor. 
.  Vaoaneies  mav  be  filled. 
.  Remorals  bv  the  Governor. 
,  Reprieves,  Commutations,  Pardons 


.  Governor  aa  Commander-in-Chief. 
.  Impeaehment  for    Misdemeanor. 
.  Vett>  of  the  Governor. 
.  Lieutenant-Governor  as  Governor. 
.  As  President  of  the  Senate. 
.  Vacancy  in  tiovernor's  Office. 
.  Vacancy  in  other  Slate  (-iffices. 
.  Reports  of  Slate  Officers. 
.  Great  Seal  of  State. 

Fees  and  Salaries. 

Definition  of  'Office." 

Oath  of  Civil  Officers. 


EXECUTIVE    DEPAKTMEST. 

I  1.  The  executive  department  shall  consist  of  a  Governor, 
Lieutenant-Governor,  Secretary  of  State,  Auditor  of  Public  Ac- 
counts, Treasurer,  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  and  At- 
torney-General, who  shall  each  with  the  exception  of  the  Treas- 
urer, hold  his  office  for  the  term  of  four  years  from  the  second 
Monday  of  January  next  after  his  election,  and  until  his  succes- 
sor is  elected  and  qualified.  They  shall,  except  the  Lieutenant 
Governor,  reside  at  the  seat  of  Government  during  their  term  of 
office,  and  keep  the  public  records,  books  and  papers  there,  and 
shall  perform  such  duties  as  may  be  prescribed  by  law. 

I  2.  The  Tre;isurer  shall  hold  his  office  for  the  term  of  two 
years,  and  until  his  successor  is  elected  and  qualified  ;  and  shall 
be  ineligible  to  said  office  for  two  years  next  after  the  end  of  the 
term  for  which  he  was  elected.  He  may  be  required  by  the  Gov- 
ernor to  give  reasonable  additional  security,  and  in  default  of  so 
doing  his  office  shall  be  deemed  vacant. 

ELECTION. 

I  3.  An  election  foT  Governor,  Lieutenant-Governor,  Secretary 
of  State,  Auditor  of  Public  Accounts  and  Attorney-General,  shall 
be  held  on  the  Tuesday  next  after  the  first  Monday  in  November, 
in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1872,  and  every  four  years  thereafter ; 
for  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  on  the  Tuesday  next 
after  the  first  Monday  of  November,  in  the  year  1870,  and  every 
four  years  thereafter ;  and  for  Treasurer  on  the  day  last  ahr.ve 
mentioned,  and  every  two  year.i  thereafter,  at  such  placis  and  in 
such  manner  as  may  be  prescribed  by  law. 

I  4.  The  returns  of  every  election  lor  the  above  named  officers 
shall  be  sealed  up  and  transmitted,  by  the  returning  officers,  to 
the  Secretary  of  State,  directed  to  "  The  Speaker  of  the  House 
of  Representatives,"  who  shall,  immediately  after  the  organizii- 
tion  of  the  house,  and  before  proceeding  to  other  business,  open 
and  publish  the  same  in  the  presence  of  a  majority  of  each  house 
of  the  general  assembly,  who  shall,  for  that  purpose,  assemble  in 
the  hall  of  the  house  of  representatives.  The  i>erson  having  the 
highest  number  of  votes  for  either  of  the  said  tffices  shall  be  de- 
clared duly  elected ;  but  if  two  or  more  have  an  equal  and  the 
highest  number  of  votes,  the  general  assembly  shall,  by  joint 
ballot,  choose  one  of  such  persons  for  said  office.  Contested 
elections  for  all  of  said  offices  shall  be  determined  by  both  houses 
of  the  general  assembly,  by  joint  ballot,  in  such  manner  as  may 
be  prescribed  by  law. 

ELIGIBILITY. 

§  o.  No  person  shall  be  eligible  to  the  office  of  governor,  or 
lieutenant-governor,  who  shall  not  have  attained  the  age  of  30 
years,  and  been,  for  five  years  next  jireceding  his  election,  a  citi- 
zen of  the  United  States  and  of  this  State.  Neither  the  gover- 
nor, lieutenant-governor,  auditor  of  public  accounts,  secretary  of 
State,  superintendent  of  public  instruction  nor  attorney  general 
shall  be  eligible  to  any  other  office  during  the  period  for  which 
he  shall  have  been  elected. 

GOVERNOR. 

S  (').  The  supreme  executive  power  shall  be  vested  in  the  gov- 
ernor, who  shall  take  care  that  the  laws  be  faithfully  executed. 

?  7.  The  governor  shall,  at  the  commencement  of  each  session, 
and  at  the  close  of  his  term  of  office,  give  to  the  general  assembly 
information,  by  message,  of  the  condition  of  the  State,  and  shall 
recommend  such  measures  as  he  shall  deem  expedient.  He  shall 
acc<mnt  to  the  general  assembly,  and  accompany  his  message 
with  a  statement  of  all  moneys  received  and  paid  out  by  him 
from  any  fiinds  subject  to  his  order,  with  vouchers,  and  at  the 
commencement  of  each  regular  session,  present  estimates  of  the 
amount  of  money  required  to  be  raised  by  taxation  for  all  pur- 
jioses. 

'i  8.  The  governor  may,  on  extraordinari-  occasions,  convene 
the  general  assembly,  by  proclamation,  stating  therein  the  pur- 
pose for  which  they  are  convened;  and  the  general  assembly 
shall  enter  upon  no  business  except  that  for  which  they  were 
called  together. 

I  9.  In  ca,se  of  a  disagreement  between  fhe  two  houses  with 
respect  to  the  time  of  adjournment,  the  governor  may,  on  the 
same  being  certified  to  him,  by  the  house  first  moving  the  ad- 
journment, adjourn  the  general  assembly  to  such  time  as  bethinks 
proper,  not  beyond  the  first  day  of  the  next  regular  session. 

I  10.  The  governor  shall  nominate,  and  by  and  with  the  advice 
and  consent  of  the  .senate,  (a  majority  of  all  the  senators  elected 
concurring,  bv  veas  and  iiavs,)  appoint  all  ofiiccrs  whose  offices 
4       ■  " 


59(1 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


are  established  by  this  constitution,  or  which  may  be  created  by 
law,  and  whose  appointment  or  election  is  not  otherwise  provided 
for ;  and  no  such  otiicer  shall  be  appointed  or  elected  by  the  gen- 
eral assembly. 

g  11.  In  ease  of  a  vacancy,  during  the  recess  of  the  senate,  in 
any  office  which  is  not  elective,  the  governor  shall  make  a  tem- 
porary appointment  until  the  next  meeting  of  the  senate,  when 
he  shall  nominate  some  jierson  to  till  such  otfice  ;  ami  any  person 
so  nominated,  who  is  confirmed  by  the  senate  (a  ni:iinrity  of  all 
the  senators  elected  concurring  by  yeas  and  nays),  shall  hold  his 
office  during  the  remainder  of  the  time,  and  until  his  successor 
shall  be  appointed  and  qualified.  No  person,  after  being  rejected 
by  the  senate,  shall  be  again  nominated  for  the  same  office  at  the 
same  session,  unless  at  the  request  of  the  senate,  or  be  appointed 
to  the  same  office  during  the  recess  of  the  general  assembly. 

?  12.  The  governor  shall  have  power  to  remove  any  officer 
whom  he  may  appoint,  in  case  of  incompetency,  neglect  of  duty, 
or  malfeasance  in  office  ;  and  he  may  declare  his  office  vacant, 
and  fill  the  same  as  is  herein  provided  in  other  cases  of  vacancy. 

1  13.  The  governor  shall  have  power  to  grant  reprieves,  com- 
mutations and  pardons,  after  conviction,  for  all  offences,  subject 
to  such  regulations  as  may  be  provided  by  law  relative  to  the 
manner  of  applying  therefor. 

'i  14.  The  governor  shall  be  commander-in-chief  of  the  mili- 
tary and  naval  forces  of  the  State  (except  when  they  shall  be 
called  into  the  service  of  the  United  States) ;  and  may  call  out 
the  same  to  execute  the  laws,  suppress  insurrection,  and  repel 
i:iva.sion. 

2  1.).  The  governor,  and  all  civil  officers  of  this  State,  shall  be 
liable  to  impeachment  for  any  misdemeanor  in  office. 


?  16.  Every  \jA\  passed  by  the  general  assembly  ;  hall,  before  it 
becomci  a  law,  be  presented  to  the  governor.  If  he  approve,  he 
shall  sign  it,  and  thereupon  it  shall  become  a  law  ;  but  if  he  do 
not  approve,  he  shall  return  it,  with  his  objections,  to  the  house 
in  which  it  shall  have  originated,  which  house  shall  enter  the 
objections  at  large  upon  its  journal,  and  proceed  to  reconsider  the 
bill.  If,  then,  two-thirds  of  the  members  elected  agree  to  pass 
the  same,  it  shall  be  sent,  together  with  the  objections,  to  the 
other  house,  by  which  it  shall  likewise  be  reconsidered ;  and  if 
approved  by  two-thirds  of  the  members  elected  to  that  house,  it 
shall  become  a  law,  notwithstanding  the  objections  of  the  gover- 
nor. But  in  all  such  cases,  the  vote  of  each  house  shall  be  de- 
termined by  yeas  and  nays,  to  be  entered  on  the  journal.  Any 
bill  which  shall  not  be  returned  by  the  governor  within  ten  days 
(Sundays  excepted)  after  it  shall  have  been  presented  to  him, 
shall  become  a  law  in  like  manner  as  if  he  had  signed  it,  unless 
the  general  assembly  shall,  by  their  adjournment,  prevent  its  re- 
turn ;  in  which  case  it  shall  be  filed,  with  his  objections,  in  the 
office  of  the  secretary  of  State,  within  ten  days  after  such  adjourn- 
ment, or  become  a  law. 

LIEUTENANT-GOVEESOE. 

?  17.  In  case  of  death,  conviction  or  impeachment,  failure  to 
qualify,  resignation,  absence  from  the  State,  or  other  disability 
of  the  governor,  the  powers,  duties,  the  emoluments  of  the  office 
for  the  residue  of  the  term,  or  until  the  disability  shall  be  re- 
moved, shall  devolve  upon  the  lieutenant-governor. 

§  18.  The  lieutenant-governor  shall  be  president  of  the  senate, 
and  shall  vote  only  when  the  senate  is  equally  divided.  The 
senate  shall  choose  a  president,  joi'o  tanpore,  to  preside  in  case  of 
the  absence  or  impeachment  of  the  lieutenant-governor,  or  when 
he  shall  hold  the  office  of  governor. 

^  19.  If  there  be  no  lieutenant-governor,  or  if  the  lieutenant- 
governor  shall,  for  any  of  the  causes  specified  in  I  17  of  this 
article,  become  incapable  of  performing  the  duties  of  the  office, 
the  president  of  the  senate  shall  actasgovernoruntil  the  vacancy 
is  filled  or  the  disability  removed;  and  if  the  president  of  the 
senate,  for  any  of  the  above  named  causes,  shall  become  incapa- 
ble of  performing  the  duties  of  governor,  the  same  shall  devolve 
upon  the  speaker  of  the  house  of  representatives. 

OTHER  STATE  OFFICERS. 

3  20.  If  the  office  of  auditor  of  public  accotmts,  treasurer,  sec- 
retarv  of  State,  attorney  general,  or  sui)erinteiident  of  public  in- 
struction shall  be  vacated  by  death,  resignation  or  otherwise,  it 
shall  be  the  duty  of  the  governor  to  fill  tlie  same  by  appointment, 
and  the  appointee  shall  hold  his  office  until  his  successor  shall 
be  elected  and  qualified  in  such  manner  as  may  be  provided   by 


law.  An  account  shall  be  kept  by  the  officers  of  the  executive 
department,  and  of  all  the  public  institutions  of  the  State,  of  all 
moneys  received  ordislmrsed  by  them, severally,  from  all  sources, 
and  for  every  service  iieituruied,  and  a  semi-annual  report  thereof 
be  made  to  the  governor,  under  oath  ;  and  any  officer  who  makes 
a  false  report  shall  be  guilty  of  perjury,  and  punished  accordingly. 
i  21.  The  officers  of  the  executive  department,  and  of  all  the 
public  institutions  of  the  State,  shall,  at  least  ten  days  i  receding 
each  regular  session  of  the  general  assembly,  severally  report  to 
the  governor,  who  shall  transmit  such  reports  to  the  general  as- 
sembly, together  with  the  reports  of  the  judges  of  the  supreme 
court  of  the  defects  in  the  constitution  and  laws  ;  and  the  gover- 
nor may  at  any  time  require  information,  in  writing,  under  oath, 
from  the  officers  of  the  executive  department,  and  all  officers  and 
managers  of  state  institutions,  upon  any  subject  relating  to  the 
condition,  management   and  expenses  of  their  respective  offices. 

THE  SEAL  OF  STATE. 

?  22.  There  shall  be  a  seal  of  the  State,  which  shall  be  called 
the  "  Great  seal  of  the  State  of  Illinois,"  which  shall  be  kept  by 
the  secretary  of  State,  and  used  by  him,  officially  as  directed  by 
law. 

FEES  AND  SALARIES. 

?  23.  The  officer;  named  in  this  article  shall  receive  for  their 
services  a  salary,  to  be  established  by  law,  which  shall  not  be  in- 
creased or  iliniinished  during  their  official  terms,  and  they  shall 
not  alter  the  expiration  of  the  terms  of  those  in  office  at  the 
adoption  of  this  constitution,  receive  to  their  own  use  any  fees, 
costs,  perquisites  of  office,  or  other  compensation.  And  all  fees 
that  may  hereafter  be  payable  by  law  for  any  service  performed 
by  any  officer  provided  for  in  this  article  of  the  constitution, 
shall  be  paid  in  advance  into  the  State  treasury. 

DEFIXITIOX  AXD  OATH  OF  OFFICE. 

I  24.  An  office  is  a  public  position  created  by  the  constitution 
or  law,  continuing  during  the  pleasure  of  the  appointing  power, 
or  for  a  fixed  time,  with  a  successor  elected  or  appointed.  An 
employment  is  an  agency,  for  a  temporary  purpose,  which  ceases 
when  that  purpose  is  accomplished. 

^  2.).  All  civil  officers,  except  members  of  the  general  assembly 
and  such  inferior  officers  as  may  be  by  law  exempted,  shall,  be- 
fore they  enter  on  the  duties  of  their  respective  offices,  take  and 
subscribe  the  following  oath  or  affirmation : 

I  do  solemnly  pwear  (or  affirm,  as  the  ca«e  may  be)  that  I  will  support  the 
constitution  of  the  United  States,  and  tho  Constitution  of  the  State  of  Illinois, 

and  tliat  I  will  faithfully  discharge  the  duties  of  the  ofBce  of  according 

to  the  best  of  my  ability. 

And  no  other  oath,  declaration  or  test  shall  be  required  as  a 
qualification. 

ARTICLE  VI. 

JUDICIAL   DEPARTMENT. 


.  Judicial  Powers  of  Courts. 

.  Seven     Supreme     Judges — Four 

Decide. 
.  Qualifications  of  aSupreme  Judge 
.  Terms  of  the  Supreme  Court. 
.  Three    Grand     Divisions— Seven 

Districts. 
.  Election  of  Supreme  Judges. 
.  Salai'ies  of  the  Supreme  Judges. 
.  Appeals  and  AVrits  of  Error. 
.  Appointment  of  Reporter. 
,  Clerks  of  the  Supreme  Court. 
,  Appellate  Courts  Authorized. 
,  Jurisdiction  of  Circuit  Courts. 

Formation  of  Judicial  Circuits. 

Time  of  holding  Circuit  Courts. 

Circuits  containing  Four  Judges. 

S  d.iries  of  the  Circuit  Judges. 

Qualifications  of  Judges  or  Com- 


3  18.  County  Judges— County  Clerks. 

i  10.  Appeals  from  County  Courts. 

I  20-  Probate  Courts  Authorized. 

^  21.  Justices  of  the  Peace  and  Con.t^ta- 
bles. 

3  22.  State's  Attorney  in  each  County. 

3  2:J.  Cook  County  Courts  of  Record. 

3  24.  Chief  Justice- Power   of  Judges. 

8  'Si.  Salaries  of  the  Judges. 

i  S!6.  Criminal  Court  of  Cot  k  County. 

§  27.  Clerks  of  Cook  County  Court. 

i  28.  Justices  in  Chicago. 

i  23.  Uniformity  in  the  Courts. 

3  :jo.  Removal  o'f  any  Judge. 

6  :u.  Judges  to  make  Written  Reports. 

§  32.  Terms  of  Office— Fdling  Vacan- 
cies. 

§  33.  Process- Prosecutions— P  o  p  u  1  a- 
tion. 


I  1.  The  judicial  powers,  except  as  in  this  article  is  otherwise 
provided,  shall  be  vested  in  one  supreme  court,  circuit  courts, 
county  courts,  justices  of  the  peace,  police  magistrates,  and  in 
such  courts  as  may  be  created  by  law  in  and  for  cities  and  incor- 
porated towns. 

SUPREME  COURT. 

I  2.  The  supreme  court  shall  consist  of  seven  judges,  and  shall 
have  original  jurisdiction  in  cases  relating  to  the  revenue,  in 
mandamus,  a.n^  habea-f  corpus,  and  appellate  jurisdiction  in  all 
other  cases.  One  of  said  judges  shall  be  chief  justice;  four  shall 
constitute  a  quorum,  and  the  concurrence  of  four  shall  be  neces- 
sary to  everv  decision. 
5 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


591 


?  3.  No  person  shall  be  eligible  to  the  office  of  judje  of  the 
supremo  court  unless  he  shall  be  at  least  thirty  years  of  a^e,  and  a 
citizen  of  the  United  States,  nar  unless  he  shall  have  resided  in 
the  State  five  years  next  preceding  his  election,  and  be  a  resi- 
dent of  the  district  in  which  he  shall  be  elected. 

I  4.  Terms  of  the  supreme  court  shall  continue  to  be  held  in 
the  present  grand  divisions  at  the  several  places  now  provided 
for  holding  the  same;  and  until  otherwise  provided  by  law,  one 
or  more  terms  of  said  court  shall  be  held,  for  the  northern 
division,  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  each  year,  at  such  times  as  said 
court  may  appoint,  whenever  said  city  or  the  county  of  Cook 
shall  provide  appropriate  room  therefor,  and  the  use  of  a  suitable 
library,  without  expense  to  the  State.  The  judicial  divisions 
may  be  altered,  increased  or  diminished  in  number,  and  the  times 
and  places  of  holding  said  court  may  be  changed  by  law. 

I  5.  The  present  grand  divisions  "sh.all  be  prcsen-ed,  and  be 
denominated  Southern,  Central  and  Northern,  until  otherwise 
I)rovidcd  by  law.  The  State  shall  be  divided  into  seven  districts 
for  the  election  of  judge,  and  until  otherwise  provided  by  law, 
t'.iev  shall  be  as  f  dlows : 

First  DUtrkl.— The  counties  of  St.  Clair,  Clinton,  Washing- 
ton, JelTorson,  Wayne,  Edwards,  Wabash,  Whits,  Hamilton, 
Franklin,  Perry,  K.andolph,  Monroe,  Jackson,  Williamson,  Saline, 
Gallatin,  Hardin,  Pope,  Union,  Johnson,  Alexander,  Pul.aski  and 
Massac.    . 

Second  District. — The  counties  of  Madison,  Bond,  JIaiion,  Clay, 
Eichland,  Lawrence,  Crawford,  Jasper,  EiRngham,  Fayette,  Mont- 
gomery, Macouoin,  Shelby,  Cumberland,  Clark,  Greene,  Jersey, 
Calhoun  and  Christian. 

Third  Diffrirt— The  counties  of  Sangamon.  Jfacon,  Logan,  De 
AVitt,  Piatt,  Douglas,  Champaign,  Vermilion,  McLean,  Living- 
ston, Ford,  Iroquois,  Coles,  Edgar,  Jloultrie  and  Tazewell. 

Fourth  District. — The  counties  of  Fulton,  MiDonough,  Han- 
cock, Schuyler,  Brown,  Adams,  Pike,  Mason,  Menard,  Morgan, 
Cass  and  Scott. 

J'ifth  District.— The  counties  of  Knox,  Warren,  Henderson, 
Mercer,  Henry,  Stark,  Peoria,  Marshall,  Putnam,  Bureau,  Lasalle, 
Grundv  and  Woodford. 

Sixth  District. — ^The  counties  of  Whiteside,  Carroll,  Jo  Daviess, 
Stephenson,  Winnebago,  Boone,  McHenry,  Kane,  Kendall,  De 
Kalb,  Lee,  Ogle  and  Ilock  Island. 

Seventh  District. — The  counties  of  Lake,  Cook,  Will,  Kankakee 
and  Du  Page. 

Ths  boundaries  of  the  districts  may  be  changed  at  the  session 
of  the  general  assembly  next  preceding  the  election  for  judges 
herein,  and  at  no  other  time ;  but  whenever  such  alterations 
shall  be  made,  the  same  shall  be  upon  the  rule  of  equality  of 
population,  as  nearly  as  county  boundaries  will  allow,  and  the 
districts  will  be  composed  of  contiguous  counties,  in  as  nearly 
compact  form  as  circumstances  will  permit.  The  alteration  of 
the  districts  shall  not  afl'ect  the  tenure  of  an  office  of  any  Judge. 

I  6.  At  the  time  of  voting  on  the  adoption  of  this  constitution, 
one  judge  of  the  supreme  court  shall  be  elected  by  the  electors 
thereof,  in  each  of  said  districts  numbered  two,  three,  six  and 
seven,  who  shall  hold  his  office  for  the  term  of  nine  years  from 
the  first  Monday  of  June,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1870.  The 
term  of  office  of  judges  of  the  supreme  court,  elected  after  the 
adoption  of  this  constitution,  shall  be  nine  years ;  and  on  the 
first  Monday  of  June  of  the  year  in  which  the  term  of  any  of 
the  judges  in  office  at  the  adoption  of  this  constitution,  or  of  the 
judge  then  elected,  shall  expire,  and  every  nine  years  thereafter, 
there  shall  be  an  election  for  the  successor  or  successors  of  such 
judges,  in  the  respective  districts  wherein  the  term  of  such  judges 
shall  expire.  The  chief  justice  shall  continue  to  act  as  such 
until  the  expiratiim  of  the  term  for  which  he  was  elected,  after 
which  the  judges  shall  choose  one  of  their  number  as  chief  jus- 
tice. 

^  7.  From  and  after  the  adoption  of  this  constitution,  the 
judges  of  the  supreme  court  shall  each  receive  a  salary  of  $4,000 
per  annum,  payable  quarterly,  until  otherwise  provided  by  law. 
And  after  said  salaries  shall  be  fixed  by  law,  the  salaries  of 
the  judges  in  office  shall  not  be  increased  or  diminished  during 
ths  terms  for  which  said  judges  have  been  elected. 

i.  S.  Appeals  and  writs  of  error  may  be  taken  to  the  supreme 
court,  held  in  the  grand  division  in  which  the  case  is  decided,  or, 
by  consent  of  the  parties,  to  any  other  grand  division. 

?  9.  The  supreme  court  shall  appoint  one  reporter  of  its  deci- 
sions, who  shall  hold  his  office  for  six  years,  subject  to  removal  by 
the  court. 

i,  10.  At  the  time  of  the  election  for  representative  in  the  gen- 
eral assembly,  happening   next  preceding   the  expiration  of  the 


terms  of  office  of  the  present  clerks  of  said  court,  one  clerk  of 
said  court  for  each  division  shall  be  elected,  whose  term  of  office 
sh.all  be  six  years  from  said  election,  but  wiio  shall  not  enter  upon 
the  duties  of  his  office  until  the  expiration  of  the  term  of  his 
predecessor,  and  evcrj'  six  years  thereafter,  one  clerk  of  said 
court  for  each  division  shall  be  elected. 

APPELLATE   COUETS. 

I  11.  Afterthe  year  of  our  Lord  1874,  inferior  appellate  courts 
of  uniform  organization  and  jurisdiction,  may  be  created  in  dis- 
tricts formed  for  that  purpose,  to  which  such  appeals  and  writs 
of  error  as  the  general  assembly  may  provide,  may  be  prosecuted 
from  circuit  and  other  courts,  and  from  which  appeals  and  writs 
of  error  shall  lie  to  the  supreme  court,  in  all  criminal  cases,  and 
cases  in  which  a  franchise,  or  freehold,  (  r  the  validity  of  a  .stat- 
ute is  involved,  and  in  such  other  cases  as  may  be  provided  by 
law.  Such  appellate  courts  shall  be  held  by  such  number  of 
judges  of  the  circuit  courts,  and  at  such  times  and  places,  and  in 
such  manner,  as  may  bo  provided  ly  law;  but  no  judge  shall  sit 
in  review  upon  cases  decided  by  him  ;  nor  .shall  said  judges  re- 
ceive any  additional  compensation  for  such  services. 

CIRCUIT  cour.T.s. 

I  12.  The  circuit  courts  shall  have  original  jurisdiction  of  all 
causes  in  law  and  equity,  and  such  appellate  jurisdiction  as  is  or 
may  be  provided  by  law,  and  shall  hold  two  or  more  terms  each 
year  in  every  county.  The  temis  of  office  of  judges  of  circuit 
courts  shall  be  six  years. 

J  13.  The  State,  exclusive  of  the  county  of  Cook  and  other 
counties  having  a  population  of  100,000,  shall  be  divided  into 
judicial  circuits,  prior  to  the  expiration  of  terms  of  office  of  the 
present  judges  of  the  circuit  courts.  Such  circnits  shall  be  formed 
of  contiguous  counties,  in  as  nearly  compact  form  and  as  nearly 
equal  as  circumstances  will  permit,  having  due  regard  to  busi- 
ne  ;s,  territory  and  population,  and  shall  not  exceed  in  number 
one  circuit  for  every  100,000  of  population  in  the  State.  One 
judge  shall  be  elected  for  each  of  said  circuits  by  the  electors 
thereof.  New  circuits  may  be  formed  and  the  boundaries  of  cir- 
cuits changed  by  the  general  assembly,  at  its  session  next  pre- 
ceding the  election  for  circuit  judges,  but  at  no  other  time:  Pro- 
vided, that  the  circuits  may  be  equalized  or  changed  at  the  first 
sessim  of  the  general  assembly,  after  the  adoi)tion  of  this  con- 
stitution. The  creation,  alteration  or  change  of  any  circuit  shall 
not  affect  the  tenure  of  office  of  any  judge.  Whenever  tlie  busi- 
ness of  the  circuit  court  of  any  one,  or  of  two  or  more  contigu- 
ous counties,  containing  a  population  exceeding  50,000,  shall  oc- 
cupy nine  months  of  the  year,  the  general  as.sembly  may  make 
of  such  county,  or  counties,  a  separate  circuit.  Whenever  addi- 
tional circuits  are  created,  the  foregoing  limitations  shall  be  ob- 
served. 

I  14.  The  gener.al  assembly  shall  provide  for  the  times  of  hold- 
ing courts  in  each  county  ;  which  shall  not  be  changed,  except 
by  the  general  assembly  next  ])receding  the  general  election  for 
judges  of  said  courts;  but  additional  terms  may  be  provided  for 
in  any  county.  The  election  for  judges  of  the  circuit  courts  shall 
be  held  on  the  first  Monday  of  June,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
1873,  and  every  six  years  thereafter. 

^15.  The  general  assembly  may  divide  the  State  into  judicial 
circuits  of  greater  population  and  territory,  in  lieu  of  the  circuits 
provided  for  in  section  13  of  this  article,  and  provide  for  the  elec- 
tion therein,  severally,  by  the  electors  thereof^  by  general  ticket, 
of  not  exceeding  four  judges,  who  shall  hold  the  circuit  courts  for 
wliich  they  shall  be  elected,  in  such  manner  as  may  be  provided 
by  law. 

?  IG.  From  and  after  the  adoption  of  this  constitution,  judges 
of  the  circuit  courts  shall  receive  a  salary  of  $3,000  per  annum, 
pay.able  quarterly,  until  otherwise  i)rovidcd  by  law.  And  after 
their  s  ilarics  shall  be  fixed  by  law,  they  shall  not  be  increased  or 
diminished  during  the  terms  for  which  said  judges  shall  be,  re- 
spectively, elected  ;  and  from  and  after  the  adoption  of  this  con- 
stitution, no  judge  of  the  supreme  or  circuit  court  shall  receive 
any  other  compensation,  iK'rquisite  or  benefit,  in  any  form  wh.atso- 
evcr,  nor  perform  any  other  than  judicial  duties  to  which  may 
belong  any  emoluments. 

?  17.  No  person  shall  be  eligible  to  the  office  of  judge  of  the 
circuit  or  any  inferior  court,  or  to  membership  in  the  "  Doard  of 
county  commissioners,"  unless  he  shall  be  at  least  25  years  of  age, 
and  a  citizen  of  the  L'nited  States,  nor  unless  he  shall  have  re- 
sided in  this  State  five  years  next  preceding  his  election,  and  be 
a  resident  of  the  circuit,  county,  city,  cities,  or  incorporated  town 
in  which  he  shall  be  elected. 
6 


592 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


COUNTY  COURTS. 

I  18.  There  shall  be  elected  in  and  for  each  county,  one  judge 
and  one  clerk  of  the  county  court,  whose  terms  of  office  shall  be 
four  years.  But  the  general  assembly  may  create  districts  of  two 
or  more  contiguous  counties,  in  each  of  which  shall  be  elected 
one  judge,  who  shall  take  the  place  of,  and  exercise  the  powers 
and  jurisdiction  of  county  judges  in  such  districts.  County 
courts  shall  be  courts  of  record,  and  shall  have  original  jurisdic- 
tion in  all  matters  of  probate  ;  settlement  of  estates  of  deceased 
persons  ;  appointment  of  guardians  and  conservators,  and  settle- 
ments of  their  accounts ;  in  all  matters  relating  to  apprentices  ; 
and  in  proceedings  for  the  collection  of  taxes  and  assessments, 
and  such  other  jurisdiction  as  may  be  provided  for  by  general 
law. 

?  19.  Appeals  and  writs  of  error  shall  be  allowed  from  final 
determination  of  county  courts,  as  may  be  provided  by  law. 

PROBATE  COURTS. 

I  20.  Thcgener.ll  assembly  may  provide  for  the  establishment 
of  a  probate  court  in  each  county  having  a  population  of  over 
50,000,  and  for  the  election  of  a  judge  thereof,  whose  term  of 
office  shall  be  the  same  as  that  of  the  county  judge,  and  who 
shall  be  elected  at  the  same  time  and  in  the  same  manner.  Said 
courts,  when  established,  shall  have  original  jurisdiction  of  all 
probate  matters,  the  settlement  of  estates  of  deceased  persons, 
the  appointment  of  guardians  and  conservators,  and  settlement 
of  their  .accounts  ;  in  all  m.atters  relating  to  apprentices,  and  in 
cases  of  the  sales  of  real  estate  of  deceased  persons  for  the  pay- 
ment of  debts. 

JUSTICES  OF  THE  PEACE  AND  CONSTABLES. 

I  21.  Justices  of  the  peace,  police  magistrates,  and  constables 
shall  be  elected  in  and  for  such  districts  as  are,  or  may  be,  pro- 
vided by  law,  and  the  jurisdiction  of  such  justices  of  the  peace 
and  police  magistrates  shall  be  uniform. 

state's  ATTORNEYS. 

?  22.  At  the  election  for  members  of  the  general  assembly  in 
the  year  of  our  Lord  1872,  and  every  four  years  thereafter,  there 
shall  be  elected  a  State's  attorney  in  and  for  each  county,  in  lieu 
of  the  State's  attorney  now  provided  by  law,  whose  term  of  office 
shall  be  four  years. 

COURTS  OF  COOK  COUNTY. 

I  23.  TIic  county  of  Cook  shall  be  one  judicial  circuit.  The 
circuit  court  of  Cook  county  shall  consist  of  five  judges,  until 
their  number  shall  be  increased,  as  herein  provided.  The  present 
judge  of  the  recorder's  court  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  the  pres- 
ent judge  of  the  circuit  court  of  Cook  county,  shall  be  two_  of 
said  judges,  and  shall  remain  in  office  for  the  terms  for  which 
they  were  respectively  elected,  and  until  their  successors  shall 
be  elected  and  qualified.  The  superior  court  of  Chicago  shall  be 
continued,  and  called  the  superior  court  of  Cook  county.  The 
general  assembly  may  increase  the  number  of  said  judges  by  ad- 
ding one  to  either  of  said  courts  for  every  additional  50,000  in- 
habitants in  said  county,  over  and  above  a  population  of  400,000. 
The  terms  of  office  of  the  judges  of  said  courts  hereafter  elected, 
shall  be  six  years. 

^  24.  The  judge  having  the  shortest  unexpired  term  shall  be 
chief  justice  of  the  court  of  which  he  is  judge.  In  case  there 
are  two  or  more  whose  terms  expire  at  the  same  time,  it  may  be 
determined  by  lot  which  shall  be  chief  justice.  Any  judge  of 
either  of  .said  courts  shall  have  all  the  powers  of  a  circuit  judge, 
and  m.ay  hold  the  court  of  which  he  is  a  member.  Each  of  them 
may  hold  a  different  branch  thereof  at  the  same  time. 

§  25.  The  judges  of  the  superior  and  circuit  courts,  and  the 
State's  attorney,  in  said  county,  shall  receive  the  same  salaries, 
payable  out  of  the  State  treasury,  as  is  or  may  be  paid  from  said 
treasury  to  the  circuit  judges  and  State's  attorneys  of  the  State, 
and  such  further  compensation,  to  be  paid  by  the  county  of  Cook, 
as  is  or  may  be  provided  by  law  ;  such  compensation  shall  not 
be  changed  during  their  continuance  in  office. 

^  26.  The  recorder's  court  of  the  city  of  Chicago  shall  be  con- 
tinued, and  shall  be  called  the  "  criminal  court  of  Cook  county." 
It  shall  have  the  jurisdiction  of  a  circuit  court,  in  all  cases  of 
criminal  and  yiw.si  criminal  nature,  arising  in  the  county  of  Cook, 
or  that  may  be  brought  before  said  court  pursuant  to  law  ;  and 
all  recognizances  and  appeals  taken  insaid  county,  in  criminal  and 
quasi  criminal  cases  shall  be  returnjible  and  taken  to  said  court. 
It  shall  have  no  jurisdiction  in  civil  eases,  except  in  those  on 
behalf  of  the  people,  and  incident  to  such  criminal  or  quasi  crim- 
inal matters,  and  to  dispose  of  unfinished  business.  The  terms 
7 


of  said  criminal  court  of  Cook  county  shall  be  held  by  one  or 
more  of  the  judges  of  the  circuit  or  superior  court  of  Cook 
county,  as  nearly  as  may  be  in  alternation,  as  may  be  determined 
by  said  judges,  or  provided  by  law.  Said  judges  shall  be  ex- 
officio  judges  of  said  court. 

I  27.  The  present  clerk  of  the  recorder's  court  of  the  city  of 
Chicago,  shall  be  the  clerk  of  the  criminal  court  of  Cook  county, 
during  the  term  for  which  he  was  elected.  The  present  clerks  of 
the  superior  court  of  Chicago,  and  the  present  clerk  of  the  circuit 
court  of  Cook  county,  shall  continue  in  office  during  the  terms 
for  which  they  were  respectively  elected ;  and  thereafter  there 
shall  be  but  oiie  clerk  of  the  superior  court,  to  be  elected  by  the 
qualified  electors  of  said  county,  who  shall  hold  his  office  for  the 
term  of  four  years,  and  until  his  successor  is  elected  and  qualified. 

I  28.  All  justices  of  the  peace  in  the  city  of  Chicago  shall  be 
appointed  by  the  governor,  by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent 
of  the  senate,  (but  only  upon  the  recommendation  of  a  majority 
(if  the  judges  of  the  circuit,  superior  and  county  courts,)  and  for 
such  districts  as  are  now  or  sh.all  hereafter  be  provided  by  law. 
They  shall  hold  their  offices  for  four  years,  and  until  their  suc- 
cesssors  have  been  commissioned  and  qualified,  but  they  may  be 
removed  by  summary  proceedings  in  the  circuit  or  superior  court, 
for  extortion  or  other  malfeasance.  Existing  justices  of  the  peace 
and  police  magistrates  may  hold  their  offices  until  the  expiration 
of  their  respective  terms. 

GENERAL   PROVISIONS. 

I  29.  All  judicial  officers  shall  be  commissioned  by  the  gover- 
nor. All  laws  relating  to  courts  shall  be  general,  and  of  uniform 
operation  ;  and  the  organization,  jurisdiction,  power,  proceedings 
and  practice  of  all  courts,  of  the  same  class  or  grade,  so  far  as 
regulated  by  law,  and  the  force  and  effect  of  the  process,  judg- 
ments and  decrees  of  such  courts,  severally  shall  be  uniform. 

^  30.  The  general  assembly  may,  for  cause  entered  on  the 
journals,  upon  due  notice  and  opportunity  of  defense,  remove 
"from  oflice  any  judge,  upon  concurrence  of  three-fourths  of  all 
the  members  elected,  of  each  house.  All  other  officers  in  this 
article  mentioned,  shall  be  removed  from  office  on  prosecution 
and  final  conviction,  for  misdemeanor  in  office. 

I  31.  All  judges  of  courts  of  record,  inferior  to  the  supreme 
court,  shall,  on  or  before  the  first  day  of  June,  of  each  year,  re- 
port in  writing  to  the  judges  of  the  supreme  court,  such  defects 
and  omissions  in  the  laws  as  their  experience  may  suggest ;  and 
the  judges  of  the  supreme  court  shall,  on  or  before  the  first  day 
of  January  of  each  year,  report  in  writing  to  the  governor  such 
defects  and  omissions  in  the  constitution  and  laws  as  they  mav 
find  to  exist,  together  with  appropriate  forms  of  bills  to  cure  such 
defects  and  omissions  in  the  law.s.  And  the  judges  of  the  several 
circuit  courts  shall  report  to  the  next  general  assembly  the  num- 
ber of  days  they  have  held  court  in  the  several  counties  compos- 
ing their  respective  circuits,  the  preceding  two  years. 

?-32.  All  officers  provided  for  in  this  article  shall  hold  their 
offices  until  their  successors  shall  be  qualified,  and  thev  shall,  re- 
spectively, reside  in  the  division,  circuit,  county  or  district  for 
which  they  may  be  elected  or  appointed.  The  terms  of  office  of 
all  such  officers,  wdiere  not  otherwise  prescribed  in  this  article, 
shall  be  four  years.  All  officers,  where  not  otherwise  provided 
for  in  this  article,  shall  perform  such  duties  and  receive  _  such 
compensation  as  is  or  mav  be  provided  by  law.  Vacancies  in 
such  elective  offices  shall  "be  filled  by  election;  but  where  the 
unexpired  term  does  not  exceed  one  year,  the  vacancy  shall  be 
filled  bv  appointment,  as  follows  :  Of  judges,  by  the  governor ; 
of  clerks  of  courts,  by  the  court  to  which  the  office  appertains,  or 
by  the  judge  or  judges  thereof;  and  of  .all  such  other  officers,  by 
the  board  of  supervisors  or  board  of  county  commissioners  in 
the  countv  where  the  vacancy  occurs. 

?  33.  All  process  shall  run  :  In  the  name  of  the  People  nf  the 
State  of  Illinois :  and  all  prosecutions  shall  be  carried  on  :  In 
the  name  and  by  the  authprity  of  the  People  of  the  State  if  Illinois; 
and  conclude;  Against  the  peace  and  dignity  of  the  same.  "Pop- 
ulation," wherever  used  in  this  article,  shall  be  determined  by  the 
next  preceding  census  of  this  State  or  of  the  United  States. 

ARTICLE  VII. 


SUFFRAGE. 


Who  ure  entitled  to  Vote. 
All  Votins  to  be  by  Ballot. 
Privileges  of  Electors. 
Absence  on  Public  Business. 


Soldier  not  deemed  a  Resident. 
Qualifications  for  Office. 
Persons  Convicted  of  Crime. 


1.  Every  person  having  resided  in  this  State  one  year,  in  the 


HISTORY   OF  MADISOI^    COUNTY,   ILLINOIS. 


593 


county  90  days,  and  in  the  election  district  30  days  next  preced- 
ing any  election  tliereiii,  who  was  an  elector  in  this  State  on  the 
first  day  of  April,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  184S,  or  obtained  a 
certificate  of  naturalization  before  any  court  of  record  in  this 
State  prior  to  the  first  day  of  January,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
1870,  or  who  shall  be  a  male  citizen  of  the  United  States,  above 
the  age  of  21  years,  shall  be  entitled  to  vote  at  such  election. 

I  2.  All  votes  shall  be  by  ballot. 

\  3.  Electors  shall,  in  all"  cases  except  treason,  felony,  or  breaih 
of  the  peace,  be  privileged  from  arrest  during  their  attendance 
at  elections,  and  in  going  to  and  returning  from  the  same.  And 
no  elector  shall  be  obliged  to  do  military  duty  on  the  days  of 
election,  except  in  time  of  war  or  public  danger. 

?  4.  No  elector  shall  be  deemed  to  have  lost  his  residence  in 
this  State  by  reason  of  his  absence  on  business  of  the  United 
States,  or  of  this  State,  or  in  the  military  or  naval  services  of  the 
United  States. 

i  0.  No  soldier,  seaman  or  marine  in  the  army  or  navy  of  the 
United  States  shall  be  deemed  a  resident  of  this  State  in  conse- 
quence of  being  stationed  therein. 

i  6.  No  person  shall  be  elected  or  appointed  to  any  office  in 
this  State,  civil  or  military,  who  is  not  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States,  and  who  shall  not  have  resided  in  this  State  one  year 
next  preceding  the  election  or  appointment. 

^  7.  The  general  assembly  shall  pass  laws  excluding  from  the 
right  of  suffrage  persons  convicted  of  infamous  crimes. 

ARTICLE  VIII. 

EDUC.\TIOX. 

a  :.  Free  Schools  Est.ihlishrd.  I  i  4.  School  Officer."!  not  Illtercsteil. 

3  2.  (iifts  or  Grants  in  .lid  of  Schools.  |  i,  County  Superintendent  of  Schools, 
g  3.  Public  Schools  not  to  be  Sectarian.! 

?  1.  The  general  assembly  shall  provide  a  thorough  and  effi- 
cient system  of  free  schools,  whereby  all  the  chiltlreu  of  this 
State  may  receive  a  good  common  school  education. 

I  2.  Ail  lands,  moneys  or  other  properties,  donated,  granted  or 
received  for  school,  college,  seminary  or  university  jiurposes,  and 
the  proceeds  thereof,  shall  be  faithfully  applied  to  the  objects  for 
which  such  gifts  or  grants  were  made. 

I  'i.  Neither  the  general  assembly  nor  any  county,  city,  town, 
township,  school  district,  or  other  public  corporation,  shall  ever 
make  any  appropriation  or  pay  from  any  public  fund  whatever, 
anything  in  aid  of  any  church  of  sectarian  purpose,  or  to  help 
support  or  sustain  any  school,  academy,  seminary,  college,  uni- 
versity, or  other  literary  or  scientific  institution,  controlled  by 
any  church  or  sectarian  demomin.ation  whatever  ;  nor  shall  any 
grant  or  donation  of  land,  money,  or  other  personal  projierty  ever 
be  made  by  the  State  or  any  such  public  corporation,  to  any 
church,  or  for  any  sectarian  purpose. 

I  4.  is'o  teacher,  State,  county,  township,  or  district  school  offi- 
cer shall  be  interested  in  the  sale,  proceeds  or  profits  of  any  book, 
apparatus  or  furniture,  used  or  to  be  used,  in  any  school  in  this 
State,  with  which  such  officer  or  teacher  may  be  connected, 
under  such  penalties  as  may  be  provided  by  the  general  assembly. 

?  5.  There  may  be  a  county  superintendent  of  schools  in  each 
county,  whose  qualifications,  powers,  duties,  compensation  and 
time  "and  manner  of  election,  and  terra  of  office,  shall  be  pre- 
scribed by  law. 

ARTICLE  TX. 


REVENUE. 


?  1.  Principles  of  TnX'tion  Slated. 
i  2.  Other  and  further  Taxation. 
I  :).  Property  Exempt  from  Taxation. 
i  4.  Sale  of  Real  Property  for  Ta.Kes. 
i  .5.  Right  of  Redemption  therefrom. 
I  r.,  Relca'<e  from  Taxation  Forbidden. 
\  7.  Taxes  paid  into  State  Treasury. 


^   8.  Limitation  on  County  Taxes. 
i    n.  Local  Municipal  Improvemeuts 
g  10,  Taxation   of   Municipal  Corpora- 
tions. 
3  11.  Defaulter  not  to  he  t^lifirible. 
g  12.  Limitation  on  Municipal  Indeht- 


l  1.  The  general  assembly  shall  provide  such  revenue  as  may  be 
leedful  by  levying  a  tax,  by  valuation,  so  that  every  person  and 
corporation  shall  pay  a  tax  in  proportion  to  the  value  of  his,  her 
or  its  property — such  value  to  be  ascertained  by  some  person  or 
persons,  to  be  elected  or  appointed  in  such  manner  as  the  general 
assembly  shall  direct,  and  not  otherwise;  but  the  general  assem- 
bly shall  have  power  to  tax  peddlers,  auctioneers,  brokers,  hawk- 
era,  merchants,  commission  merchants,  showmen,  jugglers,  inn- 
keeper-i,  grocery  keepers  liquor  dealers,  toll  bridges,  ferries,  insur- 
ance, telegraph  and  express  interests  or  business,  venders  of  pat- 
ents, and  persons  or  corporations  owning  or  using  franchises  and 
privileges,  in  such  manner  as  it  shall  from  tinietutime  direct  by 
general  law,  uniform  as  to  the  chtss  upon  which  it  operates. 


l  2.  The  specifications  of  the  objects  and  subjects  of  taxation 
shall  not  deprive  the  general  assembly  of  the  power  to  require 
other  subjects  or  objects  to  be  taxed  in  such  a  manner  as  nuiy  be 
consistent  with  the  principles  of  taxation  fixed  in  this  constitu- 
tion. 

'i  3.  The  properties  of  this  State,  counties  and  other  municipal 
corporations,  both  real  and  personal,  and  such  other  property  as 
may  be  used  exclusively  for  agricultural  and  horticultural  socie- 
ties, for  school,  religiou.s,  cemetery  and  charitable  purposes,  may 
be  exempted  from  taxation  ;  but  such  exemption  shall  be  only 
by  general  law.  In  the  assessment  of  real  estate  encumbered  ty 
public  easement,  any  depreciation  occasioned  by  such  easement 
may  he  deducted  inthe  valuation  of  such  property. 

?  4.  The  general  assembly  shall  provide,  in  all  cases  where  it 
may  be  necessary  to  sell  real  estate  for  the  non-payment  of  taxes 
or  special  assessments  for  State,  county,  municipal  or  other  pur- 
poses, that  a  return  of  such  unpaid  taxes  or  assessments  shall  be 
to  some  general  officer  of  the  county  having  authority  to  receive 
State  and  county  taxes ;  and  there  s'hall  be  no  sale  of  said  prop- 
erty for  any  of  said  taxes  or  assessments  but  by  said  officer,  upon 
the  order  or  judgment  of  some  court  of  record. 

I  5.  The  right  of  redemption  from  all  sales  of  real  estate  for 
the  non-payment  of  taxes  or  special  assessments  of  any  character 
whatever,  shall  exist  in  favor  of  owners  and  per.sons  interested 
in  such  real  estate,  for  a  period  of  not  less  than  two  years  from 
such  sales  thereof  And  the  general  assembly  shall  provide  by 
law  for  reasonable  notice  to  be  given  to  the  owners  or  parties  in- 
terested, by  publication  or  otherwise,  of  the  fact  of  the  sale  of 
the  property  for  such  taxes  or  assessments,  and  when  the  time  of 
redemption  shall  expire  :  Provided,  that  occupants  shall  in  all 
cases  be  served  with  personal  notice  before  the  time  of  redemption 
expires. 

I  6.  The  general  assembly  shall  have  no  power  to  release  or 
discharge  any  county,  city,  township,  town  or  district  whatever, 
or  the  inhabitants  thereof  or  the  property  therein,  from  their  or 
its  proportionate  share  of  taxes  to  be  levied  for  State  purposes, 
nor  shall  commutation  for  such  taxes  be  authorized  in  any  form 
whatever. 

I  7.  All  taxes  levied  for  State  purposes  shall  be  paid  into  the 
State  treasury. 

I  8.  County  authorities  shall  never  assess  taxes  the  aggregate 
of  which  shall  exceed  75  cents  per  $100  valuation,  except  for  the 
p.aymcntof  indebtedness  existing  at  the  adoption  of  this  constitu- 
tion, unless  authorized  by  a  vote  of  the  people  of  the  county. 

?  9.  The  general  assembly  may  vest  the  corporate  authorities 
of  cities,  towns,  villages,  with  power  to  make  local  improvements 
by  special  assessment  or  by  special  taxation  of  contiguous  prop- 
erty or  otherwise.  For  all  other  corporate  purposes,  all  munici- 
pal corporations  may  he  vested  with  authority  to  assess  and  col- 
lect taxes;  but  such"  taxes  shall  be  uniform  in  respect  to  persons 
and  property,  with  the  jurisdiction  of  the  body  imposing  the 
same. 

I  10.  The  general  assembly  shall  not  impose  taxes  upon  muni- 
cipal corporations,  or  the  inhabitants  or  property  thereof,  for  cor- 
porate purposes,  but  shall  require  that  all  the  taxable  ])roperty 
within  the  limits  of  municipal  corporations  shall  be  taxed  for 
the  payment  of  debts  contracted  under  authority  of  Law,  such 
taxes  to  be  uniform  in  respect  to  persons  and  property,  within  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  body  imposing  the  same.  Private  property 
shall  mt  be  liable  to  he" taken  or  sold  for  the  payment  of  the  cor- 
porate debts  of  a  municipal  corporation. 

?  11.  No  person  who.  is  in  default,  as  a  collector  or  custodian 
of  money  or  property  belonging  to  a  municipal  corporation,  shall 
be  eligible  to  any  office  in  or  under  such  corporation.  The  fees, 
salarv  or  compensation  of  no  municipal  officer  who  is  elected  or 
appointed  for  a  definite  term  of  office,  shall  be  increased  or  di- 
minished during  such  term. 

i.  12.  No  county,  city,  township,  school  district,  or  other_ muni- 
cipal corporation,  .shall  be  allowed  to  become  indebted  in  any 
manner  or  for  any  purpose,  to  an  amount,  including  existing  in- 
debtedness, in  the  aggregate  exceeding  five  per  centum  on  the 
value  of  the  taxable  property  therein,  to  be  ascertained  by  the 
last  assessment  for  State  and  county  taxes,  previous  to  the  incur- 
ring of  such  indebtedne.ss.  Any  county,  city,  school  district,  or 
other  municipal  corporation,  incurring  any  indebtedness,  as  afore- 
said, shall  before,  or  at  the  time  of  doing  so,  provide  for  the  col- 
lection of  a  direct  annual  tax  sufficient  to  pay  the  interest  on 
ouch  debt  as  it  falls  due,  and  also  to  pay  and  discharge  the  prin- 
cipal thereof  within  twenty  years  from  the  time  of  contracting  the 
same.  This  section  shall  no't  he  construed  to  prevent  any  county, 
city,  township,  school  district,  or  other  municipal  corporation 
8 


591 


HI&TORY  OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


from  issuing  their  bonds  in  compliance  with  any  vote  of  the 
lieople  which  may  have  been  had  prior  to  the  adoption  of  this 
constitution  in  pursuance  of  any  law  providing  therefor. 

ARTICLE  X. 


!  8.  County  Officer?— Terms  of  Offic 
J  i>.  Sal:iries  and  Fees  in  Cook  Count 
1 10.  Sahiries  fixed  by  County  Board, 
i  11.  Township  Officers — Special  Law 
!  12.  AH  Futare  Fees  Uniform. 
I  l;i.  Sworn  Reports  of  all  Fees. 


i  I.  Formation  of  New  Counties. 
\  i.  Division  of  any  County. 
\  ;i.  Territory  stricken  from  a  County. 
3  4.  Removal  of  a  County  Seat.         ■  ■ 
3  S.  Method  of  County  Government. 
I  n.  Board    of  County  Commissioners. 
I  -.  County  affairs  in  Cook  County. 

I  1.  No  new  county  shall  be  formed  or  established  by  the  gen- 
eral assembly,  which  will  reduce  the  county  or  counties,  or  either 
of  them,  from  which  it  shall  be  taken,  to  less  contents  than  400 
Brpiare  miles;  nor  shall  any  county  be  formed  of  less  contents ; 
nor  shall  any  line  thereof  pass  within  less  than  ten  miles  of  any 
county  seat  of  the  county,  or  counties  proposed  to  be  divided. 

I  2.  No  county  shall  be  divided,  or  have  any  part  stricken 
therefrom,  without  submitting  the  question  to  a  vote  of  the  peo- 
ple of  the  county,  nor  unless  a  majority  of  all  the  legal  voters 
of  the  county,  voting  on  the  question,  shall  vote  for  the  same. 

?  3.  There  shall  be  no  teiritory  stricken  from  any  county, 
iiniess  a  majority  of  the  voters  living  in  such  territory  shall  peti- 
tion for  such  division  ;  and  no  territory  shall  be  added  to  any 
county  without  the  consent  of  the  majority  of  the  voters  of  the 
county  to  which  it  is  proposed  to  be  added.  But  the  portion  so 
stricken  off  and  added  to  another  county,  or  formed  in  whole  or 
in  part  into  a  new  county,  shall  be  bolden  for,  and  obliged  to 
pav  its  proportion  of  indebtedness  of  the  county  from  which  it 
lias  been  taken. 

COUNTY  SEATS. 

?  4.  No  county  seat  shall  be  removed  until  the  point  to  which 
it  is  proposed  to  be  removed  shall  bo  fixed  in  pursuance  of  law, 
and  three-fifths  of  the  voters  of  the  county,  to  be  ascertained  in 
such  manner  as  sliall  be  jirovidcd  by  general  law,  shall  have 
voted  in  favor  of  its  removal  to  such  point ;  and  no  person  shall 
vote  on  such  question  who  has  not  resided  in  the  county  six 
months,  and  in  the  election  precinct  ninety  days  next  preceding 
such  election.  The  question  of  removal  of  a  county  seat  shall 
not  be  oftener  submitted  than  once  in  ten  years,  to  a  vote  of  the 
people.  But  when  an  attempt  is  made  to  remove  the  county  seat 
to  a  point  nearer  to  the  centre  of  a  county,  then  a  majority  vote 
only  shall  be  necessary. 

COUNTY  GOVERNMENT. 

?  5.  The  general  assembly  shall  provide,  by  gener;;l  law,  for 
township  organization,  under  which  any  county  may  organize 
whenever  a  majority  of  the  legal  voters  of  such  county,  voting  at 
any  general  election,  shall  so  determine,  and  whenever  any  county 
sh.all  adopt  township  organization,  so  much  of  this  constitution 
as  provides  for  the  management  of  the  fiscal  concerns  of  the  said 
county  by  the  board  of  county  commissioners,  may  be  dispensed 
with,  and  the  affairs  of  said  county  maybe  transacted  in  such 
manner  as  the  general  assembly  may  provide.  And  in  any  county 
that  shall  have  adopted  a  township  organization,  the  question  of 
continuing  the  same  may  be  submitted  to  a  vote  of  the  electors 
of  such  county,  at  a  general  election,  in  the  manner  that  now  is 
or  may  be  provided  by  law;  and  if  a  majority  of  all  the  votes 
cast  upon  that  question  shall  be  against  township  organization, 
then  such  organization  .'^hall  cease  in  said  county  ;  and  all  laws 
in  force  in  relatii m  to  counties  not  having  township  organizations, 
shall  immediately  take  elTect  and  be  in  force  in  such  county.  No 
two  townships  shall  have  the  same  name, and  the  day  of  holding 
the  annual  township  meeting  shall  be  uniform  throughout  the 
State.    I 

I  6.  At  the  first  election  of  county  judges  under  this  constitu- 
tion, three  shall  be  elected  in  each  of  the  counties  in  this  State, 
not  under  township  organization,  three  oflicers,  who  shall  be 
styled  "  The  Board  of  County  Commissioners,"  who  shall  hold 
sessions  for  the  transaction  of  county  business  as  shall  be  provided 
by  law.  One  of  said  commissioners  shall  hold  his  office  for  one 
year,  one  for  two  years,  and  one  for  three  years,  to  be  determined 
iiy  lot ;  and  every  year  thereafter  one  such  officer  shall  be  elected 
in  each  of  said  counties  for  the  term  of  three  years. 

?  7  The  county  affairs  of  Cook  county  shall  be  managed  by  a 
board  of  commissioners  of  fifteen  persons,  ten  of  whom  .shall  be 
elected  from  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  five  from  towns  outside  of 
said  city,  in  such  manner  as  may  be  provided  by  law. 


COUNTY  OFFICERS  AND  THEIB.  COMPENSATIONS. 

I  8.  In  each  county  there  shall  be  elected  the  following  county 
officers :  County  judge,  sheriff,  county  clerk,  clerk  of  the  cir- 
cuit court,  (who  may  be  ex-officio  recorder  of  deeds,  except  in 
counties  having  CO,0(in  and  more  inhabitants,  in  which  counties 
a  recorder  of  deeds  sliall  be  elected  at  the  general  election  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  lS7:i,)  treasurer,  surveyor,  and  coroner,  each  of 
whom  shall  enter  upon  the  duties  of  his  office,  respectively,  on 
the  first  ]\Ioaday  of  December  after  their  election  ;  and  they 
shall  hold  their  respective  offices  for  the  term  of  four  years,  ex- 
cept the  treasurer,  sheriff  and  coroner,  who  shall  hold  their  office 
for  two  years,  and  until  their  successors  shall  be  elected  and  qual- 
ified. 

I  9.  The  clerks  of  all  the  courts  of  record,  the  treasurer,  sheriff, 
coroner  and  recorder  of  deeds  of  Cook  county,  shall  receive  as 
their  only  compensation  for  their  services,  salaries  to  be  fixed  by 
law,  which  shall  in  no  casebe  as  much  as  the  lawful  compensation 
of  a  judge  of  the  circuit  court  of  said  county,  and  shall  be  paid 
respectively,  only  out  of  the  fees  of  the  ofliee  actually  collected. 
All  fees,  perquisites  and  emoluments  (above  the  amount  of  said 
s-.ilaries)  shall  be  paid  into  the  county  treasury.  The  number  of 
the  deputies  and  assistants  of  such  oflicers  shall  be  determined 
by  rule  of  the  circuit  court,  to  be  entered  of  record  and  their 
compensation  shall  be  determined  by  the  county  board. 

I  10.  The  county  board,  except  as  provided  in  |  9  of  this  arti- 
cle, shall  fix  the  compensation  of  all  county  oflicers,  with  the 
amount  of  their  necessary  clerk  hire,  stationery,  fuel  and  other 
expenses,  and  in  all  cases  where  fees  are  ])rovidcd  for,  said  com- 
pensation shall  be  paid  only  out  of,  and  shall  in  no  instance  ex- 
ceed, the  fees  actually  collected ;  they  shall  not  allow  either  of 
them  more  per  annum  than  $1,500,  in  counties  not  exceeding 
20,000  inhabitants ;  $2,000  in  counties  containing  20,000  and  not 
exceeding  3'>,000  inhabitants  ;  $2,500  in  counties  containing  30,- 
000  and  not  exceeding  50,003  inhabitants;  $3,000  in  counties 
containing  50,000  and  not  exceeding  70,000  inhabitants ;  J  3,500 
in  counties  containing  70,000  and  not  exceeding  100,000  inhabi- 
tants; and  $4,000  in  counties  containing  over  100,000  and  not 
exceeding  250,000  inhabitants;  and  not  more  than  $1,000  addi- 
tional compensation  for  each  additionod  100,000  inhabitants: 
Provided,  that  the  compensation  of  no  officer  shall  be  increased 
or  diminished  during  his  term  of  office.  All  fees  or  allowances 
by  them  received,  in  excess  of  their  said  compensation,  shall  be 
paid  into  the  county  treasury. 

I  11.  The  fees  of  "township  oflicers,  and  of  each-class  of  county 
officers,  shall  be  uniform  in  the  class  of  count'es  to  which  they 
respectively  belong.  The  compensation  herein  provided  for  shall 
apply  only  "to  officers  hereafter  elected,  but  all  fees  established  by 
special  laws  shall  cease  at  the  adoption  of  this  constitution,  and 
such  oflicers  shall  receive  only  such  fees  as  are  provided  by  gen- 
eral law. 

?  12.  All  laws  fixing  the  fees  of  State,  county  and  township 
officers,  shall  terminate  with  the  terms,  respectively,  of  those 
who  may  be  in  office  at  the  meeting  of  the  first  general  assembly 
after  the  adoption  of  this  constitution  ;  and  the  general  assembly 
shall  by  general  law,  uniform  in  its  operation,  provide  for  and 
regulate  the  fees  of  said  oflicers  and  their  successors,  so  as  to  re- 
difce  the  same  to  a  reasonable  compensation  for  services  actually 
rendered.  But  the  general  assembly  may,  by  general  law,  classify 
tlie  counties  by  population  into  not  more  than  three  classes,  and 
regulate  the  fees  according  to  class.  This  article  shall  not  be 
construed  as  depriving  the'gencral  assembly  of  the  power  to  re- 
duce the  fees  of  existing  officers. 

5  13.  Every  person  who  is  elected  or  appointed  to  any  office  in 
this  State,  who  shall  be  paid  in  whole  or  in  part  by  fees,  shall  be 
required  by  law  to  make  a  semi-annual  report,  under  oath  to 
some  ofticei-  to  be  designated  by  law,  of  all  his  fees  and  emolu- 
ments. 

ARTICLE  XJ. 


CORPORATIONS. 


Established  only  by  General  L.iws. ! 
.  Existing  Charters— How  Forfeited.! 
.  Election  of  Directors  or  Managers.  [ 
.  Construction  of  Street  Railroads. 
.  State    Banks  Forbidden- General  | 

Law. 
.  Liability  of  Bank  Stockholder. 
.  Suspension  of  Specie  Payment. 
.  Of  a  Gener.al  Baalcing  Law.  1 


Railroad  OfFice.Books  and  Records 
,  Personal  Property  of  Railroads. 

Consolidations  Forbidden. 
,  Railroads      deemed    Highways- 
Rates  Fixed. 
,  Stocks,  Bonds  and  Dividends. 
.  Power  over  existing  Comp.Tnies. 
Freight  and  Passenger  TaritTre.gu- 
lated. 


?  1.  No  corporation  shall  be  created  by  special  laws,  or  its  char- 
ter extended,  changed   or  amended,  except  those   for  charitable, 
9 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


695 


educational,  penal  or  reformatory  purposes,  which  are  to  be  and 
remain  under  the  patronage  and  control  of  the  State,  but  the 
general  assembly  shall  provide,  by  general  law,  for  the  organiza- 
tions of  all  corporations  hereafter  created. 

i  2.  All  existing  charters  or  grants  of  special  or  exclusive 
privileges,  under  which  organization  shall  not  have  taken  place, 
or  which  shall  not  have  been  in  operation  within  ten  days  from 
the  time  this  constitution  takes  elfect,  shall  thereafter  have  no 
validity  or  oll'oct  whatever. 

I  3.  The  gcncr.il  as-serably  shall  provide,  by  law,  that  in  all 
elections  for  directors  or  managers  of  corporated  companies, 
every  stockholdcrshall  have  the  right  to  vote,  in  person  or  by  proxy, 
fir  the  number  of  shares  of  stock  owned  by  him,  for  as  many 
persons  as  there  arc  directors  or  managers  to  be  elected,  or  to 
cumulate  said  shares,  and  give  one  candidate  as  many  votes  as 
the  number  of  directors  muUiidicd  by  the  number  of  his  shares 
of  stock,  shall  equal,  or  to  distriliutc  them  on  the  same  principle 
among  as  many  candidates  as  he  shall  think  fit;  and  no  such 
directors  or  managers  shall  be  elected  in  any  other  manner. 

I  4.  No  laws  shall  be  passed  by  the  general  assembly,  granting 
the  right  to  construct  and  operate  a  street  railroad  within  any 
citv,  town,  or  incorporated  village,  without  requiring  the  consent 
of  "the  local  authorities  having  the  control  of  the  street  or  high- 
way proposed  to  be  occupied  by  such  street  railroad. 

B.\XK    . 

I  5.  Xo  State  bank  shall  hereafter  be  created,  nor  shall  the 
State  own  or  be  liable  for  any  stock  in  any  corporation  or  joint 
stock  company  or  association  for  banking  purposes,  now  created, 
or  to  be  h.^reAfter  created.  No  act  of  the  general  assembly  au- 
thorizing or  creating  corporations  or  associations,  with  banking 
powers,  whether  of  issue,  deposit  or  discount,  nor  amendments 
thereto,  shall  go  into  effect  or  in  any  manner  be  in  force  unless 
the  same  shall  be  submitted  to  a  vote  of  the  people  at  the  general 
election  next  succeeding  the  passage  of  the  same,  and  be  ap- 
proved by  a  majority  of  all  the  votes  cast  at  such  election  for  or 
against  such  law. 

I  G.  Every  stockholder  in  a  banking  corporation  or  institution 
shall  be  individually  responsible  and  liable  to  its  creditors  over 
and  above  the  amount  of  stock  by  him  or  her  held,  to  an  amount 
e:iual  to  his  or  her  respective  shares  so  held,  for  all  its  liabilities 
accruing  while  he  or  she  remains  such  a  stockholder. 

§  7.  The  suspension  of  specie  payments  by  bankin ;  institu- 
tions, or  their  circulation,  created  by  the  laws  of  this  State,  shall 
never  be  permitted  or  sanctioned.  Every  banking  association 
now,  or  which  may  hereafter  be,  organized  under  the  laws  of 
this  State,  shall  make  and  publish  a  full  and  accurate  quar- 
terly statement  of  its  affiiirs,  (which  shall  be  certified  to,  under 
oath,  by  one  or  mire  of  its   offi.ers,)  as  may  be  provided  by  law. 

?  8.  if  a  general  banking  law  shall  be  enacted,  it  shall  provide 
for  the  registry  and  countersigning,  by  an  officer  of  state,  of  all 
bills  or  p.iper  credit,  designed  to  circulate  as  money,  and  require 
s2curity,to  the  full  amount  thereof,  to  be  deposited  with  the  State 
treasurer,  in  United  States  or  Illinois  State  stocks,  to  be  ratedat 
ten  per  ce:it.  below  their  par  value;  and  in  case  of  a  deprecia- 
tion of  said  st')cks  to  the  amount  of  ten  per  cent,  below  par,  the 
bank  or  banks  owning  said  stocks  shall  be  required  to  make  up 
Slid  detijiency,  by  depositing  additional  stocks.  And  said  law 
shall  also  provide  for  the  recording  of  the  names  of  all  stock- 
holders in  such  corporations,  the  amount  of  stock  held  by  each, 
the  tima  of  any  transfer  thereof,  and  to  whom  such  transfer  is 
made. 

RAii^RO.vns. 

I  0.  Every  railroad  corporation  organized  or  doing  business  in 
this  State,  u  ider  the  laws  or  authority  thereof",  .shall  have  and  main- 
tain a  public  office  or  place  in  this  State,  for  the  transaction  of 
its  business,  where  transfers  of  stock  shall  be  made,  and  In  which 
shall  be  kept  for  public  inspection,  books,  in  which  shall  be  re- 
corded the  amount  of  capital  stock  subscribed,  and  by  whom  ;  the 
names  of  the  owners  of  stock  and  amount  by  them  respectively, 
the  amount  of  stock  paid  in  and  by  wiiom,  the  transfers  of  said 
stock;  the  amount  of  its  assets  and  liabilities,  and  the  names 
and  place  of  residence  of  its  officers.  The  directors  of  every 
railroad  corporation  .shall,  annually,  make  a  report,  under  oath, 
to  the  auditor  of  public  accounts,  or  some  officer  to  be  designated 
by  law,  of  all  their  acts  and  doings,  which  report  shall  include 
such  matters  relating  to  railroads  as  may  be  prescribed  by  law. 
And  the  general  assembly  shall  pass  laws  enforcing  by  suitable 
penaltiei  the  provisions  of  this  section. 

J  10.  The  rolling  stock,  and  all  other  movable  property  belong- 


ing to  any  railroad  company  or  corporation  in  this  State,  shall  be 
considered  personal  property,  and  shall  be  liable  to  execution 
and  sale  in  the  same  manner  as  the  ))ersonal  property  of  individ- 
uals, and  the  general  assembly  shall  pass  no  law  exempting  any 
such  property  from  execution  and  sale. 

J  11.  No  railroad  corporation  shall  consolidate  its  stock,  pro- 
perty or  franchises  with  any  other  railroad  corporation  owning  a 
parallel  or  competing  line;  and  in  no  case  shall  any  consolida- 
tion take  place  except  upon  public  notice  given,  of  at  least  sixty 
days,  to  all  stockholders,  in  such  manner  as  may  be  provided  by 
law.  A  majority  of  the  directors  of  any  railroad  corporation, 
now  incorporated  orhereafterto  be  incorporated  by  thelaws  of  the 
State,  shall  be  citizens  and  residents  of  this  State. 

§  12.  Eailwavs  heretofore  constructed,  or  that  may  hereafter 
be  constructed  in  this  State,  are  hereby  declared  public  high- 
way.s,  and  shall  be  free  to  all  persons  for  the  transportation  of 
their  persons  and  property  thereon,  under  such  regulations  as 
maybe  prescribed  by  law.  And  the  general  assembly  shall,  from 
time  to  time,  pasi  laws  establishing  reasonable  maximum  rates 
of  charges  for  the  transportation  of  passengers  and  freight  on  the 
different  railroads  in  this  State. 

I  13.  No  railroad  corporation  shall  issue  any  stock  or  bonds, 
except  for  money,  labor  or  property  actually  received,  and  ap- 
plied to  the  purposes  for  which  such  corporation  was  created ; 
and  all  stock  dividends,  and  other  fictitious  increase  of  the  capi- 
tal stick  or  indebtedness  of  any  such  corporation,  shall  be  void. 
The  capital  stock  of  m  railroad  corporation  shall  be  increased 
for  any  purpose,  except  upon  giving  sixty  days'  public  notice,  in 
such  manner  as  may  he  provided  by  law. 

§  14.  The  exercise  of  the  power,  and  the  right  of  eminent  do- 
main shall  never  be  so  construed  or  abridged  as  to  prevent  the  tak- 
ing, by  the  general  assembly,  of  the  property  and  franchises  of 
incorporated  companies  already  organized,  and  subjecting  them 
to  the  public  necessity  the  same  as  of  individuals.  The  right  of 
trial  by  jury  shall  be  held  inviolate  in  all  trials  of  claims  for 
compensation,  when,  in  the  exercise  of  said  right  of  eminent  do- 
main, any  incorporated  company  shall  be  interested  either  for  or 
against  the  exercise  of  said  right. 

I  15.  The  general  assembly  shall  pass  laws  to  correct  abuses 
and  prevent  unjust  discrimination  and  extortion  in  the  rates  of 
freight  and  passenger  tariffs  on  different  railroads  in  this  State, 
and  enforce  such  laws,  by  adequate  penalties,  to  the  extent,  if 
necc-ssary  for  that  purpose,  of  forfeiture  of  their  property  and 
franchises. 

ARTICLE  XII. 


Privilege  from  .^rreet. 
Records,  Banners  and  Relies. 
Exemption  from  militi.i  duty. 


?  1.  Persons  composing  the  Military. 
I  i.  Orxanization—Eq  u  ipment— Dis- 
cipline. 
I  3.  Commissions  of  Officers. 

?  1.  The  militia  of  the  State  of  Illinois  shall  consist  of  all  able- 
bodied  male  persons,  resident  in  the  8tate,  between  the  ages  of 
eighteen  and  forty-five,  except  such  persons  as  now  are,  or  here- 
af"ter  may  be,  exempted  by  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  or  of 
this  State. 

§  2.  The  general  assembly,  in  providing  for  the  organization, 
equipment  and  discipline  of  the  militia,  shall  conform  as  nearly 
&i  practicable  to  the  regulations  for  the  government  of  the 
armies  of  the  United  States. 

g  3.  All  militia  oflicers  shall  be  commissioned  by  the  gover- 
nor, and  may  hold  their  commissions  for  such  time  as  the  general 
assembly  mav  provide. 

I  4.  The  militia  shall,  in  all  cases,  except  treason,  feloiiy  or 
breach  of  the  peace,  be  privileged  from  arrest  during  their  at- 
tendance at  musters  and  elections,  and  in  going  to  and  returning 
from  the  same. 

'i,  .5.  The  military  records,  banners  and  relics  of  the  State,  shall 
be  preserved  as  an  enduring  memorial  of  the  patriotism  and 
valor  of  Illinois,  audit  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  general  assembly 
to  provide  by  law  for  the  safe  keeping  of  the  same. 

I  C.  No  ptirson  having  conscientious  scruples  against  bearing 
arms,  shall  be  compelled  to  do  militia  duty  in  time  of  peace : 
Provided,  such  person  shall  pay  an  equivilent  for  such  exemp- 
tion. 

ARTICLE  XIII. 

WAREHOUSE!?. 


I  1.  What  deemed  Public  Warehouses. 
4  -1.  Sworn  weeltly  statements  required 
i  3.  Examination  of  property  stored. 
'i  I.  Carriers  to  deliver  fnll  Weight. 
1.) 


;,.  Delivery  of  Grain  by  Railroado. 
1  i;.  Powernnd  Duty  of  the  Legislature. 
i  7.  Grain    Inspection— Protection   o( 


iOG 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON  COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


?  1.  All  elevators  or  storehouses  where  grain  or  other  property 
is  stored  for  a  compensation,  whether  die  property  stored  be  kept 
separate  or  not,  are  declared  to  be -public  warehouses. 

I  2.  The  owner,  lessee  or  manager  of  each  and  every  public 
warehouse  situated  in  any  town  or  city  of  not  less  than  100,000 
inhabitants,  shall  make  weekly  statements  under  oath,  before 
some  officer  to  be  designated  by  law,  and  keep  the  same  posted 
in  some  conspicuous  place  in  the  otlice  of  such  warehouse,  and 
shall  also  file  a  copy  for  public  examination  in  such  place  as 
shall  be  designated  by  law,  which  statement  shall  correctly  set 
forth  the  amount  and  grade  of  each  and  every  kind  of  grain  in 
such  warehouse,  together  with  such  other  property  as  may  be 
stored  therein,  and  what  warehouse  receipts  have  been  issued, 
and  are,  at  the  time  of  making  such  statement,  outstanding  there- 
for ;  and  shall,  on  the  copy  posted  in  the  warehouse,  note  daily 
such  changes  as  may  be  made  in  the  quantity  and  grade  of  grain 
in  such  warehouse;" and  the  different  grades  of  grain  shipi^ed  in 
separate  lots,  shall  not  be  mixed  with  inferior  or  superior  grades, 
without  the  consent  of  the  owner  or  consignee  thereof. 

I  3.  The  owners  of  property  stored  in  any  warehouse,  or  holder 
of  a  receipt  for  the  same,  shall  always  be  at  liberty  to  examine 
such  property  stored,  and  all  the  books  and  records  of  the  ware- 
house in  regard  to  such  property. 

?  4.  All  railroad  companies  and  other  common  carriers  on  rail- 
roads shall  weigh  or  measure  grain  at  points  where  it  is  shipped, 
and  receipt  for  the  full  amount,  and  shall  be  responsible  for  the 
delivery  of  such  amount  to  the  owner  cr  consignee  thereof,  at 
the  place  of  destination. 

g  5.  All  railroad  companies  receiving  and  transporting  grain 
in  bulk  or  otherwise,  shall  deliver  the  same  to  any  consignee 
thereof,  or  any  elevator  or  public  warehouse  to  which  it  may  be 
consigned,  provided  such  consignee,  or  the  elevator  or  public 
warehouse  can  be  reached  by  any  track  owned,  leased  or  used, 
or  which  can  be  used,  by  such  railroad  companies ;  and  all  rail- 
road companies  shall  permit  connections  to  be  made  with  their 
track,  so  that  any  such  consignee,  and  any  public  warehouse, 
coal  bank  or  coal  yard,  may  be  reached  by  the  cars  on  said  rail- 
road. 

?  6.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  general  assembly  to  pass  all 
necessary  laws  to  prevent  the  issue  of  false  and  fraudulent 
warehouse  receipts,  and  to  give  full  effect  to  this  article  of  the 
constitution,  which  shall  be  liberally  construed  so  as  to  protect 
producers  and  shippers.  And  the  enumeration  of  the  remedies 
iierein  named  shall  not  be  construed  to  deny  to  the  general  as- 
sembly the  power  to  prescribe  by  law  sucli  other  and  further 
remedies  as  may  be  found  expedient,  or  to  deprive  any  person 
of  existing  common  law  remedies. 

I  7.  The  general  assembly  shall  pass  laws  for  the  inspection 
of  grain,  for  the  jirotection  of  producers,  shippers  and  receivers 
of  grain  and  produce. 

ARTICLE  Xn^ 

AMEXDMENTS  TO  THE   COXSTITUTIOX. 

£  1.  By  a  Constitutional  Convention.     1  §  2.  Proposed  by  the  Legislature. 

I  1.  Whenever  two-thirds  of  the  members  of  each  house  of 
the  general  assembly  shall,  by  a  vote  entered  upon  the  journals 
thereof,  concur  that  a  convention  is  necessary  to  revise,  alter  or 
amend  the  constitution,  the  question  shall  be  submitted  to  the 
electors  at  the  next  general  election.  If  a  majority  voting  at 
tlie  election  vote  for  a  convention,  the  general  assembly  shall,  at 
the  next  session,  provide  for  a  convention,  to  consist  of  double 
the  number  of  the  members  of  the  senate,  to  be  elected  in  the 
same  manner,  at  the  same  places,  and  in  the  same  districts.  The 
general  assembly  shall,  in  the  act  calling  the  convention,  desig- 
nate the  day,  hour  and  place  of  its  meeting,  fix  the  pay  of  its 
members  and  officers,  and  provide  for  the  payment  of  the  same, 
together  with  expenses  necessarily  incurred  by  the  conventicn 
in  the  performance  of  its  duties.  Before  proceeding,  the  members 
sljall  take  an  oath  to  support  the  constitution  of  the  United 
States,  and  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  to  faithfully  discharge 
their  duties  as  members  of  the  conventi(m.  The  qualification  of 
members  shall  be  the  same  as  that  of  members  of  the  senate, 
and  vacancies  occurring  shall  be  filled  in  the  manner  provided 
for  filling  vacancies  in  the  general  assembly.  Said  convention 
shall  meet  within  three  months  after  such  election,  and  prepare 
such  revisions,  alterations  or  amendments  of  the  constitution  as 
shall  be  deemed  necessary,  which  shall  be  submitted  to  the  elec- 
tors for  their  ratification  or  rejection,  at  an  election  appointed  by 
the  convention  for  that  purpose,  not  less  than  or  more  than  six 
months  after  the  adjournment  thereof;  and  unless  so  submitted 


and  approved  by  a  majority  of  the  electors  voting  at  the  election, 
no  such  revisions,  alterations  or  amendments  shall  take  effect. 

?  2.  Amendmenti  to  this  constitution  may  be  proposed  in  either 
house  of  the  general  assembly,  and  if  the  same  shall  be  voted 
for  by  two-thirds  of  all  the  members  elected  to  each  of  the  two 
houses,  such  proposed  amendments,  together  with  the  yeas  and 
nays  of  each  house  thereon,  shall  be  entered  in  full  on  their  re- 
spective journals,  and  said  amendments  shall  be  submitted  to  the 
electors  of  this  State  for  adoption  or  rejection,  at  the  next  elec- 
tion of  members  of  the  general  assembly,  in  such  manner  as  may 
be  prescribed  by  law.  The  proposed  amendments  shall  be  j  ub- 
lished  in  full  at  least  three  months  preceding  the  election,  and 
if  a  majority  of  electors  voting  at  said  election  shall  vote  for  the 
proposed  aniendments,  they  shall  become  part  of  this  constitu- 
tion. But  the  general  assembly  shall  have  no  power  to  propose 
amendments  to  more  than  one  article  of  this  constitution  at  the 
same  session,  nor  to  the  same  article  oftener  than  once  in  four 
years. 

SEPARATE  SECTIONS. 


Illinois  Centrfil  Railrsfl'l. 
Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal. 


•ipal  Subscription  to  Corpora- 


No  contract,  obligation  or  liability  whatever,  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  Company,  to  pay  any  money  into  the  State 
treasury,  nor  any  lien  of  the  State  upon,  or  right  to  tax  property 
of  said"  company,  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  charter 
of  said  company,  approved  Feb.  10, in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1851, 
shall  ever  be  released,  suspended,  modified,  altered,  remitted,  or 
in  any  manner  diminished  or  impaired  by  legislative  or  other 
authority  ;  and  all  moneys  derived  from  said  company,  after  the 
payment  of  the  State  debt,  shall  be  appropriated  and  set  apart 
for  the  payment  of  the  ordinary  expenses  of  the  State  govern- 
ment, and  for  no  other  purposes  whatever. 

MrXICIPAL  SUBSCKIPTIOXS  TO  EAILnOAD.S  OR  PRIVATE COErORA- 
TlOXiS. 

No  county,  city,  town,  township  or  other  municipality  shall  ever 
become  subscriber  to  the  capital  stock  of  any  railroad  or  private 
corporation,  or  make  donation  to,  or  loan  its  credit  in  aid  of  such 
corporation  :  Provided  however,  that  the  adoption  of  this  article 
shal  not  be  construed  as  affecting  the  right  of  any  such  munici- 
palitv  ti  make  such  subscriptions  where  the  same  have  been  au- 
thori"zel,  under  existing  laws,  by  a  vote  of  the  people  of  such 
municipalities  prior  to  such  adoption. 

CAXAL. 

The  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal  shall  never  be  sold  or  leased 
until  the  specific  proposition  for  the  sale  of  lease  thereof  shall 
have  first  been  submitted  to  a  vote  of  the  ]ieople  of  the  State,  at 
a  general  election,  and  have  been  approved  by  a  majority  of  all 
the  votes  polled  at  such  election.  The  general  assembly  shall 
never  loan  the  credit  of  the  Slate,  or  make  appropriations  from 
the  treasury  thereof,' in  aid  of  railroads  or  canals  :  Provided,  that 
any  surplus  earnings  of  any  canal  may  be  appropriated  for  its 
enlargement  or  extension. 

SCHEDULE. 

g  1.  Laws  in  force  remain  valid. 

i  i.  Fines,  Penalties,  and  Forfeitures. 

I  3.  Recognizances,  Bonds,  Obligations 

That  no  inconvenience  mav  arise  from  the  alterations  and  amendments  made 
in  the  constitution  of  this  State  and  to  carry  the  same  into  complete  eflect.  it  is 
liereby  ordained  and  declared : 

?  1.  That  all  laws  in  force  at  the  adoption  of  this  constitution, 
not  inconsistent  therewith,  and  all  rights,  actions,  prosecutions, 
claims,  and  contracts  of  this  State,  individuals  or  bodies  corpor- 
ate, shall  continue  to  be  as  valid  as  if  this  constitution  had  not 
been  adopted. 

S  2.  That  all  fines,  taxes,  penalties  and  forfeitures,  due  and 
owing  to  the  State  of  Illinois  under  the  present  constitution  and 
laws,  shall  inure  to  the  use  of  the  people  of  the  State  of  Illinois 
under  this  constitution. 

I  3.  Recognizances,  bonds,  obligations,  and  all  other  instriinients 
entered  into  or  executed  before  the  adoption  of  this  constitution, 
to  the  people  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  to  any  State  or  county  officer 
or  public  bodv,  shall  remain  binding  and  valid;  and  rights  and 
liabilities  upo'n  the  same  shall  continue,  and  all  crimes  and  mis- 
demeanors shall  be  tried  and  punished  as  though  no  change  had 
been  made  in  the  constitution  of  this  State. 

I  4.  County  couns  for  the  transaction  of  county  business  in 
I  counlies  not  having  adopted  township  organization,  shall  continue 
in  existence  and  exercise  their  present  jurisdiction  until  the 
11 


I  ?  4.  Present  county  Courts   continued 

?  5.  .\11  existing  Courts  continued. 
I  i  0.  Persons  now  in   Oifice  continued. 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


697 


board  of  county  commissioners  provided  ia  this  constitution  is 
organized  in  pursuance  of  an  act  of  tlie  general  assembly;  and 
the  county  courts  in  all  other  counties  shall  have  the  same  power 
and  jurisdiction  they  now  possess  until  otlicrwise  provided  by 
general  law. 

I  5.  All  existing  courts  which  are  not  in  this  constitution 
specially  enumerated,  shall  continue  in  existence  and  exercise 
their  preseat  jurisdiction  until  otherwise  provided  by  law. 

§  G.  All  persons  now  filling  any  olEce  or  appointment  shall 
continue  in  the  exercise  of  the  duties  thereof  according  to  the^r 
respective  commissions  or  appointments,  unless  by  this  constitu- 
tion it  is  otherwise  directed. 


I  IS.  All  laws  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  all  official  writings, 
aud  the  executive,  legislative  and  judicial  proceedings,  shall  be 
conducted,  preserved  and  published  in  no  other  than  the  English 
language. 

I  lO.  The  general  assembly  shall  pass  all  laws  necessary  to 
carry  into  effect  the  provisions  of  this  constitution. 

§  20.  The  circuit  clerks  of  the  diflforent  counties  having  a  pop- 
ulation over  sixty  thousand,  shall  continue  to  be  recorders  (ex- 
officio)  for  their  respective  counties,  under  this  constitution,  until 
the  expiration  of  their  respective  terms. 

I  21.  The  judges  of  all  courtsof  records  in  Cook  County  shall, 
in  lieu  of  any  salary  provided  for  in  this  constitution,  receive  the 
compensation  now  provided  by  law  until  the  adjournment  of  the 
first  session  of  general  assembly  after  the  adoption  of  this  con- 
stitution. 

§  22.  The  present  judge  of  the  circuit  court  of  Cook  county 
shall  continue  to  hold  "the  circuit  court  of  Lake  county  until 
otherwise  provided  by  law. 

?  23.  When  this  constitution  shall  be  adopted,  and  take  effect 
as  the  supreme  law  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  the  two-mill  tax  pro- 
vided to  be  annually  assessed  and  collected  upon  each  dollar's 
worth  of  taxable  property,  in  addition  to  all  other  taxes,  as  set 
forth  in  article  fifteen  of  the  now  existing  constitution,  shall  cease 
to  be  assessed  after  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  seventy. 

I  24.  Nothing  contained  in  this  constitmtion  shall  be  so  con- 
strued as  to  deprive  the  general  assembly  ot  the  power  to  author- 
ize the  city  of  Quincy  to  create  any  indebtedness  for  railroad  or 
municipal  purposes,  for  which  the  people  of  said  city  shall  have 
voted,  and  to  which  they  shall  have  given,  by  such  vote,  their 
assent,  prior  to  the  thirteenth  day  of  December,  in  the  year  of 
our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty-nine:  Provided, 
that  no  such  indebtedness,  so  created,  shall  in  any  part  thereof 
be  paid  by  the  State,  or  from  any  State  revenue,  tax  or  fund,  but 
the  same  shall  be  paid,  if  at  all,  by  the  said  city  of  Quincy  alone, 
and  by  taxes  to  he  levie<l  upon  the  taxable  property  thereof: 
And  provided,  further,  that  the  general  assembly  shall  have  no 
power  in  the  premises  that  it  could  not  exercise  under  the  pre- 
sent constitution  of  this  State. 

§  2o.  In  case  this  constitution  and  the  articles  and  sections 
submitted  separately  be  adopted,  the  existing  constitution  shall 
cease  in  all  its  provisions  ;  and  in  case  this  constitution  be  adopted, 
any  one  or  more  of  its  articles  or  sections  submitted  separately 
be  defeated,  the  provisions  of  the  existing  constitution  (if  any) 
on  the  same  subject  shall  remain  in  force. 

§  26.  The  provisions  of  this  constitution  required  to  be  exe- 
cuted prior  to  the  adoption  or  rejection  thereof  shall  take  effect 
aud  be  in  force  immediately. 

Done  in  convention  at  the  capital,  in  the  city  of  Springfield, 
on  the  thirteenth  day  of  May,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thou- 
sand eight  hundred  and  seventy,  and  of  the  independence  of  the 
United  States  of  America  the  ninety-fourth. 

In  witness  whereof,  we  have  hereunto   subscribed  our   names 

CHARLES  HITCHCOCK,  President. 


AVilliam  J.  Allen, 
John  Abbott, 
James  C.  Allen, 
Elliott  Anthony, 
Wm.  E.  Archer, 
Henry  I.  Atkins, 


Robert  A.  King, 
Jas.  JIcCov, 
ChaidesE." -McDowell, 
William  C.  Goodue, 
Joseph  Medill, 
Clifton  H.  Moore, 


James  G.  Bayue, 
R.  M.  Benjamin, 
II.  P.  II.  Brownwell, 
O   11.  Browning, 
Wm.  G.  Bowman, 
Silas  L.  Bryon, 
II.  P.  Buxton, 
Daniel  Cameron, 
William  Carv-, 
Lawreucc  S.  Church, 
Hiram  H.  Cody, 
W.  F.  Coolbaugh, 
Alfred  M.  Craig, 
Robert  J.  Cross, 
Samuel  P  Cummings, 
John  Dement, 
G.  S,  Eldridge, 
James  W.  English. 
David  Ellis, 
Ferris  Foreman, 
Jesse  C.  Fox, 
Miles  A.  Fuller, 
John  P.  Gamble, 
Addison  Goodell, 
John  C.  Haines, 
Elijah  M.  Haines, 
John  W.  Hankins, 
R.  P.  Hanna, 
Joseph  Hart, 
Abel  Harwood, 
Milton  Hay, 
Santuel  Snovvden  Hayes, 
Jesse  S.  Hildrup, 


Jonatlian  Merriam, 
Joseph  Parker, 
Samuel  C.  Parks, 
Pelcg  S.  Pcrlcy, 
J.  S.  Poagc, 
Edward  Y.  Rice, 
James  P.  Robinson, 
Lewis  W.  Ross, 
William  P.  Pierce, 
N.  J.  PiUsbury, 
Jno.  Scholficld, 
James  M.  Sharp, 
Henry  Sherrell, 
W.  li.  Snyder, 
O.  C.  Skinner, 
Westel  W.  Sedgwick, 
Charles  F.  Springer, 
John  L.  Tincher, 

C.  Truesdale, 
Henry  Tubbs, 
Thomas  J.  Turner, 
Wm.  PI.  Underwood, 
Wm.  L.  Vandeventer, 
Henry  W.  Wells, 
George  E.  Wait, 
George  W.  Wall, 

R.  B.  Sutherland, 

D.  C.  Wagner, 
George  R.  Wendling, 
Chas.  Wheaton 

L.  D.  Whiting, 
John  H.  Wilsou, 
Orlando  H.  Wright. 


Attest  : — John  Q.  Harmon,  Secretary. 

Daniel  Shepard,  First  Assistant  Secretary. 
A.  H.  Swain,  Second  Assistant  Secretary. 

Office  of  Secretary. 

I  George  H.  Hahlow,  Secretary  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  do  hereby  certify 
that  the  foregoing  is  a  true  copy  of  the  constitution  of  the  State  of  Illinois 
adopted  ia  convention  the  13th  dav  of  May,  187ii,  ratified  by  a  vote  of  the  peo- 
ple the  2nd  day  of  July,  1870,  and  in  force  on  the  Sth  day  of  August,  1870,  and 
now  on  file  in  this  office.  In  testimony  whereof  I  hereto  set  my  nana  and  aflSx 
the  Great  Seal  of  State,  at  the  city  of  Springfield,  the  31st  day  of  JIarch,  A.  D. 
1873. 

GEO.  H.  HARLOW,  Secrelanj  of  StaU. 


AMENDMENTS    TO    THE    CONSTITUTION. 

Amending  section  31,  article  4.  Proposed  by  the  General  Assembly,  1877, 
ratified  by  a  vote  of  the  people  November  5, 1878,  proclaimed  adopted  by  the 
Governor  November  2D,  1878. 

Section  31,  Aeticie  4. 

The  General  Assembly  may  pass  laws  permitting  the  owners  of  lands  to  con- 
struct drain?,  ditches,  and  levees  for  agricultural,  sanitary  and  mining  purposes 
across  the  lands  of  others,  and  provide  for  the  organization  of  drainage  dis- 
tricts, and  vest  the  corporate  authorities  thereof  with  power  to  construct  and 
mainiain  levees,  drains  and  ditches,  and  to  keep  in  repair  all  drains,  ditches 
and  levees  heretofore  constructed  under  the  laws  of  this  State,  by  special  as- 
sessments upon  the  property  benefited  thereby. 

Amending  section  8,  article  10.  Proposed  by  the  General  Assembly,  1879, 
ratified  by  a  vote  of  the  people  November  2, 1880,  proclaimed  adopted  by  the 
Governor' November  22, 1880; 

Section  8,  Aeticlk  10. 
In  each  county  (here  shall  be  elected  the  following  county  officers,  at  the 
general  election  to  he  held  on  the  Tuesday  after  the  first  Monday  in  November, 
A.  D.  1882:  A  county  judge,  county  clerk,  sheriff,  and  treasurer  ;  and  at  the 
election  to  be  held  on  the  Tuesday  after  the  first  Jlonday  in  November,  A.  D. 
1884,  a  coroner  and  clerk  of  the  circuit  court,  (who  may  be  er-officio  recorder  of 
deeds,  except  in  counties  having  nn.nno  and  more  inhabitants,  in  which  coun- 
ties a  recorder  of  deeds  shall  be  elected  at  the  general  election  in  1884).  Each 
of  saiil  officers  shall  enter  upon  the  duties  of  his  office,  respectively,  on  the 
first  Monday  of  December  after  his  election,  and  they  shall  hold  their  respec- 
tive offices  for  the  term  of  four  years,  and  until  their  successors  are  elected 
and  qualified  :  Provided,  that  no  person  having  once  been  elected  to  the  office 
of  sheriff,  or  treasurer,  shall  be  eligible  to  re-election  to  said  office  for  four 
years  after  the  expiration  of  the  term  for  which  he  shall  have  been  elected. 

12 


DECLARATION    OF    INDEPENDENCE. 


AVlien,  in  the  course  of  luiinan  events,  it  becomes  necessary 
for  one  people  to  dissolve  tlie  political  bands  wbicli  have  con- 
nected them  with  another,  and  to  assume  among  the  jiowers  of 
the  earth,  the  separate  and  equal  station  to  which  the  laws  of 
nature  and  of  nature's  God  entitle  them,  a  decent  respect  to 
opinions  of  mankind  requires  that  they  should  declare  the  causes 
which  impel  them  to  the  separation. 

We  hold  these  truths  to  be  self-evident,  that  all  men  are  cre- 
ated equal ;  that  they  are  endowed  by  their  Creator  with  certain 
unalienable  right? ;  that  among  these  are  life,  liberty  and  the 
pursuit  of  happines^i.  That  to  secure  these  rights,  governments 
are  instituted  among  men,  deriving  their  just  powers  Irom  the 
consent  of  the  governed ;  that,  whenever  any  form  of  govern- 
ment becomes  destructive  of  the:ie  ends,  it  is  the  right  of  the 
people  to  alter  or  to  abolish  it,  and  to  institute  a  new  govern- 
ment, laying  its  foundation  on  such  principles,  and  organizing 
its  powers  i^n  such  form  as  to  them  shall  seem  most  likely  to  ef- 
fect their  safety  and  happiness.  Prudence,  indeed,  will  dictate 
that  governments  long  established  should  not  be  changed  for 
light  and  transient  causes  ;  and,  accordingly,  all  experience  hath 
shown  that  mankind  are  more  disposed  to  suffer,  while  evils  are 
sufferable,  than  to  right  themselves  by  abolishing  the  forms  to 
which  they  are  accustomed.  But  when  a  long  train  of  abuses 
and  usurpations,  pursuing  invariably  the  same  object,  evinces  a 
design  to  reduce  them  under  absolute  despotism,  it  is  their  right, 
it  is  their  duty  to  throw  off  such  government,  and  to  provide 
new  guards  for  their  future  security.  Such  hus  been  the  patient 
sufferance  of  these  colonies,  and  such  is  now  the  necessity  which 
constrains  them  to  alter  their  former  systems  of  government. 
The  history  of  the  present  King  of  Great  Britain  is  a  history  of 
repeated  injuries  and  usurpations,  all  having  in  direct  object  the 
establishment  of  an  absolute  tyranny  over  these  States.  To 
prove  this  let  facts  be  submitted  to  a  candid  world  : 

He  has  refused  his  assent  to  laws  the  most  wholesome  and 
necessary  for  the  public  good. 

He  has  forbidden  his  Governors  to  pass  laws  of  immediate  and 
pressing  importance,  unless  suspended  in  their  operation  till  his 
assent  should  be  obtained  ;  and  when  so  suspended,  he  has  utterly 
neglected  to  attend  to  them. 

He  has  refused  to  pass  other  laws  for  the  accommodation  of  large 
districts  of  people,  unless  those  people  would  relinquish  the  right 
of  representation  in  the  legislature ;  a  right  inestimable  to  them, 
and  formidable  to  tyrants  only. 

He  has  called  together  leglislative  bodies  at  places  unusual, 
uncomfortable,  and  "distant  from  the  depository  of  their  public 
records,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  fatiguing  them  into  compliance 
■with  his  measures. 

He  has  dissolved  representative  houses  repeatedly  for  oppos- 
ing, with  manly  firmness,  his  invasions  on  the  rights  of  the  peo- 
ple. 

He  has  refused,  for  a  long  time  after  such  dissolution,  to  cause 
others  to  be  elected ;  whereby  the  legislative  powers,  incapable 
of  annihilation,  have  returned  to  the  people  at  large  for  their 
exercise;  the  State  remaining,  in  the  meantime,  exposed  to  all 
the  danger  of  invasion  from  without,  and  convulsions  within. 

He  has  endeavored  to  prevent  the  population  of  these  States  ; 
for  that  purpose,  obstructing  the  laws  for  naturalization  of  for- 
eigners; retusing  to  pass  others  to  encourage  their  migration 
hither,  and  raising  the  conditions  of  new  appropriations  of  lands. 
He  has  obstructed  the  administration  of  justice,  by  refusing 
his  assent  to  laws  for  establishing  judiciary  powers. 

He  has  made  judges  dependent  on   his  will  alone,  for  the  ten- 
ure of  their  offices,  and  the  amount  and  payment  of  their  salaries. 
He  has  erected   a  multitude  of  new  offices,  and  sent  hither 
swarms  of  officers  to  harass  our  people,  and  eat  out  their  sub- 
stance. 

He  has  kept  among  us,  in  times  of  peace,  standing  armies, 
without  the  consent  of  our  legislature. 

He  has  affected  to  render  the  military  independent  of,  and 
superior  to,  the  ci'S'il  power. 

He  has  combined,  with  others,  to  subject  us  to  a  jurisdiction 
foreign  to  our  constitution,  and  unacknowledged  by  our  laws ;  giv- 
ing his  assent  to  their  acts  of  pretended  legislation. 


For  quartering  large  bodies  of  armed  troops  among  us. 

For  protecting  them,  by  a  mock  trial,  from  punishment,  for 
any  murders  they  should  commit  on  the  inhabitants  of  these 
States. 

For  cutting  off  our  trade  with  all  parts  of  the  world: 

For  imposing  taxes  on  us  without  our  consent : 

For  depriving  us,  in  many  cases,  of  the  benefits  of  trial  by 

jury : 

For  transporting  us  beyond  seas  to  be  tried  for  pretended  of- 
fences : 

For  abolishing  the  free  system  of  English  law  in  a  neighbor- 
ing province,  establishing  therein  an  arbitrary  government,  and 
enlarging  its  boundaries,  so  as  to  render  it  at  once  an  example 
and  fit  instrument  for  introducing  the  same  absolute  rule  into 
these  colonies : 

For  taking  away  our  charters,  abolishing  our  most  valuable 
laws,  and  altering  fundamentally,  the  powers  of  our  govern- 
ments : 

For  suspending  our  own  legislatures,  and  declaring  themselves 
invested  with  power  to  legislate  for  us  in  all  cases  whatsoever. 

He  has  abdicated  government  here,  by  declaring  us  out  of  his 
protection,  and  waging  war  against  us. 

He  has  plundered  our  seas,  ravaged  our  coasts,  burnt  our 
towns,  and  destroyed  the  lives  of  our  people. 

He  is,  at  this  time,  transporting  large  armies  of  foreign  mer- 
cenaries to  complete  the  work  of  death,  desolation  and  tyranny, 
already  begun,  with  circumstances  of  cruelty  and  perfidy  scarcely 
paralleled  in  the  most  barbarous  ages,  and  totally  unworthy  the 
head  of  a  civilized  nation. 

He  has  constrained  our  fellow-citizens,  taken  captive  on  the 
high  seas,  to  bear  arms  against  their  country,  to  become  the  exe- 
cutioners of  their  friends  and  brethren,  or  to  fall  themselves  by 
their  hands. 

He  has  excited  domestic  insurrections  amongst  us,  and  has  eii- 
deavored  to  bring  on  the  inhabitants  of  our  frontiere,  the  merci- 
less Indian  savages,  whose  known  rule  of  warfare  is  an  undis- 
tinguished destruction  of  all  ages,  sexes,  and  conditions. 

In  every  stage  of  these  opjiressions,  we  have  petitioned  for  re- 
dress, in  the  most  humble  terms ;  our  repeated  petitions  have 
been  answered  only  by  repeated  injury.  A  prince,  whose  charac- 
ter is  thus  marked  by  every  act  which  may  define  a  tyrant,  is 
unfit  to  be  the  ruler  of  a  free  people. 

Nor  have  we  been  wanting  in  our  attention  to  our  British 
brethren.  We  have  warned  them  from  time  to  time,  of  attempts 
made  by  their  legislature  to  extend  an  unwarrantable  jurisdiction 
over  us.  We  have  reminded  them  of  the  circumstances  of  our 
emigration  and  settlement  here.  We  have  appealed  to  their 
native  justice  and  magnanimity,  and  we  have  conjured  them,  by 
the  ties  of  our  common  kindred,  to  disavow  these  usurpations, 
■which  ■n'ould  inevitably  interrupt  our  connections  and  correspon- 
dence. They,  too,  have  been  deaf  to  the  voice  of  justice  and 
consanguinity.  We  must,  therefore,  acquiesce  in  the  necessity, 
which  denounces  our  separation,  and  hold  them,  as  we  hold  the 
rest  of  mankind,  enemies  in  w-ar,  in  peace,  friends. 

We,  therefore  the  representatives  of  the  UNITED  STATES 
OF  AMERICA,  in  GENERAL  CONGRESS  assembled,  appeal- 
ing to  the  Supreme  Judge  of  the  AVorld  for  the  rectitude  of  our 
intentions,  do,  in  the  name,  and  by  the  authority  of  the  good 
people  of  these  colonics,  solemnly  publish  and  declare.  That  these 
United  Colonies  are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be,  FREE  AND 
INDEPENDENT  STATES  ;  that  they  arc  absolved  from  all 
allegiance  to  the  British  crown,  and  that  all  political  connection 
between  them  and  the  State  of  Great  Britain,  is,  and  ought  to  be, 
totallv  di-ssolved  ;  and  that  as  FREE  AND  INDEPENDENT 
STATES,  they  have  full  power  to  levy  war,  conclude  peace,  con- 
tract alliances,  establish  commerce,  and  to  do  all  other  acts  and 
things  which  INDEPENDENT  STATES  may  of  right  do. 
And  for  the  support  of  this  declaration,  and  a  firm  reliance  on 
the  protection  of  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE,  we  mutually  pledge 
to  each  other,  our  lives,  our  fortunes,  and  our  sacred  honor. 
JOHN  HANCOCK. 


13 


CONSTITUTIOi^    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES. 


We,  the  people  of  the  United  States,  in  order  to  form  a  more 
perfect  Union,  establish  justice,  insure  domestic  tranquillity, 
provide  for  the  common  defence,  promote  the  general  welfare 
and  secure  the  blessings  of  liberty  to  ourselves  and  our  pos- 
terity, do  ordain  and  establish  this  Constitution  for  the 
United  States  of  America. 

ARTICLE  I. 

Section  1.  All  legislative  powers  herein  granted  shall  bo 
vested  in  a  Congress  of  the  United  States,  which  shall  consist  of 
a  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives. 

Section  2.  The  House  of  Representatives  shall  be  composed 
of  members  chosen  every  second  year  by  the  people  of  the  sev- 
eral States,  and  the  electors  in  each  State  shall  have  the  qualifi- 
cations requisite  for  electors  of  the  most  numerous  branch  of  the 
State  Legislature. 

No  person  shall  be  a  Representative  who  shall  not  have  at- 
tained to  the  age  of  twenty-five  years,  and  been  seven  years  a 
citizen  of  the  United  States,' and  who  shall  not,  when  elected,  be 
an  inhabitant  of  that  StiUe  in  which  he  .shall  be  chosen. 

Representatives  and  direct  taxes  shall  be  apportioned  among 
the  several  States  which  may  be  included  within  this  Union,  ac- 
cording to  their  respective  "numbers,  which  shall  he  dctermiiud 
by  adding  to  the  whole  number  of  free  persons  including  those 
bound  toservice  for  a  term  of  years,  and  excluding  Indians  not 
tiixed,  three-fifths  of  all  other  persons.  The  actual  enumeration 
shall  be  made  within  three  years  after  the  first  meeting  of  the 
Congress  of  the  United  States,  and  within  every  subsequent  term 
of  ten  years,  in  such  manner  as  they  shall  by  law  direct.  The 
number  of  Representatives  shall  not  exceed  one  for  every  thirty 
thousand,  but  each  State  shall  have  at  least  one  Representative  ; 
and  until  such  enumeration  shall  be  made,  the  State  of  New- 
Hampshire  shall  be  entitled  to  choose  three,  Massachusetts  eight, 
Rliode  Island  and  Providence  Plantations  one,  Connecticut  five, 
New  York  six,  New  Jersey  four,  Pennsylvania  eight,  Delaware 
one,  Maryland  six,  Virginia  ten,  North  Carolina  five,  and 
Genrsria  three. 

When  vacancies  happen  in  the  representation  from  any  State, 
the  Executive  authority  thereof  shall  issue  writs  of  election  to 
fill  such  vacancies. 

The  Ilr.usc  of  Representatives  shall  choose  their  Speaker  and 
other  officers,  and  shall  have  the  sole  power  of  impeachment. 

Section  3.  The  Senate  of  the  United  States  shall  be  com- 
posed of  two  .Senators  from  each  State,  chosen  by  the  Legisla- 
ture thereof,  for  six  years ;  and  each  Senator  shall  have  one  vote. 

Immediately  after  they  shall  be  assembled  in  consequence  of 
the  first  election,  they  shall  be  divided  as  equally  as  may  be  into 
three  classes.  The  seats  of  the  Senators  of  the  first  class  shall 
be  vacated  at  the  expiration  of  the  second  year,  of  the  second 
class  at  the  expiration  of  the  fourth  year,  and  of  the  third  class 
at  the  expiration  of  the  sixth  year,  so  that  one-third  may  be 
chosen  every  second  year  ;  and  if  vacancies  happen  by  resigna- 
tion, or  otherwise,  during  the  recess  of  the  Legislature  of  any 
State,  the  Executive  thereof  may  make  temporary  appointments 
until  the  next  meeting  of  the  Legislature,  which  shall  then  fill 
such  vacancies. 

No  person  shall  be  a  Senator  who  shall  not  have  attained  to 
the  age  of  thirty  years,  and  been  nine  years  a  citizen  of  the 
United  .St  >tcs,  and  who  shall  not,  when  elected,  be  an  inhabitant 
of  that  State  for  which  he  shall  be  chosen. 

The  Vice  President  of  the  United  States  shall  be  the  President 
of  the  Senate,  but  shall  have  no  vote  unless  they  be  equally  di- 
vided. 

The  Senate  shall  choose  their  other  ofiicers,  and  also  a  Presi- 
dent pro  tempore,  in  the  absence  f>f  the  Vice  President,  or  when 
he  shall  exercise  the  office  of  President  of  the  L'nited  States. 

The  Senate  shall  have  the  sole  power  to  try  all  impeachments. 
When  sitting  for  that  purpose  they  shall  be  on  oath  or  affirma- 
tion. When  the  President  of  the  United  States  is  tried,  the 
Chief  .Tuitice  shall  preside.  And  no  person  shall  lie  convicted 
without  the  concurrenee  of  two- thirds  of  the  members  present. 

Judgment  in  cases  of  impeachment  shall  not  extend  further 
than  to  removal  from  office,  and  disqualification  to  hold  and  en- 


joy any  office  of  honor,  trust  or  profit  under  the  United  States; 
but  the  party  convicted  shall  nevertheless  be  liable  and  subject 
to  indictment,  trial,  judgment  and  punishment  aci^'ording  to  law. 

Section  4.  The  times,  places  and  manner  of  holding  elections 
for  Senators  and  Representatives,  shall  be  prescribed  in  each 
Stat  J  bv  the  Legislature  thereof;  but  the  Congress  may  at  any 
time  by  law,  niake  or  alter  such  regulations,  except  as  to  the 
places  of  choosing  Senators. 

The  Congress  shall  iissemble  at  least  once  in  every  year,  and 
such  meeting  shall  be  on  the  first  Monday  in  December,  unless 
they  shall  by  law  appoint  a  diflerent  day. 

Section  5.  Each  house  shall  be  the  judge  of  the  election, 
returns  and  qualifications  of  its  own  members,  and  a  majority  of 
each  shall  constitute  a  quorum  to  do  business ;  but  a  smaller 
number  may  adjourn  from  day  to  day,  and  may  be  authorized  to 
compel  the  attendance  of  absent  members  in  such  manner,  and 
under  such  penalties  as  each  house  may  provide. 

Each  house  may  determine  the  rules  of  its  proceedings,  pun- 
ish its  members  for  disorderly  behaviour,  and,  with  the  concur- 
rence of  two-thirds,  expel  a  member. 

Each  house  shall  keep  a  journal   of  its  proceedings,  and  from 

time  to  time   publish  the   same  excepting  such  parts  as  may  in 

their  judgment   require   secrecy;  and  the  yeas  and  n.ays  of  the 

members  of  cither  house  on  any  question  shall,  at  the  desire  of 

j   one-fifth  of  those  present,  be  entered  on  the  journal. 

I       Neither  house,  during  the  session   of  Congress,  shall,  without 

the  consent  of  the  other,  adjourn  for  more  than  three  days,  nor 

j   to  any   other  place  than   that  in  which  the   two  houses  shall  be 

sitting. 
■  Section  6.  The  Senators  and  Representatives  shall  receive  a 
compensation  for  their  services,  to  be  ascertained  by  law,  and 
paid  out  of  the  Treasury  of  the  United  States.  They  shall  in 
all  eases,  except  treason,  felony  and  breach  of  the  peace,  be 
privileged  from  arrest  during  their  attendance  at  the  session  of 
their  respective  houses,  and  in  going  to  and  returning  froni  the 
same  ;  and  for  any  speech  or  debate  in  either  house  they  shall 
not  be  questioned  in  any  other  place. 

No  Senator  or  Representative  shall,  during  the  time  for  which 
he  was  elected,  be  appointed  to  any  civil  office  under  the  author- 
ity of  the  United  States,  which  shall  have  been  created,  or  the 
emoluments  whereof  shall  have  been  increa-sed  during  such 
time  ;  and  no  person  holding  any  office  under  the  United  States, 
shall  be  a  member  of  either  house  during  his  continuance  in 
office. 

Section  7.  All  bills  for  raising  revenue  shall  originate  in  the 
House  of  Representatives  ;  hut  the  Senate  may  propose  or  con- 
cur with  amendments  as  on  other  bills. 

Every  bill  which  shall  have  passed  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives and  the  Senate,  shall,  before  it  becomes  a  law,  be  presented 
to  the  President  of  the  United  States ;  if  he  approve  he  shall 
sign  it,  but  if  not  he  shall  return  it  with  his  objections  to  that 
house  in  which  it  shall  have  originated,  who  shall  enter  the  ob- 
jections at  large  on  their  journal,  and  proceed  to  reconsider  it. 
"if  after  such  recon-sideration  two-thirds  of  that  IIou.se  shall 
.agree  to  pa.ss  the  bill,  it  shall  be  sent,  together  with  the  objec- 
tions, to  the  other  house,  by  which  it  shall  likewise  be  recon- 
sidered, if  approved  by  two-thirds  of  that  House,  it  shall  become 
a  law.  But  in  all  such  cases  the  votes  of  both  houses  shall  be 
determined  bv  yeas  and  nays,  and  the  names  of  the  persons  vot- 
ing for  anrl  asainst  the  bill"  shall  be  entered  on  the  journal  of 
each  house  respectively.  If  any  bill  shall  not  be  returned  by 
the  President  within  ten  days  (Sundays  excepted),  after  it  shall 
have  been  presented  to  him, "the  same  shall  be  a  law,  in  like  man- 
ner as  if  he  had  signed  it,  unless  the  Congress  by  their  adjourn- 
ment prevent  its  return,  in  which  case  it  shall  not  be  a  law. 

Everv  order,  resolution  or  vote  to  which  the  concurrence  of 
Senate  "and  House  of  Representatives  may  be  necessarv  (cxceiDt 
on  a  question  of  adiournment),  shall  be  presented  to  the  Prcsi- 
djnt  of  the  United  States  ;  and  before  the  same  shall  take  effect, 
shall  bo  approved  bv  him,  or  being  disapproved  by  him,  shall  be 
repassed  by  two-thirds  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representa- 
tives, according  to  the  rules  and  limitations  prescribed  in  the 
case  of  a  bill. 
14 


600 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,     ILLINOIS. 


Section  8.  The  Congress  shall  have  power — 
To  lay  and  collect  taxes,  duties,  imposts  and  excises,  to  pay 
the  debts  and  provide  for  the  common  defense  and  general  wel- 
fare of  the  United  Slates ;  but  all  duties,  imposts   and   excises 
shall  be  uniform  throughout  the  United  States ; 

To  borrow  money  on  the  credit  of  the  United  States; 

To  regulate  commerce  with  foreign  nations,  and  among  the 
several  States,  and  with  the  Indian  tribes; 

To  establish  a  uniform  rule  of  naturalization,  and  uniform 
laws  on  the  subject  of  bankruptcies  throughout  the  United 
States ; 

To  coin  money,  regulate  the  value  thereof,  and  of  foreign 
coin,  and  fix  the  standard  of  weights  and  measures  ; 

To  provide  for  the  punishment  of  counterfeiting  the  securities 
and  current  coin  of  the  United  States ; 

To  establish  post-ollices  and  post-roads  ; 

To  promote  the  progress  of  science  and  useful  arts,  by  secur- 
ing for  limited  times  to  authors  anc"  inventors  the  exclusive  right 
to  their  respective  writings  and  discoveries; 

To  constitute  tribunals  inferior  to  the  Supreme  Court ; 

To  define  and  punish  piracies  and  felonies  committed  on  the 
high  seas,  and  offences  against  the  law  of  nations  ; 

To  declare  war,  grant  letters  of  marque  and  reprisal,  and  make 
rules  concerning  captures  on  land  and  water; 

To  raise  and  support  armies,  but  no  appropriation  of  money 
to  that  US3  shall  be  for  a  longer  term  than  two  years ; 

To  provide  and  maintain  a  navy ; 

To  mxke  rules  for  the  government  and  regulation  of  the  land 
and  naval  forces; 

To  provide  for  calling  forth  the  militia  to  execute  the  laws  of 
the  Union,  suppress  insurrections  and  repel  invasions; 

To  provide  for  organizing,  arming  and  disciplining  the  militia, 
and  for  governing  such  part  of  them  as  may  be  employed  in  the 
S3rvice  of  the  United  States,  reserving  to  the  States,  respectively 
the  appointment  of  the  officers,  and  the  authority  of  training 
the  militia  aci^ording  to  the  discipline  prescribed  by  Congress. 

To  exercise  legislation  in  all  cases  whatsoever,  over  such  dis- 
tricts (not  exceeding  ten  miles  square),  as  may  by  the  cession  of 
particular  States  and  the  acceptance  of  Congress  become  the 
seat  of  the  g  wernment  of  the  United  States,  and  to  exercise  like 
authority  over  all  places  purchased  by  the  consent  of  the  Legisla- 
ture of  the  State  in  which  tlie  same  shall  be,  for  tlie  erection  of 
forts,  magazines,  arsenals,  dock-yards  and  other  needful  build- 
ings;— and 

To  make  all  laws  which  shall  be  necessary  and  proper  for  car- 
rying into  execution  the  foregoing  powers,  and  all  other  powers 
vested  by  this  Constitution  in  the  government  of  the  United 
States,  or  to  any  department  or  officer  thereof 

Section'  9.  The  migration  or  importation  of  such  persons  as 
any  of  the  States  nowcsisting  shall  think  proper  to  admit,  shall 
not  be  prohibited  by  the  Congress  prior  to  the  year  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  eight,  but  a  tax  or  duty  may  be  imposed  on 
such  importation,  not  exceeding  ten  dollars  for  each  person. 

The  privileges  of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  shall  not  be  sus- 
pended, unless  when  in  cases  of  rebellion  or  invasion  the  public 
safety  may  require  it. 

No  bill  of  attainder  or  ex-post  facto  law  shall  be  passed. 

No  capitation  or  other  direct  tax  shall  be  laid  unless  in  pro- 
portion to  the  census,  or  enumeration  hereinbefore  directed  to 
be  taken. 

No  tax  or  duty  shall  be  laid  on  articles  exported  from  any 
State. 

No  preference  shall  be  given  by  any  regulation  of  commerce 
or  revenue  to  the  ports  of  one  State  over  those  of  another  ;  nor 
shall  vessels  bound  to,  or  from  one  State,  be  obliged  to  enter, 
clear,  or  pay  duties  in  another. 

No  money  shall  be  drawn  from  the  Treasury,  but  in  con- 
sequence of  appropriations  niaile  by  law ;  and  a  regular  statement 
and  account  of  the  receipts  and  expenditures  of  all  public  money 
shall  be  published  from  time  to  time. 

No  title  of  nobility  sliall  be  granted  by  the  United  States ; 
and  no  person  holding  any  office  of  profit  or  trust  under  them, 
shall  without  the  consent  of  Congress,  accept  of  any  present, 
emolument,  office,  or  title,  of  any  kind  whatever,  from  any  king, 
prince,  or  foreign  State. 

Section  10.  No  State  shall  enter  into  any  treaty,  alliance,  or 
confederation ;  grant  letters  of  marque  or  reprisal ;  coin  money  ; 
emit  bills  of  credit ;  make  anything  but  gold  and  silver  coin  a 
tender  in  payment  of  debts;  pass  any  bill  of  attainder,  tc^o.'i! 
facto  law,  or  law  impairing  the  obligation  of  conti'acts,  or  grant 
any  title  of  nobility. 


No  State  shall,  without  the  consent  of  the  Congress,  lay  any 
imposts  or  duties  on  imports  or  exports,  except  what  may  be  ab- 
solutely necessary  for  executing  its  inspection  laws,  and  the  net 
produce  of  all  duties  and  imposts  laid  by  any  State  on  imports 
or  exports,  shall  be  for  the  use  of  the  Treasury  of  the  United 
States ;  and  all  such  laws  shall  be  subject  to  the  revision  and 
control  of  the  Congress. 

No  State  shall,  without  the  consent  of  the  Congress,  lay  any 
duty  on  tonnage,  keep  troops  or  ships  of  war  in  time  of  peace, 
enter  into  any  agreement  or  compact  with  another  State,  or  with 
a  foreign  power,  or  engage  in  war,  unless  actually  invaded  or  in 
such  imminent  danger  as  will  not  admit  of  delay. 

AETICLE  II. 

Section  1.  The  Executive  power  shall  be  vested  in  a  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  of  America.  He  shall  hold  his  office 
during  the  term  of  four  years,  and,  together  with  the  Vice  Presi- 
dent chosen  for  the  same  term,  be  elected  as  follows  : 

Each  State  shall  appoint,  in  sucli  a  manner  as  the  Legislature 
thereof  may  direct,  a  number  of  electors  equal  to  the  whole  num- 
ber of  Senators  and  Representatives  to  which  the  State  may  be 
entitled  in  the  Congress ;  but  no  Senator  or  Eepresentative,  or 
])erson  holding  an  office  of  trust  or  profit  under  the  United 
States,  shall  be  appointed  an  elector. 

[*The  electors  shall  meet  in  their  respective  States  and  vote 
by  ballot  for  two  persons,  of  whom  one  at  least  shall  not  be  an 
inhabitant  of  the  same  State  with  themselves.  And  ihcy  shall 
make  a  list  of  all  persons  voted  for,  and  of  the  number  of  votes 
for  each  ;  which  list  they  .shall  sign  and  certify,  and  transmit, 
sealed  to  the  seat  of  the  government  of  the  United  Slates, 
directed  to  the  President  of  the  Senate.  The  President  of  the 
Senate  shall,  in  the  presence  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives, open  all  the  certificates,  and  the  votes  shall  then  be 
counted.  The  person  having  the  greatest  number  of  votes  shall 
be  the  President,  if  such  number  be  a  majority  of  the  whole 
number  of  electors  appointed  ;  and  if  thai'c  be  more  than  one 
who  have  such  majority,  and  have  an  equal  number  of  votes, 
then  the  House  of  Representatives  shall  immediately  choose  by 
ballot  one  of  them  for  President ;  and  if  no  person  have  a  major- 
ity, then  from  the  five  highest  on  the  list  the  said  House  shall  in 
like  manner  choose  the  President.  But  in  choosing  the  Presi- 
dent, the  vote  shall  be  taken  by  States,  the  representation  from 
each  State  having  one  vote ;  a  quorum  for  this  purpose,  shall 
consist  of  a  member  or  members  from  two-thirds  of  the  States, 
and  a  majority  of  all  the  States  shall  be  necessary  to  a  choice. 
In  every  case,  after  the  choice  of  the  President,  the  person 
having  the  greatest  number  of  votes  of  the  electors  shall  be  the 
Vice  President.  But  if  there  should  remain  two  or  more  who 
have  equal  votes;'the  Senate  shall  choose  from  them  by  ballot  the 
Vice  President.] 

The  Congress  may  determimc  the  time  of  choosing  the  elect- 
ors, and  the  day  on  "which  they  shall  give  their  votes;  which  day 
shall  be  the  same  throughout  the  United  States. 

No  person  except  a  natural  born  citizen,  or  a  citizen  of  the 
United  States  at  the  time  of  the  adoption  of  this  Constitution, 
shall  be  eligible  to  the  office  of  Prcsiclcnt;  neither  shall  any  per- 
s  m  be  eligible  to  that  office  who  shall  not  have  attained  (he  age 
of  thirty-five  years,  and  been  fourteen  years  a  resident  within 
the  United  States. 

In  case  of  the  removal  of  the  President  from  offic?,  or  of  his 
death,  resignation,  or  inability  to  discharge  the  powers  and 
duties  of  the  said  office,  the  same  shall  devolve  on  the  Vice 
President  and  the  Congress  may  by  law  provide  for  the  case  of 
removal,  death,  resignation,  or  inability,  both  of  the  President 
and  Vice  President,  declaring  what  officer  .'hall  then  act  as 
President,  and  such  officer  shall  act  accordingly,  until  the  disa- 
bilitv  be  removed,  or  a  President  shall  be  elected. 

The  President  shall,  at  stated  times,  receive  for  his  services  a 
compensation  which  shall  neither  be  increased  nor  diminished  dur- 
ing the  period  for  which  he  shall  have  been  elected,  and  he  shall 
not  receive  within  that  period  any  other  emolument  from  the 
United  States,  or  any  of  them. 

Before  ho  enter  on  the  execution  of  his  office  he  shall  take  the 
following  oath  or  affirmation : 

"  I  do  solemnlv  swear  (or  affirm)  that  I  will  faithfully  execute 
the  office  of  President  of  the  United  States,  and  will,  to  the  best 
of  mv  ability,  preserve,  protect,  and  defend  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States." 

*This  clause  witliia  brackets  lia^  been  superseded  and  aunuUed  by  tlie 
XII  Amendment. 

15 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


601 


Sectiox  2.  The  Presiileiit  shall  be  commander-in-chief  of  the 
army  and  navy  of  the  United  States,  and  of  the  militia  of  the 
several  States,  when  called  into  the  actual  service  of  the  .United 
States;  he  may  require  the  opinion,  in  writing,  of  the  principal 
officer  in  each" of  the  Executive  departments,  upon  any  subject 
relating  to  the  duties  of  their  respective  offices,  and  he  shall  have 
power  to  grant  reprieves  and  pardons  for  ofience-s  against  the 
United  States,  except  in  cases  of  impeachment.  He  shall 
have  power,  by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate, 
to  make  tre.ities,  provided  two-thirds  of  the  Senators  present 
concur  ;  and  he  shall  nominate,  and  by  and  with  the  advice  of 
the  Senate,  shall  appoint  ambassadors,  other  public  ministers,^ 
consuls,  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  all  other  officers  of 
the  United  States  whose  appointments  are  not  herein  otherwise 
provided  for,  and  which  shall  be  established  by  law ;  but  the 
Congress  may  by  law  vest  the  appointment  of  such  inferior 
officers  as  they  think  proper  in  the  President  alone,  in  the  courts 
of  law,  or  in  the  heads  of  departments. 

Tlie  President  shall  have  power  to  fill  up  all  vacancies  that 
may  happen  during  the  recess  of  the  Senate,  by  granting  com- 
missions which  shall  expire  at  the  ind  of  their  weyA  sessions. 

Section  3.  He  shall  from  time  to  time  give  to  the  Congress 
information  of  the  state  of  the  Union,  and  recommend  to  their 
consideration  such  measui'cs  as  he  shall  judge  necessary  and  ex- 
pedient ;  he  may,  on  extraordinary  occasions,  convene  both 
Houses,  or  either  of  them,  and  in  case  of  disagreement  between 
them,  with  respect  to  the  time  of  adjournment,  he  may  adjourn 
them  to  such  time  as  he  shall  think  proper;  he  shall  receive 
ambassadors  and  other  public  ministers  ;  he  shall  take  care  that 
the  laws  be  faithiully  executed,  and  shall  commission  all  the 
officers  of  the  United  States. 

Section  4.  The  President,  Vice  President  and  all  civil  officers 
of  the  United  States,  shall  be  removed  from  office  on  impeach- 
ment for,  and  conviction  of,  treason,  bribery,  or  other  high  crimes 
and  misdemeanors. 

ARTICLE  HI. 

Section  1.  The  judicial  power  of  the  United  States  shall  be 
vested  in  one  Supreme  Court  and  such  inferior  courts  as  the 
Congress  may  from  time  to  time  ordain  and  establish.  The 
judges,  both  of  the  Supreme  and  inferior  courts,  shall  hold  their 
offices  during  good  behaviour,  and  shall,  at  stated  times,  receive 
for  their  services  a  compensation,  which  shall  not  be  diminished 
during  their  continuance  in  office. 

Section  2.  The  judicial  power  shall  extend  to  all  cases,  in 
law  and  equity,  arising  under  tliis  Constitution,  the  laws  of  the 
United  States,  and  treaties  made,  or  which  shall  be  made,  under 
their  authority  ; — to  all  cases  affecting  ambassadors,  other  public 
ministers  and  consuls  ; — to  all  cases  of  admiralty  and  maritime 
jurisdiction ; — to  controversies  to  which  the  United  States  shall 
be  a  party  ; — to  controversies  between  two  or  more  States ; — 
bctwe:'n  a  State  and  citizens  of  another  state; — between  citizens 
of  different  States; — between  citizens  of  the  same  State  claiming 
Ian  Is  under  grants  of  different  States,  and  between  a  State,  or 
the  citizens  thereof,  and  foreign  States,  citizens  or  subjects. 

In  all  cases  affe.ting  ambassadors,  other  public  ministers  and 
consuls,  and  those  in  which  a  State  shall  be  a  party,  the  Supreme 
Court  shall  have  original  jurisdiction. 

In  all  the  other  cases  before  mentioned  the  Supreme  Court  shall 
have  appellate  jurisdiction  both  as  to  law  and  fact,  with  such  ex- 
ceptions, and  under  such  regulations  as  the  Congress  shall  make. 

The  trial  of  all  crimes,  except  in  cases  of  impeachment,  shall 
be  by  jury  ;  and  such  trial  shall  be  held  in  the  State  where_  the 
said  crimes  shall  have  been  committed  ;  but  when  not  committed 
within  any  State  the  trial  shall  be  at  such  place  or  places,  as  the 
Congress  may  by  law  have  directed. 

Section  3.  Treason  against  the  United  States  shall  consist 
only  of  levying  war  against  them,  or  in  adhering  to  their  enemies, 
giving  them  aid  and  comfort.  No  person  shall  be  convicted  of 
treason  unless  on  the  testimony  of  two  witnesses  to  the  same 
overt  act,  or  on  confession  in  open  court. 

The  Congress  shall  have  power  to  declare  the  punishment  of 
treason,  but  no  attainder  of  treason  shall  work  corruption  of 
blood  or  forfeiture,  except  during  the  life  of  the  person  attainted. 

ARTICLE  IV. 

Section  1.  Full  faith  and  credit  shall  be  given  in  each  State 
to  the  public  acts,  records,  and  judicial  proceedings  of  every  other 
State     And  the  Congress  may  by  general  law  prescribe  the  man- 


i 


ner  in  which  such  acts,  records  and  proceedings  shall  be  proved 
and  the  effect  thereof 

Section  2.  The  citizens  of  each  State  shall  be  entitled  to  the 
all  privileges  and  immunities  of  citizens  in  the  several  States. 

A  person  charged  in  any  State  with  treason,  felony  or  other 
crime,  who  shall  flee  from  justice  and  be  found  in  another  State, 
shall,  on  demand  of  the  Executive  authority  of  the  State  from 
which  he  fled,  be  delivered  up,  to  be  removed  to  the  State  having 
jurisdiction  of  the  crime. 

No  person  held  to  service  or  labor  in  one  State,  under  the 
laws  thereof,  escaping  into  another,  shall,  in  consequence  of  any 
law  or  regulation  therein,  be  discharged  from  such  service  or 
labor,  but  shall  be  delivered  up  on  the  claim  of  the  party  to 
whom  such  service  or  labor  may  be  due. 

Section  3.  New  States  may  be  admitted  by  the  Congress  into 
this  Union  ;  but  no  new  State"  shall  be  formed  or  erected  within 
the  jurisdiction  of  any  other  State  ;  nor  any  State  be  formed  by 
the  junction  of  two  or  more  States,  or  parts  of  States,  without  the 
consent  of  the  Legislatures  of  the  States  concerned,  as  well  as  of 
the  Congress. 

The  Congress  shall  have  power  to  dispose  of  and  make  all 
needful  rules  and  regulations  respecting  the  territory  or  other 
property  belonging  to  the  United  States  ;  and  nothing  in  this 
Constitution  shallbe  so  construed  as  to  prejudice  any  claims  of 
the  United  States,  or  of  any  particular  State. 

Section  4.  The  United  States  shall  guarantee  to  every  State 
in  this  Union  a  Republican  form  of  government  and  shall  pro- 
tect each  of  them  against  invasion,  and  on  application  of  the 
Legislature,  or  of  the  Executive  (when  the  Legislature  cannot  be 
convened)  against  domestic  violence. 


ARTICLE  V. 

The  Congress,  whenever  two-thirds  of  both  Houses  shall  deem 
it  necessary,  shall  propose  amendments  to  this  Co  nstitution,  or 
on  the  application  of  the  Legislatures  of  two-thirds  of  the  several 
States,  shall  call  a  convention  for  proposing  amendments,  which 
in  either  case,  shall  be  valid  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  as  a 
part  of  this  Constitution,  when  ratified  by  the  Legislatures  of 
three-fourths  of  the  several  States,  or  by  conventions  in  three- 
fourths  thereof,  as  the  one  or  the  other  mode  of  ratification  niay 
be  proposed  by  the  Congress.  Provided  that  no  amendment  which 
may  be  madeprior  to  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
eight  shall  in  any  manner 'affect  the  first  and  fourth  clauses  in 
the  ninth  section  of  the  first  article  ;  and  that  no  State,  without 
its  consent,  shall  be  deprived  of  its  equal  suffrage  in  the  Senate. 


ARTICLE  VI. 

All  debts  contracted  and  engagements  entered  into,  before  the 
adoption  of  this  Constitution,  shall  be  as  valid  against  the 
United  States  under  this  Constitution  as  under  the  Confedera- 
tion. 

This  Constitution,  and  the  laws  of  the  United  States  which 
shall  be  made  in  pursuance  thereof,  and  all  treaties  made,  or 
which  shall  be  made,  under  the  authority  of  the  United  States, 
shall  be  the  supreme  law  of  the  land  ;  and  the  judges  in  every 
State  shall  be  bound  thereby,  anything  in  the  Constitution  or 
laws  of  anv  State  notwithstanding. 

The  Senators  and  Representatives  before  mentioned,  and  the 
members  of  the  several  State  Legislatures,  and  all  Executive  and 
judicial  officers,  both  of  the  United  States  and  of  the  several 
States,  shall  be  bound  by  oath  or  affirmation,  to  sujiport  this 
Constitution  :  but  no  religious  test  shall  ever  be  n-quired^  as  a 
qualification  to  any  oflice  of  public  trust  under  the  United  States. 

ARTICLE  VII. 

The  ratification  of  the  Convention  of  nine  States  shall  be  suffi- 
cient for  the  establishment  of  this  Constitution  between  the 
States  so  ratifying  the  same. 

Done  in  Convention  by  the  unanimous  consent  of  the  States 
present,  the  seventeenth  clay  of  September,  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty-seven,  and  of  the 
Independen"e  of  the  United  States  of  America,  the  twelfth.  In 
Witness  Whereof,  We  have  hereunto  subscribed  our  names.  . 

GEO.  AVASIIINGTON, 
Pi-esideM  and  Deputy  from  Virginia. 
16 


602 


HISTORY   OF  MADISON   COUNTY,    ILLINOIS. 


J^ew  Hampshire. 
JonxLANGDON, 

Nicholas  Oilman. 

Massachusetts. 

Xathaniel  Gokham, 
RuFUS  King. 


Wm.  S.vml.  Johnson, 
RoGEK  Sherman. 


Xcio   York. 
Alexander  Hamilton. 


JVew  Jersey. 

AViL.  Livingston, 
Wm.  Patterson, 
David  Brearly, 
Jona.  Dayton, 

Pennsylvania. 

B.  Franklin, 
Robt.  Morris, 
Tho.  Fitzsimons, 
James  Wilson, 
Thomas  Mifflin, 
Geo.  Clymer, 
Jared  Ingersoll, 
Gouv.  Morris. 


Delaware. 
Geo.  Read, 
John  Dickinson, 
Jacob  Broom, 
Gunning  Bedford,  Jb. 
Richard  Basset. 

Virginia. 

John  Blair, 
James  Madison,  Jk. 

Maryland. 

James  M'Henry, 
Danl.  Carrol, 
Dan.  of  St.  Thos.  Jenifer. 
Attest: 


North  Carolina. 

Wm.  Blount, 
Hu.  Williamson, 
Rich'd  Dobbs  Spaight. 

South  Carolina. 
J.  Rutledge, 
Charles  Pinckney, 
Chas.Cotesworth  Pinckney 
Pierce  Butler. 

Georgia. 
William  Few, 
Abr.  Baldwin. 
WILLIAM  JACKSON,  Secretary. 


-^=€Se^^<(^9^^ 


AMENDMENTS  TO  THE  CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


Proposed  by  Congress,  and  raiijied  by  the  Legislatures  of  the  several  States,  pursuant  to  the  fifth  article  of  the  original  Constitution. 


ARTICLE  I. 

Congress  shall  make  no  law  respecting  an  establisliment  of 
rcli:;ion,  or  prohibiting  tho  free  exercise  thereof;  or  abridging 
the'^frcc:lom  of  speech,  or  of  the  press  ;  or  the  right  of  the  people 
peacefully  to  as.?cmble,  and  to  petition  the  government  for  a  re- 
dress of  grievances. 

AETICLE  II. 

A  well  regulated  militia  being  necessary  to  the  security  of  a 
free  State,  the  right  of  the  people  to  keep  and  bear  arms  shall  not 
be  infringed. 

ARTICLE   III. 

Ko  soldier  shall  in  time  of  peace  be  quartered  in  any  house 
without  the  consent  of  the  owner,  nor  in  time  of  war,  but  in  a 
manner  to  be  prescribed  by  law. 

ARTICLE    IV. 

The  right  the  of  people  to  be  secure  in  their  persons,  houses, 
papers,  and  effects,  against  unreasonable  searches  and  seizures, 
shall  not  be  violated,  and  no  warrants  shall  issue  but  upon  prob- 
able cause,  supported  by  oath  or  affirm.ation,  and  particularly 
describing  the  place  to  bo  searched,  and  the  person  or  things  to 
be  soizc'l. 

ARTICLE  Y. 

No  person  shall  be  hold  to  answer  for  a  capital  or  otherwise 
infamous  crime,  unless  on  a  presentment  or  indictment  by  a 
Grand  Jury,  except  in  cases  arising  ill  the  laud  or  naval  forces, 
or  in  the  militia  when  in  actual  service  in  time  of  war  or  public 
danger;  nor  shall  anv  person  be  subject  for  the  s.ame  offence  to 
be  twice  put  in  jeopardy  of  lifa  or  limb  ;  nor  shall  be  compelled 
in  any  criminal  case  to  be  a  witness  against  himself,  nor  be  de- 
privcfl  of  life,  libertv  or  property,  without  due  process  of  law  ; 
nor  shall  private  property  be  taken  for  public  use,  without  just 
compensation. 

ARTICLE  VI. 

In  all  criminal  prosecutions,  tho  accused  shall  enioy  the  right 
to  a  speedy  and  public  tri.al,  by  an  impartial  jury  of  the  State  and 
district  wlieroin  the  crime  shall  have  been  committed,  which  dis- 
trict shall  have  been  previously  ascertained  by  law,  and  to  be 
informed  of  the  nature  and  cau^e  of  tho  accusation ;  to  bo  con- 
fronted with  the  witnesses  against  him  ;  to  have  compulsory 
process  for  obtaining  witnesses  in  his  favor,  and  to  have  the 
assistance  of  counsel  for  his  defense. 

ARTICLE  VII. 

In  suits  at  common  law  where  the  value  in  controversy  shall 


exceed  twenty  dollars,  the  right  of  tri.al  by  jury  shall  be  pre- 
served, .and  no  fact  tried  by  a  jury  shall  be  otherwise  re-examined 
in  any  court  of  the  United  States",  than  according  to  the  rules  of 
the  common  law. 

ARTICLE  VIII. 

E.xcessive  bails  shall  not  be  required,  nor  excessive  fines  im- 
posed, nor  cruel  and  unusual  punishment  inflicted. 

ARTICLE    IX. 

The  enumeration  in  this  Constitution,  of  certain  rights,  shall 
not  be  construed  to  deny  or  disparage  others  retained  by  the 
people. 

ARTICLE   X. 

The  powers  not  delegated  to  the  United  States  by  the  Constitu- 
tion, nor  prohibited  by  it  to  tlie  States,  are  reserved  to  the  States 
respectively,  or  to  the  people. 

ARTICLE  XL 

The  judicial  power  of  the  United  States  shall  not  be  construed 
to  extend  to  any  suit  in  law  or  equity  commenced  or  prosecuted 
against  one  of  the  LTnited  States  by  citizens  of  another  State,  or 
by  citizens  or  subjects  of  any  foreign  State. 

ARTICLE  XII. 

The  electors  shall  meet  in  their  respective  States,  and  vote  by 
ballot  for  President  .and  Vice  President,  one  of  whom  at  least 
shall  not  bo  an  inhabitant  of  the  same  State  with  themselves ; 
they  shall  name  in  their  ballot  the  person  to  be  voted  for  as 
President,  and  in  distinct  ballots  the  person  voted  for  as  Vice 
President,  and  they  shall  make  distinct  lists  of  all  persons  voted 
for  .as  President,  and  all  persons  voted  for  as  Vice  President,  and 
of  the  number  of  votes  for  each,  which  list  they  shall  sign  and 
certify,  and  transmit  sealed  to  the  seat  of  government  of  the 
United  States,  directed  to  the  President  of  the  Senate.  The 
President  of  the  Senate  shall,  in  presence  of  the  Senate  and 
House  of  Representatives,  open  all  the  certificates,  and  the  votes 
shall  then  be  counted.  The  person  having  the  greatest  number 
of  votes  for  President,  shall  be  the  President,  if  such  number  be 
a  majoritv  of  the  whole  number  of  electors  appointed  ;  and  if  no 
person  h.ive  such  majoritv,  tlien  from  tlic  persons  having  tlie 
highest  number  not  exceeding  three  on  tho  list  of  those  voted 
for  .as  President,  the  House  of  Representafives  sh.all  choose  im- 
mediately, by  ballot,  the  President.  But  in  choosing  the  Presi- 
dent, the"  vote  shall  be  taken  by  States,  the  representation  from 
each  State  having  one  vote ;  a  quorum  for  this  purpose  shall  con- 
17 


HISTORY   OF   MADISON    COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 


603 


sist  of  a  member  or  members  from  two-thirds  of  the  States,  and  a 
majority  of  all  the  States  shall  be  necessary  to  a  choice.  And  if 
the  Hoiise  of  Representatives  shall  not  choose  a  President  when- 
ever the  right  of  choice  shall  devolve  upon  them,  before  the 
fourth  day  of  March  next  followin<;,  then  the  Vice  President 
shall  act  as  President,  as  in  the  case  of  the  death  or  other  Consti- 
tutional disability  of  the  President.  The  person  having  the 
greatest  number  of  votes  as  Vice  President,  shall  be  the  Vice 
President,  if  such  number  be  a  majority  of  the  whole  number  of 
electors  appointed,  and  if  no  parson  have  a  majority,  then  from 
the  two  highest  numbers  on  the  list,  the  Senate  shall  choose  the 
Vice  President ;  a  quorum  for  the  purpose  shall  consist  of  two- 
thirds  of  the  whole  number  of  Senators,  and  a  majority  of  the 
whole  number  shall  be  necessary  to  a  choice.  But  no  person 
constitutionally  ineligible  to  the  office  of  President  shall  be  eli- 
gible to  that  of  Vice 'President  of  the  United  States. 

ARTICLE  XIII. 

Section  1.  Neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude,  except 
as  a  punishment  for  crime,  whereof  the  party  shall  have  been  duly 
convicted,  shall  exist  within  the  United  States,  or  any  place 
subject  to  their  jurisdiction. 

Section  2.  Congress  shall  have  power  to  enforce  this  article 
by  appropriate  legislation. 

ARTICLE   XIV. 

Section  1.  All  persons  born  or  naturalized  in  the  United 
States  and  subject  to  the  jurisdiction  thereof,  are  citizens  of  the 
United  States,  and  of  the  State  wherein  they  reside.  No  State 
shall  make  or  enforce  any  law  which  shall  abridge  the  privileges 
or  immunities  nf  citizens  of  the  United  States ;  nor  shall  any 
.  State  deprive  any  person  of  life,  liberty  or  property  without  due 
process  of  law,  nor  deny  to  any  person  within  its  jurisdiction  the 
equal  protection  of  the  laws. 

Section  2.  Representatives  shall  be  appointed  among  the 
several  States  according,  to  their  respective  numbers,  counting  the 
whole  number  of  persons  in  each  State,   excluding  Indians  not 


taxed  ;  but  when  the  right  to  vote  at  any  election  for  the  choice 

of  electors  for  President  and  Vice  President  of  the  United  States, 
Representatives  in  Congress,  the  executive  and  judicial  officers  of 
a  State  or  the  members  of  the  Legislature  thereof,  is  denied  to 
any  of  themale  inhabitants  of  such  State,  being  twenty-one  years 
of  age  and  citizens  of  the  United  States,  or  in  any  way  .abridged, 
except  for  participation  in  rebellion  or  other  crimes,  the  basis  of 
representation  therein  shall  be  reduced  in  the  proijortion  which 
the  number  of  such  male  citizens  shall  bear  to  the  whole  number 
of  male  citizens  twenty-one  years  of  age  in  such  State. 

Section  3.  No  person  shall  be  a  Senator  or  Representative  in 
Congress  or  elector  of  President  and  Vice  President,  or  hold  any 
office  civil  or  military,  under  the  United  States  or  under  any 
State  who,  having  previously  taken  oath  as  Member  of  Congress, 
or  as  an  officer  of  the  United  States,  or  as  a  member  of  any  State 
Legislature,  or  as  an  executive  or  judicial  officer  of  any  State,  to 
support  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  shall  have  engaged 
in  insurrection  or  rebellion  against  the  same,  or  given  aid  or  com- 
fort to  the  enemies  thereof.  But  Congress  may,  by  a  vote  of 
two-thirds  of  each  House,  remove  such  disability. 

Section  4.  The  validity  of  the  public  debt  of  the  United 
States  authorized  by  law,  including  debts  incurred  for  payment 
of  pensions  .and  bounties  for  suppressing  insurrection  or  rebellion, 
shall  not  be  questioned.  But  neither  the  United  States 
nor  any  State  shall  assume  or  pay  any  debt  of  obligation  in- 
curred in  the  aid  of  insurrection  or  rebellion  against  the  United 
States,  or  any  loss  for  emancipation  of  any  slave,  but  such  debts, 
obligations  and  claims  shall  be  held  illegal  and  void. 

Section  5.  The  Congress  shall  have  the  power  to  enforce,  by 
appropriate  legislation,  the  provisions  of  this  article. 

ARTICLE  XV. 

Section  1.  The  rights  of  citizens  of  the  United  States  to  vote 
shall  not  be  denied  or  abridged  by  the  United  States  on  account  of 
race,  color,  or  previous  condition  of  servitude. 

Section  2.  Congress  shall  have  power  to  enforce  this  article  by 
appropriate  legislation. 
18 


